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What are your feelings about Iris?

Unlike the majority, I enjoyed having Iris in the show. First of all, her union with the nature and innocent personality in heart was just too nice to be in this show. I don't think any main character before her was united with the nature as much as Iris was. In one of the early episodes, right before the To Be Continued screen (probably the one Dento joined them), Iris just spreaded her arms and ran in front of everyone with Axew, both enjoying the moment. This was just heartwarming at best.

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In the plot, she might have flows, yes. But that is not an exclusive case for Iris, rather than all the characters in BW. Remember all the informations and knowledge Ash had was reset to zero in the beginning? He didn't even consider battling a Pokémon before catching it? I think it is even more annoying characteristic detail than Iris being repetitive character. Someone who raised a Charizard, Sceptile, Infernape, Staraptor and many other Pokémon has no idea he has to battle a Pokémon before throwing a Poké Ball. No, it is unfair to judge only Iris because of the lack of personality improvement.
 
Unlike the majority, I enjoyed having Iris in the show. First of all, her union with the nature and innocent personality in heart was just too nice to be in this show. I don't think any main character before her was united with the nature as much as Iris was. In one of the early episodes, right before the To Be Continued screen (probably the one Dento joined them), Iris just spreaded her arms and ran in front of everyone with Axew, both enjoying the moment. This was just heartwarming at best.

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Yes, this scene made me like her as well.

But also, her character got stale way too fast.

For me, Iris was a very interesting character and I was invested in her arc with Excadrill and then Emolga joining (who is my favorite Pokemon character from BW)...until a point of the anime where it just got very tiring to watch her act the way she acts.
Especially the episode where Emolga leaves her made me dislike her a lot. The writers shouldn't have made her act like that so close to the end of the series as the heat in me got carried to the final episode and adding the meh departure it looked like she got an incredibly bad deal from the writers and the end. Misty, May, Dawn, Serena all had very memorable events happening the last 10 something episodes and all I remember for Iris was how horrible she was >.>

So overall my opinion is mixed, early BW she was cool, late BW - unlikable. She was definitely fresh and not lacking any active goal (also not really having any consistent focus on the Dragon type arc) made her fade.

Also replacing Dawn, the only character to get a co-star treatment, was a difficult position to fill in.
 
truthfully I have to say I prefer to serene iris a least wasn't bland
 
I understand why Iris is disliked, but it's seems a bit silly. Calling Ash a kid when he's at his most childish makes sense.

There was a lot more as to why people dislike of Iris besides calling Ash a kid. While Ash was childish during BW, Iris wasn't any better. She was just as immature as Ash was, if not more so, and she was rarely called out for being a hypocrite. That was probably the joke, but it just made her more annoying and I didn't think it was particularly funny either. Compared to all of the issues I had with Iris, calling Ash a little kid, while annoying, was probably the least of her problems.
 
I think she had a good character, a good goal, and was very passionate. Very similar to Ash in a way, I think she took it too far in some ways though. She came off as annoying quite a bit during the series. When I finally healed over the idea that Brock was gone from the series, and went to pick up BW, I couldn't sit through much of it, because of how annoyed i became of her. I had little tolerance for that kind of thing at the time though, so I'd have to see how I'd find her now.
 
I wanted to like her character, I really did.

I feel her biggest problem is the same thing that was the problem with the series. I think originally they had a big plan set out for the entire series and the characters of B&W, but I think much of that got cut out of the series when the earthquake happened. Entire arcs were removed and replaced. I imagine that it meant that they had to put quick work in to redo much of the series along with many of the characters.

Everything fell flat that season. When it started, it really had something going that seemed different and cool. The preview for what was coming up in the season looked epic. The first part of the series started well.

I don't know if they completely changed writers, but it felt like the writers didn't know how to develop anyone or how to introduce previous characters like Hikari (Dawn) whom I felt was totally OOC when she was introduced back into the show.

