Pokemon Anime Finally Reunites Ash With His Butterfree After 25 Years

ThePokemonanime series has reunited Ash Ketchum with the Butterfree that he released to the wild all the way back in Season 1. ThePokemonanime with Ash Ketchum has been airing since 1997, but Ash’s journey is finally coming to an end.It was recently announced that thePokemonanime is wrapping up the adventures of Ash and Pikachu to focus on a new cast of characters. More information on these characters is not available at the time of this writing beyond that the newPokemonanime heroes will be a boy and a girl living in the Paldea region, and that they will be joined by the region’s starter Pokemon. Rumors have swirled that thenew female protagonist in thePokemonanime is Ash’s daughter, but that theory has yet to be confirmed.RELATED:Ash Ketchum Voice Actor Issues Statement After Shocking Pokemon Anime AnnouncementBefore thePokemonanime says goodbye to Ash and Pikachu, it’s wrapping up their stories with 11 episodes that will start in January. In the meantime,Pokemon Journeysjust ended its run with Episode 136. The emotional episode brought Ash and Goh’s adventure to a close and featured many notable reunions. Not only did Ash visit Misty and introduce her to Goh, but it also saw Ash and Pikachu reunite with the Butterfree that he set free in “Bye Bye Butterfree.”

“Bye Bye Butterfree” was the 21st episode of the originalPokemonanime series, and it is noted as one of the most emotionally-charged episodes of the entire series. In it, Ash lets his Butterfree live in the wild with a pink-colored mate. SinceButterfree evolved from Caterpie, the first Pokemon Ash ever caught, it was an especially difficult decision for him to make. The episode is often cited by fans as being one of the saddest in the history of thePokemonanime, so many are happy to see that Ash and Pikachu have reunited with Butterfree as of the latest episode ofPokemon Journeys.

Now thatPokemon Journeyshas ended its run in Japan, the question remains when these episodes will make their way to other regions.Pokemon Journeysairs on Netflix, so it’s likely the streaming giant will share those details with fans at some point in the near future. In the meantime,Pokemonanime fans in Japan can look ahead to Ash’s final 11 episodes and what’s in store for the new characters during their adventures in the Paldea region.