The Most Mistreated Ash's Companions

[Epicocity]

May had the same level of development prior to her debut, she usually disliked Pokémon and she wasn't sure about what she want to do. May also knew Drew 2 episodes before her debut and she lost against him. That was a way better development and introduction of her main rival than what writers did with Serena's development prior to her debut + the start of her journey and rivalries.

I think you're overestimating May's early development. Her dislike of Pokemon was more an excuse than anything and was wrapped up long before she chose to be a Coordinator (which in and of itself was ridiculously early). I hesitate to call it development, especially since May's actual arc was about learning to be more independent, which that really had nothing to do with. Serena's arc had to do with her indecisiveness and tendency to give up when the going got rough, something that was subtly changing in the background.

And I don't see what the rivals have to do with how the individual girls were treated. Both Serena's and May's were used in fundamentally different ways (May's were used as direct competition to drive her to get better as a Coordinator and Serena's were used indirectly to force her to confront a crippling flaw of hers). It doesn't make one superior to the other.

I think too many people want to cast Serena in the vein of a May/Dawn role, and while some beats are similar, she abides by very different rules to the point that the comparison can rarely, if ever, stick. Serena is unique in her sense.

 

[RafaSceptile]

I think you're overestimating May's early development. Her dislike of Pokemon was more an excuse than anything and was wrapped up long before she chose to be a Coordinator (which in and of itself was ridiculously early). I hesitate to call it development, especially since May's actual arc was about learning to be more independent, which that really had nothing to do with. Serena's arc had to do with her indecisiveness and tendency to give up when the going got rough, something that was subtly changing in the background.

And I don't see what the rivals have to do with how the individual girls were treated. Both Serena's and May's were used in fundamentally different ways (May's were used as direct competition to drive her to get better as a Coordinator and Serena's were used indirectly to force her to confront a crippling flaw of hers). It doesn't make one superior to the other.

I think too many people want to cast Serena in the vein of a May/Dawn role, and while some beats are similar, she abides by very different rules to the point that the comparison can rarely, if ever, stick. Serena is unique in her sense.

May knew almost nothing about the Pokémon at the start of her Journey, so Ash was basically her mentor. That is a huge improvement over Ash's role with Serena, yes, he helped to made Serena a bit more secure of herself, but most of the time it was related to Amourshipping, at the point that one of her rivals feels more like an Amourshipping rival than a performance rival.

And the Rivals are an important part about how characters are treated, because it helps to develeopment their respective characters. DP Ash was treated in a very good way thanks to Paul helping to develop his character, similar to how Drew helped to May or Zoey to Dawn.
But unfortunately for Serena, all of her rivals (four) never helped a lot to her. In fact, the two times she lost, it was by her errors, she never lost because her rivals were better and she had a better speech or lesson with Aria than with those rivals. Xana was probably the best one, and in comparison with other rivals like Drew...she feels a lot worse.

 

[Morax]

but most of the time it was related to Amourshipping

I don't see the problem here. Ash was not just her prince charming but also her role model. Her feelings for him are not just that of infatuation but admiration as well and made their relationship all the more wholesome imo. Rivals are just one of many mechanisms to propel character development. In Serena's case her feelings for ash invigorated her to do better.

 

[RafaSceptile]

I don't see the problem here. Ash was not just her prince charming but also her role model. Her feelings for him are not just that of infatuation but admiration as well and made their relationship all the more wholesome imo. Rivals are just one of many mechanisms to propel character development. In Serena's case her feelings for ash invigorated her to do better.

The problem here is that the writers spent more time with Amourshipping moments instead of developmented Serena's rivalries with Miette, Xana, Nini or Jessie. As I mentioned, yes, Ash helped to Serena to became more secure of herself, but that's not different of what we see before with other pokegirls like May and Dawn, Ash helped to all of them but at least those other characters had a way better development in terms of the overall journey and their interactions with other rivals, their progression in their goals, how they learned lessions of both their errors and how their rivals defeated them

 

[Morax]

The problem here is that the writers spent more time with Amourshipping moments instead of developmented Serena's rivalries with Miette, Xana, Nini or Jessie. As I mentioned, yes, Ash helped to Serena to became more secure of herself, but that's not different of what we see before with other pokegirls like May and Dawn, Ash helped to all of them but at least those other characters had a way better development in terms of the overall journey and their interactions with other rivals, their progression in their goals, how they learned lessions of both their errors and how their rivals defeated them

Amourshipping is what propelled serena towards her dreams. Like i said you don't always need rivals to do better. No it's not the same as may and dawn because they never suffered the same predicament serena did. Dawn always knew what she wanted to do and may wanted to be a trainer first but then switched to contests. Serena's indecisiveness was fleshed out for over 40 episodes after which she found her calling. Also both of them got 4 years worth of screentime while serena had to do all that, and more in just 3 years. I feel XY was too ambitious for it's own good. A lot of its problems wouldn't be problems anymore if they just had more time.

