So after getting Pokemon X
this past Christmas, my nostalgia started taking over. My mind
went back to the TV series, a staple of my late elementary and early middle
school years. For the record, I do pop in on the newer shows every so often on
Cartoon Network, but I have the fondest memories of the original Indigo/Kanto
series most of all. I was thinking of doing a rant based on what I think is the
lowest moment of the series, but that will be coming later. I decided to think
back on some of the best battles of the series and my mind immediately went to
the Gym Battles.
The Gym Battles, as I believe they should be, were the
highlights of the season and showed that Ash was continuing his progress as a
young trainer. Some of the battles took place in one episode, while others had
a couple of episodes and some even had their own story arcs. As I thought back
to some of these episodes I tried thinking about each one individually, what
worked for them, what didn’t and based purely on my memory, I’m going to rank
each Indigo series gym battle from 8 to 1.
A couple things to note before I begin this, this list is
purely on my memories of the show…somehow I’ve been able to retain most of the
details nearly 15 years later….god it’s been that long? I’m not against
rewatching these episodes at a later date and then going back to redo this list
if my opinions of the battle have changed. Next, the battles where Ash doesn’t
get declared the winner and is just given his badge will automatically be in
the bottom of the list, which contrary to popular belief, does not occur in the
majority of the battles from this season. Agree or disagree, let me know
constructively what you think of my rankings, I’d love to talk more about it.
In addition, I would like to thank the operators of the
Screenshots of Pokemon Tumblr page for being the resource of all of the images that you will see in this post and in future writings about the Pokemon series
Without further ado, let’s begin.
8. Celadon City Gym
Battle vs. Erika, Pokemon Scent-Sation (Ep. 26)
I thought back to all the episodes where Ash was given a
badge…and this was the most infuriating episode of the bunch. Why? Because
everyone gets on Ash’s case for hating perfume….when he’s 10. He makes a big
production out of it at a perfume store in Celadon and gets kicked out, sans
even Pikachu for some ungodly reason. Then we get to the worst part of it WHERE
HE’S BANNED FROM ENTERING THE CELADON GYM BECAUSE THEY MAKE THE PERFUME THERE!
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| WHAT KIND OF GYM DO THEY OPERATE?! |
What the hell?! When I was 10 years old I didn’t understand what was so special
about perfume for girls, so why would Ash get banned from a gym because of
saying he hates it, again, AT 10 YEARS OLD!
The battle is nothing special either with each competitor
losing in quick succession before Team Rocket shows up and their incompetence
causes a fire at the gym. Ash rescues Erika’s beloved Gloom and is rewarded
with the badge the next day.
 |
| Good badge design, though pink isn't in the rainbow. |
Not to say that this is the low point of the
series, but this was by far the weakest episode that featured Ash receiving a
badge. It does have the funny moment of Ash being so desperate to enter the gym
that he actually dresses in drag to get past the guards...
 |
| Desperate times I suppose.... |
But even that leads to
the gym fire because it was under suggestion from Jessie and James. All in all
the episode is just frustrating more than anything and did nothing for anyone,
but just portray Erika and her associates almost like dictators which really
clashes with the peaceful lady-like persona of Erika in the games and
Adventures manga.
7. Cerulean Gym
Battle vs. Misty, The Waterflowers of Cerulean City (Ep. 7)
Lemme get this out of the way, Misty has always been one of
my favorite Pokemon characters, if only because I loved the way she and Ash
worked off of one another. It’s no wonder why this pair was often shipped together,
which…
I’ll admit I was a part of (thanks for that little gem Suede). That’s why it’s a little disappointing to
look back on her first battle with Ash because there was a lot of potential
there, but the interference by Team Rocket really hurts the episode. As
background, after leaving Mt. Moon, the group is heading towards Cerulean City,
which Misty really wants to avoid for some unknown reason. When they arrive in
Cerulean, Misty is nowhere to be found and Brock and Ash split up as Ash looks
for the gym, when he arrives there, rather than Pokemon battles, he finds a
synchronized swimming show with three sisters, Daisy, Violet and Lily (from left to right in the picture below), also the
leaders of the gym.
