Pokemon Anime Reveals Major Fan Favorite Returns for Masters Eight Lineup
Pokemon Journeys has been bringing back some major fan favorites over the course of its episodes so far, and it has now revealed that even more heavy hitters are making their comeback as part of the lineup for the Masters 8, the top trainers in the entire world! Ash Ketchum has been quickly rising through the ranks of the World Coronation Series over the newest iteration of the anime, and the newest episode of the series got him to his highest tier yet as he had the chance to potentially make it to the final tournament featuring the top eight trainers in the world.
Ash has been taking on many famous fan favorite faces from the past in his battles through the Ultra Class, but has officially made it into the Masters Eight with the newest episode of the series. It was here that the final Masters Tournament roster was revealed, and it was confirmed that there are some major returns coming in this lineup with the previously unseen Hoenn Champion Steven Stone, the Mega Evolution master Alain, the Unova Champion Iris, and the Kalos Champion Diantha being the final four mystery members of the final roster.
Three of the Masters Eight trainers had been previously revealed with Leon (ranked first), Sinnoh Champion Cynthia (ranked second), and Kanto and Johto Champion Lance (ranked fourth) all previously revealed in past episodes. Iris is the most surprising new reveal considering that Ash had defeated her on his way up through the Ultra Class in a previous episode (and it seemed like it was a surprise to him as well), but the other two have been major fan requested returns throughout the episodes thus far.
Steven's inclusion makes sense considering all of the other regional champions in the final bracket, but Alain is a huge and unexpected return. Alain has likely made it all the way to the sixth rank thanks to his mastery of Mega Evolution, and fans are still holding a grudge about the outcome from his battle with Ash during the Kalos region days. This could be setting up for a prime rematch between the two, but unfortunately the final bracket for the Masters Tournament (or a starting episode date) has yet to be set.
What do you think? How do you feel about these returns for the final Masters Tournament? Which of the final Masters Eight lineup surprised you the most? 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!