How Old is Ash Ketchum From Pokemon?

Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of the Pokemon anime, is quite the enigma. He has obtained badges from regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova, yet he still looks and sounds the same as far as we can remember. What gives? How old is Ash Ketchum? How is he able to travel to several regions, claim several badges, and make a name for himself in the world of Pokemon?

How Old is Ash Ketchum in the Pokemon Series?

Believe it or not, Ash Ketchum has been 10 years old for the longest time. From starting at Pallet Town and going off to all the iconic regions, including the Galar region from Sword and Shield, Ash has traveled and established a name for himself 20+ seasons later.

This is an anime after all. While it is humanly improbable to think that he has maintained the same age after so many run-ins with Team Rocket, the victories and losses in the various Pokemon Leagues, and the adventures with his friends along the way, he hasn’t aged at all. There have been theories regarding his age like eternal youth or slowed time, but the fact of the matter is, this is just an anime.

Time is arbitrary; any story can be told. This is what’s commonly referred to as being in a floating timeline. You may have also noticed this in other tv shows like The Simpsons. That show has been around since the late 80s, yet every character is still the same age. Sure, some things have changed in each show’s respective universes, but there is still continuity despite one of the inevitable things about human life being absent.

Besides, if Ash Ketchum did start to age over the many years this series has been going on, things wouldn’t necessarily be the same. For continuity’s sake, it might seem better than the only things changing around him are the locales, his teams, and his outfits. It also seems beneficial to maintain the youth aspect to it to maintain relevance with younger generations to come.

With the ninth generation of Pokemon right around the corner, we’ll eventually see Ash and his mates venture to the Paldea region, still maintaining his age.