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Why is the series so hard on Ash?

  • 8
    Posts
    13
    Years
    • Seen Apr 7, 2014
    I've been watching pokemon for many years, and while i haven't seen all the episodes, i have seen a few where Ash seems to get the short end of the stick alot

    1. Misty teased Ash a lot and it really felt a little mean spirited most of the time
    2. Every rival Ash has seems to know more about Pokemon than him. Why did they make it so Ash wasn't all that knowledgeable about Pokemon? He obvious loved them, why shouldn't he know this stuff? Why are the writers so bent of making him seem stupid?
    3. Iris teases Ash alot and acts like he was a beginner, Trip too. Even though Ash has caught pokemon that could easily overpower Servine and Excadrill

    What do you think?
     
    I really have no idea you would think that after going to the Pokemon league that many times he would know how to catch a Pokemon, I really don't get the anime.
     
    Well first, the anime takes a lot of creative liberty with the series. |P They occasionally do things that just.... absolutely fly directly in the face of what the games they're based off of say. For instance, Mew. Mew in the games is so weak most of the gym leaders could easily defeat it. It demonstrates absolutely no god-like powers.

    The anime? Well... do I even need to go there? We all know what the anime thinks of Mew.

    Now, in the beginning of the series I believe Ash was teased a lot just to make him relatable. Whom of us haven't been teased? I don't believe there was much deeper motive than that. This period of time lasted for quite a while, because the events of the anime take place over a startlingly short period of time. (...)

    For the later series, I feel like they did it because well... we asked them to! We spent so much time finding reasons to dislike Ash, namely we would call him incompetent and we would ask why his Pikachu was randomly strong enough to deal with whatever challenge and not others and etcetera etcetera--They listened to us about a bunch of other things, and I think Ash in Best Wishes is just another instance of it. Rather than change their iconic character, they made him better fit the role we think of him as. This time, it's completely intentional and not just failing to get the right character across to us.
     
    1. I don't feel she did it too be mean it was just friendly tussles they had with one another. Their fighting to me demonstrates their closeness. Whereas he seems more formal with following female companions barring Iris.

    2. That's cause the writers seem to have this thing were they want the rival to seem like they are ahead of Ash in terms of knowledge, badge count, stronger pokemon, etc. Than have Ash win out against them at the end of the day when the important match occurs i.e. League matches. The writers have a thing called a floating timeline where little progression is made over time so his progression over the years is either barely noticeable or none existent which is what seemed like at the beginning of Best Wishes when he tried to catch a Deerling without battling it. Also they want to appeal to the younger generation watching a new audience so to speak so they make him out to be a novice.

    3. His pokemon being the two mentioned as handily is debatable. Obviously Excadrill isn't unbeatable, but has proved to be quite the powerhouse. Ash is building a strong team from the looks of it so his team and skills be coming into play at this point in the Saga.
     
    Ash is meant to be like that (being stupid, etc), it is part of his character. He can be a bit annoying at times but a lot of characters in various shows are like that. They all need character and personality.
     
    Well, if he didn't act like a total nub, he would breeze through Unova. Then the writers couldn't make the series longer by padding it out some more.
     
    Let me try and elaborate my feelings on this subject.

    For as long as i can remember, i watched and liked the Original series. So much so that it took me a while to get used the Advanced saga and the sagas that came after it. I guess i was just so used the original group that it took me a while to get used to this whole "change in group" scenario that the series has been using for some time.

    I occasionally saw Ash's adventures with May,Max and Dawn and couldn't help but think about what did happen and/or could've happened while he was travelling with Misty. For example, i couldn't help but feel that Ash's character and the general appearance of the show got a little better when Ash was travelling through Hoenn, the Battle Frontier and Sinnoh. This made me feel that the series wasn't all that good until after Misty was gone (though i tried to dismiss this thought as i actually liked the Original trio)

    And then came Iris, and her "Little Kid" comments. I tried to convince myself that Misty was nicer, especially when they said that the Unova saga was a reboot of the original series. But upon rewatching some of the original episodes, i felt that Ash being mocked right and left by Misty.

    Examples:

    Ash Catches a Pokemon - Misty spent a large portion of that episode putting down Ash's ability to even be a trainer. Was she just ignoring the fact that Ash was a beginner, seems to me that beginners should be given a little more slack than that.

    Mystery at the Lighthouse - Misty and Brock were both cutting Ash down at the beginning, not even Pikachu was supporting him

    Electric Shock Showdown - Same as 1-2, no one was giving Ash any support, all he was getting was doubt and put-downs

    Primeape Goes Bananas - Even Prof. Oak isn't cutting Ash any slack

    March of the Exeggutor Squad - Misty made two comments that seemed a little below the belt to me; First she commented about how Melvin didn't know what he was doing and said Ash could relate to that. Then she said that Ash was bound to have at least one good idea after he made a suggestion to help Melvin. I repeat: below the belt

    The Problem with Paras - Misty gave Ash a hard time regarding his Charmeleon, as did that elderly woman. And all the while, i still can't figure out why Charmeleon stopped listening to Ash, what did he do? From what i saw, Ash wasn't treating Charmeleon any differently than Charmander. Why did he stop listening to him?

    Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon - At the very end, Misty and Brock gave Ash a hard time about finding the egg. They didn't even think he could take care of an egg

    The Ultimate Test - First Misty gave Ash a hard time about getting another Gym Badge, then he gets a low score on the test. Seriously, what is the point of making the main character look stupid compared to those around him?

    The Battle of the Badge - Misty sure was quick to point out that Gary was ahead of Ash and seemed to care little about his initial response to it.

    It's Mr. Mimie Time - Misty called Ash out on having no manners and not being helpful in comparison to Mr. Mime. That also seemed a little below the belt

    Showdown at the Poke Corral - Misty sure was quick to tease Ash after he got up, and in his own home too. And his own mother just blew that off

    A Friend In Deed - When Delia and Oak commended Richie's good points, Misty was quick to point out that Ash wasn't the same. That just seemed a little out of nowhere and kinda nasty too

    Friend or Foe Alike - Misty wasn't even trying to make Ash feel good about the match, she was basically telling him that he didn't have a chance of winning

    Navel Maneuvers - Misty gave Ash no support whatsoever in this episode. She even basically said he was stupid early on in that episode

    Tracey Gets Bugged - Once again, Misty basically said that Ash's ideas are rarely ever good

    Pokémon Double Trouble - Misty and Tracy basically told Ash that they knew he was going to fail. Seriously, is no one on this kid's side

    I could go one to point out the ones in the Johto saga, but i think you got my point
     
    What is REALLY strange here that he's always in the right side when he battles. The rivals and gym leaders he fights with are in the left side, and he's always in the right side.
     
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