Ash's Lucario and Gou's Cinderace

[Mythical-Moonlight]

With the Darkest Day Arc is closing in on us soon, and we all know that these two are shaping up to be the biggest stars of it (they're highlighted even more so than Zacian and Zamazenta)

Why don't we take this opportunity to reflect on Raboot and Riolu and their Developmental Arcs?
As well as their bonds with Gou and Ash respectively.

So tell me what are your opinions on Lucario and Cinderace?

And who are you more excited to see?

What do you think Goh's Cinderace will be like?
Will he return to his Scorbunny phase? Will he be a mix of Scorbunny and Raboot? Or will he have a different personality entirely?

Same thing with Ash's Lucario.
Do you think it will be a typical Stoic Lucario? Or will this Lucario have a different personality?

Do you think their relationships with Ash and Gou were handled well?
If not, then why so?

And most importantly what do you want to see from them going forward into the series?

 

[Red and Blue]

I think Cinderace will regain some of the cheerful personality it lost as a Raboot. It would be hard to make such a chipper looking Pokemon like that dour. In the future I'm hoping Go and Cinderace work together to master it's Gigantamax form in Isle of Armor.

As for Lucario I think it will be a mostly serious Pokemon with a few comedic moments.

 

[PsychoLogical]

I'm fine with both of them. Cinderace will very likely return to it's old Scorbunny personality and behavior. Lucario on the other hand will likely be more upbeat and I guess fun loving like Ash is out of wanting to strongly distinguish his Lucario compared to other Lucarios that we constantly see where it's always stoic except for Cameron's and at a smaller extent Korrina's. If that Calendar is anything to go by (big if btw since it's just a calendar) it kinda confirms that Ash's Lucario isn't going to be the typical stoic Lucario that we blandly and boringly get everytime. How their relationships were handled is bit of a mixed bag like Ash overfocusing Lucario when it was still a Riolu (even if the reason is understandable) and the whole Go and early Raboot bullcrap. And I don't really have anything I want to see from them later on as time goes, except maybe seeing if Cinderace and Lucario are to be sidelined/taking a backseat for some time in favor of other mons and I guess I also want to see if they're still willing to have Lucario make the face faults Riolu had from time to time. And yes unlike most people, I'm basically one of the few who's confident that Lucario will take a backseat when it debuts out of 1 main reason which is that they may likely shift focus to any other unevolved mons Ash may own later down the line since the writers will have nothing to work with again due to Ash's roster being fully evolved again (and yes I expect the smug duck aka Sirfetch'd to debut soon after Lucario arrives, maybe even also in the DD arc as well if we get lucky even if it hasn't done much onscreen).

 

[Blaze Master X]

I think Lucario will keep Riolu's personality (just like Lycanroc did). Calendar 2021 pictures showed that Lucario is having fun with Ash, Goh, and Cinderace.

 

[Ignition]

I don't expect a personality change from Riolu to Lucario but Cinderace will most likely go back to how it was as a Scorbunny.

Curious to see how Cinderace develops and its relationship with Go. Can't wait to see Pyro Ball eventually. Hope it gets some interesting battles besides just helping Go fight off TRio

As Lucario's biggest fan, I hope it gets more screentime as it's a very underrated species that barely got screentime in the past. Riolu has been getting shafted so it could use the boost.

 

[Icy-Snowflake]

Cinderace might return to being Scorbunny. I don't think he'll sleep with Goh or kick Goh or Ash this time though for obvious reasons. Sobble and Grookey can replace Scorbunny.
Lucario should remain a Riolu... Let it not hog screentime.

 

[Leonhart]

I figure that Lucario will be stoic during most situations, but perhaps have a fun side that he'll show occasionally in filler episodes. I can't imagine him being goofy or happy-go-lucky all the time though, because that isn't very Lucario-like, and I'm sure that the writers would want to promote him as a typical Lucario for marketing reasons. I'm not sure how Aceburn will behave however, and to be brutally honest, I don't care since I don't like Aceburn in general.

 

[LucarioFTWs]

I think cinderace will revert to scorbunny a little and even maybe kind of like ash’s infernape. But i think Ash’s riolu will stay like itself even after evolution. It’ll probably be laid back and have it’s funny moments out of battle but when it gets into battle it becomes serious like shown in the bea episode.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

I will be honest: I never ever saw a pokemon like Riolu who got so much focus in the first 20 ep it got caught. And I get why it probably gonna be the ace of the team. But I hope that other pokemon (*cough* G. Farfechted) get some time to shine. Makes me wonder if Satoshi will catch more pokemon after this.

 

[Mythical-Moonlight]

I'm fine with both of them. Cinderace will very likely return to it's old Scorbunny personality and behavior. Lucario on the other hand will likely be more upbeat and I guess fun loving like Ash is out of wanting to strongly distinguish his Lucario compared to other Lucarios that we constantly see where it's always stoic except for Cameron's and at a smaller extent Korrina's. If that Calendar is anything to go by (big if btw since it's just a calendar) it kinda confirms that Ash's Lucario isn't going to be the typical stoic Lucario that we blandly and boringly get everytime. How their relationships were handled is bit of a mixed bag like Ash overfocusing Lucario when it was still a Riolu (even if the reason is understandable) and the whole Go and early Raboot bullcrap. And I don't really have anything I want to see from them later on as time goes, except maybe seeing if Cinderace and Lucario are to be sidelined/taking a backseat for some time in favor of other mons and I guess I also want to see if they're still willing to have Lucario make the face faults Riolu had from time to time. And yes unlike most people, I'm basically one of the few who's confident that Lucario will take a backseat when it debuts out of 1 main reason which is that they may likely shift focus to any other unevolved mons Ash may own later down the line since the writers will have nothing to work with again due to Ash's roster being fully evolved again (and yes I expect the smug duck aka Sirfetch'd to debut soon after Lucario arrives, maybe even also in the DD arc as well if we get lucky even if it hasn't done much onscreen).

