[SPOILERS] Silhouettes in JN065

[FinnishPokéFan92]

Anime-original characters returned in Chronicles, it's not totally unprecedented.

Chronicles was a bit different from this.

Sho does seem very unlikely though. If that silhouette is anyone we've seen before I think it's Drake.

I think it could be Kabu.

Drake would be awesome, but it sort of feels like everyone just sort of agreed at some point to forget the Orange Islands happened. Tracey vanishing, for instance.

That's definitely not the case. And Tracey's disappearance probably has more to do with his voice actor.

 

[Daren]

I think it could be Kabu.

That seems plausible. The silhouette seems to match.

That's definitely not the case. And Tracey's disappearance probably has more to do with his voice actor.

I was being slightly facetious there.
(Although they did ignore it in those interviews about the Alola league when they kept talking about him never winning one).

 

[Ricbolog]

Drake would be awesome, but it sort of feels like everyone just sort of agreed at some point to forget the Orange Islands happened. Tracey vanishing, for instance.

So far, the only references to the Orange Islands in this series are his League Trophy in JN002, and Snorlax, a Pokémon caught during that arc, which is set to appear in JN068. I think the last time when Ash's status as the champion has been directly acknowledged was back in AG153.

 

[L-05308]

Anime-original characters returned in Chronicles, it's not totally unprecedented.

Sho does seem very unlikely though. If that silhouette is anyone we've seen before I think it's Drake.

Pokemon Chronicles was what 15 years ago? It was still during the OS, AG, DP years where characters did return pretty casually.

Ever since Best wishes, a mere flashback to a previous series has been hype - you must see the difference in the two eras when it comes to referring to the past.

I don’t even expect Tracey to appear during the coming trip to Oak’s - probably not been having his absence explained like in SM but unlike BW.

I, of course, hope to see the trend in Journeys broken but until it is, I only foresee game characters making returns.

 

[Johtohfiller]

I think it could be Kabu.

I had to look up Kabu (can you tell I haven't played Gen 8?) and I can definitely see that.

Pokemon Chronicles was what 15 years ago? It was still during the OS, AG, DP years where characters did return pretty casually.

Ever since Best wishes, a mere flashback to a previous series has been hype - you must see the difference in the two eras when it comes to referring to the past.

I don’t even expect Tracey to appear during the coming trip to Oak’s - probably not been having his absence explained like in SM but unlike BW.

I, of course, hope to see the trend in Journeys broken but until it is, I only foresee game characters making returns.

I get that, but I see it as a matter of non-game characters being less likely rather than prohibited, I don't think it's safe to assume there's a hard rule against non-game characters returning. A lot of supposed rules have turned out not to be, it used to be widely assumed that Ash's friends weren't allowed to return more than one generation after they left for instance.

 

[L-05308]

I had to look up Kabu (can you tell I haven't played Gen 8?) and I can definitely see that.




I get that, but I see it as a matter of non-game characters being less likely rather than prohibited, I don't think it's safe to assume there's a hard rule against non-game characters returning. A lot of supposed rules have turned out not to be, it used to be widely assumed that Ash's friends weren't allowed to return more than one generation after they left for instance.

Oh yes, certainly - fan made rules based on trends have been broken a few times this series, and even in the last series – and many of these trends, such as none of Ash’s water type Pokémon evolving, were probably just coincidence anyway.

I have a small bit of hope for characters like Paul and Sawyer to show up, but with characters like Cynthia and Diantha - I will be more surprised if they don’t turn up.

 

[Eclipsical]

I do hope that the woman is Sabrina, since Ash never really got a real match with her. Plus, I could see Gengar getting some good screen time against a Psychic Gym Leader, even though they’re part Poison-type. Other than that, I hope these battles are 3v3s.

I wonder if we’ll get any “smaller” returning characters like Chuck or Drayden. Whenever Ash has a big battle, Goh usually sits with someone to commentate with. I could see Flint returning in the eventual Volkner episode to fulfill that role and set up a future battle between him and Ash. Don’t know who it would be for Bea, besides another Fighting-type Gym Leader, assuming that their rematch isn’t at her own gym in Galar. Depending on when the rematch is, I could see it taking place at Maylene’s gym in Sinnoh for BDSP promotion and have Maylene show up.

 

[Johtohfiller]

Oh yes, certainly - fan made rules based on trends have been broken a few times this series, and even in the last series – and many of these trends, such as none of Ash’s water type Pokémon evolving, were probably just coincidence anyway.

I have a small bit of hope for characters like Paul and Sawyer to show up, but with characters like Cynthia and Diantha - I will be more surprised if they don’t turn up.

Paul is a big one story-wise IMO - if he didn't enter the PWC it'd seem weird almost to the point of being a plot hole. If he doesn't show up I'll assume the authorities caught wind of what he did to Chimchar and suspended his trainer's license.

