MagusN8's Pokemon Blog

"When people manage to meet, it is a gift."

[pokemagusn8]

It's very neat how Lysandre's Pokemon teams reflect different elements of his character.

(Pokedex Info: Bulbapedia)

X and Y Lysandre

Pyroar’s with the largest mane of fire are the leaders of their pride. Reflective of how Lysandre’s ambition burning the hottest out of everyone else in Team Flare.

Honchrow’s X and Y dex entries state it’s called the Summoner of Night, since its cry gathers many Murkrow to it. This reflects how Lysandre is using his claim of a conflict-free world and fear to get people to join Team Flare. If they can afford to pay $5,000,000.

When you go to stop the Ultimate Weapon, you can actually see this in effect. Plenty of Team Flare grunts are shown willing to help Lysandre. Some are even sick and tired of selfish people enough to agree with Lysandre's point of view and join Team Flare.

Above Image Source: Hawlo (YouTube)

Mienshao's dex entry says it uses rapid attacks that can’t be seen or stopped once they start.

Mienshao reflects Lysandre’s impatience. He considers the Ultimate Weapon the fastest solution to preventing corrupt humans from soiling the world in conflict. Gradual change isn’t an option to Lysandre when he believes only a handful of people can be a chosen one.

Finally, there’s Lysandre’s Gyarados. Gyarados’ overall Pokedex entries describe it as a violent Pokemon capable of destroying anything in a rage, including cities. Even in a harsh storm, its rage won’t settle until it’s destroyed everything it can. If Lysandre’s Pokemon symbolize Lysandre’s character traits, Gyarados puts into mind just how much Lysandre’s own rage burns inside his own heart to use the Ultimate Weapon.

Legends: Z-A Lysandre

Lysandre’s Pokemon team in Legends: Z-A are also reflective of his character traits, including how he's changed these past five years.  Lysandre’s only two returning friends are his Pyroar and Gyarados. The other four are newcomers: Sableye, Garbodor, Noivern, and Florges.

While two of his Pokemon are the same, the symbolism is different. Instead of being a reflection of who Lysandre is, Pyroar and Gyarados symbolize who he used to be. But at the same time, the fact that he kept these two Pokemon alongside him means that he shares a close bond with them.

This is more of a headcanon on my part, but I like to think that part of Lysandre keeping Gyarados is that it’s the first Pokemon Lysandre Mega Evolved. After all, Shauna in X and Y said herself that she believes it’s important to share with others even if it’s only a little bit, and use the trust between Lysandre and his Gyarados as an example. As well as Lysandre's other Pokemon in X and Y.

Maybe Lysandre kept those words to heart after all these years, if he remembers the Player, Calem/Serena, and Shauna. Especially when Lysandre's Z-A team reflects how Lysandre considers interior beauty, not just exterior beauty.

His Garbodor is an example of this. Garbodor is a Pokemon that smells awful, eats garbage, and is by all means not a conventionally beautiful-looking Pokemon. And yet, Lysandre didn’t let that stop him from befriending it. From considering it an ally of his. The same is true for his Sableye.

Sableye are Dark/Ghost type Pokemon that feed on pretty stones and gems, reflecting how Lysandre used to be obsessed with taking the world’s beauty for only himself and those in Team Flare. But based on Sableye’s dex entry, it's only doing what it can to survive, which isn’t something that’s always a result of morality. And because of that, Lysandre’s willing to trust this kind of Pokemon as his friend. Lysandre’s Noivern also follows this.

Noivern fly in moonless nights and attack unsuspecting prey. They’re unmatched when battling in the dark. Once again, an example of a Pokemon that’s just doing what it can to survive by what it is in nature. Something that isn't always a case of good or bad morals. Though Noivern also symbolizes how Lysandre once lived in the darkness of his own thoughts and emotions. But now, Lysandre’s able to see the light and move forward with faith in humanity. This becomes clearer with Lysandre’s final Pokemon, Florges.