When I watched Generations, I loved Iris as I did in the games. It made me sad because there were so many things that could've been done right with her.
 
I thought she was pretty annoying to the point where I skipped out on watching the Black and White dub. When a character of the day or rival who seldomly appears annoys me, I can just grin and bear it because it's only one episode. Iris was in every single episode and it was painful listening to her voice and her constant sarcasm. However, her Japanese counterpart was a lot more tolerable. She's still annoying compared to past female partners even in the Japanese version, but tolerable to where I can watch some episodes without wanting to change the channel or click the x button.

She did have potential as a character. I loved her game counterpart, but it seems the anime writers didn't know what to do with her. The bungled her up big time and it really hurt to watch.
 
I don't know if the earthquake and the skipped Team Plasma two parter would have had a drastic effect on Iris, or all of BW for that matter. Pre-Team Plasma two parter Iris was still annoying and unlikable to me. Perhaps they did have plans for her development to be connected to their Team Plasma storyline, but I really doubt that. Even if they had to change her storyline, I don't think that would have caused her development to be so poorly done. The other problems I had with BW would probably exist whether or not the Team Plasma two parter happened, so I don't think that was as much of a factor for the issues that series had as people often claim that it does.
 
I've only watch a couple episodes of BW, but she did strike me as an interesting character. Maybe her character development isn't great, but she seems okay to me. She's not totally bland, like Serena, nor well balanced like Dawn. She certainly doesn't seem to be as bad as everyone says. The only thing I dislike about her is that they tried to make her like Misty, but failed.
Ironically, she feels like a little kid. A little annoying, sure, sometimes harsh, but overall, has a good heart.
 
I like Iris. Interesting design and backstory and she was pretty active. Honestly, Serena was a downgrade in a lot of ways from Iris.

IMO, Iris's biggest problem was she got stuck with BW Ash instead of OS or AG Ash, who were far less sanitized and were more snarky. I think they were trying to recreate the dynamic Ash had with Misty, the problem is they forgot that it worked for Ash and Misty because the banter wasn't one-sided. BW Ash rarely snapped back, so Iris just came off as harsh and repetitive.
 
IMO, Iris's biggest problem was she got stuck with BW Ash instead of OS or AG Ash, who were far less sanitized and were more snarky. I think they were trying to recreate the dynamic Ash had with Misty, the problem is they forgot that it worked for Ash and Misty because the banter wasn't one-sided. BW Ash rarely snapped back, so Iris just came off as harsh and repetitive.

I think that was part of the problem, but I think another issue was that Misty often had valid points when she argued against Ash. She was only a bit more experienced than Ash given the Pokemon she had on her at the start of the series, but she still had more knowledge about Pokemon and calling Ash out on his mistakes felt more justified. Even if we ignore Ash's experiences from previous series, Iris wasn't really in any position to talk down to Ash. She couldn't get Axew to use Dragon Rage, the weakest of all Dragon type moves, and she was just as immature as Ash could be, if not more so. Iris calling Ash a little kid or getting upset over what decision he'd make in battle really made her look more like a giant hypocrite instead of someone to laugh at or side with.
 
IMO, Iris's biggest problem was she got stuck with BW Ash instead of OS or AG Ash, who were far less sanitized and were more snarky. I think they were trying to recreate the dynamic Ash had with Misty, the problem is they forgot that it worked for Ash and Misty because the banter wasn't one-sided. BW Ash rarely snapped back, so Iris just came off as harsh and repetitive.

Good assessment. Still think that it would have been better to let her be her own character, but the bigger problem was a lack of understanding why Misty worked.

It also wasn't just Ash being snarky. Misty's first impression of Ash is a kid who got his Pikachu hurt and damaged her bike which:

A. As we know from the games they can be pretty costly.

B. Something Suede pointed out in his episode reviews is that as a person who got hand me downs, having anything belonging to just her is a big deal.

