Pokemon Journeys to Bring Back Gary Oak in New Arc

Pokemon Journeys is moving along in Japan with new episodes, and fans have been waiting to see what the show would get into next. Following its interlude with Mewtwo, the show has been busy with a series of filler arcs, but that will change soon. The anime is leaning into a new arc soon, and it plans to bring Gary Oak back into the picture.

As you might know, Pokemon Journeys released a new trailer this week, and it previews what’s to come in the anime. A whole bunch of footage was shown with some featuring brand-new characters and Ash’s old Pokemon. And to make things even better, Gary shows up at one point.

If you were surprised by Gary’s comeback, well – you are not alone. It has been a while since the boy has appeared in the anime. His last appearance dates back to Pokemon the Series: Black and White, but he appeared in a fantasy sequence. His last notable role in the anime came with Pokemon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, so his comeback is a long time coming.

Back in the day, Gary made his fame as he trained to become a professor. The trainer worked with Professor Rowan to hone his craft, so Gary did a bunch of research missions in the field. In fact, his new hobby gave Gary a better view of Ash, so the pair were no longer at each others’ throats. So if you thought the two were still cutthroat rivals, you can think again!

Now, it seems like Gary is getting ready to tackle a new arc, and Pokemon fans are happy to see the trainer. It has been years since Ash checked in on his former rival, so we hope Gary is doing well. He might be able to help Goh figures out where Mew might be hiding these days. And if not, well – here’s to hoping his famed Arcanine makes an appearance at the very least!

As for when these episodes will come to the United States, we cannot be sure. Pokemon Journeys hasn’t brought any new episodes to Netflix in some time. The streaming service did say its last batch of episodes would be the final ones of the series, so Netflix could be rebranding the next phase of Pokemon Journeys. And at the very worst, the anime might find a new home stateside.

What do you think of this upcoming Pokemon comeback? Are you excited to check in on Gary Oak…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.