• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

Review XY131: Kalos League Victory! Satoshi's Ultimate Match!!

Taken from the Kalos League discussion thread, I'm actually not upset at Ash's loss, and indeed, I'm a little happy for a few reasons. I feel that way because the entire Kalos saga has been too self-contained with little to no continuity with the other past sagas. So far, there has been no appearance by the previous female traveling companion. Worse, though, was the fact that we didn't see Delia, Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, Brock, Cilan, Tracey, or Professor Oak watching this battle. And that is before the fact that when Ash brought Goodra in, he told Goodra that he had other Pokémon, but he wanted him instead. While many will see that as the strength of Ash's bond with Goodra, it can also be seen as a slap in the face to the rest of his Pokémon back at Oak's ranch or who are in training but ready to come when the phone rings. In essence, Ash left all of his friends behind, in a way abandoning them, when he came to Kalos. For as many faults as Alain had, and still has, he did, and has done, everything for his friend, Mairin. That was his driving motivation when all was said and done. That's why I'm actually glad that Ash lost. He did not bring his strongest Pokémon to the battle, many of who he had a really strong bond with (especially Charizard and Infernape), and he paid for it. And also, in a show that has friendship as being important, maybe Ash's loss has a deeper meaning about not forgetting one's friends, even those that are far away at the moment or he hasn't seen in quite a while, though I doubt the writers are thinking along those lines. Hopefully, though, I will be pleasantly surprised at the end of Kalos and the beginning of Sun/Moon and I hope that something like that is brought up.
 
Yeah, I was hoping Ash would do that like in Sinnoh. However, it does make this run more impressive since Ash managed to reach the finals and almost win the whole thing with just his Kalos team.
its not s smart strategy though even though his kalos team is impressive. This cost him the Hoenn league and possibly the unova league as well. Sinnoh remains the best league followed by Johto/Hoenn tied for me. Kalos comes after that, then Kanto with Unova clearly the worst.
 
To be perfectly honest, that "I'm not watching the show anymore" thing is kind of cheesy and overrated. The show has been like that for 20 years, Ash lost the league for 5 times and that was the 6th one. The show has its own routine and its own style. If you couldn't understand that in 20 years, there's something wrong with the way you look at the show, to begin with. Pokémon does lack of some stuffs in the show for years. And there's been nothing to change this until this point. Just because the visual effects got better or Ash has turned into some more serious mode could not change anything. Before the league months ago I said that I only look forward to the league because of the last technology effects and some cool trainers. As Pokémon fans, you should have been aware of this situation by now already.

The part I don't get is, even the Unova league did not receive that big mass of reaction back then. People didn't care. Comparing the two leagues, Kalos league is way better and everyone hates it already.

There are times I am not satisfied with the show at all, but I deal with it and watch it with less expectations as a Pokémon fan. Just get over the fact that Pokémon show bespeaks to children, not mature fans.

And a question, you keep saying there won't be a league in Alola. Is that officially confirmed or is that just another prediction?

I think that the people did not have the same reaction to the Unova League's finale is because Ash had regressed in that League and they expected him to lose. The only question was whether it would be Cameron or Virgil who did him in. Here, Ash was not an underdog. Instead, he was being hyped as being able to win the League, and even being favored to do so due to Ash-Greninja. Yet, when all was said and done, despite Ash having a Pokémon power-up that no one else had access to and all the hype in the title as well as in the previews, he still ended up losing.
 
One thing that truly bugs me about Mega Charizard X. This OP thing took like 6 attacks, yet still did not even show signs of fainting. Pikachu managed to get in a super effective Thunderbolt and a Quick Attack. Ash-Greninja managed to hit it with a double hit from Aerial Ace, a Water Shuriken, Cut, and the Mega Shuriken. Ash-Greninja only took a not very effective Blast Burn and a Dragon Claw, yet he was the one who fell. This is my problem. Realistically, this Charizard should have been down. This has been my issue with Alain's Charizard for the entire series.
 
So Ash lost. I was prepare for that to happen and didn't get to hyped up. Alain deserves it in my opinion and I am glad that we now have a winner. However, I would not expect Ash to win a league in the future. 10/10 for effort.
 
