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Ash battling like a noob...

Olli

I am still bathing in a summer's afterglow
2,583
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13
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I think Ash gets Pikachu's stats reset after each region. Seriously, it seems as if Pikachu might still be Level 5.
This has pretty much been the case with every region yet, yeah. This is obviously so that Ash won't have one overpowered Pokémon with him throughout the regions that would be there to save his butt everytime he was in a tough situation, though of course he still needs to keep his partner. I mean just look at Charizard. He has been one of Ash's Pokémon for almost as long as Pikachu, though he's still as strong as ever because it doesn't matter that much, since he's not a part of Ash's main team in the newer regions, except for in the league battles.

Though on the actual topic, the fifth generation was supposed to be a restart of everything, so it makes sense for Ash to be weaker than his rival at first, then slowly climbing further up to becoming stronger than him, and obviously Pikachu should've been much stronger than all of Trip's Pokémon, though that would've made it less of an experience for the viewers, and less of a rival if Ash was always able to beat him. Of course they could turn the roles around, so that Ash kept on beating his rival and then the rival got the better of him in the league, though since Pokémon is aimed for the younger audience, and since that's probably not what they want to see, I don't think the possibilities of that ever happening are that big. But yeah, Ash will grow stronger, and his team will most likely make it further in the Unova league than they've done in any other league, since Ash appears to get further and further in every new league he competes in.

All in all, just stop worrying about Ash becoming weaker. Of course it doesn't make sense, but how else are they gonna show Ash progressing if he's already as good as they get?
 
2,688
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18
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  • Seen Aug 29, 2020
This has pretty much been the case with every region yet, yeah. This is obviously so that Ash won't have one overpowered Pokémon with him throughout the regions that would be there to save his butt everytime he was in a tough situation, though of course he still needs to keep his partner. I mean just look at Charizard. He has been one of Ash's Pokémon for almost as long as Pikachu, though he's still as strong as ever because it doesn't matter that much, since he's not a part of Ash's main team in the newer regions, except for in the league battles.

Though on the actual topic, the fifth generation was supposed to be a restart of everything, so it makes sense for Ash to be weaker than his rival at first, then slowly climbing further up to becoming stronger than him, and obviously Pikachu should've been much stronger than all of Trip's Pokémon, though that would've made it less of an experience for the viewers, and less of a rival if Ash was always able to beat him. Of course they could turn the roles around, so that Ash kept on beating his rival and then the rival got the better of him in the league, though since Pokémon is aimed for the younger audience, and since that's probably not what they want to see, I don't think the possibilities of that ever happening are that big. But yeah, Ash will grow stronger, and his team will most likely make it further in the Unova league than they've done in any other league, since Ash appears to get further and further in every new league he competes in.

All in all, just stop worrying about Ash becoming weaker. Of course it doesn't make sense, but how else are they gonna show Ash progressing if he's already as good as they get?

Unfortunately, they still didn't do a good job in a total restart. Otherwise, they either would have replaced Ash, period, or even just had him not bring Pikachu to Unova, period. That is a true fresh start to everything.
 

Olli

I am still bathing in a summer's afterglow
2,583
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13
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Unfortunately, they still didn't do a good job in a total restart. Otherwise, they either would have replaced Ash, period, or even just had him not bring Pikachu to Unova, period. That is a true fresh start to everything.
Even though it appears that a lot of people want to see a new main character, I don't think that'd get that positive a reaction from most of the fans. Many have grown up watching the earlier seasons of Pokémon, with Ash at the time being kind of their idol, so replacing him would prooobably not make the ones who're still fans very happy.

Though to be honest, I think the one that would cause the most of hassle if they were replaced in the show would be Pikachu. It's kinda the mascot for the franchise as a whole, and even more for the anime, so replacing him wouldn't be the smartest move ever.

Though I do agree with you that if they were aiming for an actual reboot of the series, they needed to do more than making Brock leave and reintroducing a few things from the first seasons, though I don't think replacing either Ash or Pikachu would be a good idea, especially since the anime is all about Ash's journey to become Pokémon master.
 

DaEpicTrainer

One Pokemon to Rule Them All
43
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11
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  • Age 31
  • Seen Jan 26, 2013
Ash was always noob, he uses fire type against water type, water type against electric type, (not battling but ; he uses water gun on brock's onix <.<), but yeah he gets noob-ier in 4th & 5th gen.
 

Olli

I am still bathing in a summer's afterglow
2,583
Posts
13
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His choises to use a weaker type against his opponents are usuallyn ot because he doesn't know the type advantages, but more because he wants to challenge himself. Of course it may not always be the smartest moves, and he doesn't do those kinds of things when it's in dangerous situations, however by doing that and winning he proves to be less of a newb than he would otherwise appear to be. I can't really see why you're saying he got worse in the later generations though.
 
