Controversial opinions

[marshiyanmisuta]

They potentially get stronger Pokemon than they would normally, but if they are defeated pretty much the same way and don't provide a more noteworthy challenge for Ash and Goh, then I don't see how it makes a huge difference in that regard.

Actually they do. Depends on the episode, plot and pokémon they get, they can be useless or a noteworthy challenge to them. Which is a good change.

I don't think it helps that there isn't really a good in-universe reason as to why Giovanni would suddenly give them access to stronger Pokemon.

He's unusually nice to them ever since they saved his life. Even in the last episode of SM, despite of Matori's line about their not doing enough, he spoke good of them.

Spoiler

If this happened in BW, I think it would still be kind of frustrating given that they wouldn't have Pokemon to bond with, but I think it would have been more believable.

Rocket Gacha doesn't really suit a serious Team Rocket though.

 

[Hidden Mew]

He's unusually nice to them ever since they saved his life. Even in the last episode of SM, despite of Matori's line about their not doing enough, he spoke good of them.

Spoiler

View attachment 134861

When did they save Giovanni's life? That's a good point that he still expected great things from them at the end of SM though.

Rocket Gacha doesn't really suit a serious Team Rocket though.

I think it could have worked with serious Team Rocket. I don't think it's used for comedy relief that often, assuming that they aren't using Meowth's coin every time to access it.

 

[marshiyanmisuta]

When did they save Giovanni's life?

They saved him during the Meloetta arc finale of BW.

 

[Hidden Mew]

They saved him during the Meloetta arc finale of BW.

Oh yeah. I forgot about that. For some reason, I thought you were referring to the skipped Team Plasma two parter, so that left me a bit confused initially.

 

[JFrombaugh]

I really think they missed a huge opportunity for Lillie's character development in the SM series by not having Snowy evolve, especially when you consider that she ended up being the only one of Ash's classmates to not have at least one team change (either in the form of an evolution or a new Pokemon) before the Alola League (Magearna wasn't actually awakened until the very last episode).

I know a lot of people felt like Snowy fit the role of "cute unevovled Pokemon that's can be held in a PokeGirl's arms", but you could argue that Sandy eventually filled that role anyway, and given how Lillie had a fight with Lusamine over her evolving Clefairy into Clefable with a Moon Stone...I would've preferred it if Snowy had actually wanted Lillie to evolve her with the Ice Stone the Totem Sandslash gave her, because maybe after seeing Lillie's traumatic past & how vulnerable she was, Snowy wanted to get stronger so she could better stand up for her & protect her.

They could've still had Lillie lose in the first round of the Alola League to Gladion because he's just that much stronger, but for Snowy to actively want to evolve would've further added to that whole lesson that Clefable & Snowy still love Lillie as a person, even if you could make the argument that their evolved forms aren't quite as cute.

But instead, Snowy pulls a Dawn's Piplup and refuses to be evolved, and Lillie decides she'll hold onto the Ice Stone just in case Snowy changes her mind later. Now I remember on this forum back then a lot of people were saying, "Okay, well that doesn't necessarily mean Snowy won't evolve into an Alolan Ninetales later in the series", but I knew that in anime writer speak, that was exactly what that meant. It meant, "Snowy's not going to evolve into Alolan Ninetales, so don't get mad when she stays as she is for the rest of the series...but don't worry, we'll make it up to you guys by letting Popplio evolve all the way to Primarina in time for the Alola League."

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

I really think they missed a huge opportunity for Lillie's character development in the SM series by not having Snowy evolve, especially when you consider that she ended up being the only one of Ash's classmates to not have at least one team change (either in the form of an evolution or a new Pokemon) before the Alola League (Magearna wasn't actually awakened until the very last episode).

I know a lot of people felt like Snowy fit the role of "cute unevovled Pokemon that's can be held in a PokeGirl's arms", but you could argue that Sandy eventually filled that role anyway, and given how Lillie had a fight with Lusamine over her evolving Clefairy into Clefable with a Moon Stone...I would've preferred it if Snowy had actually wanted Lillie to evolve her with the Ice Stone the Totem Sandslash gave her, because maybe after seeing Lillie's traumatic past & how vulnerable she was, Snowy wanted to get stronger so she could better stand up for her & protect her.

They could've still had Lillie lose in the first round of the Alola League to Gladion because he's just that much stronger, but for Snowy to actively want to evolve would've further added to that whole lesson that Clefable & Snowy still love Lillie as a person, even if you could make the argument that their evolved forms aren't quite as cute.

But instead, Snowy pulls a Dawn's Piplup and refuses to be evolved, and Lillie decides she'll hold onto the Ice Stone just in case Snowy changes her mind later. Now I remember on this forum back then a lot of people were saying, "Okay, well that doesn't necessarily mean Snowy won't evolve into an Alolan Ninetales later in the series", but I knew that in anime writer speak, that was exactly what that meant. It meant, "Snowy's not going to evolve into Alolan Ninetales, so don't get mad when she stays as she is for the rest of the series...but don't worry, we'll make it up to you guys by letting Popplio evolve all the way to Primarina in time for the Alola League."