Looking back I'm pretty sure when the Johto League finals came around we already had the poster showing Ash in his AG gear, during the Hoenn League we knew the Battle Frontier was going to be a thing so Ash probably wouldn't experience a win there, with Diamond and Pearl we knew about Best Wishes Ash and Tobias was obviously being set up as the dude who would beat him, and the Unova League---uh, well, as the person said above there was no hope.

This was the first time I think everything came together to make people realistically think Ash had a shot---the maturest of the main cast for once, a completely unique Pokemon, a final rival who had been properly set up for once instead of popping out of nowhere and having a reason to lose, the shake-up to the Sun and Moon formula indicating this could be the last time in the foreseeable future Ash takes part in a traditional League, and the fact we've seen nothing about the Sun and Moon anime except a possible picture of Ash in concept art. It just seemed like they were making the outcome mysterious for once, when in the past before the final fight I recall it being pretty obvious he lost based on the summaries and such.
 
I'm also bothered by the fact that Ash didn't seem even slightly upset over his loss. He just made it to the finals of a league and was one Pokemon away from claiming victory and then he lost. Can there be some emotion. I'm not saying he has to be depressed or enraged, but its almost like he has no feelings over it. Like it was just another battle he lost. I think a scene of him being deeply frustrated after the match would have been nice to at least show that he has some feelings about his loss. The attitude of "oh well, maybe next time" just rubs more salt in the wound imo.
I disagree. I think it shows how much Ash has matured during this saga, especially after the Ash-Greninja arc. He was trying to be a good sport by hiding his disappointment, which I don't think he's ever completely done except for maybe Hoenn. And don't forget: he did make some progress this league. He got to be the runner-up for the first time, which is quite an accomplishment, especially when compared to his regression in the Unova league. So he does have that to be proud of.
 
Incredibly disappointing. I was never convinced he'd win but I was hoping they'd finally smash one of the most annoying parts of the status quo.

In every way the time seemed right--20th anniversary of the franchise, he'd been portrayed as highly competent this series, a rival who was setup beforehand and had more in common with Gary or Paul than Tobias, but here we are still.

The Flare Arc will have to be amazing to prevent this from ending on a very sour note.
 
sigh well this proves one thing ash Ketchum is not a character anymore he a freaking marketing tool.
 
To be perfectly honest, that "I'm not watching the show anymore" thing is kind of cheesy and overrated. The show has been like that for 20 years, Ash lost the league for 5 times and that was the 6th one. The show has its own routine and its own style. If you couldn't understand that in 20 years, there's something wrong with the way you look at the show, to begin with. Pokémon does lack of some stuffs in the show for years. And there's been nothing to change this until this point. Just because the visual effects got better or Ash has turned into some more serious mode could not change anything. Before the league months ago I said that I only look forward to the league because of the last technology effects and some cool trainers. As Pokémon fans, you should have been aware of this situation by now already.
It's the fact that he actually had a chance to win that made people so salty.
 
Is there any chance that Ash could still be able to challenge the Elite Four even though he lost because Alain is sided with Team Flare? It also looked like he might have cheated based on the fact that Lysandre strangely touched Ash in XY129. I'm grasping at straws, I know.
 
A pokemon fan watches the show no matter what. People expect the writers to fill their wishlist. That is not how this works. Yes, Ash could have won the Kalos league but he didn't so people have to get over it. This show belongs to the writers and not to the fans. I am still ticked off because I got attitude on the forums for posting my opinion on the battle.

Ash is going to have wins and losses in each region. Losing the league is not going to end the anime.
 
Do you genuinely believe that? :p If Alola does have one of these league tournaments (not looking likely) he'll be back to Top 4 in no time!

I genuinely think that this is a part of Ash's development. If he gets beaten by a better battler, that's fine. That's what should have happened. I'd be slightly displeased if Ash won (but my happiness would still overcome it) and he didn't deserve it. Now, he can continue to develop as a character to become his best, but there wasn't much space to improve in if he bet someone as good as Alain. The series is still good in my opinion. Look at Lumiose City! The anime plot has just become amazing. I'd rather Ash would have lost now to make the anime plot grow and develop over long-term. Of course, it would have been nice if he won. But how he recovers from this loss will be the win in my terms. Ash isn't as strong as Alain, so I'm glad that it was a close and entertaining battle. Now I'm lookinf forward to the TF arc, which looks amazing.
 
Ash and Pikachu are the face of Pokemon. Ash winning a League would limit his future series appearance. Had he won now and went to Alola for a 'Champions league" he just HAD to win that because it would be lame otherwise, which meant no Ash, no Pikachu.

