YMMV / Pokemon S 23 E 30 Betrayed Bothered And Beleaguered

• Broken Base: This episode is one of the most divisive in the franchise with it either being considered among the anime's best or worse. Supporters enjoyed the various interactions between the Ketchum family and showed a realistic depiction of neglect in the household. Detractors however feel that Pikachu is acting like a spoiled brat and getting jealous to the point of running away is antithetical to his character.
• Informed Wrongness: We are supposed to see Ash in the wrong for spending so much time with Riolu, but the matter of fact is Riolu is a baby and at most only a few weeks old, and as such, Baby Pokemon like Riolu require much more care and attention.
• Tear Jerker: Pikachu felt so ignored to the point that he wanted to leave Ash. It’s sad when you think about it.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: We are supposed to pity Pikachu for feeling neglected by Ash, however, Riolu requires more care than other Pokemon and Pikachu never exhibited jealousy towards previous baby Pokemon under Ash's care (Phanpy, Larvitar, Scraggy, and Noibat) or ones that Ash was legitimately favoring over others (Infernape and Greninja). Pikachu's sudden desire to be with Ash comes across less as a Pokemon unfairly neglected but rather a spoiled brat demanding to be the center of attention and makes him sound like he's acting like a baby, even though Riolu is the baby of the group. The way Pikachu is portrayed is the main reason why this episode has mixed reaction, as him acting this childishly sounds out of place considering that Greninja had overshadowed him for quite a while, yet he never complained here, even though he could have been jealous of him during that period, yet he never was.

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