Brock and Misty Are Returning to the Pokemon Anime

Ash's oldest friends are returning to the Pokemon anime series.

Earlier today, The Pokemon Company released a new visual highlighting the upcoming season of the anime series, which begins in October. The poster showcased several new Pokemon, but the biggest reveal was the appearance of Brock and Misty with Ash's current classmates and traveling companions.

Brock and Misty already made a surprising return to the Pokemon anime in 2017, when Ash and his classmates traveled to the Kanto region for a class trip. Ash reconnected with his oldest friends (and some of his Pokemon) while his classmates learned about the differences between certain Kanto Pokemon and their Alolan counterparts.

As of right now, we don't know whether Brock and Misty will return as semi-permanent companions for Ash, or are coming to visit their old friend on vacation. It's also possible that Ash will travel back to his home Kanto region and meet up with Brock and Misty (who are both gym leaders and have other responsibilities) once again.

Part of the reason for Brock and Misty's return to the Pokemon anime is the upcoming release of Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee, the new Pokemon games being released later this year. The new games are loose remakes of Pokemon Yellow and will be set in the Kanto region. Both Brock and Misty will appear in the new games as gym leaders of the Pewter City and Cerulean City gyms.

Prior to their appearances in the anime series last year, Brock and Misty both had lengthy absences from the show. Misty hadn't appeared in the Pokemon anime in nearly a decade, while Brock was missing for five years. Fans had worried that they would be permanently forgotten, especially after the Pokemon anime skipped Ash's traditional return home episode once he wrapped up his travels through the Kalos region.