The Pokemon Company has confirmed that Ash Ketchum will be replaced in the Pokemon anime, but Team Rocket will also be left behind as the series moves forward. Pokemon fans have been bemoaning the loss of Ash Ketchum in the anime since it was confirmed that he would be retired as the series protagonist, but he apparently isn't the only one disappearing from the franchise.Despite the fact that there are still some episodes of Pokemon Journeys left, some fans are speculating that Team Rocket has appeared for its final time as the trio departs in separate ways. Jessie, James, and Meowth have long been synonymous with the villainous organization in Pokemon known as Team Rocket, but this will change with the fresh faces in the next series. Though there have been other enemies across the many Pokemon games that have been released over the years, Team Rocket has maintained a prominent role in the anime.Like with nearly any Pokemon anime episode, the latest chapter of Pokemon Journeys shows Ash Ketchum thwarting a Team Rocket plot, with this time seemingly being the last. Acting as a Team Rocket greatest hits, the encounter between the trio and Ash highlighted all the villains' Pokemon that they've acquired over the years which still weren't enough to topple the hero and his Pikachu. Though they had been beaten by Ash and friends many times across the 25 years of episodes, this battle was seemingly the last as Jessie, James, and Meowth all walk in separate directions at its conclusion.
Because the anime is getting rebooted with its next season with two new Pokemon heroes known as Liko and Roy, it's likely that Team Rocket will be replaced by fresh villains as well. Although Jessie, James, and Meowth began in the Pokemon franchise as enemies of the main character and his crew, it didn't take long for fans to gravitate toward the misunderstood trio. Given this fan base that Team Rocket has accumulated in the Pokemon community over the years, many fans are lamenting that they may be retired with the reboot just as others did for the loss of Ash Ketchum.
There are only 11 episodes of Pokemon Journeys left, leaving the anime with very little time to tie together storyline details for Ash, Team Rocket, and other characters. Because it seems as if all the Pokemon anime mainstay characters are going away for the upcoming reboot, fans of the series may see entirely fresh faces when it starts in Japan on April 14.
Source: Kotaku