Pokemon Books Reveal The Tragic Truth About Ash Ketchum's Dad
We all have some daddy issues, but when it comes to the wide world of Pokemon, most have it worse than others. Now, we're opening up the ever-expanding vault of Pokelore and diving into the mystery of Ash Ketchum's father. Much like Nelson's dad on The Simpsons, the mystery of Ash's deadbeat dad is one that's plagued us for 25 years.
Ever since Red and Green hit shelves in Japan in 1996, we've been obsessed with those adorable Pocket Monsters and watching them duke it out. Expanding far beyond Game Boy cartridges, the franchise found even more popularity with the anime series focusing on Ash Ketchum and his adventures. We've got to learn a lot about our cap-wearing hero and his antics, but still, we're left in the dark about his MIA daddy dearest.
Where Is Ash Ketchum's Dad?
The mystery of Ah's dad has haunted us for decades now. Although we've got to know a fair bit about his mum, Delia, Ash's dad has never been touched on. The various novelisations of the Pokemon world have tried to add more to the story, and in particular, the two-volume Pocket Monsters: The Animation is one to read.
First penned by Takeshi Shudo in 1997, the series has never been released in English, meaning we've been left with scouring the internet for translations. Now, a tweet has gone viral for its dive into Ash's complicated family life. In a September 14 tweet, @Akilverse explained how Ash's grandfather did exactly the same as his dad - walking out on the family to become a Pokemon Trainer.
It seems to be a recurring theme in the Ketchum lineage, and remember, Ash did the exact same. Although he's popped by Pallet Town to keep an eye on his mum a couple of times over the years, Ash has been too busy trying to beat the Indigo League or catch 'em all to really care about his mum. If you think about it, it's Delia who's the real tragedy here... having three men walk out on her.
Ash's Daddy Issues Have A Deeper Meaning
This lack of a father figure apparently pulled Delia closer to Professor Oak, which is a similar arc we've seen from Ash bonding with Professor Kukui. Scratching the surface of theories, all of the above formally debunks that wild theory that Professor Oak is Ash's father. Instead of Oak and Delia getting X-rated between the sheets, he's actually there as a father figure to Ash's abandoned mum.
Whether we'll ever find out more about Mr. Ketchum remains to be seen. In the commentary for Pokemon The Movie 3 - The Spell of the Unown, we were told we'd found out more in Season 5 of the anime, but instead, it never came to pass. For now, all we have is a murmur from Delia that Ash's father and grandfather are still out there on their journey to become Pokemon Masters. Well, we guess it beats the old excuse of popping out to get a carton of milk.