Board 8 > Anagram ranks anything Pokemon-related with writeups (spoilers I guess)

(+) Yeah! (+)

We've done it with Star Trek, Star Wars, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Flags, and Visual Designs. I almost did Pokemon last year, but I wanted to wait for the new game to come out, and it has, so we'll kick off this year with the Pokemon list. I considered doing another big epic series like Wars, Trek, and Final Fantasy, but the only thing I could think of is Lord of the Rings, and I didn't want to deal with Silmarillion nominations (never read it) or nominations related to video games I haven't played. I only know the Hobbit, LotR, the movies, and the new show, which isn't enough for this project. Stargate does have enough, but it's not as big on Board 8.

As before, you can nominate anything related to Pokemon, however tangentially, and I must insert it awkwardly into a tier list, with a writeup justifying my placement. But know that I'm not the ultimate pokemaniac or anything. I've only played the mainline games (including remakes, minus Hello Pikachu/Eevee and Legends Arceus), the original Pokemon Snap and Stadium, and watched like... more of the anime than I should have, but less than half, by now. So if you nominate that one spinoff game that takes place in Arizona or whatever, it's going to get way less of a writeup than something I know more about.

Lickilicky

The name Doughberman for a Dachsbun

The belief system that cross-generational Pokemon transfers are holding back the mainline games from making further advancements due to the concessions that they have to make for imported Pokemon.

I like how you turned Pokemon Colosseum into "that game that takes place in Arizona" that's just an incredibly funny thing to do

Warden Slowpoke

The Pokemon Cookies

Team Rocket (Anime)

Area Zero

Comfortable and Easy to Wear
The name Doughberman for Daschbun: Yes, I agree, A+ work. Should've been the pokemon's real name, though it doesn't fit into 10 characters.
Area Zero: Great idea for an endgame area. You travel into the forgotten primeval world and discover weird, unknown pokemon, where everything is much stronger than the outside world. It's also the only part of the game that feels like there're stakes or like you're on an adventure, even though there absolutely are not stakes, and the rest of the game is equally an adventure. The dialogue you get with your friends is fine, the sendoff to Arvin's mom is great... Basically, everything about this works, even though it has nothing to do at all with the rest of the game.

To Protect the World from Devastation
Team Rocket (Anime): As someone who shamefully watched much of the anime, I'll just tell you straight up: Team Rocket is much more interesting than the heroes. The heroes suck. I want to say that every single heroic character in the anime sucks. Team Rocket also sucks, but they suck less. James gets lots of good gags (even if much of his humor is mined from "lol he acts like a girl"). Jessie is boring, but still more interesting than Ash. I think it's really quite bizarre that TR has stuck around as long as it has. They never accomplish anything, and their role in the anime is so blatantly to just create an extra problem per episode to be solved and to kill 45 seconds of runtime with their motto. But can you imagine if the anime did to TR what it does Ash's friends, and each new adventure would have Team Magma or Team Flare grunts following Ash around? Because James' backstory is revealed in like 1999, yet he's still a relevant character today. How ****ing bizarre.

Smell Ya Later!
The idea that mainline games can't advance if they have to allow imported pokemon: Look, man, I don't believe for a second that the series would be trying new ideas in the mainline games for anything. Every mainline Pokemon game is just the same thing. I'm not even mad about that, it just is what it is, that's the appeal of the series. So I don't think having to make concessions to allow for imported pokemon changes anything significant. Maybe it forces them to waste time adding a bunch of moves and abilities they'd rather just drop, but do I think we'd have a notably different experience if they didn't? Not really. How different is gen 8 from gen 7, after it dropped most of the pokedex? Gen 9 is only different at all because it added an open world feature. It added an open world feature in 2022. That's the biggest innovation the series has had since 1998: an open world feature.
Warden Slowpoke: I had to look this up, I assumed it was some kind of meme, but nope. It's just the NPC who owns the Safari Zone in RBY. This is the guy who loses his false teeth. What a dunce, I've never misplaced my teeth even once. Apparnetly, in the anime, he's the one responsible for the lost episode, because he pulls out a realistic revolver and points it at Ash. What a doofus. That wasn't an insignificant episode, either, that's the one where Ash catches thirty Tauros.
Pokemon Cookies: ... Like, cookies shaped like pokemon? Or is this from the games, and I forgot the totally memorable sequence where you find pokemon cookies?

