The Gary Oak Mystery

[The Great Gary Oak]

After looking over some of the old Gary and a little bit of the new, I started to notice some odd things concerning what little is known about his past. I'll just start off with this:

What does that have to do with Gary, you ask? First, let me show you this:

Did you pick out that Ash in this screen shot from 'Lights, Camrupt, Action!' looks similar in age to the one in the photo from the third movie? So, we can infer this:

If that's the case, we know from the flashback in 'Lights, Camrupt, Action!' that Gary was attending the movie with the professor. This means that he was most likely living with him at the time. If what is true for his past in the manga is true for his past in the anime, (which is usually not the case, but this is another point), then Gary's parents are dead, and he is permanently residing with his grandfather.

Look at the first picture again. If all this is true, then at the time of the picture with the Hales, the Ketchums, and the Professor was taken, Gary was living with Samuel Oak.

So where is he?

This thread will explore theories of Gary's past via clues and hints from the anime, as well as borrowing from the manga or games when necessary. So I leave you with this until my next post on this mystery:

 

[The Great Gary Oak]

I have a couple different theories on Gary's past, but the one I'm most confident in is this.

Neglect -> Attention Fiend

Many things in the original Pokemon Manga and games don't apply in the anime all that much, (save for Pokemon Yellow, which was based on the anime), but there are certain aspects that have shown through. One of the things that continues to befuddle other fans as well as myself is the exclusion, or even brief mention, of Gary's sister, Daisy. Daisy was the one who gave the map to you in the games, and she also appears in the Manga. It's rather odd that the anime never included her, but there's always a chance she may pop up.

However, there are another set of characters related to Gary that, if sticking to the Manga, will never appear: his parents. In the manga, it's confirmed Gary and Daisy's parents were killed in a car accident. Gary does appear to live with his Grandfather in the anime, so we can only assume that the death of his parents was carried over into the anime.

This is where my theory takes hold.

Gary was fairly young when he came to live with his grandfather, (as hinted in Lights, Camrupt, Action!), and the man must have been grief-stricken to have lost his son/daughter and son-in-law/daughter-in-law (As whether he had a son or daughter was never given, either, although we can assume due to Gary's last name being Oak that it was a son, or that the Professor changed it back to Oak after the death of his daughter) so suddenly. On top of his grief, he would also have to deal with raising at least one child from a young age, (two if Daisy is, indeed, alive or exists), which he apparently did with his own son or daughter years ago. Since his own wife was never shown, we can also assume that the professor lost his own wife long ago. He will have lost two to three other people who were important to him with this incident, then.

We all know the Professor loves his work. He loves being the 'Pokemon Prof', and loves Pokemon. In a time of grief such as mentioned above, I would theorize that the only think he could think of to make the depressing emotions fade into the background was to work.

Which leaves Gary to his own devices. Pallet is a small town, and even if he does eventually meet or even befriend Ash Ketchum, (if they were ever friends), he is virtually alone save for his Grandfather. And the man would be so immersed in his work that he would pay little attention someone else who would most likely be hurting over the incident. Maybe, if you take the more extreme route, he even AVOIDS Gary, feeling that the boy reminds him too much of his parents for the professor to cope with.

Gary will learn how to fend for himself, become a bit reclusive, a bit which doesn't fit with what we all saw him as that first season. As he finally grew closer to starting his own journey, he began to realize he was not going to get the attention he sought from his grandfather, so he begins to act out and be more 'in your face' then before, possibly straining any friendship he may have had with Ash and causing that bond to finally break sometime before their journeys began. It's evident in season one that he's an attention seeker: a group of cheerleaders, a flashy car with a driver, and boasting every chance he gets simply proves he wants to be the center of everyone in the vicinity's attention. The car may also hint that the Professor may have began to feel guilty about how Gary grew up in his home, alluding to the idea that he may have begun to spoil Gary as his way of apologizing for such.

What do you think? Comments on my theory? Theories of your own? As for the connection here to the pictures above and why Gary wasn't included in the one from Spell of the Unknown, it could be that he was at the stage where he was a bit introverted due to his sudden and abrupt change of surroundings...or, perhaps, the Professor purposely didn't bring Gary to visit. It still puts Gary as being alone the time the picture was taken. Any thoughts on why that could be? I'd love to hear some other theories: I've actually been mulling over Gary's past quite a bit, so it'd be interesting to see who else may have been doing the same.

 

[Trainer Yusuf]

He was not important in Movie 3's plot. So there is no reason for him to appear in that picture. They appeareantly forgot him, just like they did in Kanto and Orange Islands.

And seriously, is there anything left to talk about him? His story is pretty much done, he doesn't have a sister(Daisy) as he had in Special/Electric Tale of Pikachu mangas(and some others I forgot maybe) and games.

