Top Pokemon series/region

MysticalNinetales said:

The Diamond and Pearl series is my all-time favourite. First off, Dawn is a remarkable character, she's kindhearted, passionate, understanding, supportive, and ambitious. Some may argue that she tended to be a touch sensitive, I think she was very realistic. She had times of doubt and faced insecurities that in my mind is refreshing, as it makes her very relatable. (Might I add, she held her composure better than her predecessor, May). She had her own goals and truly embraced them. In my mind, she was the first female companion who didn't take a back seat to Ash, her contests were equal in importance to Ash's battles, which enthralled my 9-year old self growing up. Dawn and her contribution to the series alone made it worthwhile. DP was also full of other exuberant and interesting characters. Of course, Paul is worth mentioning. He was an ass, sure, but he was a formidable rival and constantly kept Ash on his toes. He was powerful, arrogant, cruel, but there was something just so appealing about him. The battle between Ash and him at the Lily of the Valley Conference has to be the most iconic battle in the entirety of the series. The episodes were well-though out, exciting and were executed fantastically, there was always something happening. Ultimately, the nostalgia from this series is immense, DP truly played such a huge role in my childhood and the series is something I will always cherish.

The Best Wishes series was easily the worst. Ash acted so immaturely in comparison to previous seasons and the series introduced one of the worst, most obnoxiously annoying characters ever-Iris. Iris ruined the anime for me, I genuinely despised her and wanted the show to kill her off. I remember being 10 or 11 forcing myself to watch the show praying for a Snorlax to fall on her or for a Steelix to maul her. Cilan, on the other hand, was alright, just kind of a Brock wannabe. X&Y made a comeback, though. Serena was lovely, Ash regained his maturity, and the series regained legitimacy. S&M isn't something I'm interested in (I simply dislike the animation and the series itself looks very juvenile). Although, I can't form a proper opinion because I haven't actually watched the series yet.

The other generations are all generally good. I grew up with AG (I began watched it at age 4) I loved it growing up, however, looking back it's a tad dry. Although, I truly love May and Drew and the Hoenn region itself. Kanto and Johto also had excellent seasons, you can't deny it.

I haven't watched the anime in a long time (upwards of 2 years) but this topic has me reminiscing and I might just have to binge watch a few DP or AG episodes in the near future. :)

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DP is a solid series(even more so in Japanese dub where Hikari's theme is played far more often) but I disagree with you on Iris. Her character deserved far more than the writers portrayed her to be(especially when you consider what role she holds in the games(Gym Leader in White, Champion in BW2)), and although her signature line of "You're such a kid" grew old fast(not to mention hypocritical), she didn't put up with Ash's Bulls*&$. In some situations, Ash deserved the criticism, such as the Gym Battle with Elesa. The reason I think Iris failed as a character is because they portrayed her as a Misty 2.0 and while that was not necessarily a bad idea, she never got a full team, much less caught a Dragon Type Pokemon until the 89th Episode(after Ash had acquired all 8 Gym badges). In other words, she and Cilan got shoved into the background. Had they given Iris more importance in the series, along with giving her a complete team(including several Dragon Type captures as opposed to catching Emolga... sigh...), Iris would have come out better in the end. Doesn't help that her Axew never evolved despite learning Outrage.

NeoGeisha said:

All seasons before Unova was great. It went downhill when Unova started. Ash losing to a less experience trainer in league and iris who was annoying ruined the whole Unova saga

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Unova didn't start the downhill of the show, that was AG/DP that started the show going downhill.

The seasons before Hoenn/Sinnoh were the best, everything turn to crap when Hoenn started follow by Sinnoh, even though he did improved a little bit and made it to the top 4 in the Pokemon League he only did it for one region without any called back to what he did in the last region.

Piii said:

The seasons before Hoenn/Sinnoh were the best, everything turn to crap when Hoenn started follow by Sinnoh, even though he did improved a little bit and made it to the top 4 in the Pokemon League he only did it for one region without any called back to what he did in the last region.

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I personally disagree. I feel that anyone who claims AG and DP sucked only said that because they were likely a OS purist and thinking that should have been only series of the anime. I guess you would have liked the post-OS seasons better if Ash was replaced as the protagonist?

Hikamaru said:

I personally disagree. I feel that anyone who claims AG and DP sucked only said that because they were likely a OS purist and thinking that should have been only series of the anime. I guess you would have liked the post-OS seasons better if Ash was replaced as the protagonist?

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If I must be honest, yes, but only if Ash was allowed to win Johto beforehand. That way, we don't have to worry about Ash being left with an unfinished goal. Certainly, replacing Ash would have done better to actually allow for the more overt advertising vehicle nature of the anime starting with AG. Or heck, they could also do it like with Metal Gear Solid 2 where Ash is a main character, but more in a mentor role while Brendan or even May is the actual lead.

And believe me, even if I WEREN'T a OS purist, I'd still say at the very least AG stank for a variety of reasons:

1. May had the worst introduction of the female leads, probably the least reason to even travel at all, let alone with Ash.

2. The gym leaders were depicted as being like Team Rocket in competency, or lack thereof (actually, probably the only gym leaders in Hoenn who came across as even remotely competent were Roxanne and Brawley. I'm not counting Norman because that was more of an excuse for Ash to essentially skip him so he'd go the route of the games). Doesn't help that this occurred AFTER Misty was pretty much forced into Cerulean Gym, which likewise gave very negative implications of what she'll have to endure. Say what you will about the pity badges in Kanto, at least the Kanto Gym Leaders were actual forces to be reckoned with, and the Johto gym leaders managed to be genuinely impressive without pity badges.

