History BrokenBase / Pokemon

* The overall structure of the main series has been slowly but surely causing more and more rifts in the playerbase, with there being numerous points of contention. Few will tell you that any of the mainline ''Pokémon'' games are bad video games; the fanbase largely agrees that they are all of generally good and consistent quality. However, opinions are '''very''' split over what makes a good or bad ''Pokémon'' game. One side argues that the series is a stagnant relic of the 90s that has long suffered from age and is in dire need of ''some'' sort of noticeably distinct change to the plot mechanism and/or battle mechanics to stay relevant, seeing the games' tried and true "8 Gyms and Champion" formula as extremely tired and dated. The other side argues that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", saying ''Pokémon'' has managed to persevere through polishing a formula the developers have found to work, something that not many series can attest to, and point to the series' attempts at changing it, including in spinoff titles, as for why the main series is fine with it. This being such a core concept of the games means that this commonly reflects in how the fanbase reacts to specific games and the design choices made in them. For instance, Generations V and VII, with their more linear campaigns and story driven experiences coming at the expense of PVP gameplay that the series was then largely known for, are commonly praised by the former camp but criticized by the latter camp, while Generations VI and VIII, with their focus on [[GottaCatchEmAll picking from a large variety of monsters]] and exploration that downplayed the need for serious stories, are commonly praised by the latter camp but criticized by the former camp. These major shifts in creative direction have resulted in every entry since the start of Gen V being a ContestedSequel one way or the other.

** Generation IX saw ''Scarlet and Violet'' follow the precedent ''Legends: Arceus'' set by making the series more open and nonlinear, in this case by making all of Paldea one large WideOpenSandbox. Those who support the decision love the sense of exploration and non-linearity it provides in letting players essentially go anywhere, talk to everyone, and catch anything whenever they want, seeing it as the logical conclusion of ''Pokémon'' moving to home consoles, and in some ways what ''Sword and Shield'' should have been. Detractors point to the tendency for players to get lost in the QuicksandBox and the relative ineffectiveness of the game's attempts to alleviate this, the lack of interiors and dungeons making Paldea feel less full than it could be, and the [[ObviousBeta frequent glitches]] and SpecialEffectFailure as a sign that Game Freak is spreading itself too thin by trying to make an open-world game without the manpower to make it polished. And of course, "Dexit" critics disliked ''Scarlet and Violet'' on principle since they still don't have every Pokémon or move in the code (although whether the redone graphics and size of the game world justify this is up for debate).

* Opinions on the various gimmicks (Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Terastallization) are very mixed across the fanbases. On top of those fans who simply do not like having them at all and would prefer a generation without them, there is also a lot of arguments about which gimmick is best. One such divide existing between fans who prefer Mega Evolution, preferring the targeted focus on specific mons to give them a new design and stat changes that often help often beloved Pokemon stand out again or for the first time, and those who prefer the other methods which can be applied to every Pokemon and makes playing less predictable.

** Generation 1 vs. Generations 2-8: This one even got a derisive nickname, "Genwunners", for those who insist [[FirstInstallmentWins the first generation of Pokémon games are the only good ones]]. These types of fans refuse to acknowledge any part of the franchise after the first generation, usually due to childhood nostalgia, and decry all changes made since the original games as overcomplicating what was a more "pure" experience. Consequently, other fans became sick of the original games and outright refuse to admire them, often bashing the somewhat dated designs of the earliest Pokémon and pointing out how the newer battle system, though somewhat complicated, is a vast improvement over the infamously buggy and flawed battle system of old. Expect to hear "There are only 151 real Pokémon", both seriously and [[MemeticMutation satirically]]. Because the video game series was at one point planned to end after [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver GSC]], the argument sometimes gets expanded into Gens 1-2 vs. Gens 3-Present.
** Generations 4/5-8 vs Generations 1-4/5: This is largely a debate about Pokémon designs, as starting in the DS era some fans felt that they became unoriginal, derivative and a sign of the designers losing steam. Just mentioning the word "unoriginal" angers fans of the newer Pokémon to no end, with them accusing fans of seeing things through a NostalgiaFilter, pointing out how many older Pokemon are just as, if not less, inspired than the newer ones. Some even go the complete opposite route and ignore the ''older'' Pokémon because they find the newer ones far more interesting. Even ''when'' exactly Pokémon designs "became unoriginal" is a point of contention: some claim it was Generation 4 for introducing several Pokémon that were just preevolutions or evolutions of others (or ''both'' in Roselia's case), while others claim it was Generation 5 for its SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes of many older Pokémon.
** Generations 1-5 vs. Generation 6-8: Some fans dislike and refuse to acknowledge the sixth generation onward for two main reasons: the introduction of the "Fairy" type and gimmicks like Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves. Later generations have also been accused of [[NostalgiaFilter grossly frequent Generation 1 pandering]] (Kanto starters in Generation 6, only Kanto Pokémon getting Alolan Forms in Generation 7, the mere existence of ''Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee'', and most of the Pokémon with Gigantamax versions in Generation 8 being either Kanto Pokémon or Galar newcomers).
** Generations 5 and 7 vs. Generations 1-4, 6, and 8: Essentially boiling down to the CasualCompetitiveConflict, the aforementioned two generations (particularly 7) have a much heavier emphasis on story than is typical for the franchise, leading to a divide between people who think the plot is interesting and engaging and those who feel it resulted in a rather lackluster metagame.
** Generations 1-7 vs. Generation 8: Easily the most heated and infamous one currently. Generation 8 marked several radical changes to the Pokémon formula, both in game design and release, that really brought the overall debate to the forefront and made forums a near constant FlameWar-torn battlefield. In particular, ''Sword and Shield'' marked the beginning of not all Pokémon being able to own in a single game (as in, you literally can't even trade in certain Pokémon, they don't exist in the game files), while ''Legends: Arceus'' did away with PVP battling and shifted more focus to capturing monsters and completing the regional dex. To make a long story short: you have people who like the changes, feeling that not having to get every single Pokémon makes 100 percent completion less of a chore whilst inviting ways to better design each game individually instead of releasing what is more or less the same game over and over again, praising ''Sword and Shield'' for bringing more attention to the Pokémon that ''were'' there and praising ''Legends: Arceus'' for taking the formula of catching Pokémon to its logical conclusion. But you also have those that utterly loathe the changes, with people finding the Dex exclusions insulting and only giving more passage to the things that caused the series' design issues in the first place, whilst going down ''hard'' on ''Sword and Shield'' for its lackluster campaign and DLC that some felt was overpriced and didn't resolve any of the game's core issues, and criticizing ''Legends: Arceus'' for going hard in the other direction and throwing away the formula entirely in favor of something that didn't even feature PVP gameplay. This isn't even mentioning the people that don't quite fit into either of these, including those that criticized ''Sword and Shield'' for obeying the series' StrictlyFormula [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks to a fault]] whilst praising ''Legends: Arceus'' for doing something new and refreshing, as well as those that praised ''Sword and Shield'' for continuing to refine the classic formula and slamming ''Legends: Arceus'' for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks its radical alterations to the experience]].

