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Does Pokemon Journeys Have A Balance Issue?

The day that they make Go the main protagonist is the day that I drop the anime. No offense to those who are fans but almost 40 episodes in and, while the humanizing aspect of him is well written, the Pokémon side of him is among the most boring that I’ve seen as far as main characters go. Between the fact that he’s the personification of a mobile game that’s mainly about the collecting aspect of Pokémon, his repetitive style of capturing Pokémon with barely a challenge and the fact that they still haven’t given him anything interesting to do with his Pokémon causing most of them to simply exist as background extras, him being the main character would be exceptionally boring. On top of that, it would be giving some seriously bad implications that you choose to replace the character that represents the core games aspect of the series with a character that represents a mobile game that basically reduces the series down to bare bones elements. If their idea is for this to be Ash’s final journey, at that point, they’re better off just rebooting the series to follow a new character than handing the reigns to Go.
The transition that I was talking about was not that Go would take Ash's place, it was that Ash would be replace by someone else. I think they are testing how fan react to Ash having less screentime now. After journey, if Ash beat Leon and become number 1 he will be replace, i'm pretty sure. Like Jessie and James, they will hand over the Antagonist role to someone else cause they are not relevant since X and Y. In Sun and Moon they where useless, and in journey they are worst than they have ever been.

I also think that the fact that Ash don't really have a rival now doesn't help. I remember with Gary when he was always trying to follow but was always behind, with May who was kin of a rival sometimes, with Paul who force him to be stronger, with Alan,ect. Now it's just him and Go going from place to place with no real purpose and no real challenge. I'm missing the gym battles and the rival battles, they were essential for his development. May ,Dawn and Serena was also really important for him. They challenge him, help him getting better, they also have dreams of their own. Now he don't really benefits from Go. He is training alone with Go doing nothing. We don't even see character development from his pokemon anymore. Dragonite and Gengar are just there, they don't really have a personnality, when were the last time we saw Gengar fight?Farfetch'd haven't had a lot of screentime either. Only Riolu.Even Pikachu as been lacking in screentime.
 
I honestly can't see Ash being replaced. I think fans make a bigger deal about Ash winning the Alola League than the anime generally does. I don't think it was brought up when he returned to Alola, or at least I don't think that was the case given that I didn't hear about it through the grapevines. Winning one Pokemon League doesn't mean he shouldn't or can't compete in another one, especially when the Alola League was not particularly challenging. Ash is in the World Championship now, but it's a tournament that anyone can enter. His previous achievements weren't a factor and defeating Leon won't make him a Pokemon Master, which is also assuming that he'll defeat Leon. That's still up in the air.

Ash has been the main character for over twenty years. We're way past the point where he could be replaced by another character. Even though he is battling in a bigger tournament this time around, I don't think that they'll have a problem with keeping Ash doing something else in the next series. It isn't like they've had to regress Ash or give him a fresh start after arguably being at his peak before. The anime always changes with each series, but I can't see them removing Ash or Team Rocket at this point. Team Rocket has been getting less screentime for awhile, so I don't think that they're interested in removing them completely. Even with their minimal screentime, the Team Rocket trio are still popular and are often used for marketing for the newest movies.

I can't comment too much on the balance issue since I haven't even finished watching the new episodes on Netflix yet. However, I do think that the complaints about Ash not getting enough attention at the start of Journeys were exaggerations. Goh was getting attention from the start, but the notion that Ash was doing nothing or being a background character prior to entering the World Championship seems pretty ridiculous to me. Maybe it would be hard for me to judge that portion of the series since I wasn't watching the series weekly and I already knew about Ash's goal well before the dub landed on Netflix, but I don't think Ash's screentime was so noticeably different/smaller during those first few episodes despite h
Just because anyone can enter the PWC doesn't mean it isnt challenging or lacking entry requirements. It's arguably the most prestigious competition Ash has entered since he would be facing Champions from other regions in the Top 8
 
The transition that I was talking about was not that Go would take Ash's place, it was that Ash would be replace by someone else. I think they are testing how fan react to Ash having less screentime now. After journey, if Ash beat Leon and become number 1 he will be replace, i'm pretty sure. Like Jessie and James, they will hand over the Antagonist role to someone else cause they are not relevant since X and Y. In Sun and Moon they where useless, and in journey they are worst than they have ever been.

