Pokemon Surprises Fans With Ash’s Clever Darkrai Callback

Pokemon Journeys: The Series really took fans by surprise with Ash Ketchum‘s clever Darkrai callback in the newest episode of the series! While fans outside of Japan are waiting on the return of the anime with its next major entry, Pokemon Master Journeys, Pokemon Journeys is still airing new episodes in Japan on a weekly basis. This Summer kicked off a new arc for the series bringing back not only the fan favorite companion, Dawn, but the Legendaries Darkrai and Cresselia as well. But fans had been wondering whether or not Ash would recognize these legendaries.

Ash had come across Darkrai in the anime’s past in a couple of different adventures, and with Pokemon Journeys alluding to the overall continuity of the franchise in small ways throughout its run thus far, fans had been wondering whether or not Ash would reference the fact that he’s come across Darkrai before. Now with the newest episode of the series airing in Japan, fans surprisingly had gotten their wish as Ash confirms he’s crossed paths with the legendary before.

Episode 74 of Pokemon Journeys kicked off a special two episode arc bringing Dawn back to the anime, and it all kicks off with Professor Cerise telling Ash and Goh about how the mysterious Pokemon Darkrai has been causing nightmares in cities throughout the Sinnoh region. Ash then remarks that he wouldn’t put it past Darkrai to be causing this trouble, and when Goh asks if Ash has met Darkrai previously, Ash happily says he has and it’s a strong Pokemon in battle.

This little bit of continuity helps to establish what fans have been wanting for years as it’s a connected canon between two different eras of the anime rather than a full reboot. It’s been something we have been treated to many times in the Pokemon Journeys era to this point, and it’s likely far from the last return from Ash’s past that we’ll be seeing as the anime continues toward whatever endgame it might have in mind for this particular generation.

What do you think of Ash referencing the fact he has faced off against Darkrai in the anime before? What kinds of other connection to the past are you hoping to see in Pokemon Journeys next? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!