Ash's character development in Pokémon XY explained with 'The Looking Glass Self Theory'

Compassion and Determination are admired before strength

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

Ash in XY, is a more competent trainer than any of the previous seasons. He trains hard and strategizes nicely. But many have noticed that XY Ash is a bit more serious and focused on battling. Saying that Ash didn't have much to do in XY aside for the battles is in a way ignoring the fundamental growth of Ash in XY. In fact, XY is the story of a boy changing the lives of the people and which is mostly unfolded from the admirers point of view.

The Overview

 

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

XY took a more comprehensive approach to writing the arc of the protagonist. XY explores the presence of Ash and the impact he has on the people around him and also how the way people view Ash change him as a person. From the very beginning of Pokémon XY, Ash has been set up as an icon, a role model. This is set up in the very second episode when Ash's bravery and determination to save Garchomp and his buddy Pikachu is broadcasted on screen.

The character of Ash has always inspired the fans from the very beginning. Ash gets that same level of respect in the XY. People from gym leader Clemont, Performer Serena, rivals like Sawyer start to look after Ash. The arcs of other characters are purposefully written in a way to complement Ash's. Ash is the reason why Serena found her dream and why Clemont learned to embrace himself as a gym leader. The series took its time to build up Ash's arc. Season 17 and 18 dealt with the changes Ash brought in the life of others. They laid the groundwork for the future self discovering arc. 

Ash was challenged in a more indirect and meandering way in XY. This can be explained by the 'Looking Glass Self Theory' by Charles Cooley. The looking-glass self describes the process wherein individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view him and he tries to change himself according to it. It is not the way he actually is or even the way others view him. Rather it is the way he thinks others view him. Ash assumed that people admired him for his strength and victories. It slowly started to stress him which made him very focused on proving himself and subsequently forcing him to look strong even when he was having a terrible time. 

The build up

 

The build up was done almost perfectly. In the last episode of Black and White, Ash says,"I must be one step closer to becoming a Pokémon master...sighs...I must be getting stronger stronger." So he was already set on taking it a bit seriously this time. In the third episode of XY, Clemont and Bonnie requests Ash to let them travel with him because how they wanted to learn about Pokémon from Ash. In episode 6 of XY after the loss against Viola, Serena mentions how Ash never gave up and Ash laughs out.

This might sound very little but actually holds a lot of weight. Upto that point, Ash had never got that much admiration. There was usually someone above him either it be Brock or Paul. So this naturally inspired him to do better to meet up with their expectations. The introduction of Sawyer also compliments it and maybe that's why I believe Sawyer was the best rival to be introduced during the XY run as he almost studied Ash to get stronger. It is also befitting that Sawyer starts from the ground up and slowly moves upto Ash. At this time two things in particular are going on in his mind.

 

1. He has to get more stronger to reach his goal.

2. He has to live upto all the admiration he is getting.

 

This slowly makes Ash pressurises him to do better. There is a beautiful scene in 'Getta Ban Ban' where Ash and Pikachu are walking ahead with a fierce face and Sawyer is behind noting everything. That fierce face is how Ash thinks Sawyer sees him again going back to the 'Looking Glass Theory'

The Fall

 

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

The problem arises when Sawyer tells Ash that he already got his 8th badge. The person who used to look up to him has surpassed him and he starts to get worried. As a result, Ash starts to focus more on winning than the battle itself. So he was unable to draw the full power of Greninja during his battle with Sawyer and lost. After losing to Sawyer, Ash gets more worried however he tries to keep it to himself.

In the preview for episode 27 of XY&Z, Ash says, "Shota(Sawyer), just watch. I won't lose" it is Ash's way of saying, "Sawyer, hold on. I am still strong and worthy to be looked up to." He is not saying this not only to Sawyer but also to himself in an attempt to console himself and minimize the stress he was going through. There was a big disconnection between Ash and his Pokémons during his battle against Wulfric. Ash was battling to prove himself to Sawyer whereas his Pokémons were trying to do their best with Ash.

The matter gets worse when Ash gets badly wrecked by the gym leader, Wulfric in front of Sawyer. Though Sawyer was sure that Ash would get over it and win the rematch, Ash still questioned if he really deserved to be the icon to be looked up to. 

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

It additionally connects to Greninja's story. Even when he was a Froakie, he wanted to be strong and never lose. That's why he always trained hard. He even ran away from trainers who he considered unworthy to draw his full power. During the begining of the series, Froakie hated when he lost. Similar to Ash he wanted himself to be considered strong by others. This is further solidified by Ash's inclusion of the word 'Stronger' before almost every Ash-Greninja transformation. So by its two major losses, Ash disappointed Greninja. Even fearing that Greninja might leave him or even consider leaving him which was also showcased in the Iku Z opening song. This deconstructs Ash's confidence and he ends up running away in the forest. He didn't want others to see him at his lowest point because to him, being frustrated or even worried in front of others made him look weak. 

The brilliance of the writing of Sawyer comes to play here. Sawyer challenged Ash as a role model and a person. He indirectly and unwillingly made Ash think whether that path Ash paved was really worth to be followed making things more frustrating for Ash.

The Realization

 

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

That is why the exchange with Serena is important. He even tries to avoid Serena at that time. Then comes the flashback scene, the sole reason why Ash wanted to be a Pokémon master. He didn't want to become a Pokémon master just to attain an unrivaled strength, he wanted to go on adventures with them and enjoy every battle with his Pokémons. He realizes that it is his optimism and his compassion is what people admire about him. Ash is the one who keeps trying till the end with optimism and positivity. He then realizes the true message in Serena's words. Later that episode after reuniting with Greninja, Ash admits his fault that he was so pinpointed to prove his worthiness. Then he realizes that all this time he was trying to view himself through the eyes of others. In fact Ash's perspective on himself was so dependent on others that rarely he reflected on own-self without other's view coming to play. Greninja also learns to embrace Ash for what he is more than what he is capable of. During the rematch, Ash knew he would be admired even if he loses the battle.

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company/ ShoPro

 

Even after losing the Kalos League when they were so near to becoming the champion of Kalos, neither Ash nor Greninja got frustrated. Because they knew they gave their best and tried till the end, no matter the outcome. Though Ash didn't win the Kalos League, he did win the admiration and this time he leaned to truly embrace it.

While writing this, a redditor, u/swiftSE7EN gave his own take on the topic. He wrote, "Ash has been[a role model] for so many fans of the anime since the early days, and now he is doing it in the anime, XY chooses to focus on this aspect of his character rather than focusing on the trainer aspect".

In short, XY is a story about Self Discovery. It's a story about a boy discovering what makes him standout amongst all other trainers and made him worth looking upto.

 

What do you guys think? Do you agree or do you disagree? Let me know in the comments down below. Till then stay safe.