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11
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  • Seen Feb 26, 2020
I don't follow the anime, but I heard that in some episodes he used smart battle tactics. Like, teaching Sleep Talk to his Heracross when he was going to go up against a Pokemon with Rest. Don't know if this is true, though, so correct me if I'm wrong. I should probably learn more about the actually smart things he's done.
 

soulavenger

A Keen Observer
48
Posts
14
Years
One thing about the anime that has always bugged me is that even after being in the top 16 of Indigo League, winning the Orange League and Battle Frontier and basically finishing in top 8 of every other league, Why is it that every time Ash visits a new region, he is treated as an unknown being, like he has started his journey only a few days ago????

I mean shouldn't he be famous and all after achieving all of this in such a short amount of time????
 
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50,218
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13
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His choises to use a weaker type against his opponents are usuallyn ot because he doesn't know the type advantages, but more because he wants to challenge himself. Of course it may not always be the smartest moves, and he doesn't do those kinds of things when it's in dangerous situations, however by doing that and winning he proves to be less of a newb than he would otherwise appear to be. I can't really see why you're saying he got worse in the later generations though.

I agree with you, Olli. Ash's choices of using weaker types is presumably because he doesn't understand type advantages but it's because he wants a challenge. The reason they make him act noobish in every new region is so they can make it targeted towards the young audience the anime is intended for.

Even though it appears that a lot of people want to see a new main character, I don't think that'd get that positive a reaction from most of the fans. Many have grown up watching the earlier seasons of Pokémon, with Ash at the time being kind of their idol, so replacing him would prooobably not make the ones who're still fans very happy.

Though to be honest, I think the one that would cause the most of hassle if they were replaced in the show would be Pikachu. It's kinda the mascot for the franchise as a whole, and even more for the anime, so replacing him wouldn't be the smartest move ever.

Though I do agree with you that if they were aiming for an actual reboot of the series, they needed to do more than making Brock leave and reintroducing a few things from the first seasons, though I don't think replacing either Ash or Pikachu would be a good idea, especially since the anime is all about Ash's journey to become Pokémon master.

Olli's right, replacing Ash would ruin the anime's reputation with older fans. They gave him Pikachu for a reason, cos he's the mascot of the entire franchise. The reason they made Brock leave was because they wanted the Unova saga to be like a "fresh start". And I do admit I love Cilan's personality and he has famous English and Japanese VAs. If they replaced Ash, I probably wouldn't even want to watch the anime anymore.

Also keep in mind Clefairy was intended to be the mascot but they chose Pikachu cos it appealed to both male and female viewers of the show. I mean, Clefairy being pink makes you think it's a girl's Pokemon, right?

I have been watching the anime since I was 7 (I missed nearly all of Advanced Generation though) and I still love Ash, no matter if he's reset or not. While I do admit the lack of acknowledging Ash's past league results I still know he improved in each new league conference.
 

Olli

I am still bathing in a summer's afterglow
2,583
Posts
13
Years
I don't follow the anime, but I heard that in some episodes he used smart battle tactics. Like, teaching Sleep Talk to his Heracross when he was going to go up against a Pokemon with Rest. Don't know if this is true, though, so correct me if I'm wrong. I should probably learn more about the actually smart things he's done.
Yeah, Ash used his Heracross against Nando's Kricketune, because Heracross already knew Sleep Talk, and he knew Nando's main strategy with Kricketune was to make its opponent fall asleep. He also used a offense in defense strategy with his Buizel by letting it use Water Gun while spinning, creating a sort of shield that would always damage the opponent at contact, cleverly named Counter Shield.

So yeah, Ash isn't all about losing to new trainers, and those are just a few of his improvements during his less than a year long adventure.
 
5,616
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13
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  • Age 35
  • Seen May 15, 2023
One thing about the anime that has always bugged me is that even after being in the top 16 of Indigo League, winning the Orange League and Battle Frontier and basically finishing in top 8 of every other league, Why is it that every time Ash visits a new region, he is treated as an unknown being, like he has started his journey only a few days ago????

I mean shouldn't he be famous and all after achieving all of this in such a short amount of time????

Actually Ash stated his position in roughly every region he traveled in. Unova is the only region he hasn't bragged about his past accomplishments.

I remember somewhere in Johto, Ash said how far he made it in the Indigo league, can't remember if it was to impress/brag or if it was just something he randomly said.

In Hoenn he bragged to Max about his placement in the Silver Conference and the Orange Islands, which Max scoffed and rubbed off which irritated Ash.

Sometimes after Ash met Paul's brother, Ash stated his own accomplishments, even when Paul met with Brandon and refused to believe that Brandon lost to Ash during Ash's conquest of the Battle Frontier.

Unova is the only time I haven't seen Ash mention his old accomplishments. He may in the new season with Dawn there cause there was a point in which the two reminisce about Brock and their days traveling together in front of Cilan and Iris.

Actually Ash MAY have "bragged" about his accomplishments to Tripp when they first met, but I can't remember the first two episodes very well.
 