** A related debate is the nature of Legendary species -- should they be SingleSpecimenSpecies (with multiple members existing being a bad idea that [[UniquenessDecay cheapens them]]), or should their reappearance in multiple games be a sign that more than one exists? Some split the difference by applying the former belief to "major" mascot Legendaries, and the latter to "minor" ones like Articuno.[[note]]''VideoGame/PokemonLetsGoPikachuAndLetsGoEevee'' supports this with multiple Legendary Birds being up for capture.[[/note]] Others staunchly stand by the former opinion, even in the face of official material and openly non-unique Legendaries like the Cosmog line. And when discussing the topic in relation to [[ArtificialHuman Mewtwo]] (and [[Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened a very controversial movie's stance]]), ''tread carefully''.

* Opinions on the various gimmicks (Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Terastal phenomenon are very mixed across the fanbases. On top of those fans who simply do not like having them at all and would prefer a generation without them, there is also a lot of arguments about which gimmick is best. One such divide existing between fans who prefer Mega Evolution, preferring the targeted focus on specific mons to give them a new design and stat changes that often help often beloved Pokemon stand out again or for the first time, and those who prefer the other methods which can be applied to every Pokemon and makes playing less predictable.

%%Per Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease, do not add Broken Base entries for Scarlet and Violet until six months after release (May 18 2023)

* One major gameplay change in L:A is that type-matchups are ''very'' important here. In this game, when a Pokémon gets hit by a super-effective move, it will be severely hurt even if it's much stronger than the attacker in general. Proponents of this system point out that it forces players to build their teams carefully with type coverage instead of just rolling through the whole game with a few generally strong Pokémon. Opponents say that it [[RocketTagGameplay makes defence-focused Pokémon worthless]] since they can be fainted so easily, and that Speed is now a OneStatToRuleThemAll.

* In contrast to vanilla ''Sun/Moon'' having Lusamine be a near-monstrous [[AbusiveParents abusive]] [[TheSociopath sociopath]] before [[EasilyForgiven suddenly being forgiven]] and having a HeelFaceTurn off-screen, she's [[AntiVillain not as bad]] this time around, with [[WellIntentionedExtremist nobler motives]] and [[HeelRealization very clearly understands where she went wrong]], which many felt was a case of SalvagedStory that made her redemption more believable. The game also provides a short event that [[spoiler:gives Lusamine closure to her original motivations by having ''Mohn'' show up in Aether Paradise.]] However, there are plenty of people who would argue this version of Lusamine was a downgrade to the original portrayal, so whether US/UM improved her character depends on who you ask.

* Stealth Rock. Competitive players love it for keeping borderline {{Game Breaker}}s in check and having universal application, while casuals hate it because [[ComplacentGamingSyndrome it's freaking everywhere]] and makes Mons like [[BreakoutCharacter Charizard]] bad, if not worse. Then there are people who like Stealth Rock because it wards off Pokemon that they dislike ''such as'' [[BaseBreakingCharacter/{{Pokemon}} Charizard]].

''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' is one of the biggest franchises in the world with decades worth of content and games, so it's not surprising that some aspects of it have proven so divisive that they routinely start hours-long arguments.

