Pokemon Journeys is setting the stage for the return of one of Ash’s greatest rivals, Paul! The newest iteration of the anime has really sent Ash Ketchum on what has felt like a victory lap as he and Goh have made their way through every region introduced in the Pokemon franchise so far. The more he battles up through the World Coronation Series, the more Ash has come across some major opponents that have challenged him to great extents. This has included some familiar faces from his past, and now a former challenger will be coming across his path once more. ย
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Pokemon Journeys debuted a brand new opening theme sequence with the launch of its 100th episode airing in Japan, and like the other opening themes in series’ past, the latest drops some major hints about what fans can look forward to in the episodes to come. This included not only some brand new battles and adventures, but the returns of some fan favorite characters like Paul. You can check out the tease for Paul’s return in question below as highlighted through the series’ official Twitter account:ย
Unfortunately, this single image of Paul is all that’s seen in the new opening so there’s no greater clue about when or where Ash will come face to face with him again. The confirmation of his return is definitely enough to be excited about, however, as the last time he and Ash had crossed paths with one another was during the events of Diamond and Pearl iteration of the anime years ago. Given the return of other elements from the Sinnoh region such as Dawn, Cynthia, and more, Paul’s return is definitely a welcome one now that the stage has been set.ย
Ash has already come face to face with Gary Oak, and now he can cross off yet another major rival off his list with this impending return. Unlike Gary, however, Paul is a much fiercer trainer to contend with. It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that he’s been making his way through the World Coronation Series ranks as well and just might end up doing battle against Ash as either one of the final challenges of the Ultra Class or even the Master Class of the Top 8 competitors.ย
But what do you think? What are you hoping to see from Paul’s return to the Pokemon anime? If Ash and Paul battle once more, who has a chance of winning this rematch? 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!
