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What kind of Ash do you want?

2,581
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    • Seen Nov 13, 2019
    The Pocket Monsters anime runs on themes of improving, getting stronger, and there always being someone better. None of this is possible to convey when your protagonist can only lose to the very top echelon of trainers. Yu-Gi-Oh tells a different story. Atem was presented as special from the beginning, Satoshi was not. He's a regular, albeit talented, trainer who experiences struggles, who makes mistakes and who has to learn lessons. He has a relatable "everyman" element to him that Atem didn't, and was never meant to have.

    While Satoshi should be good at battles (and, for the most part, he's presented as being so), I don't want to see a Pocket Monsters anime where he can't lose to anyone who isn't a champion or doesn't have legendaries. That's boring. If anything, many of Satoshi's best character moments have come in the fallout of big losses. The fallout of his first Pokémon League, his loss to Touki, the big 6-2 loss to Shinji, etc. Because those are the moments when the character actually had to reassess the way he looked at a problem, change his way of thinking about it, and eventually came out stronger for it. This is what a protagonist like him is supposed to do.

    Shinji, and I can't believe this has to be said again, wasn't the protagonist. He wasn't overpowered either, but that's a different discussion. Shinji had a different function in DP: Satoshi's primary antagonist. He only appeared sporadically and was built as being an especially tough trainer because otherwise it wouldn't mean anything when Satoshi eventually overcame him. And one of the reasons why the final battle between Satoshi and Shinji worked so well was because of the previous 187 episodes of Satoshi improving his battle style (ex. the Counter Shield), getting help from other experienced trainers (ex. the Air Battle Master, the COTD who helped teach Bouysel the Ice Punch move), and because of some of the bigger losses he'd taken over the course of his Sinnoh journey (note that Shinji brings up their earlier full battle after Satoshi calls in Bouysel).

    The term "overpowered" isn't meant to be a compliment. If someone is referring to a character as "OP", it's usually as a part of a complaint that the plot has hurt the crucial element of drama by making a character too strong. Why would you want that to happen with Satoshi?

    Oh , I guess Ash losing to a Complete Rookie make the Show exciting huh .
    Your forgetting that it being 20 year since Anime started ! Ash no longer the rookie , He's the trainer who conquer Battle Frontier and he should treated as Such.
    As far as I say , People only say OP Protagonist to be Bad But they themself Pick the OP Protagonist as their favorite.
    If you just look though all popular character then You will find more OP character then your Underdog Protagonist.
    Ash being losing to a Complete Rookie Or an Idiot didn't made BW Series ! Its make BW Series disgusting .
    I'm not saying Ash should be Unbeatable ! However I'm saying If he gonna lose then he should lose to someone WORTHY !!!
    Atem Or Paul wasn't Unbeatable or Perfect ! They just win a lot .
    However , They Themselves had a lot of issue and gone though development .


    For example , If Ash & Pikachu lose to another Cameron after beating Korrina's Mega Lucario then it not only make him look bad ,It also make Korrina look Bad .
    Let me remind you , By 20 year Ash should been a Legend ! But He doesn't move forward because some people (mainly Director) think it would more exciting for him remain a weakling Forever .
    Like a Non-Special , Slight above average Protagonist From Visual Harem Novel who win Every girl by his Infinite Kindness .
     
    Last edited:
    2,688
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    • Seen Aug 29, 2020
    Oh , I guess Ash losing to a Complete Rookie make the Show exciting huh .
    Your forgetting that it being 20 year since Anime started ! Ash no longer the rookie , He's the trainer who conquer Battle Frontier and he should treated as Such.
    As far as I say , People only say OP Protagonist to be Bad But they themself Pick the OP Protagonist as their favorite.
    If you just look though all popular character then You will find more OP character then your Underdog Protagonist.
    Ash being losing to a Complete Rookie Or an Idiot didn't made BW Series ! Its make BW Series disgusting .
    I'm not saying Ash should be Unbeatable ! However I'm saying If he gonna lose then he should lose to someone WORTHY !!!
    Atem Or Paul wasn't Unbeatable or Perfect ! They just win a lot .
    However , They Themselves had a lot of issue and gone though development .


    For example , If Ash & Pikachu lose to another Cameron after beating Korrina's Mega Lucario then it not only make him look bad ,It also make Korrina look Bad .
    Let me remind you , By 20 year Ash should been a Legend ! But He doesn't move forward because some people (mainly Director) think it would more exciting for him remain a weakling Forever .
    Like a Non-Special , Slight above average Protagonist From Visual Harem Novel who win Every girl by his Infinite Kindness .

    Famon does have a point there, especially when the Battle Frontier Brains were strongly implied, if not confirmed to at least be on the level of the Elite 4, if not being even stronger. Then again, technically, the show should have ended back during the Orange Islands, where Ash actually managed to win a League (technically, anyways). The Brains were what made AG somewhat redeemable, especially when otherwise, it really came across as being filler even more than Johto ever did (let's face it, Johto may have been plagued with fillers, but at least Ash actually increased in rank and progressed in that region. We can't even say Ash actually progressed in AG, Brains aside). Not to mention the gym leaders since then were actually treated pretty badly, losing to rookies, so it isn't exactly looking good on them. At least with Johto, the loss was somewhat mitigated with several of Ash's Pokémon used being veterans, including Pikachu. The sting about Misty being removed by being forced to become a GL doesn't help the sting either, especially when it effectively insulted her character and skills (honestly, the Hoenn GLs actually came across like JJM losing against Caterpie in the third episode).

    It also doesn't help that the writers are still insistent on keeping Ash 10, despite the kind of plot that the show has, you know, would strongly imply time passing and thus aging being very much inevitable. Even the Dead or Alive series aged its characters starting with DOA5, and before then the girls stayed the same age even when time had actually passed.

    Having him be unbeatable would be a bad idea, but having him lose to people he really should be able to beat effortlessly is an even worse idea, as well.
     

    Lizardo

    Public Enemy
    290
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    • Seen Aug 18, 2016
    Oh , I guess Ash losing to a Complete Rookie make the Show exciting huh .
    I honestly don't understand how you came to the conclusion that just because I don't think Satoshi should beat everyone but a select few trainers means that I think he should be losing to rookies.

    Look, I get that Best Wishes often didn't do a good job with having Satoshi demonstrate his talent at battling. Moments like the first two Shooti battles, Raimon Gym, and his Isshu League battle with Kotetsu didn't do much for the character. I've posted about that several times on this board. But that's three years and one show against the OS, AG, DP, and XY that've done a better job at balancing his strengths while still pushing the fact that he continues to have a ways to go. BW doesn't have to be representative of Satoshi as a whole.

    Your forgetting that it being 20 year since Anime started ! Ash no longer the rookie , He's the trainer who conquer Battle Frontier and he should treated as Such.
    Satoshi hasn't been treated as a rookie for many years now. The earlier AG episodes often contrasted his experience with the more inexperienced Haruka. In the third DP episode, during his battle with Shinji, Hikari sees them battle and makes it a point to mention how he and Shinji are both strong. His battle with Citron in XY's first episode impresses both Citron and Eureka for how well he and Pikachu work together. In each of these, Satoshi is presented as someone who has been a Pokémon trainer for a while and is good at it.