Florges are said to create and reside in extravagant gardens. Their Ultra Moon dex entry states they devote their lives to protecting gardens and have a life span of several hundred years. Florges in Z-A have different entries for their flower color, with one for Lysandre’s Red Flower form stating that their flower gardens release a power that heals both body and spirit. Being a Pokemon who creates gardens, has a protective nature, and can heal someone's body and spirit through their flowers, Florges is a Pokemon who exudes both external and internal beauty. Something Lysandre now sees in people and Pokemon. Lysandre shows this side of him when he’s down to just his Gyarados, saying “Look at how we cooperate, people and Pokemon. Perhaps there is a beauty to this world.”

It's amazing how a Pokemon team can reflect two different sides of the same character! Do let me what you think of Lysandre, and the symbolism in his teams!

But if you want to see a deeper dive into Lysandre's character, I highly reccommend watching my video essay on Lysandre's character growth from Pokemon X and Y to Legends: Z-A!

Here's the link!: How Pokemon Legends: Z-A Changed Lysandre From A Dark Elitist To A Tragic Idealist

If you read all the way to end, thanks so much!

[pokemagusn8]

Since mythical Pokemon are now being used more for the games and anime episodes, it raises the question of whether or not Pokemon Movies will ever be a thing again.

Because let's be honest here: Most of them exist just to promote a new mythical, regardless of quality or actually trying to tell a story more unique or interesting than a regular anime episode.

Looking at you, Keldeo, Diancie and Hoopa movie.

But if we're switching protagonists from now on, I think this could potentially be a good way to make the movies a unique event beyond just shoving in a new Mythical Pokemon:

Have the movies from now on be events where the current and previous anime protags team up

I think there's plenty of advantages to doing this:

1. It's bringing something new for the current anime (that being a new movie), while remembering and embracing the previous anime. Maybe even showing us what the previous protags are doing and how they've been nowadays.

2. It'd be a good way of appealing to and enticing fans of the new anime, old anime, and fans who like both.

3. You won't need to rely on another new Mythical Pokmon to draw in curiosity for the movie. That's not to say having the movies be about Mythicals is bad, using a Mythical is fine. The issue is the movies only existed just to promote Mythicals, to the point where making a movie to promote them became a tradition until Gen 9 (The last Mythical to get a movie was Zarude for Gen 8, iirc).

The other point of the movies is to explain lore on the Mythicals, but... that doesn't work all that well when the anime's never gonna revisit what the movies explain. Plus most of what we're told in the movies is exclusive to the films and never explored in the games in any way. From Gen 6 to 8, the most we'd get of a Mythical is a brief summary from a store clerk who gives it to us. Neither is doing a good job of making the Mythical feel special on either side.

Thankfully, Gen 9 does seem to be taking Mythicals in the right direction again, like with that whole Pecharunt event and Legends Z-A (no spoilers since the dlc is still new atm, but if you know, you know)

But with the games doing more with the Mythicals nowadays, the movies have lost the one unique thing they were purposely made to do: Promote the Mythicals. So now, they need something else to make them stand out.

Protagonist crossovers can be that unique thing.

A couple of anime films based on anime series actually do that. The Precure movies pretty much revolve around previous protagonists teaming up with the main characters of the current anime.

Yugioh also had a movie like this, called Bonds Beyond Time. Yugi, Jayden, and Yusei team up in that film.

On top of that, Pokemon has done protagonist crossover before, in minor or major ways. From meeting Red on top of Mount Silver in the Johto games, to Pokemon Adventures incorporating previous protagonists into plots of future stories sometimes.

I'm not saying this will happen, but imagine this if there was a hypothetical Gen 9 movie with protag crossover in mind:

There's a new big bad, maybe some kind of member of the Explorers who we've never seen before. Their plan involves both past and future Paradox Pokemon, including Koraidon and Miraidon. You've got the Rising Volt Tacklers and Ash (and whatever new or old companions he has, if they give him any) teaming up to take on this new threat. Then the climax of the film is Liko using Miraidon and Ash using Koraidon to take on whatever this new threat is using (like a certain Mega at the end of Mega Dimension)

Sure, there isn't a new Mythical, but the idea of a Pokemon film where the new and previous main characters team up is something the films have never done before, can easily get away with, and is unique enough to where it doesn't need to rely on promoting a new Mythical.

Chances are this'll probably never happen, but I do think protag crossover would be a great away making the movies unique and relevant again without over-relying on new Mythicals to drum up hype.

But I'd love to get to know what you all think! And thanks so much if you read this all the way through!