What linked Gen 7 with Gen 8 in the anime?

[Pkjoan]

The Pokemon anime always has a way to Link the current generation to the next generation. It's been like that since the very first series:

Gen 1 to Gen 2:

-Ho-Oh
-Togepi
-Snubull
-Elekid
-Marril

All of them appeared before Gen 2 started.

Gen 2 to Gen 3:

-Blaziken in the Johto League finals
-Misty's Azurril

Gen 3 to Gen 4:

-Lucario
-Munchlax
-Weavile
-Mime Jr.
-Bonsly
-Manaphy
-Mantine
-Buizel
-Chatot

All of them appeared in the Lucario and Manaphy movie.

Gen 4 to Gen 5:

-Zorua and Zoroark movie

Gen 5 to Gen 6:

-Helioptile
-Gogoat
-Noivern

All of them appearing in the Final Episode of Best Wishes.

Gen 6 to Gen 7:

-Magearna in the Volcanion movie

Now, I never watched the Sun and Moon anime but I'm watching the current one. My question is, what exactly linked Alola with Galar before Gen 8 started?

 

[OshyHikari]

As far as I'm aware, none of the Gen 8 Pokemon made an early appearance in the anime, due to yet another broken trend. Meltan and Melmetal are technically Gen 7 Pokemon that debuted in GO and LGP/LGE.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Giant Togedemaru

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

Also don't forget Mega Mewtwo Y appearing in BW saga

 

[Bortgreen]

If movies count, there was also Donphan in the Mewtwo movie

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

If movies count, there was also Donphan in the Mewtwo movie

And Mewtwo using new moves that weren't in gen 1

 

[Sonnas]

Giant Togedemaru

I feel like that's a coincidence more than anything.

 

[Dragalge]

I feel like that's a coincidence more than anything.

You broke your joke detector tbh.

 

[Bortgreen]

Since you're asking "what linked" and not "what pokémon linked", there was a single fact that linked both series

In one of the very last SM episodes, Olivia suggests Ash to travel around the world, and that's why Ash goes back to Pallet Town in the finale. This isn't mentioned in the new series though, Ash just accepts Sakuragi's offer and that's it

 

[Leonhart]

I thought it was Meltan at first since a lot of us assumed that it was meant to be a special Gen VIII sneak peek Pokemon, until we realized that it was still part of Gen VII. There was no Gen VIII tie-in Pokemon in the anime, so it's just another broken pattern.

 

[RafaSceptile]

Pikachu's Electroweb, the Ash's trophy because he won the Alola League and the Exhibition Match, Lillie's Doll with Ash

 

[Ignition]

Never thought about how there was nothing that tied the two series together.

 

[Ubermuk]

I remember thinking that we'd see a new Mewtwo form (like a Gigantamax'd Mewtwo) of something in the 22nd movie but that didn't happen which was surprising. We usually get a preview Pokemon of the next generation in the movies.

 

[SerenaRulez]

Nothing linked the two generations together but maybe that was a good thing because it changed the pattern that some people had placed so much of their faith in.

 

[Bortgreen]

Pikachu's Electroweb, the Ash's trophy because he won the Alola League and the Exhibition Match, Lillie's Doll with Ash

I wonder why they never showed Lillie giving the doll to Ash
It would be so cute and the animation of an important moment in the ending of the games

 

[shoz999]

It would be Ash winning the Pokemon League. If you think about it, the SM series is perhaps the most important series since the Indigo League because Ash's Pokemon League win will be linked to all future series as an important symbol of Ash's progress. If you think about it, it's almost as if that one League win of a formerly polarized series automatically reduced the XY series and all the praiseworthy storytelling and action it has done to being irrelevant and just a giant piece of filler in Ash's story lol.

 

[Leonhart]

I remember thinking that we'd see a new Mewtwo form (like a Gigantamax'd Mewtwo) of something in the 22nd movie but that didn't happen which was surprising. We usually get a preview Pokemon of the next generation in the movies.

It puzzled me a bit as well that that movie didn't showcase a new Mewtwo form or any new Pokemon at all. It was extremely faithful to the source material which is normally a good thing, but I still expected to see some Gen VIII promotion in that movie.

 

[DatsRight]

The new episode synopsis would imply they're keeping Matori's bigger straight man/rival role to the Team Rocket trio as well.

SM was more a storytelling 'building block' than a big impactor on continuity, having loads of plot and character handling experiments to give the show more versatility, the formula has been expanded a great deal and Ash and the other protagonists can make bigger breakthroughs than before. (I think the key reason there's any real suspense to Go's goal of catching Mew is because we saw TWO protagonists with mythicals last series.)

AG and BW were similar. The formula was running stale by then so they made new changes so it could hold on a little longer. DP utilised a lot of AG's arc ideas, while the show is clearly still making use of the fact they don't need Team Rocket in every episode anymore since BW.

I like some odd things got shrewdly brought up so far though, making SM less self contained than XY ended up. It is ironic however that a league win wasn't THAT impactful on the new series given how hopeful fans were of that changeup.

 

[Bortgreen]

I like some odd things got shrewdly brought up so far though, making SM less self contained than XY ended up. It is ironic however that a league win wasn't THAT impactful on the new series given how hopeful fans were of that changeup.

Imo the single fact Ash finally won a league opens opportunities tfor the writers to try new things like the PWC since this long goal finally can rest(even if Alola's League value is debatable)
It's not something that affect the universe itself, but the writing of the anime

 

[DatsRight]

Imo the single fact Ash finally won a league opens opportunities tfor the writers to try new things like the PWC since this long goal finally can rest(even if Alola's League value is debatable)
It's not something that affect the universe itself, but the writing of the anime

Yeah, that's what I mean by SM being more effective as a writing 'building block' than as a continuity builder. It 'clicked' more ideas and bits of material for the creative team to do more stuff with.