It seems like fans’ reaction to the new Pokemon Sun and Moon anime has reached the ears of a certain Japanese voice actress and she has some things to say to fans.
The trailer and poster for the next saga of the Pokemon anime, Pokemon Sun and Moon, was recently revealed. This poster and trailer showed that the anime will be going through changes with one of those being a new design for Ash.
Changes to Ash’s design is a common thing when the anime enters a new saga. We saw this as the anime entered Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White and XY. Each saga adds a bit more detail or feature to Ash to help the character look fresh and new for the new region.
It seems as if not many anime followers may not be aware of this or simply didn’t approve of the design. Social media outlets have exploded upon the reveal of Ash’s newest design. The uproar has gotten so loud that it has gotten the attention of Ash’s Japanese voice actress, Rica Matsumoto.
Rica Matsumoto has been with the anime since the beginning and knows the character quite well. Below is a tweet from Rica’s Twitter account with an image attached that shows Ash’s changes throughout the years.
絵の表現はちょっとづつ変化していても、
サトシの魂は変わらないょ。いろんなサトシを楽しんで♪
(*☻-☻*)
梨香自身も驚いたりしたけど
サトシへの愛はかわらない…
これからも全力でみんなに愛されるサトシを演じます!! pic.twitter.com/aTEocyrIvu— 松本梨香 (@rica_matsumoto3) September 15, 2016
According to PokeFan Vallhala on Tumblr, Rica says that Ash’s look may look different but his soul is still the same.
Those are some encouraging words from somebody who knows Ash so well. That is always true for Ash with each adventure he takes. His design may change but he is still the same Ash who keeps trying no matter what. Something that we saw a lot in the XYZ Saga during the early part of XY and the Ash Greninja arc.
There may be some Pokemon fans not liking Ash’s new design but there are also others who like it. One of those fans who support the new designs happens to be the original character designer for Love!Live. You can see his tweet here.
The Pokemon Sun and Moon anime will start airing on Japanese television starting in November.