Ash vs. Red has always been something fans were hoping for. Red is the mute protagonist from the first generation, who would later become the official Kanto Pokémon League Champion and make numerous appearances in the games across later generations. There are all sorts of debates about who would win, videos of how the battle would play out in the games, and countless Photoshopped “Ash vs Red” images across the internet. Despite all of this, there has been no official material featuring the two of them facing off or even meeting up anywhere in the last 25 years of the Pokémon franchise.
That all changed in August 2022, thanks to DeNA’s gacha game, Pokémon Masters EX. As part of its three-year anniversary, the game teased Ash and Red battling. Even if Ash vs. Red never really happened, this marked the first time in the franchise’s history that these two iconic Trainers come face to face.
Anticipation for Ash vs Red Was High
The first clue of this monumental occasion was hinted at during the last Pokémon Presents on August 3. The Pokémon Masters section of the video, beginning at 6:22, featured an animation of Red and his Pikachu about to face someone atop Mt. Silver. His opponent was silhouetted at the time, though many fans suspected that it was Ash.
The fans were proven right during the Pokémon World Championships Opening Ceremony. The trailer was shown in its entirety, and Ash and his Pikachu were confirmed to be the mystery challengers. With this, many players of Pokémon Masters were stoked beyond words.
There were a couple of things keeping this meetup from happening sooner. Besides the potential copyright hurdles involved with using anime-only characters in the games, it was hard to imagine just how Red and Ash could meet up. Not only do the two of them exist in entirely different continuities, but Ash is meant to be Red’s substitute for the anime. Something absolutely dimension-shattering would have to happen to bring these two together.
The way this meetup works has to do with how Pokémon Masters works. The game takes place on Pasio, an artificial island where Trainers from around the world form a Sync Pair with one of their Pokémon and team up with other Sync Pairs for three-on-three battles. This is how Trainers like Red and Charizard got onto the island.
Ash Finally Met Red in Pokémon Masters Ex
Sometimes, Trainers who aren’t a part of the core games’ continuity are transported to the island by Hoopa, the partner of Pasio’s founder Lear. In the past, this mischievous Pokémon’s rings were how Trainers like the members of Team Rainbow Rocket made it to the island. Now, they’ve been used to welcome Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.
Ash originally debuted in the game on July 7. According to him, he was training for the Masters Eight tournament when he was suddenly transported to Pasio. Players had the chance to battle him after completing his in-game story, but he wasn’t made into a playable Sync Pair at the time.
He also notably had little interaction with any of the characters from the core series games. Most of his story was spent interacting with Lear, the player character, and other characters exclusive to Pokémon Masters. Some fans theorized that this was done to avoid the confusion of Ash meeting people he’s already met on his journey; this would get especially strange with other characters who were substituted in the anime like Blue and Gary. However, seeing as Ash was due to meet up with Red, whom he himself fills in for, this wasn’t too great of an issue.
Ash and Pikachu were a usable Sync Pair for a limited time in Pokémon Masters. As with all new Sync Pairs, this induction came with a story featuring Ash and Pikachu interacting with other Sync Pairs currently on Pasio.
Other Changes Made in Pokémon Masters Ex
It should be noted that Mt. Silver is not a setting in the game. All story events take place exclusively on Pasio, which is host to various types of environments that are ideal for battling in. If Ash faces Red anywhere, it was going to be on one of these locations.
Another aspect that was also uncertain was whether Red will actually be using his Pikachu when he meets Ash. Currently, Red has formed Sync Pairs with his Charizard and his Snorlax. The only way his Pikachu will have been in the game is if he formed another Sync Pair with it.
Of course, the idea of Red pairing up with Pikachu at any point is far from implausible. It’s common to have up to four new Sync Pairs enter the game in one month, though most of them are just Trainers who were already in the game wearing alternate costumes. Red, for example, formed two Sync Pairs by donning a Sygna Suit for Charizard and his Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen outfit for Snorlax; he might put on a new outfit when he pairs up with Pikachu, but he doesn’t have to. In any case, Red forming a new Sync Pair with Pikachu while Ash’s story event was underway was entirely possible.
The trailer also gave fans more information about what to expect from Ash and Pikachu. Ash, as a Master Sync Pair, had a Master passive skill; this gave the player’s team an offensive boost and damage reduction for every Sync Pair on the team that shares a certain theme skill. If it’s anything like the other Master passives, then this boost will be for every member of the team that comes from Kanto.
Ash vs Red: Did a Battle Occur in Pokémon Masters Ex?
Being a Master Sync Pair also means being very limited in supply. Ash was only available to pull until Oct. 16 at 10:59 P.M. Pacific Time. After that, he could be unavailable for as long as a year.
Ash’s entry into the game also heralded a new game mechanic, the buddy move. The details of this kind of move aren’t clear, but it apparently changes one of a Sync Pair’s preexisting moves into something more powerful. One fan who watched the slowed-down version of the Chinese trailer theorized that buddy moves either have a cooldown time or can only be used after beating an opposing Pokémon. They were expected to be fundamentally different from the sync moves and Max Moves already in the game.
As for how the interaction between Red and Ash, there was actually no battle. Instead, Pokémon Masters allows fans to compare Ash and Red, and how the stats of their respective Pikachu companions. If a battle were to ever be pursued in the future, Ash will have to challenge Red since the latter doesn’t really talk, even in this game. However, the battle turns out, both Trainers will be happy to have had the opportunity to battle each other. The audience should have a similar reaction.
Truly, Ash’s entry into Pokémon Masters was a big event for both players of the game and the Pokémon fandom in general. Not only was Ash expected to be a powerful unit, but the prospect of him and Red meeting up was something any fan would be happy to see.