XY&Z Opening theme, "XY&Z" by Satoshi (Rica Matsumoto) and Tomohisa Sako - released

[ShinyCharyZard]

I have no words to describe how disappointing this was. It just.. no I can't do it..

 

[Lucario At Service]

Also, why the hell is it so damn hard to simply give Ash a damn Mega Evolution? Is there some rule against it?

Haven't read if anyone else also gave a response to this or not yet.

My guess would be for the sake of continuity.

Since AG, Ash has left his regional pokemons behind in order to make a new regional team and work with it from scratch.

But the concept of Mega Evolution is about "Bond" and "Trust". Also as we have seen, most of the Trainer's who have a Mega Pokemon, hold their "Bond" and "Trust" very dear to themselves, and are thus unwilling to part with their 'Key Stone' or 'Mega Stone', along with their main pokemon (the one in question).

This kind of attitude and theory won't work with Ash's concept of restart from scratch.

There is also the factor of keeping and showcasing Ash as the underdog for sometime in the new Saga. This won't be possible if he takes a Mega Pokemon with him.

And since we already have Pikachu and Meowth as the main recurring Pokemon for the Series, adding a Mega Pokemon to the mix would only add trouble for them, i guess.

Also, even if say Ash leaves behind his Mega Pokemon for whatever reasons, the fact that he has a "Key Stone" would force the writers to eventually give another pokemon to him which could Mega Evolve in the new Saga, because the item "Key Stone" isn't the type which could be written-off from the story just like that, if once it is added.

 

[Platinum fan.]

You mean the two times they appeared as a group, where both times Serena was right beside Ash and only migrated behind him at the end when Alain appeared? Clemont was consistently shown pulling up the rear, but Serena wasn't.

Not that I quite understand what marching order has to do with whether or not they'll be important in the coming arc to begin with.

But since the focal point of the new op is the TF arc, it's obvious why it would focus on the Zygardes, Ash Greninja (and Ash by association), and Bonnie and Puni-chan.

I agree. Hence why I got Misty and Brock vibes from them in the opening of just being their but not doing anything of important.

 

[Pokegirl Fan~]

I agree. Hence why I got Misty and Brock vibes from them in the opening of just being their but not doing anything of important.

It seems like she's getting a Showcase episode soon and that's something important so...

 

[Platinum fan.]

It seems like she's getting a Showcase episode soon and that's something important so...

I didn't mean in general. I meant the opening. The opening alone gives the impression they won't do anything important.

 

[Soniman]

I have no words to describe how disappointing this was. It just.. no I can't do it..

It's hard to diss something so good I know

 

[DotKU]

I liked the opening, the song is good and the animation was on point. So it seems Shota will be more involved in this arc than I thought. The GreninjAsh and Ash part was interesting to say the least. I'm surprised they showed Wulfric, I wasn't sure if the 8th gym was gonna be the XYZ version. The beginning of the opening with Ash was pretty bad*** not gonna lie. I'm glad Noibat is still Noibat. Though this opening was mainly TF and GreninjAsh, but I guess that's whats important now. Speaking of the pokeball at the end of the opening, when's Ash gonna capture his 6th pokemon?

 

[LightningSpeed]

What if Goodra is the 6th pokemon that will return later ?

 

[Emperor Empoleon]

This intro was really cool, but it makes Ash-Greninja feel like total compensation.

 

[Jangobadass]

[spoil]- That's has to be their most brilliant disguise ever! XD

- Looks like there's gonna be a rough patch with Greninja...

- AHA! I KNEW that was Scottie's Mega-Sceptile!

- Hi, Wulfric! Man, XY really likes putting GLs in its openings! I just hope this means he'll play a decent sized role.

- *GASP!* Alan's really working with Team Flare?![/spoil]

 

[Almighty Zard]

Haven't read if anyone else also gave a response to this or not yet.

My guess would be for the sake of continuity.

Since AG, Ash has left his regional pokemons behind in order to make a new regional team and work with it from scratch.

But the concept of Mega Evolution is about "Bond" and "Trust". Also as we have seen, most of the Trainer's who have a Mega Pokemon, hold their "Bond" and "Trust" very dear to themselves, and are thus unwilling to part with their 'Key Stone' or 'Mega Stone', along with their main pokemon (the one in question).

This kind of attitude and theory won't work with Ash's concept of restart from scratch.

There is also the factor of keeping and showcasing Ash as the underdog for sometime in the new Saga. This won't be possible if he takes a Mega Pokemon with him.