It Hurt Itself in its Confusion!
Lickilicky: I've changed my opinion a little about Lickilicky. For years after it came out, I championed this as the worst pokemon ever, and it IS bad. But like... we have Roaming Gimmighoul now, we have Eiscue, we have so many bad pokemon. I do still think that Lickilicky is a bottom 10 pokemon, don't get me wrong, but I'm just sort of over it now.

Paratroopa1 posted...

I like how you turned Pokemon Colosseum into "that game that takes place in Arizona" that's just an incredibly funny thing to do

I think it's really interesting that someone set a video game in Arizona of all places. It has a really distinct visual look, I know because I've been there, but it's Arizona.

Minior as Katamari cousins

https://i.imgur.com/GlNzqds.png

Hiker Nob

Lavender Town Syndrome

Vast Poni Canyon

Nugget Bridge

Stunfisk's cry

Mindy (The NPC in Sinnoh that trades you a Haunter with an everstone)

The fact that we're so many generations deep and yet no turkey Pokemon yet (come on, seriously, it was prime for Unova)

Pokemon Puzzle League

the thunder badge

This as a reaction image: http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/794/912/976.png

I Wanna Be the Very Best
The name Doughberman for Daschbun
Area Zero

Comfortable and Easy to Wear
Team Rocket (Anime)
Lavender Town Syndrome: One of the creepypasta hall of famers. Everyone remembers that terrible, memorable Lavender Town music. This is one of those things that's obviously false, but just barely rides on the edge of plausibility ('the music has tones only children can hear, which leads to brain problems that caused heightened rates of suicides'), especially before everything could be easily looked up online.

To Protect the World from Devastation
Stunfisk's Cry: Sounds like a fart, which is good. Stunfisk is an early example of Pokemon being stupid on purpose, and a fart cry is what it deserves. Sadly, it would be completely outdone by Alolan Exeggutor.

But Nothing Happened
Nugget Bridge: It's weird how these really formative games like Pokemon can have the most unimportant things be stuck in your head forever. I haven't thought about Nugget Bridge in 10 years or more, but suddenly I remember it perfectly. I think it's involved in the Mew glitch, too, right?
The idea that mainline games can't advance if they have to allow imported pokemon
Warden Slowpoke
Vast Poni Canyon: I had to look this one up. This is just a completely random location in Alola? I mean, sure, okay. It's weird to me that Alola doesn't have gyms or a normal champion. It's like, either every region should have them, or every region should have its own gimmick, and instead it's only Alola, and only because they're still in the process of setting it up.
Pokemon Cookies
Minior as Katamari Cousins: I've never played the Katamari games, so these mean nothing to me, sorry.
Hiker Nob: Nowhere near as good as Firebreather Dick, which had to have been intentional.
Mindy's Everstone Haunter: Joke's on you, Mindy. An everstone is way more useful than a Gengar. I guess if you're nuzlocking, that's not true.

You Can't Win Every Single Battle
Pokemon Puzzle League: Jesus Christ, I have the vaguest memories of this game, but I'm certain I didn't own it. Pokemon and Mario, man, there is nothing they won't attach their brand to.
Thunder Badge: Why is this a flower? Or is it the sun? Either thing makes no sense. I looked it up on the wiki just to see if there was logic behind it, and the description is this: "It is in the shape of an eight-pointed gold star with an orange octagon in the center." Thanks, Bulbapedia.
Still No Turkey Pokemon: Last time, it was dolphins, now it's turkeys. You know perfectly well that gen 10 will introduce an awful turkey pokemon, no doubt named something like Shorekey and it's a turkey with tiny surfboards for its back feathers, and then people will move on and demand the long-overdue moose pokemon or whatever.

