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Goh deserved better.
>more rival battles against Gary & Tokio
>an episode with Tsurugi and Asahi
>more sakuga in general
>and most importantly, more research park comedy kino
Goh has that 'up-and-coming trainer with something to prove' thing that Ash used to have, and I really found myself more invested in Goh's story than Ash's this season. When Goh is embarrassed, or makes a mistake, or is defeated, you feel the crushing sense of loss that compels you to root for him later.
Meanwhile, Ash has such a good attitude about everything and so many friends that I really don't see what he has to gain at this point by winning against Leon. Really, Ash's fans at this point can only say
>"Wow, Ash beat X now! He's unbeatable"
>"If Ash doesn't beat X, X has plot armor"
There's no character discussion at all. Even his relationships with his Pokemon feel stagnant now. I know they've had to prioritize the budget to Ash's more battle-focused episodes, but if this is how it ends, with a bunch of Ash battles and Goh gets sidelined and written off, I don't know what to say other than maybe Goh was too good for this show.