Who’s that Pokémon… or, er, professor? It’s Samuel Oak! Except, well, it isn’t really, but it totally could be. Keep an eye on Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Game Freak, if the words “intellectual property” (or “snarky memes”) mean anything to you.
With all the furore surrounding Pokémon Sword & Shield and its sweeping, Thanos-esque National Pokédex cuts, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the entire planet is populated by aggrieved Pokémon fans. Even with the unstoppable popularity of the franchise, that’d be quite the exaggeration, but still: you don’t need to be a fan at all to recognize Professor Oak.
This kindly old gent was there on day one, introducing 1998’s newcomers to the world of Pokémon Red & Blue. Since the earliest days of Pokémania, he’s been there to guide us. He is the yardstick by which all later Professors have been and will continue to be measured. He’s the man who started the whole “they’re named after types of trees” thing. He is Professor Oak.
The good professor has been the subject of silly memes before (Pokémon logic to the effect of: if he’s been researching Pokémon for so long, what’s with the completely empty Pokédex?), but his supposed appearance in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has probably marked the birth of a whole new one.
What does this mean? Is it a tongue-in-cheek reference? This guy looks a little too much like Oak to simply be a coincidence. Is it time to put all the Pokémon/Digimon stuff aside and focus on the real issue: Pokémon/Dragon Ball? As one Reddit user has already pointed out, Mewtwo and Frieza look so similar that it probably is.
Of course, there’s nothing actually happening here. It’s just a spiffy-looking man in a lab coat. Nevertheless, there’s still a part of us that wants to say: these days, Oak’s face is almost as iconic as Ash’s or Pikachu’s. Being the Pokémon A-lister he is, it’s no surprise that he’s recognized wherever he goes. Even if he is moonlighting as a Capsule Corporation Employee, we will find him.
