well, from what I consistently read Red and Ash are counterparts. Not necessarily the same person. But they fill the same role. Personally, I think the anime would've been better had they been more the same person. Even as a kid, I didn't find the anime that entertaining except for the Pokemon. Always preferred Digimon until they screwed that up. Not only that, but I hear they pretty much haven't aged Ash at all. Which I think is a wrong move. Even if they're still targeting the younger audience, they should've tried to acknowledge those of us who grew up with it.