Should the show bring back Brock and Misty?

I wish they would come back, it'd give old Pokemon fans a sense of nostalgia! ^^

Masamitsu Hidaka stated in an interview that Misty won't come back, even though she'll make cameos from time to time. Not sure about Brock, though.

Brock and Misty were just .... a perfect combination of companions.
Watching the newer stuff feels weird without them.
Though, I'm fine with cameos. It lets you relive the glory days!

Pokemon was at its peak with Brock and May or Dawn. I love Misty, but only really for the nostalgia factor and the fact that we can laugh at her for using a Luvdisc and a Corsola. I'd like it if May or Dawn came back, especially if Contests are returning in Kalos.

Infinite Latios said:

Pokemon was at its peak with Brock and May or Dawn. I love Misty, but only really for the nostalgia factor and the fact that we can laugh at her for using a Luvdisc and a Corsola. I'd like it if May or Dawn came back, especially if Contests are returning in Kalos.

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You really think so? I slowly stopped watching when Dawn came around, and completely stopped when Iris came. But I don't like Barry/Bianca in the Anime either, so maybe that's why I didn't like Sinnoh's anime.

No, please, no! I would rather they didn't. I love Cilan and Iris. n_n; I feel like Johto was kinda lame when at the end of Kanto they all went their ~separate ways~ and then ~suddenly they weren't~. I'm fine with cameos, though. :)

I don't think so...I love how new characters are introduced as the seasons progress, otherwise it feels dragged on. And sometimes the personalities can be overplayed or repetitive if they go on too long, but that's just my opinion. As much as I loved Brock and Misty, having brand new companions keeps the personalities fresh, not only the new characters themselves but how Ash and other characters react to them.

I think Brock should come back too.

I don't think Brock should come back and I prefer May over Misty, but I do think she should come back some. And Iris and Cilan might return in Kalos. Just because they didn't show up in the first trailer, doesn't really mean they are gone completely. They may return at a later time, like Brock did in Hoenn.

Misty shouldn't come back because of the formula laid in place with new female traveling companions introduced in each generation. Brock, on the other hand, is a different story.

They shouldn't have gotten rid of Brock. He was supposed to always be there, watching over the kids and mentoring them with Pokémon. It's ridiculous to call Cilan a valid replacement for him. And Iris? Don't even start me up on her. She's just as bad as Misty, only worse: She's more annoying, more talkative, more naive, and even more dominant over Ash (which is what I really hate). Bugs the hell out of me.

I'm not sure that argument is valid. Brock could have been a constant, yeah. But everyone keeps forgetting that Tracey replaced him for the second season, and that was the first major cast switch. Not Misty leaving forever, Brock going on vacation for a season. People didn't know he'd be coming back at that point. Perhaps even the writers didn't. As far as the fans at the time were concerned, Brock was gone. And that means for us here now, he never was a constant fixture of the anime. I believe he's the character holding sixth place for amount of episodes he's been in- Ash, Pikachu, Jessie, James, and Meowth all come before him in that list even disregarding BW.

Though I really disliked the following approach, from a marketing perspective, the shift in traditions for BW makes perfect sense. They were aiming for change revitalization and decided a throwback to the Kanto setup would be ideal. They could not replace the protagonist and the mascot, but they could do a near-complete reset on them both. They could replace the first gym leader companion from Kanto with a first leader companion from Unova. They could pull in another girl from the featured region who was not based on a protagonist, but was still a significant character. They could make the villains villainous instead of a joke. All of this makes BW seem very much like and AU of the rest of the anime.

We did get some very interesting and fun characters out of this shift, but I do believe BW was let down by the character writing. The writers seemed to take the approach that starting off with a strong character was good enough, and little to no development was therefore required. That is a very silly notion. We see Ash be completely reset but regain none of his innovation that makes him such an entertaining trainer to watch. We are joined by a companion of the "wild girl" type, who has backstory featured in a few episodes and a repaired relationship with her Pokémon. This does not seem to affect her overall character.