    Just because he won the Battle Frontier doesn't, and shouldn't, mean that he's not capable of losing or that he still doesn't have more to learn. This is exactly what Shigeru shows him in the final AG episode.

    I'm not saying Ash should be Unbeatable ! However I'm saying If he gonna lose then he should lose to someone WORTHY !!!
    You said that he should be "overpowered" like Shinji and Atem were. Not only was Shinji not really overpowered, but being so is not a good thing. If people are calling a character that, it generally means the writers made a mistake.

    Atem Or Paul wasn't Unbeatable or Perfect ! They just win a lot .
    Yes, and there's a reason why both of them win a lot that I explained in the last post. Satoshi isn't Atem, and Pocket Monsters isn't Yu-Gi-Oh. And Satoshi and Shinji fulfill two different roles throughout Diamond & Pearl.

    Let me remind you , By 20 year Ash should been a Legend ! But He doesn't move forward because some people (mainly Director) think it would more exciting for him remain a weakling Forever .
    Like a Non-Special , Slight above average Protagonist From Visual Harem Novel who win Every girl by his Infinite Kindness .
    While there's definitely an argument to be made that he doesn't move forward (or, at least, has stopped doing so; depending on how you view it), Satoshi isn't weak. He wins his eight badges, he always ranks highly in each League he participates in, and he's earned the respect of many of the other trainers he's come across, including Gym Leaders. He's not the greatest trainer out there, but he's not being presented as a weak one.

    Also, no matter how little sense it makes, twenty years has not passed in Satoshi's timeline.
     
    2,688
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    19
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    • Seen Aug 29, 2020
    Just because he won the Battle Frontier doesn't, and shouldn't, mean that he's not capable of losing or that he still doesn't have more to learn. This is exactly what Shigeru shows him in the final AG episode.

    It's funny, because the first movie did strongly imply that a Pokémon Master was supposed to be someone who was literally unbeatable, considering how Mewtwo actually referred to himself as such, and actually proved himself to be unbeatable, at least in Pokémon battles.
     
    13,600
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    • they/them
    • Seen Dec 11, 2023
    Ash isn't a Pokemon Master. He isn't going to be until the end of the series. So I'm going to have to agree that there still needs to be losses and struggles or else the show will get boring with Ash winning over and over again. He still has a lot to learn and has a lot of room to grow.
     
    2,688
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    • Seen Aug 29, 2020
    Ash isn't a Pokemon Master. He isn't going to be until the end of the series. So I'm going to have to agree that there still needs to be losses and struggles or else the show will get boring with Ash winning over and over again. He still has a lot to learn and has a lot of room to grow.

    In that case, the series should have ended either at the Orange Islands or the Battle Frontier.
     
    13,600
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    • Seen Dec 11, 2023
    Well, it hasn't so no point in bringing that point up really haha. Of course things are going to be wonky because of the length but in general he has been steadily growing. In some ways more than others depending on the region and it does become a rollarcoaster but let's be real. We're on rollarcoasters when it comes to growing up and getting better as well.
     
    2,581
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    • Seen Nov 13, 2019
    I honestly don't understand how you came to the conclusion that just because I don't think Satoshi should beat everyone but a select few trainers means that I think he should be losing to rookies.

    Look, I get that Best Wishes often didn't do a good job with having Satoshi demonstrate his talent at battling. Moments like the first two Shooti battles, Raimon Gym, and his Isshu League battle with Kotetsu didn't do much for the character. I've posted about that several times on this board. But that's three years and one show against the OS, AG, DP, and XY that've done a better job at balancing his strengths while still pushing the fact that he continues to have a ways to go. BW doesn't have to be representative of Satoshi as a whole.
    Because You think Ash should lose to Random People for no reason !!!
    Thats what lead to the Horrible BW Series ! Because Writer believe its Okay for Ash lose to anyone therefore causing him lose to the likes of Trip & Cameron.
    Furthermore , Writer use this for skip Other character Development ! uuuuu Cress is a weakest of Striaton Brother , Let make an episode where he beat Ash ! Oh , Keeny couldn't do anything in Grand Festival to impress Dawn So make an episode where he Beat Ash ! EEEEh , Iris need some Spotlight so why not let her Beat Ash.

    Satoshi hasn't been treated as a rookie for many years now. The earlier AG episodes often contrasted his experience with the more inexperienced Haruka. In the third DP episode, during his battle with Shinji, Hikari sees them battle and makes it a point to mention how he and Shinji are both strong. His battle with Citron in XY's first episode impresses both Citron and Eureka for how well he and Pikachu work together. In each of these, Satoshi is presented as someone who has been a Pokémon trainer for a while and is good at it.
    And Who told You that AG , DP & XY are Best version of Ash . The Only reason people liked them because they were Better then BW Ash.
    However Even Those Ash wasn't that great .
    AG Ash acted too much like an Adult and he was also an Overconfident Jerk .
    While DP Ash pretty much rip off Richie's Personality except his Deduction which was the best part of Richie .
    Plus DP Ash acted too much like Good Boy rather then Actual 10 year old Boy.
    As for XY Ash , Does Writer think if Ash talk excitedly and Run at the street doing ''Yayyyyyyyy'' will make him more Kid-like ???
    Plus , It seem Ash needed to be beaten by most trainer before he could come up with a plan to beat them.
    If XY Ash need to get beaten before he can come up with a plan to beat them then it just prove him to be lame .
    So far , The Better version of Ash would be ........Well......... Someone more like Keita (Yokai Watch) . Like an actual 10 year old Kid who nether a jerk but nether a Good Boy.

    However , The ultimate version of Ash would be Someone who smirk like Conan while Oversmarting a Evil Team commander in a Kid way.

    Just because he won the Battle Frontier doesn't, and shouldn't, mean that he's not capable of losing or that he still doesn't have more to learn. This is exactly what Shigeru shows him in the final AG episode.
    Ya , It prove how worthless Battle frontier were !!!
    Considering Gary who given up Pokemon Battle manage to beat him without breaking a swat .
    Also Paul , Trip & Cameron who didn't waste time with Battle Frontier become stronger then Ash while Ash gotten weaker by wasting his time with Battle Frontier.

    You said that he should be "overpowered" like Shinji and Atem were. Not only was Shinji not really overpowered, but being so is not a good thing. If people are calling a character that, it generally means the writers made a mistake.
    What People say doesn't actually what they mean ! Thats Why You need to see their action rather then hearing their Word.
    If You ever cheek Popular Character list then you will find Most Popular character are the OP character.
    Lelouch , Haruhi Suzumiya ,Spike Spiegel , Himura Kenshin, Simon, Atem , Goku ,Lufty , Izayoi etc are OP Character that been massively Popular.
    So Did Writers did anything wrong with them ???
    Even if People say how OP character are Bad But them themselves pick the OP Character as their Favorited .
    Its like your theory about No Romance in Kids Anime Even though Popular Kids Anime like Doremon , Jewelpet & Digimon does have Romance.
    It like how many People will claim how watching Hentai is bad even though they themselves watch it everyday.

