What If Ash Ketchum Got Hitmonchan In Pokémon Anime

[Bartmanhomer]

Ok I thought of something that is so amazing. What if Ash Ketchum got Hitmonchan The Ultimate Punching Machine equivalent to One Punch Man. Would the Pokémon Anime Series changed for better or worse or no effect at all?

[Kitten Champion]

No effect at all, for the same reason as the other threads you've made postulating different starters for the anime. The series is based on an episode-to-episode and season-to-season formula which isn't incumbent on Ash having a specific Pokemon to begin with. Unless you give him a Pokemon that's sufficiently overpowered as to undermine his role as an underdog and novice trainer who has to learn, grow, and catch new Pokemon on basic narrative grounds -- which Hitmonchan is not.

Hitmonchan has counters and weaknesses, and isn't in-fiction or within the game demonstrably overpowered like Saitama. It's different from Pikachu certainly but those are superficial details which aren't relevant in terms of how Pokemon is written at the end of the day.

Though Hitmonchan would make a fairly poor mascot for Pokemon as a franchise. So, on a meta-level the series would be hurt.

[Tvtyrant]

It would be a big hit for the franchise.

[Knaight]

Ok I thought of something that is so amazing.
There's nothing amazing about it.


What if Ash Ketchum got Hitmonchan The Ultimate Punching Machine equivalent to One Punch Man.
They're not remotely equivalent. Hitmonchan is a reasonable combatant, but largely unexceptional - much like Pikachu. For One Punch Man the entire point is that he just wins fights effortlessly, and his struggles come from everything else. They're suitable for fundamentally different narrative arcs, and that's what matters.


Would the Pokémon Anime Series changed for better or worse or no effect at all?
The scenes would need to use different animations to portray basically the same scenes. Nothing of substance changes.

[Lord Raziere]

Yeah, pretty much what kitten champion said.

a more relevant what if would be something like "what if Ash wanted to be a Pokemon Ranger" or Pokemon Professor or Pokemon Coordinator because then it would impact what Ash actually journeys for, what places he goes to and things he does to fulfill that dream, as well as what he uses his pokemon for, and what pokemon he meets and what their relationship with him is.

heck, what'd be more relevant is whether Ash is female or not, because that would at the very least impact how Erika would see him/her in Celadon.

[Bartmanhomer]

Yeah, pretty much what kitten champion said.

a more relevant what if would be something like "what if Ash wanted to be a Pokemon Ranger" or Pokemon Professor or Pokemon Coordinator because then it would impact what Ash actually journeys for, what places he goes to and things he does to fulfill that dream, as well as what he uses his pokemon for, and what pokemon he meets and what their relationship with him is.

heck, what'd be more relevant is whether Ash is female or not, because that would at the very least impact how Erika would see him/her in Celadon.

Everybody know that Ash is male. So that answers your question then.

[Lord Raziere]

Everybody know that Ash is male. So that answers your question then.

Yes.

Nevertheless IF he was female, that would impact how Erika sees him and affect the series more than having a Hitmonchan as a starter.

[Kid Jake]

The only starter Pokemon that I could see affecting the series would be Ditto. Then instead of using the same attack every episode it would have been about discovering the ins and outs of each critter he encounters.

[Lord Raziere]

The only starter Pokemon that I could see affecting the series would be Ditto. Then instead of using the same attack every episode it would have been about discovering the ins and outs of each critter he encounters.

Which could've been to the series benefit really. Ditto would be the best pokemon for Ash want to be a pokemon master, because then he'd have this "do your pokemon better than you do" thing go on, its not as if he cares about type advantage anyways. Ditto is a simple, a mascot that you could see all others through with, and Ash would have to become smart to keep winning every time.

[137beth]

Everybody know that Ash is male. So that answers your question then.

But everyone also knows that Ash starts with a Pikachu. You started the thread by proposing a change to the series, and Raziere proposed a different change.

[Knaight]

Yes.

Nevertheless IF he was female, that would impact how Erika sees him and affect the series more than having a Hitmonchan as a starter.

Assuming that Erika didn't just become Erik anyways. Still, for all that plot likely wouldn't change I'd expect changes in characterization given that there are definite gender trends in characterization in the Pokemon series.

[Kitten Champion]

It's hard to say what making Ash a girl would mean in general. A lot of the anime adheres to pretty standard gender conventions - for Japan at least - particularly with its female characters. So, you'd probably get a number of notable changes to Ash's character, especially in terms of mannerisms and her interests.

It would also substantively change their approach from Gen 3 onward, because May/Dawn/Serena are designed mostly around having a female counter-part to Ash aimed to appeal directly to the girls in the audience. Which, they'd probably be replaced with the then-generation's Boy main character and made rivals with Ash getting a costume change to match the Girl MC, and Ash would be given different companions.

[137beth]

Okay, how about this: What if Bartmanhomer was Ash's starter pokemon?!? How would that change the series?

[Bartmanhomer]

Okay, how about this: What if Bartmanhomer was Ash's starter pokemon?!? How would that change the series?

LOL! Good one. :smile: