Preview Masters Tournament special preview

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Even if Hop ends up not doing much (which he most likely won't, seeing how there's precisely zero time to do anything with him anyway), I'm glad that he and his Wooloo at the very least get to show up. My guess is that he'll get into an argument with Goh over who's the best between Ash and Leon, which could have some decent potential for Hop.

Gigantamax Rillaboom is also a nice surprise. I'm glad it didn't get the Typhlosion/Chesnaught/Decidueye treatment, if only because it's weird when a starter of all things gets shafted. Like everyone is speculating, it's most likely Leon's, which is also neat because it definitvely comfirms that his Charizard is not the only powerhouse he has, something that I feel was a huge problem with both Origins!Red and to a lesser extent Alain; I just feel like it's harder to buy a Trainer being truly skilled if only one of their Pokemon is actually any good.

 

[Silktree]

What are Ash's reserves supposed to think when they're still in Pallet even when Ash is facing his greatest challenge yet? They'll forever be neglected, and his current roster are headed for the same fate whether or not they'll defeat Leon.

 

[KrspaceT]

Reserves are like Ash being 10 at this point. It only makes sense with out of story reasons and exploring it only leads to dumb

 

[Rainbow-Rain]

I understand that, but if the goal was just to give Goh a cute unevolving Pokemon, then it just makes me wonder why they bothered to give him Sobble in the first place. Despite the misleading promotion for Sobble, I thought that its capture was good and I adore Goh's scene with Drizzle after it evolved. It was easily one of my favorite moments in Journeys and in the anime in general. But at the same time, if they just wanted to rush through its evolutions so that Goh could have Grookey as his cute marketable always outside of its Pokeball, it would have been more ideal for Ash or even Chloe to get Sobble instead. Even before this preview, I think that they would have been better off splitting the Galar starters instead of giving them all to Goh or one character, especially when they waited way too long to debut Grookey only for it to go to Goh and not do much as a result. Seeing Gigatamax Rillaboom just made me think more about my issues with the Galar starters in this series.

It honestly reminds me of the early days of Journeys when people were speculating early on that Leon would be the one the showcase Inteleon..... until Goh's Sobble decided that it wanted to evolve

I just find it funny that Leon actually did end up showcasing a Galar Starter

Just not the one most people expected

 

[snowmint]

So Ted Lewis... Would he come back for Tracey? He didn't come back for his characters in shaman king 2021.

 

[Emmy]

So Ted Lewis... Would he come back for Tracey? He didn't come back for his characters in shaman king 2021.

Worth noting he did come back to reprise his role as Bakura in Yugioh Duel Links earlier this year.

 

[puddleths]

So Ted Lewis... Would he come back for Tracey? He didn't come back for his characters in shaman king 2021.

On the one hand, Tracey was recast in the VA switch. On the other, Lewis reprised his role as Giovanni, which is one of the only instances of that happening.

Tracey and Giovanni were also voiced by the same person, Craig Blair, before Lewis got the role back. So, I'd say chances are good if Tracey actually speaks.

 

[Hidden Mew]

A part of me would be surprise if they actually gave Tracey a speaking role after all this time. It would be nice, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was a silent cameo instead.

 

[Eitarou]

Tracey opens mouth to speak only for the camera to pan over to another character.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

The saddest thing is realizing being a part of the crowd is the most characters like Hop and other Galar Gym Leaders are probably gonna get. They really robbed this region.

 

[nickdt]

With Tracey being here, that leaves the only travel companion to be left to be Misty (As she is the only one not getting a physical appearance and/or flashback).

So i think she and Brock will at least appear in the flesh cheering Ash on in the stadium.

 

[Audino1008]

Does anyone actually, uh, LIKE Tracey?
I mean, I don't hate him, he's alright, and I did think it was weird he was only aknowledged once in this series set in Kanto and never even appeared as a background, even non-speaking character, a role he's pretty much perfect for.

So at this point, yeah, I'm surprised they're giving him an appearance, and it's about time, but I wouldn't say I'm EXCITED for him to come back. I'm curious, is anyone? Because from what I've seen a lot of people used to dislike him.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

With Tracey being here, that leaves the only travel companion to be left to be Misty (As she is the only one not getting a physical appearance and/or flashback).

Don't forget Max.

Does anyone actually, uh, LIKE Tracey?
I mean, I don't hate him, he's alright, and I did think it was weird he was only aknowledged once in this series set in Kanto and never even appeared as a background, even non-speaking character, a role he's pretty much perfect for.

So at this point, yeah, I'm surprised they're giving him an appearance, and it's about time, but I wouldn't say I'm EXCITED for him to come back. I'm curious, is anyone? Because from what I've seen a lot of people used to dislike him.

I think I've seen at least one or two people on the internet who like him. He may not be the most popular main character ever, but he's got his fans.

 

[Audino1008]

With Tracey being here, that leaves the only travel companion to be left to be Misty (As she is the only one not getting a physical appearance and/or flashback).

So i think she and Brock will at least appear in the flesh cheering Ash on in the stadium.

Speaking of Brock and Misty, they too would've been PERFECT as casual, reccuring side characters. No need to make a big deal of them like in Alola, just Ash casually going "Imma go to Cerulean gym to train for the PWC" if they ever need to get rid of him for a Goh or Chloe episode, or even episodes just opening with him training with Brock or something without making a big deal out of it. I'm honestly really surprised they didn't do it.

 

[Audino1008]

Don't forget Max.

How could you not?

I think I've seen at least one or two people on the internet who like him. He may not be the most popular main character ever, but he's got his fans.

Yeah, that's fair. I guess he is pretty neat because he's the first main character to show us how Pokemon can be used other than for fighting.

 

[Orchid]

Does anyone actually, uh, LIKE Tracey?

...

So at this point, yeah, I'm surprised they're giving him an appearance, and it's about time, but I wouldn't say I'm EXCITED for him to come back. I'm curious, is anyone? Because from what I've seen a lot of people used to dislike him.

I think he used to get a lot of hate, but from what I can tell, that's not really the case anymore — probably because he hasn't been particularly relevant (or even existent) in a long time. I think the general opinion about him has shifted towards being mostly neutral nowadays.

Either way, I know of a lot of people (some even here on the forums) who really like him; every character is somebody's favorite after all!
I mean, I'm excited, so that's at least one person :P

 

[Emmy]

Does anyone actually, uh, LIKE Tracey?

I am unashamed to say he is my favourite companion.

 

[Rath]

So it would appear that Lance is in fact the newest Champion in the anime.

Spoiler

His first appearance had him referred to as an Elite Four member and the winner of the Pokemon World Tourmament in Driftveil. The reveal of the Masters 8 referred to him as the Kanto & Johto Champion. Now this trailer refers to him as the "new" Kanto & Johto Champion, implying he only recently became the Champion.

If this is the case, it means Ash and Iris became Champions before Lance did

 

[Daren]

Wasn't he called Champion in Johto? So I suppose he was champion before them but lost the title, then later regained it.

 

[Rath]

Wasn't he called Champion in Johto? So I suppose he was champion before them but lost the title, then later regained it.

Lance was called the "Elite Four Champion" AKA the strongest member of the Elite Four. Kanto & Johto don't appear to have had actual Champions until Lance took the title for both regions.