Pokémon anime

Ash not evolving mons is a meme. He has more evolved mons, the thing is he also has plenty of single-stage mons.

Anyway dat preview. Water Pulse becomes Rasengan and we get to see something like Goku meeting Gohan.

So is it appropriate to call it the Cell Saga?

There have been Cell jokes for some time, yes.

I'm such a geek, but it looked like a fun idea to explore. Now I hope I got all of this right. Ignoring that some (Pikachu and Snorlax) got additional evolutions (or pre-evolutions as the case may be) I’ll put them where they were at time of capture. I discounted Aipom from this since she evolved under Dawn. I only counted those who appear in Openings (so no Haunter). However, I didn't count Larvitar despite whatever 'honorary status' he might have.

Basic Stage: 10 Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Totodile, Corphish, Buizel, Gible, Snivy, Oshawott, Scraggy

Middle Stage: 5 Bayleef, Quilava, Pignite, Palpitoad, Boldore

Single-Stage Mons: 6 Tauros, Lapras, Snorlax, Heracross, Torkoal, Hawlucha

Fully Evolved: 18

Two Stage Evolution Lines: Kingler, Primeape, Muk, Noctowl, Donphan, Swellow, Glalie, Noivern

Three Stage Evolution Lines: Butterfree, Pidgeot, Charizard, Sceptile, Unfezant, Leavanny, Krookodile, Greninja, Talonflame, Goodra

Note: Butterfree, Pidgeot, Lapras, and Goodra were released. Primeape is in limbo.

Note: Ash caught Primeape, Muk, Noctowl, and Palpitoad as they were. Ash caught Krookodile as Krokorok, but knew him as Sandile.

Note: Quilava and Donphan evolved in later series.

edited 18th Oct '15 10:55:56 AM by WorldTurtle2

He released Primeape. It was a dub thing that he will take him back.

In any case, it's more apt to say that Ash has many single-evo mons than not really evolving his mons. I think the problem is mostly due to how OS era handled screentime (starters always).

Not evolving is a meme left over from the original season. Most people stopped watching it then (the inital craze had died down) so they only know the Ash as an idiot loser with weak mons that rarely battles.

You might as well say he doesn't beat Gym Leaders but gets pity badges. Hasn't been a thing in over a decade.

Technically Primeape wasn't released but given to another trainer. The openings and endings seem to treat this as being in training like Squirtle and Charizard though. Since he probably wouldn't have appeared at Oak's in "Be an Arrow" if he were seen as under a different trainer's ownership like Ambipom.

Now while this is what the openings imply there is no evidence in the anime itself. So Primeape is in limbo till otherwise.

edited 18th Oct '15 1:25:25 PM by WorldTurtle2

Primeape will never be seen again. It doesn't matter. Primeape was one of those pokemon who should have went to Oak's lab in Kanto like Kingler and Muk but was released for no good reason.

I think they just wanted him gone so when Charizard would later give him problems people wouldn't be saying "Why is Charizard a problem, he got Primeape to listen to him."

And also because he'd be too powerful. This is back in the Ash has to be weak era.

XY Ash totally deserves this

That's awesome.

So, I've been thinking lately, first we have Infernape as Son Goku the Monkey King of Fire who can go Super Saiyan.

Next we have Greninja as Jiraiya the Ninja Frog of Water who fights with Shadow Clones and Rasengan.

What other Japanese Pop Culture Public Domain Character with an Animal Motif can we use for a Grass Starter?

edited 19th Oct '15 3:59:51 PM by WorldTurtle2

Back on the dub side: apparently, Cartoon Network will be airing episodes on November 14th and 28th but not the 21st.

The important part is that the 28th is part of American Thanksgiving Weekend, where to grandmother's house all kids should be (unless the parents decided to go shopping on Thanksgiving Day instead...) whereas the 21st is part of a normal weekend.

So, will we see Movie 18 EDIT: on the 21st? (I think it's a bit early for the 4th episode of the Mega Evolutions series.)

edited 19th Oct '15 5:09:00 PM by DonaldthePotholer

November 12th: XY&Z003 - Mega Audino VS Giga Giga Meowth!! The group encounters a Joy trapped behind a rock. She guides them to a Pokémon Center, but they're unable to actually enter it!?

November 19th: XY&Z004 - Litleo and Pyroar! A Firey Departure!! A Litleo was about to leave its pride in order to live on its own! However, a mysterious shadow has its eyes fixed on it and….

Best gym battle ever. Easily the best. If a list doesn't feature this as one of the top 3, it's a shit list.

Holy fucking shit... Just... Oh god.

Also before people squeal, Sycamore handed Pokedex Z on Ash and Serena sure, but it's not to promote Hoenn or anything. Apparently it's for Mega Evolution data. So it's a nice way to show the merchandising of that in the show.

Best. Double. Battle. Ever.

Everything about this was just amazing.

edited 22nd Oct '15 10:50:57 AM by WorldTurtle2

I'm surprised they didn't have Greninja evolve during the Gym, it would have been a nice way to cap off the XY anime before the XYZ portion starts.

So now that we've seen all but the last XY Gym, would you guys say XY has the best Gym battles of the series? Previously people felt DP had the best Gyms of the series, do you think it surpassed DP?

Even the supposed "least good" gyms are pretty good so yeah. No cop outs too (I am looking at you Maylene). And Olympia battle being the best.

With regards to Pikachu, it's no more different than having a timer in your body. Pikachu didn't interfere in the fight.

edited 23rd Oct '15 5:36:28 AM by Ookamikun

... Not sure what to think. Do they even remember him?