* Hacking teams for competitive play into the games is an extremely contentious subject. The people ok with it argue that the there isn't an unfair advantage because the Pokemon are usually theoretically obtainable without hacking, and that getting competitive Pokemon without hacking is unreasonably time-consuming, even ''with'' RNG manipulation. They also argue that how you obtain a Pokemon is completely irrelevant to how well you battle with it. People against it consider hacking cheating and argue that hackers get an unfair amount of time to practice due to how quickly they obtained their teams compared to people who obtained their Pokemon legitimately.
* The "Generation wars" (arguments about which "generations" of games are better) are the franchise's biggest base breaker. Any major or even minor change a generation makes from its predecessors will have fans either praising the advances or decrying the Generation or even the entire franchise ruined, to the point that it's borderline impossible to find someone that accepts all of them fully. We'd be here all day listing all the ways the Generation divides run, but here are some of the ones that run the deepest:
** Generation 1 vs. Generations 2-8: This is such a hot-button topic that there's even a derisive nickname, "Genwunners", for those who insist [[FirstInstallmentWins the first generation of Pokémon games are the only good ones]]. These types of fans refuse to acknowledge any part of the franchise after the first generation, almost exclusively due to childhood nostalgia, and decry all changes made since the original games as overcomplicating what was a more "pure" experience. Consequently, other fans became sick of the original games and outright refuse to admire them, often bashing the somewhat dated designs of the earliest Pokémon and pointing out how the newer battle system, though somewhat complicated, is a vast improvement over the infamously buggy and flawed battle system of old. Expect to hear "There are only 151 real Pokémon", both seriously and [[MemeticMutation satirically]]. Because Pokémon was supposed to end after GSC, Gens 1-2 vs. Gens 3-8 gets lumped into this discussion as well, with many of the same discussion points.
** Generations 4/5-8 vs Generations 1-4/5: This is largely a debate about Pokémon designs, as starting in the DS era some fans began to feel that they became unoriginal and derivative, something they believe was to be expected with how long the series had been running. Just mentioning the word "unoriginal" angers fans of the newer Pokémon to no end, with them accusing fans of seeing things through a NostalgiaFilter, pointing out how many older Pokemon are just as, if not less, inspired than the newer ones. Some even go the complete opposite route and ignore the ''older'' Pokémon because they find the newer ones far more interesting. Even ''when'' exactly Pokémon designs "became unoriginal" is a point of contention: some claim it was Generation 4 for introducing several Pokémon that were just preevolutions or evolutions of others (or ''both'' in Roselia's case), while others claim it was Generation 5 for its SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes of many older Pokémon.

* Are version-exclusive contents totally fair or blatantly one-sided? Groudon's and Yveltal's severe disadvantage against Kyogre and Xerneas respectively, the version-exclusive Mega Evolutions (''especially'' [[WolverinePublicity Mega Charizard]] [[PanderingToTheBase X]]), and White 2 players only getting [[ItsEasySoItSucks Easy]] [[BraggingRightsReward Mode]] are some of the examples. While such content can be traded between games, one really has to wonder if the trade-off is really fair to begin with if one version is clearly inferior to the other.

** One of the most intense debates, especially after Gen VIII, is whether the franchise should abandon its roots entirely and become a WideOpenSandbox and/or an ActionRPG. Supporters say that it is the best possible shakeup the franchise could use, and often cite games such as ''VideoGame/YoKaiWatch4'' as examples of "what Pokémon should have evolved into by now". Opponents think the franchise can innovate in other ways (such as story, see above), don't want the franchise to blindly FollowTheLeader for games like ''Breath of the Wild'', and prize ''Pokémon'' as a rare RPG franchise that hasn't moved away from turn-based gameplay. The reveal and subsequent release of ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' has not helped matters.

* The games were, and still are, divisive (as expected of any Pokémon region, to be fair). There are copious arguments about whether the Hoenn games are good, or even ''the best ever'' or ''worst ever''. Pros include the ''gorgeous'' diversity of the region. It's packed with so many different kinds of places to explore, such as a shipwreck, meteor falls, volcanoes, etc. The storyline is also widely praised, as well as the introduction of Battle Frontier. The most common complaints are easy to sum up: Surf and trumpets. Hoenn has the most abundant and expansive bodies of water of all the regions, causing people to complain about how you need the HM move Surf at your disposal so often and as soon as you can. Hoenn defenders have noted that this is a case of RealityIsUnrealistic, although the fact that the Pokémon universe is hardly reality also bears consideration. The trumpets just refer to the trumpet-heavy soundtrack.

* The DifficultySpike once you get to the Elite Four and Cynthia. Players are either glad to see the Elite Four and Champion feel genuinely challenging for once, or annoyed by the fact practically everything before them was kept at a similar difficult to the original games, making the aforementioned spike way too noticeable.

Being officially called a "mainline game" despite being so drastically different than every other entry considered as such meant that ''Legends: Arceus'' was inevitably going to cause some arguments. Outside of a small amount of specific points that are generally agreed on, virtually everything is fuel to the fire.

* That the player character can take damage, black out from said damage and lose items as a result. An immersive change that finally gives the player character a role during a battle, or something that distracts from the battle and does not add anything good to the player experience?
* The massively lower amount of trainer battles, and that most bosses are wild Pokémon. Does it flow better with the game, especially since the world circumstance mean it's not very logical to have scores of weak trainers running around? Or is it too much of a break from a core aspect of the series and makes teambuilding too irrelevant to [[spoiler:properly prepare you for the fight against Volo]]? The game tries to justify this by saying the people of Hisui have yet to trust Pokémon, which also causes a split on whether it's a valid justification or just a flimsy excuse.
* The game makes for a ''much'' higher focus on exploration, expanding on ''Sword and Shield'''s concept of Wild Areas so that the game's map is essentially a group of open areas. Defenders will say it's a necessary change and puts Pokémon closer to modern titles (even if it's not WideOpenSandbox), and that newer entries had become [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom too linear]] and had maps that were not engaging. Detractors often point the QuicksandBox ''Legends: Arceus'' is affected by, with non-linear maps and missions can make the player feel lost, forget there was a goal to begin with and not make any progress, that linear maps let players keep the idea of where they should be heading, and that this change is a very blatant FollowTheLeader attempt to attract potential players, rather than it being a change the series actually benefits from.

* One of the changes made to stats was that type-matchups are very ''very'' important in "Legends Arceus", much more than in other games. As a result of this? If a Pokémon gets hit by a type move that is super-effective, it will hit like a ''truck'' no matter how big a difference the levels are. Proponents of this system point out that it outright forces players to team build and put in type coverage; since they can't just use one Pokémon the whole time. Opponents of this system point out that it instead means [[OneStatToRuleThemAll Speed is more important than ever]], since a Pokémon with maxed out defensive [=EV/IVs=] will still take boatloads of damage no matter what if it's hit with a super-effective move - which also means more defensive oriented Pokémon (Such as Ursaluna, Dusknoir, Mamoswine, Steelix, and Goodra) are just as much a GlassCannon as ''actual'' Pokémon intended to be such.

