It only took him 1000 episodes and 22 feature films to catch the Pokémon he needed to battle other trainers to reach the top.
To become a Pokémon Master, trainers must win the Pokémon League, which is a tournament against the toughest competition in their region.
After losing six previous battles, Ash has finally become a Pokémon Master as he took out his first championship in the Alola region against a rival trainer named Gladion. (Not counting his victory in the Orange Islands League.)
After the episode aired, fans took to social media to share their disbelief.
"Well damn... The kid finally did it," one person on Twitter wrote.
Another said: "It took Ash Ketchum 20 years and countless series to win the Pokémon league but he finally did it. Never stop chasing your dreams! Never give up! Anything is posssiiiiible!!!!".
Veronica Taylor, who voiced the original English version of Ash in the anime's first eight seasons, wrote a commemorative post. She also shared a video of Ash voicing his character.
Even longtime Pokémon director and composer Junichi Masuda retweeted messages of support from multiple countries including Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Australia.
