Thread: Flashback episode in the future?

Could we have a flashback episode in the future? Not just a remake of an old episode, but something someone is telling that gets turned into an episode (similar to what happened in Training Daze, which Jessie, James and Meowth).

I started thinking this due to the banned Rocket vs Plasma episodes. Team Plasma are appearing now. I suppose we will have some backstory regarding the organization as a whole, but how will they handle that two-parter? Will they simply ignore it and have something with elements from it, or will we be told what happened there with Team Rocket, Team Plasma and Jenny, Looker and Juniper? If that were to happen, I suppose we would have something which we may call "a flashback episode" - the main focus of the episode(s) being the events depicted during the flashback.

But then I started to think: could this be done with other things? For example, imagine an episode which starts with Ash telling Cilan/Iris that he once saw/done this/that and when he starts telling it we are carried to a flashback episode with everything that is told appearing - picture it! - Ash, Brock and Misty, along with their Pokémon and Team Rocket with their old motto and Pokémon all as they were during Johto/Kanto/Orange Islands doing something (the same something that is being told by Ash to Cilan and Iris), all with the old music and with elements from the past, but everything done as it is now (regarding the animation, the fact that it is all 16:9 and HD, etc). I think it would be nice (and unlikely, I guess, though it could be some sort of special episode).

What do you think? (And this is not regarding the appearance of Misty, this could be done with "recent" characters such as Dawn or Paul)

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know. In DP when they had flashbacks to Jasmine's Gym they purposely excluded Misty from the scene and only showed Ash and Cyndaquil in the shot.

Also if you notice none of the BW openings feature an old main character montage like the older ones do they're purposely phasing out older characters besides Ash's older pokemon.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know. In DP when they had flashbacks to Jasmine's Gym they purposely excluded Misty from the scene and only showed Ash and Cyndaquil in the shot.

Also if you notice none of the BW openings feature an old main character montage like the older ones do they're purposely phasing out older characters besides Ash's older pokemon.

But didn't they flashback Misty when Ash used his Misty bait when they fished somewhere? I think Dawn commented on how cute it looked.

That, and the Pikachu VS Raichu episode where they referenced thr Vermillion gym. Ash STILL carried that Thunderstone with him, and I'm pretty sure that none of the kids watching DP would've known about that. The writers could've easily chucked that away and bring in a Thunderstone from somewhere else, yet they decided to flashback an event that happened more than ten years ago, which kids watching the late DP arc would not have known. If so, then I don't see why they can't bring a few episode flashbacks from time to time.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know. In DP when they had flashbacks to Jasmine's Gym they purposely excluded Misty from the scene and only showed Ash and Cyndaquil in the shot.

Misty was in the sidelines with Brock and that shot was from the battle, so I don't think that they purposely excluded Misty from that scene.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

Also if you notice none of the BW openings feature an old main character montage like the older ones do they're purposely phasing out older characters besides Ash's older pokemon.

I don't know if they're purposely phasing out of the older characters. There just isn't as much of a reason to focus on them compared to Ash's older Pokemon right now in the openings.

Since they did have flashbacks to events in DP, such as the Pikachu vs. Raichu episode, I think that they could put a brief flashback in future episodes if they relate to the current episode. If they're willing to explain how Ash got a Thunderstone from an episode that aired over ten years ago, I think that they could do that every once in awhile.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know. In DP when they had flashbacks to Jasmine's Gym they purposely excluded Misty from the scene and only showed Ash and Cyndaquil in the shot.

It was Ash & Pikachu in that flashback. Did pikachu fight steelix? If not, Yeah, it was a continuity error in the said episode.

Maybe, but I don't see it happening in BW. On DP, they referenced old characters and events all the time, but for some reason they haven't done that for BW, so I don't think they'll change it now. Or maybe they'll do it when Lizardon comes back? :D That'd be awesome.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know.

Is that any different to a COTD? The writers can introduce the old characters to new viewers in the same way that they introduce them to the new characters on screen - "here's a friend I travelled with a while back, who dreams of becoming a water Pokemon master/top co-ordinator/doctor/drawer" - done. The only difference is that to new viewers the character's appearance doesn't mean quite as much as it does to older ones, but it's certainly not a barrier to using anyone.

