It Took 20+ Years to Admit, But One of Pokémon's Most Controversial Decisions Made the Original Anime a Lot Better
When it comes to Pokémon, most fans consider writing Brock out of the show during the Orange Islands arc to be a mistake. However, while it may have been a mistake, it ended up being an important lesson for fans of the series.
Brock was originally written out of the story in the Orange Islands arc because Japanese producers were worried that overseas fans would see Brock as some sort of offensive stereotype, due largely to the design of his eyes. Having just dealt with unexpected backlash about the Pokémon Jynx, they were perhaps a bit overly cautious, and decided to replace Brock with a new character, Tracey. Tracey didn't stick around for long; by the time Ash and co. returned to Pallet Town, Brock was there waiting for them, and Tracey decided to stay as Professor Oak's assistant, allowing the older character to return to the main cast.
Brock Leaving the Show Set a Precedent
Brock's Departure Proved That The Story Could Function With a Rotating Cast
Despite his long tenure on the series, Brock was never a character that received a tremendous amount of character development. Even after his return, that didn't really change, and Brock became a fixture of the series right up to Black and White. Removing Brock from the show, on the other hand, had a major impact on fans, letting them know that this journey wouldn't be Ash, Brock, and Misty forever. It set up the idea of rotating in new cast members when arriving in new regions for the first time, and Tracey, like Brock, was a bit more experienced than Ash, and knowledgeable about the local area.
Having Tracey around definitely changed the group dynamic a bit, as he rarely had to mediate between Misty and Ash the way Brock often did early on. Tracey also allowed the show to debut new Pokémon, such as his Marill, which at the time had never been seen before. Tracey's goal of being a Pokémon watcher was also a lot more achievable than Brock's dream of being a breeder, and Tracey's eventual transition to working in Pokémon academia alongside Oak made a lot of sense. Tracey wasn't Brock, but he was a good character all his own, and ultimately proved the series could survive changing its main cast, opening the door for May and others.
Brock's Departure May Have Been a Mistake, but Tracey Wasn't
Tracey Was a Solid Character Distinct from Brock
Tracey set himself apart from Brock right away by not having the latter's weakness towards women. He used his Pokémon in interesting ways, such as using Venonat's eyes or Marill's ears to track down the Crystal Onix. Tracey's Scyther was also notable for being a rare example of an aged Pokémon, as it had a scruffy appearance and often grew winded in long, drawn-out battles. Tracey's sketching skills also came in handy on several occasions. All in all, Tracey was a good character who didn't get as much time to shine as he maybe deserved. His presence in Pokémon was invaluable, though, for establishing Ash's rotating cast of companions.
Pokémon
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2023
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
- Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
- Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
- Franchise(s)
- Pokemon
Cast
Rica MatsumotoSatoshi (voice)- Ikue OtaniPikachu (voice)
- Creator(s)
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