Over the 25 years since thePokemonanime first debuted, Ash and his friends have met a sprawling cast of colorful and unique characters throughout their adventures. Alongside the many Gym Leaders and other major game characters, the animated series has also introduced plenty ofanime-original characters likeJourneys' Gohand Team Rocket’s iconic Jesse and James. Now, a recent episode ofPokemon Journeysfeatured a cameo appearance from one of Ash’s earliest rivals from the anime’s early days.
Ash and Goh’s adventures around thePokemonworld inJourneyshave already seen plenty of fan-favorite characters fromPokemon’s past making appearances. Many of Ash’s traveling partners like Misty, Dawn, and Lillie have made return appearances inJourneys, as well as beloved members ofPokemon Sword and Shield’s cast like Marnie and Leon.Journeys' break fromPokemon’s standard region-focused formula has brought back several of Ash’s past companions with the most recent episode featuring a cameo from one of Ash’s Kanto region rivals, Ritchie.
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The most recent episode ofPokemon Journeysfeatures the continuation ofthe ongoing World Coronation Seriestournament with Johto champion Lance squaring off against Kalos champion Diantha. One shot featuring a crowd watching the match being televised features the cameo appearance from both Ritchie and his Pikachu, Sparky. The surprise showing from Ritchie is the first time the character has appeared inPokemon’s main anime since the final season ofPokemon’s Johto arc,Pokemon: Master Quest.
Ritchie’s cameo appearance inPokemon Journeysmarks the character’s first return to the franchise as a whole in over a decade. Ritchie’s last anime appearance outside the previously mentioned main series came in thePokemon Chroniclesspinoff in 2005, where he starred in a handful of episodes. Even withPokemon Masters EXfocusing primarily on the franchise’s anime, Ritchie has not been featured inaPokemongame since the series' early days. His only video game appearance came as an Elite Four member in theN64’sPokemon Puzzle League.
Ritchie’s return to thePokemonanime, if only for a moment, joins a large roster of returning characters that have featured throughout Ash and Goh’s globetrotting adventures.The Masters Eight tournamentin the previously mentioned World Coronation Series sees the return of Pokemon’s many regional Champions in a massive tournament.Journeyshas even re-united Ash with his past team members, with Pokemon like Charizard and Bayleef among others returning to the spotlight. Ritchie’s cameo marks another instance ofJourneyspaying homage to the franchise’s storied history.