It Hurt Itself in its Confusion!
Quagsire Reaction Image: Boring. I've seen vastly superior pokemon memes.
Lickilicky

Pokemon Go

Larry

Clodsire

Burger King

2 B A Master (album)

the theme song

Missingno.

lol you don't know about the pokemon cookies

The missed opportunity of not naming Talonflame "Pyrogrine"

Galarian Articuno as compared to inferior, regular articuno

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/1/9/AAcM16AAEESH.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/2/0/AAcM16AAEESI.jpg

Paratroopa1 posted...

lol you don't know about the pokemon cookies

Well, I do now!

I Wanna Be the Very Best
Larry: Perfect in every way, from concept to execution. I especially like how he blends into the background NPCs in the restaurant before stepping up and revealing himself. I'm not sure I like him showing up again as an E4 member, it was funnier that a big important gym leader is just a completely random, unremarkable guy, but he ends up being the most important and memorable gym leader even in-universe. He's such a clever idea that he doesn't belong in a Pokemon game at all, in fact.
The name Doughberman for Daschbun
Area Zero
Missingno.: Perhaps the greatest glitch of all time. Offhand, I can't think of anything on Missingno.'s level. It's not just how interesting its origin is, it's that this is a game about collecting monsters, and then there's a monster that's ACTUALLY not supposed to be here, that's ACTUALLY a mistake, and it looks like a hideous error from beyond space and time. It's so absolutely perfect that I would call it a lame concept if it was put in like a horror game, but instead it's just the coolest piece of pokelore of all time. Thank God for RB being so poorly-designed and coded for giving us stuff like this.
Theme Song (Anime): I assume you mean season 1's theme song from the anime. Legitimately one of the greatest opening theme songs of any TV show, ever. In my opinion, it's up there with Fresh Prince. It's got infinite energy, and doesn't tell you anything about the premise. It completely mogs all of the other theme songs from the anime, too, which are just trash compared to it.

Comfortable and Easy to Wear
Pokemon Cookies (2): I love this. I love the Charmander with hideous eyes, I love the Gastly (took me a second to figure that one out), I love how misshapen everything is. I just love it completely.
Team Rocket (Anime)
Lavender Town Syndrome
Galarian Articuno: Articuno was my favorite pokemon for a long, long time. It's not anymore, and you will have to forgive me for my tastes as a 10-year-old. I distinctly remember someone on the GameFAQs Pokemon board referring to Zapdos and Moltres as "he" and Articuno as "she," and me thinking "what makes Articuno a girl?" Anyway, I really like how Galarian Articuno gets this silly opera mask and has slicked-back hair. All of the Legendary Birds get good Galarian forms. But yeah, like, c'mon, Articuno is comically bad in the games. It has the distinction of having the strongest attack in RBY (Articuno's blizzard), but it's still garbage. Who makes a defensive ice-type? Ice/Flying is like the worst typing ever, and then it's slow, but not slow enough for trick room, and defense-focused. So awful. Galarian Articuno isn't great, either, with its awkwardly low 95 speed, but it's still better. I love how its shiny is normal Articuno's colors; great idea there.

To Protect the World from Devastation
Clodsire: Aside from maybe Diglett and Magnemite, Quagsire was the first intentionally stupid pokemon, but even it doesn't go all the way with the concept. Like, I COULD believe that Quagsire isn't just being silly on purpose. Clodsire, though, there's no questioning it. Poor Clodsire, though. Its cousin gets to have hands and fingers and manipulate the world around it, while it has to waddle around like a snake or something. I'm also very unclear on what the rules are for what's a regional form and what's a new pokemon. This isn't even a convergent evolution situation like Wiglett, since Paldean Wooper is still just a Wooper.
Stunfisk's Cry
Pokemon Go: I don't really like this game, but it was still the perfect diversion of two hours for me. What a brilliant idea, to turn real life into a pseudo-pokemon journey. Implemented in the cleverest way possible. I want to ask one question, though. When the game came out, I noticed a lot of weird landmarks where pokemon would show up, like a random piece of brick artwork at a strip mall I go to, or a big statue of a smiling guy eating on a Filipino restaurant I don't go to. My question is this: how? There is no way Nintendo went around finding neat-looking-but-unimportant places in Los Angeles.

