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Pokémon Sword and Shield anime speculation thread

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Since there's a chance it's a guy, I'm wondering if he's someone like a rival. Like I said before, it's nice to see how his expression and pose differs from Satoshi (one is happy-go-lucky and the other all serious)
 
I think we're all ignoring the Donphan in the room here. . . namely, what sort of story is the new anime season going to tell?

It's pretty common knowledge that, with the notable exception of Unova, Ash never decreases his rank in a regional Pokemon League compared to the previous region. He made it to the top 16 in Kanto, the top 8 in both Johto and Hoenn, and the top 4 in Sinnoh. He slid back down to the top 8 in Unova (which served as something of a reset for the anime as a whole), but then the pattern resumed in Kalos, when he came in the top 2, and Alola, where he was the Champion.

So where is there to go from there? What is there for Ash to actually do in Galar?
 
I think we're all ignoring the Donphan in the room here. . . namely, what sort of story is the new anime season going to tell?

It's pretty common knowledge that, with the notable exception of Unova, Ash never decreases his rank in a regional Pokemon League compared to the previous region. He made it to the top 16 in Kanto, the top 8 in both Johto and Hoenn, and the top 4 in Sinnoh. He slid back down to the top 8 in Unova (which served as something of a reset for the anime as a whole), but then the pattern resumed in Kalos, when he came in the top 2, and Alola, where he was the Champion.

So where is there to go from there? What is there for Ash to actually do in Galar?

Ash could be playing a mentor role in the anime. Or he could be simply changing the gyms again along with the new trainer. There is no rule that says a champion can’t challenge other leagues.
 
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Ash as a mentor, and the new guy as the main character. . . that might actually be cool. Of course, that in and of itself means the writers probably won't come up with it.
 
I'll be kind of bummed if the new character does turn out to be a guy just because watching people lose their minds over a non-traditional looking female companion has been hilarious.

If this is the case, however, then I believe there's likely a third companion who hasn't been revealed. I can't really see them having a traveling group without at least one female character.
I was actually excited about a non-traditionally femenine female character :(
 
I doubt there is a third companion. If there is they would have revealed it by now. Like why is it so neccesary to hid that?

Keep in mind that these poster was leaked rather than officially revealed. Hiding other main characters in official posters isn't really new either. The first DP poster only showed Dawn, which made fans think that Ash was going to be replaced. Another poster showed Ash, Dawn and Paul, which made fans think that he was going to be part of the main cast. I don't think Brock was revealed until the third promotional poster for DP, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for them to be doing something like that with this series.

I am so glad that we finally have some honest to goodness news. This is one of the few times where I don't mind news being leaked. Having virtually nothing for nearly a month while fans have been panicking over speculation and theories has not been fun. I'm positive that this poster is real. It's just far too detailed to be a fan made poster. I'd be extremely impressed if that actually was the case, but I don't think that is going to be the case.

I like Ash's design. It looks like a bit more of a polished version of his SM design, which is pretty neat. His outfit looks cool. I'm glad that it isn't exactly like the default outfit for the playable male trainer in Sword/Shield. I know that Ash basically takes on their role in the anime, but I don't know if a completely red outfit would have looked good on him. The red, blue and white color scheme works better for his design. I am relieved that this will end the whole "Will Ash be replaced?" theories. People have wanted that to happen for years, but with the initial announcement earlier this month combined with Ash winning the Alola League, it has come up pretty often. I'm still not so sure about the reboot/AU theory. Obviously this poster doesn't really have anything to support or go against it, but I just don't see the big advantage of rebooting the anime at this point.

As for the new character, I am both surprised and not surprised that their design would cause some pretty chaotic conversations. I thought that they were a boy at first, then I thought they were a girl because of the eyelashes and hair clip and now that they might actually be a boy. I don't even know anymore. I do think that they have a pretty nice design and outfit though. If they are a boy, then I'm positive that they'll still have a female lead in the series. There is no way that they'd have a Pokemon series without at least one prominent female character in the main cast. It just wouldn't be a good marketing strategy to not include a female character somewhere. I do like that they have Scorbunny as their starter. Scorbunny seems to be a pretty popular starter, so I could see them wanting to give it a lot of attention in the anime. While Scorbunny is my favorite of the Galar starters, I hope that either Ash or a possible other main character could get a Grookey since I've liked it more and more over time.

