Collage not mine! (obviously)
Ash may not have aged throughout the show, but every series did contribute something to his overall character growth and development as a trainer. But which series do you think did it best?
My choices are AG, DP, and XY (the latter for achieving leader/big bro status).
"That's dancing?! He looks all woozy!" 😂
Note: AG stands for Advanced Generation. It goes by the name Ruby & Sapphire on Pokémon TV.
I notice that out of all the series, AG seems the least talked about. And while I am biased due to heavy nostalgia, I think I can understand the core reason why:
Every other series just has something more interesting for fans to notice and collectively talk about.
Kanto: Most nostalgic. Pretty infamous for its balls to the walls insanity at times. Ash's sass.
Orange Islands: Introduced Tracey as a Brock replacement.
Johto: Infamous for its filler. Johto League.
Battle Frontier: First to introduce the new English dub cast. The entire Battle Frontier concept realised from the games.
Sinnoh: Paul and Ash's rivalry. Tobias. Dawn's contest journey. Infernape.
Unova: Infamously regressed Ash back down to a novice.
Kalos: Turned into a full shonen anime. Mature Ash. Kalos League. Kalos Crisis. Serena. Ash-Greninja.
Alola: Change of art style. More laid back story.
Journeys: Not a region as it was a world trip adventure. Some good. Some bad. Final end of Ash's series.
What exactly does Hoenn have that's memorable? Well...not very much. Well, it did have Team Magma and Aqua, just like the games, but they were scattered about. And even the full climax with Groudon and Kyogre wasn't even a series finale - it was a two parter right before the 7th gym. Which brings the epicness of it down imo.
So yeah...while I have huge nostalgic attachment to AG. I can understand why there is less for fans to talk about with it.
EP241: Hocus Pokémon
It's interesting that the anime introduced the concept of a human turning into a Pokémon, just a few years before the Mystery Dungeon games explored it further.
I just wish the anime didn't chicken out with this idea...We only saw Ash as a Pikachu at the end of this episode, and then immediately at the start of the next one we see him turn back. So much potential lost 😔
Imagine a full episode where Ash has to navigate everything with his Pikachu body, his Pokémon's reactions, maybe even having wholesome moments with Pikachu (maybe them falling asleep together as two cuddled up Pikachu fluffs 🧡). Imagine them encountering Team Rocket, and Ash has to use his Pikachu form to save everyone!
I have a few:
I wish we got to see his full Eevee team fight, and also have Ash battling him in the semi final. Perfect opportunity to promote gen 6 with Sylveon.
I really believe this would have been a much better outcome, not only narrative wise - but also for the fans 😅 And also (because another user suggested this idea in a previous post of mine) - have it come down to a sudden death battle, but Ash refuses the title and gives it to Alain, because he feels the latter deserves it more. Also would show Ash's character growth of moving past the desire to get stronger.
3. Having Misty either win the Whirl Cup, or lose to Trinity in the finals.
I also wish Misty and Ash's battle was more near the final (perhaps the semi final).
Have Friede (Horizons) contact the goddamn team when he went missing instead of disappearing for a year!
Have Ash catch the Latias at the end of his series.
With all that was built up in MPM, it's honestly confusing that it never led to this outcome. Would have made so much sense in context, and Ash gets a legendary!
I know that Ash did tie against May in an official battle, and they split the ribbon, but that was a contest battle. They've never really established what happens if there is a tie in a League final.
There's only one trophy. Would they split that in half? Would the Champion (Diantha in this case) make the decision? Would they have to draw names out of a hat? Would it go to a sudden death match? Rock Paper Scissors?
Curious to know.
Can be gym battles, unofficial battles (like Gary/Eevee vs Ash/Pikachu, or Ash vs Paul - Lake Acuity etc), league battles, masters 8 battles, exhibition matches (Ash vs Kukui etc), or just regular minor battles during Ash's journey.
I really enjoyed the arc in DP when Ash and friends journeyed with Cheryl to find the enchanted honey. Just the journey itself, and them finding the hive with the Vespiquen queen was so exciting. Felt like a treasure hunt.
I always liked Cheryl; it was nice to see her get a decent amount of time in the anime 😊
Also, that moment when they first discover the hive, and the absolute giant coombee wall, was such a stand out moment to me.
Pika Loaf 🍞⚡️
random post I know
I can't explain why, but every time Pikachu has his tail framed behind Ash like this, it really adds to their silhouette and presence in the scene.
Look at him melt 🥺 It's adorable.
For context: This is Señorita Cactus. A character from the original version of Toy Story 2. She was scrapped and replaced with Jessie.
I can guarantee that this character would not have been popular, or lasted very long in the franchise, if she was kept in.
For context: I hate the fact that Woody permanently gave it up. I hate the scene itself; it just comes across as creepy and unnerving. I also hate that Gabby was basically able to "fix herself", when there could have been a much better message of learning to live with and embrace your flaws.
That being said, it's not out of character for Woody to give up something of himself to save another toy. In fact, I think it's profound. That stitching on Woody's back from where he was sewn up symbolises his kindness, and how far he is willing to go for the safety of his friends, and the happiness of his kid.
Like, imagine if he did it for one of his lifelong friends. Imagine if Jessie also became a target of Gabby-Gabby (because she is the only other pullstring doll out of the toys and practically has an identical voice box to Woody); Gabby-Gabby has her pinned down, she's about to have her voice box ripped out, and then Woody cries out
"Leave her alone! Just take mine!"
And Jessie would no doubt be appalled at the idea, and try to stop Woody from doing so, but she's dragged away by the dummys kicking and screaming, while Woody does what is needed to ensure the safety of them both.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why he did it for Forky, but I also can't help but imagine a way more intense scenario involving his closest friends.
Girl just runs over and does her usual tackle spin hug of affection 💛
​
I love their sibling dynamic.
The last thing Buzz remembers is Lotso and his henchmen trying to switch him to demo mode. Then the next thing he knows, he's waking up in a garbage truck with all his friends (and somehow Woody).
​
He has no memory of being Demo Buzz or Spanish Buzz. So essentially, Buzz blanked out for the entirety of the escape, then woke up in a truck with absolutely no clue as to how they all got there!
​
You got to feel bad for Buzz 😆 At least in the first three movies, things never quite seem to go his way; in TS1 he has a mental breakdown when he learns that he is a toy (and gets literally slapped out of it by Woody), then in TS2 he's kidnapped and impersonated by another Buzz, and then in TS3 he's reset and later wakes up in a truck with a huge gap in his memory.
I do find the one in TS4 quite emotional. It's still energetic, but a touch more gentle as well.
I'm not sure if any explanation has actually been given, and I'm aware that this isn't a new topic of discussion - but it's fascinating because there's so much to unpack.
​
- I originally had a headcanon that our Woody was a prototype; made before the final versions of his toy, and released before the show aired (which explained why Woody was so in the dark about the show). But then I remembered that it has been confirmed by Pixar that Andy's father owned Woody (and Andy's mother even said that Woody was a "family heirloom"). So that was shut down.
​
- Which means Woody would have been sold in a store. With other Woodys and all the other Round-up characters.
​
- And if that is the case, how come he doesn't remember any of that ? Why doesn't he remember being in a store? Of seeing Jessie, Pete, and Bullseye alongside the shelf with him? Why did he forget what was clearly his reason for existing in the first place?
​
- Also Andy's father would have had to have seen the show as well. No way Woody could have been kept from all that.