Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
This Zone is dedicated to the lesser known elements of anime hosted by the cast of Victory Script.
What weapon is the best?
Who will win in this Death Battle?
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You name it, it's all covered here in the Fantasy Zone!
With Ash becoming Champion last month along with a new game, let's see how previous champions rank.
Blue - Iconic rival but rather unimpressive Champion, he'd almost be considered a villain.
Trace - Doesn't really strike me as the Champion type and he's much nicer as a rival than Blue.
Lance - As Champions have evolved Lance is looking less impressive by the day and he knows it.
Red - His presence as the ultimate Champion gave Gold and Silver it's title as best Pokemon game.
Steven - I find him more charismatic than Lance and gave Steel types some weight.
Wallace - I consider him a strange choice considering there is still a water gym as the last gym making him the easiest to defeat.
Cynthia - Outright iconic Champion and would argue the strongest trainer in Pokemon history.
Alder - The Pokemon equivalent of Jiraiya, but past his best and lost to N quite easily.
Iris - Same as Wallace, but worse as I consider Drayden a bigger challenge.
Diantha - Certainly has a presence but doesn't exactly do much in her game.
Kukui - Alola doesn't have a Champion so I'm using Kukui instead, goofy but has a proven track record for being a tough fight.
Leon - He's grown on me in recent years and feels like the definition of just being a formidable opponent who enjoys what he does.
Mustard - Clearly hasn't lost his edge and is nice to see a former Champion look like an old master.
Peony - I question his credentials as champion mostly because he's too goofy.
Nemona - It's easy to forget that Nemona is indeed a champion but I'm left wondering what her real team is as opposed to the one she trains alongside you.
Geeta - She's less champion and more boss of a corporation, not helping is that she's the easiest champion to defeat as she fails to take advantage of any of her Pokemon's abilities.
Blue - 6.7/10
Trace - 6.3/10
Lance - 6.4/10
Red - 9.8/10
Steven - 8.5/10
Wallace - 7.0/10
Cynthia - 10/10
Alder - 4.7/10
Iris - 5.9/10
Diantha - 6.9/10
Kukui - 8.0/10
Leon - 8.8/10
Mustard - 8.1/10
Peony - 5.5/10
Nemona - 7.5/10
Geeta - 5.0/10
Yep, the one series that produces it's fair share of sexy characters is Pokemon, because it's a game first, every big name trainer has to give off an aura of being a boss, as a result it creates some really sexy characters. This top ten will go by generation from Kanto to Paldea plus spinoffs, each entry will have it's selected entry plus two honourable mentions. You'll also find that this applies to all genders.
Spinoff Games
I found that Pokemon games started getting more mature around the time of the Gamecube and early DS era with Colosseum and Ranger; from Colosseum we have Wes who is what happens if Kai Hiwatari was a Pokemon Trainer and from Ranger we have Solana with an entire running joke of her clothes being too small for her voluptuous figure but I'm giving this one to Pokemon Go Instinct leader Spark, he got a lot of shit for not being an ambiguous gender like his contemporaries but more than makes up by having a very attractive personality, put it like this, in a bar scenario, Blanche would resent you for taking you out, Candela would get you drunk and leave you with the bill, Spark would buy you a drink, ask you how you are and help get you home while covering the bill for a taxi, failing that, he'll carry you home, that's how much of a bro Spark is and why I joined Team Instinct.
Kanto
We've seen Red grow up into a strong silent type man yet he still gives off the aura of being the GOAT trainer, you have to admire him for that; being the first game can lead to alot of obvious picks for what type of Gym Leader to have but I find the mysterious aura of Sabrina the most effective, helps that she makes for such a sexy Queen as an actress. But it has to go to Lorelei, of the Elite Four, she was the only trainer that gave the Elite Four such a powerful aura, she was the one that told Ash with her presence alone, "you are no where near my level"
Johto
I found Johto mostly disappointing but I'm glad that Morty got the best of the redesigns, he actually suited his role as lore keeper as well as Gym Leader, then you have Karen who is the biggest supporter of the casual player with the quote on picking the Pokemon you like over what it does.
But I'm giving this to Jasmine, the steel type gym being a kind hearted girl in a pretty dress, yet still command absolute respect on the battlefield is worthy of taking the Johto crown.
Hoenn
Drake has dandy and experience going for him, he's the Pokemon equivalent of Master Asia, then you have Pike Queen Lucy who is the Pokemon equivalent of Boa Hancock, right down to having an overwhelming crush on someone.
But this is going to Steven Stone, this is what a steel trainer looks like, he'd still be appealing even if he was shipped with Wallace.
Sinnoh
I find with Roark that no one really remembers him for his Gym battle but more for his looks and enthusiasm for the new underground mechanic.
Then you have Lucian who gives off almost the same aura as my pick for sexiest Sinnoh character and overall best trainer in the Pokemon canon, Cynthia. Cynthia commands 100 per cent respect and is the first character you think off for sexy Pokemon Characters.