* The idea that the protagonist always has to be an amnesic human turned into a Pokémon, especially in the later games. Some felt that it allows more emotional investment especially at the end where ButNowIMustGo comes into effect and is a need for immersion and bonding between the protagonists, others felt that it became an overused plot device to shoehorn in humans when there isn't a need, considering that the PMD world essentially averts HumanFocusedAdaptation and give the Pokémon as a whole much needed CharacterFocus.

* In Japan, the male dexholder/Prof. Oak's grandson is named Green to match the Red and Green version, while the third dexholder introduced later on would be named Blue, since that was the third version of the game. However, their names were switched in translation [[{{Woolseyism}} as to match the dual version in the west]], i.e, Red & Blue. This leads to much confusion among the fanbase, with some preferring to use the original while the others prefer the English games. (Many would specify their gender when referring to the two, for example "Blue (M)")

%%Per Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease, do not add Broken Base entries for Scarlet and Violet until six months after release (May 18)

Being one of the biggest franchises with decades worth of content and games, it's not surprising that some aspects of the franchise have proven so divisive that they routinely start hours-long arguments.

* The "Generation wars" are the franchise's biggest base breaker, owing to all the major and minor changes made throughout its life that have fans either praising the advances or decrying the Generation or even the entire franchise ruined, to the point that it's borderline impossible to find someone that accepts all of them fully. We'd be here all day listing all the ways the Generation divides run, but here are some of the ones that run the deepest:
** Generation 1 vs. Generations 2-8: This is such a hot-button topic that those who only support Gen 1 are often derisively labelled "Genwunners". These types of Pokémon fans refuse to acknowledge any part of the franchise after the first generation, almost exclusively due to childhood nostalgia, and firmly believe FirstInstallmentWins, decrying all the changes made since the original games as overcomplicating what was a more "pure" experience. Consequently, other fans became sick of the original games and outright refuse to acknowledge it, often bashing the somewhat dated designs of the earliest Pokémon and pointing out how the newer battle system, though somewhat complicated, is a vast improvement over the infamously buggy and flawed battle system of old. Expect to hear "There are only 151 real Pokémon", both seriously and [[MemeticMutation satirically]]. Because Pokémon was supposed to end after GSC, Gens 1-2 vs. Gens 3-8 gets lumped into this discussion as well, with many of the same discussion points.

** Generations 1-5 vs. Generation 6-8: Some fans dislike and refuse to acknowledge the sixth generation onward for two main reasons: the introduction of the "Fairy" type and gimmicks like Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves. Later generations have also been accused of [[NostalgiaFilter grossly frequent Generation 1 pandering]] (Kanto starters in Generation 6, only Kanto Pokémon getting Alolan versions in Generation 7, the mere existence of Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee, and most of the Pokémon getting Gigantamax versions in Generation 8 being either Kanto Pokémon or Galar newcomers).

** Generations 1-7 vs. Generation 8: Easily the most heated and infamous one. Generation 8 marked several radical changes to the Pokémon formula, both in game design and release, that really brought the overall debate to the forefront and made forums a near constant FlameWar-torn battlefield. In particular, ''Sword and Shield'' marked the beginning of being unable to acquire Pokémon outside of the regional Pokédex, while ''Legends: Arceus'' did away with PVP battling and shifted focus to capturing monsters and completing the regional dex. To make a long story short. you have people who like the changes, feeling that not having to get every single Pokémon makes 100 percent completion less of a chore whilst inviting ways to better design each game individually instead of releasing what is more or less the same game over and over again, praising ''Sword and Shield'' for bringing more attention to the Pokémon that ''were'' there and praising ''Legends: Arceus'' for taking the formula of catching Pokémon to its logical conclusion. But you also have those that utterly loathe the changes, with people finding the Dex exclusions insulting and only giving more passage to the things that caused the series' design issues in the first place, whilst going down ''hard'' on ''Sword and Shield'' for its lackluster campaign and DLC that some felt was overpriced and didn't resolve any of the game's core issues, and criticizing ''Legends: Arceus'' for going hard in the other direction and throwing away the formula entirely in favor of something that didn't even feature PVP gameplay. This isn't even mentioning the people that don't quite fit into either of these, including those that criticized ''Sword and Shield'' for obeying the series' StrictlyFormula [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks to a fault]] whilst praising ''Legends: Arceus'' for doing something new and refreshing, as well as those that praised ''Sword and Shield'' for continuing to refine the classic formula and slamming ''Legends: Arceus'' for [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks its radical alterations to the experience]].

* There is a notable BrokenBase as to the Pokémon's cries, due to how they differ across incarnations. Fans argue over whether the synthesized animal noises of the games, the PokemonSpeak of the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]] and numerous spinoffs, or the voiced animal noises of ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' and the ''[=B2W2=]'' animated trailer are the best and should be used in media. While PokemonSpeak was once more widely criticized due to its heavy association with the anime, it became more accepted as the norm as it was used in more media (most notably the live-action ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu''), to the point that some reviewers such as [[WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}} Jim Sterling]] criticized its absence in the games in favor of the digitized cries they always used.
* The PronounTrouble that occurs when referring to certain Pokémon. Is it appropriate to use "[[ItIsDehumanizing It]]", or go with gender-indicating pronouns? This is prominent in regards to Pokémon that are {{One Gender Race}}s, especially since there's more than one individual.
* A seldom-seen but vocal group are the people who dislike the localization of the names of Pokémon, characters, and places, and would rather all international versions retain the Japanese names for everything. This, of course, doesn't sit well with the people who were introduced to Pokémon via names in their country's language or otherwise prefer their own country's localization over the original Japanese versions, and as what's essentially a SubbingVsDubbing debate, discussions get dicey really quickly.

