Sun & Moon Characters Speculation Thread

[Dephender]

Mima was a little too vague (or perhaps his wording was a little confusing), because I totally thought he was referring to tomorrow's episode in his tweet.

Yeah, I don't get why he worded it the way he did. I think he meant to use a different word than the one he used.

 

[TheWanderingMist]

Ash's father showing up after all this time is my stab in the dark.

 

[Eddieursa]

I just thought about the possibility of Team Rainbow Rocket appearing at the end of this season. You see, after finally having his first battle directly against Giovanni 8and losing), I wanted Ash to have a rematch against this jerk. And right now, Ash have two Pokemon who could help him defeat Giovanni next time: Lycanrock and Torracat.

It would be like when Ash and Gary fought for the first time, Pikachu vs Eevee, with Ash losing. But then, they have a full battle in the Johto League with ends up with Ash winning, especially in the final round of Charizard vs Blastoise. Well, now Ash could have a rematch against Giovanni's Persian. Either Lycanroc (dog vs cat) or Torracat (cat fight) would be able to avenge Pikachu and give this Persian what he deserves.

 

[Leonhart]

I just thought about the possibility of Team Rainbow Rocket appearing at the end of this season. You see, after finally having his first battle directly against Giovanni 8and losing), I wanted Ash to have a rematch against this jerk. And right now, Ash have two Pokemon who could help him defeat Giovanni next time: Lycanrock and Torracat. .

I still think it'd be kind of pointless to give Sakaki more emphasis now, even with LG: P/E. It just seems like the Rocket-dan as a whole is destined to do nothing great these days and simply be quirky.

 

[DatsRight]

I still think it'd be kind of pointless to give Sakaki more emphasis now, even with LG: P/E. It just seems like the Rocket-dan as a whole is destined to do nothing great these days and simply be quirky.

The villains seem more pivots for character development and plot lines than actual effective antagonists this series (this was true to the show as a whole to some degree, though for SM it's more obvious the heroes' development is more primary). Even some of the more noteworthy ones like Necrozma and Guzzlord are more 'greater scope' antagonists, with the focus more on the situation and character development that stems as a by-product, and in the end they're defeated kinda anti climatically with a mandatory bit of action leading up to it. Only the UG missions really put key focus on the dynamic for the bad guy and a detailed approach to how the good guys are gonna have to outdo them, even avoiding using DEMs and Z Move KOs for the most part.

I think a key problem is that Team Rocket nowadays are mostly there for fan appeal because they are long runners, and despite SM upping their efforts to give them a dynamic role and entertaining personalities, they still feel like a third wheel the show feels begrudgingly obligated to focus on every now and then. The show even lampshades most of the other characters just see them as irrelevant nuisances but doesn't really do much to play on that otherwise. Even in BW they're still kind of just party crashers, just more threatening ones that the heroes are forced to take seriously.

I remember on another forum someone discussed the potential that they could bring up Team Rocket's involvement in the upcoming Mewtwo retelling movie, maybe even taking notes from the backstory in the radio series. It would be interesting to play on a plot where Team Rocket could actually be relevant and integral as primary characters, which hasn't really happened much since Kanto.

 

[p96822]

My problem with the Team Rocket Trio and Team Skull is that they are not involve with anything major with Ash and his friends. Beside Lillie getting her Vulpix, Bounsweet evolving all the way to Tsareena. They have barely any propose of being there. The only time they are important is for the trial with Ash which I think is just as lazy because it was more of Mimikyu thing then Team Rocket. Maybe the next big arc I want them to be there as character or threat then doing nothing and being sidelined again.

 

[DatsRight]

My problem with the Team Rocket Trio and Team Skull is that they are not involve with anything major with Ash and his friends. Beside Lillie getting her Vulpix, Bounsweet evolving all the way to Tsareena. They have barely any propose of being there. The only time they are important is for the trial with Ash which I think is just as lazy because it was more of Mimikyu thing then Team Rocket. Maybe the next big arc I want them to be there as character or threat then doing nothing and being sidelined again.

The problem is that their involvement that IS key is always the same thing, as in karma involved DEM boosts. They accidentally trigger move learns and evolutions out of the cast, that have long term results, but also come in place of them rightfully training and earning them. In other words, their one bit of important involvement is a writing short cut that actually dumbs down the protagonists' development.

By pattern you can tell the writers at least acknowledge doing this too often in personal or official trials would be treated as 'cheating', proper rivals who worked to be opponents only to get brought down by plot armour would come off as too cheap, so the bad guy situations usually exist to invoke the "karma" excuse. "So what if Ash was handed a boost? It was against the mean bad guys." (Except you know, he keeps it for the official stuff too. )

Still it's better than previous series which used Team Rocket ALL THE DAMN TIME to excuse the heroes sitting on their plot armoured asses every episode, but at the same time, downplaying that also means they don't have much importance otherwise. They literally have no connection to the protagonist's story besides excusing them being invincible heroes.

 

[p96822]

The problem is that their involvement that IS key is always the same thing, as in karma involved DEM boosts. They accidentally trigger move learns and evolutions out of the cast, that have long term results, but also come in place of them rightfully training and earning them. In other words, they're a writing short cut to excuse making the protagonists less proactive.

By pattern you can tell the writers at least acknowledge doing this too often in personal or official trials would be treated as 'cheating', proper rivals who worked to be opponents only to get brought down by plot armour would come off as too cheap, so the bad guy situations usually exist to invoke the "karma" excuse. "So what if Ash was handed a boost? It was against the mean bad guys."

Still it's better than previous series which used Team Rocket ALL THE DAMN TIME to excuse the heroes sitting on their plot armoured asses every episode, but at the same time, downplaying that also means they don't have much importance otherwise. They literally have no connection to the protagonist's story otherwise.

But that not the point, they are still being mishandled when they are not really involve with anything important. Them getting a Z Ring not important, them mastering a Z move not important. They need to be a part of the story or they will just be bystanders just like they are in the movies

 

[DatsRight]

But that not the point, they are still being mishandled when they are not really involve with anything important. Them getting a Z Ring not important, them mastering a Z move not important. They need to be a part of the story or they will just be bystanders just like they are in the movies

It stands by the point however that that's the ONLY thing they do, and ironically by improving the protagonists' involvement and having more episodes they train or master abilities on their own, the bad guys have actually gotten more redundant. They need to make antagonists role relevant in another way that doesn't dumb down the quality of the protagonists.

I do think it's a shame they haven't answered to any of Team Rocket's actual resources this series. They have Mimikyu, they have a Z Ring, they've arguably done more level grinding than half the twerps this series, and yet, they still completely ineffectual against all six of them. Mimikyu has yet to have a full and proper battle with Pikachu besides the Ghostium Z trial, and even that was just for the aforementioned purpose of setting up Pikachu learning Electro Web, when that was accomplished, they'd 'outlived their usefulness' and were DEMed in two seconds straight. Even as characters, the two personal rivalries TR's Pokemon have are utterly one sided, and even in terms of humour, the heroes don't bounce off of them at all despite being even more clownish than them in every other scene. They are blatantly still considered solely plot devices to the twerps rather than developed foils or opponents in any developed way, and with that approach, their arc is ultimately for nothing.

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

Team Rocket should have been written off at the end of Johto so that the regional villain teams could actually get some better written arcs without Team Rocket being involved and taking the screentime away from them in some way or another. They simply aren't needed anymore imo.

 

[DatsRight]

Team Rocket should have been written off at the end of Johto so that the regional villain teams could actually get some better written arcs without Team Rocket being involved and taking the screentime away from them in some way or another. They simply aren't needed anymore imo.

Perhaps, though I can't help but feel if they did that we just would have gotten a near identical substitute for Team Rocket anyway, likely what Team Skull are right now with three similar bumbling grunts to represent the regional villain team until the admins are introduced for the main arc. In that case I doubt the writing would have been different in any way besides having three more generic replacements doing all the same stuff TR did.

It's the same argument that comes up with replacing Ash. If they keep the same writing direction, the same problems will just happen with different characters.

 

[p96822]

It stands by the point however that that's the ONLY thing they do, and ironically by improving the protagonists' involvement and having more episodes they train or master abilities on their own, the bad guys have actually gotten more redundant. They need to make antagonists role relevant in another way that doesn't dumb down the quality of the protagonists.

I do think it's a shame they haven't answered to any of Team Rocket's actual resources this series. They have Mimikyu, they have a Z Ring, they've arguably done more level grinding than half the twerps this series, and yet, they still completely ineffectual against all six of them. Mimikyu has yet to have a full and proper battle with Pikachu besides the Ghostium Z trial, and even that was just for the aforementioned purpose of setting up Pikachu learning Electro Web, when that was accomplished, they'd 'outlived their usefulness' and were DEMed in two seconds straight. Even as characters, the two personal rivalries TR's Pokemon have are utterly one sided, and even in terms of humour, the heroes don't bounce off of them at all despite being even more clownish than them in every other scene. They are blatantly still considered solely plot devices to the twerps rather than developed foils or opponents in any developed way, and with that approach, their arc is ultimately for nothing.

