>>13084533Problem with that is you're essentially replacing your mascot which leads to people bitching about how "that last guy was better".
I can't tell you how many people have bitched about Ash not having Brock and Misty as companions anymore.
When you're replacing Pikachu (and Ash as well), you're not just replacing a pokemon, you're also replacing a character. You have to strike a balance where you have that character be different from the previous star, but also keep the things that made the previous guy cool. That's difficult to do FIVE TIMES.
Thus, keeping Ash and Pikachu makes more sense.
