More episodes with actual battles

[GreenTank]

This is, IMO, the worst thing about the Pokemon anime - lack of Pokemon battles. We get tons of filler episodes where characters meet a new Pokemon, play with it / save it from danger or evil guys, but we don't get episodes where Ash would battle other trainers. And yes, I know that there were battles, but they were either with Ash's rivals or a 1 vs. 1 near the end of an episode. What I would like to see (and will never happen) is full episodes with nothing but battles. These episodes are the most interesting anyway. And if Ash battled more, there'd be a much higher chance of his Pokemon actually evolving. I'm glad that BW included this Battle Club thing, at least we got to see more battles than in the previous series.

What do you guys think?

 

[Kairyu]

Having battle after battle in episode after episode would get stale really fast. We need those other types of episodes inbetween. But right now, we've had both Episode N and now Da!, it's kind of the other way.. we haven't really had any real battles for months and that also gets stale (one of the reasons why they shouldn't have brought Charizard back... there's literally 0 battles for it to participate in). Variation is the key. It'll get a lot better when XY starts and we got a Gym quest to follow and rival battles and so on.

 

[GreenTank]

Not every episode, but every three or four episodes would be great. I mean who prefers watching Pachirisu getting ill over a Pokemon battle with a strong trainer?

 

[Master Cyrus]

Not every episode, but every three or four episodes would be great. I mean who prefers watching Pachirisu getting ill over a Pokemon battle with a strong trainer?

That filler was actually funny. A better example would be who prefers watching axew run off in the middle of the league over the actual league? True story.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

Not every episode, but every three or four episodes would be great. I mean who prefers watching Pachirisu getting ill over a Pokemon battle with a strong trainer?

That filler was actually funny. A better example would be who prefers watching axew run off in the middle of the league over the actual league? True story.

No, that filler was actually entertaining too. Try again.

 

[Master Cyrus]

Not every episode, but every three or four episodes would be great. I mean who prefers watching Pachirisu getting ill over a Pokemon battle with a strong trainer?

That filler was actually funny. A better example would be who prefers watching axew run off in the middle of the league over the actual league? True story.

No, that filler was actually entertaining too. Try again.

Entertaining for you maybe, but all I remember was outrage from the fandom at them wasting precious league time on axew getting lost especially since they skipped like 2 rounds for it.

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

Not every episode, but every three or four episodes would be great. I mean who prefers watching Pachirisu getting ill over a Pokemon battle with a strong trainer?

That filler was actually funny. A better example would be who prefers watching axew run off in the middle of the league over the actual league? True story.

No, that filler was actually entertaining too. Try again.

Entertaining for you maybe, but all I remember was outrage from the fandom at them wasting precious league time on axew getting lost especially since they skipped like 2 rounds for it.

And Axew got lost before so it was old even back then.
To the thread question. Yes I agree on more battles but fillers are good too as it gives us something between the battles. Otherwise it would be boring.

 

[Cinderfella]

There should always be a balance no doubt. That's why contests were so important.

Honestly, it seems like without contests the writers don't know what to properly do with Ash's companions. Tournaments are nice, but they need to make sense. How about if the Kalos region provided pokemon battling tournaments that every person who wanted to do a certain profession had to battle to get to that tournament.

Honestly, I'd doubt there'd be much to contests if all we had were appeals like the games. Battling is essential to spark the new generation's interest. I wouldn't personally say no fillers, but I would say battles are much more important in the level we're in now. Flashback to Kanto they weren't as important.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

It's entirely possible for an episode to have a big battle and still be a filler. I don't see why people are drawing a line between the two. If it's just important battles people are talking about- gyms and the league, mostly- those're are in limited supply, so unless there's a whole lot of defeats and rematches there's no way to fill an entire saga with them, or even most of a saga.

 

[Neo Blaze]

I don't think having only battles or almost only battles would suddenly make this show a whole lot better :-/ This show is about friendship too, and believe it or not, most of the time this is best portrayed in filler episodes. Not that I like most fillers nowadays though.

 

[Demon Fang]

I bet this is why most of Ash's Pokémon never fully evolve. Not enough battles, too much filler episodes.