3. They had an overfocus on Pokémon Contests, despite their being nothing more than sidequests that don't even lead to a different ending, thus leaving a lot of players out of the loop, and quite frankly, I was not fond of what the Contests represented, looking more like the fashion industry (and not in a good way).

4. Ash basically retained his rank in Johto, never even improving at all. I'm sorry, but the only thing worse than losing a league is not even making sure you do better than the last time. At least Johto had Ash actually increasing in rank.

5. Probably the single genuine accomplishment that Ash ever had in AG was the Battle Frontier, especially his well-earned victory against Brandon. Even that, however, ended up treated like some joke when Gary, who BTW was supposed to be retired from training to follow Oak's footsteps, managed to hand Pikachu his butt with an Electivire that he had recently discovered (and this was despite Pikachu beating a Regice, who being a Legendary would have been a LOT more powerful than an Electivire even without training.).

6. Overall, the entire AG saga came across as pointless and skippable. May gets replaced with Dawn who reused May's goal, with there barely being any comment at all until May appeared in the Sinnoh region; Ash did nothing to distinguish himself in the leagues compared to Johto. And even his one major accomplishment, beating Regice, gets treated as a joke when Gary beat him, and later when Paul beat Ash's Pikachu with an Ursaring (and that was DESPITE Paul being easily defeated by Brandon earlier).

And as far as DP, I'll acknowledge that it's better than AG in some respects (for starters, the DP team comes across as a bit more balanced), but even that isn't really all that good of a show overall, certainly compared to the OS. For starters:

1. Ash and Pikachu's competency got really trashed, not being able to beat many of the gym leaders despite the fact that Pikachu's victory against a Regice should have been able to have him breeze through the gyms. While the Gym Leaders do come across as a bit more competent than in Hoenn, it comes across more as tearing Ash and Pikachu down to make them look good rather than them genuinely coming across as impressive on their own merits, which is something the OS at least tried to do, and only XY came the closest to actually replicating.

2. Yet another overfocus on the Pokémon Contests, despite them, yet again, not being that major of a feature in the games.

3. Paul's rivalry just came across as badly done, and having Ash lose against him, especially in instances where Ash SHOULDN'T lose, or at least his Pikachu shouldn't, just came across as tasteless (I'm sorry, but a Pikachu who practically single-handedly took out a Regice should NOT lose to an Ursaring that Paul caught early into Sinnoh. He should have lost against Torterra, you know, Paul's actual starter Pokémon and thus the one Pokémon that's even remotely close to Pikachu's experience level).

4. While Ash did improve compared to Hoenn, we don't really get much comparison with Hoenn beforehand anyways, so we don't really get that sense that he improved at all, and besides which, they ended up stealing his victory, not allowing him to win.

5. They had a completely wasted opportunity to actually allow Ash to gain his Pokémon Master title. They heavily teased the fact that Ash would actually win Sinnoh and fight the Elite 4 members and Cynthia to become Champion Master, but the writers procrastinated to such an extent that by the time they got to BW, they ended up having Ash barely lose against a Latios, thus making Best Wishes inevitable.

6. Dawn really had no business traveling with Ash, since she was doing perfectly fine by herself. At least with Misty, she had needing her bike fixed and having Ash pay for wrecking her bike as a reason for joining with Ash despite clearly being capable of traveling by herself. And even May at least had her rookie incompetence as a reason to be with Ash.

Been a long time since I've posted new rankings and seeing as SuMo has released more, I can evaluate it a bit more. As always, this is my opinion and where a series is ranked doesn't mean its a bad series but only that something has to take the bottom rungs.

#1: Diamond&Pearl(Sinnoh Region, Seasons 10 to 13).
Ash, Brock and Dawn.... what a trio as they say. Although Brock was largely in the background at this point, he did have his moments and none more memorable when May returned for the Wallace Cup. His one liner in Full Course Tag Battle on May... priceless. Ash's team was pretty darn good. Although not fully evolved like his team in the next region on my list, he had more than a full team of 6. Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Gliscor, Buizel and Gible all had their own unique contribution to the series(none more than Gible in my eyes. Poor Piplup).

Out of all the female leads, Dawn might be the most polished and developed character of them all. Cocky and inexperienced to one of humility and elegance. Her team wasn't a slouch either, including an infamous Electric Squirrel if Pokemon World Championships are anything to go by. Her Contest Theme is by far my favorite and her chemistry with Ash was unparalleled. Tack on Paul as the best rival bar none and Cynthia as best Champion(and waifu) and you got a series that deserves the #1 spot.