    Yes, and there's a reason why both of them win a lot that I explained in the last post. Satoshi isn't Atem, and Pocket Monsters isn't Yu-Gi-Oh. And Satoshi and Shinji fulfill two different roles throughout Diamond & Pearl.
    Yugioh , Prince of Tennis , Yakitate Japan , No game No life and a lot anime has Protagonists that never lose yet those Animes are 10 time more exciting then Pokemon .
    You know Why ? Because those Anime actually has better Humor & Story unlike Pokemon that repeat the same story Over & Over.
    The Protagonist being a Underdog Loser doesn't make the show exciting . BW Series is the living proof of that.
    Also Ash beaten Paul Yet Ash has to lose to random people while Paul is only allowed to lose to selected Few . Why ? Are You saying it fair for Paul to be near invicible cause he's a rival.
    Furthermore , Ash is the only trainer in Sinnoh League that beaten Trobias's Darkai.
    If Ash learn anything from Paul then he should be even stronger then him now .
    Now is the time For Ash to be at the same level as Kazuma (Yakitate Japan) , Ryouma (Prince of Tennis) and Atem (Yugioh).
    While there's definitely an argument to be made that he doesn't move forward (or, at least, has stopped doing so; depending on how you view it), Satoshi isn't weak. He wins his eight badges, he always ranks highly in each League he participates in, and he's earned the respect of many of the other trainers he's come across, including Gym Leaders. He's not the greatest trainer out there, but he's not being presented as a weak one.

    Also, no matter how little sense it makes, twenty years has not passed in Satoshi's timeline.

    Oh , Ash is strong cause he can 8 badge !!!!!
    Over 200 people qualify to enter League Conference by winning 8 gym Badges . So If we consider all the region League conference then there are over 10000 trainer that capable of getting 8 badge.
    If you consider that then there nothing great about getting 8 badge . It just a minimum requirement to show that Ash is Good trainer But not great .
    Ash getting 8 badge only prove he just a medium trainer ! There probably a lot of trainer like him such as Reggie .
    Also , Everyone been watching Ash getting 8 badge for over 20 year ! Do you know how boring it gotten ?? Truth is , Fans now want to watch Ash achieve more then just getting 8 badge or Beat some Random group of Trainer (Orange League & Battle Frontier)
     
    Last edited:
    2,688
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    If XY Ash need to get beaten before he can come up with a plan to beat them then it just prove him to be lame .

    To be fair, though, having Ash's rookie team members pulverize Gym Leaders would make the latter party seem extremely pathetic as a result, to such an extent that fighting them wouldn't even prove skill at all a'la Team Rocket (as Misty actually pointed out a few times). Remember when Ash's Caterpie, despite being outgunned by Jessie and James not only in terms of Pokémon, but also said Pokémon having a lot more experience than him (at least year's worth of experience, if not more, certainly much more in the case of Meowth), not to mention thanks to Ash's stupidity earlier of siccing him against a Pidgeotto of all things (and they were skilled enough to actually beat said Pidgeotto earlier), far more fresh than him, basically tore through them like they were tissue paper. Pikachu beating the GLs is all right, since at least he was a veteran and can handle them, and in fact, Pikachu losing to GLs would reflect badly on his part because of his veteran status.

    Ya , It prove how worthless Battle frontier were !!!
    Considering Gary who given up Pokemon Battle manage to beat him without breaking a swat .
    Also Paul , Trip & Cameron who didn't waste time with Battle Frontier become stronger then Ash while Ash gotten weaker by wasting his time with Battle Frontier.

    I wasn't particularly happy with that outcome myself, especially considering the BF were supposed to be the best of the best, at the very least comparable to the Elite 4, if not even being stronger than them. However, since Ash still continued his journey despite technically winning an actual league, the Orange Islands, I can't say it's that unexpected. Besides, at least Ash managed to advance to Top 4 in Sinnoh and thus actually improve, definitely moreso compared to AG, where Battle Frontier aside, Ash didn't show any improvement with Ash since Johto. In fact, if you ask me, AG seemed much closer to an actual filler saga than Johto did. At least Johto actually had Ash improving.

    What People say doesn't actually what they mean ! Thats Why You need to see their action rather then hearing their Word.
    If You ever cheek Popular Character list then you will find Most Popular character are the OP character.
    Lelouch , Haruhi Suzumiya ,Spike Spiegel , Himura Kenshin, Simon, Atem , Goku ,Lufty , Izayoi etc are OP Character that been massively Popular.
    So Did Writers did anything wrong with them ???
    Even if People say how OP character are Bad But them themselves pick the OP Character as their Favorited .
    Its like your theory about No Romance in Kids Anime Even though Popular Kids Anime like Doremon , Jewelpet & Digimon does have Romance.
    It like how many People will claim how watching Hentai is bad even though they themselves watch it everyday.

    Well, he does have a point there. Goku and DBZ definitely are very popular, and Goku actually is proven to have grown stronger. Heck, he even won a World Martial Arts Tournament in Dragon Ball, and it wasn't until the Buu Saga that he even participated in another one (and even that, he never actually finishes due to either much bigger fish to fry or otherwise wanting to train someone. I think the only time Goku actually managed to finish a Tournament post-Piccolo Saga was in Dragon Ball GT, and he lost to a literal crybaby).

    I will comment that I am of the view that watching Hentai is bad, and I never even watched a Hentai video even once.

    Yugioh , Prince of Tennis , Yakitate Japan , No game No life and a lot anime has Protagonists that never lose yet those Animes are 10 time more exciting then Pokemon .
    You know Why ? Because those Anime actually has better Humor & Story unlike Pokemon that repeat the same story Over & Over.
    The Protagonist being a Underdog Loser doesn't make the show exciting . BW Series is the living proof of that.

    Yeah, and what's worse is that they aren't even doing "underdogs" right either way. The Indigo League was probably the only time where Ash being an underdog actually worked. Johto actually had him being smarter and yet also realistically having some troubles against some Gym Leaders, and he actually improved in rank as well, at least compared to the Indigo League. Normally, underdog characters are actually supposed to exceed beyond expectations, something Ash clearly hasn't done.

    Oh , Ash is strong cause he can 8 badge !!!!!
    Over 200 people qualify to enter League Conference by winning 8 gym Badges . So If we consider all the region League conference then there are over 10000 trainer that capable of getting 8 badge.
    If you consider that then there nothing great about getting 8 badge . It just a minimum requirement to show that Ash is Good trainer But not great .
    Ash getting 8 badge only prove he just a medium trainer ! There probably a lot of trainer like him such as Reggie .
    Also , Everyone been watching Ash getting 8 badge for over 20 year ! Do you know how boring it gotten ?? Truth is , Fans now want to watch Ash achieve more then just getting 8 badge or Beat some Random group of Trainer (Orange League & Battle Frontier)

    Agreed with that. At least have him actually face the Elite 4 in an official match for once and actually have him win a league. No cheap copouts, and especially no wasting of time (which is pretty much the reason why DP ended the way it did, because the bonehead writers wasted so much time that by the time they got to the league, they literally ran out of time for Ash to actually go beyond Top 4 thanks to Gen V being due for release. The fact that Ash didn't even appear in any promotional Best Wishes materials until around the time Tobias entered the picture further demonstrates this.).
     