And of course using a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto which was not only inept, but endangered his Pokémon needlessly. Heck it says a lot for Misty to be angered by him endangering his Bug Pokémon despite her dislike of him/Caterpie. Plus getting the Badges without defeating a Gym Leader* and not bothering to train for a League he was eager to compete in.

Basically it felt like Misty's criticism was from an honest place trying to convince him to shape up.

Iris felt like the internet troll who doesn't care if you improve, she just wants to annoy him. I mean the writers had no qualm with rehashing this, might as well have had Ash damaging another bike.

It would at least justify her imposing on him and the ribbing more.

In short, Iris is like Diana Cavendish from the OVA take on Little Witch Academia where she likes to get on the protagonist's case just cause. Misty is like the Diana from the following TV Series version where she is rightfully calling the protagonist out for arrogance and other flaws.

*Yeah I do get the sediments behind them and trying to not be dull/repetitive, but take the Cascade Badge. It would be like letting Ash win the 5th Round of the League cause Richie wouldn't have had a chance if Charizard obeyed Ash fully.
 
I think that was part of the problem, but I think another issue was that Misty often had valid points when she argued against Ash. She was only a bit more experienced than Ash given the Pokemon she had on her at the start of the series, but she still had more knowledge about Pokemon and calling Ash out on his mistakes felt more justified. Even if we ignore Ash's experiences from previous series, Iris wasn't really in any position to talk down to Ash. She couldn't get Axew to use Dragon Rage, the weakest of all Dragon type moves, and she was just as immature as Ash could be, if not more so. Iris calling Ash a little kid or getting upset over what decision he'd make in battle really made her look more like a giant hypocrite instead of someone to laugh at or side with.

That stuff never really bothered me. Because the whole point is that she is a hypocrite.

Also Misty could be just as hypocritical. She gets on Ash for his inability to train Charizard properly, even though Psyduck can't use any attacks. She got on Ash for using Caterpie against Pidgeotto and yet a couple episodes later she sends Goldeen on land against TR. The difference here is that Ash actually called Misty out or made fun of her flaws as a trainer, so it didn't look like Misty was just bullying Ash or being overly critical all the time. In BW, Ash wasn't doing that stuff so Iris came off looking worse then the writers actually intended.

A better written Ash in BW would have fixed a lot of issues Iris had IMO, same thing can be said for Trip.

Good assessment. Still think that it would have been better to let her be her own character, but the bigger problem was a lack of understanding why Misty worked.

It also wasn't just Ash being snarky. Misty's first impression of Ash is a kid who got his Pikachu hurt and damaged her bike which:

A. As we know from the games they can be pretty costly.

B. Something Suede pointed out in his episode reviews is that as a person who got hand me downs, having anything belonging to just her is a big deal.

And of course using a Caterpie against a Pidgeotto which was not only inept, but endangered his Pokémon needlessly. Heck it says a lot for Misty to be angered by him endangering his Bug Pokémon despite her dislike of him/Caterpie. Plus getting the Badges without defeating a Gym Leader* and not bothering to train for a League he was eager to compete in.

Basically it felt like Misty's criticism was from an honest place trying to convince him to shape up.

Iris felt like the internet troll who doesn't care if you improve, she just wants to annoy him. I mean the writers had no qualm with rehashing this, might as well have had Ash damaging another bike.

It would at least justify her imposing on him and the ribbing more.

In short, Iris is like Diana Cavendish from the OVA take on Little Witch Academia where she likes to get on the protagonist's case just cause. Misty is like the Diana from the following TV Series version where she is rightfully calling the protagonist out for arrogance and other flaws.

*Yeah I do get the sediments behind them and trying to not be dull/repetitive, but take the Cascade Badge. It would be like letting Ash win the 5th Round of the League cause Richie wouldn't have had a chance if Charizard obeyed Ash fully.

