Doppelgänger
Superancient Member
For me,
Sinnoh > Hoenn > Alola > Kalos > Johto > Kanto > Unova
Now I'll break it down:
Sinnoh:
Everything was done right here. Ash knew many of his opponents before the league, the battles were good with distinct battle styles, we got the culmination of Ash v. Paul and we got to see Ash take down some legends. After showing he'd stand no chance against the Sinnoh Elite Four and Sinnoh Battle Frontier, this was a decent way for him to go out.
Hoenn:
Hoenn is an underrated series because it had a lot of 6v6 action, and Ash was using a regional team for the first time, losing to the eventual league winner Tyson. Watching Hoenn, you got the feeling that if Ash used his top Pokemon from Johto alongside his Hoenn team, he could have won. It was definitely the most "feel good" of Ash's Pokemon League losses, but it wasn't even the big event of AG - that was the Kanto Battle Frontier.
Alola:
Alola didn't really have any glaring flaws. There was no filler, no Team Rocket interruptions and we got to see almost every match start to finish. The only skipped battle was James v. Gladion. There was also only a single double KO in Alola, during the finals - unlike other double KOs, it actually made sense because of a rebounded Z-Move. Most other double KOs happen unexpectedly because their purpose is to shorten 6v6 battles or set up deus ex machinas, like Corphish v. Swalot. So while the teams were small. This league was packed with emotion and character moments that stands out from the crowd.
So Alola is very competently written, but falls short due to unspectacular trainers and short 1v1 battles. The exhibition match will be cool, but that doesn't change my perception of what we've already seen.
Kalos:
Carried by only a single 4v4 battle VS Sawyer. Yes, it's basically a 4v4, because from the moment Pikachu is recalled, we have two double KO's in a row, and Pikachu is sent out again. Those double KO's amounted to filler. However, Ash v. Sawyer is legitimately one of the best battles in the series, perhaps #2 behind Ash v. Paul.
If not for that high, Kalos is mediocre. It had filler, skipped battles and the finals/semis made Ash's team outside of Pikachu and Greninja look bad. It's also ridiculous that Sawyer and Alain could stack their teams with fully evolved Pokemon in such a short time. That's not "epic", it's bad writing.
Johto:
I have mixed feelings about this. Ash v. Gary is obviously great, but Ash v. Harrison is terrible. It was a shameless plug for the next series of Pokemon games and everyone knew it. In-universe, it doesn't make sense that Charizard could take out half of Gary's team but choke to a Pokemon it has a double type advantage against. It makes Gary look like a chump.
Kanto:
Two fun (although simple) battles v. Mandi and Jeanette, and a memorable if disappointing ending. Unfortunately, Kanto is filled with filler and doesn't reach the spectacle highs of other leagues. But the emotion leading up to the league and after Ash loses is reminiscent of Alola.
Unova:
Obviously the worst of the leagues, with only a single good battle v. Stephan that became a meme due to Zebstrika's moveset. Ash v. Cameron was stupid, obnoxious and taunting. Trip lost to an arsepull and didn't deserve such poor treatment, even if his character arc was essentially over. Ash didn't use his ace against Krookodile. Disliked Pokemon like Oshawott and Unfezant choke at the worst possible moments.
Best Wishes up to this point had been fun and loose. We had just had the Junior Cup a few episodes earlier which was better than the Kanto and Johto Leagues. Then the anime hits this iceberg, and promptly sinks, giving us another Johto-like stretch of uninteresting filler.
Sinnoh > Hoenn > Alola > Kalos > Johto > Kanto > Unova
Now I'll break it down:
Sinnoh:
Everything was done right here. Ash knew many of his opponents before the league, the battles were good with distinct battle styles, we got the culmination of Ash v. Paul and we got to see Ash take down some legends. After showing he'd stand no chance against the Sinnoh Elite Four and Sinnoh Battle Frontier, this was a decent way for him to go out.
Hoenn:
Hoenn is an underrated series because it had a lot of 6v6 action, and Ash was using a regional team for the first time, losing to the eventual league winner Tyson. Watching Hoenn, you got the feeling that if Ash used his top Pokemon from Johto alongside his Hoenn team, he could have won. It was definitely the most "feel good" of Ash's Pokemon League losses, but it wasn't even the big event of AG - that was the Kanto Battle Frontier.
Alola:
Alola didn't really have any glaring flaws. There was no filler, no Team Rocket interruptions and we got to see almost every match start to finish. The only skipped battle was James v. Gladion. There was also only a single double KO in Alola, during the finals - unlike other double KOs, it actually made sense because of a rebounded Z-Move. Most other double KOs happen unexpectedly because their purpose is to shorten 6v6 battles or set up deus ex machinas, like Corphish v. Swalot. So while the teams were small. This league was packed with emotion and character moments that stands out from the crowd.
So Alola is very competently written, but falls short due to unspectacular trainers and short 1v1 battles. The exhibition match will be cool, but that doesn't change my perception of what we've already seen.
Kalos:
Carried by only a single 4v4 battle VS Sawyer. Yes, it's basically a 4v4, because from the moment Pikachu is recalled, we have two double KO's in a row, and Pikachu is sent out again. Those double KO's amounted to filler. However, Ash v. Sawyer is legitimately one of the best battles in the series, perhaps #2 behind Ash v. Paul.
If not for that high, Kalos is mediocre. It had filler, skipped battles and the finals/semis made Ash's team outside of Pikachu and Greninja look bad. It's also ridiculous that Sawyer and Alain could stack their teams with fully evolved Pokemon in such a short time. That's not "epic", it's bad writing.
Johto:
I have mixed feelings about this. Ash v. Gary is obviously great, but Ash v. Harrison is terrible. It was a shameless plug for the next series of Pokemon games and everyone knew it. In-universe, it doesn't make sense that Charizard could take out half of Gary's team but choke to a Pokemon it has a double type advantage against. It makes Gary look like a chump.
Kanto:
Two fun (although simple) battles v. Mandi and Jeanette, and a memorable if disappointing ending. Unfortunately, Kanto is filled with filler and doesn't reach the spectacle highs of other leagues. But the emotion leading up to the league and after Ash loses is reminiscent of Alola.
Unova:
Obviously the worst of the leagues, with only a single good battle v. Stephan that became a meme due to Zebstrika's moveset. Ash v. Cameron was stupid, obnoxious and taunting. Trip lost to an arsepull and didn't deserve such poor treatment, even if his character arc was essentially over. Ash didn't use his ace against Krookodile. Disliked Pokemon like Oshawott and Unfezant choke at the worst possible moments.
Best Wishes up to this point had been fun and loose. We had just had the Junior Cup a few episodes earlier which was better than the Kanto and Johto Leagues. Then the anime hits this iceberg, and promptly sinks, giving us another Johto-like stretch of uninteresting filler.