    She_Delphox

    Delphox used Mystical Fire!
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  • I actually started to watch the anime again a few weeks ago. I have been watching Pokemon since I was a kid, so I know pretty much a lot of episodes (only because of college I havent been watching for the last couple of years).

    As a kid I thought everything was amazing, but now I'm older I'm actually annoyed by Ash a lot. I mean, I get he still needs to grow and learn more (and thats the fun part in the anime imo), yet sometimes he still has an ego when it comes to his strategies (like some would work when you can tell it obviously doesn't and stuff).

    But the main issue I have with him is that the most obvious, and sometimes basic, stuff about what it is to be a good Pokemon trainer, is that he "simply" seems to 'forget' important stuff like type advantages... I mean I watch several episodes a day and constantly be annoyed by his... attitude about some stuff and the ways he handles in some battles (WHY put in a water-type against a grass-type when he also has a fire-type for example, he should know better). At least you would expect he learned SOMETHING throughout the years... and shows this in practice.

    Another thing that annoys me, is that he often uses "moves" in battle that arent actually official moves. I cant help it, im just annoyed with this; like: Pikachu, jump on the Rock Tomb, or: Grab his tail blabla... I mean come on, really? He can think about this and at the same time being still as stupid as ever not to know when he has caught 6 Pokemon and that's why can't carry 7 with him, or when to use what type of Pokemon...
    Also, he still doesn't recognize Team Rocket in their insane and often revealing disguises... xD Also kinda stupid but hilarious in a way at the same time.

    And omg last but not least; in the XY series, it ISN'T necessary to say in EVERY SINGLE episode: wow, sience is amazing! (gawd Ash, why?! geez so annoying lol).

    So yeah, these are the main issues I have with Ash and would have liked to be gone most of the time, but I don't see this happening. He still is the same 10-year old for most of the time, but obviously Pokemon is about growing and maintaining friendships and stuff (those should obviously stay in the anime to keep the story going, if Ash didn't need to learn anything from his mistakes and stuff, this would be boring...).

    PS: I like Iris' quote: "You're such a kid!", and yes, he sure is ... xD
     

    Lizardo

    Public Enemy
    290
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    • Seen Aug 18, 2016
    Because You think Ash should lose to Random People for no reason !!!
    Once again, you're drawing conclusions out of nowhere.

    I recognize that Satoshi needs to be able to lose on occasion because of the kind of story Pocket Monsters tells. He's a regular, albeit talented, trainer who starts each journey anew with a (mostly) fresh team of Pokémon and eight Gyms to go through. It wouldn't make sense for him to be able to beat everyone in a franchise where one of the most important themes is that there are always people who are better than you.

    But this does not mean Satoshi needs to lose to rookie trainers, or people who clearly have no idea what they are doing. This also doesn't mean that I agree with every decision the writers have made, over 800+ combined episodes, to write a battle they way they did.

    What is means is that, considering the nature of this anime, Satoshi doesn't need to be unbeatable to all but a select few trainers.

    Thats what lead to the Horrible BW Series ! Because Writer believe its Okay for Ash lose to anyone therefore causing him lose to the likes of Trip & Cameron.
    I find that there are many things wrong with Satoshi in BW, as well as the two characters you mentioned, but the fact that he was still capable of losing (just like in any other show) wasn't one of them.

    And Who told You that AG , DP & XY are Best version of Ash . The Only reason people liked them because they were Better then BW Ash.
    However Even Those Ash wasn't that great .
    This has nothing to do with anything I've said, which is that Satoshi hasn't honestly been treated as a rookie since he actually was a rookie. I don't care what you think of the character himself in whatever series, I'm telling you that in each of them he was presented as a trainer who was good at what he did. The examples I gave you in that post demonstrate that. Just because he sometimes loses doesn't have to mean he's being treated as a rookie.

    And whatever the best version of Satoshi is should depend on factors such as whether or not he appeals to you and how he and his storyline are written, not on what some anonymous group of "people" like. Anyone who bases their opinion primarily on what other "people" like shouldn't be taken seriously.

    So far , The Better version of Ash would be ........Well......... Someone more like Keita (Yokai Watch) . Like an actual 10 year old Kid who nether a jerk but nether a Good Boy.
    I'm not going to comment on a show I've never watched, but an ideal version of Satoshi should be rooted in what the character actually is instead of basing him off another character from another product.

    There are many things I would like to see the writers do differently with Satoshi, and I've posted them in this very thread. But I tried to make sure to use examples from other Pocket Monsters shows, so as to keep from drawing needless comparisons between Pocket Monsters and a show that it's not even trying to be.

    Ya , It prove how worthless Battle frontier were !!!
    Considering Gary who given up Pokemon Battle manage to beat him without breaking a swat .
    Also Paul , Trip & Cameron who didn't waste time with Battle Frontier become stronger then Ash while Ash gotten weaker by wasting his time with Battle Frontier.
    The essence of Shigeru's lesson was actually that it's a big world filled with many Pokémon and that Satoshi can't stop with the Battle Frontier if he plans to become a Pokémon Master. This is why he not only defeats Satoshi's Pikachu, but does so with a Pokémon Satoshi's never seen before from a region that Satoshi's never been to. Just because Shigeru and Shinji (I won't comment on Shooti or Kotetsu, because I think the way Satoshi lost to them both was a terrible writing choice) weren't in the Battle Frontier doesn't mean they don't have their own unique experiences and training styles.

    What People say doesn't actually what they mean ! Thats Why You need to see their action rather then hearing their Word.
    If You ever cheek Popular Character list then you will find Most Popular character are the OP character.
    Lelouch , Haruhi Suzumiya ,Spike Spiegel , Himura Kenshin, Simon, Atem , Goku ,Lufty , Izayoi etc are OP Character that been massively Popular.
    So Did Writers did anything wrong with them ???
    Even if People say how OP character are Bad But them themselves pick the OP Character as their Favorited .
    Its like your theory about No Romance in Kids Anime Even though Popular Kids Anime like Doremon , Jewelpet & Digimon does have Romance.
    It like how many People will claim how watching Hentai is bad even though they themselves watch it everyday.
    And yet again you're not really showing why overpowering a character is a good thing, or why this needs to apply to Satoshi. Instead you're just turning to an anonymous group of "people" to justify what would still be a terrible writing decision. I can't clam to have seen every character from every show that you've listed, but I recognize four of them and I'm just going to repeat, again, that none of them are seriously comparable to Pocket Monsters in terms of the stories they're telling.

