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• When a creature evolves just at the right time, often in the middle of a battle. Especially noticeable as the game mechanics only allow evolution after a battle has ended. This is not the only game mechanic to be played around with in the anime ("Pikachu! The horn!" in his battle against Blaine's Rhydon, for instance). The horn moment became a Reverse Funny Aneurysm when later games introduced Rhydon's ability to attract lightning with the horn, protecting allies at no cost to itself.
• Averted during Ash's battle against Boring Invincible Anti Hero Paul when Ash's Chimchar evolved into a Monferno while battling Paul's Electrabuzz. It then promptly lost quite thoroughly, cementing the contest's status as a Curbstomp Battle.
• Some episodes before the Gym Battle versus Fantina, Ash fights with their Turtwig in a One-to-One battle against Paul and their Honchkrow. Turtwig was going to be defeated, and in the precise moment, Turtwig evolves to Grotle. It looks like a shine of hope for Ash, but not, he evolved only for being curb-stomped by the quick attacks of Honchkrow. Justified in that Turtwig, when evolved to Grotle, gained a lot of weight, making to Grotle unable to move with ease and quickness.

a) Evolution during the combat or thanks sheer will power was something started being showed really early in the plot. b) This thing is extremely commom in the anime. C) Is impossible note anything remotly weird with this without knew about the games.D) The characters are not playng the video game.

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This Troper just clicked the 'random' button at the top for the first time and wound up with 'Asspull.' Seems the wiki magic has a sense of humor.

Some have pointed out the energybending from Avatar: The Last Airbender helps to make sense of Aang's other Avatar powers if we assume that energy == chi == spirit. I still think that it qualifies as an Ass Pull simply because the series doesn't effectively connect the dots on screen, but I believe an argument can be made that this is a case of insufficient exposition that leads to an Ass Pull in practice.

Actually think it might be better to take this bit into discussion:

• The Hougyoku's involvement in the development of Ichigo, Orihime and Chad's powers despite being dormant and sealed inside Rukia's soul. Arguably its function as a Reality Warper rather than just something to dissolve the barriers between Shinigami and Hollows.
  • This may not be an Ass Pull. Urahara theorized Orihimie's and Chad's power resulted from Ichigo's leaking reiatsu but if that were the case why would Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro and Ichigo's siblings not develop any power except for being able to be sensitive to reiatsu? Chad and Orihime on the other hand both were involved in a fight (Acidwire/Shrieker respectively) against a Hollow where Rukia was present and they were not really in a position to help. One where they might've "cursed their powerlessness"...

The ultimate problem I'd have with this assertation attempting to justify is because even though the others did not gain more direct powers in line with Orihime and Chad, they have in fact been slowly evolving. Tatsuki clearly has an excuse in that regard, being highly protective of Orihime and having been involved in not one but two cases where she was completely unable to do anything, so she too might have been affected for a time by the orb, but the issue is Mizuno and Keigo, both of which also have been developing abilities for no explained reason despite having not been caught up in any of the shenanigans.

when the cause of their developing powers was Ichigo, this made sense, as each of the people developing powers were in some way close to Ichigo, Ishida even outright notes this when he makes note of his folly in going to protect his sisters from hollows when his friends also have unnaturally high spirit pressures at this point. However if the root cause of any kind of development is cursing their powerlessness from the bottom of their hearts, Mizuno and Keigo make no sense as to having any kind of development, having not been in any situation remotely like the others.

The most obvious explanation as to why they didn't have more direct powers, prior to the change of course, would be that they hadn't been put into such a desperate situation as to where they could easily use them when the chips called for it, Tatsuki being seeded or drained in both instances of high danger after her development, and Keigo being protected by Ikkaku more or less. Basically they, unlike Chad and Orihime, didn't have a chance to pull them out in that regard. But now with the change it leaves more questions about stuff that previously made logical sense prior to this.

I just deleted a part about Ed sacrificing the gate as an asspull when it was heavily talked about that Ed has to sacrifice something for Al. Several people pointed out that it wasn't an asspull, and the person who wrote it doesn't really explain why it's an asspull.

If you explain to me why it's an asspull I won't object to putting it back up.