#2: XY/XYZ(Kalos Region, Seasons 17 to 19).
Amourshipping for life!!! Now with that out of the way, back to objectivity. Ash's team in Kalos is one of my all time favorites and arguably his strongest due to the fact it was fully evolved with two Dragon Types. My only knock, if there is one, is that neither Ash or his companions had a full team at any given time prior to the League. Serena, in particular, was an abject disappointment in that she took 46 Episodes to catch her first Pokemon and ended the series with just three overall. Unless that was deliberately done for a future return, I can't let that go. Her arc was also not as ideal as past Female performer leads as it was for the title of Kalos Queen, something that Males or Ash in this case, couldn't partake in. For a series with a romantic subplot... could you imagine Serena in a contest with Ash? I mean Ash participated in contests with May and Dawn. Why leave such an opportunity on the table? Despite that, Serena was still a memorable character with many, many infamous scenes, including this notable gem:



I'll add that all 8 Gym Leaders and their respective bouts with Ash are all memorable, although Ramos and Grant were at best average. The rest... oh boy were those good. Shoutout to Korrina for [user]LadyJirachu[/user]. Also Bonnie was a far, far better fourth wheel with her "You're a keeper!" gag that evoked memories of Brock. Excellent series that I'd recommend several times over.

#3: Advanced(Hoenn Region, Seasons 6 to 9).
Hoenn region is honestly not that bad. I mean sure Max is a useless fourth wheel but Ash's team was pretty decent, including Pokemon that most of us probably wouldn't use during a Ruby or Sapphire run. His powerhouse wasn't Pikachu but Sceptile and why wouldn't it with a Leaf Blade like that? Combined with Swellow, Torkoal, Corphish(why wouldn't you evolve?!! *cries*), and Glalie, Ash just had enough Pokemon to fill out his roster. His Hoenn League result left much to be desired but Battle Frontier more than made up for that.

May was the new breed of Female protagonists as she was the first playable character to join Ash on a journey. Although replacing the much beloved Misty, May was a pretty solid character who grew over the course of four seasons. While she did exhibit a lot of Ash's qualities, she was still her own confident self with a team that honestly I would use for a Hoenn run. Her return during Diamond and Pearl was also meaningful as she demonstrated that she had come a long way since departing from Ash. Plus May and Dawn together would have made for a pretty respectable side series if TPC had their act together. I'll conclude by saying that although the Gym Leaders left much to be desired(ThunderArmor anyone?), the Battle Frontier arc was exceptional. Brandon is probably the most notable with the Regi's but the rest of the Frontier Brains are no slouches either.

#4: Original Series(Kanto&Johto Regions, Seasons 1 to 5).
The series that started it all in Indigo League combined with the region that many regard as the best in Johto. Ash was a newb and hence we can forgive his immature and rather reckless behavior. We can even forgive the Anime's sins when it comes to Typing(Pikachu defeating a Geodude with "Thunderbolt"?!!!!!!) or the fact the Gym Leaders(in Kanto anyway) were an abject joke. Johto Leaders were better but Kanto... ugh. Honestly wish Ash would go back to Kanto and rechallenge the Kanto Gyms to redeem himself and for the Anime's sake. To this day he still hasn't earned that Boulderbadge in my eyes. He did beat Misty in SuMo43 so I suppose that counts for his Cascadebadge. Perhaps what Misty's sisters said in Episode 7 of Indigo League was very early foreshadowing. Still leaves Erika, Sabrina and whomever runs the Viridian Gym. Heck we might include Fuchsia Gym if Janine is running it now.

Ash's Kanto team is one I used in my first run through Pokemon Yellow and there's really no reason not to. All three Kanto starters are really good, although only Charmander evolved to ultimately become Ash's regional powerhouse. Butterfree is my favorite Bug Type and Pidgeotto(ultimately Pidgeot) is the first of Ash's regional Flying Types. If there is one knock on Ash is that Ash rarely rotated his Pokemon so Krabby, Muk and Tauros(which if you didn't watch the Japanese Dub you didn't know he had, much less 30 of them!!) didn't get any screen time until the Pokemon League where they inexplicably defeated opponents that were much stronger or had a type advantage like in Krabby's case. Then there's Primeape who lasted all but a few Episodes before never to be seen again...

In Johto, Ash swapped his Kanto Pokemon for those from Johto, including all three regional starters. Like with Kanto, only one of them evolved and only to its middle stage. You'd think they'd evolve it all the way but nope. At least Ash got Heracross and an OP one at that. Gary was Ash's rival through both regions and what I compliment Paul for doing during Sinnoh I knock Gary for during Johto and especially Kanto. The rival is meant to challenge the protagonist and Gary didn't even do that during Kanto, considering Ash to be a waste of his time. It wasn't until prior to Ash heading to Johto that Gary challenged him to a 1v1 wherein he wins. After that they don't even face each other until the Silver Conference. For a rival that's... kind of pathetic. I do love Gary's attitude with the poetic jabs("Gary was here, Ash is a loser") but he could have done far more to challenge Ash from a rival standpoint.

Other comments of note were the OST. Both Kanto and Johto... so good. Love this theme to death:



Also, Ash vs. Misty early on was really really good. The fact they fought so much was why Misty became a beloved character, even if she hardly did much besides a few Fishing contests and Whirl Cup when it came to her goal. Still hold Brock in high regard for having my favorite Pokemon of all in Vulpix. Shame he had to give it back *cries*.