Unova
We were spoiled for choice here, we start with Lenora who I would say is the original Gym Leading is my second job character, then there's Drayden who is pure MAN, so much so that his beard looks like Dragon teeth
But Elesa was always going to take it, not just for being a fashion model but for calling out the bull shit in her dialogue with Bianca and her dad.
Kalos
Professor Sycamore started the trend of all Pokemon Professors being hot, he's certainly not going to be the last.
Diantha despite not doing much has the same aura as Cynthia.
But I'm giving this one to Malva, she's a reporter, an Elite four member, a Team Flare admin and doesn't give a shit who you are or if you get hurt, no other trainer like her.
Alola
Found this one difficult with the copius amount of kids among the substitute gym leaders so my choices are Kahili, a golfer who uses her Pokemon like a bazooka to play golf and Kukui who revived the notion that the Professor really is a good trainer ontop of always being jacked and topless.
But it goes to Olivia who looks the part but is not afraid to embrace the silliness that goes with the setting.
Galar
Melony who is very motherly and I like the dynamic that she shares with her son, then there's Honey, wife of Mustard who doesn't seem much at first but then she battles you and you realise why Mustard married her.
But it's going to Sonia, she's with you throughout your journey, gives you bedroom eyes while twirling her hair as a habit, you just want her to keep talking.
Paldea
Grusha for a while you couldn't work out what he's like, then you find out and you want him to be your best friend and a whole lot more.
Katy not only gives off dommy mommy energy but is actually the first gym leader to call out the whole Gym leader system for holding her back for so long.
But Rika is the first trainer I've seen who would attract any one, regardless of gender, she's a tomboy with dominant energy keeping the Elite Four in check, is the only person that will stop your Pokemon journey if you fail the interview and is surprisingly charming and sweet.
One of the more fascinating anime cancellations was that of Medabots, it was one of the few franchises that gave Pokemon a run for it's money mostly in Japan especially in the late 90s early 2000s but there are at least five major moments that cost Medabots dearly and all of it can be traced to the abysmal season 3, Medabots Spirits.
1. Beloved characters were removed.
Season 3 removed Henry, Koji, Sumilidon, Karin, Neutranurse, Rokusho, and Mr. Referee.
While Henry's arc was complete he's still one of the strongest rivals for Ikki.
Koji while I wasn't keen on still served a role as another rival.
Sumilidon is my favourite Medabot.
Karin was a fascinating character who really caught people by surprise with how off the wall she could be, she's like Princess Peach as a child.
Neutranurse was a mechanized Nurse Joy.
Rokusho is always the mascot next to Metabee, in fact a high number of games with two versions often had Rokusho as the cover mascot.
Mr Referee is an absolute legend.
What we got was no.2
2. What replaced them was terrible.
Other than Dr Aki's grand daughter, every new character was awful, I remember nothing of the new characters.
3. The upgrades to Metabee made him look like a toy.
My memory is plagued by Metabee being turned into an RC car, to elaborate, Metabee had an upgrade where his limbs had wheels, so he'd go on all fours, he looked like a large RC car making him look like an actual toy, a strange criticism to make about a toy anime but the whole point is to make them seem real, this is the same series that has a subplot about Medabots being murder bots don't forget.
4. 2nd Season felt like a true ending.
There was a sense of finale with season 2s ending, the only thing that really needed to happen was an epilogue to complete every character's story arc much like how Precure does it for their final episodes.
5. The franchise was already dying.
The bigger picture is that Medabots was a zombie franchise, it was existing in stagnation with endless games, two of which released barely months apart, (sound familiar Pokemon Scarlet and Violet?) It didn't help that toy anime were kinda losing their way, it wasn't just Medabots either, you can make convincing arguments for Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh, Bakugan and Digimon as well.
To this day, Medabots was an underrated franchise that failed to stay relevant despite the best efforts of it's makers.
It's a warning to all anime who take their audience for granted.
When it comes to anime, other nations don't tend to feature too prominently and when they do, the usual suspects show up be it Chinese, Russian, British, American, French or even German.
They also tend to run the well dry of Egyptian, Greek and Italian due to their ancient cultures, so this list celebrates the countries that don't get a look in.
Few rules
1. Fighting Game anime is cheating.
2. Doesn't count if the anime is set in a certain country, for example I can't use a Mexican character in an anime set in Mexico, kind of cheating there as well.
3. Sports anime with international arcs or international casts is cheating as well with only a couple of exceptions.
This is in no set order.
Honourable Mention
Iron Mouse from VShojo
Puerto Rican
While not an actual anime character, she has put her country on the map with how much she contributes to the internet.
1. Celty Sturluson from Durarara
Irish
Irish folklore speaks of a headless horseman known as a Dullahan, in the world of Durarara, Celty is the motorcycle riding Dullahan working as a transporter in the shady underworlds of Durarara. Might feel a bit cheap using a folklore character but unlike the Fate series, Celty gives the Irish some positive representation.
2. Rosarita Cisneros from Black Lagoon
Colombian
Better known as Roberta, she's the most terrifying of Black Lagoon's trio of scary women, the world of Black Lagoon takes the world's most notorious crime syndicates and puts them in Thailand for an uneasy alliance. The cartels of South America aren't normally a threat as they usually get the blunt end of rage from Revy and Balalaika but then Roberta shows up and all you can do, is pray that she doesn't find you.
