>>36248981Easier said than done if Pikachu didn't exist.
The writers and executives don't see much a point in just giving each protagonist another Pikachu either when Ash can easily just be reused, which also saves on time spent designing and writing the character, and money on getting a voice actor, and obviously no one else gives a shit about Ash being ran into the ground either.
>>36249002No, they'd make a distinction that Game Ash and Anime Ash are two separate entities much like how M20 Ash is different from Anime Ash.
