Pokemon Anime Just Solved A 10-Year Mystery

For longer than we can remember, the Pokemon anime has been crucial to the monster-thieving franchise's ongoing successes. Sadly, the end of an era is upon us.

We're in the midst of the final season featuring Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu - the protagonists of the anime series for two decades. As things wrap, Ultimate Journeys serves as a tour through Ash's past 20 years on the show.

As part of the anime's reflection on the history of Pokemon, it has finally solved a 10-year-old plot point that's been confusing viewers for a while. 

Who Is Cilan In The Pokemon Anime?

Click to enlarge

Back in the days of the anime series based on the X and Y games, Ash's pal Brock was controversially replaced by a new character called Cilan.

While Cilan was a good character in his own right, fans weren't particularly fond... simply because he had taken Brock's place.

With hopes that critics would warm to Cilan, an anime special episode aired at the end of the Black and White. This gave the characters a chance to team up without Ash, and while it wasn't shown outside of Japan, it did give fans the chance to embrace Cilan.

Although the special got lost in the mix when we transitioned into X and Y, hardcore Pokefans know all about it.  During the special, some questioned how Brock and Cilan never realised that they had a mutual friend of Ash Ketchum.

ScreenRant reminds us of this and points out that Brock and Cilan watched Ash's Pokemon World Coronation Series win, seemingly without making the connection. Now, Ash and his pals have been reunited to solve this 10-year conundrum.

Cilan And Brock Have Been Reunited

The third episode of Pokemon: Aim To Be A Pokemon Master has tied up the loose end left by this one-off episode - bringing Cilan and Brock back together. Here, Ash and Misty find Brock working in a delicatessen, where the latter is again turned down by a love interest. 

Cilan finds Ash and is happy to see him, before spotting Brock and being surprised that the pair have Ash as a mutual friend. The episode also introduces Cilan to Misty, who recognises him from the lure Ash used in the previous episode.

The whole team is brought together in a heartwarming style, and although it's a link that few fans will recognise, it's a great indicator that the anime is leaving no stone unturned. The end of this series will leave us wrecks, just wait and see if it doesn't.