Why does pikachu not use volt tackle

[llysender]

I stopped midway around advance generation and only restarted at XY so I'm not sure what happened during that time period but I presume everything is reset after every season.

Now on to the question, why is pikachu running electro ball instead of volt tackle? I was under the impression that electro ball was emolga's signature move and volt tackle is pikachu's. Plus the amount of epicness as a closing in move to launch tunderbolts(or discharge if ash's pikachu even knows the move).

 

[Kenchiin]

Pikachu learned Volt Tackle during Advance Generation.
I guess the producers don't think it's cool anymore? lol

 

[Lizardo]

In an early BW episode, Pikachu learned Electro Ball at the expense of Volt Tackle (Pokémon can only know four moves at a time). The reason I'm assuming being because Electro Ball was a fifth generation move and the writers wanted to advertise it.

I've honestly never cared for Electro Ball because there's very little difference between it and Thunderbolt. And it just doesn't come across as strongly. Volt Tackle was unique in that it was a physically powerful Electric move, and it looked pretty impressive as well.

 

[Iceshadow3317]

They reset Pikachu's moves when he first came to Unova. I am not 100% sure why.

I just know Pikachu no longer has a 120 power attack like Volt Tackle and Thunder. Maybe they will add a new attack later on in 6th Gen that is elec and has 120 power.

And you stopped later than midway. It sound like you stopped watching in during the battle frontier. Which was right before the 4th Gen. Because I think Pikachu learned it then.

 

[llysender]

Ah I see. Wait what?! Pokemon can only use 4 moves at a time? Such a pitty because I liked it when they had access to their whole moveset and could adept them into epic combos. The current season is nice but the fights feels too gamey for some reason(with the exception that evasion hax is still rampent)

Personally I could'nt care less about thunder because it was effectively tunderbolt/tundershock in terms of animation and I'm really disapointed about electroball missing 95% of the time. At the very least volt tackle would add some variety to the moveset. I mean, iron tail is fun for only so long before it gets boring and pikachu hardly ever uses quick attack to change things up.

Off topic but is 4th and 5th gen worth watching through?

 

[weedle_mchairybug]

Ah I see. Wait what?! Pokemon can only use 4 moves at a time? Such a pitty because I liked it when they had access to their whole moveset and could adept them into epic combos. The current season is nice but the fights feels too gamey for some reason(with the exception that evasion hax is still rampent)

Personally I could'nt care less about thunder because it was effectively tunderbolt/tundershock in terms of animation and I'm really disapointed about electroball missing 95% of the time. At the very least volt tackle would add some variety to the moveset. I mean, iron tail is fun for only so long before it gets boring and pikachu hardly ever uses quick attack to change things up.

Off topic but is 4th and 5th gen worth watching through?

To answer your final question, if you believe in Ash actually changing his rank in the league, they are worth watching, certainly more than AG, I'll tell you that much (though at least AG still has Ash retaining his previous rank, unlike Gen 5, where he decreased his rank). Other than that, you probably should skip them, or at the very least certainly skip Gen 5 considering they made Ash into a total idiot in that saga, not to mention lost to someone he really shouldn't have lost to even with Zekrom interfering.

As far as the topic at hand, yeah, decreasing the attack pool to four moves at a time is definitely not a good thing, and its definitely not something Takeshi Shudo would have advocated for the show to use if his blog entries are anything to go by. The show was meant to simply be an adaptation, not a long commercial, which meant they should have kept most of the games out of it beyond the basics like Gym Leaders and certain movesets.

 

[Lizardo]

If anything, the battles got better when the writers began using incorporating more of the games' mechanics into them, such as the four moves limit (which, IIRC, was held to as far back as Jouto). The "anything goes" attitude often taken towards battles in general during Kanto and the Orange Islands could result in a lot of really nonsensical moments.

 

[destinedjagold]

Ah I see. Wait what?! Pokemon can only use 4 moves at a time?

No. During the Battle Frontier, Ash used his Snorlax against this fighting type lady, and his Snorlax used 5 moves. =/

 

[Famon]

In an early BW episode, Pikachu learned Electro Ball at the expense of Volt Tackle (Pokémon can only know four moves at a time).

Trash theory of a Trash episode from a Trash Series.

I don't think we should consider anything from BW series a canon since that series is mess up ! After all, It would there is 2 Mewtwo roaming around the World.

I also think 4-move limit is stupid when considering moves like Tackle , Bite , Lick , Headbutt , Dig and any other ordinary attack.
Because even a Real human is capable of That .
Just think , A Diglett can't Dig anymore because he forgot Dig to learn a Move despite that fact that Diglett live his life Digging.

Plus , I notice Pokemon to use different 4 attack in different battle in DP . Example , Paul Electrivire use all the move his use as Elekid against Infernape.
But It suppost forget Brick break Or Protect to learn Giga Impact & Reflect.
Remember , Electrivire used Giga Impact against Berry's Emploeon So how did he use Brick Break against Infernape since he suppose to forget that move for Giga Impact

I have more accurate theory -
A Pokemon is capable of learning & remembering Multiple Move But they only capable of using 4 move Per Battles.

As for those who still against BW being a Canon--
Trade evolution was canonize in BW series however it require Trade. So how did Paul Electabuzz & Magmer evolve without trading . And if he trade them to evolve them then how did he still keeping them ?
They are other character who also Evolve their Pokemon without Trade including Brock's Steelix.

 

[Lizardo]

Plus , I notice Pokemon to use different 4 attack in different battle in DP . Example , Paul Electrivire use all the move his use as Elekid against Infernape.
But It suppost forget Brick break Or Protect to learn Giga Impact & Reflect.
Remember , Electrivire used Giga Impact against Berry's Emploeon So how did he use Brick Break against Infernape since he suppose to forget that move for Giga Impact

I'm glad you brought up DP, since the four moves limit was explicitly confirmed there. In the episode where Satoshi battles Kouhei, there's an early scene where Satoshi is training Goukazaru. He orders it to use Flame Wheel, but it uses Flare Drive instead. Takeshi says, "It has forgotten Flame Wheel and powered up with Flare Blitz, huh?" This shows that, by that point at least, the writers had incorporated this mechanic into the anime. Goukazaru never uses Flame Wheel again.

And as far as your example goes, is it not possible that Shinji just re-taught Brick Break to Elekible?

 

[weedle_mchairybug]

If anything, the battles got better when the writers began using incorporating more of the games' mechanics into them, such as the four moves limit (which, IIRC, was held to as far back as Jouto). The "anything goes" attitude often taken towards battles in general during Kanto and the Orange Islands could result in a lot of really nonsensical moments.

Maybe, but then again, even if they did incorporate 4-move limits as early as the Indigo League, it probably still wouldn't have come across as any less ridiculous (such as Caterpie managing to take down Koffing and Ekans effortlessly despite being weak enough to be captured by Ash without even battling it first, despite it being near-dead thanks to Ash stupidly having it fight against a Pidgeotto, and despite Koffing, Ekans, and Meowth being vastly more experienced than it; and in the case of Koffing, it even hitting it like a soccerball hard enough to fly straight into Ekans' face despite being much smaller than it).