>>58501360he's an asshole
bossing the others around, all me me me
also an arrogant cunt, thinks he's better than everyone else, any other trainer, thinks he can beat anyone because he has a couple of years of experience under his belt.
just not likeable in most scenes. like that one person at a gathering ruining the vibe.
i know early ash also thought he could beat anyone, but that was just because he was young and naive and overzealous, understandable for a rookie trainer. he matured throughout johto and became more chill and humble as he experienced various ups and downs
but in advanced he loses his chill demeanor and becomes a shithead again, but out of arrogance rather than naive overzealousness
it's such a jarring u-turn, that's why i'm wondering if it was intentional or accidental, like the writers didnt know what they were doing.
like, it was a new group dynamic with misty gone and replaced by young inexperienced may and little max, and they didnt know how to write ash's character properly in this new context where he's more senior, and where he's starting a journey all over again but he's not a rookie any more so you kinda have to factor that in, and they just accidentally got the tone wrong and made him an asshole.
or..............if it was intentional and part of long term storytelling? i don't know, ive never seen the anime beyond here, originally i never watched beyond the orange islands, it's only in the ~2 years i started rewatching the whole series from scratch.