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| I wouldn't mind working for this Gym. |
When he challenges the trio, they tell him that they want
no part of it after getting defeated soundly by the other three Pallet Town trainers. So soundly, the only Pokemon they have available for battle is Goldeen (and ever Smash Brothers player out there knows how worthless that fish is). Because of this, the girls actually offer Ash the Cascade Badge right away. Ash is
hesitant at first, which I find to be admirable, because even after finding out
that he’s still behind Gary and the other Pallet trainers, he doesn’t want to
take the easy way to catch up to them and even when he decides to accept it,
he’s not thrilled with it. But before Daisy can give him the badge, Misty shows
up and reveals that she’s Daisy, Lily and Violet’s little sister.
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| Pictured: One decent trainer and two bullies (in a family sense of course) |
After doing the typical ‘big sisters make fun of the runt’
type of routine, Misty offers to take their place as the battler and soon Ash
and Misty are battling in the Cerulean pool. While Pikachu refuses to fight
Misty, the other battles between Butterfree and Staryu and Pidgeotto and
Starmie are actually very entertaining and well animated….that is at least
until Team Rocket shows up and wrecks the whole thing with a massive water
vacuum which they use to start draining the pool in order to get at the Gym’s
Pokemon.
Pikachu finds his way into the water and shocks the Rocketteers and
they get sent on their merry way. Ash is given the badge by Daisy, the most
likable of the three sisters in my opinion, in gratitude and then it’s off to
the next town.
 |
| You can thank the Chronicles episodes for saving your character. |
Again the Team Rocket interference is where things really hurt
the episode, the battle between Ash and Misty was actually very entertaining
until they came in and started their rigmarole. If this had been fought to a
conclusion I could put it in the top half, but because of how it ended, I can’t
in good nature put it any higher on the list.
6. Pewter City Gym
Battle vs. Brock, Showdown in Pewter City (Ep. 5)
The very first appearance of Brock, a mainstay on the series
for several seasons, came in this episode and we also got our first little bit
of battle development for Ash and Pikachu. In this episode, Ash and Misty find
their way out of the Viridian Forest and make it to Pewter City. After Ash
brushes off Misty’s offer of help, he goes to fight Brock at the gym and he is
utterly defeated by Brock’s Onix, a ginormous rock snake, his worst loss of the
series to that point.
 |
| .......oh crap |
From there he learns more about Brock from a mysterious
older man named Flint who says that Brock had been caring for his little
brothers and sisters because his father disappeared and his mother passed
away….which was retconned right before Hoenn, but that’s another story.
 |
| Always the lifesaver, even this early. |
Brock
has been focused on his family so much that he hasn’t had the chance to strike
out on his own. Ash decides to challenge him again, but not before
supercharging Pikachu.
In the rematch, this time a 2-on-2 match, Ash loses the
first round with Pidgeotto against Brock’s Geodude and when he sends in Pikachu
his ultracharging shuts Geodude down. Out comes Onix again which causes Pikachu
to shoot his sparks wildly, damaging the gym.
 |
| Watch out! WATCH OUT! |
Pikachu manages to weaken Onix
but not outright defeat him before Brock calls him off, that’s when the
sprinkler system activates and weakens Onix further, prompting Ash, with a
little help from Misty, to attack Onix nearly to the point of fainting. But
he’s prevented by all 9 of Brocks younger siblings from giving the final
command.
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| Hey how the hell am I still standing here with all this weight on me?! |
Ash walks away, knowing that had the sprinklers not gone off he
wouldn’t have weakened Onix to that point. Brock later finds Ash and gives him
the badge, commenting on his kindness to Pikachu and explaining that rather
than being a great Trainer, he wants to be a Breeder but realizes his
commitment to his family comes first.
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| The first badge we all strive for. |
However Flint comes into the picture and
reveals himself to be Brock’s father and is willing to take over patriarch
duties for Brock so he can go fulfill his dream.
 |
| Brock in 15 years...in actual years mind you. |
I enjoyed this episode more than the other two previously.
This was the first gym battle of the series and using Onix as the primary
opponent really gave this episode a larger scale. The battle itself rates
higher as well because had the fight continued, Ash would have won even after
the sprinklers had been activated. We also see the first time on his journey that
Ash has to deal with major adversity during a battle. Granted this episode kind
of started the rough ordeal where the logic in the games (electricity having no
effect whatsoever on Ground/Rock types) was tossed aside, but for having a
pretty compelling battle and some decent development in the face of adversity I
can rate this episode the highest of episodes where Ash was given the badge.
Now, we move on to all the battles where Ash WON his
badges…whats that? I missed one where he was just given the badge? Just wait
til I talk about it, maybe you’ll think about it differently.
