Pokémon is known as a pretty lighthearted kids' show by most, but the ending the original head writer had in mind would've radically changed how people the anime. While fans should be thankful this ending never came to , it's still interesting to explore the "what if" of it all.

The Pokémon anime was originally led and written by Takeshi Shudo, a man who poured a lot of himself into the series. Shudo was responsible for the anime from 1997-2002, and wrote the first three movies in addition to many episodes of the series. Shudo is also known for writing a novelization of the series, which includes a lot of little-known details, like information about Ash's father (a trainer who never made anything of himself). Shudo did seem to love writing for the Pokémon anime, but as it became clear the series might go on forever, he grew tired of it all.

Takeshi Shudo's Intended Ending Was Wild

Shudo Wanted Pikachu to Lead a Rebellion

In blog posts written by Shudo in 2009 (before his tragic death in 2010) and Pokémon using Meowth, but their incompetence would leave things worse off than when they started. He insists he could think of no other way to end the Pokémon story.

That's obviously a rather extreme way to end the series, and it goes against a lot of the themes and ideas that have been in place since the start of the series. Pokémon are supposed to be seen as equal partners, not pets or slaves. It's little wonder that the powers that be didn't want to go forward with this proposed ending, especially since they didn't want the series to end at all. Shudo's insistence that he could think of no better way to end the series may well have contributed to him finally leaving the series in 2002.

Despite how extreme it is, it's certainly an interesting idea to consider; what about Ash's Pikachu would lead him to rebel, not only for himself, but on behalf of all Pokémon? Such a storyline would've presumably been forced to include some kind of fight between humans and Pokémon, which is something that has only happened a handful of times in the series. Based on the description, it also seems as if Pikachu would be portrayed as heroic and in the right to do this, bizarrely casting Ash and friends as the antagonists of this proposed film.

Pikachu's Rebellion Wasn't Shudo's Only Idea

Shudo Also Had an Idea in Mind for Ash's Ending, Too

Even though Shudo insisted he had no other way to end it, he did propose one additional ending to the series on his blog as well. This scenario involves Ash, now an old man, looking back on his life and ing the good old days of his Pokémon adventure fondly. In Shudo's view, these events were a brief period in Ash's life, and he has never managed to live up to the high of those days ever since. Old man Ash falls asleep, and wakes up 10 years old again, on the day his journey began. This time, however, it's not about Pokémon, but about rebuilding the connections he made.

This is a radically different ending from the other scenario which Shudo proposed. It's quite heavy and philosophical stuff, something that wouldn't really be appropriate for a children's series like Pokémon. It almost seems like this idea may have been one that Shudo came up with after he quit writing for the series, something based more on how he was personally feeling about life than about anything inherent to Pokémon as a series.

It's interesting to note that Pikachu isn't mentioned in Shudo's description of old Ash at all; perhaps Pikachu would've died long ago in this scenario, or maybe he still wanted to use the rebellion ending as well, and just assumed that Pikachu would be out of the picture by the time Ash was that old. It's definitely a somber note to end on for what was an otherwise wacky and fun series, and one that fans would likely still be talking about as a bizarre shift, had it occurred.

Comparing Shudo's Endings to Ash's Real Ending

While Ash's Actual Ending Was Contemplative, It Was Ultimately Positive

Now that the series has actually ended, and Ash has moved on from the anime, it's interesting to compare the ending he eventually got to what Shudo wanted. Obviously, no such Pokémon rebellion has ever happened in the anime, and Ash remained 10 years old for the entire run of the series, so no old man Ash at the end, either. There are a few similarities, though, between what Shudo had planned and how Ash's ending actually takes place.

In Ash's final episode, he spends much of it alone with Pikachu, thinking about what it means to be a Pokémon Master and whether winning the world championship brings him any closer to that goal. It's slow and contemplative, rather unlike most episodes of the series. Ash looks back on his journey and all he's done, and all the friends he's made along the way. Ultimately, Ash decides that being a Master doesn't mean catching Pokémon; it means befriending them all. Like in Shudo's ending, Ash decides that it was relationships that were the most valuable.

While most fans would be willing to agree that it's a good thing that Shudo didn't get his way with ending the series, it's still interesting to look back at the mindset of the man who shaped the series so thoroughly, and by extension, the childhoods of millions. Shudo really wanted Pokémon to be a series with a thoughtful ending, and hopefully, he would be pleased to see where Ash truly ended.