He had the first guest VA for the dub (the Sebastian jokes will never end), so he's kinda significant for older US fans. But I will relent that Tobias is a DEM in trainer form.

I think they'd hit the rock bottom of staleness and lack of inspiration if they not only have Ash knocked out of the league by some arrogant jerk with blantantly unfair Pokemon but it's the same guy that did it the last time Ash was doing extremely well and needed a BS loss to keep the status quo going.

None of the league rivals ever returned in the anime other than Richie (and even then Richie never battled Ash in a league again), so I don't think we'll see Tobias again.

Harrisson with his Blaziken from the Johto league, Tyson and Morrisson from Hoenn, and the BW league rivals never returned either.

The league rivals are just there to give Ash someone to lose to, the writers have no intention of making them recurring characters or developing them. That's why they vanish forever after the leagues.

edited 23rd Oct '15 7:09:46 PM by precita

Interesting fact: Every one of the Tournament Rivals that has defeated Ash has at least one Pokemon whose final form can Mega Evolve:

• Ritchie: Zippo (Charmeleon) and Cruise (Pupitar)
• Harrison: Blaziken, Houndoom, and Steelix
• Tyson: Sceptile and Metagross
• Tobias: Latios
• Cameron: Lucario
• Adding Minor competitions where Ash was eliminated in a knockout stage, we can add Misty (Gyarados), Zoey (Gallade),^note If you make it to the battle rounds of a Contest, it counts, and Iris (Gible) EDIT: Though, like Cruise, these were all obtained after their respective battle.

EDIT: Not unless the situation would be rectified, eh?

At present, among Ash's potential Kalos rivals, only Sanpei (and his eldest brother Ippei) doesn't have a Mega-able Pokemon, though, as their only known Pokemon are Greninja, I expect those exceptions to be resolved. Other potential Kalos Rivals for Ash include Tierno (Blastoise), Sawyer (Grovyle), Alain (Charizard), and technically Nihei (Sanpei's middle brother with Venusaur).

edited 23rd Oct '15 7:30:41 PM by DonaldthePotholer

Except for Gary, I don't think any rival Ash had has ever appeared in the following seasons.

Yep, not even Paul ever got another appearance in an episode after DP ended. All his secondary rivals too like Barry, the BW rivals, etc. also are dropped after the gen ends.

Gary sort of has that Misty/Brock type deal where being an original series character means he can come back from time to time. Even then Gary hasn't appeared since 2009 in the Team Galactic finale, so we haven't seen him for quite some time either.

x8

What, if I may ask, was so wrong with the Maylene battle that makes it a dud? If you're referring to the fact that it ended in a tie (between Ash's Buizel and her Lucario), I don't see what's so wrong with that - it added a new dimension to things and played into the characters all quite well (Maylene had a pretty nice arc in the anime, too). If you take issue with Chimchar fighting well but losing without making a KO, I actually think that was plausible for him at the time - before he became, y'know, Mr. "I Am the Only One Allowed To Beat More Than One Opponent in a Major Battle, and WILL Always Do So Because My Teammates Will Suffer The Worf Effect, Especially Torterra"...

For me personally, the dud will always be the Volkner match - not only did they waste Torterra in the cheapest way possible (Electivire using Ice Punch to One-Hit KO him), they didn't give a 4-on-4 like Candice (which could've seen him use the games' Ambipom or Octillery for variety, like the latter using Zap Cannon or something as a surprise); overall, given his reputation as SO unbeatable, he kind of fell flat compared to the games' Volkner (as well as last Gym Leaders in general, given Roxie out-shines him), and it seems the only thing they really cared about was using that battle to FINALLY get Infernape to master Blaze. Such a waste, given how impressive all the previous Sinnoh Gym Leaders and the excellent Gym Battles therein.

Speaking of Torterra, someone also mentioned how Ash usually uses the Lightning Bruiser/Glass Cannon combinations in his team, most of the time, which might explain why he became such a Jobber after he evolved - remember when he became Grotle, and his new body weight made his original fighting style impossible? Even so, it's disappointing just how MUCH it seemed to demonstrate that Ash can't use a Mighty Glacier in battle (especially given that Muk the Stone Wall, despite or maybe BECAUSE of his underuse, wasn't this badly treated in combat... It made me kinda wish that Brock had gotten one of the Starters like in Hoenn; it's what I originally thought they DID do, except with Chimchar, based on the posters (in my defence I wasn't into the franchise anymore, at the time). That in itself is ironic given the prior discussion about how the Starters are distributed - the females have never had the Grass-type Starter over three different series (May and Serena had the Fire-type, Dawn the Water-type); and the males have had either the Water-type (Brock with Mudkip) or the Grass-type (Clemont with Chespin), the latter of which I predict WILL evolve... but only once, like his predecessor in such a role.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if XY was the last series featuring Ash, but I'm game if it's not too - so long as the successor isn't yet another Best Wishes!, that is. If nothing else, they can change up the Starter combinations or something - Ash could get only the Fire-type for once, or a duo of Grass/Water or Fire/Water (to contrast his DP team); and if they chose to break tradition and have Serena carry over (unlikely, but I'm talking theoretically here), they could have a female friend who does NOT get a Starter of the region but a male friend who does (something we've never seen before). Of course, this is all just window-dressing - it's much harder to tell about quality since, as many have pointed out, the overarching stories are getting repetitive.

New scans indicate the Mega Sceptile belongs to Shota...unfortunately.

Looks like Ash's Sceptile won't be returning after all. I guess the Greninja forme will be his only Mega if that even counts as a Mega.