5. Fuchsia City Gym
Battle vs. Koga, The Ninja-Poke Showdown, Ep. 32
This…is not a very memorable episode, actually check that,
it IS a memorable episode…but for PSYDUCK of all characters.
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| A Pokemon that crippled one trainer's worth |
That’s right, the
most inept Pokemon in Misty’s collection got more development in an episode
where Ash won a badge. Koga I think really got the shaft in this episode
because like the Misty Battle, there’s potential here with a gym leader as a
ninja master. To be truthful, the building where the Gym is located in has some
good booby trap moments, but all of that goes away when a ninja named Aya appears
and challenges Ash to a fight.
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| See? Non-stealthy looking ninjas didn't start with Naruto. |
Her Venonat is defeated easily with Ash’s Bulbasaur
and this is where we meet Koga…Aya’s father….at least until Janine is
introduced in the Johto games to be Koga’s daughter. His fight with Ash begins
when HIS Venonat evolves in a Venomoth, he defeats Pidgeotto and Ash replaces
him with Charmander. The two appear even until the wreckers of the day, Team
Rocket show up to disrupt everything…and then the attention gets thrown over to
Psyduck.
 |
| Star of the episode folks.... |
This is where the episode really falls apart because this
attention on Psyduck comes right the heck out of nowhere. It’s Psyduck of all
Pokemon that defeat the Rockets and send them packing and then we get an ultra
quick one on one battle between Charmander and Golbat, won by Charmander which
earns Ash his 6th badge to that point.
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| Huh? I fell asleep...WHAT?! Its over ALREADY!? |
Again Team Rocket really wrecks this episode, but the worst
idea here was to give Psyduck the spotlight. The development that quack got
could have been in its own standalone episode but for whatever reason they decided
to put that in a gym battle episode. I mean okay the attention shouldn't be on
Pikachu ALL of the time but it just felt off that this was the focus of the
episode. To make matters worse, this began the longest stretch of episodes
before Ash’s NEXT gym battle, 24 episodes, 26 if you include the two episodes in that stretch that were banned in the US. While it wasn't as big problem in Japan
considering they air episodes every single week, in America, Ash didn't fight
another gym battle for NEARLY A FULL YEAR.
 |
| Takes a full year after he won this one. |
Granted we got a pretty epic battle
at the end of that long layoff, but there was no reason that the battle prior
to that should have been so truncated.
4. Viridian City Gym
Battle vs. Jessie, Battle of the Badge (Ep. 63)
Initially, I thought this episode was more hurt by the hype
for the first movie than anything else. At least I think it would be…except
this episode was made in Japan AFTER the first movie premiered, though it did
air here in the States before then. Still, why did I think the episode was hurt
because of the movie? Well, we all remember that in the original games,
Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket was the leader of the Viridian Gym. And
during this episode of the show we do get to see him not only as the leader,
but he also steps out of the shadows for the very first time in the series.
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| Like a boss. |
He
also had a bad ass Pokemon that at the time we all knew was Mewtwo under all of
those metal plates.
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| Like a boss. |
This was the very first appearance of the creature on
screen and he looked amazingly tough, tossing Gary Oak’s Pokemon around like
they were nothing and even able to defeat two of his Pokemon at once, giving
him his worst loss in a battle and showing us for the first time that Gary
isn't unbeatable.
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| Wait a sec....Gary in a moment of weakness? What madness is this?! |
But as bad ass as Mewtwo’s appearance was, we didn't get to
see Giovanni face off against Ash, rather we would get Jessie fighting him
because of a mysterious plot point that’s never addressed in the series.
Granted Giovanni tries to work things in her and Team Rocket’s favor with
giving them three more Pokemon to fight with.
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| I thought it was one on one? What are we doing this under, handicap match rules? |
With those additional Pokemon,
and also electrifying the battle platforms to shock Ash when his Pokemon take
damage, Jessie takes an early advantage.
 |
| .....not gonna make a shock pun. |
But Ash is soon able to turn the
tables on Jessie, whose platform is ALSO electrified, and that’s when all the
rules get tossed out the window and Ash sends in Pikachu to finish the job.
 |
| And Pikachu comes in for the save. |
The
battle here is an absolute mess but this episode gets rated higher because we
get to see moments that we hadn’t expected. The first on screen appearance of ‘The
Boss’ Giovanni, the first appearance of Mewtwo, the first time we see Gary Oak
at a moment of weakness and working to HELP Ash rather than just being an
asshole around him. It loses points for the battle but it wasn’t as badly
truncated as the Violet City battle, so I’m willing to give it a pass here and
rate it higher.
