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- Catharsis Factor: Ash's time at the protagonist being over counts as this. While the ending is still very contested as to how he left the series, the fact he was allowed to leave after 25 years at the peak of his career as World Coronation Series Monarch without that being taken away from him and allowed to journey at whatever adventure he so pleases is nothing short of satisfying.
- Esoteric Happy Ending: Team Rocket's final resolution is treated as a happy ending despite the fact that it cements their vicious cycle. While the finale frames it as a better alternative than being stuck working menial jobs without each other (as many official
interviews emphasize the trio's friendship as their number one key to happiness), it can be hard to see this as happy knowing that their endless chase of Pikachu will forever be doomed to fail. Unlike Ash, who's clearly made some progress toward his own eternal dream, Team Rocket's fate feels more suffocating than hopeful, as they have none of Ash's achievements yet still refuse to move on. - It's the Same, So It Sucks: This miniseries is divisive for being less of a Grand Finale and more just an inconsequential homage of the original series, with most episodes simply revolving around the traditional classic formula, and Ash's status as the Monarch having almost nothing to do with the plot. Many fans were underwhelmed that the arc wrapped up practically none of the anime's countless loose threads, whether they be about Ash or anyone else, especially in his very last stretch as the protagonist. It especially didn't help that the series ended more-or-less sticking to the status quo, as Ash leaves to go on an endless journey with a reunited Team Rocket in close pursuit, and as other finales for major pop culture franchises like the crew of The Next Generation or the Guardians of the Galaxy got proper sendoffs shortly after the series wrapped in Japan, many were left wondering why Ash never got the same closure.
- Older Than They Think: In response to criticisms that Ash never dismantled Team Rocket in the final stretch of episodes, Dogasu's Backpack, one of the leading experts in the fan community, mentioned that Ash never saw the defeat of the entirety of Team Rocket as his endgame as far back as the original series, due to the most frequently encountered members being Jessie, James, and Meowth. Thus, Ash and Giovanni have always never perceived each other as a threat. Had Takeshi Shudō originally ended the anime after one season as he originally planned, Ash would still never have defeated Team Rocket (and their involvement would have presumably ended with Mewtwo destroying their headquarters).
- Unexpected Character:
- In the second-to-last episode, Alto Mare, the painter girl Bianca and the Latias that disguised itself as her, from the fifth movie appear, making Bianca the first major movie character to appear in an episode of the anime.
- The very last episode had, after 24 whopping years, the return of Pidgeot in a very grand Big Damn Heroes fashion, and unlike majority of Ash's released Pokemon, decides to stay with Ash permanently.
