Is Ash's Pikachu actually Red's? Exploring popular Pokemon fan theory

A popular Pokemon fan theory involves one of the main characters in the anime, Ash's Pikachu. Many feel that the circumstances in which Ash and Pikachu met were a little too coincidental. Many believe that the Pikachu that Ash traveled with throughout the series actually belonged to another trainer, the Legendary Kantonian, Red.

However, this theory has very little merit to go off of, as it is really the only way for players to connect the games in the franchise to the anime. So, what evidence do fans claim to have that supports this theory? How often does the anime disprove it?

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

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Why Ash's Pikachu in Pokemon can't possibly be Red's

Ash's Pikachu Gigantamaxing in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

One detail Pokemon fans like to point out when it comes to this theory is that when Ash first receives Pikachu, it initially disobeys him. In the games, this only happens when the Pocket Monster is traded from another player, and the recipient has a low number of badges. This results in the high-level traded creature disobeying its new master.

However, over the years, many Pocket Monsters have disobeyed Ash and his friends due to their personality rather than their lack of badges. Ash's Charizard and Iris' Excadrill are two key examples. For this reason, this argument has very little impact on the theory. The games only have the disobeying mechanic to prevent players from steamrolling with a traded level 100 Pokemon.

The theory also talks about Professor Oak's adamance to give Ash his Pikachu. Professor Oak tells Ash that he has no other creatures left when the protagonist shows up late on his first day as a trainer. However, fans can clearly see this is not the case in other episodes, as Professor Oak has entire artificial ecosystems constructed at his lab to inhabit almost every species in Kanto.

While this was understandable in the early seasons of the anime, the reason behind Ash receiving his Pikachu is explained by the movie Pokemon 4Ever.

In the film, Ash travels back in time with the help of Celebi. In the past, Pikachu and Ash meet a younger Professor Oak.

Here, Ash unknowingly creates a Grandfather Paradox. Ash going back to see Professor Oak while already having the Pikachu he got from him led to the character growing up and giving the creature to the protagonist.

Though this may sound a bit complicated for a Nintendo franchise, this has actually been done before in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with the Song of Storms.

Overall, this fan theory can be easily disproven. Ash did not receive his best friend through a secret gift from a legendary trainer. Rather, it was the result of a complex time paradox set up by the second movie in the franchise.