#5: Black&White(Unova Region, Seasons 14 to 16).
Years ago this region earned my Black Sheep title but alas, no more. Ash suffered one of the harshest resets to date in Unova and although Pikachu had a handicap removing its Electric attacks, it still shouldn't have lost to a starter Snivy. Although I do like Ash's companions, Iris' "You're such a kid" grew old pretty fast and became hypocritical at times thanks to Iris' own immaturity. Cilan's eccentric theatrics also grew old pretty fast but they were better than Brock's wooing of every girl/woman he comes across. At least Iris didn't put up with Ash's Bull$**$ and unlike previous regions, Ash went wild on catching Pokemon. Not including Pikachu or Charizard, Ash caught 9 Pokemon and most of them got much needed screen time. Even the Pokemon to Pokemon and Pokemon to Human interactions were a plus here but only three stood out: Ash's Oshawott and Snivy and Iris' Emolga. The rest had their moments but none more than those three. Just wish Iris got better treatment. I mean if Misty got a full team of Water Types, why couldn't Iris get more than just four Pokemon overall? Gible doesn't count being its post-series content.

Gym Leaders in Unova were average to below average honestly. Only Lenora, Elesa and Roxie showed any real competency while the rest were pushovers in my eyes. Even Trip was a Paul-wannabe and rivals for Iris and Cilan? Eh why were they needed? If Brock and Misty never needed them, then why and give Iris and Cilan rivals when you're, in effect, trying to recreate the atmosphere of Kanto with the two "Gym Leader" companion dynamic? Finally Ash's result in Unova League remains the biggest disgrace in the Franchise's history.

#6: Sun&Moon(Alola Region, Seasons 20-22(ongoing).
Sun and Moon is still ongoing but I think its safe to say that its unlikely to ever break out from its placement in the cellar. The change in Art Style, the increase in companions from 3 to 5, the lack of Gyms or traveling, few Pokemon catches, Z-Moves and "Ash-Pulls" that previous series weren't plagued by ultimately will leave here in last place. Let's start with the Art Style. I hate the Art Style. Animation wise, SuMo is arguably the best there is but Art Style along with the goofy faces and gags... is just too childish for my liking.

Increasing the cast from 4 to 6 meant that on any given Episode, at least half or so are pretty much shoved into the background and more often than not the focus is on Ash(which makes sense) and Lillie(arguably the main Female lead in the region). The other four, all Trial Captains in the games, are pretty much left to their own devices and only two of them(Kiawe and Lana) own Z-Rings and three of them have more than one Pokemon(Sophocles can thank Ash for Charjabug(now Vikavolt)). Mallow does indeed have Shaymin right now but its not "caught" so technically its not hers per se. Lillie is assumed to finally be getting her 2nd Pokemon next week, which would be 102 Episodes between getting starter and their 2nd Pokemon, a Franchise record.

SuMo did change the dynamic by removing Gyms for Grand Trials but the Anime opted to remove traveling altogether and thrust Ash into a Pokemon school, something that they've explicitly said on several occasions that Ash doesn't need, much less want to go through. AKA it doesn't make sense!! Why remove the traveling aspect? Could have had him go to Melemele first, then Akala and so on and so forth without all the backtracking or jumping around from island to island every Episode or so.

Finally there are the "Ash-Pulls" or victories that Ash never should have gotten that make ThunderArmor look like child's play. Defeating the UB with a Pikachium-Z, winning against Mimikyu with Electroweb and Hapu's "Soak" was the worst. Its not a bad series, just seriously flawed.

#1 — Diamond & Pearl / Sinnoh Region
In all honesty, this is the one region I struggle to fathom hatred for. Say what you will about the games, but personally, this is the season the anime started to really step up. It had unprecedented animation for its time in comparison to earlier seasons, churning out some of the best battles the anime had to date — and up until now, I'd say, with the likes of Paul v Ash being one of the most impressive IMO. Plus the decision to bring back old pokémon for the league was very good. Ash's Sinnoh team was also the most developed up until that point, with only his buizel being unevolved (not counting Pikachu, since his is a special case) — it felt like a winner's team. Strategy became a big part of battle, building on AG while also feeling somehow more fathomable than some of the tactics used in prior generations, and the pokémon felt like real characters to me. Turtwig's arc, while disappointing in its realisation, provided a more interesting insight into evolution, with it somehow burdening an initially-strong pokémon — and Chimchar's is one of the most compelling I think the anime has ever given us.

Also, the DP arc gave us Dawn, arguably the most well-developed female companion of Ash's — and my favourite by far. I'm probably biased here, but her team, her goals and her execution of them felt much more realistic than some of Ash's other companions — and unlike some others, her goals were completely separate from Ash's. She had drive, a believable, interesting character arc and a likeable personality from the get-go, without any complications that could have made her... less. Even when it came to her flaws, they were realistic and balanced enough for her to be a humanised, fully-fleshed character, especially for the anime up until that point. Piplup, too, was a standout despite being a pokémon — his relationship with Pikachu and all-round hilarity made him and his antics a joy to watch.

(As for Dawn having no reason to travel with Ash... isn't being a new trainer — and a social one who would rather travel with new friends than completely alone — a good enough reason to stick around?)

#2 — XY & XYZ / Kalos Region
Interesting battles, a fully-evolved team and a solid roster of rivals made the Kalos arc one of the most exciting to watch in terms of Ash's development as a trainer. The jump from his rather lacklustre battling in the Unova region to this was a rapid, appreciated change of pace — and his Kalos team may be my favourite ever. Though as a character, Infernape still steals the show, each and every one of his Kalos pokémon felt as though they had an arc. While Greninja's is the most obvious, Goodra's desire to protect the wetlands made it feel like less of a tool for fighting and almost human, and Hawlucha's pursuit of strength and style made it just as fascinating as any other teammate. TSME is my favourite spinoff; Alain was a compelling rival who absolutely deserved to win the league; Sawyer provided me, at least, with my favourite Kalos battle; and even the less important rivals, like Tierno, Trevor and Shauna, were entertaining.

In terms of companions... this is why Kalos is in second place and not first for me. Bonnie was a breath of fresh air, reminiscent of Brock (only aimed at her brother) — she added a new dynamic as someone too young to be an official trainer in a way that felt acutely different from the vibe Max brought, and the filler episodes focused on her still felt good — the lapras one comes to mind, as well as any centring around Zygarde. Similarly, Clemont was a rewarding companion, and his relationship with Ash felt more realistic than some of Ash's earlier friendships — but Serena. Oh, man, Serena. Her motivation for seeking Ash out was... a crush that still lingered after one interaction at a summer camp years ago? And it persisted, despite her knowing nothing about him? And after episode after episode of baiting and suggesting, she... kissed him? Once? Then left, without any indication of his reciprocation? The absolute nothingness of "Amourshipping" (which is hardly founded on anything but Serena's baseless hopes), coupled with the lack of full teams of any of Ash's companions, is my one gripe with this series. That, and the strange standard-anime-protagonist nature Ash suddenly developed.

#3 — Sun & Moon / Alola Region
This seems to be a polarising one, with many putting it towards the bottom of their lists, but I struggle to see why. For me, Sun and Moon has a few setbacks, true, but I'm not sure if they're shared by others: for one, I hate the Kanto pandering — of all the companions to bring back, Brock and Misty felt... like a wasted opportunity, especially since IMO, Ash has had far more interesting companions since them, and they kind of feel... a little empty in comparison; for two, I felt as though the Ultra Guardians arc could have been more fleshed out, especially with... Lusamine's characterisation (God); and for three, with the league fast approaching, Ash's team doesn't yet feel battle-ready. Otherwise, Sun and Moon is a wonderful change of pace — though I'm fond of the travelling nature of the anime, I just as much love the development of single places, and Ash having a home base is surprisingly fun for me. The characters, though plentiful enough for the writers to struggle to devote everything to each, have just enough personality to be entertaining, and I especially love the slice-of-life-esque episodes that the series seems dotted with.

The art style, while more simplistic, only enhances the animation, and given that Ash is supposed to be approximately 10, the childishness of it makes much more sense than the "16 y/o anime hero" schtick Ash carried throughout Kalos. Plus, much like with the above seasons (even more so here, I'd say), Ash and co's pokémon feel like characters. It's wonderful to see them interact outside of their trainers, and with the addition of Guzma, I'm excited to see where it goes.

#4 — Black & White / Unova Region
I'll be blunt with my first opinion: If you love Misty and hate Iris, you're a massive hypocrite. There. I said it. Iris and Misty share more in common than people seem willing to admit — both want to become masters in a set type, both are hotheaded and both clash with Ash frequently throughout their time together. Misty has an irrational fear of bugs; Iris has a founded fear of ice-types — and one she strives to overcome, recognising it to be a hindrance and not something that should hold her back unnecessarily. With the exception of Dawn, Iris has one of my favourite character arcs of any of Ash's companions. Despite her initial suspicion and shyness, her loyalty and support, coupled with her unorthodox love of the wild, made her stand in stark contrast with Ash's previous female companions — in a good way, too. Her constant mantra of referring to Ash as a kid, while a little tiresome, was no more so than previous repeated jokes — and the irony of it, especially as it became less of an insult and more of an inside joke as Iris grew more comfortable, lessened the repetitive feel of it.

Unova had... lacklustre battles, for the most part, but it had its gems — Ash vs Trip in the league, for example, despite being a 1v1 battle (with an admittedly obvious outcome), was strangely riveting. True, Pikachu seemed to suffer a massive power nerf at the beginning, but... doesn't he regardless of the region he's in? Yes, BW left a lot to be desired, and wasn't what it could have been, but Ash's reset felt like a representation of the game series' reboot in Unova anyway. Either way, Unova is middling on this list because... that's what it was. Average. Just... alright.

#5 — Advanced / Hoenn Region
Hoenn was... alright. "Meh" companions, solid enough team (Ash's sceptile is a favourite of mine), incredibly compelling Battle Frontier arc, "meh" rivals... The league was okay, the gyms were okay, the overwhelming feel of the arc was... okay. The contests were somewhat entertaining, but May took a long time to grow on me (but then again, she only truly appealed to me during... her Sinnoh cameo), Max was... not my favourite (but for a time, I preferred him to May) and the redeeming parts of all of this were the aforementioned Battle Frontier and the movies. The former gave Ash a genuine, satisfying goal to work towards and the latter were second to none, but I can't help but feel as though more could've been done for Hoenn.

#6 — OS / Kanto & Johto Regions
... here we go.

Of all the seasons, the OS is going to be the rockiest due to it being the first. Animation wasn't as advanced, storylines weren't as complicated and everything felt... rushed. Yes, it improved over time. Yes, Ash's pokémon were entertaining. Do I think the Charizard arc was as well done as it could have been? No, not at all. Did I like Ash's companions? ... no, not particularly. Misty irked me from the moment she showed any sort of unshakeable disdain towards Ash's caterpie, and though she grew on me towards the end (and I liked her in Sun and Moon, presumably because of my exposure to Iris), those old feelings are... difficult to shake.