Cilan and Brock require their own sections. Because the fanbase was used to Brock and his unshakeable role as group mama, chef, and mentor, they instinctively try to shove Cilan into those roles as well. But that's very much trying to shove a diamond-shaped peg into an octagonal hole. Cilan does often cook for the group and provides the exposition, but he is in no way the mama that Brock was.
That's very much established by their familial backgrounds. Brock spent years upon years being mama and daddy to a gaggle of essentially orphaned children. His passions are Pokémon breeding and doctoring- the care and raising of Pokémon. "Mama" is written into his core being.
Cilan is one of a set of triplets, together from the outset and probably throughout their whole lives. He did not have to raise his brothers; they grew together and learned with each other rather than from one of them. He found that his passion lay with the art of the Connoisseur- the relationships between people and Pokémon. He is a social person at his core, interested in people, connections, and interactions.
Their relationships with Ash are very different because of that. Brock was, from the outset, Ash's main source of guidance and a major male role model for this 10-year-old with an absent father. He is introduced as an authority figure and a mother figure, and that carries on. Ash and Brock were never near equals in terms of experience, knowledge, or development.
Cilan was introduced with no emphasis on developmental guidance- his introductory episodes prove that he is far more interested in Ash and Pikachu's connection than anything. This initial fascination goes on to become admiration, inspiration, and after a while a deeper interest in Ash himself and not just the connections between him and his Pokémon. This social emphasis and other factors put Ash and Cilan on more equal footing in their relationship- Ash does not look to Cilan as a mentor. Both learn from each other in different ways and about varying thing. Cilan has a bigger pool of general knowledge to fish from, but their journey is one of mutual development.

I'm really surprised that I still have to draw people's attention to this. As I and many others have been saying since Cilan's debut- he is not Brock's replacement. The only real similarity between the two roles is that both cook and are the most responsible group member.

While my reasoning for my answer to this thread does not tie into my post, I'm still going to provide the short version. No, Misty and Brock should not come back. They had their time to shine, and shine they did if people are still begging for their return. But Pokémon is constantly changing and introducing new and exciting characters for the writers to work with and expand upon just in the games. Anime-only trainers will be introduced to expand the world even beyond that. Who has time for bringing back the older characters? And the anime is a marketing tool, remember. Look how much they pushed the "new"-ness of BW to match what the games were doing- do you think they'd stop featuring characters from the games as protagonists?

Beyond that though, Brock making a return is fairly likely given the probable expense of MamoMiya as Cilan and the apparent lack of important characters to fill the "responsible travelling companion" slot. It may be given to Alexa to break even more tradition, but who knows. Hopefully the stagnance of the character will be washed away upon a return.

Bring back Brock then end the series with Ash walking upto Misty's house or gym with a new Bike

I remember good old days when it was Ash, Misty and Brock. Bickering between Ash and Misty but moments of mutual support and carting, Brock flirting over girls being like older supervisor which often bailed other two out from danger with his wisdom, talk about Ash, family and romance between Misty and Brock giving him encouragement to go forward brought lot of clever humor, banter and sharp dialogue into cast. Ah how i miss them knowing how to along with Ash bring true essence of adventure and close bond between friends on surface making pokemon truly enjoyable to watch. Original trio of Ash,Misty and Brock is extremely popular to this day being group which started pokemon series becoming iconic and most recognizable trio in this show.Having them reunited for one last adventure would be nice way to wrap up long lasting show like pokemon ending it with group which started everything with things coming full circle bringing spirit of older days providing better finality.
This would also provide opportunity to see writers tying up some loose ends going for them being given some character development and provide better finality.

I think this could also prove to be good business move with purpose of going beyond current target audience trying to attract more of older fans toward this show which would in end bring more viewers increasing TV ratings with final product out of it being more money.

Out of all groups only real demand from what i noticed is for original trio being reunited which is rather huge being counted in thousands so its natural to expect how this move would bring certain portion of them back to this show.

And Misty,Brock and Ash as trio could definitely deliver quality of entertainment as they already prove to be capable and liked because of it and building up on already existing friendship would bring new interesting dimension to it along with continuation of their stories being made.For a change it would be interesting to see rekindle of friendship between Ash and his previous traveling companions seeing them developed more with build up on their previous relationship serving like nice change of pace compared to rinse and repeat"Ash meets new people","become friend with them","after 4 years departs with them".