I'm still not entirely sure he'll beat Leon. It's too early to tell either way, but I don't think he'll be replaced if he beats Leon. Ash is just way too recognizable and marketable for the anime to replace him. People were pretty sure that Team Rocket would be replaced after SM, but they're still around and still used to promote the newest movie.

a230 said:
I also think that the fact that Ash don't really have a rival now doesn't help. I remember with Gary when he was always trying to follow but was always behind, with May who was kin of a rival sometimes, with Paul who force him to be stronger, with Alan,ect. Now it's just him and Go going from place to place with no real purpose and no real challenge. I'm missing the gym battles and the rival battles, they were essential for his development. May ,Dawn and Serena was also really important for him. They challenge him, help him getting better, they also have dreams of their own. Now he don't really benefits from Go. He is training alone with Go doing nothing. We don't even see character development from his pokemon anymore. Dragonite and Gengar are just there, they don't really have a personnality, when were the last time we saw Gengar fight?Farfetch'd haven't had a lot of screentime either. Only Riolu.Even Pikachu as been lacking in screentime.

I don't think that a lack of a rival is necessarily a problem. Ash didn't have a proper main rival in AG and he did well during that series. I definitely don't think that May was a rival for Ash at all. Paul and to a much lesser degree Gary kept pushing Ash, but it's hard for me to put Alain in the same category mainly because he was introduced so late into XY. Granted, I think most of the XY rivals were introduced far too late for the impact they had on Ash, but he was doing pretty fine in Kalos before his first battle against Alain, so I don't think Ash necessarily needs a rival in order to push himself. It certainly can help, but I wouldn't say it's automatically a problem. Although, I also miss the proper Gym battles and I agree that those were pretty essential for showcasing the growth of his team. That might be one of the downside of the World Tournament since they would have to do matches off-screen in order for Ash to climb the ranks sooner rather than later.

Just because anyone can enter the PWC doesn't mean it isnt challenging or lacking entry requirements. It's arguably the most prestigious competition Ash has entered since he would be facing Champions from other regions in the Top 8

I wasn't implying that the World Tournament isn't challenging or lacking entry requirements. I was bringing up the point that anyone can enter because I don't think that they're putting Ash in this tournament due to his Alola League victory. Or at least I don't think that is the in-universe reasoning behind it. This isn't treated as the next step to become a Pokemon Master after he won his first game region Pokemon League, but just a new goal because he really wants to battle against Leon again. I'm sure that the writers also probably didn't want the negate such a major accomplishment by having him effectively start over for the Galar League, but Ash being the Alola League Champion hasn't been made a big deal in the anime or as a reason as to why he entered a different tournament, which is why I don't think it's impossible for him to enter another Gym Challenge in the future.
 
I also have to disagree with the statement that Ash doesn't "need" focus episodes after being the protagonist for so long. Maybe if this was a series where they were sticking to the status quo of a badge quest I'd be more inclined to agree, but Journeys has a different format with a different goal for Ash. There are a lot of new and interesting things they could be doing with Ash and the PWC, and they seem to be skirting around it right now. We're still early on in the series, so of course it's possible that there'll be more of a shift and Ash will start receiving more concentrated focus, but as it stands right now, I think it's fair to say that there's a bit of a balance issue going on.

I also don't personally agree with the idea of this being Ash's last series. I can see why people are thinking that because of the attention Goh is getting right now, but I really think if Ash was going to be replaced, they would've done it already. Journeys is already proof that they can come up with things for Ash to do outside of collecting gym badges and after winning a league. In comparison, as it stands right now, I feel like Goh would be a pretty boring solo protagonist. It's nothing against him as a character or his personality; I just feel that his current goal can't really be switched up as much as someone like Ash's can be to keep things relatively fresh.
 
As much as I like Goh, I can't really see him be a solo protagonist either. It does feel like he was written at least in part to balance out with Ash given their dynamic, especially when they seemingly wanted to represent catching and battling with both of their goals. People have been saying that every series would be Ash's last one since at least AG. I still remember reading some speculation early on into Johto theorizing that Ash would stay on Mt. Silver to match with Red from G/S, so this has been a common theory for a long time. I just don't see Journeys being any different in this regard. Whether they do something different with Ash or have him return to more traditional Gym battles, I'm sure that he'll still be the main character in the next series.
 
