Pokemon Anime Hides a Clever Pokemon Go Reference

The newest Pokemon anime has a very clever reference to Pokemon Go's style of catching Pokemon. Earlier this month, Netflix released the first 12 episodes of Pokemon Journeys, a brand new anime series starring long-time protagonist Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu as they work as research fellows under the guidance of Professor Cerise. Ash is joined on his adventures by Goh, an enthusiastic (to the point of arrogance) new trainer that wishes to catch at least one of every Pokemon in existence. While Goh is mostly inexperienced in the way of Pokemon battling, he collects an impressive amount of Pokemon in the first few episodes of the series. His secret? His manner of catching Pokemon is very similar to those used in the game that he's named after.

Goh's main method of catching is to simply spam Poke Balls at his quarry, using as many curve ball throws as he can, rarely bothering to actually battle and weaken his opponent. In Pokemon Go (and the Pokemon Go-inspired games Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee), players have a higher chance of successfully catching a Pokemon if they use a curve ball throw. While there's no real in-universe explanation for why a curve ball has a higher rate of success than normal Poke Ball throws, it's still a very clever Easter egg that reflects the popularity of Pokemon Go on the Pokemon franchise and also explains why Goh has caught almost as many Pokemon as Ash has despite the large experience gap.

Fans can watch the first 12 episodes of Pokemon Journeys on Netflix now, and new episodes will debut every few months on the streaming platform.

Are you impressed by the Pokemon Go Easter egg in Pokemon Journeys? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat all things Pokemon!