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GouAche ship name P.S.A

THE NAME "GOUACHESHIPPING" (WHICH I CAME UP WITH BEFORE JOURNEYS BEGAN BECAUSE I NEEDED A SHIP TAG & BECAUSE IT WAS A PUN ON THEIR NAMES) IS NOT AND WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE USED BY ANYONE WHO BASHES FELLOW ASH-SHIPPERS (AMOUR, PALLET, NEGAI, ETC.)

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Pokemon anime spotted @ Tokyo Skytree!

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Official art (and previously leaked concept art) of Ash and Go from the new Pokeani series. Staff translation done by Dogasu.

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PSA for PokéAni fans who want to watch the new series:

The new trainer’s name is written / pronounced Gou or Gō. It is NOT Go. 

I know to a lot of people it probably seems like there is no difference, and that’s because pretty much everyone who reads this is an English speaker (whether by first or second language) rather than a Japanese speaker. But in Japanese, Gou/Gō are pronounced slightly differently from the English word “go.” In Japanese, “ou” or “ō” has a slightly longer “o” sound, whereas “o” by itself is short. When you see katakana written as ゴウ, it is meant to be understand as Gou (or Gō if you prefer using the macron), not the English word “go.” So when you call the new trainer “Go,” you are actually getting his name incorrect. Again, the difference might be very small to English ears, but it’s still a difference and it still does matter, at least to the eyes of someone who speaks both languages and thus knows the difference.

On that note, while it might be true that Gou’s name was inspired by the recent game titles with the English word in them, please also note that Gou is a legitimate Japanese name, not just a pun. Like pretty much all PokéAni characters, Gou’s name is written in katakana, and so this specific child’s name doesn’t have a set meaning (quite like how Ash / Satoshi’s name is written in katakana in Japanese, meaning that he, as a character, doesn’t have a meaning behind his name either). However, in Japanese, the name Gou is a regular name that can be given to either boys or girls* as a given name, and can have a few different meanings depending on the kanji used. As a few examples:

Gou can be written with the kanji 剛, which has the reading “sturdy; strength”

Gou can be written with the kanji 豪, which has the reading “overwhelming; great; powerful; excelling”

Gou can be written with the kanji 郷, which has the reading “countryside; country” — though I think it’s more commonly used as a family name with this kanji, rather than a given one

Gou can be written with the kanji 江, which has the reading “large river; inlet”

So as you can see, Gou is a legitimate name in Japanese, rather than just being a pun, and in fact there are some historical figures in Japanese history who have the name Gou (such as the third daughter of a warlord of the Sengoku period, who rose through political prominence and was a key figure in maintaining diplomatic relations between the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans, two of the most powerful clans at the time). While our new trainer here doesn’t have any of these meanings specifically ascribed to his name, I find it highly unlikely that his name was just supposed to be a pun. Instead, I think they were giving him a legitimate name, perhaps with some of these meanings in mind considering how some of them overlap in theme (with the first two overlapping in particular).

So as we move forward, please keep in mind that his name should be written as Gou or Gō, rather than Go, and that it should be said with a slightly longer “o” sound, rather than the short “o” sound of the English word. Also keep in mind that Gou is a legitimate name, used for both boys and girls in Japan. Thanks!

(*And to explain that: Gou is a gender neutral name on its own, but sometimes parents will choose a more feminine pronunciation for their daughter, calling her Kou instead. However, as demonstrated by the example of the historical Gou above, women can be called Gou as well. The fact that our trainer here has a somewhat androgynous appearance and an androgynous name definitely has my eyebrows raised. I’m not discounting the possibility of a Pidge reveal just yet.) 

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S-smol 😭👌

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the edgy design. the half-lidded ‘don’t talk to me’ gaze. and traveling with ash?? oh, you know i’m already looking forward to this :)

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rough doodle

 im excited for the new series!

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A few outlined expressions of Ash & Gou in the upcoming Pokémon series.

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Masaaki Iwane sketch of Ash and Go/Gou (and Pikachu and Scorbunny) for the upcoming Pokeani series.