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?
Is this costume practical?
You name it, it's all covered here in the Fantasy Zone!
A while ago, I gave Sasuke Uchiha a pass on his character mostly because Boruto made him more mature and surprisingly chill. Let's see if I can do the same for Ash Ketchum.
Ash Ketchum is easily the most frustrating character ever to come from anime as everything from plot armour to dumb luck sees him advance from each season smelling of roses despite not winning the league on multiple occasions but breaking the league performances down he did an admirable job in each.
Kanto he earned half his badges through kindness I guess and it showed by how Charizard treated him, Team Rocket didn't help but up until his loss he was doing pretty well.
Orange Islands to this day is still his most deserved trophy beaten only by the Battle Frontier.
Johto felt like the league we should've got in Kanto and beating Gary was one of Ash's finest moments, still lost the next round.
Hoenn was more of the same but the puss in boots Meowth is a little bull shit but Battle Frontier more than made up for it.
Sinnoh was really unfair to Ash, after beating one of his strongest rivals he battles an OP legendaries trainer.
Unova was a downgrade after following such a good season but it was nice to see Ash switch out Pokemon frequently like a proper trainer.
Kalos felt closer to Sinnoh but another OP trainer had to be put in front of him.
The game changer was Alola where he finally won but there was bullshit involved to get him up to the top but I blame shoddy writing.
So coming to now and Ash has some pretty OP Pokemon, along with Pikachu is Mr Mime, Dragonite, Gengar, Riolu and Galar Farfetch'd. That's one OP team and were barely 20 episodes in and considering who travels with him now, he's no longer the worst character, and that's crucial.
When you put yourself in Ash's shoes, he's no different to the millions of trainers who started out playing the games, so his interaction with the world and people around him only serve as a learning experience and I don't think you can fault the guy for some of his dumber moments when in most cases this is the first time he's seen the new Pokemon that turn up every episode; travelling around with his numerous companions and how they play off Ash is crucial as well. It's also because he loses tournaments that Ash feels more human and over 20 years of this we can finally look at an Ash Ketchum who you can proudly say that he's a good Pokemon Trainer. My hopes for the current season as there is no limit to where he can go, Ash has a chance to redeem his Kanto mess ups in his quest to enter the Championship setup in Galar.
So is Ash bad? No, at worst he's frustrating and a bit moronic on days where he should know better but 22 years of trying and succeeding, I can't help but feel proud that he managed to achieve his goal.
Season 1 from the Pokemon anime is jammed packed full of moments where Pokemon that shouldn't be that powerful are capable of some unbelievable abilities or have been over hyped far too much.
Dishonourable Mention
Any non fully evolved Pokemon that belong to Ash is not counted as that's more plot armour than being over powered. I'm also letting Ditto slide as well.
10. Tauros
I'm starting low as very few people have watched the banned Safari Zone Episode. To sum up, Ash manages to capture 30 Tauros because they kept getting in the way of his targets, in the Gen 1 games, Tauros is likely the last Pokemon you catch, it's stupidly rare and frequently runs away. Despite it's rarity it lacks any decent moveset.
9. Paras
While the majority of it's victories were from Team Rocket throwing fights for it to help it evolve, but then it pulls off a legit victory on Charmeleon with one hit that was by accident.
8. Caterpie
Shouldn't be physically possible for a Caterpie to defeat both Koffing and Ekans, this is where it all started for Team Rocket's downfall.
7. Jigglypuff
Her singing is overpowered, far too often it's become a convenient plot device to retcon the episode.
6. Togepi
Togepi is another Pokemon with a convenient Deus Ex Machina, what doesn't help is that the anime has no clear mechanics for Metronome in the anime.
5. Krabby
The image says it all, keep in mind that was Krabby's first ever battle and evolved shortly after to white wash the whole of Mandy's team. It's never had a major role since.
4. Psyduck
Yet another Pokemon with convenient plot solving powers, Psyduck only adds to the frustration by being infuriating to watch.
3. Sandshrew
Early in the series we see a Sandshrew way more powerful than it should be. Keep in mind the trainer has a reputation for a 100 win streak but even so his backup Pokemon make him the equivalent of Mt Moon trainers at best, this Sandshrew is capable of One Hit KO moves.
2. Bellsprout
Somehow Jeanette Fisher trained her Bellsprout as a Kung Fu master, what really hit it home is throwing and slamming Bulbasaur about and one shoting Pikachu with a single kick which should be physically impossible for a Bellsprout.
1. Gastly
The Ghost of Maiden's Peak really confused matters when it came to Ghost Pokemon. In a number of confusing moments Gastly was able to take on multiple forms including inanimate objects, human ghosts, non existing animals and Pokemon Fusion. Oh yeah it talks as well.
Not that long ago, I listed some characters that despite their popularity aren't actually that great so I found more.
1. Tatsumaki from One Punch Man
I could go through alot of characters whose arrogance gets punched into the ground by Saitama but I get the sense that even if Saitama ever did defeat Tatsumaki, she'd still be a bitch. Her attitude just grinds on me.
2. Davis from Digimon 02
A much weaker character than Tai and much stupider as well, he had his hand held far too much during that season and it was actually TK who punched out the Digimon Emperor and really should've been the leader.
3. Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo
The only thing the writers can get consistently right is that she's a space pirate, her powers are inconsistent, her back story is convoluted and there are some moments of no personal space where she comes off as clingy or obnoxious.
