Clone Ash

One of the biggest fan theories is that the person we call Ash Ketchum is actually a collection of clones with memories (very poorly) implanted into their brains. This could explain why Ash Ketchum remains a 10-year-old. For all we know, Ash Ketchum is being cloned alongside Princess Sakura by Fei Wong Reed, and the real Princess Sakura's name was not Sakura at all. In fact, this cloning began even before Sakura Kinomoto's birth, let alone the start of her magical girl escapades. This means Pokemon could be related more to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle than Nintendo's franchises. Another major plot twist is that, if the late Takeshi Shudo's proposed series finale for the Pokemon TV series was any indication, Ash Ketchum was all along mentally ill and dying, and the entire Pokemon series was nothing more than a dying dream. How's that for a disappointing series finale?

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle © CLAMP/Kodansha.

Update: The Ash Ketchum Arc has officially ended, and it ended with "Next Time, A New Beginning". It was not the depressing series finale that the late Takeshi Shudo proposed. But we have been left disappointed that we never found Ash's true identity. Perhaps Pokemon Horizons will unravel these mysteries. For all we know, Liko's pendant has something to do with Ash's past, and quite possibly, her real identity...