 

[Thingamajig]

Well there's no need to give this a logical explanation, because he was probably just forgotten, but remember that Professor Oak is not Gary's dad, he's Gary's Grandfather.

 

[The Great Gary Oak]

Well there's no need to give this a logical explanation, because he was probably just forgotten, but remember that Professor Oak is not Gary's dad, he's Gary's Grandfather.

I'm aware that he's not Gary's father, but he is his guardian.

@Trainer Yusuf: We all think of stupid things when we're bored. Plenty of people try to figure out the back-story for Ash and such: who's to say there isn't one for Gary? (And yes, I'm aware the argument for that will be 'Ash is the main character, herp derp.', so I'll acknowledge that ahead of time.)

Guess I can always say I thought of all this pointless stuff for giggles...?

 

[Weedle Mchairybug]

He was not important in Movie 3's plot. So there is no reason for him to appear in that picture. They appeareantly forgot him, just like they did in Kanto and Orange Islands.

Even IF he wasn't important to the movie's plot, that doesn't mean that he can't cameo. Besides, it's not like Molly's mom was that important to the plot, anyways, and yet they included her.

And seriously, is there anything left to talk about him? His story is pretty much done, he doesn't have a sister(Daisy) as he had in Special/Electric Tale of Pikachu mangas(and some others I forgot maybe) and games.

I'll agree that his story's finished, but not with his sister not existing, as we don't really have enough proof that she doesn't exist. For the record, just because she never appeared doesn't mean she can't exist. Need I remind you that Dawn's father doesn't appear at all, and yet it's pretty clear that he exists (she wouldn't if he didn't.). Now, if Gary or someone else close to Gary mentioned something that implies, if not explicitly states that he is an only child, or at least doesn't have any sisters, then you might be spot on.

 

[Trainer Yusuf]

Guess I can always say I thought of all this pointless stuff for giggles...?

I completely agree.

Even IF he wasn't important to the movie's plot, that doesn't mean that he can't cameo. Besides, it's not like Molly's mom was that important to the plot, anyways, and yet they included her..

She was. Her mother leaving, and the impact that made on Molly was the reason why Entei captured Delia, which was why Ash went to the crystal formation Unown created, to save her mother.

I'll agree that his story's finished, but not with his sister not existing, as we don't really have enough proof that she doesn't exist. For the record, just because she never appeared doesn't mean she can't exist. Need I remind you that Dawn's father doesn't appear at all, and yet it's pretty clear that he exists (she wouldn't if he didn't.). Now, if Gary or someone else close to Gary mentioned something that implies, if not explicitly states that he is an only child, or at least doesn't have any sisters, then you might be spot on.

I agree.

 

[Takoto]

Gary is really an android and was still in his prototype stages when the photograpth from the third movie was taken. Duh, everyone knows that!




Anyway, he was probably just off doing other things or spending time with his parents (assuming they're not dead in the animé like they are in the manga) at the time the photo was taken. He was probably the local "popular, cool guy" so he probably had a lot of friends to spend time with- Ash was only one of his friends.

Or something like that, I dunno.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

He was probably at school. Unlike Ash, Gary cares about his education.

Either that or he figured getting his picture taken was for suckers.

 

[Kayde]

The only thing that I care about in that picture is how much it looked like Young Ash was wearing Misty's clothes the first time I looked at it.

 

[The Great Gary Oak]

The only thing that I care about in that picture is how much it looked like Young Ash was wearing Misty's clothes the first time I looked at it.

Oh man, I wasn't even thinking about that. Guess Misty fished them out of the trash one day and wore them for her duration as Ash's main female friend...? xD

Thanks for the input so far, everyone, some of it's been funny. xD

 

[Cybersai]

Well that would explain why Misty's shirt was so short.

Ash is a kid there. But in all seriousness, aside from it being yellow, it doesn't look that much like Misty's Kanto outfit.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

If that's the case, we know from the flashback in 'Lights, Camrupt, Action!' that Gary was attending the movie with the professor. This means that he was most likely living with him at the time. If what is true for his past in the manga is true for his past in the anime, (which is usually not the case, but this is another point), then Gary's parents are dead, and he is permanently residing with his grandfather.

Or maybe his grandfather just took him to the movies for the day.

 

[VeggiePopper]

Maybe he just was in the toilet when the photo was taken, or may be he's the one who took the picture. No need to overthink it.