From story standpoint they also have reasons and potential to go on on more adventure as well with some things being left unanswered about Brock along with Misty never being given closure to story having untapped potential to do more with character. Since Misty goal of becoming water master requires traveling and entering some competitions(as Whirl Cup showed) with gym not being enough to learn some new things and if Brock becomes traveling doctor joining Ash to go on one last adventure advancing their goals in company of friends instead of doing it alone would make sense giving them justification behind joining cast again.

In end it depends on writers though.If they want to reunite original trio to develop them more and close down series in a way of things coming back full circle than i could see Ash,Misty and Brock being reunited once more.Otherwise most likely not,unfortunately.

If i would have to choose between them though i would rather have Misty back. Brock was in pokemon for majority of its run but Misty left long time ago not seeing her for very long period of time.
She had great character and personality,bringing healthy interactions and dynamic within group having strong presence within show.She had very wide range of emotions she expressed making her easy to relate to and genuinely emotional,being both temperament but also sweet in side having her girly moments being fun to see how she would fit within new group, restore friendship with Ash and how she would work in today anime format shaking things up with her unexpected come back.

As long run viewer i can without doubt say how Misty as character had potential be done more about her story and character.
Whether its her goal of becoming water pokemon master which was unexplored for most part,her backstory(not knowing many things like what happened with parents,why she prefers water type,why she fears bugs etc) being accompanied with several of her pokemon being left underdeveloped(Starmie, poor Horsea, Goldeen, Psyduck etc come to mind) leaving lot of untapped potential there which could be used to do more with her character.To add on,at that time Misty was insecure,inexperienced and fairly impatient having long way to go(and that journey still isn't over).
Unlike its case with Dawn, Brock or May we don't know even motives behind Misty desire to become water pokemon master and what influenced her to have preference for one type.We didn't see Misty overcoming her personal issues which stand on her way of becoming water pokemon master never coming to significant realization how to achieve her dreams either.


So yeah i would like to see "tomboyish mermaid" comeback in pokemon series being curious of finding in what new, exciting directions writers would take her.

Mr. Magius said:

I don't think so...I love how new characters are introduced as the seasons progress, otherwise it feels dragged on. And sometimes the personalities can be overplayed or repetitive if they go on too long, but that's just my opinion. As much as I loved Brock and Misty, having brand new companions keeps the personalities fresh, not only the new characters themselves but how Ash and other characters react to them.

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Sometimes that's true, though in case you are going to bring long absent characters(like Misty in this example) who was away of screen for sop long would bring breeze of fresh air and something new compared to new companion. In sense of receiving sequel of her story going through harder challenges with already firmed knowledge and established team, we could see revival of friendship between Ash and his old friends being already familiar with themselves allowing for evolution of their interaction coming in more lighthearted, joking and profound manner.
As such it would be refreshing for change to see characters we grew to like coming back with new life added to them through new outfits, change of style being updated, new pokemon, and new twists and plots to their storyline being taken in new/fresh directions , rather than going through another rehash of what we saw before.


Many long absent characters(like Misty as you mentioned) were away for so long that nowadays people would view them as "pseudo.new" finding refreshing to see continuation of their story being made.

Which would be imo more refreshing and enjoyable to follow for change than what we are getting now.

EternallyAnna said:

While my reasoning for my answer to this thread does not tie into my post, I'm still going to provide the short version. No, Misty and Brock should not come back. They had their time to shine, and shine they did if people are still begging for their return. But Pokémon is constantly changing and introducing new and exciting characters for the writers to work with and expand upon just in the games. Anime-only trainers will be introduced to expand the world even beyond that. Who has time for bringing back the older characters?
Beyond that though, Brock making a return is fairly likely given the probable expense of MamoMiya as Cilan and the apparent lack of important characters to fill the "responsible travelling companion" slot. It may be given to Alexa to break even more tradition, but who knows. Hopefully the stagnance of the character will be washed away upon a return.