The OS kind of felt like a shaky rough draft. The anime has never been the best at remembering its own type chart but it felt especially abysmal here, and Ash didn't even technically earn all his badges in Kanto. Johto was a little better — but again, rough draft. And I'm just going to say it, because it's going to bug me if I don't: while I'm not as bothered by the Kanto-pandering in the games, I absolutely despise it in the anime. It's time they gave us someplace new. Yes, Kanto was the first, and without it, we'd not have the franchise we do to day, but to me, it's akin to your embarrassing early school years: necessary for the final product, but better off put away.

Bishop's Ring said:

#1 — Diamond & Pearl / Sinnoh Region
In all honesty, this is the one region I struggle to fathom hatred for. Say what you will about the games, but personally, this is the season the anime started to really step up. It had unprecedented animation for its time in comparison to earlier seasons, churning out some of the best battles the anime had to date — and up until now, I'd say, with the likes of Paul v Ash being one of the most impressive IMO. Plus the decision to bring back old pokémon for the league was very good. Ash's Sinnoh team was also the most developed up until that point, with only his buizel being unevolved (not counting Pikachu, since his is a special case) — it felt like a winner's team. Strategy became a big part of battle, building on AG while also feeling somehow more fathomable than some of the tactics used in prior generations, and the pokémon felt like real characters to me. Turtwig's arc, while disappointing in its realisation, provided a more interesting insight into evolution, with it somehow burdening an initially-strong pokémon — and Chimchar's is one of the most compelling I think the anime has ever given us.

Also, the DP arc gave us Dawn, arguably the most well-developed female companion of Ash's — and my favourite by far. I'm probably biased here, but her team, her goals and her execution of them felt much more realistic than some of Ash's other companions — and unlike some others, her goals were completely separate from Ash's. She had drive, a believable, interesting character arc and a likeable personality from the get-go, without any complications that could have made her... less. Even when it came to her flaws, they were realistic and balanced enough for her to be a humanised, fully-fleshed character, especially for the anime up until that point. Piplup, too, was a standout despite being a pokémon — his relationship with Pikachu and all-round hilarity made him and his antics a joy to watch.

(As for Dawn having no reason to travel with Ash... isn't being a new trainer — and a social one who would rather travel with new friends than completely alone — a good enough reason to stick around?)

#2 — XY & XYZ / Kalos Region
Interesting battles, a fully-evolved team and a solid roster of rivals made the Kalos arc one of the most exciting to watch in terms of Ash's development as a trainer. The jump from his rather lacklustre battling in the Unova region to this was a rapid, appreciated change of pace — and his Kalos team may be my favourite ever. Though as a character, Infernape still steals the show, each and every one of his Kalos pokémon felt as though they had an arc. While Greninja's is the most obvious, Goodra's desire to protect the wetlands made it feel like less of a tool for fighting and almost human, and Hawlucha's pursuit of strength and style made it just as fascinating as any other teammate. TSME is my favourite spinoff; Alain was a compelling rival who absolutely deserved to win the league; Sawyer provided me, at least, with my favourite Kalos battle; and even the less important rivals, like Tierno, Trevor and Shauna, were entertaining.

In terms of companions... this is why Kalos is in second place and not first for me. Bonnie was a breath of fresh air, reminiscent of Brock (only aimed at her brother) — she added a new dynamic as someone too young to be an official trainer in a way that felt acutely different from the vibe Max brought, and the filler episodes focused on her still felt good — the lapras one comes to mind, as well as any centring around Zygarde. Similarly, Clemont was a rewarding companion, and his relationship with Ash felt more realistic than some of Ash's earlier friendships — but Serena. Oh, man, Serena. Her motivation for seeking Ash out was... a crush that still lingered after one interaction at a summer camp years ago? And it persisted, despite her knowing nothing about him? And after episode after episode of baiting and suggesting, she... kissed him? Once? Then left, without any indication of his reciprocation? The absolute nothingness of "Amourshipping" (which is hardly founded on anything but Serena's baseless hopes), coupled with the lack of full teams of any of Ash's companions, is my one gripe with this series. That, and the strange standard-anime-protagonist nature Ash suddenly developed.

#3 — Sun & Moon / Alola Region
This seems to be a polarising one, with many putting it towards the bottom of their lists, but I struggle to see why. For me, Sun and Moon has a few setbacks, true, but I'm not sure if they're shared by others: for one, I hate the Kanto pandering — of all the companions to bring back, Brock and Misty felt... like a wasted opportunity, especially since IMO, Ash has had far more interesting companions since them, and they kind of feel... a little empty in comparison; for two, I felt as though the Ultra Guardians arc could have been more fleshed out, especially with... Lusamine's characterisation (God); and for three, with the league fast approaching, Ash's team doesn't yet feel battle-ready. Otherwise, Sun and Moon is a wonderful change of pace — though I'm fond of the travelling nature of the anime, I just as much love the development of single places, and Ash having a home base is surprisingly fun for me. The characters, though plentiful enough for the writers to struggle to devote everything to each, have just enough personality to be entertaining, and I especially love the slice-of-life-esque episodes that the series seems dotted with.

