Is Ash Ketchum the Best Choice to Lead a Pokémon Live Action Movie?

There is a current bidding war going on between movie studios in order to take on the role of turning one of the largest children's gaming franchises into a live action movie adaptation.

Many people have speculated that the new movie will be an adaptation of the very popular anime starring Ash Ketchum and his loyal Pokémon and friend Pikachu, but is that the best choice for a new movie? Ash Ketchum has starred in every incarnation of the Pokémon anime, outside of a miniseries titled Pokémon Origins that follows the storyline played out in the Pokémon Red and Blue video games. It is only natural that people assume a live action movie will do the same.

For anyone that is not a large follower of Pokémon, it may be a shock to learn that in the large Pokémon fan community, Ash Ketchum is somewhat of a hated character.

Most fans are quick to point out the fact that he is a very mediocre Pokémon trainer that does not earn half of the badges he collects on his journey. The flaw with criticisms of the character is the fact that he is based in an anime aimed toward small children. The character has no room to grow and most of his flaws are traced back to lessons that the writers are trying to point out to children.

With all the hate out there though, Ash is still an important and nostalgic character though, he is the character that got most of us interested in Pokémon to begin with, and making him the main character in a live action movie would be an easy way to keep some familiarity. But, could the movie be more successful as an original story with all new characters? This movie could be a fresh new take on Pokémon, and if they plan on taking the same route as most live action adaptations of children's properties and breaking it more towards the adult side of entertainment, then making a new protagonist would be a better fit. If this film is going to be more serious in ton, then it might be better to steer away from Ash Ketchum (who is more of a child icon). Straying away from the anime will also allow more creative freedom. It is going to be hard to actually adapt the whole anime to a two-hour movie, and would there be any point in condensing all of that story when they could just start from scratch?

In a previous article I had actually already mapped out an idea for a Pokémon franchise: 14 Cartoons and Anime That Should Be Given Live Action Adaptations.

First Movie: Follow a young protagonist as they start their Pokémon journey. This first movie should focus on the protagonist's relationship with their Pokémon as they are attempting to catch a legendary Pokémon that their Father told them about. Along the way they also get their first few badges towards battling in the Pokémon league.

Second Movie: The protagonist continues to collect badges but along the way they get side tracked by the evil corporation Team Rocket.

Third Movie: Our protagonist has all of his/her badges and their legendary Pokémon, and is prepared to take on the trials and hardships of competing in the Pokémon League.