History YMMV / PokemonRanger

* HilariousInHindsight:
** So, we had this Giant Crobat boss. Few years later, Generation VI and Mega Evolutions come. Then Totem Pokemon in Generation VII and Dynamaxing in Generation VIII.
** In the second game, Ice’s pre-battle pose looks amusingly similar to dabbing.
** The Electric field move in the second game is known as Electrify, which would become an actual Electric-type move in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY''.
** Similarly, the idea of riding specific Pokémon rather than relying on Hidden Machines predates Ride Pokémon from ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', with Empoleon and Sharpedo's ride functions being remarkably similar in that they're both faster water travel methods that can also break obstacles.

* BreatherBoss: Spiritomb in Shadows of Almia, after [[spoiler:Kincaid's]] Drapion, mainly because of two things: between those two you can get [[GameBreaker Steel-type Partner Pokémon]] and you also unlock Power Charge.

** Drapion. Not only does it hit quite hard, but low on HP it turns red, spamming with gas cloud giving not much time where you can freely circle it. Additionally, the fight's preceeded by two Rhyhorn and [[GoddamnedBats three Stunky]], and you have to do all three ''in a row''. And this is before you get the handy Shieldon. Even these Drowzee[[note]]As Drapion is classified as being Poison-type, therefore being weak to Psychic-type Assists[[/note]] on the ship may not be enough help and you may need to repeat the fight.
** Rampardos is also this for some. It's a ''massive'' [[DifficultySpike step-up from the previous bosses]] and has three very strong attacks that can quickly drain your styler. It's telling that Barlow tells you that there's no shame in fleeing if you get into trouble right before you fight it.

*** The Psychic-type assist is also very powerful, being able to prevent just about anything from attacking for extended periods of time. Grab [[CreepyChild Mime Jr.]] as your partner, and laugh all the way to the end of the game.
*** The Electric-type assist is like the Psychic one, only you can get the partner Pokémon for it early game, and it's tap to use. On group captures, you can gather the targets all together, paralyze them, and circle around them, paralyze again, and circle, repeating until you've recharged your partner Pokémon’s assist and can use it before it's initially run out. This even applies to the final room of the capture arena!
*** The Ice-type assist is basically what happens when the Steel and Electric assists have a baby. While the snowball does take a bit longer to form than Steel's ball of light, in exchange it ''completely'' immobilizes the Pokémon. You can get an Ice-type partner in the form of Snorunt, albeit a bit later than the other partners.

* FanPreferredCouple: Both gendered protagonists together in all three games. Though in ''Shadows of Almia'', Protagonist/Keith is also significantly popular.

** ''Shadows of Almia'':
*** The steel-type assist prevents targeted Pokémon from attacking. Halfway through the game, you obtain a steel-type partner Pokémon. Do the math.
*** The Psychic-type assist is also very powerful, being able to immobilize just about anything for extended periods of time. Grab [[CreepyChild Mime Jr.]] as your partner, and laugh all the way to the end of the game.
*** The Electric-type assist is like the psychic one, only you can get the partner Pokémon for it early game, and it's tap to use. On group captures, you can gather the targets all together, paralyze them, and circle around them, paralyze again, and circle, repeating until you've recharged your partner Pokémon’s assist and can use it before it's initially run out. This even applies to the final room of the capture arena!

*** Special mention to the Gligar that harasses you in the first game during a mission where you need to slowly climb across vines while it tries to knock you off to waste your time.

* FridgeLogic:
** How exactly is Team Dim Sun supposed to use a Wailord as a cargo ship? Gut it and use its innards as a storage device?
** Porygon-Z can be found in the past in the third game. ''Porygon-Z!''
*** [[AWizardDidIt A Celebi Did It]]
** Mewtwo is in an ancient temple. [[spoiler:Probably placed there by Edward, but that brings up the question of how he set up that machine in such a short time...]]

* FoeYay: The manga adaptation has [[http://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/3/3a/PR3.png this]]... ''interesting'' scene between Solana and Tiffany.

* AnticlimaxBoss: [[spoiler:Giant Crobat]], while definitely a cool idea, is executed in a way where it is simply not difficult [[spoiler:especially compared to its fellow Societea bosses [[ThatOneBoss Ditto and Regigigas]]]]. It is a sky battle, meaning that there is no rage mode, and while the player can't use any Poke Assists, it can't break the line except through attacks. This also means that its large size actually works ''against'' it, being a bigger target to only partially circle. It also has very low health and very easy to avoid attacks ([[GlassCannon Just don't get hit by those attacks]]).

