Ash Ketchum has been integral to the Pokemon universe since he made his debut in 1997, with the immensely popular character starring in various anime and movies based on his adventures. Considering how long Ash has been around, quite a few fan theories about the wannabe-Pokemon Master have cropped up. However, this one might just be one of the weirdest and darkest of all.

This popular fan theory posits that Pokemon is actually a dream that Ash has while in a coma. The basis for this theory comes from the show's very first episode, which saw Pikachu use ThunderShock in an attempt to ward off a group of Spearow. Although the episode seemed to indicate Ash was fine, this theory instead conjectures that Pikachu's shock put Ash into a coma.

Don't count this theory out yet, as there's a bunch of evidence from the various anime that this might actually just be the case. This theory would also explain a lot about the universe, including why Team Rocket is so utterly non-threatening and so completely inept.

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This theory is pretty dark, but there's also a lot of evidence to suggest that it might just be true. Check out the video below for more on the fan theory that Ash is actually in a coma.

The first Pokemon games -- Red and Green -- debuted in 1996, followed later by Blue. When brought to the West, Green was replaced by Blue. Since then, the franchise has spawned many different films, anime and toys, earning over $90 billion in the process and become the highest-grossing media franchise of all-time. The upcoming Detective Pikachu film will be the first American live-action movie in the franchise, and there are reports that Warner Bros. is already planning a sequel to that film and a spinoff movie based on Pokemon Red and Blue.

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