The art style, while more simplistic, only enhances the animation, and given that Ash is supposed to be approximately 10, the childishness of it makes much more sense than the "16 y/o anime hero" schtick Ash carried throughout Kalos. Plus, much like with the above seasons (even more so here, I'd say), Ash and co's pokémon feel like characters. It's wonderful to see them interact outside of their trainers, and with the addition of Guzma, I'm excited to see where it goes.

#4 — Black & White / Unova Region
I'll be blunt with my first opinion: If you love Misty and hate Iris, you're a massive hypocrite. There. I said it. Iris and Misty share more in common than people seem willing to admit — both want to become masters in a set type, both are hotheaded and both clash with Ash frequently throughout their time together. Misty has an irrational fear of bugs; Iris has a founded fear of ice-types — and one she strives to overcome, recognising it to be a hindrance and not something that should hold her back unnecessarily. With the exception of Dawn, Iris has one of my favourite character arcs of any of Ash's companions. Despite her initial suspicion and shyness, her loyalty and support, coupled with her unorthodox love of the wild, made her stand in stark contrast with Ash's previous female companions — in a good way, too. Her constant mantra of referring to Ash as a kid, while a little tiresome, was no more so than previous repeated jokes — and the irony of it, especially as it became less of an insult and more of an inside joke as Iris grew more comfortable, lessened the repetitive feel of it.

Unova had... lacklustre battles, for the most part, but it had its gems — Ash vs Trip in the league, for example, despite being a 1v1 battle (with an admittedly obvious outcome), was strangely riveting. True, Pikachu seemed to suffer a massive power nerf at the beginning, but... doesn't he regardless of the region he's in? Yes, BW left a lot to be desired, and wasn't what it could have been, but Ash's reset felt like a representation of the game series' reboot in Unova anyway. Either way, Unova is middling on this list because... that's what it was. Average. Just... alright.

#5 — Advanced / Hoenn Region
Hoenn was... alright. "Meh" companions, solid enough team (Ash's sceptile is a favourite of mine), incredibly compelling Battle Frontier arc, "meh" rivals... The league was okay, the gyms were okay, the overwhelming feel of the arc was... okay. The contests were somewhat entertaining, but May took a long time to grow on me (but then again, she only truly appealed to me during... her Sinnoh cameo), Max was... not my favourite (but for a time, I preferred him to May) and the redeeming parts of all of this were the aforementioned Battle Frontier and the movies. The former gave Ash a genuine, satisfying goal to work towards and the latter were second to none, but I can't help but feel as though more could've been done for Hoenn.

#6 — OS / Kanto & Johto Regions
... here we go.

Of all the seasons, the OS is going to be the rockiest due to it being the first. Animation wasn't as advanced, storylines weren't as complicated and everything felt... rushed. Yes, it improved over time. Yes, Ash's pokémon were entertaining. Do I think the Charizard arc was as well done as it could have been? No, not at all. Did I like Ash's companions? ... no, not particularly. Misty irked me from the moment she showed any sort of unshakeable disdain towards Ash's caterpie, and though she grew on me towards the end (and I liked her in Sun and Moon, presumably because of my exposure to Iris), those old feelings are... difficult to shake.

The OS kind of felt like a shaky rough draft. The anime has never been the best at remembering its own type chart but it felt especially abysmal here, and Ash didn't even technically earn all his badges in Kanto. Johto was a little better — but again, rough draft. And I'm just going to say it, because it's going to bug me if I don't: while I'm not as bothered by the Kanto-pandering in the games, I absolutely despise it in the anime. It's time they gave us someplace new. Yes, Kanto was the first, and without it, we'd not have the franchise we do to day, but to me, it's akin to your embarrassing early school years: necessary for the final product, but better off put away.

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Not often do I see people put the OS in last place and your reasoning for doing so makes sense. The Kanto pandering is definitely gotten out of control over the years. While we disagree on SuMo, I will agree that SuMo has had a few gems that might, in time, convince me to raise it up a notch.

I feel as though people are sometimes a little soft on OS, whether because of it being their first and them being fond of childhood memories or because of it being the original and them feeling like they've got to cut it some slack. I can understand people liking it — it's by no means bad — but put up against the others, at least in my opinion, it falls short objectively. ^

Bishop's Ring said:

I feel as though people are sometimes a little soft on OS, whether because of it being their first and them being fond of childhood memories or because of it being the original and them feeling like they've got to cut it some slack. I can understand people liking it — it's by no means bad — but put up against the others, at least in my opinion, it falls short objectively. ^

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This, so much. I like the Original Series but when I watched it years later yeah, it was fun, but if I had to compare it with all the other series it honestly just falls short. Definitely in agreement that people mostly like it for the nostalgic factor and there's still people around who defend it while not even having watched the later generations. But I mean, people do it with the games as well haha.

As for my list I honestly don't feel like I have a set list. Best Wishes is my favorite subjectively, although it's not the best serious objectively, so there's that. And after Best Wishes the other series are all just kind of jumbled together because of what I like and dislike about them counteracting with one another that makes it hard for me to have an actual list of which one i like best/worst. Well, for the most part. I do have to say that for me as well the Original Series is also on the bottom.

