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Any Companion You'd Like As Main Character Again?

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
As unlikely as it is for companions to make full and proper return trips anymore, is there any you think have the staying power to return to Ash's side a second time round?

Judge by potential lasting power (can their arc continue another region?) agency (can they contribute more uniquely than a new character?) characterisation (will their personality keep developing and sticking out, can they gain further chemistry with Ash and another companion?) and of course plain old simple favouritism.
 

Sceptile Leaf Blade

Nighttime Guardian
A bit difficult to judge when we don't know where the characters will be by the end of Alola. But judging from what we know now, I'd say Lillie maybe. Going on a journey with Ash to try and figure out in what direction she wants to go next. Admittedly, the Pokémon School is also very good for that though, and care must be taken not to repeat Serena with her. Lana is another one I'm thinking about, although I'd imagine she might want to go on her own journey instead of being stuck with Ash. She primarily wants to do stuff with water pokémon and with the ocean, so her own journey focused on that'd probably suit her more, travelling to places like the Orange Islands, the Whirl Islands, the Cerulean Gym, and so on. I'd actually love to get a spin-off series with Lana and Misty travelling together.
 

AznKei

Dawn & Chloe by ddangbi
Any Pokegirls from the anime where they met/interact/fight against each other in a competition in the series without Ash. In that scenario, one of them can be the main character to get her spotlights, then few episodes later the series rotates to the other Pokegirl as a main character so she can get her spotlights and so on.
 

Sceptile Leaf Blade

Nighttime Guardian
Well I don't just mean the current cast, any you think still has appeal to return.

I don't really see any of the older cast members really bringing much to be honest.

It also depends greatly on what kind of format the next region will have. I don't think we'll have a school setting again, but it's far from certain that we'll have a travelling setting next time again.
 

Pokegirl Fan~

Liko>>>>>Ash
Lillie I guess since she'll most likely still have some more room for development especially if she becomes a trainer and wants to travel.

I don't really want to see anyone else tbh since their stories are either done or they'll become stale quickly.
 

keepitsimple

site of lies
Despite her being my least favourite, probably Iris tbh. I want to see how many dragon types she has caught off screen and if Axew evolved yet. Besides that, they could develop her more as a character and state what a dragon master is.

I don't really want to see anyone else tbh since their stories are either done or they'll become stale quickly.
Fair enough to the second point but whose story is done? Like besides Brock I don't think anybody's is really.
 

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
Fair enough to the second point but whose story is done? Like besides Brock I don't think anybody's is really.

Well I'm tempted to think that any companion that had a similar competition arc as Ash (eg. the contest girls) would run the risk of the same complaints of repetition, being stuck on a loop of doing the same goal and never being able to pass the final hurdle. Of course Ash has been doing the same thing for FIVE SERIES and only recently have they tried to shake it up a bit.
 

AznKei

Dawn & Chloe by ddangbi
Well I'm tempted to think that any companion that had a similar competition arc as Ash (eg. the contest girls) would run the risk of the same complaints of repetition, being stuck on a loop of doing the same goal and never being able to pass the final hurdle. Of course Ash has been doing the same thing for FIVE SERIES and only recently have they tried to shake it up a bit.
Well at least they started fresh so despite how the Pokemon League goals are repetitive, we're more forgiving about them losing for the 1st time than Ash who fails for multiple times, not to mention the division among Ash fans on how he was portrayed in each series.
 

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
Yeah but returning either of them would likely lead to the exact same flow of contests, since they're likely not going to change goal unless the games spruces the gimmick up in the next gen like they did Ash's goal.

Of course this would be as liable to happen with a new character that did contests and some equivalent like the showcases, and I suppose keeping to SM's more diverse character-driven flow of filler stories could keep them fresh otherwise (May never really got a whole episode to herself where Team Rocket didn't interfere).
 
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Darthlord7

The Smug Pikachu
I will go with Lillie since she is the only one without a clear goal right now so her presence wouldn't really feel redundant. But I wish we could get some episodes with all the past companions reappearing every now and then and see how far they have progressed on their goals just like with Misty's and Brock's case. Knowing the series though the chances are next to zero for both to happen.
 

AznKei

Dawn & Chloe by ddangbi
Yeah but returning either of them would likely lead to the exact same flow of contests, since they're likely not going to change goal unless the games spruces the gimmick up in the next gen like they did Ash's goal.

Of course this would be as liable to happen with a new character that did contests and some equivalent like the showcases, and I suppose keeping to SM's more diverse character-driven flow of filler stories could keep them fresh otherwise (May never really got a whole episode to herself where Team Rocket didn't interfere).
I see. Tbh, I didn't want any of them to re-appear in the anime as main characters, especially with our recent producers/writers. Sure, we all have our share of favoritism, but they would be stuck with the scripts which they would most likely going to screw them again, so I rather them not reappear again to avoid further humiliations.

If anything, I would like them to reappear in a video game format outside of the mainstream games, where you can customize the kind of adventure you wanted to from them and have more control of the outcomes.
 

keepitsimple

site of lies
Okay so is there any argument against my earlier statement that Iris should be a main character again, since they left a lot of room for development, her story isn't even close to done and I don't see how she could end up stuck in a cycle of losing?
 

DatsRight

Well-Known Member
Besides Iris' VERY divisive reception within the fanbase, I suppose not. It depends how well they can expand on her Dragon typing goal this time round.
 

satopi

Life doesn’t end, …it changes.
Dawn and Iris, tag team partners. Dawn could mentor Iris into being less of a prideful person and Iris would get the development she should've gotten in the first place.
 

Zoruagible

Lover of underrated characters
Mallow to make up for how little focus she gets in SM. She's far more interesting than the other SM females and actually has a reason to be the group's cook rather than Serena's..... which was basically Serena cooks because she's the female lol Can probably make up for her lack of a z-ring too, probably being the only one to not own one, by giving her gen 8's gimmick ring.

Other than that, Dawn obviously.
Misty's fine at the gym and doesn't need to return unless they can think of a good reason. I don't want her to tag along just to end up back at the gym once the saga ends.
May would most likely come along with Max and I want things to go back to simple ways of THREE main cast members, no more no less. It's been so long since we've had a three cast saga, yet people act like it'll be so terrible to get one again.....
Iris, no thanks.
Serena, I really don't want her back when she just left
Lana, too similar to Misty to be around long term. Whose to say gen 8 will even have that many Water types? Alola had a lot so gen 8 might focus on other types, only adding two or three different species
Lillie would repeat the whole Serena "What do I want to do?" thing, which I don't want again
 

Ignition

We are so back Zygardebros
If we're counting the current cast, Mallow, Sophocles, and Kiawe could all return later down the road. The other 2 Pokégirls add nothing for me. I'm going to be upset knowing that Lillie is most likely going to be the only one who returns in a late generation.

I also forgot Dawn because her return in BW showed little progression as a Trainer unlike Misty and May's returns.
 

satopi

Life doesn’t end, …it changes.
Now the Zoruagible mentioned it, it is rather strange that Mallow is the only female without a Z Ring. Talk about being left out. Even Soph got better episodes than her. Poster girl needs a character arc.
 
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