 

[RafaSceptile]

Amourshipping is what propelled serena towards her dreams. Like i said you don't always need rivals to do better. No it's not the same as may and dawn because they never suffered the same predicament serena did. Dawn always knew what she wanted to do and may wanted to be a trainer first but then switched to contests. Serena's indecisiveness was fleshed out for over 40 episodes after which she found her calling. Also both of them got 4 years worth of screentime while serena had to do all that, and more in just 3 years. I feel XY was too ambitious for it's own good. A lot of its problems wouldn't be problems anymore if they just had more time.

I agree that one of the biggest problems with XY was the lack of time for development a lot of their ideas properly

 

[Mega Ampharos the Dragon]

I agree that one of the biggest problems with XY was the lack of time for development a lot of their ideas properly

(not so) Fun Fact: If we don't count any incomplete series, XY (and XYZ) is shorter than BW and SM, with only 140 episodes. Whilst BW got 142 and SM got 143.

 

[RafaSceptile]

(not so) Fun Fact: If we don't count any incomplete series, XY (and XYZ) is shorter than BW and SM, with only 140 episodes. Whilst BW got 142 and SM got 143.

SM got 146 episodes, BUT if you count the Mega Evolution Specials (I don't) XY got a total of 144 episodes.

 

[Dragonsoldier77]

In terms of character development itself I definitely think serena tops dawn and may. With may who is the most similar especially, i’d even say by a large margin. The indecisiveness serena has it what really sells her and makes it realistic to me. Finding what you want to do in life is not easy. Hell i know I’ve changed courses a lot of time in my life from when i was kid, to when i had to decide what to do for collage, even further to what field i want to go into, and so on. Serena shows that well with how she falters even while doing it, and even have outside pressure and influence affecting her path. I really like how in the end she still has to question why she is doing what she does and how to move forward. May on the other hand felt more ‘shallow’ in comparion, for a lack of better word. Since it felt like she had her course set very easily and was just going through the motion from that point on. It felt more idealized i guess.

Now how compelling and entertaining the goal they are pursuing are presented on the other hand, then yeah i can say the other two got the better treatment compared to serena. While i prefer the showcase over contests, the better rivalries integrated in the competition storyline does make it more engaging and really make you care more about how they compete with each other. The same way most gym leaders ash fights are just glorified cotd, though others are more memorable because they have more story to them, the main rivals are the one people tend to remember because how they are integral to the competitive feeling and stakes the fights have. On that front how the pacing for XY didn’t get a chance to breathe in the final half definitely works againts it.

But when it comes to how a character was treated, aside from the obvious tracy being the punching bag of the writer and the fans, as hard as it is to shake of the rose tinted glasses i do think brock and misty had it bad. I didn’t consider it bad at the time, but now that companions get more development arcs i can’t help but look back and think they were really static characters that were just there.

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

Mallow may not have had much development but considering her goal she didn't really need much development in that regard, the episodes she got about them were more than enough
Say what you will of the mallow mother episode, it still is one of the most beautiful and emotional episodes in the anime to me and it does include personal growth for mallow when it comes to only herself
Plus mallow had such a vibrant personality and great chemistry with the rest of the group that made me like her a lot
She not having a major development goal doesn't mean she is a waste of a character to me, she's different, and I like her for what she was

Lillie may have had less focus after the first year but her first year development was still phenomenal, I liked the story they went with her and her focused episodes where she slowly opens more and more to Pokémon. Just because she didn't become a trainer in the end doesn't mean she hasn't grown, just seeing the last episode and her flashbacks to previous episode events shows how much she has grown


The thing about SM is that a lot of the growth and development of the characters weren't really focused on their goals like all the characters before them, the setting didn't make for them to have that, instead it was more based on a personal level of who they are and well, family. Family is such a constant theme throughout SM and Lillie gladion lusamine all are a perfect example of that, culminating in them going out to find Mohn, something which we seem to get the resolution of in journeys soon

Sophocles was beautifully said by someone above, he may have appeared clumsy in the beginning, I remember hoping he was actually moving in the first year of SM, but he's had growth since then as well.

