Fans Are Celebrating Ash Ketchum Becoming a Pokémon Master

After more than 20 years of futile efforts, Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum can finally clear his animated mantle full of participation trophies to make room for one of the 1st place variety. And while you may be wondering why you should care about a cartoon character's fictitious accomplishment, that's probably just the cynical real-world repressing that bit of childlike wonder you still have somewhere in your overworked and beaten down adult body.

Anyway, Ash is now able to make the claim of being a Pokémon Master after winning the championship at the Aloha League during the latest episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon. This 'W' now gives the franchise's red-and-white hatted main character what he's always wanted, and is also a long payoff for a guy (kid?) who was able to invest 22 years of his life into fulfilling his dream because he never actually seems to age. CNET points out that Ash did previously win at Orange Islands League and Battle Frontier.

So far the winning episode has only reached the air in Japan, but that doesn't matter to a number of Twitter users who appear to be too overjoyed by this news/plotline to contain their excitement:

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Ash Ketchum has been a part of millions of lives & while many stop watching the Pokémon anime Ash continued to be a role model trainer for new generations. He's lost every Pokémon League to teach children it's ok to lose & today he finally won. What a day to be a Pokémon fan :) pic.twitter.com/Gzbf9j08N9

— Aero (@ActualAero) September 15, 2019 POST CONTINUES BELOW

It took Ash Ketchum 20 years and countless series to win the Pokémon league but he finally did it. Never stop chasing your dreams! Never give up! Anything is posssiiiiible!!!! pic.twitter.com/PdKtdvaZ6f

— Khaled Abdallah (@khaled74) September 15, 2019 POST CONTINUES BELOW

We'd like to use this intermission to formally congratulate Ash Ketchum on winning his first Pokemon League championship after 22 years 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/lBLQc7wAwI

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 15, 2019 POST CONTINUES BELOW

Turns out after 22 years of trying and failing, Ash Ketchum finally actually achieved his life-long dream of becoming the champion of a Pokémon League, so maybe there is hope for the rest of us. pic.twitter.com/uO8gjnD4vO

— Alanah Pearce (@Charalanahzard) September 15, 2019

Stan Lee didn't publish his first comic until he was 39.

Vera Wang didn't enter the fashion industry until she was 40.

After 22 years, Ash Ketchum finally won the Pokémon League at the age of 32. Congratulations Ash 🎉

You're never too old to accomplish your dreams 💖 pic.twitter.com/M6CeG6pAE6

— 🌸 shirley j. 셜리 🌸 화이팅!! ♡ ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✨ (@LionintheTrees) September 15, 2019 POST CONTINUES BELOW

When you've won every tournament you entered and then Ash Ketchum finally wins one in the space of 22 years and everyone flips out and throws him a party on social media pic.twitter.com/fol2vpg04s

— LittleKuriboh (@yugiohtas) September 15, 2019

In addition to that smattering of fairly random accounts and an NHL team(?), Ash's original voice actor, Veronica Taylor, also acknowledged the long overdue accomplishment.