Pokemon Smash frequently repeat older episodes - just about every time I've seen it they've been showing a Kanto episode.

This would actually be very interesting and entertaining. I know for sure as others above have said that just because they are old characters doesn't mean there's a barrier to a flashback. Considering DP and all its references to past events, characters and Pokemon it is very possible that they could do the same in BW now we've got appearances of non BW Pokemon and Ash's Charizard too. I fact they've already mentioned a few things, admittedly only brief and non extensive but it doesn't mean they won't.

A large part of why they probably didn't to begin with was because of BW only Pokemon and events and they didn't want to detract from that. Brock's now had a mention too so I don't see why others can't.

I would certainly welcome more of such things. Flashbacks to previous pokemon, companions and sagas Ash and others traveled through only adds to quality of pokemon strengthening its connections to past and making it treated like continuity based show. Rather than some weird compound full of fragmented pieces of development scattered all over the place with no real plot or history behind itself.

I enjoyed in all those flashbacks of Ash previous pokemon when he was preparing to challenge Brandon, references to Butterfree, Pikachu when refusing to evolve or Misty in DP. Unexpected returns of older characters like May, Jasmine or Jessibelle etc making Ash journey all that more believable seeming like story is actually going somewhere. Since experiences from past gave us insight in foregoing and coverage on amount of growth and hard work done prior to reaching point on which characters and story are standing right now.

Such small reminders would be certainly generous gesture for new generations giving them insight in pokemon history with current story being enriched with more "meat", while making older fans appreciate anime to higher degree serving as nice throwback to past.

In fact why not only stop on flashbacks? Let some of them appear in person, like Misty. Im sure many would appreciate that.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know. In DP when they had flashbacks to Jasmine's Gym they purposely excluded Misty from the scene and only showed Ash and Cyndaquil in the shot.

Again with kids argument, really? Bringing older characters back makes no difference than introducing new ones to new generations since they don't know anything about them either requiring time to get used and like them.

Not to mention writers had no qualms over referencing to older characters in previous generations like DP or AG, so why that should change now?
Especially when BW policy of no connections to past expired with return of characters like Dawn and Cynthia, flashbacks to Brock or older iconic pokemon like Charizard confirming that.

An episode showing the Rocket trio's transition from the end of DP to the beginning of BW. Obviously :P

Originally Posted by Moe

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

I don't think the writers want to reference old characters from a decade ago that kids don't even know.

Is that any different to a COTD? The writers can introduce the old characters to new viewers in the same way that they introduce them to the new characters on screen - "here's a friend I travelled with a while back, who dreams of becoming a water Pokemon master/top co-ordinator/doctor/drawer" - done. The only difference is that to new viewers the character's appearance doesn't mean quite as much as it does to older ones, but it's certainly not a barrier to using anyone.

Pokemon Smash frequently repeat older episodes - just about every time I've seen it they've been showing a Kanto episode.

They have no reason to though. Part of the reason Brock was brought up in Dawn's flashbacks in BW is probably because the writers don't intend on having him appear, but acknowledged him that way. Same reason Misty didn't appear in DP at all, they just reference her with the lure.

Originally Posted by The Fighting Misty

They have no reason to though.

My point is that it doesn't mean that young kids watching is a reason not to. If the writers want to include older characters their obscurity to parts of the audience needn't be a factor, it all comes down to whether they think a storyline could be enhanced by their presence.

Flashbacks that would add context to events would be an example of that - there potentially being characters some might not know in them is all the more reason to have them. There's Charizard's return coming up soon - there's no reason for there not to be a bit of a flashback to give Charizard's history to both the viewers and Cilan/Iris.

Originally Posted by Moe

Flashbacks that would add context to events would be an example of that - there potentially being characters some might not know in them is all the more reason to have them. There's Charizard's return coming up soon - there's no reason for there not to be a bit of a flashback to give Charizard's history to both the viewers and Cilan/Iris.

Agreed. Since we're getting flashbacks involving N and Reshiram, I don't see why the writers shouldn't do something similar for Ash and Charizard.

What's the point of devoting entire episodes to flashbacks when it can be summed up in 2 minutes?

Dawn didn't give us her life story of what she did in Hoenn, she just said, "Hey, I'm back!" and that was about it.

...and many people hated the fact that they did that.