Pokémon fans effectually the world rejoiced later Serena gave Ash his kickoff kiss when she said adieu at the end of the anime's Kalos adventures. Amourshippers, fans who suspected and hoped for a romantic relationship betwixt Ash and Serena, were indisputably vindicated by the surprisingly heartfelt moment. However, Pokémonfans learned the hard way that they should be careful what they wish for -- this moment is directly responsible for Serena's continued absence from the series.

Pokémontakes advantage of its longevity past occasionally bringing back Ash's former traveling companions to temporarily join him on his current journey. Misty and Brock have made several reappearances, and even Tracey pops upward now and again. May returned in Sinnoh and Pokémon Journeys has seen the return of Iris, Dawn and the entire Alola gang. Max, Cilan, Clemont and Bonnie have never rejoined Ash, but they've appeared every bit cameos or in special episodes set up afterward they've parted means with him. This leaves Serena as Ash'southward only traveling companion who has reappeared at all since her journey with Ash ended.

Interestingly, Serena is the merely one of all the girls Ash has ever traveled with that he personally invited forth. Their friendship has never featured any of the childish antagonism that his friendship with Misty is famous for. Serena truly respects and admires Ash for who he is, and the 2 have a strong bond. Considering how pop Serena is, and how popular her relationship with Ash is, it seems like it would be a no-brainer for the testify to bring her back.

Pokémon Journeys is basically the franchise's victory lap. Many classic characters, similar Gary Oak, accept already had cameos, so it makes sense that fans are clamoring for Serena's -- long overdue -- render. At the fourth dimension of writing, Dawn has just made her grand re-return to the series, having already come back once before during Ash's Unova campaign. That the serial would opt to bring Dawn back a second time earlier bringing Serena back once doesn't bode well for the chances of it e'er happening.

Pokémon Journeys is all about wish fulfillment, and what greater wish-fulfillment could there be than bringing back the girl who gave Ash his first kiss? Unfortunately, that famous kiss is precisely why Serena will likely never return to the series. If she were to appear, the subject of that buss would need to be addressed. Pokémon is nothing if non consistent, even at the expense of Ash's character. The serial is nigh adventure, non romance. Addressing Ash'due south and Serena'southward kiss would be too significant a detour from the testify'due south Thousand.O.

Bringing Serena back without addressing that kiss would not only be a disservice to the weight it brought to the story when it happened, but it would also unleash the fury of Amourshippers everywhere. Pokémon finds itself in the strange position of having a narrative thread preventing Serena's return that is somehow both too meaning to address, and likewise pregnant to not address. Serena's post-Kalos limbo is truly a no-win state of affairs for the series.

A character like Dawn can return multiple times because it was her journey that changed her. In Serena'due south instance, meeting Ash changed her, so her return would crave more emotionally intimate grapheme interactions than a silly kid'south testify can afford. For better or worse, Serena's grapheme arc is consummate. Her return would either forcefulness the series to pivot away from its cadre tone or impairment her legacy. At the end of the day, this is Ash's show and he's not ready for the maturity that Serena's return would force upon him. If Ash always does grow up, and his journey comes to an end, he may indeed walk into the dusk with Serena. Until then, she'll accept to stay in the refrigerator.

Continue READING: Pokémon: Ash Was CONSTANTLY Getting Nerfed During His Kalos Journeying

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Ryan McCarthy (219 Articles Published)

Ryan is an enthusiastic fan of the movie and entertainment industry, especially interested in the creative process. Some people demand a white noise automobile to relax at nighttime, Ryan needs an audio commentary. Making a living by talking about the movies and shows he loves is his dream. Y'all can find him complaining about Rise of Skywalker on Twitter as @RickeySpanish because fifty-fifty his Twitter handle is an American Dad reference.

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