When it was first released, the mobile gamePokémon Gomade huge waves and broke records. Now after celebrating its fifth anniversary, some of the hype has died down but it remains quite popular. And, as they usually do with their games, there’s a lot of evidence that they’ve even tied the mobile game to their latest Pokémon anime.
Pokémon Journeysis the currentPokémonanime, starting in Japan in late 2019. This series follows a slightly different approach to other series, in that the main character Ash isn’t completely the main character. He has a partner, which is normal to the anime, but this partner is different in the way that he is in a lot of ways the main character. This is a common criticism of the series, as Pokémon fans do love Ash, but it does make sense. It may seem abstract at first but there’s so much evidence to prove it: Goh is a personified representation of thePokémon Gomobile game.
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Goh meets Ash at the beginning of the series and is very clear of his intentions from the start. Goh wants to catchevery single Pokémon that exists, with the elusive Mew as his number one goal. He’s loud and is extremely knowledgeable aboutPokémon, different species, and their abilities, and he has a lot of the main storylines in the series. His name being Goh of course makes viewers instantly think about the mobile game, but there are a lot of other subtle (and not so subtle) references toPokémon Gowithin his character.
Before getting into anything about his goals or character, his look is interesting to note. While he does fit in with thePokémonuniverse as a whole, he does look unique. The series is known for having characters with very unique and sometimes strange design choices, but Goh remains distinct.Players ofPokémon Gowill recognize that his general style is extremely reminiscent of what the players can choose to wear in the mobile game. After thePokémon Journeysseries came out, they even added his signature hoodie toPokémon Go.
Goh’s goal as a Pokémon trainer is also very reminiscent of thePokémon Gogame. The appeal of the game was that it brought Pokémon to the real world, allowing players to encounter them on their walks and at landmarks. Battles and training are an element of the game, but not necessarily the goal or main storyline. Instead, most players just want to register as many species as they can to their Pokédex. This is exactly what Goh wants to do. Instead of wishing to be the best at Pokémon battles or have all the strongest species, he instead just wants to catch and get to know as many as he can. His mainend goal of catching Mewis even a storyline inPokémon Go.
A more subtle aspect that not everyone will pick up on but that definitely is part of hisPokémon Gocharacterization is his childlike nature.Pokémon Gois of course aPokémongame, but it’s completely different from any otherPokémongame on the market. As a free mobile game, it’s more accessible because the majority of people already own a smartphone and won’t need to get a console and an expensive game to play it. The nature of its design will also appeal more to children because it’s relatively easy and can be very addictive with its gacha-like elements. Though a lot of longstandingPokémonfans aren’t too into this element of the game and criticize it for this,Pokémon Gocan easily be a game for casualPokémonfans and children who are just starting to take an interest in it. Goh is extremely loud and boisterous; his emotions are intense and he really does act like a child. This new kind of characterization could very much be an attempt to reach out to the children who arefans ofPokémon Gobut aren’t as familiar with the anime.
Goh subtly turning into the main character over Ash can also be a bit representative ofPokémon Go. The game catapulted Pokémon as a franchise back into the mainstream. People who used to be fans but had fallen off were back into it, and new people were learning about all of thePokémonlore and joining the fandom. It was a real turning point for the franchise and bringing Goh in as a character is also a turning point for the series.
While turning a singular character into the personification as a game seems a little strange, it does make sense upon reflection. BecausePokémon Gochanged howpeople playPokémongames, they had to bring that into their anime. It’s not uncommon forPokémonto tie the other games into the anime, but it hasn’t really been done in this way. As Goh is becoming more and more like the face of human characters inPokémon, it’s entirely possible that they’re making these changes to the franchise a permanent event moving forward.
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