Max; A lost cause?

[octoboy]

I am wondering why Max was in the show. He came, and pretty much tried to take other characters' jobs, and didn't do much else. He never became a trainer, and never got ralts, so what's the point? He just left the show, without doing anything.

 

[PikamasterADV]

He held the PokeNav for the other characters, provided character development for May, had his own good episodes (The end of "Balance of Power" as well as "Do I Hear a Ralts?" come to mind.) He offered a unique viewpoint into the series. Even though Max didn't own any Pokemon, Advance Generation would not have been the same without him, and I believe that if he was never included, the series as a whole would have suffered for it, if ONLY because we lose "Do I Hear a Ralts?".

Max was a great character, and will be missed.

Also, Max leaving is a spoiler. Shouldn't that be made a note of and this topic moved to the spoilers forum?

 

[CyberCubed]

I am wondering why Max was in the show. He came, and pretty much tried to take other characters' jobs, and didn't do much else. He never became a trainer, and never got ralts, so what's the point? He just left the show, without doing anything.

The whole point of Max was to add character development to Ash and May. It gave May the extra depth of being an older and protective sister, whereas it gave Ash someone younger to look after.

If you noticed, before AG all the people Ash traveled with were older than him. When AG started, he had to travel and mentor younger people for the first time, (May/Max), and he was pushed into the role that Brock was for him back then.

In any case, Max was more entertaining for me than Brock's empty shell during AG.

 

[Bobo]

max provides a different view of pokemon with his technical by the book lectures. he's kinda arrogant in thinking he can do better because he knows so much, but he does give a more detailed and controled strategy. he seems like he just might be talking about EVs. besides, i'm sure there are a lot of people like him telling ash that if he had done this or that, he would have won the indigo league or whatever. max is the onscreen voice of those people yelling

"no! don't use leaf blade! use bullet seed!"

 

[Korobooshi Kojiro]

Max got some great episodes in the show.

Besides, he seemed to be a representation of the general audience.

 

[octoboy]

ok, sorry about the spoiler thing. This can be moved to the spoiler thread, as it is a great deal about a spoiler.

 

[penngrade6]

I like Max but sometimes he can be annoying. I was hoping hed be in the dp series where hed become a pokemon trainer

 

[~Battle Frontier~]

Another reason why Max was in the show was to pull Brock's ear everytime Brock flirts with a woman.

 

[octoboy]

But really, May could have had the pokenav, and she also already was the kid Ash was a mentor for. She was the starting trainer. All he did besides those things were to keep the Misty fans from being mad at May by trying to make himself look more like Misty's replacement. He didn't do much for the plot, and besides some episodes for him, he didn't have much point.

Spoiler: slight spoiler

Why didn't he get that ralts at the end of the season?

 

[Mandi.]

Max did get some really good episodes for him. He was also the one who would make friends with so many Pokemon. (Ralts, Shuppet, Deoxys, ect.)

He had the PokeNav, the smarts and he would pull Brock away from hot girls. And like CC said, he also gave some character development for Ash and May.

 

[BattleFranky~40]

Everything Masato did could have been easily handled by someone else. He was a useless, uninteresting burden who took time away from the other characters, namely Takeshi.

 

[Mandi.]

Everything Masato did could have been easily handled by someone else. He was a useless, uninteresting burden who took time away from the other characters, namely Takeshi.

But its not like Takeshi was any better than Masato. They were both characters who mainly just followed along. Neither of them had a real role.

 

[BattleFranky~40]

But its not like Takeshi was any better than Masato. They were both characters who mainly just followed along. Neither of them had a real role.

The Masato-focused episodes could have ended up being Takeshi-focused episodes, giving him more of a role, as the Masato episodes gave Masato the role of the sad little kid who makes friends.

 

[Mandi.]

The Masato-focused episodes could have ended up being Takeshi-focused episodes, giving him more of a role, as the Masato episodes gave Masato the role of the sad little kid who makes friends.

And that's what I wish it was like. Takeshi really should get more spotlight as he's been in the show for the whole thing. I bet sometimes, people even forget he's there, until he opens his mouth.

I guess, they may have given Masato more spotlight because he was going to leave eventually. But Takeshi...who knows when he's going.

 

[Erus Black Mage]

Masato should of been crushed by Snorlax.

 

[TDD]

Max was just a filling they thought it would be cool..but they Failed!

 

[ash5550]

personally, he was one of my favourite chars because he had a small bit of intelligence. With Ash's type and foolibilty, Brocks flirting, Mays bubbly-ness, Max seemed sane. Brock development eps? Don't make me laugh. Brock hhas two roles, and them purely:
He knows how to cook and has the guidebook
He seems to know everything although it hasn't been revealed before i.e;the frenzy plant attack

Brock CAN'T have development episodes, know why? You can't develop the guy further. I like Brock, hes a cool dude, but Max was an awesome characer that doesn't need dissing, so lay off haters.

 

[Rashdan]

The reason he didn't get Ralts is that he's still a bit too young at the end of the season isn't he? I mean, physically, he doesn't seem to have grown much, and may have to wait a year or two before officially starting out. Unless I'm really missing something XD, but from the episode pictures of that last one, he didn't seem that old enough to be a trainer.

And I agree with much that has been said here. It helped develop Ash and May's characters. It may have made Ash and May want to set an example for Max, so that he'll follow in their footsteps and become a better trainer. He already has extensive Pokemon knowledge, and with a little help from Ash and May's battling techniques, Max has a decent head start.

It was also interesting to see Ash's mentor side, being sort of like an older brother to May and Max, helping them along the way. Ofcourse, Brock helped out too, but I think Ash's mentoring had a significant impact on May and Max.

 

[Abraace]

Another reason why Max was in the show was to pull Brock's ear everytime Brock flirts with a woman.

That alone doesn't really validate him as a needed character.

For the most part, Max just seemed to replace Misty/Brock's roles, leaving poor old Brock with very little to do beside cook and flirt with girls.

In all honesty though, I won't miss Max. At all.

and Brock still has some development to go through. Namely doing something towards his Breeding goals.

 

[CyberCubed]

and Brock still has some development to go through. Namely doing something towards his Breeding goals.

But we know that'll never happen, considering it hasn't happened in the 10 years he's been on the show, so in reality he doesn't have any more development to go through.