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Controversial opinions

Controversial opinion (that actually makes me wonder if it's even controversial at this point)

I hate the ''fall guy on nearly every battle" thing and I wish the writers would stop doing that. I get that it's meant to show the opponent is not playing around by body bagging one of Ash's mons before it can even get something done, or sometimes is just not the Pokémon's day, but it's so... idk... pointless and almost cruel in a sense to say the least.

Please, stopping making certain Pokémon look so incompetent on a regular basis, it does way more harm than good and there's so many Pokémon that have been doomed for eternity because of those decisions: Torterra, Torkoal, Unfezant, Boldore, and I'm getting scared Gengar might join them if it keeps up like that.

Not every battle needs a fall guy.
It has happened so many times in each series that it seems to be a natural thing for writers to use that old routine! It is very sad if you think about it!:(
 
Battles like Ash vs Brandon and Ash vs Kukui did this right IMO: Charizard and Lycanroc, respectively, had comfortably favorable win/loss feats and could bear to take a loss so other team members could shine, also organically showing off the threat as it beats a powerhouse. The real problem is that most fall guys from BW onwards (and in OS too, come to think of it) tend to not get that same respect.
It's mostly because neither the ace of the series (see: Charizard, Sceptile, Infernape, Greninja, etc) nor Pikachu tend to be the fall guy for the most part. I would argue that it's actually really rare to see either of those team members going down too easily or without at least a KO, so it mostly just rotates between 4 of the 6 Pokémon, and there's always one that falls victim of this trope more often than others, Torterra being the clearest example here, since it was nearly always picked to be the jobber in the DP team, to the point of having no wins in it's final form. It's sad.
 
Pikachu used to be in nearly every Gym battle in the Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh days. I think the only one it missed was the second Brawly match and a few in DP but can’t remember off the top of my head. Pikachu hogged all the battles plenty back then as well.
 
Listen, I know this is kinda of a... dead subject at this point, but I still don't get the absolute asinine decision that was retconning Mr. Mime as one of Ash's Pokémon.

First, it doesn't makes sense. Even if it decided to stay with Deliah, why did it never wanted to go with Ash or why did he never asked him to come along, even if for a short while? Why didn't Ash ever used Mimey on an official/plot relevant battle? Why didn't they showed us Ash capturing it on-screen? I mean, it wasn't even confirmed that the guy was even a captured Pokémon at all. Why wait over 20 years to reveal that info? Why only now?

And the funniest and at the same time saddest part is that it was just ultimately pointless, since Mimey not only never battled in a Gym, or on the BF and is not an official member of the JN team and was never even used in a PWC battle, only in an extra-official match that had no impact going forward. Like, for what? What did Mimey being an Ash Pokémon all along added to the story that justified the retcon as something needed? Just... why?

Literally the only reason I can think of is that they realized they never bothered to give Ash a Psychic type ever since OS and they are scared of him getting the cooties by giving him one of the ''girly fairies'', so they decided to kill two birds with one stone by making it his Pokémon, and this reasoning sucks, because they could've easily given him one of each typing all this time but just refused for some reason.

Idk man, it's just both baseless and pointless to me.
 
And the funniest and at the same time saddest part is that it was just ultimately pointless, since Mimey not only never battled in a Gym, or on the BF and is not an official member of the JN team and was never even used in a PWC battle, only in an extra-official match that had no impact going forward. Like, for what? What did Mimey being an Ash Pokémon all along added to the story that justified the retcon as something needed? Just... why?
Mimey honestly can't even be considered one of Ash's pokemon to me, personally, for a number of reasons. Even if he supposedly is, there's no bond or connection present that would make me buy this trainer-pokemon relationship. It fought in ONE battle and had no real relevancy since except for some one off filler episode that can hardly be called as proper development for it. I don't even know what this thing's personality is and it has no bonds or connections made to any of Ash's other pokemon.

If Mimey is supposed to be Ash's pokemon, then he falls as the worst for me. In that he shouldn't even be an Ash mon in the first place. What is this thing's place on the team? Who has it formed bonds with? How did it get close to Ash? How does it and Ash stand up against tough opponents? What does it do in its free time? We have literally no answers to any of these questions, which is pretty telling on its own.
 
