Pokemon Journeys Kickstarts the Masters Tournament With First Major Victory

Pokemon Journeys is now making its way through Ash Ketchum’s biggest challenge ever with the start of the Masters Tournament with the episodes in Japan, and things have gotten off to a heated start with the first major win of the quarterfinals! Ash has been rising through the ranks of the World Coronation Series through the newest iteration of the anime series so far, and now has reached the climax of the world spanning tournament as Ash now is going up against some of the strongest trainers from around the Pokemon world. Now things have started with the first battle showing fans just what is coming our way.

With the bracket of the Masters Tournament finally set ahead of the newest episode of the series thanks to a special Pokemon Journeys trailer, it was revealed that the first match of the quarterfinals would be between the number one ranked trainer, Leon (champion of Galar and of the world in the anime), against the number six ranked trainer Alain (who is credited with winning the Kalos League tournament). As one would expect, the battle between the two ended in Leon’s victory. The speed of that victory was a surprise, however. 

As brief as it was, this clash was sick and re-establishing Leon as a complete beast is always a plush pic.twitter.com/ELr3Lt7OzE

— Tom (@TomsSauce) June 17, 2022

Episode 115 of Pokemon Journeys has recently premiered in Japan and officially kicked off the final tournament between the Masters Eight of the World Coronation Series. Though when Ash and Alain briefly reunited, fans got a tease of their potential rematch (something fans of the anime had wanted to see for a long time), instead Alain was the first up against Leon. Fans have seen Leon’s skill in the past, but his battle against Alain really proved that Leon has made it to the top of the tournament for so long for a reason. 

With only the use of his Rillaboom and Charizard (two out of three possible usable Pokemon in these battles), Leon quickly tore through Alain’s Chesnaught and Malamar, and even his Mega Charizard X (when Leon’s Charizard uses a Dragon type move on it). It was a quick loss for the returning Alain, the only regional champion in the Masters Eight overall, and goes to show what could be Ash’s way as the tournament continues. 

How do you feel about the anime’s first battle in the Masters Tournament? Which battles are you hoping to see as the tournament continues? 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!