OK, seriously, I agree. I'd love to see more battles. I can't comment on the bulk of the show, but I do remember there being a lack of battles. I want action, not Ash and company being the Super Samaritan Squad, on a weekly basis.

 

[GreenTank]

I don't think having only battles or almost only battles would suddenly make this show a whole lot better :-/ This show is about friendship too, and believe it or not, most of the time this is best portrayed in filler episodes. Not that I like most fillers nowadays though.

Yes, the anime is about friendship, and that's why I dislike those episodes focusing on that. The anime is supposed to promote the games, but it doesn't seem to work from what I see. In the games, battling is the main thing to do, whereas in the anime we have this thing about friendship. That's the reason why I liked Paul as a trainer, he didn't care about this friendship with Pokemon nonsense, he was all about battling and getting stronger.

 

[YamiiDenryuu]

I don't think having only battles or almost only battles would suddenly make this show a whole lot better :-/ This show is about friendship too, and believe it or not, most of the time this is best portrayed in filler episodes. Not that I like most fillers nowadays though.

Yes, the anime is about friendship, and that's why I dislike those episodes focusing on that. The anime is supposed to promote the games, but it doesn't seem to work from what I see. In the games, battling is the main thing to do, whereas in the anime we have this thing about friendship. That's the reason why I liked Paul as a trainer, he didn't care about this friendship with Pokemon nonsense, he was all about battling and getting stronger.

What? The games are about friendship too. It's just easier for the anime to bring that out because it doesn't have to worry about gameplay experience for obvious reasons.

 

[Neo Blaze]

I don't think having only battles or almost only battles would suddenly make this show a whole lot better :-/ This show is about friendship too, and believe it or not, most of the time this is best portrayed in filler episodes. Not that I like most fillers nowadays though.

Yes, the anime is about friendship, and that's why I dislike those episodes focusing on that. The anime is supposed to promote the games, but it doesn't seem to work from what I see. In the games, battling is the main thing to do, whereas in the anime we have this thing about friendship. That's the reason why I liked Paul as a trainer, he didn't care about this friendship with Pokemon nonsense, he was all about battling and getting stronger.

Friendship has always been a high value in Pokémon. It is present in every canon of Pokémon and serves as an overcoupling theme. In the end, the series as a whole is mostly focused on children, and that's why a lighthearted and easily understandable theme as friendship is important. Not that children shouldn't be shown mature themes and plots, which they have also done (examples: J dying in DP, Ghetsis trying to kill the protagonist in B2W2).

In the games battling may seem as the most important thing to do, but also here friendship is present. The various storylines of the games have incorporated it, and XY seems to be going to strongly focus on it too: the Pokémon Amie feature.

So this whole "friendship with Pokémon" theme isn't nonsense as you call it, it's actually what a great deal of the series is all about. I actually hated Paul because he was a jerk to his Pokémon with no apparent reason. To become strong isn't a reason, because the series showed us various strong Trainers who were both strong and on a friendly level with Pokémon. Various media of Pokémon have actually hinted on being friends with Pokémon is a key to becoming stronger.

If you seriously think being "friends with Pokémon" is nonsense and the only thing Pokémon should be all about is battling and becoming stronger, then, with all due respect, I don't think you truly know what Pokémon is about. Not that I'm an authority on the subject, but it's easy to see how important friendship as a theme within Pokémon is :-/ But then again, everyone has a different interpretation of things, I guess.

And I'm not saying battles aren't important, they make up a good deal of the series too. There have been some great fillers over the years however and I think a good balance between fillers and battling-centric episodes would not be a bad idea.

Sorry for potentially making this thread go off-topic by the way.

 

[Supreme Leader Palpitoad]

I don't think having only battles or almost only battles would suddenly make this show a whole lot better :-/ This show is about friendship too, and believe it or not, most of the time this is best portrayed in filler episodes. Not that I like most fillers nowadays though.

Yes, the anime is about friendship, and that's why I dislike those episodes focusing on that. The anime is supposed to promote the games, but it doesn't seem to work from what I see. In the games, battling is the main thing to do, whereas in the anime we have this thing about friendship. That's the reason why I liked Paul as a trainer, he didn't care about this friendship with Pokemon nonsense, he was all about battling and getting stronger.

But the games is about friendship too. Your test at Dragons Den in HG/SS for example. Or whole B/W.