Jesse GS the II
I was frozen today!
I see it in about half the threads I post in: people complaining that they absolutely hate Satoshi. "He's stupid, he's boring, he's old, he's annoying, he should have done this, he shouldn't have done that" etc. etc. And just now, in the "What would you do if you were a member of Team Rocket?" thread, I found a post from someone saying that they'd actually like to kill him.
Am I the only one left who actually likes this kid? I see him as a great central character and an excellent protagonist. He's considerate of his Pokémon's needs, and he's always trying to learn as much as he can and do what's right. I consider both those qualities to be extremely respectable. He's flawed, of course, as all humans are - he's prone to arrogance on occasion, though nowhere near the level he had at the start of the series. But at heart, he's still one of the most likeable out of the main cast, and his bond between Pikachu and the rest of his team is a great humanistic touch that makes him more three-dimensional than he could have been. If the anime's characters could come to life, I'd honestly want to spend time with Satoshi - he's a good kid.
So what is it that people hate about him? Is it his team? 'Cause he has a good reason for starting fresh in each region - he likes to challenge himself and build his skills by starting from the ground up every time, and he knows that his other Pokémon will be well cared for at Orchid-hakase's lab. Is it his occasional lapses in intelligence? Well, that's one of his endearing qualities, in my opinion. He wants to learn everything about Pokémon training, which implies that he doesn't know it all yet, so naturally he's going to screw up every once in a while. Is it because he keeps defeating the Rocket-dan? Geez, they're the villains, and they try to succeed through illegal and unjust means - and they're constantly trying to kidnap Satoshi's best friend. Why shouldn't Satoshi put them in their place?
It's puzzled me for a while now, and I want to know where this hate comes from, especially now that it's grown to the levels it's gotten to. So let's hear you justify your words. I don't want to vilify anyone - I just want some explanations.
Am I the only one left who actually likes this kid? I see him as a great central character and an excellent protagonist. He's considerate of his Pokémon's needs, and he's always trying to learn as much as he can and do what's right. I consider both those qualities to be extremely respectable. He's flawed, of course, as all humans are - he's prone to arrogance on occasion, though nowhere near the level he had at the start of the series. But at heart, he's still one of the most likeable out of the main cast, and his bond between Pikachu and the rest of his team is a great humanistic touch that makes him more three-dimensional than he could have been. If the anime's characters could come to life, I'd honestly want to spend time with Satoshi - he's a good kid.
So what is it that people hate about him? Is it his team? 'Cause he has a good reason for starting fresh in each region - he likes to challenge himself and build his skills by starting from the ground up every time, and he knows that his other Pokémon will be well cared for at Orchid-hakase's lab. Is it his occasional lapses in intelligence? Well, that's one of his endearing qualities, in my opinion. He wants to learn everything about Pokémon training, which implies that he doesn't know it all yet, so naturally he's going to screw up every once in a while. Is it because he keeps defeating the Rocket-dan? Geez, they're the villains, and they try to succeed through illegal and unjust means - and they're constantly trying to kidnap Satoshi's best friend. Why shouldn't Satoshi put them in their place?
It's puzzled me for a while now, and I want to know where this hate comes from, especially now that it's grown to the levels it's gotten to. So let's hear you justify your words. I don't want to vilify anyone - I just want some explanations.