Come to think of it, what was even the point of that Ice Stone? We see one in the episode, and that Sandshrew uses it. They could have easily left it at that, but went out of their way to introduce a second stone... that turned out to be completely pointless.

If this is supposed to imply that Snowy will evolve offscreen, that’s still a bad move given that Lillie could easily find an Ice Stone in her travels.

As it is, it only served as a half assed explanation to tell us why the rich girl won’t just buy a stone to evolve her pokemon at best, and a weird case of Chekhov’s Gun at worse.

 

[prog rocker]

Come to think of it, what was even the point of that Ice Stone? We see one in the episode, and that Sandshrew uses it. They could have easily left it at that, but went out of their way to introduce a second stone... that turned out to be completely pointless.

If this is supposed to imply that Snowy will evolve offscreen, that’s still a bad move given that Lillie could easily find an Ice Stone in her travels.

As it is, it only served as a half assed explanation to tell us why the rich girl won’t just buy a stone to evolve her pokemon at best, and a weird case of Chekhov’s Gun at worse.

Remember Ash's Thunder Stone? I guess it will end up like that.

Now that we're talking about stones, didn't Brock get a Fire Stone, or did he reject it?

 

[Hidden Mew]

Remember Ash's Thunder Stone? I guess it will end up like that.

Now that we're talking about stones, didn't Brock get a Fire Stone, or did he reject it?

If you're referring to the Fire Stone that those Eevee evolution brothers offered him back in the original series, I'm pretty sure that he rejected it. Brock didn't want to evolve Vulpix and there was no indication that he kept it. Granted, there was no indication that Ash kept the Thunder Stone after his first defeat against Lt. Surge either, but we didn't learn about that for over ten years and Brock had already given Vulpix back well before then, so I think it's safe to assume that he didn't keep that Fire Stone.

As for Snowy, I still honestly don't have a problem with Lillie choosing to not evolve it. Alolan Ninetales is absolutely gorgeous and seeing it within the main cast for even the last stretch of SM would have been neat, but I don't think it would have felt earned. Snowy barely did anything other than being in Lillie's arms. I love the impact Snowy had on Lillie as she overcame her fear of touching Pokemon and their bond was pretty nice, but it really didn't do much. Even by the end of SM, the only offensive move Snowy knew was Powered Snow. They didn't even bother to upgrade it to Ice Beam. That made Snowy taking down a Salamence one of the most unbelievable moments in the entire series. If Lillie had battled a bit more and Snowy learned a couple of more offensive moves, then I think it would have been fine for it to evolve. Based on how it was handled in SM proper, I don't think it really should have evolved. Giving Lillie an Ice Stone is kind of weird when that never came back up, but it never really bothered me.

 

[Kurolegacy]

I know that this may seem a bit controversial but, I actually didn’t mind nor had I ever gotten bored of the badge collecting quest and actually miss it. While people may say that it got old seeing the same thing again and again, it not only gave a reason for Ash to go to/stay in a region but it allowed for the regions to be fleshed out from Ash’s journeys there. It’s honestly a shame that they chose Galar, the most competitive region yet, where their Pokémon League is akin to the World Cup with each gym battle being a spectator sport, to retire that aspect of the series.

 

[Daren]

It’s honestly a shame that they chose Galar, the most competitive region yet, where their Pokémon League is akin to the World Cup with each gym battle being a spectator sport, to retire that aspect of the series.

Back before we learned about the new show's region hopping focus I assumed they were going to make Galar a hyper competitive league for that reason.
That said it's very understandable they'd want to do something different after the Alola league win.
I hold out hope we may still somehow see the Galar Gym challenge (maybe someone else entering it) but I suspect it's way too late for that.

 

[Kurolegacy]

Back before we learned about the new show's region hopping focus I assumed they were going to make Galar a hyper competitive league for that reason.
That said it's very understandable they'd want to do something different after the Alola league win.
I hold out hope we may still somehow see the Galar Gym challenge (maybe someone else entering it) but I suspect it's way too late for that.

It really feels like Galar as a whole got the short end of the stick. Hell its to the point that even the main character of the series has a team that consists of 4/5 Kanto Pokémon with the other 1/5 being a Sinnoh Pokémon. Even when Farfetch’d evolves, that’s still only going to be 1/5 for Galar representatives.

 

[dawn dusk]

It really feels like Galar as a whole got the short end of the stick. Hell its to the point that even the main character of the series has a team that consists of 4/5 Kanto Pokémon with the other 1/5 being a Sinnoh Pokémon. Even when Farfetch’d evolves, that’s still only going to be 1/5 for Galar representatives.

More captures yet to come

 

[SerenaToAlola]

I hold out hope we may still somehow see the Galar Gym challenge (maybe someone else entering it) but I suspect it's way too late for that.

Perhaps they'll time it with the release of Crown Tundra?

 

[Black&White]

You guys know Ash can still challenge Galarian gym leaders in the World Championship right?

 

[Daren]

You guys know Ash can still challenge Galarian gym leaders in the World Championship right?

That's what I was thinking of; not Ash entering the Galar League itself, but participating in the challenge so he can face the Gym leaders to increase his PWC ranking.