** There's also a FandomRivalry between fans of Flygon (an antlion [[OurDragonsAreDifferent that is somehow a dragon]]) and Garchomp (a land shark... [[OurDragonsAreDifferent that is also somehow a dragon]].) Flygon fans viciously and relentlessly bash Garchomp for being overrated, overpowered, outclassing Flygon in every way, having an ugly and overcomplicated design, and getting "special treatment" from Creator/GameFreak while Flygon's been left in the dust ''since the generation of its debut'', ''especially'' after Garchomp got a [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]] and Flygon didn't[[labelnote:note]]Game Freak's actually pretty much MisBlamed on that last bit; they genuinely tried to come up with Mega Evolutions for ''both'' Pokémon, and while they succeeded with Garchomp, even after several attempts during the development of ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'' they couldn't get a design for Mega Flygon down they felt was good enough[[/labelnote]]. Garchomp fans just want Flygon fans to stop complaining and leave them and their landshark be, are just as prone to playing the "overrated" card as their opposition, and sometimes claim ''they'' and their Pokémon of choice are the ''real'' underdogs fandom-wise (the last two being fueled by the fact people who prefer Flygon actually seem to outnumber them by a good margin).

Being officially called a "mainline game" despite being so drastically different than every other entry considered as such meant that ''Legends: Arceus'' was inevitably going to cause a fractured base. Outside of a small amount of specific points that are generally agreed on, virtually everything is fuel to the fire.

* The massively lower amount of trainer battles, and that most bosses are wild Pokémon. Does it flow better with the game, especially since you're not going to find sequences of trainers with very weak teams, or does it make teambuilding too irrelevant [[spoiler:to be properly prepared for the battle against Volo]]? That the game tries to justify this by saying the people of Hisui had yet to trust Pokémon also causes a split in that whether it's a well-thought justification or just an excuse and that they could have had a way higher proportion of trainer battles if they wanted to.

* Is making the Pokédex mandatory something that makes sense and was bound to happen anytime soon, being the TropeNamer for GottaCatchEmAll, or does it turn the game into a collectathon? Progression in this game is directly tied to Pokédex completion, meaning players can find themselves catching Pokémon for the sake of advancing and not because they want to catch them, particularly since tasks can take a very long time to be fulfilled if you don't catch the Pokémon. This is especially relevant for [[spoiler:Arceus, which requires capturing one of every Pokémon (save for the Manaphy line, [[OldSaveBonus Darkrai, and Shaymin]])]], meaning the player has to actively seek out Pokémon they don't like just to reach the {{superboss}}.

* While the presence of the Link Cable item and the ability to use items that needed to be held while traded as normal items was met with praise, others also thought this [[SocializationBonus missed the point]] of trading.

* In Japan, the male dexholder/Prof. Oak's grandson is named Green to match the Red and Green version, while the third dexholder introduced later on would be named Blue, since that was the third version of the game. However, their names were switched in translation [[{{Woolseyism}} as to match the dual version in the west]], i.e, Red & Blue. This leads to much confusion among the fanbase, with some preferring to use the original while the others prefer the English games. (Many would specify their gender when referring to the two, with Blue (M) for example)

* One of the changes made to stats was that type-matchups are very ''very'' important in "Legends Arceus", much more than in other games. As a result of this? If a Pokémon gets hit by a type move that is super-effective, it will hit like a ''truck'' no matter how big a difference the levels are. Proponents of this system point out that it outright forces players to team build and put in type coverage; since they can't just use one Pokémon the whole time. Opponents of this system point out that it instead means [[OneStatToRuleThemAll Speed is more important than ever]], since a Pokémon with maxed out defensive [=EV/IVs=] will still take boatloads of damage no matter what if it's hit with a defensive move - which also means more defensive oriented Pokémon (Such as Ursaluna, Dusknoir, Mamoswine, Steelix, and Goodra) are just as much a GlassCannon as ''actual'' Pokémon intended to be such.

* One of the changes made to stats was that type-matchups are very ''very'' important in "Legends Arceus", much more than in other games. As a result of this? If a Pokémon gets hit by a type move that is super-effective, it will hit like a ''truck'' no matter how big a difference the levels are. Proponents of this system point out that it outright forces players to team build and put in type coverage; since they can't just use one Pokémon the whole time. Opponents of this system point out that it instead means [[OneStatToRuleThemAll Speed is more important than ever]], since a Pokémon with maxed out defensive EV/IVs will still take boatloads of damage no matter what if it's hit with a defensive move - which also means more defensive oriented Pokémon (Such as Ursaluna, Dusknoir, Mamoswine, Steelix, and Goodra) are just as much a GlassCannon as ''actual'' Pokémon intended to be such.
* While the presence of the Link Cable item and the ability to use items that needed to be held while traded as normal items was met with [[AndTheFandomRejoiced praise]], others also thought this [[SocializationBonus missed the point]] of trading.