That is fair. I would also argue that Ash does a lot of dumb **** in early BW, which I can see why Iris didn't have such a great initial opinion of him.
 
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That stuff never really bothered me. Because the whole point is that she is a hypocrite.

I realize that was the point, but that still bothered me a lot because they rarely called Iris out for being a hypocrite. If it was supposed to be funny, then I don't think it worked and they never really went anywhere meaningful with these flaws. They just doubled down on making her a super special gifted Dragon Master in training in spite of being a massive hypocrite. Virtually all of her accomplishments were handed to her on a silver plate too.

game3524 said:
Also Misty could be just as hypocritical. She gets on Ash for his inability to train Charizard properly, even though Psyduck can't use any attacks. She got on Ash for using Caterpie against Pidgeotto and yet a couple episodes later she sends Goldeen on land against TR. The difference here is that Ash actually called Misty out or made fun of her flaws as a trainer, so it didn't look like Misty was just bullying Ash or being overly critical all the time. In BW, Ash wasn't doing that stuff so Iris came off looking worse then the writers actually intended.

A better written Ash in BW would have fixed a lot of issues Iris had IMO, same thing can be said for Trip.

To be fair, Ash not training Charizard properly was more of a potential danger than Misty not being able to use Psyduck without its deus ex machina powers kicking in. It still doesn't make her look good in that sense, but I don't think the two problems are entirely on the same level. I also don't think that using Goldeen on land makes her look like a hypocrite when that was mainly a gag used a handful of times. Misty wasn't always in the right either, but I still think that she was more justified in calling Ash out than Iris ever was.

I honestly don't think that BW Ash was written that badly in retrospect. He still had some major issues, but I think a lot of it boiled down to his team more so than Ash himself. Having more banter could have helped make Iris' personality more tolerable, but I don't think that was as major of a factor compared to her own flaws not being addressed or that she wasn't in the position to belittle anyone for their battle skills or maturity.
 
I think she is a genuinely kind person, just very immature.

Serena was a flat character from my perspective. I liked May and Dawn more.
 
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I realize that was the point, but that still bothered me a lot because they rarely called Iris out for being a hypocrite. If it was supposed to be funny, then I don't think it worked and they never really went anywhere meaningful with these flaws. They just doubled down on making her a super special gifted Dragon Master in training in spite of being a massive hypocrite. Virtually all of her accomplishments were handed to her on a silver plate too.

She was never portrayed as some type of trainer who had it figured out. Two of her main Pokemon basically didn't listen to her. She wasn't that different from Kanto Ash, a talent trainer, yet in inexperienced and too proud to admit that she was in over her head.

To be fair, Ash not training Charizard properly was more of a potential danger than Misty not being able to use Psyduck without its deus ex machina powers kicking in. It still doesn't make her look good in that sense, but I don't think the two problems are entirely on the same level. I also don't think that using Goldeen on land makes her look like a hypocrite when that was mainly a gag used a handful of times. Misty wasn't always in the right either, but I still think that she was more justified in calling Ash out than Iris ever was.

I honestly don't think that BW Ash was written that badly in retrospect. He still had some major issues, but I think a lot of it boiled down to his team more so than Ash himself. Having more banter could have helped make Iris' personality more tolerable, but I don't think that was as major of a factor compared to her own flaws not being addressed or that she wasn't in the position to belittle anyone for their battle skills or maturity.

The Goldeen thing is hypocritical because she questions Ash's judgement as a trainer. Sending out a Pokemon that can't function on land is dumb and the entire point was to highlight that Misty wasn't that experienced. Also, the notion that Misty had more justification to criticize Ash would hold more weight if BW Ash was actually being portrayed as Iris superior in BW, instead of her equal. Remember, BW was being written as a low key reboot of the series, so the story wasn't treating Ash as a veteran trainer like he was in Johto, AG, and DP. Out of universe wise, yes Iris has less justification than Misty, but in universe wise it is much closer.
 
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