History YMMV / PokemonTheSeries

** Matori became this. Initially, she was nothing more than generic secretary for Team Rocket, ''Sun & Moon'' would establish her as a rival for the Team Rocket trio, essentially replacing the more beloved Cassidy and Butch as their rivals. This was certainly not helped by the fact that Cassidy and Butch had been PutOnABus for about fourteen years.

* [[FandomEnragingMisconception/{{Pokemon}} Fandom-Enraging Misconceptions]]

** Matori became this. Initially, she was nothing more than generic secretary for Team Rocket, ''Sun & Moon'' would establish her as a rival for the Team Rocket trio, essentially replacing the more beloved Cassidy and Butch as their rivals. This was certainly not helped by the fact that Cassidy and Butch had been PutOnABus for about fourteen years.

** Johto took 160 episodes. Compounded by the fact that there was only one main quest (Contests and the like would not be introduced until [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire the next season]]). Some contend that the Whirl Islands {{Tournament|Arc}} and [[TheCameo Special Guest]] arcs could've been removed, but that would have had the tied-for-4th longest gap between badges (27 episodes) succeeded by what would have been the ''shortest'' gap (1 episode, usurping Kanto's [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Boulder-Cascade's and Marsh-Rainbow]] gaps of ''2'').[[note]]The Whirl Islands arc, in total, lasted only 14 episodes, 15 if you count the battle with Jasmine.[[/note]]
** Sinnoh lasted 191 episodes [[note]] As much as the Hoenn and Battle Frontier arcs in total [[/note]], and is to date still the single longest arc in the anime. It also holds the record for both the longest and second longest gaps between Gym battles, with 31 episodes between Gardenia and Maylene and '''52''' episodes between Candice and Volkner.[[note]]Kanto actually has the 3rd longest at 28 between Koga and Blaine.[[/note]] Granted, in these gaps we had the buildup and resolution, respectively, of ''both'' the Contest and Team Galactic arcs, and the first further justified by the distance between those two Gyms[[note]]the latter having no such excuse[[/note]], but that still meant that the [[MythArc main quest]] was demoted to '''[[ThirdLineSomeWaiting C-Plot]]''' status ''twice''.

** Goh has become this in the eyes of many a [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Hop]] fan, as Hop has yet to be seen in the main anime and Goh essentially took over the role he had in the games during the Eternatus arc.

* HypeBacklash: Kanto gets the [[FirstInstallmentWins most praise of any region]] and many feel the show has declined greatly since then. However, others find that it hasn't aged well due to the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Others still also note that many of the problems later sagas have [[FranchiseOriginalSin had their roots in Kanto.]]

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** ''Pokémon'' is an interesting variation; at the time the series first went international, lack of development of the Internet made the raw Japanese versions of anime and comparisons with the dub (let alone {{Fansub}}s) not as easy to access in the West as they are now. So many fans [[IgnoranceIsBliss were not aware of any differences between the Japanese version of the anime and dubbed version]]. But then early 2000 (mid-Orange Islands) Dogasu's Backpack launched, whose biggest feature is an easy-to-use Japanese-to-dub comparison for Pokémon, basically "Yu-Gi-Oh Uncensored: Pokémon Edition". Within a few years, Creator/FourKidsEntertainment's banning and censorship of episodes like ''Beauty and the Beach'', music replacement, and radical editing of ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' became common knowledge. Still, many still preferred the dub, and the otherwise-criticized [=4Kids=] [[SacredCow still gets a pass on Pokémon]], mostly because of the fact that it was actually one of their most faithful adaptations. So while the main series doesn't suffer much for it, a few episodes and movies have it quite bad - such as the first movie, with fans' perception of Mewtwo and the movie itself being affected by [=4Kids'=] changes, and the dub getting a dismal rating on Website/RottenTomatoes. Possibly justified due to [=4Kids'=] Michael Haigney [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/kanto/ep011.html admitting his]] cluelessness in regards to the series and [=4Kids'=] dub in general being aimed at a narrower demographic than Shudo intended; also, contrary to popular belief, the early Japanese dub ''did'' contain a bit more ParentalBonus humor, though not enough to make for a completely different series. Still, Dogasu's Backpack has made some fans go off to the Japanese version, and when [=TPCI=] took over, the dub became more of a target for criticism, especially since ''XY'' when the music replacement under Ed Golfarb not only was to a greater extent than 4Kids, but the music he often used seemed underwhelming by comparison to the original version. It doesn't help that, unlike with its contemporaries ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'', ''Pokémon'' has ''not'' released an official Japanese subtitled or uncensored English dubbed version to appease older nostalgic fans, and is regarded as antiquated and out-of-touch in that respect.

