Pokemon's Original Ash Ketchum Answers 8 Big Fan Questions About the Series

It's been over two decades since the Pokemon animated series debuted in Japan and was syndicated around the world, notably making a splash in the United States. Ash's adventures with Pikachu, Brock and Misty left such an indelible impact on our pop culture that it became global news when Ash finally became a Pokemon League Champion earlier this year.Veronica Taylor, who voiced Ash Ketchum in the English dub for its first eight seasons, held a panel at New York Comic Con where she answered fans' biggest questions for an hour -- many of which have remained a mystery on the series for its 22 years of existence. Read below for her best (and funniest) answers to these age-old Pokemon questions. 1. Why Is Ash Still 10-Years-Old? "If you're never home for your birthday, does it really exist? I'm not sure," Taylor said to laughter from the audience. "Honestly, I don't care that he's still 10. I love it. I think he represents the 10-year-old inside all of us, which is that endless possibility. When you're 10, you can be anything you want to be, you can do anything you want, you don't have any chores, you barely have homework -- he doesn't have any -- but I think that it's good that he stays 10, because he doesn't have all the weird stuff, he doesn't have to fall in love -- he's 10. He can just concentrate on himself and what he wants to do. ... I think it's good that he stays the same, but that's my reason, and I don't know why they decided."2. Was There Romantic Tension Between Ash and Misty?

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Taylor was quick to clarify that there wasn't any chance of a romance between Ash and Misty, Ash and Sabrina or Ash and any other character in Pokemon because, as established in the answer above, he is still 10 years old in the world of the show.

"I feel like Ash as a 10-year-old is not a good person as a boyfriend for anyone at all, because he just thinks about himself and his next meal. ... I don't think he'd remember his girlfriend's birthday, to hold open a door for her, or to do anything kind other than on his terms," said Taylor. Of Misty, she answered wryly, "Misty, they were really good friends and maybe someday when they are 22."

3. How Old Is Brock? Despite his deep voice in the American anime dub, Taylor set the record straight that Brock was only supposed to be 14 in the anime.4. Where Is Ash's Dad? Ash's mother is a big presence in the anime, but the audience is never introduced to his father or given an explanation about where he is, though there have been some answers from outside the anime. (This has led to some interesting fan theories about Ash's mother and Professor Oak.) To the big Ash's dad question, Taylor answered, "We don't know. No idea. I think he probably is still alive, and perhaps he's on his journey to find himself." She also clarified that she doesn't think Ash is adopted and thinks his mother is his birth mother.5. What Was Her Reaction to Ash Winning the Pokemon League? "I think it was really amazing," said Taylor. "What I loved moreso was because I had seen the news on the Twitter, I loved reading the comments. So many people, this outpouring of love and emotion, for this character we've loved and supported all these years. And to just hear, 'Oh, if Ash can do it, I can too,' and, 'Hey, he made it!' and it was so amazing and it was such a testimony to this community that we have grown, and that to me is an extraordinary thing. And so I now hope he can set another moment we all can get behind. I hope that he inspires us all to keep going, as apparently he has. But my gosh has it been exciting, and it has been in the papers about a cartoon kid achieving a goal."6. What Actually Is a Pokemon Master? While Ash has aspired to be a Pokemon Master for years, one fan wanted clarity on what a Pokemon Master is defined as. Taylor had a very abstract answer.

"I believe a Pokemon Master is a level of spirituality," she said. "The thing about it is it's a level you need to attain because all of us, no matter what we do, no matter how old we are, our job choices, anything, we are all on a path. We are trainers. We are comfortably learning and trying our best, picking up people on the way, helping them along while we set goals and try to achieve them, so ultimately, Pokemon Master would be that moment right before you die.

"I think you're talking about Ash winning the Pokemon League, which is an awesome thing, but there is no way that he can go, 'I did that! I'll go out to Professor Oak's and run with the Tauros.' I think he sets another goal and then continues on, because ultimately, we are trying to be our best, and you can't be your best alone and you can't be your best by sittin g there and thinking you know everything and not ever learning to love learning. It's a level of attainment that we're all going for. I'd like to say, 'Hey, you're a Pokemon Master!' but you're really not yet. Nobody is, and that's a good thing."

7. What Are the Hardest Moments to Voice? Reflecting back on her eight seasons on the show, Taylor shared the two hardest scenes she had to play: "There's a lot of heavy emotional stuff that happens that I certainly am sad. Like, when Butterfree is set free, or we didn't know Brock and Misty were leaving. That we found out when we all got to the studio on our pages, so that was really sad."8. Is She Excited for the Remake of Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back? A remake of Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back, titled Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution, was released in Japan earlier this year. (Read IGN's review of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution here, or watch our video review above.) It retells the story with an animation makeover, but IGN's reviewer Miranda Sanchez called the remake mediocre, writing, "Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution's animation is nice, but doesn't fix the original movie's biggest problems."

Taylor is similarly not thrilled about the new movie, though for different reasons. "What I can honestly say is I don't understand why they're going back and kind of revising everything," she answered to a fan who asked her about the movie. "I'm not a fan of revisionist history anywhere, and so I'm not really sure why they're going back and switching things around. In that sense, I'm not excited for it. I wish they would just come up with more stories."

She continued, "What I really loved abo ut the time when I was working on Pokemon is I thought the shows were funny. There was some great humor to it. Obviously you're changing it from the original Japanese and adapting it ... but there was some great jokes and it was just something that everybody could watch, not so violent. I hope that for all the future Pokemon things that it's something that we can all watch together, that it's funny, that it's something that you can watch as an adult and also as a kid and get something totally different out of it, but that everybody has fun. I don't know that if they change it it will still be the most jolly as it has been."

What is your favorite Pokemon anime episode? Let us know in the comments! Terri Schwartz is Editor-in-Chief of Entertainment at IGN. Talk to her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz.