Pokemon’s Latest Episode Shares Big Ho-Oh Flashback

Pokemon‘s latest anime has opened up its world beyond just the new Galar region introduced in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and this has meant that Ash and new hero Go are traveling through various regions of the franchise introduced thus far. After visiting the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions, the latest episode of the series finally brings Ash back to the Johto region after the two of them spot reports of Ho-Oh sightings in the area. When they arrive in the region and an old man tells them Ho-Oh isn’t real, Ash asserts that Ho-Oh is indeed a real Legendary.

As fans of the anime know, Ash’s very first Legendary Pokemon sighting came with the very first episode of the series. Although we didn’t know the name of this bird quite yet, seeing this Pokemon was just the spark Ash and Pikachu needed to inspire them to keep going on their journey after the tumultuous start.

But the latest episode of the series goes the extra mile and features a cool recreation of this very scene as Ash reminisces about the time he saw Ho-Oh. Although it was also recreated in Pokemon! I Choose You! movie reboot, there’s something a bit extra special about it being brought up again in the official anime canon. Here’s the flashback as shared by @Tanooks on Twitter:

This latest anime series has been a bit different than the others as it seems to more highlight the past of the anime than others. One of the first episodes featured Ash’s reunion with Lugia and teased that Lugia remembered him from Pokemon The Movie 2000, so the Johto region is playing much more of a role in tying the current anime to the past than even Kanto is.

In fact, another Johto Legendary might be showing up soon in the next anime film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco. The first teaser trailer for the 23rd film in the franchise featured a shot of a shrine that looked suspiciously liked the shrine Celebi resided in during Pokemon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest.

Happy to see Ho-Oh again? Hoping for more Legendary appearances in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter! Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing.