For a long time, people always believed that the main character will not die until the very last episode due to this magical item called ‘plot armor’. And that dark and adult shows such as Game of Thrones would dare kill off their lead characters for the sake of story progression. But there is a fan on Reddit who showed evidence that Pokémon may be the first popular children’s series where their main protagonist doesn’t have plot armor.
Reddit user u/LordBeneter1018 has argued on r/Pokémon that Ash does not have plot armor, in contrast to popular belief. The post included evidence found throughout the anime series where Ash lost major battles in various Pokémon leagues. Maybe Ash isn’t that overpowered after all.
Some fans agreed with OP with this argument as it took until the Alolan Pokémon League in Pokémon Sun and Moon for him to win a major championship. Now, fans wondered if his ‘plot armor’ would come to effect as he’s now a finalist in the Masters’ Eight Championships in Pokémon Masters Journeys.
Others pointed out that OP’s final evidence should not count as Ash was fighting against a Darkrai, a mythical Pokémon, which placed Ash at a disadvantage. But it’s not just a Darkrai, there was also a Latios during that battle, and nobody knows where that happened. How did this minor character capture two of the mystical Pokémon that Ash encountered in various Pokémon movies?
Fans believe Ash doesn’t have plot armor because he didn’t have one from the start. They think it’s due to really bad writers who just intentionally wanted Ash to lose.
Perhaps the Masters’ Eight challenge is when Ash’s plot armor starts to shine. This young boy, who for some reason, is still 10 years old, has lost so many major battles that now, the whole world is watching. Will Ash win the Master’s Eight tournament? Who knows as he now faces the ultimate champion, Leon, in the grand finals.