......oh wait a sec! I gotta post a picture of the badge!
 |
| A feather design for the EARTH badge? Hmm.... |
3. Saffron City Gym
Battle vs. Sabrina, Haunter Vs. Kadabra (Ep. 24)
This is where I think I may get into some controversy here,
but it’s my list and you’ll see my reasoning why here in a bit. While I only
list the episode where Ash wins the badge, the three-episode Arc where Ash
challenges Sabrina I feel as though are some of the strongest episodes of the
first season. It starts with 'Abra and the Psychic Showdown' where Ash challenges
Sabrina, a cold and calculating gym leader with powerful psychic abilities. She
defeats Ash easily and even shrinks the group down and puts them in a model toy
town where they are nearly squashed by a strange doll that Sabrina carries
around.
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| If Japan did 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' |
After getting help from another mysterious stranger, they escape. Ash
tries to find out a way to beat Sabrina and after the old man denies him help
several times, he is inspired by his courage and tells him that possibly the
best way to beat psychic types would be to grab a ghost Pokemon from nearby
Lavender Town.
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| Ash ain't too proud to beg. |
The next episode ‘Tower of Terror’ is a terrific episode. After
reaching the Pokemon Tower, which thankfully in the show is just an old
abandoned tower rather than the graveyard it is in the games,
 |
| Though not any less intimidating... |
the kids get spooked
into running out of the tower, but Ash goes back in to try to capture a ghost Pokemon
…almost getting himself KILLED in the process…no fooling! A chandelier
falls on both him and Pikachu knocking both of them out…and the Haunter there
pulls the two disembodied spirits out of their physical bodies! Holy crap!
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| You know, for.....no I'm not gonna say it here, thats not my phrase. |
This
does lead to one of my favorite moments where Ash picks Misty up and has her
levitating in the air before dropping her to Brock.
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| Don't let go! |
Soon enough they go back to
their bodies and wake up and then it’s back to Saffron, but with Haunter in tow
no less!
Ash obviously is planning to use Haunter to win his match...but
those plans go out the window when he all of a sudden disappears just as the
battle begins, Ash and the gang try to escape, but Misty and Brock get turned
into dolls and Ash is saved by the man from two episodes ago.
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| The fate Ash escaped |
He tells Ash
about Sabrina’s backstory where she just focused on developing her powers so
much that her emotions manifested themselves into the doll she’s seen carrying
around.
Ash manages to find Haunter, who almost kills Team Rocket in the
process, and he gets him to come back with him in the gym….only to have him
disappear suddenly AGAIN…god what a dick!
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| OH COME ON!!!! |
Pikachu gets in there and fights
Kadabra valiantly but it’s fought to a standstill. Suddenly Haunter comes out
of nowhere and tries to make Sabrina laugh….and it works!
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| She's.....actually cute like this |
Not only does it work
on her, but because her Kadabra is linked mentally to her, Kadabra is rolling
on the ground laughing.
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| Kadabra not so much |
Now here’s where the controversy may come in. The old
man, who turns out to be Sabrina’s father, comes in and plays referee for a
bit, declaring that Kadabra is unable to battle, thus giving Ash the win.
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| Winner by LKO (Laughing Knock Out) |
People may consider this another case where Ash was just given a badge, but I
disagree, he was declared the winner by Sabrina’s father, and even Brock and
Misty approve of him getting the badge when even Ash himself questions whether
or not he deserves the badge.
 |
| I still don't know how thats called a MARSH badge... |
Bottom line, I still consider this arc to be one
of the strongest of the series and while the finish wasn’t in any traditional
means, it’s unique enough that I like it quite a bit and can approve of it.
Though it is a bit disappointing we don’t see more with Sabrina after she
laughs away her problems, but what are you gonna do? It’s still strong enough
for No. 3 on this list.