** The cited reasons for the Dex exclusions also proved extremely controversial. While there was a general understanding that continuing to maintain nearly 1000 unique entities was no easy task, many fans were skeptical of Game Freak being able to keep its promise on improving the graphics and game balance due to their history of failing with it. Just within a few weeks of the games' release, the game's central gimmick of Dynamaxing was seen as a total GameBreaker. Smogon's decision to ban it early on was either proof among the fanbase that Game Freak failed to keep their promise, even when keeping the increased scrutiny of the game as a result of the Dex exclusions and the much larger install base in mind, or that Dynamax is only broken in Smogon's 6v6 Singles metagame and fans shouldn't view that as a reflection on the mechanic as a whole. One side praises the smaller number of variables and the removal of many historic game breakers such as Therian Landorus and Mega Rayquaza, and the other side believes that it is far less entertaining and only further reinforces the ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

** The games' more involved story and plot compared to past titles. Many praise it for not only being a refreshing change from the ExcusePlot of old, but being surprisingly engaging, especially since this was the first and to this day only mainline ''Pokémon'' game in which the FinalBoss of the game is not the Champion, with the player character's rivals also being seen as good {{Foil}}s and fitting perfectly with the theme of the story. However, there are just as many people who ridicule the games' story and plot for being a slog that wasn't that good in the first place, arguing that the story goes down to its most tired straits once [[spoiler:Ghetsis is revealed to have just wanted to liberate Pokémon from all Trainers just to leave himself as the sole person with them]], and even earlier where it throws away any potential [[GreyAndGreyMorality grey morality]] by having some Plasma grunts cartoonishly [[KickTheDog kicking a Pokémon to get an item it produces]] to hammer home early on that they're hypocrits. On top of that the plot forces the game and by extension the Unova region itself to be extremely linear compared to previous games. Similar to the above, this debate would also grow more intense with time as later ''Pokémon'' games would dial the story and plot back, especially ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield''; even the games' direct sequels featured a markedly less involved plot. Many lament that the backlash to ''Black and White'' made Game Freak hesitant to make a serious story standard, while others argue that the main series has never needed one and has continued to do fine without it.

** The games' more involved story and plot compared to past titles. Many praise it for not only being a refreshing change from the ExcusePlot of old, but being surprisingly engaging, especially since this was the first and to this day only mainline ''Pokémon'' game in which the FinalBoss of the game is not the Champion, with the player character's rivals also being seen as good {{Foil}}s and fitting perfectly with the theme of the story. However, there are just as many people who ridicule the games' story and plot for being a slog that wasn't that good in the first place, arguing that the story goes down to its most tired straits once [[spoiler:Ghetsis is revealed to have just wanted to liberate Pokémon from all Trainers just to leave himself as the sole person with them]], and even early where it throws away any potential [[GreyAndGreyMorality grey morality]] by having some Plasma grunts cartoonishly [[KickTheDog kicking a Pokémon to get an item it produces]] to hammer home early on that they're hypocrits. On top of that the plot forces the game and by extension the Unova region itself to be extremely linear compared to previous games. Similar to the above, this debate would also grow more intense with time as later ''Pokémon'' games would dial the story and plot back, especially ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield''; even the games' direct sequels featured a markedly less involved plot. Many lament that the backlash to ''Black and White'' made Game Freak hesitant to make a serious story standard, while others argue that the main series has never needed one and has continued to do fine without it.

** The games' more involved story and plot compared to past titles. Many praise it for not only being a refreshing change from the ExcusePlot of old, but being surprisingly engaging, especially since this was the first and to this day only mainline ''Pokémon'' game in which the FinalBoss of the game is not the Champion, with the player character's rivals also being seen as good {{Foil}}s and fitting perfectly with the theme of the story. However, there are just as many people who ridicule the games' story and plot for being a slog that wasn't that good in the first place, arguing that the story goes down to its most tired straits once [[spoiler:Ghetsis is revealed to have just wanted to liberate Pokémon from all Trainers just to leave himself as the sole person with them]] and that the plot forces the game and by extension the Unova region itself to be extremely linear compared to previous games. Similar to the above, this debate would also grow more intense with time as later ''Pokémon'' games would dial the story and plot back, especially ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield''; even the games' direct sequels featured a markedly less involved plot. Many lament that the backlash to ''Black and White'' made Game Freak hesitant to make a serious story standard, while others argue that the main series has never needed one and has continued to do fine without it.

** The promise to put Pokémon that "fit" the game already raised some eyebrows from the beginning, but the Galar Pokédex itself proved quite divisive. Of particular note was the omission of many fan favorites, such as Garchomp, Absol, and Ampharos, and the inclusion of some very unpopular Pokemon, mostly from [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation 5]], such as Basculin, Garbodor, Klinklang, and Vanilluxe[[note]]It's thought that James Turner, the art director of the game who started with ''Black'' and ''White'', has a bias for the generation similar to Creator/MasahiroSakurai's bias for ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. There is also how every creature he designed sans Shadow Lugia and the Ultra Beasts were in the base game.[[/note]]. This is base-breaking because every Pokémon is someone's favorite. Those who [[NostalgiaFilter grew up with these mons]] look at them fondly (in a way making this a case of OldGuardVersusNewBlood depending on age groups), [=YouTubers=] like LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} are fans of Garbodor, and even ''[[TierInducedScrappy Basculin]]'' has a small but strong fanbase (though this was before an evolution was introduced for it in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'').

%%Per Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease, do not add Broken Base entries for Scarlet and Violet until six months after its release (May 18)

%%Per Administrivia/NoRecentExamplesPlease, do not add Broken Base entries for ''Scarlet'' and ''Violet'' until six months after release (May 18)

** The cited reasons for the Dex exclusions also proved extremely controversial. While there was a general understanding that continuing to maintain nearly 1000 unique entities was no easy task, many fans were skeptical of Game Freak being able to keep its promise on improving the graphics and game balance due to their history of failing with it. Just within a few weeks of the games' release, the game's central gimmick of Dynamaxing was seen as a total GameBreaker. Smogon's decision to ban it early on was either proof among the fanbase that Game Freak failed to keep their promise, even when keeping the increased scrutiny of the game as a result of the Dex exclusions and the much larger install base in mind, or that Smogon just bans everything better than Magikarp. One side praises the smaller number of variables and the removal of many historic game breakers such as Therian Landorus and Mega Rayquaza, and the other side believes that it is far less entertaining and only further reinforces the ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

** On a related note, the fact that 221 Pokémon were added back into the game via the DLC. It is praised due to lessening the blow of the initial exclusions, as well as adding back a number of fan favorites such as the aforementioned Gible line and Absol. Detractors feel it is too little, too late; decry it for "removing features and selling them back later"; and argue that only a complete reversal of the decision would ever begin to make up for it. This also broke the already broken competitive fandom, as many are critical of the subsequent PowerCreep that was initially subverted with Dexit, while others say that more diversity is always a good thing.