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So Brock could come back, but Misty shouldn't? Not sure if i understand reasoning behind this.

I say give new characters their part, while also keep older characters relevant doing continuation of their story.

Yes you could say how someone had its time, but does that mean it would be mistake to "extend such time" developing them more? Not really, especially if they don't receive sufficient amount of development in their own saga which sometime isn't enough with character requiring more time to be explored and have him accomplish something significant which would serve as testament to all labor put into it beforehand bringing him closer toward his dreams. Even so its always fresh and nice to see all time favorite return getting update going through new directions. Which would make fans become more loyal toward show respecting such gestures.

Way i look at it its real waste to drop potential they have to do more, instead of utilizing it in productive manner for their stories by having writers cleverly intertwine life paths of new and older companions exploring on their personalities and dynamic, have each other help put and give us refreshing threat by following those we grew to like improved, updated and ready to go on next step.

So Brock could come back, but Misty shouldn't? Not sure if i understand reasoning behind this.

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The reasoning is simple; Misty's story has been long closed and the successive pattern involved featuring a main girl from the current region. There is really no reason to change this format because that is one of their main current-region promotional features.

Brock is a different and weird case. While he was replaced for like... thirty-six episodes, popular demand brought him back. Three sagas, he's been replaced for a full saga by Cilan. There is no pattern here. It's hard to figure out what the writers are going to do now. I've seen it speculated that Cilan will join Ash in Kalos due to his interests being very French. I've seen it speculated that Brock will return in Kalos because the anime can't really afford having MamoMiya as a voice actor for another season. I've seen it speculated that Alexa will take on the role of responsible travelling companion. I've seen it speculated that Ash will be implicitly aged up again and take on that role for some of the Kalos kids. But we don't know. Essentially, because Brock does not have a pattern, it's hard to determine if he'll return or not. That's why he's far more likely to return than Misty.

All these characters have untapped potential, really. It's Pokémon. Some got more development and better closure than others, but it's really not likely that the writers will try again with them, especially with a wealth of new characters to feature from current regions. If Misty were ever to come back, I could see her doing so for a half-season akin to Decolore or Orange. Her and Brock and Ash reunite and go on a filler season adventure when the anime has little to promote and not much else to do.

EternallyAnna said:

The reasoning is simple; Misty's story has been long closed and the successive pattern involved featuring a main girl from the current region. There is really no reason to change this format because that is one of their main current-region promotional features.

Brock is a different and weird case. While he was replaced for like... thirty-six episodes, popular demand brought him back. Three sagas, he's been replaced for a full saga by Cilan. There is no pattern here. It's hard to figure out what the writers are going to do now. I've seen it speculated that Cilan will join Ash in Kalos due to his interests being very French. I've seen it speculated that Brock will return in Kalos because the anime can't really afford having MamoMiya as a voice actor for another season. I've seen it speculated that Alexa will take on the role of responsible travelling companion. I've seen it speculated that Ash will be implicitly aged up again and take on that role for some of the Kalos kids. But we don't know. Essentially, because Brock does not have a pattern, it's hard to determine if he'll return or not. That's why he's far more likely to return than Misty.

All these characters have untapped potential, really. It's Pokémon. Some got more development and better closure than others, but it's really not likely that the writers will try again with them, especially with a wealth of new characters to feature from current regions. If Misty were ever to come back, I could see her doing so for a half-season akin to Decolore or Orange. Her and Brock and Ash reunite and go on a filler season adventure when the anime has little to promote and not much else to do.

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Ah about Misty to be fair her departure and way writers left some things uncleared don't leave out impression how she was "done" persay.
She didn't come to fruition how to accomplish her dreams, goal of becoming water master was never fulfilled and many things about her past, fears, motivations and everything else which is standing on her way to go forward was left unexplored .In a way Misty never received closure with her dreams and aspirations being left unfinished. Unlike its case with Brock or Gary who blatantly changed their carers with Misty writers left things unclear not being showed further progress of her plots in chronicles.

