>>51880719Ash is nowhere as disliked in Japan as he is in the west. That's why having him as protagonist instead of a new one for the movies would be a risky move.
Ash isn't bringing in viewers but not having him could lose viewers, that sort of logic.
There's tons of people in Japan who don't watch Pokémon regularly but still watch the movies if they have the time (or choose to take their kids or younger relatives to them).
I think the choice to disconnect the movie series to the tv show was partially done to accommodate that ever-increasing demographic that would know Ash but not other current-series characters, and also in response to I Choose You's success.
>Koko didn't do so hot.It was released in the middle of COVID, after delays. No shit it didn't do as good. Power of One did fine.