2. Cinnabar Island
Gym Battle vs. Blaine, Volcanic Panic, Episode 59
After almost an entire year between watching a gym battle
here in the states, and a switch of networks to boot (from UPN to WB...geez wouldn't it be something if they merged...oh wait...), Gym Battles returned with authority in September 1999 when Ash and co. made a visit to
Cinnabar Island. At the start in the previous episode Riddle Me This, Ash, with
full intention of getting his seventh badge discovers Gary also going to
Cinnabar Island……on vacation. Cinnabar has apparently been turned into a resort
island with mobs of tourists that are so massive, even the Pokemon Center has
no room for our heroes.
 |
| Yeah I know you guys are active trainers, but we have to make room for the folks on vacation, sorry! |
While there, they meet another mysterious gentleman
(jeez I’m sensing a theme here) speaking in riddles that Misty is able to
figure out fairly quickly, they discover that the previous gym has been
destroyed somehow. While searching for a place to stay, they find the man’s
hotel and after thwarting a theft attempt by Team Rocket, the man gives Ash
another riddle to get him to the new Gym. After solving the riddle Ash finds
the Gym in a Magma Chamber. First off I love the location of this battle,
unique, unusual and all sorts of memorable. The gym floor is literally
suspended by chains over the magma adding a real element of danger here as
well.
 |
| Whoa....what a location |
The mysterious man appears as well revealing himself to be
Blaine and the fight is soon on….with Ash falling quickly behind thanks to his
Squirtle getting KO’d and Charizard acting like a dick.
 |
| Yeah, not like I saved your life from an abusive trainer you son of a.... |
Pikachu manages to make
things even….with a very deus ex machina-like attack of a Rhydon’s metal horn
(Seriously the game logic is just out the window here). But that’s before
Blaine reveals his main Pokemon, Magmar. And Magmar is just awesome through and
through.
 |
| I could so hear Kane's theme music playing when he enters the match |
He reflects Pikachu’s electric attacks and just uses his abilities such
as Fire Punch to knock Pikachu back before unleashing a fire blast attack that
almost knocks Pikachu off the edge of the gym floor. Ash wisely forfeits the match
there, realizing that Pikachu was extremely close to becoming like Anakin
Skywalker at the end of Revenge of the Sith. Yeah, six years too soon for that
joke, but hey it’s the best comparison I can make.
The following episode deals with Ash trying to find some way
to beat Blaine when Team Rocket starts putting the chamber on ice. This begins
a series of earthquakes on the island that threaten to bubble over into an
eruption that threatens the safety of the island. After half of the gym floor breaks off the chains and falls into the lava, Magmar starts throwing rocks
to try and stop the lava flow but he can’t do it all himself. After initially
not throwing rocks in, Charizard gets off his lazy ass and starts actually
doing something. With assistance from Geodude and some cool off help from
Staryu and Starmie, the disaster is averted.
 |
| So.....what now? |
Ash, after first asking if
Blaine is going to give him the Badge, which I don’t blame him for seeing as
how he saved AN ENTIRE FREAKING ISLAND, is awarded a rematch with Blaine…ON THE
TOP OF A VOLCANO!
 |
| Tell me...this is not awesome |
This was just plain AWESOME, setting plays such a role in
memorable conflicts and it is a shame that in later seasons of the show the setting
for Gym Battles are usually just so standard.
And while Blaine of course is going to use Magmar…Charizard
actually stands up and puts himself in the fray. For the first time since
evolving from Charmeleon, Charizard is actually going to take part in a full
battle and goddamn if it’s not one of the best in the entire series.
 |
| I think the term 'Slobberknocker' was made for battles like this |
Both
creatures go at it, trading blows and changing up momentum, including a scene
where it appears that Magmar gets Charizard submerged in the lava. When they
emerge, Charizard unleashes an EPIC seismic toss that clinches the battle and
the seventh badge for Ash.
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| GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY! |
So if this is as epic a match as I’m describing, why is it
only No. 2 on this list?
 |
| ....thats the last time I save a Pokemon from an abusive trainer....until Unova. |
Yeah Charizard just wanted to fight Magmar and didn’t give a
damn about listening to Ash. What happens a little further down the road also
plays into why this isn’t No. 1 but the bottom line is that this is just poor
writing once again. This SHOULD have been where Ash and Charizard got on the
same page and Charizard starts listening to Ash full time, but that doesn’t
come for about another 50 episodes. Believe me, I’ll be talking about this in
one of my next writings.
 |
| Until then, here's a badge that should reflect my opinion of what comes later this season.... |
Despite my gripes about the aftermath of this battle, it’s
still one of the most memorable fights in Pokemon history I think and I look
forward to watching it again another time if I decide to redo this list later.
I think it’s pretty obvious what No. 1 is now, but I’m still
gonna go over it.