 

[RileyXY1]

Paul is a big one story-wise IMO - if he didn't enter the PWC it'd seem weird almost to the point of being a plot hole. If he doesn't show up I'll assume the authorities caught wind of what he did to Chimchar and suspended his trainer's license.

He's not showing up because he's not in the games.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

Paul is a big one story-wise IMO - if he didn't enter the PWC it'd seem weird almost to the point of being a plot hole. If he doesn't show up I'll assume the authorities caught wind of what he did to Chimchar and suspended his trainer's license.

I doubt at this point anyone cares about what he did to Chimchar. He was allowed to complete his gym quest, battle in the league and caught the attention of the Champion. I doubt that any of here people cared about what happened, otherwise he wouldn’t be competing in the league in the first place.

 

[KenzeyEevee]

If ppl like Paul or Alain dont compete it would be strange

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

If ppl like Paul or Alain dont compete it would be strange

Paul I can see entering, but not Alain, given his career choice at the end of XY.

 

[nickdt]

If i have to be honest. We are not even 2 years in and Ash is already in Hyper Class. I cannot see Journeys running longer than 2022, unless they suddenly decide to stop rushing. This most likely means Gen 9 is around the corner (Late 2022).

 

[RileyXY1]

If i have to be honest. We are not even 2 years in and Ash is already in Hyper Class. I cannot see Journeys running longer than 2022, unless they suddenly decide to stop rushing. This most likely means Gen 9 is around the corner (Late 2022).

I don't expect that unless Gen 9 is far from what we think that it is. Besides, they could always give Ash more rank downgrades.

 

[Emmy]

As much as I would love to see Kabu in the anime, I just can't quite see him as the dude in the back.

The centre girl does remind me of Sabrina which could be cool if they acknowledge Ash didn't get a normal gym battle with her and it becomes something of a redux.

 

[nickdt]

I don't expect that unless Gen 9 is far from what we think that it is. Besides, they could always give Ash more rank downgrades.

I can't see them stretching the Hyper class for 2 more years and then Master Class the final year. I kinda expect the Master Class being set-up as a regular Tournament, with maybe 2 or 3 Goh focused episodes between each fight.

 

[RileyXY1]

I can't see them stretching the Hyper class for 2 more years and then Master Class the final year. I kinda expect the Master Class being set-up as a regular Tournament, with maybe 2 or 3 Goh focused episodes between each fight.

We literally had an entire year between the 7th and 8th badges in DP.

 

[nickdt]

We literally had an entire year between the 7th and 8th badges in DP.

Yes, but we had three characters and Ash still got focus because he still had Chimchar to evolve. Ash already has FE mons, who don't even get focus outside of battles. There isn't a lot to do for Ash, except for the PWC anyways, as Journeys already has shown. And considering we are getting a Project Mew arc as well already, i doubt they can drag that on much longer either.

 

[Hidden Mew]

We literally had an entire year between the 7th and 8th badges in DP.

The big difference is that there was enough going on during DP to make that year gap work. They had Dawn's fifth ribbon, the Grand Festival, new captures for both Ash and Dawn, new evolutions for Ash's team, Ash and Paul's first full battle, the Team Galactic arc and focused episodes for different characters. I remember people complaining about that gap for a long time, but there's not much to cut from that year gap and I think DP is the only series that could have made that gap work since Ash's Gym badge quest wasn't the only important plot in the series.

Given how Journeys has gone thus far, I can't see them stretching out either the Hyper or Master Class at this rate for that long. The fact that they were willing to give Ash so much off-screen matches to process through the first two ranks within roughly a year and a half of the series doesn't make me think that they're going to take their time with the higher ranked matches. I still suspect that there will be off-screen battles for at least the Hyper Class. There are ways that they could stretch out both the PWC and Goh's goal more naturally, but that would require a slower pace and I don't know how likely that is at this rate. Ash could have another losing streak, but considering how the first one was handled, I don't think that would be more than a one or two episode delay before he gets back to his current rank.

It isn't impossible for them to stretch the PWC out longer, but a lot of that depends on when the next generation comes out. At the moment, it just seems unlikely to me that they'll spend that much time in the Hyper Class when they breezed through the first two ranks relatively fast. I'd be shocked if we ever get a three-on-three battle, let alone a full battle, in the PWC.

 

[FinnishPokéFan92]

At the moment, it just seems unlikely to me that they'll spend that much time in the Hyper Class when they breezed through the first two ranks relatively fast.

Or it could be that the Ultra Class proves more troublesome and slow than the previous two classes.

I'd be shocked if we ever get a three-on-three battle, let alone a full battle, in the PWC.

I have a feeling we'll be getting some of the former in the Ultra Class, and some Full Battles in the Master Class.