Is 10 too young to embark on a Pokemon journey? Page 2

Started by BubbleBeams July 22nd, 2013 12:57 PM
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bobandbill

one more time

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A cape
Seen 4 Hours Ago
Posted 3 Days Ago
16,785 posts
15.2 Years
Carrying stuff: As Kyrul said, you go on a journey you have to carry all supplies with you. Food, water, batteries, warm clothes, sleeping bag etc. I don't think a standard 10 year old has the physical strength to carry that stuff. The most they'd manage would be a backpack for day journeys? So you're either travelling routes between cities and maybe sleeping one night in the wilderness, I don't see long term travelling as viable for a 10yo. If a user here goes camping a lot and thinks they would have been able to do it alone at 10, let us know
There's a potential explanation for this - items aren't heavy because they're stored in Pokeballs or the like. After all, in the games you often find items in Pokeballs, and it's not much of a stretch to say that if they can store creatures in them then items can fit too.

How often is it stated that 10 year olds usually go out to start journeys, for the record? In the anime I suppose it's more established, but in the games:
- RBY has this
- GSC - you start by just doing an errand and turn out to be getting on so well with your starter you go out on an adventure
- RSE - get a Pokemon only because it's an emergency, go to beat up rival, turns out you are bonding well with your pokemon so yadda yadda.
- DPPT - only get Pokemon because you found them left behind, or in Pt's case you were going to run have an adventure because your friend (apparently stupidly according to the professor) said so and so you could get Pokemon
- BW - more like RBY, but your character along with your rival seem older than 10.

For that matter, anyone have data for sure on what ages protagonists were?

Also of note, you see a lot of trainers in the games clearly younger than 10 in routes/forests battling you, but on the flip side they do not seem to be going on an adventure, but rather just being out with their Pokemon.

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Seen August 20th, 2013
Posted August 4th, 2013
22 posts
9.8 Years
I started watching Pokémon when I was 7 or so..

It might not be realistic for a 10 year old to travel in the Pokéverse but the anime/manga was directed to children. I think they did an amazing job inspiring and empowering the youth. Whether it was to leave for a long journey or just a family vacation, it gave children courage. (If a 10 year old can do it, so can I!)

So even if I look back and think they were too young, they're teaching the next generation. I think pokémon's a great role model, how bout you?

Rai

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Age 31
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Sinnoh
Seen January 4th, 2017
Posted January 4th, 2017
4,521 posts
18.1 Years
Yes. I have always thought that ten years old was way too young to go off and explore the world by yourself. I think that 18 would be a better age because by then you should have more world experience and should be able to take care of yourself. That is the same age you graduate high school and are an "adult" so I think it would be much more suitable. It would be like the equivalent of going off to college.


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In a Rabbit
Seen July 13th, 2022
Posted June 9th, 2022
824 posts
9.8 Years
I would compare Gamefreak's decision to make the main protagonists 10 years old to what many shonen anime has done. Very young characters like Goku and Naruto, just to name some very iconic characters, are able to change the world despite their young age, and the younger audience can relate. To make a comparison back to video games, we have Earthbound featuring young protagonists.

So our heroes being 10 years old isn't something exceptionally new.

Although I'm not very knowledgeable about fan fiction, I think you have the liberties to change something like the age trainers can begin their journey. Black/White had starting trainers at age 16, and if your fan fiction takes place in a different region, this wouldn't break any canon. If it takes place in a pre-existing region, then giving an in-story explanation for how the tradition changed or why there's a special exception would work.

Artistically, I think the in-game characters look at least 12-14.
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Ace.

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Seen December 29th, 2015
Posted June 9th, 2014
324 posts
10.3 Years
10 seems a bit too young. I mean in the anime Ash doesn't act 10 or look 10 at all and he knows quite a bit for a 10 year old. Traveling an entire region with not much knowledge and Pokemon would be a bit weird. Also I don't know how old Ash's companions are but it would be weird if Ash is like 10 and Cilan is like 16 or something.

Aeroblast

Male
Basement
Seen February 25th, 2017
Posted February 25th, 2017
4,173 posts
9.8 Years
As much as I would like to stop using this cliche, I'll just have to use it: "It's just a game"

As frustrating as it is to hear that phrase on a debate like this, you'll probably hear it from me very often because, what else you can you say? The rules of the Pokemon does not apply to the rules in real life. Maybe the kids in the Pokemon world mature earlier, maybe the Pokemon "world" is much smaller than it looks... It's useless to talk about this, but I guess it's a debate so I just can't stop myself from going on and on.

BurningLanguages

Student Linguist

Age 31
Male
United States of America
Seen May 30th, 2015
Posted May 30th, 2015
193 posts
9.8 Years
Haha I sometimes laugh at the idea of a 10 year-old embarking on a quest to who-knows-where :P. But to answer the question, I think it's unrealistic in our day and age for the reason of the fan base. The only people playing Pokemon live in modern, developed parts of the world (where sending off 10 year-old hitch-hikers is a serious offense) I believe. So even if there are places in the world where this idea isn't as radical, I doubt that Pokemon would be available to them.

So to put it simply, with the crowd that Nintendo attracts, the idea of a young kid going out on his own is crazy.

NyxShooter

drifting wanderer

Age 33
Male
United Kingdom (Also Eevee Land)
Seen July 16th, 2016
Posted September 11th, 2015
211 posts
9.8 Years
10 looks too early, I think that you should have at least 14 and up, because it provides a better perspective about teenage life, and its casual for a teenage to have a lot of drama, so drama would be a good aspect to have in a fan fiction as well.
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