** So, we had this [[spoiler:Giant Crobat]] boss. Few years later, Generation VI and [[spoiler:Mega Evolutions]] come. Then [[spoiler:Totem Pokemon]] in Generation VII and [[spoiler:Dynamaxing]] in Generation VIII.
** In the second game, Ice’s pre-battle pose looks amusingly similar to dabbing

* ScrappyMechanic: The fact that the Ranger Net bonus missions can only be played once ''per cartridge'', not once per playthrough, but only once per actual physical copy of the game. While this is obviously done to keep the Pokémon limited, it also completely destroys the game's resale value, since who wants to play a used copy with all the endgame prizes taken from it? This has also made Manaphy one of the most elusive Legendary Pokémon to obtain in any of the games, as a result. Even more infuriatingly, since Nintendo WFC is discontinued, players that didn't have the Ranger Net special missions unlocked can never play them anymore[[note]]at least not legally, as it's possible to inject these into copies of the game with the use of save editors and homebrew tools[[/note]].

* ScrappyMechanic: The fact that the Ranger Net bonus missions can only be played once ''per cartridge'', not once per playthrough, but only once per actual physical copy of the game. While this is obviously done to keep the Pokémon limited, it also completely destroys the game's resale value, since who wants to play a used copy with all the endgame prizes taken from it? This has also made Manaphy one of the most elusive Legendary Pokémon to obtain in any of the games, as a result. Even more infuriatingly, since Nintendo WFC is discontinued, players that didn't have the Ranger Net special missions unlocked can never play them anymore.

* GameBreaker:
** In the second game, the steel-type assist prevents targeted Pokémon from attacking. Halfway through the game, you obtain a steel-type partner Pokémon. Do the math.
** The Psychic-type assist is also very powerful, being able to immobilize just about anything for extended periods of time. Grab [[CreepyChild Mime Jr.]] as your partner, and laugh all the way to the end of the game.
** The Electric-type assist is like the psychic one, only you can get the partner Pokémon for it early game, and it's tap to use. On group captures, you can gather the targets all together, paralyze them, and circle around them, paralyze again, and circle, repeating until you've recharged your partner Pokémon’s assist and can use it before it's initially run out. This even applies to the final room of the capture arena!
** Early in the third game, you can catch a Xatu. Its assist is extremely powerful, and briefly prevents the opponent from attacking. Just put it in a corner or behind an attacking Pokémon, and you've won.

* GoddamnedBats: Golbat and Crobat in the caves will ''not'' leave you alone. Generally, any aggressive Pokémon that is faster than you, such as Houndoom, would qualify.

* FridgeLogic: How exactly is Team Dim Sun supposed to use a Wailord as a cargo ship? Gut it and use its innards as a storage device?

* MoralEventHorizon: The [[spoiler:Societea]] cross this when they [[spoiler:''VAPORIZE'' Dolce Island!]] And where to ''begin'' with [[spoiler:Purple Eyes...]]

* ScrappyMechanic: The fact that the Ranger Net bonus missions can only be played once ''per cartridge'', not once per playthrough, but only once per actual physical copy of the game. While this is obviously done to keep the Pokémon limited, it also completely destroys the game's resale value, since who wants to play a used copy with all the endgame prizes taken from it? This has also made Manaphy one of the most elusive Legendary Pokémon to obtain in any of the games, as a result.
** Even more infuriatingly, since Nintendo WFC was disabled, players that didn't have the Ranger Net special missions unlocked can never play them anymore.

* ThatOneBoss: Drapion. Not only Drapion hits quite hard, but low on HP he turns red, spamming with gas cloud giving not much time where you can freely circle him. Additionally, the fight's preceeded by two Rhyhorn and [[GoddamnedBats three Stunky]], and you have to do all three ''in a row''. And this is before you get the handy Shieldon. Even these Drowzee[[note]]As Drapion is classified as being Poison-type, therefore being weak to Psychic-type Assists[[/note]] on the ship may not be enough help and you may need to repeat the fight.

* GoddamnedBoss: Mew in the original game. You get roughly 30 seconds to try and capture it before it flees, and all the while it will be jumping around like a hamster on a sugar rush, making it nigh-impossible to get enough loops down. You do get Bug assists by the dozen to hold it down, but unless you're ''really'' fast, Mew will break free and snap your Capture Line before you can capture it. While it's basically impossible to fail the associated mission as Mew doesn't deal any damage and you get unlimited attempts, your patience might not hold out that long.