4. Onodera Kosaki from Nisekoi
Considering how much better Chitoge's personality is compared to other tsunderes in the same position, Onodera comes off as not really a rival at all, her insecurities get old and is quickly at the back of the queue the more the harem grows. Her own best friend has a better chance.
5. Orihime Inoue from Bleach
Considering how much Bleach changed the landscape of Shonen action series, seeing a damsel in distress is a huge let down, Orihime's powers are quickly forgotten as well so she can set up for the role of Damsel. I'd put Chad here as well, but I said popular characters.
6. Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion
The more you investigate this girl, the more you didn't want to find out. I'm also glad the emotionless doll waifu died out when Haruhi Suzumiya failed to replicate it with Nagato Yuki. I find nothing about Rei Ayanami attractive, endearing or even that interesting.
7. Hotaru Tomoe from Sailor Moon
*100s of Guns being loaded and pointed at me* put the guns down. Sailor Saturn's biggest problem is the fact that the writing for her character makes her unusable. Being the senshi that represents death, she only arrives if the universe is really screwed, her role is effectively reduced to last resort. I'm not including Mistress 9 because I judge her as a different character.
8. Ayaka Yukihiro from Negima
She was billed as Asuna's true friend despite the squabbling they always do but was relegated from the story for quite a long time and in the end, she never really got to do anything but be a little too obsessed with Negi.
9. Walter C. Dornez from Hellsing
I would've thought someone as bad ass as Walter wouldn't resort to such a boring tedious betrayal just for the sake of killing Alucard but he does, it was a let down and it only gets worst from there.
10. Red Haired Shanks from One Piece
Shanks' mere presence is enough to stop a war, stand up to other pirates at his level and ultimately garner so much respect that even the marines agree to his demands. Here's the thing though, he hasn't done anything but show up occasionally, we only have his reputation to go on and after so many years, One Piece owes us for our patience.
Ask and I shall deliver this is Haikyu character ranking.
Just a disclaimer before I start, Haikyu at this point is on the verge of a 5th season and I only recently started watching it so expect this ranking to be revisted in the future as I add more characters and change the scores as I continue watching.
Shoyo Hinata
The fun ball of energy that is a little over done in this genre, he looks weak but is backed up by some exceptional skills. He's enthusiastic but easily becomes nervous. He can perform impossible feats but is a moron. It's hard to dislike him but he's hardly memorable.
Tobio Kageyama
A bad tempered player who is quick to criticise his teammates on simple mistakes and not being able to keep up with him which actually causes his old team to abandon him, his redemption is well done and I can see myself liking him more in the future.
Daichi Sawamura
The captain actually acts like a captain, I guess they do exist. He's not that remarkable but it's nice to see someone down to Earth and actually command respect.
Koshi Sugawara
The overly nice helpful guy is already looking like he's going to be a wasted character, prove me wrong anime.
Ryunosuke Tanaka
Currently my favourite character, there's plenty of room for a boisterous macho hot blooded character in a sports anime and he fills that role nicely.
Kei Tsukishima
Last character I'll rank for now, I'm on the fence about this guy as he's introduced as a bit of a smug bastard but then he now seems bored with the situation in front of him.
Scores for now
Shoyo Hinata: 7.2/10
Tobio Kageyama: 8.0/10
Daichi Sawamura: 8.0/10
Koshi Sugawara: 6.5/10
Ryunosuke Tanaka: 8.8/10
Kei Tsukishima: 6.2/10
Bit of fun, let's have a look at some bizarre facts.
1. Mario is a Supermarket worker
In Mario's only OVA, he's depicted working in a Supermarket, this is long before his established canon as a plumber.
2. Ayeka's Hair is Dyed
Princess Ayeka of the Jurai royal family in Tenchi Muyo is meant to have the same hair colour as Sasami, the turquoise blue colour. She dyed it purple to look better in front of Yosho and her step mother Funaho.
3. Space Brothers record breaker
Space Brothers has the honour of holding the only voice recording from space as dialogue was recorded from a Japanese Astronaut from the International Space Station
4. Anzu Mazaki has never lost a duel
Hard to believe but Anzu or Teà has never lost a duel in the Yu-Gi-Oh series becoming the only character in the series to have a 100% win ratio.
5. Usopp's Tall Tales are real
When introduced to One Piece, Usopp told a lot of tall tales of being a great warrior of the sea but ever since he left, he has been living many of the tales he's told, reaching a fever pitch with Dressrosa when he gained thousands of followers for breaking the toy curse.
6. Pizza Hut really did sponsor Code Geass
Remember that old meme Pizza Hut supports the Rebellion? That's real, product placement is everywhere in Code Geass.
7. The Titans were inspired by drunks
The unusual way the Titans of Attack on Titan moved and looked were inspired by encounters with drunks.
8. Most Isekai Protagonists dress the same
Quite often those Isekai Protagonists that don't take on a new form are almost always seen in a tracksuit. Re Zero, Konosuba, Shield Hero and Familiar of Zero to name a few.
9. Sasuke Uchiha wasn't supposed to exist
Sasuke was never planned for Naruto but many of Kishimoto's staff insisted on Naruto having a rival. This also explains why Sasuke isn't featured as prominently as he should've been and why the whole Uchiha plot was garbage.
10. One anime character has 22 voice actresses
Eucliwood Hellscyth from Is This A Zombie? Has 22 Voice actresses despite being a mute character, this is a running gag where the protagonist fantisises Eucliwood being his waifu and having a different voice each time. If you include English dub along with other language audio the total isn't far off 100.