I'm actually not entirely sure what more can be done with Cinderace after the DD Arc is over. Beside helping Gou catch bigger Pokémon.
Lucario however still has some work to do tho (Bea Rematch)
I'm am really hoping Ash's other Pokémon (especially Sirfetch'd) get spotlight in that time tho

As Lucario's biggest fan, I hope it gets more screentime as it's a very underrated species that barely got screentime in the past. Riolu has been getting shafted so it could use the boost.

Of course! Lucario definitely needs as much spotlight as possible! It has such a small amount of screentime as is and no other Ash Pokemon could use any more screentime and Development more than Lucario should!

I figure that Lucario will be stoic during most situations, but perhaps have a fun side that he'll show occasionally in filler episodes. I can't imagine him being goofy or happy-go-lucky all the time though, because that isn't very Lucario-like, and I'm sure that the writers would want to promote him as a typical Lucario for marketing reasons. I'm not sure how Aceburn will behave however, and to be brutally honest, I don't care since I don't like Aceburn in general.

What bothers you about Cinderace?

 

[Kazuniya]

Honestly my only issue with Cinderace is just how big it is. Is it just going to stay outside its Pokeball all the time? Sleep in the same bed as Goh? Walk around just like Pikachu? It just feels weird lmao. Probably because I'm used to that usually being cute, little mascots, lol.

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

Unlike literally everyone else in this forums it feels like, I love ash's riolu and it's eventual lucario. Lucario has always been one of my fav Pokémon and it was my no. 1 pick for ash to catch for a long time so I'm happy he finally is. Judging by the calendar pics ash's lucario will retain its cute and cheerful personality, while being serious when it needs to be. I'd like a mega evolution arc for his lucario, that combined with him defeating Bea in the rematch would be enough focus for him imo

 

[ShinyCharyZard]

I'm not really interested to see where they take Cinderace, since I don't like its design. I much prefer Raboot and actually think that it's a shame they're taking it any further than that stage (I would've much preferred him getting Sobble first and fully evolving that for this moment instead). As for Lucario, I imagine it'll be the perfect balance between serious and fun-loving, having a connection with Ash which is similar to that of his other "ace" Pokemon over the years..

The real question is whether they will take a backseat after the DD arc to allow for the development of Sobble and Farfetch'd, respectively.

 

[Spider-Phoenix]

Looking forward Cinderace.

Not caring for anything Lucario other than an unlikely release.

Sleep in the same bed as Goh?

Unless they want me to call the police, this better not happen!

 

[CMButch]

I like them both but would be annoyed with Lucario if he gets some BS power ups and spotlight from other Pokemon.

 

[Leonhart]

I like them both but would be annoyed with Lucario if he gets some BS power ups and spotlight from other Pokemon.

The latter is already happening, but I certainly hope that he doesn't receive some special power that will make him more important than he's already destined to be as a Lucario. I wouldn't mind if Aceburn turns out to be special and outshines Gou's other Pokemon however, mainly because Gou's team's development matters less to me than the development of Satoshi's team.

 

[AJ97]

I like them both but would be annoyed with Lucario if he gets some BS power ups and spotlight from other Pokemon.

Hasn't this already happened? Like with the whole aura thing and it choosing ash just like Froakie did in XY. And then it's power exponentially rising against the Onix when it battled listening to Ash.
Plus, even just as a Riolu, it already seems strong enough to hold its own against Pikachu(Granted Pikachu is pretty inconsistent).

Wouldn't be surprised if they pull of some bs like Lucario is capable of mega evolving without the stones just because of its strong bond with Ash.

 

[Mythical-Moonlight]

Hasn't this already happened? Like with the whole aura thing and it choosing ash just like Froakie did in XY. And then it's power exponentially rising against the Onix when it battled listening to Ash.
Plus, even just as a Riolu, it already seems strong enough to hold its own against Pikachu(Granted Pikachu is pretty inconsistent).

Wouldn't be surprised if they pull of some bs like Lucario is capable of mega evolving without the stones just because of its strong bond with Ash.

It's gonna get special treatment but whether or not it's Ash-Greninja level of special treatment remains to be seen

 

[Leonhart]

Wouldn't be surprised if they pull of some bs like Lucario is capable of mega evolving without the stones just because of its strong bond with Ash.

Stranger things have occurred in the past I suppose, but I just question why they would need to go through a situation like this when they could just as easily have Satoshi use his old Z-Ring to Mega Evolve Lucario, instead.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

Cinderace: I guess it will be used to fight stronger pokemon in order to catch them.

Lucario: It will be the ace of the journeys team. But no idea how they will handle it, if Satoshi uses something like A-G and Lucario in the same team.

I dont know if both will be out of their pokeball all the time. I wonder why they want to evolve them both so soon in this series. That doesnt feel right.