Pokémon: 10 Ways The Anime Series Is Clichéd

The Pokémon series remains very popular but because it has been running so long, it has its fair share of clichéd moments.

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There are many anime series that gain legendary reputations where they’re able to transcend beyond their original scope, but the evolution that’s been experienced by Pokémon is on a whole other level. Pokémon first emerged as a quirky video game series with hundreds of diverse creatures to collect and battle, but it’s grown into a legitimate cultural phenomenon and it’s successfully dominated the medium of anime, feature films, and even trading card games.

There are collectively over 1000 episodes of the Pokémon series that have gone into production and there are plenty of changes that have taken place since the first episode. However, despite the anime’s charm and versatility, it’s still prone to certain stereotypes and clichés that are endemic to the anime industry.

10 Ash Gains New Companions In Each New Series

The Pokémon anime has gone through several different series, but they progress the same continuity and always focus on Ash’s journeys to improve his skills as a Pokémon master. Ash forms a special bond with his Pokémon, but he also befriends several human companions throughout his adventures. There’s variety throughout Ash’s many friends, and while some figures like Brock, Misty, and Dawn occasionally carry over or return much later, there’s still a priority on Ash making new friends. Ash teaming up with new allies feels more like a structural convention than a natural development a lot of the time.

9 Ash Remains The Ultimate Underdog

Ash’s development as a Pokémon trainer can often be a frustrating process. Ash literally has over 1000 episodes of experience under his belt, but his performance in battle more often than not comes down to what would have the most dramatic weight rather than the outcome that makes the most amount of sense. At this point the audience is well aware of Ash’s underdog status and that they should practically expect him to repeatedly lose and become humbled in battle. This doesn’t mean that Ash never tastes victory, but the trajectory for his big fights has become predictable.

8 Team Rocket Is Always Going To Fail

The world of Pokémon is full of obstacles and threats that both Pokémon and their trainers should be wary towards, but one of the most persistent frustrations that are encountered are the aggressive efforts of Team Rocket or other evil Pokémon poaching organizations. The audience has learned to expect unsuccessful Team Rocket schemes in practically every episode of the series.

They occasionally have solid ideas and come with powerful Pokémon reinforcements, but they’re treated more like a joke than genuine danger. They’re practically caricatures of themselves at this point.

7 Pikachu Is Going To Win Against Pokémon That It Shouldn’t

There are nearly 1000 unique Pokémon to collect and battle within the series, some of which are much more dangerous than others. Pikachu has firmly become Pokémon’s mascot and Ash’s permanent Pokémon companion throughout his adventures. Ash has helped prove how versatile and impressive Pikachu can be, but the Pokémon isn’t conventionally considered to be one of the most powerful creatures in the series. There’s a clear bias towards Ash’s Pikachu and the Pokémon is often able to dominate others in battle, even when it doesn’t necessarily make sense with the Pokémon’s typings or levels of experience.

6 The Anime’s Largely Episodic Structure Remains

Some anime series are deeply serialized and practically impossible to randomly jump into without the necessary context, while other shows are content to have episodic structures that can independently function. Granted, there is a larger narrative in play in Pokémon regarding Ash’s Gym Badge progress and the Pokémon that he captures, but the majority of the series is episodic in nature. There are occasional cliffhangers, especially during big battles, but audiences can basically expect a new adventure to get resolved by the end of the episode.

5 Ash Doesn’t Learn His Lessons From Pokémon Battles

Experience in battle and a heavy knowledge of different Pokémon types is a solid way to become a more accomplished trainer, but an excess amount of practice doesn’t always translate over to practical improvement.

Ash has undergone so many eclectic Pokémon battles that he should be an expert on many fronts, yet he’s still prone to making the same mistakes or bringing out Pokémon into battle where it doesn’t make any sense. It’s seriously frustrating to watch Ash stumble in the same ways and regress when it comes to knowledge, but it’s also part of his character at this point.

4 Ash’s Pokémon Party Typically Starts Over

Ash has acquired nearly 50 unique species of Pokémon, which may not sound like a ton in the greater context of the series, but it’s still a lot to manage when a trainer can only keep six Pokémon in battle. This forces Ash to be quite selective with his Pokémon and the majority of them are kept in storage. It’s become a common trope for Ash to clean house with his Pokémon party as he heads into a new region. There’s some catharsis in this approach, but it’s become predictable and led to many worthwhile Pokémon getting shelved.

3 Ash’s Pikachu Never Evolves

The Pokémon anime hasn’t avoided the topic of Ash’s prize Pokémon, Pikachu, evolving and it actually gets explored quite early in the series’ life. Pikachu’s decision to not evolve becomes an important lesson in how evolution isn’t always the right choice and that it comes down to the Pokémon’s experience and confidence. A possible Pikachu evolution has been broached on a few more occasions, but it’s very clear that the anime’s mascot isn’t going to suddenly turn into a Raichu. As much as this gets teased, it’s an empty gesture.

2 Pokémon From New Games Are Showcased In New Regions

The Pokémon anime has successfully forged its own path independently of the video game series, but they both still pull from the same source material. It’s become a common expectation that the release of a new Pokémon video game will coincide with a new Pokémon anime series, or at the least Ash reaching the new region that’s featured in the games. This growing perspective isn’t a problem, but it does telegraph the anime’s progression to some extent. Audiences have a good idea of when a new Pokémon rebranding is on the horizon.

1 The Anime Resets The Table At The End Of Each Series

The ongoing Pokémon saga continues and there are definitely elements that cross over and link the respective series. It’s much more manageable to divide Pokémon into smaller sagas that correspond to specific generations of games. The only issue with this is that each Pokémon series’ conclusion feels very similar. There’s the same soothing release that occurs in these finales, but it has turned into a bit of a cliché where a stripped down, nostalgic conclusion is almost always in the cards. They begin to lose weight when they all function in a similar fashion.

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