But Nothing Happened
Nugget Bridge
The idea that mainline games can't advance if they have to allow imported pokemon
Warden Slowpoke
Vast Poni Canyon
Pokemon Cookies
Minior as Katamari Cousins
Missed Opportunity to call Talonflame Pyrogrine: I mean, sure. It's a great name. I agree it's cleverer than Talonflame. I wonder what you have to do to get a job translating pokemon names, that has to be the greatest job ever.
Hiker Nob
Mindy's Everstone Haunter
2.B.A. MASTER: Can I be honest with you? I always found tie-in rap songs to be horribly cringe, even when they're trying to be. Be The Bartman makes my skin crawl. The only thing I want to talk about (besides him listing all of the types, and calling fire "flame") is how the singer sounds exactly like Michael Jackson. I pulled up the Wikipedia article just to check if this was a Michael Jackson tie-in I'd never heard of, and no, the singer is named Russell Velazquez, who's so unimportant that he doesn't even have his own Wikipedia article.

You Can't Win Every Single Battle
Pokemon Puzzle League
Thunder Badge
Still No Turkey Pokemon
Burger King: If you'd nominated the golden promotional cards for the 1999 movie, I would've ranked them quite high. But Burger King itself? Discount McDonald's, and I already don't hold McDonald's in high regard.

It Hurt Itself in its Confusion!
Quagsire Reaction Image
Lickilicky

Anagram posted...

I love the Gastly (took me a second to figure that one out)

it's a ditto

Pokemon Creepy Black

Mezase! Pokemon Master

Fairy type

people submitted locations to ingress over years and Pokemon Go took them

I Play Pokemon Go Everyday (song)

The Pokemon TCG

Dudunsparce

The Orre games (Colosseum and Gale of Darkness)

Piplup Step

Twitch plays Pokemon

Paratroopa1 posted...

it's a ditto

Oh lol

Exp.All

Sygna Suit Kris
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/2/AAZ6veAAEEV6.png

Releasing 2 or 3 versions of the game each gen that are just slightly different.

GBA Wireless Adaptor

I Wanna Be the Very Best
Larry
The name Doughberman for Daschbun
Area Zero
Missingno.
Dundunspace: Masterfully handled. There are a million Deviantart pics or whatever of people imagining a Dunsparce evolution where it turns into a badass dragon or whatever, and then this goofy idiot shows up. I like how it can have an extra section for literally no reason instead of going for the more obvious Dundundunsparce joke. I also like how it gets a unique move that ignores protect.
Theme Song (Anime)

Comfortable and Easy to Wear
Pokemon Trading Card Game: I've played three TCGs (Magic, YGO, and Pokemon), and of them, Pokemon was definitely the most 'who cares.' No one at school cared to play it, they just wanted to collect the cards. I could find Magic and YGO players without too much difficulty, but no one even wanted to bother learning the rules for this game. I'm not sure why it didn't make the same impact as the comparatively not-as-big franchises of Magic and YGO? YGO especially, which released after Pokemon and wasn't anywhere near as culturally relevant. The only big meme this ever produced was shiny Charizard, too. Anyway, I eventually just gave away all of my old Pokemon cards when I got older, except a Pidgeot card I kept for nostalgia's sake.
Pokemon Cookies (2)
Team Rocket (Anime)
Piplup Step: I watched the entire video for this, just so you know. I distinctly remember my first or second semester of college, back when I was still a film major, I took a photography course for easy credits, and we had to show photographs of things we'd taken following a theme. One guy showed up with a bunch of photos of his Piplup doll and was super proud of them, and I thought he was a weirdo. Anyway, I like this video. I don't know anything about music, so I can't really analyze it on a deeper level than that, but I do appreciate the heavy use of blue as a color scheme, and the Oddish-shaped planter, that's really clever.
Lavender Town Syndrome
Galarian Articuno
Fairy (Type): I'm of two minds about this. It was necessary to nerf dragon, and adding new types is exciting, and the fairy concept wasn't utilized yet in the games (aside from like Clefable), but the type itself is maybe too powerful? It's only weak to poison and steel, one of which is lol and the other of which is almost never used offensively. It just sort of took over dragon's place as the strongest type, is what I'm saying. Quickly looking through the list of fairy pokemon, I'd say this is a strong type; there are very few pokemon I completely dislike in it.
Pokemon Creepy Black: Yes, another good example of a creepypasta. I think this and Lavender Town Syndrome are the only Pokemon creepypastas that really took off, though. The idea of just stumbling onto a physical romhack that's all horror-y at a flea market is such a good origin story, because it has all kinds of unanswerable implications and is just barely possible.