    I repeat: Satoshi is not meant to be special in the way that Atem, to use one of your examples, is. He started out as an average, unremarkable trainer who stands as proxy for the audience that the franchise is geared towards. He's not meant to expertly beat almost everyone and overcome almost every obstacle he comes across, like Atem did (even though Atem may have struggled in his duels, he rarely ever lost), because that hurts the "everyman" element that's important to his character. He's supposed to lose and he's supposed to make mistakes, because that's the kind of that story the anime tells.

    It's not just Satoshi that does this, either. Characters like Haruka and Hikari have both lost and struggled plenty of times over their tenure in the franchise. Even Shinji failed at least four times to win a Pokémon League, which would suggest he's nowhere near as unbeatable as you're making him out to be. This is how the anime works.

    Also Ash beaten Paul Yet Ash has to lose to random people while Paul is only allowed to lose to selected Few . Why ? Are You saying it fair for Paul to be near invicible cause he's a rival.
    I'm saying that Shinji is presented strongly because he's Satoshi's antagonist, and there's no point in building him up as someone for Satoshi to defeat if he's not a challenge. Conventional storytelling usually dictates that the antagonist has some kind of advantage over the protagonist, which is why Shinji is so much stronger than Satoshi is throughout most of Diamond & Pearl. If Shinji hadn't defeated Satoshi 6-2 in the previous full battle, where would the drama in their Sinnoh League confrontation come from? The moment wouldn't be as satisfying as it is otherwise.

    But here's the thing: we only get to see Shinji at certain points of DP, when he runs into Satoshi and co. We follow Satoshi for 191 episodes. We don't get to see Shinji's failures or setbacks because, unlike Satoshi, we're not supposed to.

    If Ash learn anything from Paul then he should be even stronger then him now .
    The last time Satoshi faced Shinji, he defeated him. And he defeated him in a League where Shinji had all the time he needed to pick his team, plan out a strategy, and in a battle where Shinji knew the layouts of Satoshi's team whereas Satoshi didn't know anything about Shinji's, giving Shinji what one would assume was a decisive advantage. Throughout all of that Satoshi was able to counter Shinji's strategy and even outwit him quite a few times, and the way the battle was decided was a testament to the way Satoshi had raised Goukazaru. If Satoshi wasn't stronger than Shinji was, then at the very least the two were on the same level.

    Over 200 people qualify to enter League Conference by winning 8 gym Badges . So If we consider all the region League conference then there are over 10000 trainer that capable of getting 8 badge.
    And in each League Satoshi has participated in, he's never done worse than Top 16. Out of anywhere between 100-200 trainers who've all earned eight badges, depending on what League he participates in, Satoshi has been in the Top 16 or higher from his very first outing onwards. This is not the sign of a weak trainer at all.

    Also , Everyone been watching Ash getting 8 badge for over 20 year ! Do you know how boring it gotten ?? Truth is , Fans now want to watch Ash achieve more then just getting 8 badge or Beat some Random group of Trainer (Orange League & Battle Frontier)
    Personally, I've been tired of Satoshi since Best Wishes and I don't think the writers have figured out anything interesting to do with him since DP ended. But that doesn't mean that Satoshi is weak, and I don't think he's going to be improved by all of a sudden becoming unbeatable.
     

    Jorah

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    And Who told You that AG , DP & XY are Best version of Ash . The Only reason people liked them because they were Better then BW Ash.

    This isn't true. I was much more into the Pokemon fandom back then, and people thought DP Ash was Ash at his best before BW even came out. Before BW was even known. He in late AG and throughout DP was at his best battling and had his best teams. What you seem to think of as "overconfident jerk" (er, I thought that was him in Indigo League, not AG) people thought as him acting mature, as in, he had had character development and grown. You seem to want him to act like an annoying novice the whole time, while being stupidly overpowered.

    Contrast with animes like SAO where the whole programme is just about "look how cool Kirito is" because he just wins first time doing anything, even though other people are way more experienced - and a lot of people hate it. Ash isn't supposed to be like that, and he never will be. Some matches Ash has are unbelievable in the way he loses (....Shooti....) while others in the way he wins (thunder armour), but meh, that's the anime for you. But it's generally OK.
     
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    How about an Ash who chooses the people who travel with him wisely (thinking long and hard about it) or an Ash who doesn't do anything to provoke the nasty side of the females who stalktravel with him

    At least one who doesn't have his negative qualities (that people on this forum are merciless about) blatantly manipulated by the writers.
     
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    This isn't true. I was much more into the Pokemon fandom back then, and people thought DP Ash was Ash at his best before BW even came out. Before BW was even known. He in late AG and throughout DP was at his best battling and had his best teams. What you seem to think of as "overconfident jerk" (er, I thought that was him in Indigo League, not AG) people thought as him acting mature, as in, he had had character development and grown. You seem to want him to act like an annoying novice the whole time, while being stupidly overpowered.

    Contrast with animes like SAO where the whole programme is just about "look how cool Kirito is" because he just wins first time doing anything, even though other people are way more experienced - and a lot of people hate it. Ash isn't supposed to be like that, and he never will be. Some matches Ash has are unbelievable in the way he loses (....Shooti....) while others in the way he wins (thunder armour), but meh, that's the anime for you. But it's generally OK.

    I'll agree with you regarding DP. I can't say that he was at his best in AG, though. I mean, come on! He didn't even advance in rank, stayed at the same rank as in Johto. That's not exactly a good sign that he actually improved. BF was pretty much the only time Ash actually did come across as being good, and even that ended up largely forgotten by DP. Not to mention the GLs he faced in Hoenn were total pansies, losing easily to Pokémon who barely even saw a match. It's actually as bad as when Team Rocket lost to a Caterpie in "Ash Catches a Pokémon."
     

    Jorah

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    I'll agree with you regarding DP. I can't say that he was at his best in AG, though. I mean, come on! He didn't even advance in rank, stayed at the same rank as in Johto. That's not exactly a good sign that he actually improved. BF was pretty much the only time Ash actually did come across as being good, and even that ended up largely forgotten by DP. Not to mention the GLs he faced in Hoenn were total pansies, losing easily to Pokémon who barely even saw a match. It's actually as bad as when Team Rocket lost to a Caterpie in "Ash Catches a Pokémon."

    By "late AG" I meant the Battle Frontier segment of AG (Battle Frontier is still part of the AG series). I probably should have just said Battle Frontier :P
     
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    By "late AG" I meant the Battle Frontier segment of AG (Battle Frontier is still part of the AG series). I probably should have just said Battle Frontier :P

    You have a point there. Unfortunately, DP barely even acknowledges this accomplishment, so it doesn't exactly mean a thing, even though I want it to actually mean something (honestly, Pikachu ended up losing to some Pokémon despite taking down a Regice in one fell swoop). Still, at least it was better than how Pikachu and Ash were treated in the beginning of BW.
     

    bladerunner17

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  • Honestly, Ash could learn a lot from Red in Pokemon Origins. Both started out as rookies with no clue what they were doing, but Red actually caught lots of pokemon, had them evolve and became highly skilled in his own right. He actually caught the powerful pokemon he encountered and used them. Ash does the same thing every time: Get decently strong, but weaker than elite 4, then start over and complain that he isn't a master yet. WHY DOESN'T HE JUST USE STRONG POKEMON???
     
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    Once again, you're drawing conclusions out of nowhere.

    I recognize that Satoshi needs to be able to lose on occasion because of the kind of story Pocket Monsters tells. He's a regular, albeit talented, trainer who starts each journey anew with a (mostly) fresh team of Pokémon and eight Gyms to go through. It wouldn't make sense for him to be able to beat everyone in a franchise where one of the most important themes is that there are always people who are better than you.
    Aren't you that one drawing Conclusion ???
    I didn't said Ash being Unbeatable !!! I said Ash should only lose to people like E4 , champion & Special trainer .
    Special trainer can also mean trainer like Trobias Or Other trainer who capable of conquering Battle Frontier & Orange League .
    Just like writer consider before making Paul or Clian to lose to anyone.
    Also , Ash needed to lose 20 year ago , Not now ! Now Ash need to be Funny while being strong . Furthermore , Pokemon no longer has any story , Its just repeat the same Story over & over with Random Plot .

    But this does not mean Satoshi needs to lose to rookie trainers, or people who clearly have no idea what they are doing. This also doesn't mean that I agree with every decision the writers have made, over 800+ combined episodes, to write a battle they way they did.

    What is means is that, considering the nature of this anime, Satoshi doesn't need to be unbeatable to all but a select few trainers.
    20 year ago he didn't , But now he does !
    Because now he reached a Level , Which mean he should inferior to those who are in higher Level or Same Level as him.
    Not Some Rookie Or Idiot Or Some Random Nurse Joy Or Female Lead rival like Drew & Kenny.
    Honestly , Kenny story wasn't just unsatisfying but also stupid.
    Writer could have create a better end for him But they decide to skip it and decide to glorify him but letting him beat Ash .

    The essence of Shigeru's lesson was actually that it's a big world filled with many Pokémon and that Satoshi can't stop with the Battle Frontier if he plans to become a Pokémon Master. This is why he not only defeats Satoshi's Pikachu, but does so with a Pokémon Satoshi's never seen before from a region that Satoshi's never been to. Just because Shigeru and Shinji (I won't comment on Shooti or Kotetsu, because I think the way Satoshi lost to them both was a terrible writing choice) weren't in the Battle Frontier doesn't mean they don't have their own unique experiences and training styles.
    And they couldn't do it with Better Way, Huh !!!
    After all the trouble Ash gone to conquer Battle Frontier & Orange League , He get wipe out by Gary who gave up Battling !
    SO WHAT HACK ASH ACHIEVE FROM ORANGE LEAGUE & BATTLE FRONTIER ! IT WOULD BEEN MUCH BETTER IF ASH JUST STAYED ON MONTAIN AND TRAIN FOR 1 YEAR .
    When I rewatched Orange League battle and that league official was mumbling about how trainer become stronger by facing different challenge set by gymleader , I said ''******** ! It just scum to get money out of poor trainer''.

    I find that there are many things wrong with Satoshi in BW, as well as the two characters you mentioned, but the fact that he was still capable of losing (just like in any other show) wasn't one of them.
    It was the main problem .
    The fact that Ash is incapable of beating a Complete Rookie twice that first ruined the show.
    Then Ash's incapability to Win Long-term individual Tournament and beat Iris , Cameron etc etc fueled petrol into fire.
    That right , Ash was able to beat Iris once and only because Her Dragonite gone out of Control.

    This has nothing to do with anything I've said, which is that Satoshi hasn't honestly been treated as a rookie since he actually was a rookie. I don't care what you think of the character himself in whatever series, I'm telling you that in each of them he was presented as a trainer who was good at what he did. The examples I gave you in that post demonstrate that. Just because he sometimes loses doesn't have to mean he's being treated as a rookie.

    And whatever the best version of Satoshi is should depend on factors such as whether or not he appeals to you and how he and his storyline are written, not on what some anonymous group of "people" like. Anyone who bases their opinion primarily on what other "people" like shouldn't be taken seriously.
    Ash wasn't treated like a Rookie but he does get treated like an Average trainer.
    In AG , Ash made all the mistake he made as a Rookie !
    He was Overconfident , He throw Pokeball with weaken a Pokemon and he used normal move against a Ghost type multiple time .
    While in DP Series , Ash may was competent But his Personality got Boring .
    It because , Writer turn Ash into something else .

    I'm not going to comment on a show I've never watched, but an ideal version of Satoshi should be rooted in what the character actually is instead of basing him off another character from another product.
    Does DP or Current Ash seem anything like Original Ash ???
    I don't remember Ash being a Perfect Gentleman like DP , BW and XY Ash.
    Original Ash was Sarcastic , Attention-seeker , Prideful , Mischievous , Quick-temper !
    Original Ash was capable of tease/mock other character (mainly Misty) and having crush on Beautiful Girl like Giselle.
    But Writer decide to cut out every negative Side a Boy has to turn Ash into a good Boy every parent loves.
    But Ash is Human Boy , Not an Angel. A Human has both Positive & Negative side .
    Developing a character is One thing , But turning him into someone else is another thing.
    For Example , Ichigo (Bleach) got Develop as well But that doesn't mean he stop acting like an arrogant Bad Boy .
    Thats Why , I use Keita because he was close to Original Ash.
    However , Better idol for Ash's character would be Alder .
    Alder seem like an immature Shameless Perfected Old man chasing after cute girl but he's a wise , Competent and strong champion.
    Same way , Ash has to be strong & smart while keeping him immaturity . Because he's just a 10 year old boy and he suppose to be immature.


    And yet again you're not really showing why overpowering a character is a good thing, or why this needs to apply to Satoshi. Instead you're just turning to an anonymous group of "people" to justify what would still be a terrible writing decision. I can't clam to have seen every character from every show that you've listed, but I recognize four of them and I'm just going to repeat, again, that none of them are seriously comparable to Pocket Monsters in terms of the stories they're telling.
    I posted those name to show you the Overpowered character are more popular then your so called Underdog Protagonist .
    Because , You think Overpowered character are Bad thing and everyone hate them even though the reality is different .
    There are various type of OP protagonist--

    --1) OP Protagonist who are OP from the start .

    --2) OP Protagonist who start as Underdog But become really OP by hard work & training.

    --3)OP Protagonist who are treated like an Underdog despite being an OP character.

    Ash obviously fit number 2 !! However if he become Number 3 then the story will be interesting.

