Pokemon Anime: Bruno could be Ash Ketchum’s father

Over the 1,000 episodes of the Pokemon anime, there has always been one question weighed on people’s mind – who is Ash’s Ketchum’s father?

In the years of the Pokemon anime, there has been only been one reference to Ash’s dad – when Delia Ketchum mentioned him in the second episode after her son reached Viridian City. During these few moments we learn that Ash’s father is aware of his existence since Delia notes that Ash is the “apple” of his father’s eye.

There have been numerous candidates as to who Ash’s father could be. Among Ash’s potential papa are Professor Oak. My mother was actually the first person who suggested Oak with the line “Do you ever notice how Ash’s mom is always at Professor Oak’s house?”

A second candidate is Team Rocket leader Giovanni. Among the folks who suspect Giovanni as Ash’s father is my friend Jas. There’s even speculation that Mr. Mine is Ash’s father.

My personal picks for Ash’s dad are Maximillian Pegasus from Yugi-Oh – this pick is more fanfiction than anything – and Bruno of the Elite Four.

All kidding aside, there is some evidence that points to Bruno being Ash’s father, such as their spiky black hair and hitchhiker’s thumb, and their love of Pokemon and training.

Ash has had a natural affinity for Pokemon, ever since he was a small child. He could have inherited this from Bruno, who advised the young Pokemon trainer during their meeting that Pokemon and trainers should care for each other.

There are a couple of clues hidden in the anime. In the first episode, Bruno appears as a silhouette, which could be pointing to Ash hiding in his father’s shadow.

Another clue is during the episode “To Master the Unexpected” when Ash and the gang were searching for Bruno before the Indigo League tournament.

As the group inquired about Bruno’s location, Delia said she knew where the Elite Four member could be found. This part peaks my interest because we don’t know a lot about Delia and her daily life. How would she know of Bruno’s location unless she goes to see him or they have correspondence?

Let’s assume that Bruno is Ash’s father. What exactly happened between him and Delia? Perhaps she was fine raising Ash on her own and Bruno checks in on them every once in a while.

If Bruno knows that Ash is his son, he doesn’t show it when they meet for the first time.

My theory about Bruno being Ash’s father is just one theory and there are multiple ones out there, which is cool. I like that the Pokemon anime community has come together with their guesses about Ash’s parentage.

I don’t think we’ll learn the identity of Ash’s father any time soon. The writers may put him in the show when Ash is near the end of his Pokemon journey and has one last test to face. Once Ash defeats his father, he will take over his papa’s position in an organization, whether it’s a member of the Elite Four or the head of Team Rocket.

Maybe writers will put Ash’s father into the anime when he’s about to marry Serena.

Perhaps the anime will never address the identity of Ash’s father and that’s okay too.