Differences between the Anime and games that bother you

[matt0044]

in the game you cant' really interact with your pokemon...

That's be so cool if you could.

 

[Afrojisiac-19]

in the game you cant' really interact with your pokemon...

Could you explain a bit more when you say "interact"?? Because in Yellow and HGSS, your pokemon can follow you around, and you can talk to them.

 

[jda95]

Why would being able to interact with their Pokémon bother someone?

 

[Romano]

you can't battle trainers in contests in sapphire, emerald, ruby, diamond, pearl, and platinum!

 

[CliveKoopa]

Could you explain a bit more when you say "interact"?? Because in Yellow and HGSS, your pokemon can follow you around, and you can talk to them.

I think he means feeding them, talking to them more about battle strategies and not just the starter in the basic Yellow/HGSS method and other things too.

 

[Pokefannn]

The weight differences. It's not a huge problem, but I really don't get how a 60 plus pound beautifly could safely land on May's head.

 

[Ampharos King]

What truly bothers me in this anime is the apparent lack of type immunities.

Over the past few series, there have been cases where attacks of a specific type that would normally cause no damaage to a specific type of pokemon do anyway. For example, the infamous Ash's Pikachu electrocutes Brock's Onix (a Ground-type) during their first battle. Even though Onix was doused with water, and water "should" technically conduct electricity, why would Onix be electrocuted like that? If that is the case, shouldn't Ash and Brock also be electrocuted as well?

In some of these cases, there are times when Ghost-type attacks damage Normal-types (i.e. Ash's Noctowl being hit by Morty's Gengar's Shadow Ball, May's Skitty being hit by Timothy's Dusclops), and times when characters explicitly state that Ghost-type moves have no effect on Normal-type pokemon.

In addition, Psychic-type moves seem to cause damage to Dark-type pokemon as well. When Gary's Umbreon fought a trainer's Alakazam, and that Alakazam used a Psychic attack, Gary mentioned that Umbreon (as a dark-type) is immune to Psychic-type attacks. And yet, in the most recent Zoroark film, Kurt's Bronzor was able to levitate Zorua (a Dark-type) with Psychic.

Type immunities should stay as they are in the anime. Right now it seems the anime is taking notice of these immunities and "enforcing" them, but in some cases, those rules are sometimes overlooked.

The weight differences. It's not a huge problem, but I really don't get how a 60 plus pound beautifly could safely land on May's head.

The weight issue has been mentioned before, and it is clear that May was not the worst one off.

Ash has carried a Hippopotas on his head on more than one occassion, and that species weighs 109 lbs (49 kg). That is more than enough strain on Ash's head and neck than it should be.

Furthermore, Ash was able to lift Larvitar and carry it in his bag several times throughout its story arc despite the latter weighing more than 150 lbs (approx. 70 kg).

Also that same Beautifly did land on Ash's head when May arrived to the Valor Lakefront. There appears to be no adverse effects with pokemon landing on people's heads.

I bet Pokémon would be a pretty unpopular series if the battles were just like they are in the games. XD At least I would skip every battle-based episode if that were the case.

Yes, in the games, there are literally trainers standing in the middle of every route between each city. So technically Ash should be encountering and battling at least one or more of these "standing" trainers in almost every episode.

 

[The Puppetmaster]

I agree with you, Ampharos King, on the type immunity issue. I would be alright if type immunities didn't exist in the anime at all, but when it alternates between existence and nonexistence, it causes the show to contradict itself on several occasions (with examples you've already listed).

Something else that bothers me is that type advantages don't seem to matter in the anime anymore. No, types shouldn't decide the winner from the start of the battle based on who has the upper hand, but it seems like the trainers (specifically Ash) don't even take them into consideration anymore. I know one of the show's messages is overcoming obstacles and all, but when Ash's Pokémon is at a disadvantage due to its type while in battle, I don't think of it as much because it doesn't even matter.

 

[SSJ_Jup81]

I sorta wish the show did the level difference thing to make it more challenging. I know in the ep where Ash and Misty were battling over Totadile, it was mentioned, though, which caused me to double-take. Misty was talking about how her Pokemon were at higher levels than Ash's Pokemon and how she had the advantage (if I'm remembering right). Would've been nice if they would've been more consistent with that, unless they were and since I haven't watched the show regularly in years and have only seen scattered eps after OI Saga.

 

[RocketGrunt78]

Lack of a Major Team Rocket (the whole organisation not just Jessie and James) Plot (other than the St Anne, Whirl Islands and Lake of Rage)

 

[garrison-san]

I sorta wish the show did the level difference thing to make it more challenging. I know in the ep where Ash and Misty were battling over Totadile, it was mentioned, though, which caused me to double-take. Misty was talking about how her Pokemon were at higher levels than Ash's Pokemon and how she had the advantage (if I'm remembering right). Would've been nice if they would've been more consistent with that, unless they were and since I haven't watched the show regularly in years and have only seen scattered eps after OI Saga.

To my knowledge, "School of Hard Knocks" (Episode 9) was the only episode to refer to levels in an explicitly numerical sense (as they exist in the games). Most mentions of levels since, including the instance you cited, could be interpreted as a generic reference to the pokemon's battling prowess.