It's just many people tend to gloss over so many of SM episodes coz they may be filler even though many times they show growth in them different from our usual goal oriented companions.



If anyone was truly mistreated in the cast I'd say it's max. Tracey Cilan are two other characters I don't really like but considering they didn't have much potential to begin with ig I'm fine with how they ended up. Max always seemed like a waste, especially when Bonnie was such an amazing character

 

[DatsRight]

The strength of the SM companions tended to be more synergy and interactions rather than individual growth. I think that's why Kiawe and Sophocles are given merit since their development was tied in so nicely through their chemistry with each other and Ash, giving them a great dynamic. There's so many fun episodes that are the three boys just hanging out or helping one of them reach a goal. There development is relatively humble compared to previous series but they bounce off of the world they're in so well that they still seem fun and don't suffer as much from 'living background prop' syndrome like so many other companions do when they're not in centre stage.

Lillie struggled a bit more but I think she is similar in that her 'baby sister' dynamic was played very endearingly. Often her best episodes are those paced around her bonds with other characters. Like the AF arc isn't exactly solid writing but the dynamics demonstrated between her family and Ash and Nebby and Silvally make it all very contemplative and soft. It helped Lillie was an intellectual like Sophocles, I tend to think those characters bounce off of Ash quite well, especially when they're inexperienced and sheltered to contrast his strengths as a trainer but also his weaknesses in education and common sense.

I think this is why Mallow and Lana tend to be considered the slack of the group because their dynamics weren't as vividly demonstrated or played into their role as often. Even in stuff like the Ultra Guardian episodes it's usually just the other four getting little bits of interaction and agency to move them along. Mallow had some bits going with Ash and Lillie early on but as their own roles grew and the rest of Lillie's family appeared she lost prominence in that regard. Mallow's role did pick up a bit in that final season however, and I think it's because she has more new dynamics to play into her development, what with her mother's backstory, catching Shaymin, Oranguru appearing a bit more, and them actually doing something with her friendship with Lana at last.

Besides that element Lana felt like the most self contained companion, she just did her gags, got the odd tune up and otherwise didn't really get a lot to do. I think catching Sandy had potential but sadly they did so little with him. (I think it's why that filler with Shaymin, Sandy and Meltan sticks out so well since it was one that really demonstrated how the two girls uniquely bonded and dealt with their new Pokemon, while their bonds with their signature Pokemon were arguably the most complacent and understated out of the six until late in).

I think this is something that also has to be regarded with the character handling. Not just if they got big arcs and boosts and rewards, but how well the writers immersed them into the show and its universe in an entertaining way. You could argue the writers have shown more fluency with a mostly stagnant character that still gets a memorable moment in nearly every episode than one that gets a big development arc but needs the show to isolate all focus onto them to stand out at all. This is arguably why a companion like Kanto-era Misty, who barely got any development as a trainer but usually got a fun role with the other characters in every episode, is still considered one of the most memorable characters.

 

[Leonhart]

If anyone was truly mistreated in the cast I'd say it's max. Tracey Cilan are two other characters I don't really like but considering they didn't have much potential to begin with ig I'm fine with how they ended up. Max always seemed like a waste, especially when Bonnie was such an amazing character

What potential did Masato really have, though? He was too young to become an official trainer, and it wasn't something the writers would've been able to rectify or get around without retconning things. They wouldn't have been able to get away with aging him without aging Satoshi and the others for instance, so there wasn't much that they could've done to make him more important in terms of Pokemon related activities.

 

[SerGoldenhandtheJust]

What potential did Masato really have, though? He was too young to become an official trainer, and it wasn't something the writers would've been able to rectify or get around without retconning things. They wouldn't have been able to get away with aging him without aging Satoshi and the others for instance, so there wasn't much that they could've done to make him more important in terms of Pokemon related activities.

