So May is probably going to be the only female companion not to appear this series, and she hasn't appeared for 14 years since 2008

[DigiPokeMon]

Pokémon: The Unfortunate Reason May Has Been Absent From the Anime For So Long

Here's the real reason May hasn't had more than a minor cameo in the anime in recent years. The harsh reality is much sadder than some people realize.

www.cbr.com

No reason given why they cant simply recast May. In the English dub they recasted May when TCPI took over from 4kids
in season 9

 

[jjliang]

Why do they often tend to either recast, retire, or even kill off characters in Western-produced movies or TV shows if the actor portraying them were to either leave the show or perhaps even die in real life? If May was a Simpsons character, then would she be more like characters like Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz, Maude Flanders, Mrs. Crabapple, or characters like Martin Prince? (Here's a hint: what do these characters all have in common?)

On the other hand, do you think they could potentially "voice" May using several altered recycled audio clips?

 

[PaperSplash]

On the other hand, do you think they could potentially "voice" May using several altered recycled audio clips?

Only if she were a Pokémon.

(In all seriousness, audio splicing would come off as way too distracting and unprofessional, not to mention the serious ethical concerns it poses.)

 

[CharizardFan7]

I'm confused, didn't she appear in a flashback in the Serena episode? That has to amount to something, right?

Anyway, I'm pretty convinced that we'll at least get brief cameo shots of most if not all companions watching the finals at home

Yes, she did, which was awesome and everything; in fact it was an unexpected bonus to an already amazing episode. That said, a physical reappearance for her would be realllly nice. (Please, please, please........)

 

[jjliang]

Those Simpsons characters were either recast, retired, or killed off because either their actors left the show or died in real life.

Characters like Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz-retired after Phil Hartman was tragically killed by his own wife, but implied to still be alive, as they continue to appear as background cameos.

Maude Flanders-killed off by a flying T-shirt cannon and knocked off a grandstand at a racetrack after Homer ducked and grabbed a bobby pin under the bleachers as a result of Maggie Roswell leaving the show.

Mrs. Crabapple-killed off offscreen out of respect for Marcia Wallace's death.

Characters like Martin Prince-recast by Grey Griffin nee DeLisle as current voice actress due to Russi Taylor's death.

How do you think you would probably feel if the actor playing your most favorite movie or TV show character somehow either decided to leave the show or perhaps even died in real life, and rather than simply recast the character in question, the writers of said movie/TV show actually had to either retire or even kill them off "as the original actor was declared too irreplaceable to be recast, and that it would be considered as being disrespectful to the original actor to have someone else voice them instead?"

The difference is, that The Simpsons, Sesame Street, MASH, 8 Simple Rules, Cars, Riverdale, Gilmore Girls, and The West Wing are all Western-produced shows and movies, which is infamous for such a scenario happening, while in Japan, the opposite is actually true.

 

[RetroPokeFan]

Only if she were a Pokémon.

(In all seriousness, audio splicing would come off as way too distracting and unprofessional, not to mention the serious ethical concerns it poses.)

And on top of that it just wouldn't sound very believable either. It can work if it's a meme or a YouTube Poop but doing it for a show is just going way past the line.

 

[Sai]

It's actually going to be the 20th anniversary of AG this November, but sadly we're in the middle of a gen transition so otherwise I could have seen the writers doing something for it. Like is it just me or do the writers themselves not really make the AG series feel relevant? We got Drake but there was no flashback and all other AG characters are ignored.

Given all reunions we got for the OS (in the SM anime with Misty/Brock in their original clothes) the DP trio (in the Arceus specials continuing DP's plotline), Iris huge glow up in Journey's being part of Master Class, all the XY reunions like Serena's return, Bonnie/Clemont, Korrina, Greninja and soon Alan, and the SM reunions we're getting....it's weird how the AG series feels like a huge era missing in Journey's.

I mean it really does feel like May and almost everything from AG never gets any reunions or nostalgic episodes like all the other series do. It's weird to see one whole series basically barely referenced when every other series is getting tributes. For a 4 year series and one of the longest eras of the anime the writers sure do barely acknowledge it like all the other series. To a recent fan who didn't grow up with the older seasons it would even feel like May never existed at all compared to all the other female leads.

 

[cricketlaxwolvesbandy]

It's actually going to be the 20th anniversary of AG this November, but sadly we're in the middle of a gen transition so otherwise I could have seen the writers doing something for it. Like is it just me or do the writers themselves not really make the AG series feel relevant? We got Drake but there was no flashback and all other AG characters are ignored.

Given all reunions we got for the OS (in the SM anime with Misty/Brock in their original clothes) the DP trio (in the Arceus specials continuing DP's plotline), Iris huge glow up in Journey's being part of Master Class, all the XY reunions like Serena's return, Bonnie/Clemont, Korrina, Greninja and soon Alan, and the SM reunions we're getting....it's weird how the AG series feels like a huge era missing in Journey's.