I mean, is there even a point in replacing Ash. The new protag will also have a Pikachu as its main Pokemon because its the mascot. Then it will have almost the same Pokemon as Ash has, because they are popular.
Plus, if the new protagonist is doing the same things as Ash, they might as well not bother replacing him.
 
I'd like to remind everyone that it's not just the character focus and episode placements that's totally imbalanced. The world tour aspect of this series is also badly portrayed, with an overwhelming majority of the episodes being featured in Vermilion/Kanto.

And most of the places from the past that have been visited have suffered from poor world-building and total redesigns that might as well have made them anime original stand-ins.

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Yeah, that's another huge issue. This series has been advertised as a world tour, yet the majority of episodes take place in Kanto. I honestly think Ash and Goh should have been in Wedgehurst with Professor Magnolia and Sonia, doing research for them instead of Professor Cerise.
 
Yeah, that's another huge issue. This series has been advertised as a world tour, yet the majority of episodes take place in Kanto. I honestly think Ash and Goh should have been in Wedgehurst with Professor Magnolia and Sonia, doing research for them instead of Professor Cerise.

They do travel a lot, but I am quite aware that a lot of the cities and the like they go to have lost something from their older arrivals.

....IDK, maybe gentrification hit the Pokemon world hard.
 
I also have to disagree with the statement that Ash doesn't "need" focus episodes after being the protagonist for so long. Maybe if this was a series where they were sticking to the status quo of a badge quest I'd be more inclined to agree, but Journeys has a different format with a different goal for Ash. There are a lot of new and interesting things they could be doing with Ash and the PWC, and they seem to be skirting around it right now. We're still early on in the series, so of course it's possible that there'll be more of a shift and Ash will start receiving more concentrated focus, but as it stands right now, I think it's fair to say that there's a bit of a balance issue going on.

I also don't personally agree with the idea of this being Ash's last series. I can see why people are thinking that because of the attention Goh is getting right now, but I really think if Ash was going to be replaced, they would've done it already. Journeys is already proof that they can come up with things for Ash to do outside of collecting gym badges and after winning a league. In comparison, as it stands right now, I feel like Goh would be a pretty boring solo protagonist. It's nothing against him as a character or his personality; I just feel that his current goal can't really be switched up as much as someone like Ash's can be to keep things relatively fresh.

I completely agree with you. The character development has been good so far. I think that Journeys battles aren’t as good as XY, which incorporated 3-D backgrounds, made the fights much More fluid and enjoyable. But still though Journeys has to potential to be great, and of course an anime isn’t without their flaws.
 
The transition that I was talking about was not that Go would take Ash's place, it was that Ash would be replace by someone else. I think they are testing how fan react to Ash having less screentime now. After journey, if Ash beat Leon and become number 1 he will be replace, i'm pretty sure. Like Jessie and James, they will hand over the Antagonist role to someone else cause they are not relevant since X and Y. In Sun and Moon they where useless, and in journey they are worst than they have ever been.

I also think that the fact that Ash don't really have a rival now doesn't help. I remember with Gary when he was always trying to follow but was always behind, with May who was kin of a rival sometimes, with Paul who force him to be stronger, with Alan,ect. Now it's just him and Go going from place to place with no real purpose and no real challenge. I'm missing the gym battles and the rival battles, they were essential for his development. May ,Dawn and Serena was also really important for him. They challenge him, help him getting better, they also have dreams of their own. Now he don't really benefits from Go. He is training alone with Go doing nothing. We don't even see character development from his pokemon anymore. Dragonite and Gengar are just there, they don't really have a personnality, when were the last time we saw Gengar fight?Farfetch'd haven't had a lot of screentime either. Only Riolu.Even Pikachu as been lacking in screentime.

Problem is that they can't replace Ash at this point, nor is there any point for him to be replaced. The only thing i can see them doing is them doing series protagonists, that leave after one or two series with Ash staying around to serve a mentor role.

Because here is the thing
A new main protagonist will still have a Pikachu as its main Pokemon (Cuz Franchise mascot). The majority of the teams will also be the same, due to the popularity of some of the mons Ash owns (So the Kalos team is gonna be the same no matter what, with maybe Aegislash being added to the roster). The new main will have Charizard, Infernape, Greninja, Rowlet, Bulbasaur, Sceptile, the Cyndaquil line (I say line, cuz that might be a difference from Ash as well due to Typhlosions current popularity), Lucario, Gengar, Dragonite, Krookodile and the like.

However, if Ash stays on, you don't have to give the new Protag a Pikachu (Which means it will most likely get an Eevee) and Ash basically then is the bridge between the old and the new and you don't need to give the new protags popular Pokemon Ash also owns and can focus on the new ones. With this, the TRio can also stay on (Especially since Jessie and James basically serves as the secondary faces of the anime, alongside Meowth and Wobbuffet, who serve as secondary Pokemon Mascots of the anime at this point).

Like based on the popularity of the 2020 Pokemon of the year poll, Ash currently owns 4 out of 5 mons in the top 5 (Charizard, Gengar, Bulbasaur and Pikachu and more mons in the top 20, with Dragonite, Lapras, Snorlax, Squirtle and Muk, so a new protag will most likely get those mons as well - at least with the starters, Dragonite, Snorlax and Gengar it will be the case). With Johto, the whole Cyndaquil is in the top 20 (With Typhlosion being in the top 5), just like Totodile and Chikorita are in the top 20 (Before their respective evolutions) and Heracross, so that would mean only Noctowl and Donphan are potentially getting replaced). Now, Hoenn is totally different, since only 1 out of his five Hoenn mons is in the top 30 with Sceptile. Which most likely means Blaziken replaces Torkoal and Swampert replaces Corphish (Since Blaziken is also in top 5, with Swampert being placed in top 15). If they choose for a Dragon type, Flygon gets chosen over Salamence (Flygon is third) and Metagross as a Psuedo will also be chosen over Salamence. And if they decide to do feminine (Might depend if the new protag is male or female), Gardevoir also has a chance. In Sinnoh, Ash has the Gible line and Chimchar line (Who are placed second and fifth). Lets just say that all of Ash's Sinnoh mons, except for Buizel, are in the top 30. So that means that Buizel most likely gets replaced with Piplup/Empoleon, since only Sinnoh water types in the top 30 (Even Palkia isn't in it). Now, Unova is interesting. Krookodile, Oshawott and Snivy are in the top 30 (With Serperior being placed before Snivy even), while the whole of the Tepig line isn't in. So that means the new protag only gets Oshawott and the Snivy line as its starters, alongside Krookodile, but Chandelure most likely replaced Pignite. Not counting Legendaries, the team will most likely be this: Chandelure, Serperior, Oshawott, Krookodile, Zoroark and Haxorus. Kalos is unlikely to change, as every single one of Ash's mons are in top 6, except for Hawlucha (Who is still in top 15), so they are popular enough to give to the new protag, who most likely also gets Sylveon and Aegislash added to the team, since are the 2 other mons in the top 6.
Now, Alola is also interesting, since every single one of the mons Ash owns are in the top 10 (And yes, Melmetal is gen 8, according to the poll, which is wrong, so it doesn't count in this). However, another problem arise is that not counting legendaries, a lot of those Pokemon had a capacity in the anime one way or the other or are meme mons (Like Pyukumuku is in the top 15). So the team would most likely be the same, with Primarina most likely being added if Lana doesn't show up a lot in an Alola arc and if not Primarina, most likely Mudsdale then (And while Mimikyu and Bewear are popular, i cannot see it going to a new protag or Ash, cuz they are associated with the TRio). Galar is even more weird, due to Ash only having 2 Galar mons. However, taking in mind a recent favorite Pokemon Poll in Japan and the Pokemon of the year poll, the team is most likely gonne be: Inteleon, Cinderace, Corviknight, Sirfetch'd and Dragapult alongside Pikachu.

I think they will do the same as they are doing with Ash. Not giving the new protag another Electric type as not to overshadow Pikachu.

However, while i think Ash will defeat Leon, i don't think this will be for the PWC championship title, as i expect Leon losing to the new gen 9 champion for the title, to set the new series up and making that champion the new threat Ash has to face and defeat.
 
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