And since we already have Pikachu and Meowth as the main recurring Pokemon for the Series, adding a Mega Pokemon to the mix would only add trouble for them, i guess.

Also, even if say Ash leaves behind his Mega Pokemon for whatever reasons, the fact that he has a "Key Stone" would force the writers to eventually give another pokemon to him which could Mega Evolve in the new Saga, because the item "Key Stone" isn't the type which could be written-off from the story just like that, if once it is added.

If it was capable of being done in the games, it'd be one thing but until we get a Z or X2/Y2 games it's not possible to do at this point in time effectively making it deus ex machina, not to mention it makes the whole addition of a Keystone and Mega stone pointless if it truly is a mega pokemon.

Overall it's lazy writing by the writers, yes Mega Evolution will likely carry on to future generations, but by then the hype will probably have died down and they won't get as much attention, even if Ash did oak his mega pokemon if he needed to call on it to handle a mega giving him trouble then so be it, or they could very well take it to the next stage and have him work with a pokemon that can mega evolve like they seem to be doing with Greninja.

There's no logical reason to not give Ash a Key or Mega Stone, it's just bad writing to shoe horn in a backdoor method for him to use it without the proper way.

Using the underdog excuse also isn't good because underdogs at least win from time to time, Ash never does so he's a loser.

 

[Sonic Boom]

Given how Lysandre prides himself on his extensive knowledge and research on Mega Pokemon and the Mega Stones themselves, it's logical to assume he'd be prepared for any Mega Pokemon that comes his way and know how to counter it. The existence of Ash Greninja itself is being set up to be Lysandre's greatest miscalculation, something with just as much power as a Mega Pokemon, but with a whole set of strengths and flaws that Lysandre had no chance to prepare for. I like this alternative over Ash beating the more experienced Lysandre with a battle form that he's researched and mastered for years.

As for the OP, not a big fan of the verse. Feels kinda dry and empty. All bets are off on that sweet chorus though. Iku-Z, indeed. <3

 

[nuzamaki90]

Why was this opening so damn based?

Like hot damn that was something I would never have expected Pokemon to go for. This didn't even feel like a Pokemon opening, this felt like I was watching some seasonal battle anime.

 

[CupidKirby]

What was this opening? I think I missed five minutes of the episode because I was too busy reeling from the quality hype. The first few seconds before the title screen were the perfect lead in and definitely one of my favourite parts.

Some important things to note seem to be that Ash's Noibat is not evolving right away, and they're still keeping his 6th Pokémon a secret. I guess this arc really will mostly focus on Ash-Greninja seeing as there're no other team changes. I'm swaying towards this being a great sign. Ash's supposed most powerful Kalos Pokémon getting an arc to develop seems a lot better than him attaining so much strength out of left field.

If it was capable of being done in the games, it'd be one thing but until we get a Z or X2/Y2 games it's not possible to do at this point in time effectively making it deus ex machina, not to mention it makes the whole addition of a Keystone and Mega stone pointless if it truly is a mega pokemon.

Overall it's lazy writing by the writers, yes Mega Evolution will likely carry on to future generations, but by then the hype will probably have died down and they won't get as much attention, even if Ash did oak his mega pokemon if he needed to call on it to handle a mega giving him trouble then so be it, or they could very well take it to the next stage and have him work with a pokemon that can mega evolve like they seem to be doing with Greninja.

There's no logical reason to not give Ash a Key or Mega Stone, it's just bad writing to shoe horn in a backdoor method for him to use it without the proper way.

Using the underdog excuse also isn't good because underdogs at least win from time to time, Ash never does so he's a loser.

Doesn't AZ's Floette mean that Ash-Greninja is a canon possibility in the games?

Like someone else mentioned, my guess is that if they officially give Ash a mega ring, he'll be forced to take it to the next region and *gasp* be overpowered. To be honest, I see Sawyer getting a mega to be more DEM than Ash-Greninja. The guy could barely touch Frogadier in their battle and now the opening suggests Sceptile's apparently stronger than regular Greninja because of Mega Evolution? It would depend on how you define "DEM" I guess. Personally I'd prefer a vaguely explained source of power that is earned rightfully through struggle by someone who's worthy of it, rather than a well-known defined equivalent to a Bankai being handed to someone who hasn't even been travelling for one sixth of the time Ash has.

Other than the reset issue, I don't see a problem with Ash getting something implied to be even more special than a mega. Heck, I'd put Ash-Greninja above a legendary in terms of rarity (at least for now). It's pretty much a mega in everything but name anyway, and without the stones. People are always saying the writers like being unfair to Ash but in this case, in a practical sense, he seems to have gotten the better end of the bargain.