** Many people consider the [=4Kids=] English dub to be this, thanks to the many talented voice actors and {{Woolseyism}}s in the script as well as the memorable dub-original songs. The TPCI dub also [[GrowingTheBeard fell into this over time]], despite the annoyance over replacing the show's original Japanese score, as the new voice actors settled into their roles and the show began to feature prolific anime/game voice actors as guest stars.

** Many people consider the [=4Kids=] English dub to be this, thanks to the many talented voice actors and {{Woolseyism}}s in the script as well as the memorable dub-original songs. The TPCI dub also [[GrowingTheBeard fell into this over time]], despite the annoyance over replacing the show's original Japanese score, as the new voice actors settled into their roles .

** The French dub also used a similar teenager-ish voice for Ash by Aurélien Ringheim, which like the Norwegian voice, some may find more tolerable than the CrossdressingVoices used in most other languages. Of note is that it had a special edited version for French Canada that used the English dub names for Pokémon and characters, unlike most other French Pokémon media, which the French-Canadian fanbase seemed to appreciate, along with fully domestic dubs for the first few movies (which instead featured Sébastien Reding as Ash). This also led to TheyChangedItNowItSucks and AmericansHateTingle when Nintendo of Canada started importing the games and anime dub from France. In a way that makes sense, since French-Canadian viewers may have also already known the characters by those names from watching the English dub on Creator/{{YTV}}.

* EvilIsSexy:
** The human members of the TeamRocket trio -- James provides 100% of the series' {{Bishonen}} quotient while Jessie has the largest set of breasts on the screen and a mini-skirt showing off her legs. Many people particularly like episodes where they have a TemporaryBulkChange, finding their altered states even more visually appealing.
*** Heck, a lot of other Team Rocket members (such as [[Anime/PokemonMewtwoReturns Domino]], [[EverybodyLovesBlondes Cassidy]], [[Anime/PokemonHeroes Annie or Oakley]], for example) also qualify.
*** When you get past his [[GutturalGrowler English dub voice]], Butch is quite attractive as well.
** Sabrina is this initially, with her cold, mysterious personality, dark energy, and miniskirt outfit.

** The French-Canadian dub also used a similar teenager-ish voice for Ash, which like the Norwegian voice, some may find more tolerable than the CrossdressingVoices used in most other languages. Of note is the fact that it also used the English dub names for Pokémon and characters, unlike most other French Pokémon media, which the French-Canadian fanbase seems to appreciate - and which also means means they [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks needed time to "adjust"]] when Nintendo of Canada started importing the games from France. In a way that makes sense, since French-Canadian viewers may have already known the characters by those names from watching the English dub on Creator/{{YTV}].
** Many people consider the [=4Kids=] English dub this.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
** Kanto gets the [[FirstInstallmentWins most praise of any region]] and many feel the show has declined greatly since then. However, others find that it hasn't aged well due to the EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. Others still also note that many of the problems later sagas have [[FranchiseOriginalSin had their roots in Kanto.]]
** Back in the day, the fact that Ash lost the league was actively a ''major'' shock to the community, but ''[[HarsherInHindsight actually was received rather positively]]'', as 'scrappy underdog actually LOSES whatever major sporting event they're in' was ''nigh-unheard of'' back in UsefulNotes/TheNineties; which were so full of [[StockAesop stock "you can make it if you really try" aesops]] that a show having the balls to spell out that, [[HardTruthAesop no, "trying hard enough" will NOT guarantee you success]] was considered to be a nice breath of fresh air among the cynical Generation X at the time. It also helped that the loss made sense since Ash actively dodged a lot of valuable opportunities to train and instead got up to a lot of random shenanigans that caught his interest before the League, and that the loss ''actively served to further Ash's CharacterDevelopment'', as he did ultimately learn from it and take a more pro-active approach to Pokemon training from then on. However, as the years went on more shows in the UsefulNotes/TurnOfTheMillennium started to parrot that Aesop to the point of being suffocatingly nihilistic and [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut Ash's repeated losses]] becoming [[WriterCopOut more and more obviously done just to keep]] the StrictlyFormula nature of the show ongoing, it can be hard to see why his first league loss was actually considered to be a good thing.

