Aging in the anime: Difference between revisions

One common theory is that, like in many cartoons, the characters never age and are trapped at the age of their first appearance. However, this seems strange since the passage of time is pointed out every once in a while without the mention of any character's birthday. It is even more questionable that the anime has directly pointed out ''years'' of time passing. One of the most common supports for this theory is that {{Ash}} and {{an|May}} are supposedly the same age when May begins her journey, even though Ash has traveled through two regions and competed in three leagues before she received her first {{OBP|Pokémon|species}}. This is also the case when {{an|Dawn}} starts her journey, as she is the same age as Ash, though he has been through ''five'' regions this time (including Kanto twice). This is easier to believe in the Japanese version, where all characters have retained mostly the same voice. However, in the English dub, many characters have had their voice change over time, especially Ash, whose voice has become noticeably deeper over the seasons. Brock and his family are often used as evidence towards this idea as Brock should always be five years older than whatever age Ash is assumed to be and his [[Brock's siblings|youngest siblings]] barely look any older between ''[[EP005|Showdown in Pewter City]]'' and [[SS025]].

The best theory is Honeydew Lifestyle. In the Honeydew Lifestyle theory the label of an age has a different significance in the Pokémon world than in the "real" world. In their culture, the numerical "age" of a person is not representative of the amount of years which they have lived, but representative of the person's familial status. When a person comes of age and is ready to head out into the world of Pokémon, they are labeled "ten." When a person has children, they are labeled "twenty." When they have grandchildren, "fifty." Other ages may exist but there is not enough evidence to deduce these ages and milestones in one's life. The theory argues that these seemingly young ages for things like having (grand)children are similar to the surprisingly young age at which children come of age. Ash may well have been alive eighteen years, but hadn't earned the position of "ten." Brock's familial role is most accurately described with a half-age, fifteen. He doesn't have children of his own but he takes care of his younger siblings in the absence of his parents. Honeydew Lifestyle.