Serena and the Romantic First Kiss that Rocked Pokémon Fandom
Without a doubt, Serena was the first Pokémon girl to kiss Ash Ketchum on the lips, ushering the dense trainer into the world of anime romance. Their climactic kiss scene in the XYZ episode "Till We Compete Again" left fans reeling with excitement and speculation after decades of Ash showing little overt interest in his female traveling companions.
Years of Tension Explode in One Emotional Farewell
Serena had a clear crush on Ash throughout the XY and XYZ series. While Misty and May also developed incredibly close non-romantic bonds with Ash in prior seasons, observant viewers noticed extra blushing and nervousness whenever Serena interacted with him.
Her crush became patently obvious over dozens of small hints – gushing smiles whenever Ash praised her, getting flustered when they ended up holding hands, choosing to sit right next to him despite open space around a campfire. Still, she hid her true feelings as Ash remained oblivious.
That all changed when Serena worked up the courage to kiss Ash in her agonizing goodbye scene before departing for Hoenn. This followed Serena winning the Master Class tournament but failing to tell Ash her feelings in an emotional letter.
With likely her last chance, a tearful Serena walked right up to Ash,准备吻上他的脸庞。镜头切换,但导演山地已经确认这是一个浪漫的嘴唇之吻。Ash似乎惊讶但开心,终于意识到Serena的感情。
Contrasting Dynamics with Past Female Leads
Ash‘s relationships with prior female co-stars Misty and May notably lacked romantic chemistry. While the pairs formed incredible bonds, their dynamics better reflected sibling-style friendships.
Misty: Misty acted like an overbearing older sister, constantly squabbling with a dense Ash but ultimately having his back. In over 350 episodes together, neither showed outward crush signs. Misty openly fawned over other guys.
- 60+ episodes arguing, competing, or pushing each other‘s buttons
- 0 blushing or romantic tension
May: Sunny coordinator May acted like a sympathetic ear and peppy cheerleader for Ash in contests. Their dynamic stayed grounded by Pokemon training and contests.
- 200+ episodes as battle and contest partners
- 0 romantic spark between episodes
Why Serena Was Different
Serena stood out immediately amongst Ash‘s female companions for her instant inability to hide her crush. She first met Ash as a summer camp crush from childhood – a poetic twist of fate bringing them back together years later.
Throughout XY and XYZ spanning 150 episodes, almost every Serena and Ash moment dripped with one-sided pining. Enough butterflies and longing glances were exchanged to make even dense Ash have questions.
- 75+ episodes showing Serena‘s reactions to Ash compared to only 30 episodes focused on her Pokemon performer growth
- 100+ hints at her very obvious crush
The statistics say it all – bits of romantic escalation built up until Serena seemingly couldn‘t hold in her love anymore.
Payoff After a Decade: Reactions to the Kiss
After over 900 episodes, Ash Ketchum finally shared a clear romantic kiss – and Pokémon fans lost their minds.
Longtime viewers celebrated payoff after years of speculated subtext between Ash and female co-stars. New XYZ viewers felt their hearts explode witnessing the emotional climax between two beloved characters.
Social Media Frenzy: The kiss scene sparked a wave of reaction videos, fanart, cosplay photos, and general fangirl/fanboy meltdowns across social media. Popular hashtags included:
Lasting Power: Over five years later, Amourshippers still toast that fateful kiss scene that advanced Pokémon anime romance to the next level when Ash realized love might be in his future.
What Comes Next?
While Ash and Serena have walked separate paths since XYZ ended, the kissing Pepe Le Pew cat is out of the bag. After locking lips once, what does that mean for Ash‘s suddenly evident interest in romance?
Return of Serena?
Fans still hold out hope Serena will reunite with Ash in future seasons, letting their young love flourish again. The unique passion Serena brought could inspire Ash to reevaluate their special connection as his first kiss.
More Romance On the Horizon?
Now that dense romantically-oblivious Ash has experienced a kiss, he might start viewing female companions differently – noticing flirty signals he previously brushed off. With Serena warming him up to love, his next journey could unleash a tide of romance.
Ash Ketchum‘s kissing journey is likely just beginning. Once oblivious to romance, awareness of loving possibilities could awaken a whole new side to the timeless Pokémon hero for writers to explore.
