Are more then three companions too much?

[SinnohEevee]

The writers had troubles handling Brock in Sinnoh, They can't handle that many characters.
Brock didn't get much development until he decided to become a Pokémon Doctor, which only happened at the end of his journey. Other than that, he was mostly a supporting character for four series (minus the filler season in the Orange Island) and was frequently used for comedy.

 

[Cresselia92]

…Very well. Since nobody seems to be getting my point, I will try to go more in detail about it.

What I wish to see being done to the companions would be to have them get some roles for themselves. Being written only as support for other characters risks to turn them into emotional crutches, unable to stand by themselves nor to leave some impact as standalone characters.

This is something that tends to happen very often to sidekicks, who tend to be a simple and empty extension of the hero and who have barely enough personality to have some basic interactions with said hero and with other people. So, in other words, I would prefer to have each character have its own individuality, which would turn said character into a "self", philosophically speaking.

Also, there is the matter that some people may prefer a character over another one, and would appreciate if said character got more focus for itself instead. And this is something that could be hard to be pulled off, in case the link between the supported and the supporter is way too strong and the supporter doesn't get enough focus because it needs to support the supported.

The main reason why I appreciate the characters getting some goals and actively working on them is mainly because I get the chance to see how they grow from point A to point B. Seeing how they progress throughout all the series and how they overcome some obstacles and difficulties can be very rewarding, especially for loyal viewers and fans of said characters.

True, characters don't necessarily need a goal, but that simply is the best way to show their growth as people. There is a reason why fans complained about characters like Cilan and Clemont. Due to their lack of focus and a tangible goal, they essentially stagnated as characters and, at some point, felt like being there just to be there. They got their moments, sure, but those were very rare and barely affected their characters as a whole.

Anyway, I'm not saying that companions shouldn't support other characters. To the contrary, it's nice to see characters growing up together and learning some lessons from each other. However, this shouldn't be their only purpose, but rather one of their characteristic traits.

Having said that, I repeat what I had said, and that I would rather see few characters getting the most focus than multiple characters juggling for their chance in the spotlight. It helps make the characters more consistent and memorable.

I'm not pretending to have the characters getting equal focus, though. It's fine if some characters end up being more developed than others and get the most focus. Only thing that should be avoided is having the characters becoming too stale, being deprived of development and/or having very generic traits. And, having seen multiple times what happens when there are too many characters, this isn't an unfounded fear.

 

[Jaye]

I get what you're saying, but there's a couple of things I'm unsure on.

Being written only as support for other characters risks to turn them into emotional crutches, unable to stand by themselves nor to leave some impact as standalone characters.

...

So, in other words, I would prefer to have each character have its own individuality, which would turn said character into a "self", philosophically speaking.

How would you define "impact" here? For me, a character who serves as the catalyst for change in other characters has made an impact. As an example, Mallow making the decision that Lillie should care for the egg so that she would become more comfortable around Pokemon had impact. That she suggested it demonstrates her personality, so she also stands alone.

No character is capable of standing by themselves. It's only when they're interacting with others that they become interesting. So it's true that Mallow (again, an example) wouldn't work as well as a character without Lillie being there, but this is true for every character in the show, regardless of their purpose. Ash isn't the same Ash without Pikachu, Jessie isn't the same without James and Meowth, and May is more fun when Drew and Harley are around. You can make each character as individualistic as possible - have them be ambitious, incredibly motivated and able to overcome obstacles by themselves - but they wouldn't be half as good until they're connected with other characters. That's how you draw out different personality traits and views on the world.

True, characters don't necessarily need a goal, but that simply is the best way to show their growth as people. There is a reason why fans complained about characters like Cilan and Clemont. Due to their lack of focus and a tangible goal, they essentially stagnated as characters and, at some point, felt like being there just to be there. They got their moments, sure, but those were very rare and barely affected their characters as a whole.

I disagree that goals are the best way to show growth in people, purely on the basis that I've seen plenty of characters in fiction with no goals at all undergo change and grow as people. Clemont didn't need a tangible goal to demonstrate how he had changed between the start of XY and his gym battle with Ash, nor would he have needed one to continue that change afterwards. The issue with him wasn't so much a lack of focus on a goal, but more a lack of role in the story to keep him relevant. His character wasn't effecting other characters. It was a similar case with Cilan and Brock. If Brock had a more active role as a big brother figure for Ash and Dawn, I don't think the complaints would have been as bad as they were.

 

[Silktree]

Brock certainly did have a big brother role in the original series. He didn't need to stay past Johto, but then, neither did Ash narratively speaking.

 

[Alola]

I don't think quantity is the issue. It's how the writers handle them that is the question. You could have a cast of eight work fabulously if the writers utilized them effectively. But personally, I prefer smaller groups-so 3 to 4 is ideal.

Just as long as that fourth character isn't an annoying or stereotypical younger sibling.

 

[SonansuMan]

I don't think quantity is the issue. It's how the writers handle them that is the question. You could have a cast of eight work fabulously if the writers utilized them effectively. But personally, I prefer smaller groups-so 3 to 4 is ideal.

Just as long as that fourth character isn't an annoying or stereotypical younger sibling.

I'm looking at you, XY.