 

[Reyairia]

God where do I start?
Pretty much everything.

- Ash by himself didn't bother me as an adaptation of Red. The problem is that he keeps reappearing every single region with no change of protagonist. It doesn't make sense, and the writers somehow expect you to magically accept that he randomly gets nerfed each time. It's just a gigantic plot hole. Of course the anime plot has more holes to it than a hobo's sweater but we're specifically talking differences with the game here.

- The anime can't get basic elemental weaknesses right. Something I noticed as a 7 year old and when a 7 year old is noticing your flaws you have to be a pretty pathetic writer. Yeah, a fire type can defeat a rock type if it's trained well, that's true to the game. however, what bugs is how they have blatantly ignored that grass > rock/ground. Electric attacks don't affect ground at all. If ground was resistant it'd be fine, but it isn't affected. At all. Period. Stop pulling BS to try to get around it just to shove Pikachu into every orifice of the plot possible.

- One thing that has really bothered me even as a kid was how the anime villifies evolving pokemon. I don't get it and it doesn't make sense. I can understand the pokemon that evolve via evolution stones because evolving them early does have consequences in the game, don't get me wrong. But a first-stage pokemon isn't going to beat many gym leaders.

- Leaving the levels out doesn't bother me. It's hard to work that into an anime or even a comic book because it's just a measurement of strength which by itself should be pretty clear just on how a story advances. However, the anime continues to be inconsistent with it, bringing it up a couple times and forgetting all about it later.

 

[matt0044]

One thing that has really bothered me even as a kid was how the anime villifies evolving pokemon. I don't get it and it doesn't make sense. I can understand the pokemon that evolve via evolution stones because evolving them early does have consequences in the game, don't get me wrong. But a first-stage pokemon isn't going to beat many gym leaders.

If I recall correctly, the Anime director didn't want Piplup to evolve as it's the mascot (not that he said that outright) and Prinplup would seem ugly. Seems like he and the producers are afraid as to what'd happen if the cute ones grew up.

 

[Cybersai]

If I recall correctly, the Anime director didn't want Piplup to evolve as it's the mascot (not that he said that outright) and Prinplup would seem ugly. Seems like he and the producers are afraid as to what'd happen if the cute ones grew up.

That didn't stop them from evolving other cute pokemon over the years.

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

The weight differences. It's not a huge problem, but I really don't get how a 60 plus pound beautifly could safely land on May's head.

I think it's more just that weight isn't always taken into account as much as it should be than an actual difference. Don't forget that in the games it's possible to fly from town-to-town on a Pidgey or Spearow, etc.

 

[Gligar13]

There are just so many. But here are some of the bigger gripes:

-The type immunities (and the fact they are inconsistent). Hey look, Pika just used T Bolt on a ground type and it wasn't immune. Yet in another episode, it was immune.

And then the ghost type. In the games, it's immune to only Normal and Fighting types to stay balenced, but in the Anime, it's the Have-Shit-Pass-Through-Your-Enemy type. Like the battle frontier episode with Ash in the rebuilt Viridian Gym. Iron Tail passes right through a ghost type Pokemon even though it's a Steel type movie

-Evolution is bad. Because refusing to evolve cute Pokemon doesn't work in the games (Trust me, I tried it once), but it somehow works in the Anime. Pikachu and Piplup must not evolve, but when Charizard evolves, it suddenly turns on Ash. Heck, you even have that one B-Button Club in the one DP episode.

Ash uses Pika to beat everything too. In the games against a gym leader, doing it the same way as in the Anime is impossible. Sure, you could use FEAR to sweep Cynthia, but who uses that in the Anime? After all, Anime Strategy consists of dodging every attack then pwning your enemy.

 

[Ambipom666]

My main gripes would probably have to be the exclusion of extraneous content and the lesser focus on Elite Four and other powerful characters.

Oh hi there Janine, Will, Karen, Sidney, Glacia, Phoebe, Darach, Dalhia, Thorton, and Argenta!

Granted, given Koga has a sister, Janine might not even exist in this continuity O.O

Might as well throw Steven in here, considering how underwhelming his sole appearance was IMHO....

 

[matt0044]

Let's not forget how Best Wishes deviates from the game storyline in the worst ways possible. Seriously, they have many games characters and plot points to adapt from yet the writers abandon them even though the Anime's purpose is to advertise what the games have to offer and more. You'd think they'd stick to the story to advertise it.

Need elaboration? We're thirty or so episodes in and there's no N or Team Plasma (aside from the episodes that were pulled for the time being) and Bianca is the only games rival we see. Cheren would've been much better than Trip.

Why couldn't Best Wishes have been more linear in story and more accurate to the games?

 

[Cybersai]

I'm surprised that they shafted the main playable female for the first time. Not as a main character, but she's not even appearing as a rival or something.

There are no game protagonists featured this gen. Kanto at least had Ash/Red, but this gen has NONE.

 

[Reyairia]

Why couldn't Best Wishes have been more linear in story and more accurate to the games?

You say that as if the anime prior to BW was accurate to the games. :lol: