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Unpopular opinions
- Thread starter antemortem
- Start date
Well, Pichu had a purpose. It was the poster child for the newly introduced breeding mechanic. And Plusle & Minun were supposed to be a cute little way to show off how team play can work in Double Battles.
Every rodent after that is literally a waste of space.
Wouldn't be so bad if they did give them some quirk that actually works, I guess.
Though I like Pachirisus, cute design and all.
Unpopular opinion... I like Charizard a lot but whenever someone criticizes new starters designs by saying they lack imagination I look back and think how Charizard is just a textbook european dragon.
Though I like Pachirisus, cute design and all.
Unpopular opinion... I like Charizard a lot but whenever someone criticizes new starters designs by saying they lack imagination I look back and think how Charizard is just a textbook european dragon.
I think a major problem with the Pikaclones is that they don't have an evolution. It's like they regret giving Pikachu an evolution and decided to not give any other of the Pikaclones an evolution just in case they got popular too.
...and then they make them completely unviable to the point that the unevolved Pikachu can be called more usable by kids than any of them.
Hey, Pikachu-Belle with a Light Ball and Icicle Crash/Wild Charge...
Still, as it concerns these poor fellows, "Strong Pokemon, Weak Pokemon" my ass. There are weak Pokemon, and there are Pokemon who have no business being in battle. They make cute pets, and might fend off a burglar, but don't expect to be winning any competitions with them. (Well, Contests maybe...)
Yeah, that's another thing. Though that sort of goes back to them having no evolution as their stats are similar to that of an unevolved Pokemon, just like Pikachu. This mean they're easily outclassed by fully evolved Electric-types. Only one I recall having any considerable presence was Emolga if only because it was immune to Ground, had over 100 in Speed, and given useful utility moves like U-turn and Volt Switch (and Acrobatics + Flying Gem, though of course that strategy is really no longer viable). And before anyone brings up Pachirisu even the winner of the Pokemon Tourney admitted it probably won't work again as he saw a sort of loophole which he could abuse and it just so happened Pachirisu had what he needed to do so. He didn't make a strategy to make Pachirisu viable, and made a strategy which Pachirisu just so happened to fall into.
The only reason Pachirisu worked is because no one expected it. It fit what he wanted: a Pokemon that could use Follow Me and had its health restored when people tried to attack a doubly weak Pokemon. Now people will expect that strategy when they see a Pachirisu alongside a Gyarados.
Emolga's actually viable in the game. It has a nice set of stats and moves for the in-game. Of course you can beat most of the game with any Pokemon but Emolga just worked well enough due to being an electric type immune to ground that's speedy enough.
Emolga's actually viable in the game. It has a nice set of stats and moves for the in-game. Of course you can beat most of the game with any Pokemon but Emolga just worked well enough due to being an electric type immune to ground that's speedy enough.
Pachirisu was also the only Follow Me user available that wasn't weak to Talonflame or somesuch, which is why he used it. Remember that this was early XY, when half the Dex was not allowed in VGC. It was basically a team-specific pick in a pretty restricted meta.
Lucario at 25% damage out spaces range of grappling and basic smash of MK MK frames on climbing ledge and attack are slower than Lucario spike down a wich can be used after tatami(hit field dodge) to cancel animation sending MK off stage instantly after 36% damage taken in final destination regardless of tilt angle modifiers.
Frame per frame and hitbox range MK suffers of a lot of issues vs Lucario, it isn't hard to see the frame abuse Lucario can pull off on brawl.
Back into the discussion, I'm partial about the pikaclones, on early XY I was rocking an emolga abusing access to nuzzle taunt and u turn to gothitrap and then go mega zard X on the stuff that where strangely lured by emolga.
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My problem with the Pikaclones is they feel very blatantly included for the sake of tradition/reference at this point, and that's at the expense of viability. For god's sake, Dedenne doesn't even get a Special Fairy move of any merit.
Despite being a similar tradition, I don't mind the "All 100 cute" Legendaries because they're all usable in some manner. With the Pikaclones, their gimmicks aren't even enough to compete with Pikachu, much less the Electrics that are better than Pikachu in the main game, something only Pichu is excused from for obvious reason. They also feel like a way to market using Pikachu imagery while being able to excuse themselves to those sick of the thing as "it's not actually Pikachu". I like Raichu's design so much better, and the anime's adamant choice to stick with Pikachu, whether back then or now, irks me because I also feel like it goes against some of the basic themes of the series, but that's for another time.
On the over marketing issue, Lucario I took a liking to before the over exposure took place, but even as a fan of the mon I'll say it's ridiculous.
Despite being a similar tradition, I don't mind the "All 100 cute" Legendaries because they're all usable in some manner. With the Pikaclones, their gimmicks aren't even enough to compete with Pikachu, much less the Electrics that are better than Pikachu in the main game, something only Pichu is excused from for obvious reason. They also feel like a way to market using Pikachu imagery while being able to excuse themselves to those sick of the thing as "it's not actually Pikachu". I like Raichu's design so much better, and the anime's adamant choice to stick with Pikachu, whether back then or now, irks me because I also feel like it goes against some of the basic themes of the series, but that's for another time.
On the over marketing issue, Lucario I took a liking to before the over exposure took place, but even as a fan of the mon I'll say it's ridiculous.
I have a feeling that sometime in Gen 3, some of the Game Freak employees looked up the stats of the Glitch Pokemon you can encounter in RBY and thought: "Cool, what if we make them real?"
This results in the creation of the Pokemon Deoxys, which takes after MissingNo. (with crap HP and defensive stats but great offensive stats. The only thing they changed is the low Speed)
They also made a Pokemon with 160 Def with passable Speed - now are we talking about Deoxys-D or the Glitch Pokemon 8?
A Pokemon with absurdly high Speed? Sounds like Deoxys-S but it can also refer to the Glitch Pokemon A who has 178 Spe.
MissingNo.'s Pokedex Number of 000 was later given to Victini in the fifth generation.
Finally, they also made a Pokemon whose power far surpasses Mewtwo / Arceus (Mega - Ray). This is a direct nod to some of the Glitch Pokemon (such as C1) who had absurd stats (788 BST in RBY or 916 in later generations!!!)
This results in the creation of the Pokemon Deoxys, which takes after MissingNo. (with crap HP and defensive stats but great offensive stats. The only thing they changed is the low Speed)
They also made a Pokemon with 160 Def with passable Speed - now are we talking about Deoxys-D or the Glitch Pokemon 8?
A Pokemon with absurdly high Speed? Sounds like Deoxys-S but it can also refer to the Glitch Pokemon A who has 178 Spe.
MissingNo.'s Pokedex Number of 000 was later given to Victini in the fifth generation.
Finally, they also made a Pokemon whose power far surpasses Mewtwo / Arceus (Mega - Ray). This is a direct nod to some of the Glitch Pokemon (such as C1) who had absurd stats (788 BST in RBY or 916 in later generations!!!)
There is no 100 all base stats Pokemon in Gen VI, that's weird :)
The Pikaclone of Gen 2 is actually Marill, not Pikachu. Visible in that it's also mouselike and has a second stage, getting a baby evolution in the next generation (just like Pikachu did).
There is more than 1 Pikaclone :)
GF doesn't consider it a Pikaclone. There's a menu background with all the clones and Marill isn't on it.
Plus there's the whole not yellow thing and no longer being a rodent when fully evolved.
Not sure if it counts as unpopular or not, but I think I want to post it here. I had a brief discussion on Bulba about Pokemon Showcases, and I think there's important things that people should know.
1. Pokemon Showcases are popular in Japan and East Asia, and is the thing that keeps grown men to watch the anime. It corresponds with the popularity of Idol performance animes in which are currently way more popular than magical girl animes.
2. Serena is the most popular female in Japan and East Asia ever. She is said to have the best personality, will become a good waifu, and has the best fashion sense.
3. Misty is actually not only unpopular in Asia, but also very hated. I know she is insanely popular in English places due to her personality, but her personality is exactly what that causes Asians to hate her -- tomboy, rude, bitchy, unwilling to cook, these are all undesirable features on females, and not how well taught girls should behave.
When May first came out, everyone was so glad that Misty was gone.
I know a lot of English speaking fans love Misty and get puzzled as to why the writers won't bring her back, but I guess the answer is obvious-- she's the least popular female in East Asia, worse than Iris.
4. Iris is perceived as annoying in the West, but this is not the reason why she isn't popular in Asia.
She received no ctiticism to her personality, but the main issue is her skin colour. Her hair and voice also received minor criticism. I don't think there will ever be another dark skinned heroine again.
( I love Iris though, and I thought she would be popular globally. Can someone explain why she's annoying?)
1. Pokemon Showcases are popular in Japan and East Asia, and is the thing that keeps grown men to watch the anime. It corresponds with the popularity of Idol performance animes in which are currently way more popular than magical girl animes.
2. Serena is the most popular female in Japan and East Asia ever. She is said to have the best personality, will become a good waifu, and has the best fashion sense.
3. Misty is actually not only unpopular in Asia, but also very hated. I know she is insanely popular in English places due to her personality, but her personality is exactly what that causes Asians to hate her -- tomboy, rude, bitchy, unwilling to cook, these are all undesirable features on females, and not how well taught girls should behave.
When May first came out, everyone was so glad that Misty was gone.
I know a lot of English speaking fans love Misty and get puzzled as to why the writers won't bring her back, but I guess the answer is obvious-- she's the least popular female in East Asia, worse than Iris.
4. Iris is perceived as annoying in the West, but this is not the reason why she isn't popular in Asia.
She received no ctiticism to her personality, but the main issue is her skin colour. Her hair and voice also received minor criticism. I don't think there will ever be another dark skinned heroine again.
( I love Iris though, and I thought she would be popular globally. Can someone explain why she's annoying?)
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Because the media assumes all viewers are straight white males, all female and PoC characters must adapt to their demands. Therefore, among the otaku crowd, they'll prefer females who are straight, white and have no character beyond serving their male. Having such a viewer base would encourage me to go for a female main character, because this level of sexism is alarming.
I actually find this quite worrisome too
I always thought Pokemon should have been different from other anime, like whst they did in Gen 1.
I'm not happy that they abandoned what they used to have (strong, sporty females) and chose to please the otaku crowds.
But to be fair, the anime isn't doing well in the West ever since Johto Journeys, and it looks like the dub isn'teven trying.
XY's target audience is clearly otakus, as there are many screen shots that are suggestively sexual in a Japanese way.
It then goes on in circles: the less popular it is in the West, they will shape the show to be more Japanese, and then they get even less popular in the West, and so on.
As a female, I really hope they will introduce another heroine who's strong and clever, and competitive. Preferably stronger than Ash.
They will only achieve that with a new series. Ash&Pikachu are in my opinion too ingrained into the anime to be removed now, so it should be a different story where the female is not second-grade to a male. That would probably not fly with the basement dwellers who usually watch anime, but gather a whole lot more fans who find the current anime abhorrent.
Talking about the female protagonist in Anime, I actually like Serena for being indecisive on choosing so. Etching and trying different stuff, for most people she seemed bland boring and unfocused for the first 40 or so Episodes, yet forfor me it was entertaining to see a character that has no idea of what she should do and had the pressure of its parents on taking a path, and unlike other female characters she was decent at it but never fully enjoyed it. As someone with a degree in engineering yet with a work as a teacher I somehow felt related, bonus points for removing the bullshit-o-battlemeter of the "not contest" goal she got.
I'm not a shipper, yet I can see why some rabid western enthusiasts would like her for being the "preferred" canon choice, I guess that's also on her favor.
Note to the rest normally I fanboy over cute goofball characters making them my favorite in Japanese animation such as Karen from kinmoza or Sakurako from Yuru Yuri, or kind badass like Mami from Madoka so it's honestly weird for me to call a "passive waifu" like Serena my best girl.
I'm not a shipper, yet I can see why some rabid western enthusiasts would like her for being the "preferred" canon choice, I guess that's also on her favor.
Note to the rest normally I fanboy over cute goofball characters making them my favorite in Japanese animation such as Karen from kinmoza or Sakurako from Yuru Yuri, or kind badass like Mami from Madoka so it's honestly weird for me to call a "passive waifu" like Serena my best girl.
Random Passerby:
I believe that's what they call "serendipity". ;) I don't see anything wrong in looking at a past mistake you made and then working with it to make it beneficial, especially if the mistake was minor like a glitch. Deoxys is one of the more interesting Pokemon due to its drastic stat configurations.
Antihaxxer:
Well we don't quite know what the stats of the new Zygarde Formes would be so you never know... ;P
Joking aside (besides all of Zygarde's Formes will have 108 HP if it follow normal alternate form rules) I guess they wanted to do something different? Diancie was a transformation of a Carbink who later got a Mega Evolutuion, Hoopa got an alternate Forme, and who knows what they plan on doing with Volcanion.
LightningLord2:
Hmm, that's stretching it a bit but I can see where you're coming from. However nowadays Pikaclones are specifically Eletric-types which resemble Pikachu in some way (such as having marked cheeks where they store electricity).
Karxrida:
Pachirisu isn't yellow (and Dedenne is mostly Orange) and Plusle & Minun do resemble more of a rabbit (you'll also notice the Pokemon people call the "Gen Rodents" are not all rodents). I think the prevailing trait about them is them being Electric-types and having marked cheeks.
Cresselia~~:
1. Well I suppose that'll explain Lisia (though I remembering hearing how these pop idols in Japan are treated badly. Not that they're abused but they're treated like eye candy, their managers get all of the money, and they're often discarded and replaced. They're sort of how Boy Bands were treated in the US in the early 90s). Stupid question, how popular is Lisia there? Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion but only thing I found interesting about her is her family trivia, but I do suppose that's because I didn't really participate in Pokemon Contests (aka not at all).
2 & 3.
The other points I can sort of understand, everyone has their own preference. Also in the end it doesn't matter. Misty, Serena, May, Dawn, Iris... Pokemon is a series about the Pokemon and not human romance SO I recommend those rabid Serena fans enjoy her as long as they can as she's going to be leaving next gen for the next female companion.
Also I understand why they don't want to bring an old character back, but come on, at least a cameo?
4.
I think in the West she's unpopular as she's seen as an expy of Misty. She's a tomboy, rude to Ash, acts she knows what's better, and etc.. However while Misty had been an experience trainer and knows what she's talking about and Ash was a newbie learning the ropes, with Iris it's the opposite way around. Ash is the experience trainer while Iris acts like she knows what she's doing but doesn't, at least in raising Pokemon. It could also be Ash's reset for that gen angering more people as Ash doesn't argue against her and worst "proves" her right even though Ash should know better. Iris's development was also an issue, it was slow and even in the end it hadn't moved much. She became confident, caught a Dragonite, and proved to her Elder and Drayden she has what it takes to someday become a Dragon Master... yet her main mission was to evolve Axew who didn't even get to the Fraxure stage. Also with her having no definite goal like May and Dawn did she felt like a tag along with no real reason to be following Ash. Plus I think everyone liked Cilan more due to him knowing what he's talking about, having a much more original attitude or upbeat and a tad eccentric, and he has a goal which we do see him do plenty of times in the anime.
Norne:
Now that Serena's story is rolling I am liking her better. I was kind of worried her indecision thing was going to be the "main" thing about her but thankfully they put her on a path and now I'm looking forward what they do for Showcases.
Now whether Showcases are better than Contests that's up to debate. You're right about the meter being BS but they also removed the stylish battling from it and instead replaced it with Pokepuff Cooking (and unless they Iron Chef it with restricting what ingredients they use I don't really get a feeling of drama from it). Also now it feels completely arbitrary who wins as it's just up to the writer who the audience likes... or rather who the story says is going to win. Serena can half@$$ a performance and the writer can have her win, at least the with the meter is sort of forced the writer to have May and Dawn remain on their toes and added some sort of drama. Also since everyone's tastes are different I'm sure viewers will disagree who should won (out of the characters being focused on). I'm honestly more interested in Jessie's performances since she goes all out and over the top. Sure its for comedy relief but the problem with that is that it means her performances do outshine the ones we're suppose to be rooting for making it seem hollow when she loses despite putting on a more interesting show.
I believe that's what they call "serendipity". ;) I don't see anything wrong in looking at a past mistake you made and then working with it to make it beneficial, especially if the mistake was minor like a glitch. Deoxys is one of the more interesting Pokemon due to its drastic stat configurations.
Antihaxxer:
Well we don't quite know what the stats of the new Zygarde Formes would be so you never know... ;P
Joking aside (besides all of Zygarde's Formes will have 108 HP if it follow normal alternate form rules) I guess they wanted to do something different? Diancie was a transformation of a Carbink who later got a Mega Evolutuion, Hoopa got an alternate Forme, and who knows what they plan on doing with Volcanion.
LightningLord2:
Hmm, that's stretching it a bit but I can see where you're coming from. However nowadays Pikaclones are specifically Eletric-types which resemble Pikachu in some way (such as having marked cheeks where they store electricity).
Karxrida:
Pachirisu isn't yellow (and Dedenne is mostly Orange) and Plusle & Minun do resemble more of a rabbit (you'll also notice the Pokemon people call the "Gen Rodents" are not all rodents). I think the prevailing trait about them is them being Electric-types and having marked cheeks.
Cresselia~~:
1. Well I suppose that'll explain Lisia (though I remembering hearing how these pop idols in Japan are treated badly. Not that they're abused but they're treated like eye candy, their managers get all of the money, and they're often discarded and replaced. They're sort of how Boy Bands were treated in the US in the early 90s). Stupid question, how popular is Lisia there? Not sure if this is an unpopular opinion but only thing I found interesting about her is her family trivia, but I do suppose that's because I didn't really participate in Pokemon Contests (aka not at all).
2 & 3.
Wow Asia, how incredibly sexist of you. (Just kidding, though still really?)
The other points I can sort of understand, everyone has their own preference. Also in the end it doesn't matter. Misty, Serena, May, Dawn, Iris... Pokemon is a series about the Pokemon and not human romance SO I recommend those rabid Serena fans enjoy her as long as they can as she's going to be leaving next gen for the next female companion.
Also I understand why they don't want to bring an old character back, but come on, at least a cameo?
4.
Oh Asia, how racist and petty of you. (Once again just kidding, though once again still really?)
I think in the West she's unpopular as she's seen as an expy of Misty. She's a tomboy, rude to Ash, acts she knows what's better, and etc.. However while Misty had been an experience trainer and knows what she's talking about and Ash was a newbie learning the ropes, with Iris it's the opposite way around. Ash is the experience trainer while Iris acts like she knows what she's doing but doesn't, at least in raising Pokemon. It could also be Ash's reset for that gen angering more people as Ash doesn't argue against her and worst "proves" her right even though Ash should know better. Iris's development was also an issue, it was slow and even in the end it hadn't moved much. She became confident, caught a Dragonite, and proved to her Elder and Drayden she has what it takes to someday become a Dragon Master... yet her main mission was to evolve Axew who didn't even get to the Fraxure stage. Also with her having no definite goal like May and Dawn did she felt like a tag along with no real reason to be following Ash. Plus I think everyone liked Cilan more due to him knowing what he's talking about, having a much more original attitude or upbeat and a tad eccentric, and he has a goal which we do see him do plenty of times in the anime.
Norne:
Now that Serena's story is rolling I am liking her better. I was kind of worried her indecision thing was going to be the "main" thing about her but thankfully they put her on a path and now I'm looking forward what they do for Showcases.
Now whether Showcases are better than Contests that's up to debate. You're right about the meter being BS but they also removed the stylish battling from it and instead replaced it with Pokepuff Cooking (and unless they Iron Chef it with restricting what ingredients they use I don't really get a feeling of drama from it). Also now it feels completely arbitrary who wins as it's just up to the writer who the audience likes... or rather who the story says is going to win. Serena can half@$$ a performance and the writer can have her win, at least the with the meter is sort of forced the writer to have May and Dawn remain on their toes and added some sort of drama. Also since everyone's tastes are different I'm sure viewers will disagree who should won (out of the characters being focused on). I'm honestly more interested in Jessie's performances since she goes all out and over the top. Sure its for comedy relief but the problem with that is that it means her performances do outshine the ones we're suppose to be rooting for making it seem hollow when she loses despite putting on a more interesting show.
This is Pokemon! How could you say such a thing?
Because it's absolutely correct. And this in the generation where you actually have the option to play as a person of color. (Kind of.) Still, the anime is supposed to be a marketing device for the games and other merchandise, targeted at school-age children. And yet, if you watch closely, you can actually find some things that are quite troubling.
Oh, so the whole point why Iris isn't as popular as Misty is, is because she isn't as strong as she claims?
I don't think the skin color problem is due to racism. I know it's a sensitive problem outside Asia, but in Asia, skin color is more associated to wealth instead of race. If you are wealthy, you work indoors, ie away from the Sun, so you have pale skin. That's why, traditionally in the entire Asia, dark skin is very undesired.
However, in recent years, there starts to be a small crowd of people who like darker skin, mainly people who like sporty outdoor girls.
That's why in anime, most dark skinned girls are cool, out going, sporty, etc. (e.g. Chloe from Prisma Illya is a popular dark skinned girl)
Some people think that dark skin is cool. But anyway, in Asia, dark skin is never pretty.
I think Misty would be more popular if she has dark skin. I legitimately think that.
Which franchise is your Lisia from? I don't think I've heard of her.
You mean Lisia from Pokemon? The one with Mega Altaria?
Well, there sure is quite some fan art about her. (Mostly, popularity of a character can be judged on how much ecchi fanart there is on Pixiv)
But it seems to me that people rarely chat about her.
There's a common theme that I think can be found with the popularity of the different female characters in the territories. In both places, more meek or cutesy type female characters were a commonly accepted norm, at least for kid/teenager programs, so in both cases, characters like Misty were a break from the norm. That said, Japan is a more conservative country, less receptive to things that violate or challenge the status quo, whereas going outside the lines was a more common trait in Western programming, whatever the reception was. I didn't watch a lot of TV as a kid, but Misty is one of the first distinct female characters I remember from TV that wasn't "girly" in how she was usually depicted.
To take from TV-Tropes, my impression of each companion in terms of different tropes early in their runs, or at least as close as they could do them in a kid's show.
- Misty: The Lad-ette
- May: Tsundere (She was definitely more cutesy, but still prone to outbursts, less than Misty but more than Dawn)
- Dawn: Moe (They really played this up with all the themed outfits, expressions, and maybe it's just me, but they focused a bit less on the battle aspect of the contests with her)
- Iris: She's the hardest one for me to place because I didn't see much of Unova. I kind of got the impression she was supposed to be like Misty, but a bit more condescending than abrasive.
And Serena is in "Waifu" territory.
This is just me assessing the character types they're trying to show, regardless of how well they are written with/despite/in tandem with those roles.
I think it also kind of shows a trend of how the Pokemon Anime is progressing. The original show wasn't quite within the formula of what people consider anime, but over time, the show has become more and more forumlaic, whether within its own bounds or in the context of "typical" anime. Kalos just feels very... safe, both in terms of the games and in terms of the anime itself.
To take from TV-Tropes, my impression of each companion in terms of different tropes early in their runs, or at least as close as they could do them in a kid's show.
- Misty: The Lad-ette
- May: Tsundere (She was definitely more cutesy, but still prone to outbursts, less than Misty but more than Dawn)
- Dawn: Moe (They really played this up with all the themed outfits, expressions, and maybe it's just me, but they focused a bit less on the battle aspect of the contests with her)
- Iris: She's the hardest one for me to place because I didn't see much of Unova. I kind of got the impression she was supposed to be like Misty, but a bit more condescending than abrasive.
And Serena is in "Waifu" territory.
This is just me assessing the character types they're trying to show, regardless of how well they are written with/despite/in tandem with those roles.
I think it also kind of shows a trend of how the Pokemon Anime is progressing. The original show wasn't quite within the formula of what people consider anime, but over time, the show has become more and more forumlaic, whether within its own bounds or in the context of "typical" anime. Kalos just feels very... safe, both in terms of the games and in terms of the anime itself.