 

[jskylinegtr]

Although Sawyer has a Mega Sceptile, evidence of Ash getting one is due to Sawyer not being seen on the poster, but, Ash will get Mega Sceptile by beating Sawyer, in which Sawyer finds another Sceptilite, and gives it to Ash.

 

[Akashin]

If it was capable of being done in the games, it'd be one thing but until we get a Z or X2/Y2 games it's not possible to do at this point in time effectively making it deus ex machina, not to mention it makes the whole addition of a Keystone and Mega stone pointless if it truly is a mega pokemon.

Err, no. If it's something unique to the anime but the anime in and of itself properly explains how and why it works (and more importantly properly alludes to Ash Greninja before Ash Greninja actually appears, which it already has twice over), it's not DEM. All this means is that right now it's something that is anime-only; anime-only and DEM are not even remotely the same thing, even in a case like Pokemon where everything comes from the games.

I'm sort of interested in why Ash and Ash Greninja seem to be taking the same stance right before Ash Greninja attacks Mega Sceptile. Is it a synchronization sort of thing, maybe?

 

[KKS-Lapras]

Err, no. If it's something unique to the anime but the anime in and of itself properly explains how and why it works (and more importantly properly alludes to Ash Greninja before Ash Greninja actually appears, which it already has twice over), it's not DEM. All this means is that right now it's something that is anime-only; anime-only and DEM are not even remotely the same thing, even in a case like Pokemon where everything comes from the games.

I'm sort of interested in why Ash and Ash Greninja seem to be taking the same stance right before Ash Greninja attacks Mega Sceptile. Is it a synchronization sort of thing, maybe?

I agree. I think the Ash-Greninja scenario, if it is on par or close to on par to a Mega-evolution, is a good thing. It's something that could have interesting repercussions in the next game to come out, and it hopefully lends to the last spot on Ash's team remaining open.

 

[Almighty Zard]

Doesn't AZ's Floette mean that Ash-Greninja is a canon possibility in the games?

No because the circumstance is different, AZ's floette became that way because it was exposed to energy of various pokemon, Ash's Greninja just happens to have been "born" to be special? I call that Dues Ex for coming out of no where in terms of plot.

Like someone else mentioned, my guess is that if they officially give Ash a mega ring, he'll be forced to take it to the next region and *gasp* be overpowered.

The writers could easily work around it, keystone's aren't as sacred as I thought they were anyway, and are mearly just a tool, the mega stones and the pokemon who use them are what are important, so a little tool like that wouldn't matter much.

Other than the reset issue, I don't see a problem with Ash getting something implied to be even more special than a mega. Heck, I'd put Ash-Greninja above a legendary in terms of rarity (at least for now). It's pretty much a mega in everything but name anyway, and without the stones. People are always saying the writers like being unfair to Ash but in this case, in a practical sense, he seems to have gotten the better end of the bargain.

There's being unfair, and bending the rules to the extreme, I want Ash to have a mega sure, but if it was to happen I want him to do it the legit way, not cheat around the tools needed because of some fear of him carrying one of them to the next region.

Err, no. If it's something unique to the anime but the anime in and of itself properly explains how and why it works (and more importantly properly alludes to Ash Greninja before Ash Greninja actually appears, which it already has twice over), it's not DEM.

If Greninja was exposed to something like AZ's Floette was, it'd be one thing, being "born" with a special power just screams ***pull.

All this means is that right now it's something that is anime-only; anime-only and DEM are not even remotely the same thing, even in a case like Pokemon where everything comes from the games.

If it's something that we can't get in future games, then it is DEM because the anime did a terrible job of making it go down.

 

[Lorde]

So the Opening was exactly what I expected: Mostly Team Flare hype with a dash of Ash!Greninja hype and a Wulfric cameo for Snowbelle hype purposes. Kii @ Ash crying though.

 

[Akashin]

If Greninja was exposed to something like AZ's Floette was, it'd be one thing, being "born" with a special power just screams ***pull.

If it's something that we can't get in future games, then it is DEM because the anime did a terrible job of making it go down.

It may well be something (though I'm not sure why the anime doing something original, as unlikely a scenario as that is, is inherently a terrible thing anyway), but it's not DEM.

DEM would be springing all of this on us with zero warning and giving us Ash Greninja almost simultaneously. Regardless of your opinion on it though, it is being both alluded to and worked toward, so it isn't DEM.

And for the record, AZ's Floette was a special snowflake too. Everything that makes it unique were qualities it had before the Ultimate Weapon was ever created, as far as we can tell.