 

[Johtohfiller]

Kid Vid from the Burger King Kids Club is Clemont dressed like Ash.

 

[Kurolegacy]

More captures yet to come.

More may come but if they're mostly Pokemon from other regions, it kinda defeats the purpose. And if their idea is having Go show off Galar Pokemon, it's just as bad since he doesn't really do anything with his Pokemon.

 

[Beatsy Ray]

I really think they missed a huge opportunity for Lillie's character development in the SM series by not having Snowy evolve, especially when you consider that she ended up being the only one of Ash's classmates to not have at least one team change (either in the form of an evolution or a new Pokemon) before the Alola League (Magearna wasn't actually awakened until the very last episode).

I know a lot of people felt like Snowy fit the role of "cute unevovled Pokemon that's can be held in a PokeGirl's arms", but you could argue that Sandy eventually filled that role anyway, and given how Lillie had a fight with Lusamine over her evolving Clefairy into Clefable with a Moon Stone...I would've preferred it if Snowy had actually wanted Lillie to evolve her with the Ice Stone the Totem Sandslash gave her, because maybe after seeing Lillie's traumatic past & how vulnerable she was, Snowy wanted to get stronger so she could better stand up for her & protect her.

They could've still had Lillie lose in the first round of the Alola League to Gladion because he's just that much stronger, but for Snowy to actively want to evolve would've further added to that whole lesson that Clefable & Snowy still love Lillie as a person, even if you could make the argument that their evolved forms aren't quite as cute.

But instead, Snowy pulls a Dawn's Piplup and refuses to be evolved, and Lillie decides she'll hold onto the Ice Stone just in case Snowy changes her mind later. Now I remember on this forum back then a lot of people were saying, "Okay, well that doesn't necessarily mean Snowy won't evolve into an Alolan Ninetales later in the series", but I knew that in anime writer speak, that was exactly what that meant. It meant, "Snowy's not going to evolve into Alolan Ninetales, so don't get mad when she stays as she is for the rest of the series...but don't worry, we'll make it up to you guys by letting Popplio evolve all the way to Primarina in time for the Alola League."

I don't think any of Ash's companions have ever been left on such a cliffhanger. In addition to her receiving an ice stone that goes unused, her story ends with an aimless quest to find her father which may or may not be successful. When the current series was revealed I was really hopeful that her story would be concluded sometime in PM2019, but the new "episodic format" left me skeptical. It was recently revealed that many more past characters would appear though, so maybe a Lillie 2-parter isn't too far off.

I know that this may seem a bit controversial but, I actually didn’t mind nor had I ever gotten bored of the badge collecting quest and actually miss it. While people may say that it got old seeing the same thing again and again, it not only gave a reason for Ash to go to/stay in a region but it allowed for the regions to be fleshed out from Ash’s journeys there. It’s honestly a shame that they chose Galar, the most competitive region yet, where their Pokémon League is akin to the World Cup with each gym battle being a spectator sport, to retire that aspect of the series.

It's implied in interviews that Ash will most likely battle each of the Galar Gym Leaders. Remember that the PWC battle in episode 18 took place in the Vermillion Gym, so it's entirely possible that Ash will essentially be having those 8 gym battles as the series goes on, just framed a little differently. They might even give him honorary badges for defeating them.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I know that this may seem a bit controversial but, I actually didn’t mind nor had I ever gotten bored of the badge collecting quest and actually miss it. While people may say that it got old seeing the same thing again and again, it not only gave a reason for Ash to go to/stay in a region but it allowed for the regions to be fleshed out from Ash’s journeys there. It’s honestly a shame that they chose Galar, the most competitive region yet, where their Pokémon League is akin to the World Cup with each gym battle being a spectator sport, to retire that aspect of the series.

Yeah, I would have loved to see a more traditional journey through Galar. I really love the region, its characters and a lot of Pokemon from this generation, so seeing it get more attention in the anime would have been nice. Since they confirmed that the Gym Leaders will appear in the anime, I'm hoping that the World Championship will still provide a way for Ash to battle against all of the Galar Gym Leaders. Although, I don't know if I'd say that they've retired the Gym Badge journey completely, at least not yet. I can't really see them never going on another Gym badge quest again, especially when being repetitive was never considerd a problem within the anime itself.

More may come but if they're mostly Pokemon from other regions, it kinda defeats the purpose. And if their idea is having Go show off Galar Pokemon, it's just as bad since he doesn't really do anything with his Pokemon.

Aside from Raboot and Sobble, does Goh even have that many Galar Pokemon to begin with? Since Ash got Galarian Farfetch'd and the series still promotes Sword/Shield to a certain degree at least, I think that there's a decent chance that Ash will get more eighth generation Pokemon in the future. I don't think anyone saw Galarian Farfetch'd coming and there's a really good chance that he'll get more captures down the road too.

 

[Eclipsical]

Aside from Raboot and Sobble, does Goh even have that many Galar Pokemon to begin with?

Besides them two, he just has Skwovet, though I’m sure that he’ll get more if they start visiting Galar for less plot-oriented episodes.