You did forget that Sabrina is not only in the PWT but also an Actress in the Pokestar Studios.

You forgot the Team Rocket Grunt, who stoled the Power Plant Machine Part in Gold/Silver postgame, returns in Black/White in a house in Icirrus City.

I’m surprised Dexio & Sina didn’t appear in ZA

Shame the SV dlc didn't have any returning characters since The Indigo Disk takes place in Unova. At least there was a callback with Lacey as Clay's daughter, but would've been cool if he showed up himself.

Professor Burnet's lab has plenty of hints towards her appearance in Dream Radar, including the fact that she gives you the Reveal Glass.

Brigette is another returning character, although she isn't in any main series games. She's in charge of Pokemon Box and returns years later in Pokemon Bank

I love how Caitlin in Unova just comes across as an original character to even people who HAVE played the Sinnoh games and Johto remakes, just because of how niche of an appearance she had in those. It's pretty much the most perfect way to slide in a returning character in a region that is otherwise entirely new, and gives a lot of weight to her supposed judgement back in the Battle Frontier because that's an Elite Four in another region.

... also, can we talk about ZA for a sec? How, in the name of Arceus, do you make a whole game around Lumiose City, and yet NOT include Clemont in it??? Even just seeing Bonnie again just for her to tell us Clemont is off to somewhere else would've been great to see, but instead I don't think it's ever addressed that the Prism Tower even had a gym in XY.

The Cynthia Ambush in Gen V is actually something that occasionally shows up in my nightmares.

Crasher Wake is in BW2 outside of the PWT. He seems to be chilling on the route close to the P2 Laboratory

Arianna was busy with the son she hadn't abandoned yet.

Just a note that Wally Battle Tree cameo is extra odd because... RSE take place at the same point in the time line as RBY. Wally isnt much ypunger then Red and Blue, if he even is Younger. He could be the same age, just smaller. So the fact he hasnt visibly aged is incredibly odd. 😅

Had no idea Burnett was a returning character. Learned something new

It’s alright, Switch already gave us the greatest returning character possible in Todd Snap.

Walked into that bloody house with a team half-dead. Left without my pride and with mild PTSD

I remember being disappointed that Mustard’s wife in the Sword and Shield DLC didn’t follow through on having you fight a different region’s champion

I guess it should be highlighted that SunMoon have many returning characters because they were launched during the franchises 20th anniversary - they are somewhat celebratory games

I mean, I think Burnett does mention something about the dream radar and this being related to interdimensional studies in the Alola games, so her inclusion isn't entirely random

It's funny how comparing the given timeskip of XY to ZA and Ansha's age retroactively makes Diantha having been pregnant with her in XY DURING THE STORY.

Anabel also uses her Raikou Entei and Latios if you fight with her in the Battle Tree.
For some reason she also has a Lucario.

It's a shame the indigo disk didn't really have any returning characters, but it did at least have a ton of references to other characters like Drayton being Draydens grandson or Lacy being clays daughter.
And of course Penny being the daughter of Peony being basically revealed in the epilogue.