* Is making the Pokédex mandatory something that makes sense and was bound to happen anytime soon, being the TropeNamer for GottaCatchEmAll, or does it turn the game into a collectathon? Progression in this game is directly tied to Pokédex completion, meaning players can find themselves catching Pokémon for the sake of advancing and not because they want to catch them, particularly since tasks can take a very long time to be fulfilled if you don't catch the Pokémon. This is especially relevant for [[spoiler:Arceus, which requires capturing one of every Pokémon (save for [[OldSaveBonus Darkrai and Shaymin]])]], meaning the player has to actively seek out Pokémon they don't like just to reach the TrueFinalBoss.

* The game makes for a ''much'' higher focus on exploration, expanding on ''Sword and Shield'''s concept of Wild Areas so that the game's map is essentially a group of open areas. Defenders will say it's a necessary change and puts Pokémon closer to modern titles (even if it's not WideOpenSandbox), and that newer entries had become [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom too linear]] and had maps that were not engaging. Detractors often point the QuicksandBox ''Legends: Arceus'' is affected by, with non-linear maps and missions can make the player feel lost, forget there was a goal to begin with and not make any progress, and that linear maps let players keep the idea of where they should be heading.

** Generation 1 vs. 2-8: Dubbed the "genwunners", these types of Pokémon fans refuse to acknowledge any part of the Pokémon franchise after the first generation, almost exclusively due to childhood [[NostalgiaFilter nostalgia]]. The phrase "There are only 151 real Pokémon" is often used, both seriously and [[MemeticMutation satirically]].
** Generations 2-8 vs. Generation 1: Because of the "genwunners", there are now many fans who are sick of the first generation and refuse to acknowledge it, often bashing the somewhat dated designs of the earliest Pokémon and the buggy, flawed battle system.
** Generation 1-2 vs. 3-8: Some count the second generation along with the first one as being "real" but still refuse to enjoy any generations released afterwards. They're often lumped in with the "genwunners" as a result.
** Generations 5-8 vs Generations 1-4: Some fans exclude everything before the fifth generation, preferring only the newest Pokémon (some will count Generation 4 though).
** Generations 1-5 vs. Generation 6-8: Some fans dislike and refuse to acknowledge the sixth generation onward for two main reasons: the introduction of the "Fairy" type and gimmicks like Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves. Later generations have also been accused of [[NostalgiaFilter grossly frequent Generation 1 pandering]] (Kanto starters in Generation 6, only Kanto Pokémon getting Alolan versions in Generation 7, the mere existence of Pokémon Let's Go: Pikachu and Eevee, and most of the Pokémon getting Gigantimax versions in Generation 8 being either Kanto Pokémon or Galar newcomers).

** Generations 1-7 vs. Generation 8: Easily the most heated and infamous one. This one essentially boils down to the removal of certain Pokémon in the roster of ''Sword and Shield'' (as well as Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves). Older fans consider the roster exclusions to be insulting to fans of Pokémon that did not get into the newer games (even those that were added later as DLC), rallying under the hashtag [=#BringBackNationalDex=]. They also claim that [[ReplacementScrappy the replacement for the 3DS games' Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves,]] [[ScrappyMechanic Dynamaxing,]] [[GameBreaker is wildly overpowered,]] and consider Sword and Shield's $60 (now $40 as of October 2020) price tag (with $30 DLC) to be overpriced considering the price of earlier installments and the length of the base game being only around 20 hours. Conversely, fans of Generation 8 don't mind the roster cut, saying that it alters the competitive scene in an interesting way and makes 100% completion less of a tedious chore. Similarly, the price of the game has also been linked to the console the system was released on rather than the game itself. They also consider going the DLC route to be an improvement over older games [[CapcomSequelStagnation just repackaging earlier installments as a definitive version]] and selling the improved version at the same price, [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo causing players to buy the same game twice.]]

* With every new generation comes claims from some long-time "fans" that the new Pokémon are "lame" and "unoriginal", [[NostalgiaFilter and that the 'mons before them are far superior]]. Normally, the "fans" who complain when a new generation comes out are the ones who complained when the previous generation came out, and all complaints about said previous gen are instantly forgotten. [[note]]This can be called the "Zelda Cycle", which is also very prominent in that series' fanbase.[[/note]]
* There is also a divide between Pokémon designs in general. Many players will only use Pokémon that they consider to have a close resemblance to actual animals or fantasy creatures whilst denouncing all others as either ugly, filler, or both. Then there are the people who consider the animal-esque Pokémon boring and overused, and instead use Pokémon with more surreal or humorous designs. And finally, there are the people who appreciate all (or almost all) Pokémon designs, use both animal-esque and surreal Pokémon, and consider the design divide ridiculous and childish.

