Master Balls

[Superben]

How comes Master balls, great balls, and ultra balks haven't been used to capture Pokemon anime?

 

[Perriechu]

Because in the Pokemon world, all Pokeballs are the same. Except the special Johto balls. So an ordinary Pokeball will work the same as an Ultra Ball. Master Balls have been seen and used iirc In Hoenn they meet a bigger than normal Whiscash that eats the Master Ball than an old man had.

 

[Aquacorde]

And anyway how would the main characters afford them? The twerps are just kids with barely enough money for supplies half the time and Team Rocket seems to very rarely get paid.

 

[psyanic]

I don't recall anyone actually buying poke balls. Ever. The same goes with most of their supplies, really.

 

[Aquacorde]

Brock and Dent have bought things numerous times... I feel like Ash's PokeBalls at least are provided by Professor Oak.

 

[Guest123_x1]

Probably to simplify things, however other types of balls have been seen in the anime, and a beach ball that looked like an oversized Master Ball was seen in "Beauty and the Beach".

 

[Mew~]

Master Ball - The only appearence it's every really had was in Whiscash and Ash from the AG series, like Dragonomega said, it was used by a fisherman to capture an oversized Whiscash. Although, Misty owned a beach ball shaped like a Master Ball witch appeared in Beauty and the Beach, and again in A Hot Water Battle.

You might want to take a look at this article to find out a little more on other Poké Balls.

 

[vaporeon7]

Plus, it would just confuse the animators. There have been many mistakes even with the Johto balls. We'd just get many mistakes where the different kinds get mixed up.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Like Mew~ said, the Master Ball made its only appearance in Whiscash and Ash, when Solomon tried to catch Nero with it. It didn't work because Nero swallowed the Master Ball and fled. Thus, no Pokemon was seen caught in a Master Ball ever in the show.

 

[xnicnicx]

Believe or not but Ash only gets 6 PokeBalls and only catches six pokemon throughout his journey. I assume that would be the same with other trainers as well.

 

[Mew~]

Believe or not but Ash only gets 6 PokeBalls and only catches six pokemon throughout his journey. I assume that would be the same with other trainers as well.

Well, um no not exactly. Ash had more than six Poké balls in every series. Just take a look at Unova,

Spoiler:

He's gotten 8 unova Pokémon so far.

Also take a look at Krabby in Kanto.

 

[Jorah]

Because they couldn't be bothered. Seriously, I bet this is the answer.

 

[pineco-a-go-go]

Because in the Pokemon world, all Pokeballs are the same. Except the special Johto balls. So an ordinary Pokeball will work the same as an Ultra Ball. Master Balls have been seen and used iirc In Hoenn they meet a bigger than normal Whiscash that eats the Master Ball than an old man had.

Rewatch the very first episode, "Pokemon, I Choose You." The night before Ash gets his pikachu, he watches a televised pokemon battle. In the battle, one of the trainers uses an odd colored pokeball (Blue, I think.) So technically, the first pokeball ever seen on the series is different.

Also, all of Ash's tauros are in green park balls. Those are different and not Johto balls either.

 

[sherreamethyst]

Aside from the Johto balls, yur right I havent seen them use anything beside pokeballs. Maybe its because a pokeball is the main symbol of Pokemon, so they wanna use a plain pokeball to show that symbol. I dunno.

I wanna know how they afford, the food and pokeballs they do have. I never see them get paid, and Ash's mom doesn't even work, so where does the money come from? I wish I could conjure up a bunch of money like them, and buy me tons of sandwiches & videogames... :D

 

[Charaxes]

Because they couldn't be bothered. Seriously, I bet this is the answer.

Judging from the GS Ball fisaco, that's my theory, too. At least, the Master Ball did appear, though, it does remind how the anime never addressed Silph Co. (Or they have, and I don't know about it?) Maybe since the Master Ball is associated with Silph, seeing it now and again could remind the fans that, "oh, we haven't addressed Silph, at all, have we?"

In fairness, they got better with Devon and the Poketch makers. I don't watch the show anymore, so have they done it with the Gen V equivalent, yet?

 

[WeegeeMan]

You can glimpse a huge Master Ball statue on top of a building in a certain Pokemon Indigo League episode. I forget which one though.

 

[Superben]

When that huge ass Whiscash ate the Master ball it should have activated inside him and captured it why didn't it?

 

[psyanic]

When the Whishcash swallowed it, I think that the ball never got to actually open, so it couldn't capture it, but don't quote me on that.

 

[Charlie Kelly]

I always assumed the Master Ball was never really featured in the anime mostly due to the moral issues it raises. The first time a Pokeball in the anime was able to capture a Pokemon without them being able to put up a fight, Mewtwo was controlling them, and it... wasn't presented in a very good light. The second time a "no-choice, no-fight" capture scenario comes up, it's at the hands of a legendary poacher. A Pokemon has to be able to battle, to earn the respect of the trainer, or something to that effect. It's the only excuse that keeps the stockholm syndrome-esque gray area of capturing pokemon leaning towards the positive.

As for Ultra Balls and such, I suppose it would be an arbitrary distinction that the animators and writers feel is unneeded.

 

[Snivy063]

A master ball must be pretty rare in the PokeWorld. But I remember seeing a special ball used to capture Totodile back in the Johto series? I forgot what it was called but yeah, even so I think everyone has an unlimited supply of Pokeball 'cause I can't even remember one of them buying one from the PokeMart. XD ;;