** ''Pokémon'' is an interesting variation; at the time the series first went international, lack of development of the Internet made the raw Japanese versions of anime and comparisons with the dub (let alone {{Fansub}}s) not as easy to access in the West as they are now. So many fans [[IgnoranceIsBliss were not aware of any differences between the Japanese version of the anime and dubbed version]]. But then early 2000 (mid-Orange Islands) Dogasu's Backpack launched, whose biggest feature is an easy-to-use Japanese-to-dub comparison for Pokémon, basically "Yu-Gi-Oh Uncensored: Pokémon Edition". Within a few years, Creator/FourKidsEntertainment's banning and censorship of episodes like ''Beauty and the Beach'', music replacement, and radical editing of ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'' became common knowledge. Still, many still preferred the dub, and the otherwise-criticized [=4Kids=] [[SacredCow still gets a pass on Pokémon]], mostly because of the fact that it was actually one of their most faithful adaptations. So while the main series doesn't suffer much for it, a few episodes and movies have it quite bad - such as the first movie, with fans' perception of Mewtwo and the movie itself being affected by [=4Kids'=] changes, and the dub getting a dismal rating on Website/RottenTomatoes. Possibly justified due to [=4Kids'=] Michael Haigney [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/comparisons/kanto/ep011.html admitting his]] cluelessness in regards to the series and [=4Kids'=] dub in general being aimed at a narrower demographic than Shudo intended; also, contrary to popular belief, the early Japanese dub ''did'' contain a bit more ParentalBonus humor, though not enough to make for a completely different series. Still, Dogasu's Backpack has made some fans go off to the Japanese version, and when [=TPCI=] took over, the dub became more of a target for criticism, especially since ''XY'' when the music replacement got more prominent than it ever was under 4Kids. It doesn't help that, unlike with its contemporaries ''Manga/DragonBallZ'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'', ''Pokémon'' has ''not'' released an official Japanese subtitled or uncensored English dubbed version to appease older nostalgic fans, and is regarded as antiquated and out-of-touch in that respect.

* SignatureSeriesArc: No matter how many sequel series get made, [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries the original Kanto arc]] always remains the one that is most remembered. Combined with FirstInstallmentWins, this also has to do with the franchise's well-known use of the original 151 Pokémon.

*** The Battle Frontier, despite existing in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokemon Emerald]]'' and actually playing a role in Ash's rivalry with Paul in the following season, is dismissed as another filler event.

!!For the other YMMV subpages:

* CatharsisFactor: Regardless of the debatable quality of the League itself, [[spoiler:''finally'' seeing Ash ''win'' an official game related Pokemon League after 22 years of trying and failing was ''major'' catharsis for those who stuck around since the start way back in the 90s.]]
*** [[spoiler: And for those who still weren't satisfied with the Alola League or the final battle with [[SurpassedTheTeacher Kukui,]] Episode 65 of Journeys marks the first time ever in the anime's entire run where Ash finally defeats one of the champions from the games in an official WC battle. The champion in question? [[TheBusCameBack Champion]] [[TookALevelInBadass Iris.]]]]