1. Vermillion City Gym Battle vs. Lt. Surge,
Electric Shock Showdown, Episode 14
I think back on the whole series of gym battles from the
first season and I can’t think of a better overall episode than Electric Shock
Showdown. Everything about this episode works. We start off as an exhausted Ash
and friends take a trip to the Pokemon Center after finally arriving in
Vermillion City. When they arrive there we see several Pokemon laid out on
hospital beds, all defeated by the City’s gym leader Lt. Surge.
 |
| Even a Sandshrew got beat down....damn that must be a powerful creature |
Ash shakes this
off this thinking Pikachu won’t have a problem, typical of his early over
confidence. When they arrive at the Gym we get our first look at Surge and you
can tell right away that he’s a force to be reckoned with, TOWERING over the
group.
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| Seriously, I'd be scared out of my wits if I saw a man that size. |
After mocking Ash’s Pikachu, he reveals his main Pokemon to be its
evolved form, Raichu.
 |
| .....what is with this gym and size? |
Surge brags about its increased electrical powers and
when the fight occurs it’s apparent that Pikachu is overmatched as he loses
quickly.
 |
| And I thought the loss to Onix was bad.... |
While Pikachu is recovering at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy
brings up the idea of evolving Pikachu using a Thunderstone that she obtained.
Ash is conflicted and leaves the choice up to Pikachu who rejects the idea of
evolving outright.
 |
| Not here, not now, not ever |
Soon enough, Pikachu is ready to go for his rematch and
while initially it looks like it will be a repeat of the first match, Pikachu
unleashes its speed to start to run circles around Raichu, leaving it
completely in the dust since Surge evolved Raichu so quickly that it didn’t
learn any speed attacks.
 |
| Stand still so I can crush you! |
After avoiding a last ditch Thunderbolt attack that’s so
powerful it blows out the windows of the Gym, Pikachu finishes Raichu off with
a quick attack and an electrified slap of its tail across Raichu’s face.
Raichu, weakened by the previous attack falls to this attack and Ash wins his
third badge.
 |
| No snark here, the episode is that good. |
All told this episode showed the best of the franchise and
some surprisingly mature conflicts for this show. We see Pokemon getting
seriously hurt and left severely bandaged by Raichu’s attacks. Surge and Raichu
themselves offer a big intimidation factor aided in large part to the lighting
when we meet them for the first time. Vermillion’s gym did not turn on the
lights until AFTER the fight was about to begin and when we see both Surge and
Raichu for the first time, they are not fully in shadows, but also not fully in
the light. Even during the battle the lighting is rather subdued, almost as if
the battle would occur at night.
 |
| All we need is a good announcer and this has a more epic feel if thats possible. |
Also in this episode, Team Rocket DOESN’T go after
Pikachu…in fact, they ROOT for him to win against Raichu
 |
| If you can really call this rooting. |
It’s an interesting
swap of circumstances that shows that while Team Rocket can be bumblers, they
have an immense respect for Pikachu and its abilities.
I think even going back and watching all these episodes, I
don’t see this one moving from this spot, even when I was a huge Poke-fanatic
this was the episode I looked forward to seeing the most multiple times. It
showed that Pikachu could still be at a disadvantage but find a legitimate way
to win a fight, minus any shenanigans and breaking of in game logic (not
counting specific stat numbers here).
This was also Ash’s first official victory over a gym leader
and you can tell that while he knows he has two badges already, he’s well aware
that he was given those two and has yet to fully win. This is what makes his
decision to let Pikachu choose whether to evolve or not more impactful. He
WANTS to win not only for himself but to prove to both Misty and Brock that he
has progressed as a trainer. In addition, he also wants to be sure that the one Pokemon
who’s been with him since the beginning of his journey is on board with it.
The animation of the battles also deserves mention here, I have a problem with most mainstream shonen shows for having vastly inconsistent fight
animation because of budget, but here the animation of both creatures fighting
deserves to be applauded, especially since it was the first time Pikachu got to
run like a speed demon.
So that’s the list. I welcome any constructive
criticism on this list and I’d be willing to chat more if people would be
willing to listen. Next time I write, I will be talking about a moment from the
end of the original Indigo/Kanto season that still makes me shake my head and
wonder ‘what the hell were the writers thinking’. There are some hints as to
what that could be in this piece, so keep that in mind. Until next time, I’m
the OtakuJock and its time to Catch Em All again!
