Pokémon: How Iris’ Goal Was a Step Backward For the Anime
Here is how Iris’s desire to become a Dragon Master was a step backwards from the objectives of her forebears and how she may have been managed more effectively.
For a while, Ash’s female travelling companions were given more prominence in the Pokémon anime. They transitioned from being those who want to master a certain Pokémon type to those who desired to become Top Coordinators, the Contest’s version of Champions. Iris then arrived.
One can argue that her desire to become a Dragon Pokémon Master like Misty represented a return to the anime’s roots. However, the anime had previously shown how far the female travel companion might be carried in the genre. Iris may have been a far more compelling character if she had some way of becoming more like May or Dawn.
How Did the Goals of Ash’s Female Friends Develop Over Time?
Being a Water Pokémon Master was a straightforward ambition for Misty, but that was all it required. The primary objectives in the early instalments of the series were to capture and engage in combat with Pokémon, both of which Ash was in charge of. His travelling buddies would need objectives that weren’t specified by the games using this. Brock was free to focus on perfecting the kind of her Gym as she wanted to become a Pokémon Breeder.
As soon as Ash arrived in the Hoenn area, Contests became a new possible objective for his travelling companions. May was added to the series to take Misty’s place because of this. She was theoretically scheduled to confront the League like Ash, but as soon as she learned about the delights of Contests, she decided to become a Coordinator instead. May would therefore perform at the Contest Halls of the Hoenn region while Ash engaged in combat in its Gyms.
For a few reasons, being a Coordinator was superior than being a Water Pokémon Master. One benefit was that it was simpler to define. Misty seems to be limited to only training and catching Water Pokémon. May’s development may be seen and measured in relation to the amount of Ribbons required for her to participate in the Grand Festival. The Whirl Cup, which wasn’t accorded quite the same degree of prominence, was the closest thing Misty ever had to the Grand Festival. Fans had a clearer understanding of May’s goals thanks to the Grand Festival’s comparison to the Pokémon League and could feel their excitement grow as she neared her objective of becoming a Top Coordinator.
In the Diamond and Pearl anime, Dawn was appropriately given the ambition to become a Top Coordinator. The female protagonist of Sinnoh would participate in her regional Grand Festival just like the female protagonist of Hoenn did in the Sinnoh Grand Festival. To make their respective journeys more interesting, these two had objectives, milestones, and even competition.
How Was Iris’ Goal a Step Backward?
Iris’ objective of becoming a Dragon Pokémon Master was a step backwards in comparison to the stated objective of turning into a Top Coordinator. Once again, there are no obvious benefits to becoming a type specialist other than the rare tournament with a type theme, which did not exist in Unova. Furthermore, throughout her time with Ash, half of her team was made up of Pokémon of kinds other than Dragon. This was effective for the Coordinators since they needed to spice up their performances, but it would seem strange on a novice type expert.
Iris may have been more engaging if she had a more specific objective, like as becoming the Champion or perhaps defeating Drayden. She may have been on pace with May and Dawn if she had collected more Dragon Pokémon, engaged in more battles with Trainers who shared her objectives, and completed more actions connected to that specific aim. Georgia served as a kind of adversary for her, which is an improvement than even Misty. Making her wish to be a Champion in the anime would have been the obvious next step because she finally became one in the games.
Iris did well enough to fulfil her role, but she had the potential to be so much more. All she needed were some specific objectives and a plan of action. Thankfully, Serena would help the anime advance once again, and Iris would become the champion of Unova. Even yet, it would have been lovely to see Iris actively pursuing her goal of becoming a Champion while she was still on Ash’s journey.
Pokémon: How Iris’ Goal Was a Step Backward For the Anime
- Reference Sites:
- https://animesee.com/
- https://www.crunchyroll.com/
- https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/
- https://www.cbr.com/