* CompleteMonster: PurpleEyes from ''Guardian Signs''. PurpleEyes is the nefarious leader of the Pokémon Pinchers and a true sociopath who eclipses even the Societea in cruel {{ambition|IsEvil}}. Kidnapping and brutalizing Rand before the plot and pulling the strings behind Red Eyes and Blue Eyes, Purple Eyes [[EstablishingCharacterMoment debuts]] in the midst of holding Rand's family hostage and torturing his [[WouldHurtAChild young daughter]] Nema. After he's sold as a lost cause by Dr. Edward, Purple Eyes raids the parts of the Golden Armor from the other Societea members, [[TheStarscream usurping Dr. Edward's position]] and controlling Mewtwo into finishing him off — gleefully brushing off Rand's apparent sacrifice once he takes the bullet. Once he's defeated, Purple Eyes allows himself to die with the full knowledge that without the Golden Armor's power, the fortress he and the Rangers are on will plummet into the ocean and create a tsunami powerful enough to wipe out Oblivia and everyone in it. Purple Eyes truly comes into his own in the story's last extra mission; after repeated interrogation, Purple Eyes [[MisanthropeSupreme snaps]] and decides the only logical course of action is to [[KillAllHumans exterminate all humanity]] and recreate it [[AGodAmI as its supreme god]], attempting to goad Arceus into killing off all humans whilst leaving himself as their sole survivor.

** Lucario, in both Shadows of Almia and Guardian Signs but ''especially'' the latter. In the former, it launches flurries of energy orbs and punches, as well as creating energy mines on the ground to hinder your capturing, ''all without the tell-tale exclamation mark that signals that an attack is coming.'' And then it periodically surrounds itself in an aura of energy, making its attacks even more fierce. In the latter, it appears as the first boss of the Thunder Temple in the Past missions, where it uses incredibly quick dashes across the screen that must be reacted to instantly otherwise they hit you. It also retains its energy orb landmine attack, only this time it creates four without the energy aura, and the space between them is much tighter while also being the exact distance to make it nearly impossible to circle Lucario while it's in the middle of the orbs. Its punch attack is telegraphed for longer, so it's the easiest to avoid, but it also begins to rush across the screen and launch a flurry of punches while doing so, which basically requires you to stop looping around it otherwise you get hit. But that's not the worst of it. Once you're halfway done capturing it, it becomes agitated and gains a rage meter that you need to deplete; this is normal, but what ''isn't'' normal is that once you're nearly done with the capture and the regular gauge is almost full, ''it becomes agitated '''AGAIN''''', giving it the distinction of being the ONLY boss in the entire game with two Rage Meters. And you have to do all of this while being on a strict timer; if you didn't get every timer extension on the way and you got caught by agitated Pokemon multiple times, you're bound to fail.

** Rampardos is also this for some. It's a ''massive'' [[DifficultySpike step-up from the previous bosses]] and has three very strong attacks that can quickly drain your styler.

* MemeticMutation: TARGET CLEAR!!
** Also, Metagross's [[BeamSpam constant laser attacks]] have led to many Shoop Da Whoop jokes.

* GameBreaker: In the second game, the steel-type assist prevents targeted Pokémon from attacking. Halfway through the game, you obtain a steel-type partner Pokémon. Do the math.

** In the post game of ''Guardian Signs'', you have to chase down the legendary birds while in the air. This is harder than it sounds, since they're just barely slower than Lati@s at max speed, they can turn much sharper than you can, and they can dive in the clouds or fly outside the boundary of the map, both of which end the chase. The only reprieve is that you can reset the ones you haven't caught up to yet by returning to the Aqua Resort and taking off from it again, but you'll be doing that a lot.

* ThatOneSidequest: If you consider the Past missions in ''Guardian Signs'' to be one big sidequest adventure, then it's this because of how ''[[NintendoHard insane]]'' several of them are, especially when playing alone.

* NightmareFuel: It is possible to die via NonstandardGameOver in ''Shadows of Almia'' if you fail to [[TimeBasedMission stop the cargo ship you're on from sinking]]. If you let the timer run out, the game falls to black and silence before noting that the ship sank beneath the waves.

* HilariousInHindsight: So, we had this [[spoiler:Giant Crobat]] boss. Few years later, Generation VI and [[spoiler:Mega Evolutions]] come. Then [[spoiler:Totem Pokemon]] in Generation VII and [[spoiler:Dynamaxing]] in Generation VIII.