Oshawott01

Awesome Oshawotter
25
Posts
12
Years
  • Seen Sep 21, 2012
Ash was always noob, he uses fire type against water type, water type against electric type, (not battling but ; he uses water gun on brock's onix <.<), but yeah he gets noob-ier in 4th & 5th gen.

I agree! It's funny in the 4th gen when you always here Dawn shouting,
"Ash! He's a fire type why are you using a grass type!"
It's quite strange how whenever he's with the girls who have literally just started their journey (like Dawn) he goes out there and makes a really stupid mistake and they correct him when they know like nothing about pokemon!

Even though it appears that a lot of people want to see a new main character, I don't think that'd get that positive a reaction from most of the fans. Many have grown up watching the earlier seasons of Pokémon, with Ash at the time being kind of their idol, so replacing him would prooobably not make the ones who're still fans very happy.

Yep! Some of you fans have probably heard of Pokemon World, it's a UK Pokemon magazine but it's also been released in other places.
There was actually an issue that said Ash would supposedly be being replaced with a new main character. I don't believe this but it is possible that it's true.

The other thing is the girls in the anime keep changing (Misty, May, Dawn, Iris) But there are times when they met up eg. Dawn and May etc. Some people were a bit sad to see Misty go when May was introduced but they were happy that the boys were staying. when Brock didn't return in Black and White, it caused a bit of commotion. Even I was a bit upset that we there was no more of Brocks "lady troubles," and Cilan took over his awesome cooking. Truthfully I get really annoyed about Cilans "flavour talk."

Some people are now getting afraid of Ash leaving with all the other character changes and if Ash leaves, it will be no more Pikachu. If there is a new Pikachu it will surely disapoint a lot of people.
 
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Kenshin5

Wanderer
4,391
Posts
15
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For awhile there were little lines drawn between Ash and the past cause there was very little mention of any prior accomplishments or ventures.

In Johto I think he may have been bragging to Casey at the beginning of the Saga when he went over kill on her with Charizard. Then Shingo in "Wired for Battle!" mentioned Ash was lucky to make the Top 16 in the Indigo League.

The reason he may have mentioned his accomplishments to Reggie is cause he may have been telling Ash all that Paul has went through as well which is pretty much the same places same as Reggie.

He may have, but at some point they will probably be brought up if not already.

And with their first meeting I think Trip was too busy being a jerk himself, which I remember mostly Trip insults toward Ash being from Kanto.
 
11
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11
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  • Seen Jul 20, 2012
Also keep in mind Clefairy was intended to be the mascot but they chose Pikachu cos it appealed to both male and female viewers of the show. I mean, Clefairy being pink makes you think it's a girl's Pokemon, right?

Wow, to think that Ash's best friend/closest partner would be Clefairy.....That's just awkward and strange ! I'm glad they chose Pikachu ! It just doesn't seem right....Ash and Clefairy OMG
 
23
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11
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  • Seen Aug 22, 2012
Also keep in mind Clefairy was intended to be the mascot but they chose Pikachu cos it appealed to both male and female viewers of the show. I mean, Clefairy being pink makes you think it's a girl's Pokemon, right?

LOL what?! In over 10 years, I never knew that :O
 

soulavenger

A Keen Observer
48
Posts
14
Years
It seems as if bit by bit they are trying to remove all of the old stuff,and adding new bits to the anime.....
No Gary,Brock,Misty,Ash losing his battle skills,Pikachu being underpowered and so on....
 

Pokemon Trainer UV

Attractively foolish
160
Posts
11
Years
I don't got a problem with Ash getting new Pokemon every region; but I agree, he battles like a total noob.
He got really lucky in Kanto, literally most of his Gym badges were gotten through nothing but "BS".
Later on in the series, though, he got pretty good. I think the height of his battling skills were in Battle Frontier, those battles made me feel very excited, and I looked forward to them.
However now he kinda sucks...a lot. I watched an episode of Black and White and found myself facepalming even more than in the Kanto series. I also sorta dislike new Team Rocket..

Oh and I forgot to mention that I really hate that in the anime, characters in the previous regions are completely forgotten. When the heck is Ash gonna come back to Kanto to get Pidgeot back!? That jerk promised he'd return! Also any more mention of Butterfree? And did he seriously need to use a Pokedex on a Weezing?

So yeah, as I said above, he's a total noob.
 

atmmachine11

Jumping portals since 1997.
136
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11
Years
I to just got back into pokemon from a year hiatus, and I honestly do not mind it that much. It is a nice season so far, the thing that annoys me the most is how iris keeps calling ash a kid. Its not that its mean or anything, it just pisses me right off that she says it so much.
 
2,334
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15
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  • Age 33
  • Seen Aug 21, 2021
Isn't the anime SUPPOSED to be about overcoming challenges and facing your fears, etc?

That doesn't mean every single thing has to be a challenge to the point of craziness or just for the sake of it.

If you never really overcome your challenges (like getting to a point where you can confidently whip the floor with a brand new trainer at the very least) than it all becomes a bit pointless....because he's not overcoming anything at all.
 
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