Preview JN018: Satoshi Participates! The Pokémon World Championships!!

[FinnishPokéFan92]

The Cerulean Gym had received quite the redesign in the S&M series. Looking forward to seeing what sort of redesign the Vermilion Gym has received.

 

[Daren]

Judging by precedent (first out usually doesn't win the whole thing) I'd guess it's Ash's second who'll star this episode. The question is who that second will be--I'd like to see Dragonite in a proper non-raid battle.

Or a reserve but let's not be optimistic.

 

[nickdt]

If they can replace Lt. Surge, they better at least introduce Bea soon!

Read the summary. They aren't replacing Surge.

 

[BigDocFan]

Of the three (well 4) recently revealed titles, this episode promises to be the more excitng

Ash battling, a great animation team involved

What more can we ask for

 

[Emmy]

Glad they're getting to Ash's goal of battling in the PWC fairly quickly, but disappointed that Lt.Surge isn't going to be his opponent with an anime original(?) doing it instead.

 

[Kairyu]

That staff team is amazing. Best writer OLM have for writing battles and one of the best animators. Definitely looking forward to this.

No Surge is a pity, perhaps the voice actor said no? Does anyone know if Surge's VA still does work?

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

No Surge is a pity, perhaps the voice actor said no? Does anyone know if Surge's VA still does work?

I don't necessarily see even that being a problem. They could always use a new one.

 

[Kairyu]

I don't necessarily see even that being a problem. They could always use a new one.

From my understanding, in Japan, they are extremely respectful towards voice actors and don't recast if the original VA is still alive. So rather than recasting Surge's VA, OLM made up a new character. I might be wrong though.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

From my understanding, in Japan, they are extremely respectful towards voice actors and don't recast if the original VA is still alive. So rather than recasting Surge's VA, OLM made up a new character. I might be wrong though.

His voice actor is Fumihiko Tachiki. He's only done a very few anime voice roles, the last of which were during the Advanced Generation. He has, however, recently voiced Surge in Pokémon Masters, so I'd say he could return to reprise the role, should Surge get a speaking role here.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Tomioka and Iwane for a battle episode! Finally!

 

[Kurolegacy]

Did the writers seriously just come up another contrived excuse for an old character to not return? This is becoming a pattern. It’s almost as if Lance was an exception.

 

[BigDocFan]

With Ash going up against someone who uses Electric types, this would be a good opportunity to bring back Donphan, Gliscor, Gible or Krookodile but knowing Ash, he'll probably use Mr. Mime or Dragonite

 

[Rath]

With Ash going up against someone who uses Electric types, this would be a good opportunity to bring back Donphan, Gliscor, Gible or Krookodile but knowing Ash, he'll probably use Mr. Mime or Dragonite

If they can't even bring back Lt. Surge, then that's too much to expect.

 

[SammyW27]

Lt. Surge is replaced by a COTD?

Now they're just being cruel...

 

[DarkraiKnight]

If they can't even bring back Lt. Surge, then that's too much to expect.

I agree. It ain’t happening.

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Also don't you keep insisting there is no continuity in the show, so he's never fought a Raichu before?

Gotta cater to the people that think it's there and are doing some spectacular mental gymnastics to justify everything ^_^

Maybe he fought one offsceen in the past 17 episodes prior to this one

Anything's possible nowadays, thanks to the power of "good" writing

Lt. Surge is replaced by a COTD?

Now they're just being cruel...

It'd be kinda cool if every Gym Leader was replaced by a stand-in so they can try new strategies and show off more pokemon

 

[Kurolegacy]

Lt. Surge is replaced by a COTD?

Now they're just being cruel...

Really makes you wonder what the point was in even setting it in the Vermillion Gym was then.

It'd be kinda cool if every Gym Leader was replaced by a stand-in so they can try new strategies and show off more pokemon

But given that around half of Kanto were putty badges and the other half didn’t use their game teams, wouldn’t using them to their fullest accomplish the same thing?

 

[Pulsaro23]

It'd be kinda cool if every Gym Leader was replaced by a stand-in so they can try new strategies and show off more pokemon

But... couldn't they do that with the actual Gym Leaders? It's not like their teams are only made up of their aces' lines/species or that they don't/couldn't have some unique strategies related to their other Pokémon.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

Pikachu is battling a Raichu at the Vermillion Gym.

If that doesn’t get a direct callback, nothing will.

 

[Islander Princess]

They're...kidding me, right?

I find it lame enough that they're using a stand in for Lt. Surge but they go ahead and give him a Raichu of all things? Seriously?

I'm excited that the World Championships are getting underway, and the team working on the episode is fantastic, but...having to watch some fill in gym leader really dampens my excitement. And I don't agree that it doesn't matter since the Kanto gym leaders were already seen or that Ash already battled them...they didn't get the same kind of (very food) focus gym leaders have gotten in more recent seasons. This would've been a nice opportunity to flesh Lt. Surge out a little more and to see a new battle between him and Ash where Ash is now more experienced than he was in Kanto.

It's super frustrating how this series has been having an upswing, and then they go and pull yet another stunt like this. Makes me a little nervous for what else they have in store for these episodes...