I mean it really does feel like May and almost everything from AG never gets any reunions or nostalgic episodes like all the other series do. It's weird to see one whole series basically barely referenced when every other series is getting tributes. For a 4 year series and one of the longest eras of the anime the writers sure do barely acknowledge it like all the other series. To a recent fan who didn't grow up with the older seasons it would even feel like May never existed at all compared to all the other female leads.

Gen 3 is going to be 20 years old in November... NOOOOO
Also I’m convinced the writers have completely forgotten about Brock’s Marshtomp which depresses me

 

[Broseph08]

It's a real shame about her voice actress. I feel like ORAS was the time to bring her back and she could have showed up like Dawn did this series but her vocal illness combined with XY in general being light on continuity caused us to miss that chance. I love Steven but I'd rather if May had been the advertised character instead of him. And I feel like she would have been if not for Kaori's unfortunate status

 

[Emmy]

It does amuse me that this just popped up in my feed and you only get to see May from behind. It's like they know...

 

[KrspaceT]

Pokémon: The Unfortunate Reason May Has Been Absent From the Anime For So Long

Here's the real reason May hasn't had more than a minor cameo in the anime in recent years. The harsh reality is much sadder than some people realize.

www.cbr.com

No reason given why they cant simply recast May. In the English dub they recasted May when TCPI took over from 4kids
in season 9

In Japan recasting is considered....more severe than in the west. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is bad.

 

[jjliang]

And sometimes, in Western-produced movies or TV shows, if one of the actors either retires or dies in real life, then the character they portrayed will either had to be recast, retired, or even killed off. And apparently, the opposite is true in Japan.

 

[TheGoldenDuck]

I wish this was real, but man is this artist awesome!

Spoiler

https://twitter.com/LukasThadeuART/status/1525924078670041088

 

[FelipePR]

It does amuse me that this just popped up in my feed and you only get to see May from behind. It's like they know...

And yet that wasn't even the "anime" version of May, which is somewhat incongruous. Anyway, this video, this song especially, made me feel a little nostalgic.

Goodbye and Good riddance. We have been getting better girls since she left to be honest.

- Looks like someone still can't get over Misty's riddance.

I wish this was real, but man is this artist awesome!

- Lucas Thadeu art is ridiculously awesome, we are lucky to have him as a Pokemon fan.

 

[Dogasu]

Pokémon: The Unfortunate Reason May Has Been Absent From the Anime For So Long

Here's the real reason May hasn't had more than a minor cameo in the anime in recent years. The harsh reality is much sadder than some people realize.

www.cbr.com

No reason given why they cant simply recast May.

When the writer of that article was busy blatantly ripping off the one I wrote on the subject last year he merely glosses over the entire section I devoted to explaining why they can't just "simply recast May."

So what about having a different actor come in and take over the role? It'd be possible, but highly unlikely. Countries like the U.S. will replace their voice talent at the drop of the hat but that is absolutely not the case in Japan, where voice actors are usually not replaced unless one of the following happens:

1. The original voice actor passes away (i.e. Dr. Ookido, Sakaki)
2. The voice actor needs to go on maternity leave (Megumi Hayashibara, Ikue Otani, Mariya Ise). In this case, a replacement voice actor (or, in Ms. Ikue's case, stock audio) fills in for the few episodes they miss but the original actor always seems to come back as soon as possible.
3. The original voice actor is too expensive now (I'm guessing that's why Shijima got recast when he reappeared), but even then the show mostly gets around that by just not having the character appear anymore (i.e. Mamoru Miyano as Dent)
4. The original voice actor has some sort of scandal that makes it difficult for the Pokémon brand to continue associating with them (i.e. Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Kibana).
5. The voice in question is of a minor character that nobody would notice (i.e the Trainers who make it to New Island in Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution).

Kaori doesn't really fall into any of these categories, does she? She has a medical condition that prevents her from continuing to work as a voice actress, sure, but it's not like she's dead or anything. And so the powers that be probably think it would be too disrespectful to replace her. The chances of her getting better aren't 0%, right?

So the way I see it, unless something miraculous happens I'd say the chances of Haruka coming back in anything other than a silent cameo are practically non-existent.

 

[jjliang]

Sometimes, in Western-produced movies or TV shows, it's considered disrespectful to replace certain actors that have just died, and as a result the character they once played will either have to be retired or even killed off. In Japan, it's the other way around. Does anyone remember the episode of Sesame Street when Mr. Hooper died?

 

[CharizardFan7]

Even if May only gets a silent cameo appearance like say, watching Ash from the stands with everyone else, as long as it's a physical appearance I'll be happy. (I really do hope for more than that, though.......)

 

[jjliang]

Why do you think they would want to either retire or kill off a character from either a movie or TV show if the actor portraying them has just died, instead of simply just recasting them (this is usually more common in Western-made movies and TV shows, however)?

 

[Bendicion]

May didn't even get any update to her character. Like Lisia could have mentioned May was a famous coordinator from Hoenn or something. And May only got a shared flashback screen with Dawn so May herself was basically an afterthought. If this was May's one and only reference in this series then it feels like she got the Tracey treatment.

 

[Eitarou]

Except she did. It was implied she was the "Princess of Hoenn" that was mentioned.