    I repeat: Satoshi is not meant to be special in the way that Atem, to use one of your examples, is. He started out as an average, unremarkable trainer who stands as proxy for the audience that the franchise is geared towards. He's not meant to expertly beat almost everyone and overcome almost every obstacle he comes across, like Atem did (even though Atem may have struggled in his duels, he rarely ever lost), because that hurts the "everyman" element that's important to his character. He's supposed to lose and he's supposed to make mistakes, because that's the kind of that story the anime tells.
    Every Protagonist is meant to be special ! Even if He/She start off as an Underdog like Naruto.
    Naruto is also an Underdog who work hard to be strong . However even you will consider him special as Nine Tail Fox Host and Ashura's reincarnation.
    Currently , The show doesn't tell any Story . It just trying to sell merchandise .
    So Rather then showing Ash can lose , Writer should focus more on giving Ash an Interesting Personality and creating Interesting Character and Humor .
    Unless , The Stories of BW Series Say '' A child prodigy will always be 5 year ahead you and dream are for child prodigys.
    Writer trying to Ash average and thats their biggest mistake.
    Red also started as a Non-Special trainer But he did became the OP trainer that has caught every single Kanto Pokemon.
    Hack , Ash repeated Defeat in the League says '' No matter how much experience an Underdog tries and no matter how far he goes , An Undedog can't never reach his Dream . He's bound to fail Over & Over

    I'm saying that Shinji is presented strongly because he's Satoshi's antagonist, and there's no point in building him up as someone for Satoshi to defeat if he's not a challenge. Conventional storytelling usually dictates that the antagonist has some kind of advantage over the protagonist, which is why Shinji is so much stronger than Satoshi is throughout most of Diamond & Pearl. If Shinji hadn't defeated Satoshi 6-2 in the previous full battle, where would the drama in their Sinnoh League confrontation come from? The moment wouldn't be as satisfying as it is otherwise.

    But here's the thing: we only get to see Shinji at certain points of DP, when he runs into Satoshi and co. We follow Satoshi for 191 episodes. We don't get to see Shinji's failures or setbacks because, unlike Satoshi, we're not supposed to.
    Paul isn't an Antagonist , He just a rival with different mindset then Ash.
    The real Antagonistic Rival are Harley or Ursula who will do anything to win ! Unfortunately Ash haven't faced a Rival like that , Only his female traveling companion did.
    That 6-2 was the stupid idea for Drama considering the rematch took place after One Whole year.
    After Ash lose that match , Every Other episode meaningless ! I didn't had any interest to watch further episode until the rematch and it pained me that I have to wait until 8th Gym & Dawn's stupid contest for that.
    It actually explain why Sinnoh Grand Festival was So Rushed !!!

    It's not just Satoshi that does this, either. Characters like Haruka and Hikari have both lost and struggled plenty of times over their tenure in the franchise. Even Shinji failed at least four times to win a Pokémon League, which would suggest he's nowhere near as unbeatable as you're making him out to be. This is how the anime works.
    I never said Paul is Unbeatable ! I said he was OP and only lose to selective people.
    Cilan was the same ! Name One Connoisseur that beaten Cilan .
    That how Ash need to be because he the trainer who beaten Orange League , Battle Frontier & Mega Lucario .
    So Writer should think twice before making Ash lose to anybody like Cameron .
    And in each League Satoshi has participated in, he's never done worse than Top 16. Out of anywhere between 100-200 trainers who've all earned eight badges, depending on what League he participates in, Satoshi has been in the Top 16 or higher from his very first outing onwards. This is not the sign of a weak trainer at all.
    Those Rank mean Nothing without Winning .
    Want Proof .
    Okay , Ursula is obviously a better Coordinator then Jessie But Ursula was Top 32 while Jessie was Top 4 at Sinnoh grand Festival!
    How ???
    Simple , Because Ursula was chosen to face Dawn first ! If Jessie faced Dawn in the 1st Round then Ursula might have Top 4.
    So , Those Ranking are mainly Luck ! Just because A Trainer was in Top 4 doesn't mean He was the best 4 trainer in the League But just a Lucky guy who faced the weaker trainer while the stronger ones eliminate each other.

    There are many things I would like to see the writers do differently with Satoshi, and I've posted them in this very thread. But I tried to make sure to use examples from other Pocket Monsters shows, so as to keep from drawing needless comparisons between Pocket Monsters and a show that it's not even trying to be.
    Harata From Pokemon DPA and Gold from PokeSpe
    How this sound like ???

    Personally, I've been tired of Satoshi since Best Wishes and I don't think the writers have figured out anything interesting to do with him since DP ended. But that doesn't mean that Satoshi is weak, and I don't think he's going to be improved by all of a sudden becoming unbeatable.

    If He get beaten by a Rookie Or A mare Kindergarten Teacher Or a Poacher then he is weak .
    And There is various thing Writer can do with Ash after winning League conference--

    --Create the Next step of Pokemon Master

    Or

    --Ash joining the International Police after he become a Champion. He goes to other region to fight other villainous team .

    Or

    --Become a Gag show about Ash's Random adventure after he become a Pokemon Master.
     
    Last edited:

    Lizardo

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    Aren't you that one drawing Conclusion ???
    I didn't said Ash being Unbeatable !!! I said Ash should only lose to people like E4 , champion & Special trainer .
    At this point, we seem to be going around in circles with this argument and I'm not going to waste my time dissecting that post and responding to everything line-by-line. If you're wedded to the idea of an overpowered Satoshi who only loses to the top echelon of trainers, then that's your preference. But it's incompatible with the kind of story the Pocket Monsters stories are telling. You can throw out as many other shows as you want, but that's not going to change. And while it isn't always told very coherently, each Pocket Monsters show does tell a story of Satoshi's journey to that region's League: complete with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

    For someone who was talking in another thread about the roles a character is meant to play, you neglect that Satoshi plays the role of the "everyman" (see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyman). There's little, if anything, particularly unique about him as opposed to other characters within the show. He's only 'special' insofar as he's the protagonist that we follow. Atem was a magical spirit who was able to wield special powers that most people weren't, Satoshi is no different from the millions of other trainers who occupy his universe. Satoshi is not the only character who is capable of improving and growing stronger, and Satoshi is not the only character who has experience to draw on. He's only the one we follow. And that theme, that there are always people better than you, is central to what the anime franchise tells us. If you don't want to accept that and want to ignore the basic lesson coming out of the Battle Frontier (that he can't stop there, because that's not the end-all) then it's your problem, not the anime's.

    Satoshi's primary opponents are Gym Leaders and other regular trainers, not Elite 4 members or champions. I would love to see an arc where he actually did get to face them, and I think it would be a fresh direction that he desperately needs, but that's not what the anime does. And as long as it's having Satoshi challenge Gym Leaders, he needs to be able to lose to them. It would not more interesting to present Satoshi as someone who could just breeze past them. It wouldn't even be believable, since he starts over with a new team of growing Pokémon in each series. It would be terrible writing. Satoshi should grow and improve, and that's honestly when the character is at his best.

    For example - you say the decision to have Satoshi lose 6-2 to Shinji was a bad one, I disagree. It led to one of the few moments of character development Satoshi ever gets in the franchise, sets up their rematch in the Sinnoh League nicely, and makes for a nice turning point in their rivalry where they finally begin to respect each other. If anything the anime needs more moments like that, not less. This is really where Best Wishes fails with him. It's not that Satoshi was capable of losing, it's that he often lost to no purpose. That happens in each series, but Satoshi's losses to Shigeru and Shinji often had a point to them, whereas his defeats against Shooti not only made no sense, but didn't. But in any case, the problem isn't that Satoshi wasn't stupidly overpowered.

    And by the way, Shinji is an antagonist and I'm really stunned that you could say otherwise. An antagonist opposes the protagonist (see here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/antagonist) and stands in the way what he's trying to gain. As Satoshi's rival and, up until Takuto's appearance, the most prominent challenge standing in the way of Satoshi and becoming the Sinnoh League champion, Shinji very much does that.

    As for what supposedly overpowered characters from whatever other anime you keep pulling out are popular, I have a question: who cares? Any group of people can like something, but it still doesn't make flaws in writing (assuming there are anything, I don't watch most of those shows) immune to criticism. Overpowering a character to the point where there's very little drama in the story is still a terrible decision to make, and really goes against basic storytelling.

    And once again, 20 years has not passed within the anime's timeline. It makes no sense whatsoever, but it's true. So can we please stop bringing that up?

    Your claim that Satoshi is weak isn't really true, and doesn't fit with anything we're actually shown in the franchise. To consistently come out in sixteenth, eighth, or fourth place in tournaments filled with over a hundred trainers (all of which have earned eight badges) doesn't and was never meant by the writers to imply weakness. In the Sinnoh League, both Takeshi and Takuto talk up Satoshi's placement in the semifinals as a legitimate accomplishment. Satoshi has also been complimented by Elite 4 members and Shirona, a champion, as well as many of the experienced Gym Leaders that he's faced. The rankings aren't luck, they're put there by the writers for a reason. And to use a real life example - sports teams (such as in the NFL) that rank highly without winning the championship are still regarded as good teams, the same applies to Satoshi.

    Believe me, I get the frustration of seeing him come up short time and again and having to start all over. I realize that you don't enjoy every decision the writers have made regarding Satoshi and his battles, especially when it comes to Best Wishes. I don't think there's anyone that does. But calling him weak isn't just hyperbole, the writers have blatantly contradicted this. Satoshi shouldn't need to be overpowered just to prove that he's strong. Write him in a more consistent way? Sure. But don't overpower him. It's not necessary and it's frankly a sign of lazy writing.

    On a less related note:

    Famon said:
    Does DP or Current Ash seem anything like Original Ash ???
    I don't remember Ash being a Perfect Gentleman like DP , BW and XY Ash.
    Original Ash was Sarcastic , Attention-seeker , Prideful , Mischievous , Quick-temper !
    Original Ash was capable of tease/mock other character (mainly Misty) and having crush on Beautiful Girl like Giselle.
    But Writer decide to cut out every negative Side a Boy has to turn Ash into a good Boy every parent loves.
    But Ash is Human Boy , Not an Angel. A Human has both Positive & Negative side .
    I don't recall Satoshi ever being a 'perfect gentlemen' in any of those shows. I'll grant that he hasn't been written as childishly as in the earliest Kanto episodes and, like the rest of the franchise in general, unfortunately became a bit less dynamic by mid-Jouto (BW and XY are the worst of this but I'll admit that you can see it in Jouto, AG, and DP as well). But in DP alone, the show where he's supposedly at his most mature, Satoshi has argued with and teased Hikari in quite a few episodes, has been impatient to the point of irritating both his friends, said and done stupid things (attacking a waterfall in the Bouysel episode), has been greedy, has lost his temper, has been lazy, and has had moments of being dumb. In many ways he's still very much a child, and certainly no angel. There's no major character in DP who walked away with the impression that he was a perfect person, and Iris' catchphrase didn't come from nowhere.

    So while certain aspects of his personality have been toned down after the OS, for better and for worse, Satoshi is not a drastically different character. The essence of his characterization still remains the same even if he's not written in exactly the same way as he used to be, which is only to be expected after almost twenty years on air. Different things are going to be emphasized over a long period of time, that's inevitable and it happens with any long-running media. To use an outside example solely to illustrate the point I'm making - the Simpsons aren't written exactly the same way in 2014 as they were in 1990, either, but they're still more or less the same characters as the creators envisioned them. And whether or not it's a good thing is entirely up to what you enjoy.

    I prefer Diamond & Pearl's portrayal of Satoshi over the original series. While I do enjoy how goofy and genuinely emotional Satoshi could be during the OS, the DP version resonates with me far more. Not that he's a drastically different character or anything, but the series' addition of Shinji as someone who challenges his philosophies on Pokémon training and actually makes him struggle to prove why it works made him more compelling. His setbacks, particularly in those Shinji episodes, resonate better because for once he's got a personal point to prove that goes beyond the guy he's facing being a jerk. It also brings back one of what I thought was the best thing AG did with him and once again partnered him with someone more inexperienced so that the writers get use her to get across the really obvious lessons that he's acknowledged to be beyond having to learn. I also thought the writers did a better job of showcasing his skill at battling (less stupid badge handouts, for example). And it's nice not having to cringe so much at his idiocy as you kind of have to do in the earliest Kanto episodes.

    I don't want to get into an argument of which Satoshi is the best, because that'll ultimately depend on what you're looking for out of him, but whatever you prefer shouldn't be put on a pedestal. Satoshi wasn't perfectly written in the OS anymore than he was in DP, or any of the other shows for that matter.

    And finally:

    And There is various thing Writer can do with Ash after winning League conference--

    --Create the Next step of Pokemon Master

    Or

    --Ash joining the International Police after he become a Champion. He goes to other region to fight other villainous team .

    Or

    --Become a Gag show about Ash's Random adventure after he become a Pokemon Master.
    But none of those would adapt the "collect the badges" aspect of the games, which is what Satoshi is really there for. If he's not doing that, then his worth as the franchise's main character is gone. I also don't care for seeing what a Pokémon Master is. The idea doesn't make a lot of sense given that this is a world where "there's always someone better", and I'd honestly rather it remain a mystery. But that's just me.

    I would prefer Satoshi to just be retired. Have him win a League, set off for his next adventure, and just start over with a different protagonist. But as long as the anime is still using him to collect Gym badges, then that journey should be written as a challenge for him.
     
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    • Seen Aug 29, 2020
    ^To be honest, Dragon Ball, an Anime series with a fairly similar premise to Pokémon, had Goku losing the World Martial Arts Tournaments (though in Goku's case, he only really lost due to sheer dumb luck, since he was extremely close to winning against Master Roshi/Jackie Chun but just passed out before he could even finish declaring himself the champ, and he pretty much got hit by a car regarding his match with Tien, with even the latter stating that it really wasn't a fair win for himself), yet even he managed to at least win a World Martial Arts Tournament, against Piccolo Jr., no less. Pokémon has yet to do that.

    As far as the Pokémon Master bit, considering they kept on bragging about that goal even up to DP, they definitely should focus on it. After all, there's no point in even bothering to list a goal and leave it unaccomplished. Heck, even May might have at this point completed her goal as becoming Top Coordinator (since the only regions with Pokémon Contests are Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh), and Dawn might complete her goal by the end of XY as well. Heck, the first movie even strongly implied via Mewtwo that a Pokémon Master is someone who is virtually unbeatable, if not completely invincible.
     
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