Pokemon Journeys Ushers in Celebi's Anime Return

Pokemon Journeys: The Series has been teasing fans about a more direct connection to the franchise's Legendary Pokemon than ever before, and now the newest episode of the series has made good on that promise with Celebi's grand return to the anime. The newest opening theme for the series teased Celebi's big return to the anime franchise with a brief cameo, but fans did not have to wait long to see the Legendary as it actually made its return with the same episode that this new opening theme debuted alongside with. It was a big episode for a number of reasons.

Episode 32 of Pokemon Journeys: The Series not only broke ground by being the first episode in the season without Ash or Pikachu, but it also explored more of Goh's past. Revealing his childhood of spending time with his grandfather near the Ilex Forest, the episode revealed that Goh had a rival of his own growing up that was just as obsessed with meeting Celebi as he is about Mew.

While Celebi ultimately does not appear in front of the young duo, it does make an appearance in the anime toward the end of the episode. As Goh reunites with his friend Tokio years later, he discovers that the two of them just missed one another years ago. As we see them rekindling their friendship, two Celebi start to fly overhead and thus furthers the connection this new season has with legendaries of the past. Check it out below thanks to @Serena_Central on Twitter:

And of course the ending! Gou meets Tokio again after three years, realizing he had the whole thing wrong. But what do the Celebis mean🧐 does it mean they have a "bright and shining future" or did Tokio show up but time travel?#Anipoke https://t.co/funqAuCDgo pic.twitter.com/0CrAWWz6tg

— 💥 SC 💥 || #ThankYouAnipoke (@Serena_Central) August 10, 2020

Pokemon Journeys has been making good on its promise to honor older generations, and we are starting to see several strong examples only 30 or so episodes into its run. What are you hoping to see next? What did you think of Celebi's big return to the Pokemon anime? Surprised to see that the Shiny version made its debut as well? Do you think we will see more of this Legendary down the line as Pokemon Journeys: The Series continues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or you can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!