I liked the idea of having a slot being open for any temporary traveling companions. That would allow them to experiment with different characters and give them satisfying storylines without having to keep them around for the whole series. I don't know if they'll do it, but it sounds like a pretty cool idea. At least we only have to wait a couple of more days to get more information on the series. Hopefully they'll showcase a trailer to showcase how the designs look in motion.
 
If this is the main continuity and the travels to old regions are substantial (lasting multiple episodes apiece, which is pretty much a given) then I would say the likelihood of old characters appearing is high. If it’s a reboot like some are suggesting (which is still possible at this point) then that likelihood decreases.
 
Kinda late to the party, but if that poster is indeed the real deal — which is very likely, as it looks very complex for being a fake — then I can say that I already dig the new art style. It keeps some of the round lines from SM, which I suppose will make animation smoother, but it is also more detailed and closer to the pre-SM style in terms of traits and proportions. A major improvement over the SM style, imo.

Regarding the new character, it is indeed a bit strange. In terms of physique, they look like a boy, but they have strong eyelashes that remind of girls. So, it’s a bit uncertain who they truly are. However, I wonder if they are a companion or even a rival. It would be interesting to have as a rival someone who uses a supposed speedster as a starter. It could add to a potential Pikachu vs. Scorbunny rivalry.

I’m not sure what to make of the multi regional background, but it would be interesting if Ash traveled around the world. It would make things a bit more unique, even though I’m not sure how they would handle this without looking contrived.

Anyway, it has definitely piqued my interest, and I can’t wait to learn more about this.
 
Why? What's so great of having Ash and a Male Companion?
To be honest, this makes sense if they really are bringing back past travelling companions. Let's face it, most of them are female. So they introduce a new permanent male companion and leave a blank spot for the female companion of any given region.
 
It would be really contrived for 6+ girls to start traveling with Ash again, even if not simultaneously. This isn't a harem show.
It's a long-form harem show. And no I don't expect them to travel with him at the same time, just to tag along when he passes through their region. You can choose to ignore the significance of the calendar, but every single calendar from the last decade only show Pokemon of prominent characters or with story significance. You could argue that they won't bring back characters from series from 10+ years ago because they have faded from relevance, but what about SM? It is surely still relevant. It would be pretty awkward if Ash returned to Alola and just pretended his friends there didn't exist anymore. But they wouldn't bring back characters from SM without bringing back characters from every series.
 
I'll be kind of bummed if the new character does turn out to be a guy just because watching people lose their minds over a non-traditional looking female companion has been hilarious.

If this is the case, however, then I believe there's likely a third companion who hasn't been revealed. I can't really see them having a traveling group without at least one female character.
Me and you both haha.
 
It's a long-form harem show. And no I don't expect them to travel with him at the same time, just to tag along when he passes through their region. You can choose to ignore the significance of the calendar, but every single calendar from the last decade only show Pokemon of prominent characters or with story significance. You could argue that they won't bring back characters from series from 10+ years ago because they have faded from relevance, but what about SM? It is surely still relevant. It would be pretty awkward if Ash returned to Alola and just pretended his friends there didn't exist anymore. But they wouldn't bring back characters from SM without bringing back characters from every series.
I am not going to respond to this when we still don't know what continuity is involved here. The 2014 calendar featured Sylveon and Kanto trio, which had meager roles in 2014. For the 2013 calendar, Kyurem never appeared in the actual anime, and even Movie 15 was a 2012 thing.

I think it would be awkward for current Ash to return to Alola so soon, regardless of his companions.
 
I am not going to respond to this when we still don't know what continuity is involved here. The 2014 calendar featured Sylveon and Kanto trio, which had meager roles in 2014. For the 2013 calendar, Kyurem never appeared in the actual anime, and even Movie 15 was a 2012 thing.

I think it would be awkward for current Ash to return to Alola so soon, regardless of his companions.
There's a big difference between featuring Pokemon with legitimate (if not small) roles and featuring Pokemon that are entirely irrelevant, which I think you're implying was done on the 2020 calendar. The Kanto starters WERE characters in the anime and there was an obvious reason to include them. As for your 2013 calendar, I think that's from a different manufacturer.

And awkward or not, he will go back to all regions and there will be a massive elephant in the room if no past characters appear.
 
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