** [[spoiler: Ash defeating [[TheDreaded Cynthia]] after a long and hard-fought full battle.]]
** [[spoiler: Ash beating Leon and being crowned the new ''world champion'' of the Pokemon world. After 22 years or so of Ash trying and failing to win a league, debates surrounding his Alola victory counting or not because of how it was handled, and decades of constantly being reset as a trainer... Ash is finally, undebateably the best, like no one ever was.]]

* SignatureScene: No matter how many sequel series get made, [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries the original Kanto arc]] always remains the one that is most remembered. Combined with FirstInstallmentWins, this also has to do with the franchise's well-known use of the original 151 Pokémon.

* SignatureSeriesArc:

* SignatureScene:

** A few fans of the series tend to root for Georgia over Iris regarding their petty squabbles and rivalry, while even a few even say that Georgia should have even replaced Iris as Ash’s female traveling companion. This is ignoring the fact that while Iris has her flaws, Georgia was written to be a meaner and nastier counterpart of Iris who gloats over her wins, blames others when she loses, and antagonizes everyone around her (she’s also even rude to Ash and Cilan on a few occasions, the characters that aren’t even jerks).

** Team Rocket during ''Black and White'' took a level in badass, and had become a viable threat. But then in X and Y, they went back to being a GoldfishPoopGang (if a [[ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat slightly more formidable one]] than before).

** Serena's character arc takes quite some time to take off, given that, unlike other female leads she didn't have a clear goal from the get go, and became a trainer mostly to get away from the Rhyhorn Racing her mother enforced upon her. A good deal of episodes at the beginning were spent on her trying different activities in order to find her calling, before she finally set on becoming a Pokemon Performer. After that, she gets considerable focus and development at a much steadier pace.

[[folder:Items with their own subpages]]

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[[folder:G - L]]

[[folder:M - R]]

[[folder:S - W]]

* MemeticLoser: [[MemeticLoser/{{Pokemon}} Has its own page]]

* MemeticLoser:
** Ash has been granted this status in no small part because he simply isn't allowed to return home a winner. Usually, he'll simply lose in the middle of a tournament, but even when he does "win" (as in the [[FillerArc Orange Islands]] or the Battle Frontier), within a week of him returning home, Gary Oak will drop by to steal ''that'' from him. The first time, Pikachu lost to Gary's Eevee, and after the Battle Frontier, Gary subjected Ash and Pikachu to a straight-up CurbStompBattle with his Electivire. The movies are usually kinder, allowing Ash to have quite a few heroic moments, but still..."Gary was here, Ash is a loser"[[note]]Originally ''[[http://i.imgur.com/bJ2QMHS.jpg Shigeru is the best, Satoshi is an Idiot]]''[[/note]]. ''Black and White'' [[TookALevelInDumbass didn't help this at all]], [[http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1257625-pokemon despite it being his second best showing]]. It got even worse with ''XY'''s [[spoiler:[[ShaggyDogStory ill-fated battle with Alain at the Kalos league]].]] [[spoiler: And even when he finally won an official league tournament in Alola, the fact it was in a League with no entrance requirements coupled with several controversial writing choices made the victory not as fulfilling as it should have been to see after over 20 years for part of the audience.]]
** Ash's Torkoal has a rough reputation due to it's poor track record during Ash's Hoenn journey. The few times it's been called upon after Hoenn has also resulted in losses, but to be fair, those fights were against [[OlympusMons Brandon's Registeel and Tobias' Darkrai]].
** Ash's Torterra is infamous among the fandom for having never won a single battle after fully evolving outside of [[GoldfishPoopGang Team Rocket]] despite its losses being meant to show [[TheWorfEffect how powerful its opponents were]].
** [[spoiler:Greninja]] also gets subject to many memes due to it [[spoiler:losing the finals of the Kalos League, despite having [[TheAce an otherwise excellent track record]] and it opponent having held against and in one case beaten OlympusMons on top of a similar if better track record. Ironically it impressive win against Sawyer's Mega Sceptile immediately prior despite its type advantage contributed to this by making Greninja's loss despite it having the type advantage feel more contrived]].