Obviously that's true, but what we're saying is we don't like how the people who make the Anime have controlled Ash's character. It's like when you reading a book; there are characters that you're probably going to identify with, ones that you'll pity, ones that you'll dislike. The makers of the show, just like the authors of the book, have full and complete control over Ash's actions, and the posts in this thread just go to show that there are multiple people who think that Ash doesn't make good decisions. I know it might sound weird to give a fictional character control over his own actions, but the point is that the Anime is supposed to show it's own true world, just as a sitcom or a soap opera shows it's own world (usually the world we live in), and in that world, the characters have control over their own actions. If it makes you feel any better, just pretend that it says "Why the creators of Ash have made him into a stupid character through his words, thoughts, and actions."

4. Ash rescues Pikachu (Pokémon: The First Movie). Now Tim is the Pokémon booster around here. I *LOATHE* Pokémon like I loathe organized religion. All you little "Pokéfans" can take your "Pokécards" and shove them up your "Pokébutts."

But I will give credit where credit is due, and there is one shining scene in the creative desert that is "Pokémon: The First Movie," a scene that made me forget for one moment how much I hated the series.

Ash and Pikachu, along with other Pokémon and their trainers, are surrounded by floating "Pokéballs" that "collect" the Pokémon, compressing them like so many ZIP files and carting them to parts unknown. Ash, in a rare fit of competence, immediately realizes what's going on. When higher strategies fail, he blocks the Pokéballs with his own body, yelling to Pikachu to escape. The Pokéballs follow. Ash instructs Pikachu to short-circuit the Pokéballs. Pikachu does, but more close in. He does it again, but there are always more, and the Pokéballs recover quickly. Ash just keeps yelling encouragement, panting to catch up with an animal he truly loves. One of them finally nails Pikachu, and heads down a Jeffries tube into some diabolical cloning device...

...and. Ash. Still. Refuses. To. Bloody. Give. Up. Heedless of his own safety, he fights his way in through mechanical arms, grabs the Pokéball, and yanks it back out.