New Pokemon Cameo Revisits One of Ash's Greatest Rivals

By Nick Valdez

Pokemon Journeys has surprised with one of Ash Ketchum's biggest rivals returning to the anime after years of being missing from it! The newest iteration of the anime has felt like a proper celebration of its 25th Anniversary as it had followed Ash through a worldwide tournament as he faced off against both familiar and new opponents. The series also made sure to bring back a lot of notable faces from Ash's past that have ranged from longstanding allies to heated rivals. As the series works its way through the final Masters Tournament between champions, it seems there was time to squeeze in one more blast from the past.

As Ash now waits his turn in the quarterfinal match ups in the final Masters Tournament for the World Coronation Series, the champions from other regions have been representing their territories with pride as they try and take on the other champions. With the latest episode seeing the Kanto and Johto champion Lance step up to battle, he sends a message to his regions and among those watching is revealed to be Ash's former rival in the Kanto region, Ritchie and his own Pikachu, Sparky. Check it out below as spotted by @AnipokeFandom on Twitter: 

Episode 116 of Pokemon Journeys recently aired in Japan, and with it settled the second match of the quarterfinals as Lance vs. Diantha did battle with one another during the Masters Tournament. Before that Ritchie can be seen watching the battles take place, and it's another major familiar face that the anime has managed to sneak into the Masters Tournament event. With the anime now at its climax with its original run overseas, there are going to be fewer and fewer opportunities for special cameos from the past like this. 

Ritchie isn't the most notable of rivals from Ash's past, nor is he the headlining rival from the Kanto region, but he made quite the impression in the early years of the anime for being such a dead ringer to Ash. He was the kind of rival that never really appeared against once Ash started making his way through regions, but still a memorable one nonetheless. How do you feel about seeing Ritchie in the anime again, even in this small cameo capacity? 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!

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