They could have given him an interesting storyline like Bonnie. Pre Bonnie I would agree Max couldn't have done more but XY showed that it's necessarily the case. Max just did nothing it always feels like

 

[DatsRight]

I'm still mixed about Bonnie really, since at times she came off like Max but an even more obnoxious problem causer (and without anyone reigning her in or giving her a comeuppance to keep her sympathetic). Also while the idea of the trainers catching 'reserved Pokemon' for her to loophole around the age limit was a clever idea, they still didn't really make a lot of use of it. Bonnie still only sporadically used Dedenne and took no interest in training him. Bonnie was relatively better done than Max though of course that's Max so that's not saying much.

I feel like past!Kukui, despite being only in one episode, shown way more potential as an underage companion than either of them did, just for his actual chemistry with Ash and his legitimate enthusiasm to actually become a trainer. From the get go he wants to learn the ropes and get better, unlike those two that remained fairly stagnant in agency.

 

[Morax]

I feel like past!Kukui, despite being only in one episode, shown way more potential as an underage companion than either of them did, just for his actual chemistry with Ash and his legitimate enthusiasm to actually become a trainer. From the get go he wants to learn the ropes and get better, unlike those two that remained fairly stagnant in agency

Of course because he was around for one episode. It's relatively easy to write a character-of-the-day than someone who stays for 150 episodes.

 

[DatsRight]

Of course because he was around for one episode. It's relatively easy to write a character-of-the-day than someone who stays for 150 episodes.

And yet I think they established more for him in that one episode than either of those two in the whole series. He even had his own Pokemon and used it in proper trainer battles and had a cute one-to-one with Ash in terms of learning trainer notes. Bonnie barely even did that in a whole series and Max didn't do any of it.

Cilian had no real character arc or development which made him a bit boring and lackluster. The writers kept using the same gag of him being a connoisseur of random things which was an extremely terrible move in the long run. The joke got old after the third time he said it and it didn’t do anything for his character. If anything, the gag basically turned him into some snob who thought he was better than everyone else because he knew so much about things because he’s a “connoisseur.” Whenever Cilian did this, he talked down to everyone and acted so much more superior just because he knew all about the topic of the day. I mean some random kid would buy a box lunch and Cilian would be like, “You’re buying that? You poor poor pathetic thing! You don’t know anything about boxed lunches unlike me! Let me interfere with your daily life to tell you how little you know and how much better I am when it comes to this! It’s okay. I’m a box lunch connoisseur.”

I feel like both Cilan and Lana had the issue of being too multi talented from the get go, using their played-for-laughs competent personalities as a short cut around requiring a character arc (it's hard to really make a dynamic character out of someone who's already perfect at nearly everything) and only touching the surface level in terms of them being flawed complex characters. I feel they maybe could have done more concerning Cilan's forceful attitude in this regard, maybe like Iris who's pride and opinionated nature hides her insecurities and insistence on mattering, but of course two arrogant companions in the same series might have been repetitive unless they did a lot of nuance.

 

[janejane6178]

I'm still mixed about Bonnie really, since at times she came off like Max but an even more obnoxious problem causer (and without anyone reigning her in or giving her a comeuppance to keep her sympathetic). Also while the idea of the trainers catching 'reserved Pokemon' for her to loophole around the age limit was a clever idea, they still didn't really make a lot of use of it. Bonnie still only sporadically used Dedenne and took no interest in training him. Bonnie was relatively better done than Max though of course that's Max so that's not saying much.

I feel like past!Kukui, despite being only in one episode, shown way more potential as an underage companion than either of them did, just for his actual chemistry with Ash and his legitimate enthusiasm to actually become a trainer. From the get go he wants to learn the ropes and get better, unlike those two that remained fairly stagnant in agency.

I really like how they treated Bonnie. Amazing character

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

I really like how they treated Bonnie. Amazing character

I couldn't stand her lol. If she wasn't apart of the main cast Serena probably would have gotten better treatment and more screentime and focus episodes in place of all the screentime that Bonnie hogged.
But then again the writers seemed like they were almost trying to go out of their way to neglect her for some reason.

 

[Aryash Bajaj]

I couldn't stand her lol. If she wasn't apart of the main cast Serena probably would have gotten better treatment and more screentime and focus episodes in place of all the screentime that Bonnie hogged.
But then again the writers seemed like they were almost trying to go out of their way to neglect her for some reason.

Please watch XY.

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

Please watch XY.

I did and it sucked, sorry, not sorry