She is sort of in middle, being one of reasons why i think writer could reintroduce her back if truly wanted having potential for sequel. What i mean is how her story hasn't been solidified and cemented leaving things undefined opens room for changes and way to bring her back with purpose of advancing her own dreams stepping up from position of gym leader. Similar how many gym leaders in past did going on venture to improve skills and rank up as trainer. Wallace, Koga, Fantina, Candice, Roark, Cilan etc are some of examples out there which left their positions to pursue their own dreams and learn about new ways of battling which they couldn't at gym.Since her ultimate goal of becoming water master requires traveling and entering some competitions as Whirl islands showed with gym not being enough makes perfect sense for her to leave and advance her skills,catch new water types and gather new knowledge.

Even so argument of "someone story is closed, he cannot return" is irrelevant in longer run. Because this in no way stops writers from doing continuation of Misty or anyone story picking up from where they stopped in case they decide to develop character more than what they originally intended.

As far as chances to return goes while Brock may have higher chance based on past pattern, it would be impolitic in my honest opinion to neglect chances of Misty or some other previous female lead joining cast again.
Assuming that writers decide to change format introducing twist through reintroduce of older characters breaking monotony of expected new characters from games being added, older characters could have a shot to become members of traveling group again and this move could attract more of older viewers toward this show judging by demand.

In that case biggest chance of ex main characters in that case would have members of original trio because of being ones who started everything making show popular reaching iconic status but that doesn't mean others wouldn't have a chance too.Most past or current traveling companions can be agreed had several unfinished plots in their stories, room to be developed more and unexplored things on which writers could expand. So instead of leaving them abandoned why not take advantage pf potential and popularity being developed more?
In alignment to that their presence would imbue anime with more continuity bringing more coherent story, provides connections to past regions Ash traveled through and gives new viewers insight to better understand anime history.
As well pleases fandom creating boost in TV ratings.
So i don't think how rotation bringing characters for season or half a season would be detrimental for them or new characters at all.

People often like to rely on past patterns of girls constantly being replaced as some sort of proof how "such cycle cannot be broke". But depending on writers motivation, current plot and compatibility of previous character with future story such pattern can be break.

Because basing on how many established past patterns they broke , its unreliable to draw conclusions by what happened in past.
We thought how writers would never go back to main female as sidekick after introducing May, but it happened with Iris.
-People thought contests would be perma staple of series like gyms did, but we all know how that went.
-They thought Brock will never leave after being returned to cast again after Orange islands, but impossible happened.
-TR weren't anymore goofy idiots serving as comic relief, becoming competent villains
-main protagonist caught dark typed which would be totally unheard of before
-for first time in history old pokemon came back and rejoined protagonist on his journey(see Charizard)
Or generalization fandom created of main characters not being able to get too powerful fully evolved pokemon like Dragonite causing "dis balance in cast", but that was changed with Iris who has indeed received Dragonite.

To lesser degree same can be applied to previous minor characters like Jessibelle , Gary, Jasmine or Giovanni in BW who got returned crushing down established theory among fans how "long absence proves we wont be seeing them again".

So while probability ratio is on your side since writers never did exception with girls like they did with boy sidekicks, there always exists chance that writers break pattern in forming cast as well deciding to capitalize on already established characters which proven to posses appeal and popularity to hook people onto show.

While finding other ways through which games could be promoted both through new additions and reinvention of role with previous female, male leads being infiltrated wthin anime story in way which could help move things forward.

p.s. For record Misty, May or Dawn were more popular than Brock was but they still got replaced indicating how it wasn't fan demand really which brought Brock back after OI., But more writers decision to give Brock another chance after realizing how audience had no problem with Brock look(eyes) realizing how their fear of said character causing possible racism issues was ungrounded and irrational. Fact how Tracey was never much popular probably played factor in this as well.

I think Misty was a pretty anoying personality from time to time. So i don't want her to return.
As for brock, i liked him a lot. I would like him to return but i doubt it will happen.

As for my predictions. I think they're going to replace the female companion as always.
I don't really know what they're going to do with te male companion.

Well, there's always going to be at least a gym leader that will travel with Ash, so either of those two are likely. Misty is quite unlikely as she's left early in the series. Brock is probably the more likely of the two to make a re-appearance.