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Was an official reason ever given to why they made Brock stay for so long?

Kathylikestoread

Kathylikestoread

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I know that Ash stays as he is the main protagonist, and the girl gets retired off because off ''eye candy'', but why did Brock stay for so long? Was it because the writers felt bad for replacing him with Tracy? Then why didn't they keep Cilan for so long?
 
It's less so that they felt bad for replacing him with Tracey, and more that the audience responded poorly to his replacement. There had been concerns regarding the Western audience potentially having issue with his design, which I believe was the initial reason for the OI change, and upon seeing his popularity (which I believe he has on both sides of the ocean), decided to bring him back and I guess they were more hesitant to try switching him again? Cilan didn't get the same longevity, because, quite frankly, he didn't hold the same degree of popularity.
 
Nope, never that I remember, you could contact Tomioka on some social media but who knows if he'll answer or he actually knows the reason. But if I had to guess:

1. Popularity, he was loved in the West, and his gags are considered general anime classics.
2. He had a specific role within the team as the mentor and the voice of reason. In both series he "overstayed" (AG and DP) we had dual protagonists approach and it would have felt unbalanced if they didn't have a third wheel to criticize them on their flaws as well as an adult figure that would help them survive in the wilderness.
3. As a breeder, he could showcase baby Pokemon and promote them some more as well as other gag species.
 
There's also the case the R/S and DP games don't really have any young male Gym leaders to use. Cilan, Clemont (and Kiawe/Sopcholes if you count them) are close to Ash's age to fit as companions or main characters. The male Gym leaders in R/S and DP are mostly adults, and wouldn't work as companions. Or you have Roark who is another rock-type Gym leader with another Geodude/Onix, that would be too repetitive.

But yeah, Brock would have went a lot earlier if Tracey had been more successful too. It's the same reason the writers didn't bring Misty back when she was replaced with May (back then), due to May becoming popular and the writers seeing no reason to revert back to Misty after. If anything the writers learned after the first replacement of Tracey with Brock to do things better
 
Cilan has to be an adult, he owns a restaurant. Besides, the male companion is usually older than Ash. Brock is fifteen.
 
Well, I'm pretty sure that you have to be an adult to own a restaurant.
 
I don't think so, remember Mallow also owns a restaurant even if it's from her brother/father. Mallow was a teen in the games but was de-aged in the anime. The anime staff usually make the characters younger to be closer to Ash's age.
 
Then it's not her's, it's her father's.

Anyways, I think that the male player characters could have traveled with Ash. Since May and Dawn have their roles as the player character, Brendan and Lucas could be based on their NPC roles, with Brendan being Professor Birch's son and Lucas being Professor Rowan's assistant. That way, May and Dawn would have another mentor figure other than Ash, just like how Brock was also a mentor figure towards May and Dawn. And, they probably could do the cooking, first aid, and whatever else Brock did, as they'd probably be more experienced. I also think that the rivals of the respective generations could have been the traveling companions too, considering how the Gen 3 and 4 rivals are friendly and sometimes do travel with you.
 
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