No Ash, no Pikachu === Less interest overall, less merch sells, lower anime ratings.
What about Power Rangers/Super Sentai? Or Yu Gi Oh? Or Jojo's Bizarre Adventures? Those shows are widely popular but regularly change up the protagonists of each saga and series, remaining popular to this day.

I'm not saying that long running shows with a constant protagonist don't work. They can. However, I feel the need to question this constant rhetoric.

A pokemon fan watches the show no matter what. People expect the writers to fill their wishlist. That is not how this works. Yes, Ash could have won the Kalos league but he didn't so people have to get over it. This show belongs to the writers and not to the fans. I am still ticked off because I got attitude on the forums for posting my opinion on the battle.

Except that people who watch anything have the right to criticize what they take issue with. You can't expect people to unconditionally love everything they watch and keep their mouths shut over things they do not love. They're going to groan, they're going to gripe.
 
This was the first time I think everything came together to make people realistically think Ash had a shot---the maturest of the main cast for once, a completely unique Pokemon, a final rival who had been properly set up for once instead of popping out of nowhere and having a reason to lose, the shake-up to the Sun and Moon formula indicating this could be the last time in the foreseeable future Ash takes part in a traditional League, and the fact we've seen nothing about the Sun and Moon anime except a possible picture of Ash in concept art. It just seemed like they were making the outcome mysterious for once, when in the past before the final fight I recall it being pretty obvious he lost based on the summaries and such.
Basically yes. I think this was the first time where we didn't know a thing about the outcome of Ash's final league battle. I'd say that's why so many viewers are salty. Biggest cocktease of 2016.
 
Eh, Ash lost. Whatever. I'm not mad in the slightest. I only watch the anime for the cool battles, and as lonng as they keep on delivering these for the rest of the series, I will be happy. Ash winning or losing doesn't make any difference. It would be nice if he won I guess but it's not the end of the world.

Plus, at least Ash's loss was believable and not due to some BS excuse like his opponent having two legendaries or a super OP Pokémon from a distant region he's never heard of. Both Ash and Alain were both shown to be extremely competent trainers who were on par with each other and both of them deserved the win. In the end, it only came down to a really small difference in power. We also can't ignore the fact that this is the highest Ash's ever placed in a league.

This League was a step-up from the Unova League in every conceivable way and because of that I'm happy with how it turned out.
 
I would be amazed if Ash got the championship title, regardless of how Alain's plot ends. He might get some sort of acknowledgement or award for his actions in the Flare Arc but I wouldn't even bet on anything more than a handshake.
*
In any case, we have a situation where:
*We're using the same protagonist for the entirity of a long running series, rather than changing like Super Sentai or such.
*The character has a set goal he wants to accomplish.
*The show doesn't have a set finish--it'll keep going as long as they can.
So, the hints of a potential league victory got attention, with some video game sites even reporting on it--it would be a big change to the status quo and a great way to celebrate the anniversary. When we get the same old same old league outcome instead--at the hands of a Pokémon with more than a few detractors--it's resulted in heavy discontent from a lot of the fanbase. I do wonder if the creators realized this would happen and are banking on the Flare Arc to be worth it, or if they expect this, or they just didn't care.

Long ago I read something that stuck with me. It argued that the original Battlestar Galactica was flawed because it had a set plot that would end the show when resolved, but was intended to run as long as possible--much the same as we have here. But it's worse with Pokémon because he keeps getting near the goal then having it snatched away.

I think the reason there seems to be so much backlash compared to previous leagues is the "if not now, when?" factor. This seemed more likely to be "the day" than ever before--up until the episode aired it seemed possible, while every other league was spoiled by episode title announcements or timing--and it's hard to hope he'll ever make real strides forward until the series finally ends (DP--BW already showed he can lose ground again) at this point.
 
Basically yes. I think this was the first time where we didn't know a thing about the outcome of Ash's final league battle. I'd say that's why so many viewers are salty. Biggest cocktease of 2016.
And there was tons of hints pointing to a victory, in the anime and outside of it. I mean every scan was like "Will Ash finally win?" I thought of like 12 valid reasons in the anime of why he could win, but he didn't. Looking back at some things, like the depression arc, it all seems redundant now.
 
Please note: The thread is from 1 year ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom