Out of all of the Pokemon actually owned by Jessie and James, it was Jessie's Wobbuffet that stood out the most. In fact, he stood out so much that he pretty much became the 4th member of the team on par with the TRio, getting into disguises and spending most if not all of his time outside his Pokeball. Why do you think that is?
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Jessie's Wobbuffet
- Thread starter ehh123
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MarshiyanMisutaa
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In japanese, he's voiced by Brock's voice actor, which gives him a recurring role.
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Because he’s fucking iconic.
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But WHY is he iconic? How would you explain it to someone who left the anime after Orange Islands, and is wondering why this Wobbuffet is up and center with Jessie, James, and Meowth?
SonansuMan
That's the way it is.
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Probably for a mix of different reasons:
A) At a time where most of TR’s Pokemon were just relegated to battling, he was made first and foremost as a comic relief so most of his screentime would be dictated by the interactions he had with the team. This made him one of the distinct characters in Johto (esp. because a lot of the main cast Pokemon were one note outside of starters, Pikachu, and Meowth). In addition to this, it stayed around for not only the original series, but the two series following it which gave it more longevity than almost every other character in the series beyond the mainstays and Brock.
B) When it left the series in BW, a poll that influenced his return back on the show proved his popularity as a character so they were likely willing to give him more screentime as a result
C) The TRio barely appears in the newer series, which works against the consistency of Wobbuffet as a gag so they probably just opted to make him more into a character instead
One aspect as I can definitely really appreciate about both SM and Journeys in regards to TR is that they super integrated Wobbuffet in the team and probably gave him some of the best treatment compared to other series both in personality and screentime. Being that it’s my favorite Pokémon it always feels great to see it more featured
A) At a time where most of TR’s Pokemon were just relegated to battling, he was made first and foremost as a comic relief so most of his screentime would be dictated by the interactions he had with the team. This made him one of the distinct characters in Johto (esp. because a lot of the main cast Pokemon were one note outside of starters, Pikachu, and Meowth). In addition to this, it stayed around for not only the original series, but the two series following it which gave it more longevity than almost every other character in the series beyond the mainstays and Brock.
B) When it left the series in BW, a poll that influenced his return back on the show proved his popularity as a character so they were likely willing to give him more screentime as a result
C) The TRio barely appears in the newer series, which works against the consistency of Wobbuffet as a gag so they probably just opted to make him more into a character instead
One aspect as I can definitely really appreciate about both SM and Journeys in regards to TR is that they super integrated Wobbuffet in the team and probably gave him some of the best treatment compared to other series both in personality and screentime. Being that it’s my favorite Pokémon it always feels great to see it more featured
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Because he is lovable, funny, a little stupid, and loves to pop out. That’s why he’s iconic
Audino1008
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because he says his name funny (that's all he contributes to the team)
Honestly I feel like Jame's Chimeco also kind of deserved a mainstay role if one of Jessie's Pokemon gets one
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Personally I find Wobbuffet to be annoying and a waste of screen time
I get that its name has a funny meaning in Japan but that makes no sense in the dub, if Wobbuffet was used more in battle like in XY001, it would be more of a threat and Ash and co might stand little chance of beating Team Rocket
I get that its name has a funny meaning in Japan but that makes no sense in the dub, if Wobbuffet was used more in battle like in XY001, it would be more of a threat and Ash and co might stand little chance of beating Team Rocket
TeddiUrsa
Ma-ho-ho-ho!
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Well, its the translators fault for not translating the punny japanese name good enough. Why would or should the show pay attention to the unfitting english dubname?
At least in Germany the meaning kinda works.
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He seems to resonate very well with the Japanese community with his gag and overall numb attitude.
Also, him being available in the Hoenn Dex (and with a preevo! so he was relevant marketing-wise) and being easy to animate with its simple shapes could have also helped him to stay for the whole of AG until he became irreplaceable.
Also, him being available in the Hoenn Dex (and with a preevo! so he was relevant marketing-wise) and being easy to animate with its simple shapes could have also helped him to stay for the whole of AG until he became irreplaceable.
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I love it when Wobbuffet gets to battle effectively with Counter & Mirror Coat. It's such an unassuming Pokémon that it makes it all the more appealing when it shows it can be competent.
He's a far better version of the randomly popping out of the ball gag than Chespin would be.
That's why the TRio is better than usual in the Ralts episode, they used tactics to keep Ash and his friends on their toes.
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From my admittedly limited understanding, Wobbuffet is basically the cultural equivalent of a Pokémon based on, for example, Robin Williams. He's a walking pop culture reference. I don't know if that's necessarily what allowed him to gain a foothold, but either way, Japanese viewers obviously took to him.
Gabo2oo
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I remember this one time they didn't get Wobbuffet's VA for the episode, so they didn't have him pop out of his Poké Ball and omitted him from the stock motto footage... only for him to still inexplicably show up in a blink-and-you miss-it, split-screen reaction shot before getting blasted off lmao
