The twenty-first episode of the Pokemon anime was incredibly memorable to viewers. Its plot dealt with a prominent member of Ash's team parting ways with the young trainer for the first time, and the episode didn't hesitate to make it into a beautiful, bittersweet farewell. For many children watching the show at the time, it was one of the first episodes to stray away from the formula the adaption was known for, as the status quo was changed beyond anything else the series had done before.
Now, those who watch the Pokemon anime today are usually treated to at least a few episodes per season calling back to something fans had seen in seasons prior. Pokemon Journeys, for instance, brings back many of Ash's iconic friends as he explores the different regions with Goh. It's understandable as to why an entire season focused on exploring all the regions of the series would feature plenty of callbacks, as it would be strange having characters such as Iris, Unova's new champion, not find out that one of her old friends was visiting. However, as much as the anime adaption of Game Freak's most famous franchise has had Ash see old friends over the years, Ash's Butterfree has never appeared again.
The History of Ash's Butterfree
Even though Butterfree may not seem like an impressive Pokemon in Ash's line-up of current and former team members, this particular Butterfree actually represents many firsts for Ash, and therefore also the series as a whole. Ash caught Butterfree as a Caterpie as early as episode 3, and it served as his first caught critter. Caterpie was shown to have plenty of personality as he loved Misty despite her aversion to bug Pokemon, and had wanted to evolve into a Butterfree early on as revealed in a sweet scene with Pikachu at night as the trainers were sleeping.
For seventeen episodes, fans got to watch as the weak little Caterpie achieved his dream of evolving fully. The little creature went through prominent moments such as taking an attack to save Ash as a Metapod, as well as being used to teach Ash the importance of his attachment to his Pokemon by being traded away temporarily. After everything Butterfree had been through, all of it was tested as he tried to court a special pink Butterfree as a mate. Once proving himself to be worthy, the pink Butterfree accepted his offer, and Ash had to let his first caught Pokemon go to live with his partner. After a tearful goodbye with Ash, Pikachu, and the viewers, Butterfree hasn't been seen again outside of small cameos, flashbacks, and retellings of the story.
The Impact of Pokemon's Callbacks
Over the course of Pokemon's many anime seasons, some later episodes have brought back familiar faces to excite fans with special arcs and stories. These episodes usually focus on the character in question and deal with their development either away from Ash and friends, or tell a new story that changes something major, such as Misty returning for a two-part episode that deals with Togepi evolving in Advanced Challenge. This applies to both humans and Pokemon characters, as Ash's Charizard is one of the most frequent returning characters.
While there could be an argument that these episodes are purely to get old viewers to watch the show again, the stories told often serve a purpose. Pokemon Journeys is a season full of references and callbacks to Ash's previous adventures, but they're often used to showcase Ash's experience against Goh's lack of it while enriching their adventure. Things such as Goh forming a surprising rivalry with Gary over Project Mew, as well as old Pokemon League opponents Ash has fought gathering in the Masters Eight World Championship Finals are prime examples of this.
However, considering Misty and Brock have reunited with Ash several times and Ash has yet to reunite with Butterfree, there's a lot of unused potential in the idea. An episode featuring Ash's first caught Pokemon could get many veteran fans to check out the anime for the first time in years, which would be perfect for getting those who are on the fence about Pokemon Journeys' secondary protagonist Goh to give the new character, and any characters to follow him in the future, a chance.
There are plenty of ideas behind a reunion episode for Ash and Butterfree that the anime has at its disposal to put a purpose behind such a prominent reunion, as well. The story behind as to why the Butterfly Pokemon was released dealt with how he had fallen in love with the special pink Butterfree as his mate, and that meant they needed to cross the sea found in the Kanto region to go to a very special island where their species are known to begin their own families. Despite just how much of the Pokemon world Ash has seen, the trainer has yet to visit this peculiar island, and that could be an interesting enough premise to warrant an episode where Ash meets Butterfree and his new family after so long apart. For those who were saddened by the loss of Butterfree in the earliest season of Pokemon, hopefully, the anime will have the two reunite happily sometime in the future.