To Protect the World from Devastation
GBA Wireless Adapter: I checked the official spelling, and it's with an E, not an O. Anyway, nothing uses wires anymore except power cords. Goddamn, I remember carrying a Gameboy Link Cable to school, fighting Josh in Pokemon after he boasted he'd never lost, then I started to win, so he pulled out my side of the link cable and said that because it came out on my side, I was responsible, so he counts as winning. Anyway, this was a good accessory, unlike most modern accessories. Do video games even do accessories anymore? The only thing I can think of is VR goggles, which didn't take off the way companies hoped. Remember Mark Zuckerberg's stupid VR company meetings idea?
Clodsire
Stunfisk's Cry
Pokemon Go
Twitch Plays Pokemon: If we were talking about just the first one, this would be higher. What a clever idea! Perfectly executed, lots of memes, lots of good times, everyone is happy. Then they kept doing it for more games, and the joke wore out. I guess that was inevitable, though.
Nugget Bridge

But Nothing Happened
The idea that mainline games can't advance if they have to allow imported pokemon
Exp. All: I'm torn. I do think this is a good thing that reduces annoying grinding, but I also think you should be able to turn it off, which you can't some of the time. So... bleh.
Warden Slowpoke
Vast Poni Canyon
Sygna Suit Kris: I had to google what Pokemon Masters even is, I didn't know there was a gacha game attached to this franchise, gross. And Kris? I thought Kris was retconned? I mean, by itself, Kris wearing a Suicune-inspired dress, sure, whatever. I wonder what pokemon has the most unintuitive name pronounciation, Suicune has to be up there, right? I definitely remember middle school and everyone saying "Soo-i-cune" like the first two syllables were "suicide."
Pokemon Cookies
Mezase Pokemon Master: I'm sure that I'd enjoy this more if I spoke Japanese. Alas, I do not. I appreciate that classic late 90s/early 2000s deep-voiced Japanese anime singing, though.
Minior as Katamari Cousins

Smell Ya Later
2.B.A. MASTER
Missed Opportunity to call Talonflame Pyrogrine
Hiker Nob
Multiple Near-Identical Games per Generation: I mean, yeah, it's crappy. This is just something Nintendo realized it could do when it made Yellow. Yellow has a specific reason to exist outside of just being a third version of the game (promoting the anime), whereas none of the other ones do. But hey, they DID eventually stop with the third versions... yet they keep the second versions in. I would appreciate it if the versions were more distinct, things like White Forest vs Black City, that sort of thing. But hey, I always just coordinate with my friends so we can each get the opposite version and trade the exclusive pokemon, so it's not even really a problem anymore.
Mindy's Everstone Haunter

You Can't Win Every Single Battle
POKEMON GO SONG!!! by MISHA: Thank God camera phones didn't exist in the early 2000s, and video editing software was harder to use. I'm sure that I'd been born like ten years later, there'd be a million completely embarrassing videos of myself doing things like this. This is like distilled cringe.
Pokemon Puzzle League
Thunder Badge
Still No Turkey Pokemon
Burger King

It Hurt Itself in its Confusion!
Quagsire Reaction Image
Lickilicky

Unranked
Orre Games: Never played 'em.