3. Victor from Medabots
Kenyan
Stoic, imposing and a little terrifying, Victor raised the stakes in the Medabots World Tournament, with justified goals, he's one of the earliest instances of a complex villain in the realm of toy anime. War Bandit as well is a beast.
4. Azmaria Hendric from Chrono Crusade
Portuguese
A miracle healer in the guise of a weak willed girl who tries her best to help out Rosette and Chrono, a little frustrating to watch but does pay off at the finale.
5. Aila Jyrkiainen from Gundam Build Fighters
Finnish
Gundam Build Fighters is what happens when Bandai tell you that there isn't enough money in model kits and tells you to make an anime out of it.
Aila passes for the Cyber Newtype character having been conditioned to use her abilities to gain the upper hand in battle with the personality to match. Speaking of which.
6. Allenby Beardsley from G Gundam
Swedish
G Gundam doesn't have the best history with portraying countries, Sweden is one of the only countries to avoid this stereotype with Allenby being everything Domon is in female form and has Gundam Sailor Moon.
7. Irina Jelavic from Assassination Classroom
Serbian
Ah yes Bitch Sensei, could've quite easily been Russian but they went for Serbian instead since the surname is Serbian in origin. She's one of many tasked to eliminate Koro-Sensei but really is terrible at the job.
8. Negi Springfield from Negima
Welsh
Poor Wales never seems to get any respect as England and Scotland normally take the honours but people forget that wizardry is founded in Welsh folklore, that's the mindset Ken Akamatsu went with Negi, going as far as visiting Wales himself for inspiration. Honourable mention for CDawgVA for being the internet's most prolific Welsh Youtuber.
9. Elza Forte from Aikatsu Stars
Monégasque
French wasn't high class enough for Elza Forte, so she's from Monaco instead, a principality known for glamour, wealth, gambling and motor racing, every bit of Elza's design is ultra Ojou-Sama right down to her presence and her dress, just look at that picture.
10. Amuro Ray from Gundam
Canadian
That's right, one of anime's most famous characters is a Canadian, the Newtype that stumbled onto a Gundam and became a legend. That's a massive character to have for a country often overlooked because of America.
I touched on this briefly with Mai, Hilary and many times with Chloe, the point being that alot of popular anime don't do their opposite gender justice. No order for this list.
1. 90% of Harem anime
The lead male is dumb, the lead female is oblivious.
Get the obvious one out the way first, a typical male is frequently beaten up, a loser, accidental pervert; while the typical female is completely oblivious to her situation and has no concept of red flags. Harem is kinda out of fashion thankfully, so it's not really a factor so much anymore.
2. Dragonballz
Bulma dominates the female cast too much.
For much of Dragonball history the very few female fighters we do get were limited to Android 18; Super and FighterZ bridged the gap but even now, Bulma still dominates as the female representative.
3. All Digimon seasons bar Tamers
Female digi-destined were kinda just making up numbers.
It started with Tai and Matt getting all the attention, then it was Davis despite the fact Kari and TK were meant to lead, Tamers did it right but then it reverted back to old habits with future seasons. While Kari provided actually plot relevance, Sora and Mimi didn't.
4. Medabots
They did Samantha dirty.
The sad thing about Medabots is that they had a really good female character in Samantha but they cut her relevance to the plot so much that she may as well have left the anime.
5. Beyblade
It took three seasons to get a decent female blader.
Mariah and Emily were strong bladers refused to be allowed any actual battling. The less said about Hilary the better. Took until G Revolution to finally fix this issue.
6. Pokemon Galar Season
Chloe had nothing to do.
They gave Goh a mission to catch Mew, Ash is the lead so enough said, Chloe had one Pokemon contest and advice from previous female leads, that's Chloe's entire contribution to the anime.
7. Non UC Gundam
It's taken about 30 years for a decent female pilot.
Nothing really against female casts of the non universal century Gundams as they all have strengths in their own way, but the only really decent female pilots we've had are Allenby of G Gundam and this seasons Witch from Mercury, that's pretty poor from a franchise with well balanced gender casting.
8. Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters
Female duelists get a bad rep.
I've covered this already with Mai, other than Ishizu, every female duelist is average, terrible or get through with hand holding, future seasons fixed this.
9. Naruto
Female ninjas are pretty terrible.
Much has been said about Sakura's history, Ino has a poor move set for combat, Hinata is in the wrong anime, Temari lost much of her role after marrying Shikamaru. The adults fair much better but they are not main characters. Oh yeah there's Tenten, what did she do again?
10. Pretty Cure
Despite promoting inclusiveness, there's still no official male Precure.
Hugto Precure broke the mold with the now legendary line "Boys can princesses to" this followed with the first ever male Precure and a season devoted to the message of everyone is Precure, young, old and any gender. That was Season 15, Season 20 is next year, and were still no closer to the elusive male Precure, current season discount Tuxedo Mask does not count.