The fact that Mr.Mime has a nickname-Mimey-is pretty much a dead give-away that the writers never intended for him to belong to Ash since he's never been one to name his Pokemon, it was something his Mom started doing without his input. Since they were giving him fan favorites this season-Dragonite,Gengar, Lucario-you'd think they would give him an Alakazam, Gardevoir or an Espeon.
 
If they really wanted to have him own all Pokemon-types.

The answer was Sirnight, or for more Galar representation Brimuon.
Gender-stereotyping by species or looks be damned.

Barrierd will never convince me, that was a crass retcon.
 
Pikachu used to be in nearly every Gym battle in the Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh days. I think the only one it missed was the second Brawly match and a few in DP but can’t remember off the top of my head. Pikachu hogged all the battles plenty back then as well.
But back then, most of the battles were not 1 vs 1 and the other Pokémon actually got to appear.
 
Since they were giving him fan favorites this season-Dragonite,Gengar, Lucario-you'd think they would give him an Alakazam, Gardevoir or an Espeon.
A Gardevoir would've been perfect because it's both Psychic and a Fairy, and it's a ''feminine'' Pokémon, something that would've ticked off 3 things they never gave Ash for some dumb reason.

Actually, I would go even further and would've personally given him an Hatterene as opposed to a Gardevoir, since not only fits all the things, but it's also a Galar mon and it's female-only, so that would've given more Galar rep and even filled in another thing they never gave him.

But nooo, let's make a retcon that serves no purpose and makes no sense in the narrative by giving him Mimey.

(Actually, maybe it was a blessing in disguise? Because at least neither Gardevoir nor Hatterene were caught up in this trainwreck of a team.)
 
Actually, I would go even further and would've personally given him an Hatterene as opposed to a Gardevoir, since not only fits all the things, but it's also a Galar mon and it's female-only, so that would've given more Galar rep and even filled in another thing they never gave him.
A pokemon that freaks out over loud noises would be a very amusing match for Ash’s… unsubtle personality.
 
But back then, most of the battles were not 1 vs 1 and the other Pokémon actually got to appear.
The last 1 on 1 battles involved Sirfetch’d against the Gallade trainer and the other construction guy in the episode. Besides that we haven’t had any 1 on 1’s since the bottom ranks.

Every major PWC battle has been 2 on 2 or more:

Vermilion Gym
Korrina
Bea part 1
Bea part 2
Iris
Volkner
Bea part 3

That’s 7 battles and the rest of Hyper class will all be 3 on 3. I’m a little confused where people are getting the idea we’ve been only getting 1 on 1’s since that hasn’t been a thing since the first year of the series until Farfetch’d evolution and we still had multiple 2 on 2 battles as I’ve listed above in that span.
 
Shauna_Serena_Evolutions.png


- Hey Shauna, If Calem is the protagonist in Pokémon X (Evolution) and Y (Generations), What I supposed to do?

- Z?... Just Smile to Camera, Serena. I'm sure everything will be alright.

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Sirfetch'd literally didn't had a single battle after evolving until now. Over 24 eps later.

Making it the fall guy in the first on-screen battle (because of course JN is gonna pull the 'it battled off-screen'' bs again) it has after evolving over 20 eps ago is just cruelty.
Welp. Dk if I should laugh or cry. Lol

I really predicted this whole shit. That was just cruel. Can't believe Sirfetch'd didn't got a single win in the first battle it had after evolving and was made into the jobber.
 
I think someone on the writing staff has a crush on Korrina or something. I’ve never seen a non-main character Gym leader get this much favoritism from the writers even after her gen ended.

I think this guy is me, though I don't belong to writing staff Lol. Korrina already had a favoritism in her saga, XY, since she figured during all a mini-arc with the protagonists. At the end of the league, if I'm not mistaken, there's also a scene of her watching Ash's battle.

Well, you know. It's not easy to forget such cheerful girl, especially when she, open-hearted, give away a Mega-Lucario to you. Ash certainly hasn't had the exact same treatment, but I believe he knows what I mean Lol. But honestly, plotwise, if we consider the events of the games, Korrina's presence doesn't just make sense, it's welcome.

Of course, I would also like other characters to receive similar treatment.
 
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