That not what I'm talking about! I was talking about putting Team Rocket in the bigger stories like in the past like the Team Flare arc or other Team Arc where they have something to do in those arcs. I might with the Z Ring they have have something to use if they get into a pinch, but I don't feel like Team Rocket are important. It was more of Mimikyu's fight then Team Rocket so I don't care for Team Rocket side. It more of Mimikyu's goal not Team Rocket's.

 

[DatsRight]

It still also comes to my point that TR can't be part of big stories if the writers don't make them impactful to the story besides the aforementioned formula. It shows that giving TR any sort of breakthrough means nothing if they don't have the writing direction to go with it. They could have had James go nuts over the Hyper Training bottle caps for example, or their Masalada truck rival Mallow's restaurant, or do SOMETHING more effective with the Necrozma arc besides act as second banana (was there even a point to Giovanni/Nanu's connection or Matori Matrix?). They're just not interested in making them part of the heroes' story anymore, even when they actually lay out the perfect means to do such. I mean even in recent cases you made like the Flare arc I wouldn't say they were EXTREMELY vital, it was just an enemy mine thing where everyone got a little moment.

I mean BW's handling of TR was iffy, but they at least committed to it in many cases. If TR were just superficially serious and 'elite' but still just nuisances that got blasted off easily every episode, it would have been a worthless twist, but they did at least put the substance to it, with them regularly forcing effortful battles out of the twerps, making some progression in long running schemes that made palpable arcs, and being a legitimate rival to Team Plasma. It did also lead up to a proper face off with Giovanni and the rest of the organisation, and unlike with Necrozma, they weren't just padding or a shooed away plot device for 'the bigger picture', they were the centre piece. Even the times they were comedic or pitiful again, the other characters bounced off of that and it made for funny stories or dynamics (eg. the Meowth turns good arc). They were for once, effective characters.

As said the upcoming Mewtwo movie may be the ideal situation to make them relevant to the story if they keep Mewtwo's backstory and maybe even parts of the radio drama, but I have a heavy feeling they're just be the usual brief comic relief again.

 

[zdbz_sn]

From Mima on Twitter:
>For the first time in forever, I got goosebumps while selecting the soundtrack for an episode of "Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon"... This was an episode that even brought the actors to tears during the dubbing session. I can't wait for it to air (it's an episode that hasn't aired yet).
So make sure not to miss tomorrow's episode of "Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon"
*The director's amazing art on the script cover is a spoiler, so I unfortunately can't show it...
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Duc-un6V4AA019k.jpg:orig

I'm guessing...older woman standing behind and hugging a kid. Mrs. K and Ash, maybe?

 

[Leonhart]

Team Rocket should have been written off at the end of Johto so that the regional villain teams could actually get some better written arcs without Team Rocket being involved and taking the screentime away from them in some way or another. They simply aren't needed anymore imo.

I don't mind Musashi and company myself, but I do wonder why the organization as a whole is even still active during SM given how pointless they seem given that the Rainbow Rocket-dan stuff doesn't seem to be happening.

 

[World Turtle]

40 episode left...

There are like 4 main plot points left right?

1. The Poni Trials: which are starting

2. Team Skull: They like steal Eevee, Vulpix, or Popplio and the group pursue them to Po Town to get them back.

3. Rainbow Rocket: Could set the stage for Guzma and Skull's redemption. Also perhaps explain how Giovanni and Nanu know each other (aside from possibly both being members of the "Persian Lovers" club).

4. Alola League: ...do I even to say how this will go?

They could spread these events out every ten episodes or so. Somewhere in here will be the last 2 UB episodes and the conclusion of the Battle Royale Arc (where hopefully Torracat evolves to Incineroar and Royal Mask gives Ash Incineroar-Z), plus any new team changes (captures or evolutions) for Ash and his classmates.

 

[IcySealeo]

People still think Guzma's going to appear? Team Skull are just a replica of the comic TR.

 

[Deleted member 384931]

People still think Guzma's going to appear? Team Skull are just a replica of the comic TR.

Idk. As much as I like Guzma, for me it is too late to give him a decent story.

 

[Zoruagible]

People still think Guzma's going to appear? Team Skull are just a replica of the comic TR.

Guzma, yes. Plumeria is in the same boat as Kahili, I don't expect her to show up at all.

 

[Leonhart]

People still think Guzma's going to appear? Team Skull are just a replica of the comic TR.

Guzma has just as much of a chance of showing up next year as any other Gen VII character does from my perspective, even if he gets lowered to a gag role.