Ash’s return is extremely likely as familiar characters frequently turn up in the Pokémon world — like Ash’s infamous rival Gary Oak (James Carter Cathcart), his dear friends Misty (Rachael Lillis/Michele Knotz) and Brock (Eric Stuart), and even Team Rocket, who fans also believe will eventually rejoin the series. Ash walks through the park, admiring cherry blossoms and listening to the nostalgia adventure theme. He arrives at a fork in the road and has to choose a new path, though some believe it leads to Paldea.
Reddit user u/randomboy2004The final scene, they believe, pointed Ash towards an airport which will take him to the new area. Their plot twist was that the stick points to Paldea airport. This could definitely be a possibility as one of the series’ directors, Kunihiko Yuyama, even hinted that Ash could be featured once again. Like you, others feel exactly the same. u/hepgiu He used a well-known marketing strategy: “Oh, my dears, this new season featuring a different protagonist smells just like a New Coke stunt.”
Many fans believe that Ash will return regardless of how successful the new series.u/ContinuumGuy Who said “Even though it doesn’t outperform, I bet Ash comes up every now an then.” A select few even suggested that the upcoming show should chart a new path without Ash, such asu/TwilightVulpineHe said, “Frankly, I would hate it if that happened.” They would prefer to feed their kids the same crap for all eternity than take on a new risk.
It would be refreshing to get a fresh start but it appears that Ash Ketchum is still around.