* ''Pokémon HOME'', the successor to ''Pokémon Bank'', has been a divisive subject among the fandom ever since the announcement of "Dexit" back in June of 2019; just about the only thing agreed upon by both sides is that locking the Judge function behind a paywall is pointless, especially for Pokémon that can be transferred to a mainline title and have its individual values read that way. It has drawn the ire of many for locking away many features that were once part of the main series proper, namely the Global Trade Station and the National Pokédex. The removal of the latter, particularly, has led many to give the app derisive nicknames such as "Pokémon Prison", referencing how Pokémon transferred from before Generation 7 are stuck in ''HOME'' and cannot be taken out unless they are available in a mainline game. Others are more charitable to the app, particularly those who either did not care for or were okay with "Dexit" because of the massive workload involved with bringing every Pokémon forward in every mainline game, saying that ''HOME'' gives these "forgotten" Pokémon a centralized platform to be carried onto upon every periodic release. Some fans even use this to justify the shunting of the [=GTS=] to ''Pokémon HOME'', for it now being the only place that allows players to store all known Pokémon makes it the most sensible platform for trading them away. None of this even touches on the Premium Plan, which flares up almost any forum or social media post that dares to mention it: you'll find a whole spectrum of opinions, ranging from finding it to be a miniscule expense that should not matter to people buying 40 to 60 dollar games every year and something that actually makes the experience more centralized, to flabbergasted fans that think charging any more than an annual dollar for storing kilobytes of data on a server owned by one of the richest companies on the planet is outrageous.

** Generation VI marked a general shift towards linear plots, gimmicks such as Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamaxing, larger regional Pokédexes that rely heavily on past generations (especially [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen I]]), and more user-friendly competitive breeding and training in favor of fewer postgame features, a shift which has largely persisted through the series since. Some fans highly enjoyed these changes, as shown by the greater sales and mainstream attention of games from ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' onwards; the increased focus on classic Pokémon helped [[WinBackTheCrowd win back]] those who were alienated by the Unova games, and many fans highly appreciated how Game Freak finally acknowledged and helped players deal with GuideDangIt competitive mechanics like [=EV's=] and [=IV's=]. Other fans did not enjoy this new direction for the franchise, mostly for making the games less engaging for fans invested in single-player campaigns, sidequests/exploration, and postgame facilities. This divide wasn't at all helped by the many design and technical flubs in the games since, such as highly inefficient programming (resulting in framerate drops), oversights in Pokémon movesets and mechanics, underwhelming visuals, and of course the infamous Pokédex and move exclusions. Overall, fans in the latter category accused the games of transitioning from self-contained creative endeavors to an unpolished, MerchandiseDriven arm meant to advertise the rest of the franchise and establish Pokémon as marketing icons, much like [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]].[[note]]Coincidentally, the corresponding seasons of the anime are viewed as significant improvements over its adaptations of Generations III through V, but suffer from many of the same complaints, leading to accusations that effort is "divided more evenly" between the anime and games than before.[[/note]]

* The big one is the infamous decision to disallow the acquisition and subsequent use of Pokémon not in the game's regional Pokédex. Formerly one of the core pillars of the franchise (per the former series tagline "Gotta catch 'em all!"), this change in mindset already proved incredibly divisive from the onset of its announcement, what with the Treehouse stream where it was announced being slammed by thousands of dislikes, and the topic trending within hours and being a source of debate for the rest of the prerelease. The game's release and the reveal that 465 Pokémon were completely unavailable, thus excising over half of what the roster totaled to then, added further fuel to the fire. Those opposed to the decision, especially those whose main directive in the games was to collect them all and those whose preferred Pokémon and team compositions were made unavailable, argue that having them all is so fundamental that removing them is not only an insult to both the fans that cherish each creature and the people that made them, but led to many other parts of the game suffering (such as the Battle Tower, which was inevitably going to be far less compelling as a result of a Dex purge). Those who defend it say that they never cared to collect them all and that the work needed to bring them all in every game would be massive for very little payoff, especially when the series had been piling up baggage for so long, and "Dexit" gave them a chance to start fresh and reevaluate the series on the whole (though whether they succeeded or not is a subject of very heavy debate as well).
** The cited reasons for the Dex exclusions also proved extremely controversial. While there was a general understanding that continuing to maintain nearly 1000 unique entities was no easy task, many fans were skeptical of Game Freak being able to keep its promise on improving the graphics and game balance due to their history of failing with it. Come the game's release, and the game's central gimmick of Dynamaxing was seen as a total GameBreaker within the first few weeks. Smogon's decision to ban it early on was either proof among the fanbase that Game Freak failed to keep their promise, even when keeping the increased scrutiny of the game as a result of the Dex exclusions and the much larger install base in mind, or that Smogon just bans everything better than Magikarp. One side praises the smaller number of variables and the removal of many historic game breakers such as Therian Landorus and Mega Rayquaza, and the other side believes that it is far less entertaining and only further reinforces the ComplacentGamingSyndrome.

* The Expansion Pass DLC is praised for finally obviating needing to buy an entirely separate, full-priced game for marginally improved/additional content, while circumventing some of the issues present in the base game, most notably making the process of getting Gigantamax Factor Pokémon more simple and practical. However, it also gets some flak due to feelings that it is "removing features and selling them back later" due to the nature of its content, such as containing the only way to have Pokémon follow the protagonist in the overworld, and the fact that it doesn't touch the base campaign at all, resulting in the issues people had with it going completely unaddressed. The existence of two Expansion Passes, one for ''Sword'' and one for ''Shield'', is also either a good or bad thing depending on whether one views it as unnecessary due to the series' habit of making both versions nearly identical (this issue is further exacerbated for those that own both versions and thus need to buy the DLC separately for each if they want the content in both), or justifiable owing to the differences that do exist, especially in ''Sword and Shield'', being quite significant.
** On a related note, the fact that 221 Pokémon were added back into the game via the DLC. It is praised due to lessening the blow of the initial exclusions, as well as adding back a number of fan favorites such as the aforementioned Gible line and Absol. Detractors feel it is too little, too late; decry it for "removing features and selling them back later"; and argue that only a complete reversal of the decision would ever begin to make up for it. This also cleaved the competitive fandom in two, as many are critical of the subsequent PowerCreep that was initially subverted with Dexit, while others say that more diversity is always a good thing.