News: Rockruff mystery evolution in Anime teased in cliffhanger

[BettyNewbie]

Heck, a YouTuber named SilverLeagueNetworks actually thought of the same thing in one of his latest videos. Dusk Lycanroc also reminded me of Ash-Greninja as well, so you're not alone.

I know Ash-Greninja mostly happened because the show wanted Ash to have a Mega Evolution as his ace, but they also wanted to promote a Gen 6 Pokémon instead of bringing back one of Ash's older Pokémon (like Charizard or Sceptile). They also, no doubt, wanted to play into Greninja's massive popularity, as well as the perception of XY Ash being this super powerful, super competent badass who can do no wrong.

Since Ash-Greninja was a hit with fans (for better or worse), I could easily see them trying to recreate that success in SM with a new Pokémon. However, it all hinges on whether or not Lycanroc is truly as popular as Greninja was last gen, and if the mixed response to the new form is anything to go by, it may not be.

This also gives me flashbacks to Zoroark and how the games/anime tried to recapture Lucario's success and popularity with it. Fans smelled the marketing a mile away, and Zoroark ultimately never caught on like TPTB hoped it would. Nowadays, Lucario continues to get shoved at us every gen, while Zoroark remains a largely forgotten relic of Gen 5.