 

[OddObsession]

I never really thought about how Professor Oak would've reacted; I just associated Gary's attention-seeking with the fact that he didn't have his parents. It would've made him different from other kids and he probably felt a little alienated because of it. I think he would've been friends with Ash when they were younger, but then he might've been a bit jealous because Ash had his mother, which was something Gary didn't have. So by getting attention from others and trying to be better than Ash, he was trying to make himself feel better about how Ash has something he doesn't (Namely one of his parents)

...But I think your theory makes more sense. ^^'
I wish they would add a backstory for Gary in the anime. He's my favourite character =/

 

[Champion Kaia]

Maybe he just was in the toilet when the photo was taken, or may be he's the one who took the picture. No need to overthink it.

Why would they go ahead and take the picture without him if he was just in the bathroom, though? You'd think they'd wait for him if he was only gonna be a few minutes. Same with letting him take the picture. Why not just let him be in the photo? It's confusing. And it's not like there's no room for him...there's even a perfectly empty space there!

(Hey, some of us have fun with "overthinking.")

 

[The Great Gary Oak]

Or maybe his grandfather just took him to the movies for the day.

Very true. In which case his parents would have died much later, (if at all, I'll point out. He may have just decided that living with his grandfather was a better option then with his parents. Maybe he was in a James-type of situation...?)

Maybe he just was in the toilet when the photo was taken, or may be he's the one who took the picture. No need to overthink it.

I have to agree with AshKetchumIsAwesome for this one: if that was the case, they probably would have waited. And no, there isn't a need to over think it, but again, some of us do think about things like this. :/ No need to knock it.

I never really thought about how Professor Oak would've reacted; I just associated Gary's attention-seeking with the fact that he didn't have his parents. It would've made him different from other kids and he probably felt a little alienated because of it. I think he would've been friends with Ash when they were younger, but then he might've been a bit jealous because Ash had his mother, which was something Gary didn't have. So by getting attention from others and trying to be better than Ash, he was trying to make himself feel better about how Ash has something he doesn't (Namely one of his parents)

...But I think your theory makes more sense. ^^'
I wish they would add a backstory for Gary in the anime. He's my favourite character =/

Nice one. The fact that Ash still has one of his parents WOULD be a good reason for Gary to be jealous. (Gary comes off early on as a spoiled brat, anyway, so this makes perfect sense: Ash DOES have something he doesn't and probably won't have again. That makes him a bit like Molly Hale, in a sense.)

Why would they go ahead and take the picture without him if he was just in the bathroom, though? You'd think they'd wait for him if he was only gonna be a few minutes. Same with letting him take the picture. Why not just let him be in the photo? It's confusing. And it's not like there's no room for him...there's even a perfectly empty space there!

(Hey, some of us have fun with "overthinking.")

Again, if the theory is correct, why is Gary missing? I concur with the above reasons as to where he was NOT at the time.

Maybe he didn't LIKE the Hales/get along with Molly/get along with Ash at the time? I could see him pouting because he didn't want to be around them. And going with OddObsession's reasoning above, maybe he was jealous of Molly, as well? I'm sure if he found out what happened to HER parents in Spell of the Unknown, he'd be able to relate.

 

[VeggiePopper]

Why would they go ahead and take the picture without him if he was just in the bathroom, though? You'd think they'd wait for him if he was only gonna be a few minutes. Same with letting him take the picture. Why not just let him be in the photo? It's confusing. And it's not like there's no room for him...there's even a perfectly empty space there!

(Hey, some of us have fun with "overthinking.")

Trust me, it happens. Be it for a prank or because he took too long or whatever, but it does happen (I have group photos with my school freinds and sometimes there are missing people despite being present at the session). And for letting him taking the picture, well, the movie was released in 1999-2000. Back then, digital cameras that can be programmed weren't that easily available as they are today, not to mention that that's an old photo, not a recent one, so maybe the technology wasn't available at the time (while the Pokémon universe doesn't have a well stablished timeframe, its technology seems to run along with ours: compare the PC's in the Pokécenters from the original Red and Green with those from DPPt and HGSS), thus the one who took the photo had to sacrifice their appearance in it.

That or the 'gone to the movies/school' theory are the ones that sound logical to me, but others seem too farfetched in my opinion.

And... Yep, I also have some fun with overthinking, it's just that some people here seem to be more of the "stop having fun guys" type. As Yusuf said earlier, the actual reason he was not there is simply because he had no role in the movie nor relevance to its plot and/or theme so the writers/animators forgot about him.

 

[Absur'd]

Simple solution.

GARY OAK WAS WITH MOM OAK AND DAD OAK.
End of story.

 

[Sith Droideka]

We do not know what happened to Gary's parents. And we don't know the time frame of the Movie 3 photograph to the Hoenn flashback. For all we know, Gary was with his parents for the Movie 3 photo, but was watching the movie with his Grandpa while visiting him. It could just be that Gary's parents died or disappeared in between the time of these two events, as well.