Maybe I'll have a more of a set list after I finished Battle Frontier and Sinnoh? Might be why I can't really give a determined list. I do know that, if anything, XY for me is lower than several other people here because there's just a big factor that I noticed during the series that many people don't point out (and those who do I also found them ranking it lower for the same reason). I suppose it just goes to show that you can't really fault someone for having x series over y series as their favorites because people are looking for different things when watching!

There's no objectivity in fiction.

i think people unanimously agree that sinnoh or kalos was the best. BUTT I DISAGREE KANTO IS SUPERIOR REEEEEEEEEEE

personally, i had more fun with the hoenn saga but i think that may be biased since my favorite game (back then) was emerald. remembered even having a little crush on May ahaha. idk, there was just a feeling that made me very fascinated with hoenn.

Percy said:

i think people unanimously agree that sinnoh or kalos was the best. BUTT I DISAGREE KANTO IS SUPERIOR REEEEEEEEEEE

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The actual hilarity in this portion here.
Rather than telling why they aren't the best and all, I'd just like to ask why you think they are the best, since well I could list all the reasons why BW is the best or Kanto has stood the test of time well compared to Kalos and Sinnoh, but I'd rather hear your thoughts since that's kind of the entire reason for posting in this thread and all.

Vragon2.0 said:

The actual hilarity in this portion here.
Rather than telling why they aren't the best and all, I'd just like to ask why you think they are the best, since well I could list all the reasons why BW is the best or Kanto has stood the test of time well compared to Kalos and Sinnoh, but I'd rather hear your thoughts since that's kind of the entire reason for posting in this thread and all.

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i'm under the impression that whenever ash shows competency as a trainer (like having a good team), people loves it. i literally have friends watch the xyz series and when i asked what they like about it, they would say, "well, ash had good pokemon." i appreciate that they acknowledged ash's good line-up of pokemon since that's what i like about kalos, too. they would later on watch the sinnoh series because of the same reason and to watch that fight with Paul and Tobias. for me, i think kalos was bland, and repetitive (like almost all the other seasons). i also didn't like how the writers simply screwed ash over. similar with how tobias simply appeared with his team of legendaries (which he caught in freaking normal pokeballs btw) and destroyed ash, who should have won or at least moved up a bit higher. but still, i appreciate that it has its moments and ash's competency as a trainer and his development is good for the anime. not saying its the best but not saying its the worst. i can see why people would think these are best seasons of the anime

i agree with the argument that anyone could say that a certain region is better than another. personally i'm surrounded with people (irl and not) who thinks sinnoh and kalos was the best region to grace the anime so far. but as i said, i disagree with the bandwagon and i have my reasons for that (as said in my last post). but if you like a certain season, like BW or OG, then by all means, go ahead

Percy said:

i'm under the impression that whenever ash shows competency as a trainer (like having a good team), people loves it. i literally have friends watch the xyz series and when i asked what they like about it, they would say, "well, ash had good pokemon." i appreciate that they acknowledged ash's good line-up of pokemon since that's what i like about kalos, too.

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Yeah I agree. And I'll admit, I initially read your comment wrong and all so I'll take the "L" on that. Thanks for replying though and I do agree Hoenn is up there.

Percy said:

but if you like a certain season, like BW or OG, then by all means, go ahead

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I had already left an essay of why I like BW on another thread in this section I believe but to give an example, I like the personality of ash's team. More of the mons felt very distinct and got attention for their own little character bits that weren't exactly dissappointing or underwhelming. I don't think ash's unova mons got to lackluster drop treatment like Noivern or Torterra in favor of the more popular ones.

And since I brought it up and all, might I inquire stuff that you like about the RSE period of the anime?

Honestly Vragon brings up a huge thing that I notice when it comes to why people choose which series as the best/more favored. Most people enjoy Kalos and Sinnoh the most because of Ash's competency as a trainer compared to series like BW and SM and even Hoenn. However, often when I find people who really enjoyed BW or SM their reasoning never wraps around Ash's skills as a trainer. They're often about other aspects about the anime, like the Pokemon and their interactions with one another, how often they're the focus, and things of that nature. That or things like the lighthearted-ness of the series compared to the more serious nature of XY (and Sinnoh to an extent).

Which is why it's so subjective when it comes to people's favorites because, like I said, people look for different things in a series. How "competent" Ash is during a series isn't as big a deal to me as how much the Pokemon interact with their trainers and other Pokemon for example. Which is why BW and SM are ranked higher than series like Sinnoh and XY to me if I had to rank them. Noivern is a very good example of him receiving a Pokemon and yet not getting much action throughout the series. Course, BW does have some fault in that (Palpitoad....) but overall the interactions between Pokemon and even between trainers in BW were much more prevalent than in XY.

Vragon2.0 said:

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And since I brought it up and all, might I inquire stuff that you like about the RSE period of the anime?

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I don't know exactly since i marked hoenn as my favorite when i was a kid, so there is some sort of bias. But i remember liking ash's team. especially taillow/swellow's guts and corphish's humor. and for some time, I've been an AdvanceShipping fan (not a fan of any ships now though :<).

and i was playing emerald and watching the anime at the same time and it fascinated me how i was watching the pokemon and characters that was in my game move and talk in the anime. definitely biased ehehe. technically looking at advanced generation, its flawed, in many ways. such as having a corphish
remember that thunder armor thing? i was a kid and even i thought that was the biggest crap ever. but its still nostalgic and if you make me choose what season of the anime i would watch, i would pick the hoenn part any day of the year