In the latest episode of the Pokemon XY&Z anime (which has an amazing Pikachu song that everyone should hear), 90's fashion lover and perennial underdog Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japan) did what he does best, choke away yet another opportunity to leave behind Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion on the all time losers of anime list. And fans are letting the Pokemon creators know how they feel about it.

Battling for championship rights in the Kalos League against Alain, there were rumors based on the way the season had been going on popular Japanese media sites that Ash might finally pull off the big one and win an "official" Pokemon league for the first time in series history. Instead he cemented his place in history as one of the most impotent and inept choke-artists to ever disgrace Japanese television sets.

For up-to-date fans, this isn't anything new or unexpected. Despite comedic leaps in logic like refusing to make his Pokemon stronger or capture legendary Pokemon, there is (at least an assumed) method to the madness of Ash being embarrassingly awful at the one thing he has dedicated his life to.

As the years go by, Pokemon as a franchise gains new generations of their target audience (Japanese children). Because of this, show creators no doubt want to keep a safe and familiar face as a constant reference point for new fans. There's even some merit in keeping those children grounded by a realistic hero who makes mistakes often, but inspired by his caring attitude toward Pokemon. The lesson of how to ideally internalize and overcome defeat is a very common lesson in Japanese fiction.

But don't tell that to Pokemon fans! Many have had enough (tr)Ash Ketchum and his romance with failure. After the official Pokemon Company Twitter account tweeted out a tease upon the episodes release, it was inundated with upset fans from around the world taking out their frustrations.

So as always, tough times for Ash. Although maybe whoever runs the show's social media accounts can empathize with his plight now.