Some character notes and episode notes for HZ096, writing them down for future reference.
Quick summary of the episode.
Liko and Roy go to Fusube City with Uruto to look for Rayquaza clues, as Dot found a post about someone claiming they saw a black Rayquaza a year ago in the mountains.
They come across two gangs and save Pokemon from a poacher. After witnessing their heroic deeds, the Dragon Biker gang they met earlier eventually lead them to Rayquaza, whom they’ve been protecting for a year.
At the end of the episode, Liko and Roy decide to head to Paldea with Uruto to meet up with Dot.
A few things to note about this episode.
Uruto’s parallels to other characters in the series (specifically the kids who represent the younger generation: Liko, Roy, Dot, Amethio) is something that stood out to me. His character has elements from Roy’s story (they both have a special Pokeball which is important to them and an interest in Rayquaza), Dot’s story (Liko tried to reach out to them and it took time for Dot and Uruto to warm up to her, food was used as a means to get them to open up), Amethio’s story (the desire for acknowledgment and recognition by someone who seems important to them). This amalgamation of elements is interesting, and it helps me understand Uruto’s position in the group. He is meant to be younger than Liko and Roy. Uruto interacting with them shows that Liko and Roy went from learners to teachers and that he still has room for growth. It’s probably why they decided to introduce a new character to the group after the timeskip. Not only does Uruto shake up the group dynamics, but his presence highlights that Liko and Roy have grown and that they are more mature compared to Uruto. Liko and Roy are traveling without the adults this time and Friede, their mentor, is literally out of the narrative and they need to handle things without him. Uruto is probably meant to emphasize all these aspects and to be the younger character who will learn from Liko and Roy.
Uruto and Liko.. Really liked their entire talk at night while they were making pancakes together. Their talk by the fire reminded me of Liko and Amethio opening up to each other about themselves in HZ065 (which adds another similarity between Uruto and Amethio, as they both opened up to Liko specifically). It emphasizes the importance of communication too, and Liko’s words that “there are things you’ll never know if you don’t hear people out” remain true. It was the case with Amethio then, and it’s the case with Uruto now. Liko wanted to know more about Uruto’s reasons to befriend Rayquaza and she was interested in him.. Uruto opened up to her a bit, so she managed to reach out to him to some extent. Similarly to Roy, Uruto has a Pokeball which is important to him, which is a Dusk Ball. It’s what he is holding in the opening. Uruto wants to get stronger to be acknowledged by someone, and he is saying this while holding his Dusk Ball. He may have a second Pokemon who won’t come out of his Pokeball for some reason, or at least, that’s what I’m gathering from his scene.
I liked the interactions between Liko and Uruto in general.. Liko wanted to make him feel included and to spend time with him. Liko scolded Uruto for being reckless and didn’t mince her words. She let other things slide in this episode because she is not the type to get angry over small stuff, but when it really mattered, she told Uruto what he needed to hear and was direct with her words. She reminded Uruto that he wanted to be the strongest, but added that he would never achieve that with his current behavior, because he thinks he can handle everything by himself and that is not true strength. Uruto listened to her and took her seriously too. He didn’t act like he didn’t need her advice. He listened and changed his behavior accordingly. I like it, because it shows he is willing to learn and that he isn’t too arrogant? Liko listened to his story and took him seriously, and in turn, Uruto listened to her when it mattered too.
I think it was interesting when Uruto told Liko to stop the Pokemon’s movements too (which was the first time Uruto said her name too). It means Uruto paid attention to her and her battle style and remembered that Masquernya is skilled at immobilizing Pokemon. He noticed things about Liko and kept them in mind, too. I thought it was cute as hell how Uruto warmed up to Liko at the end and called her a friend, too. A bit like his development in this episode was a faster version of what we got with Amethio and Dot (opening up to someone else, and eventually calling them your friend in each case). I wonder if this means Uruto will not be embarrassed towards Liko anymore? I thought it was cute when he was awkward around her (it shows that he is not as tough as he thinks he is, among other things). But I guess it can’t always be like that if they are going to be friends now.
I want to mention the scene when Uruto ate all the pancakes, too. Uruto genuinely didn’t know they were for breakfast and he felt like it would be a shame to leave leftovers when they were so delicious.. I thought it was kinda sweet of him, because he wanted to finish his own plate and leave nothing on it as an appreciation for those who cooked? It wasn’t something he did with ill will. He didn’t know, and he was surprised when Roy told him they were supposed to be for breakfast and he was embarrassed when he was scolded by Roy. He doubled down on his “you should be the ones accommodating me” because he had no retort and he knew he was wrong, but he wasn’t going to admit it that easily.. Which also shows the differences in how he reacts to Roy vs how he reacts to Liko (he is a bit prideful and stubborn with Roy, but he was willing to admit he was wrong when Liko scolded him for acting on his own later).
Uruto and Roy.. Probably things I already mentioned before, but I like that we get to see sides of Roy we don’t usually see around Uruto. It’s kinda interesting too because for once, I’m not exactly sure how Roy feels about someone. I wonder how he truly feels about Uruto? He is used to him and seems to guess what’s on his mind without needing to be told about it.. Like, he knew Uruto was embarrassed about getting lost and that he’d eventually come down the tree, which is why he decided to leave him be. Meanwhile, Liko wasn’t sure if she did something wrong to upset Uruto, which showed that she didn’t really know him yet. At the same time though, Uruto seems to affect Roy a little.. in a negative way, maybe? But I’m not sure if “negative” is the right word either.. Roy is comfortable enough with Uruto to do a fist bump with him very naturally, but he is also quite done with him at times. Honestly, I wonder how they met and why Uruto wanted to stick together with Roy.
Other things that stood out to me in the episode.. Dot’s current reactions/reluctance(? not sure if that’s the right word, it comes off a bit too strong putting it like that but I don’t have any other word coming to mind right now to describe it) towards Uruto. In the previous episode (HZ095), she commented “is he all right?” when Uruto decided he’d travel alongside Liko and Roy because he was worried about them. And in this episode, she seemed surprised he was coming too when they all decided to meet up in Circle Town in Paldea. Dot’s reactions bounce off Roy’s pretty well too since Roy is quite blunt and sometimes judgmental towards Uruto. I think it’s neat, because it adds a new layer to Roy and Dot’s dynamics in a way.
I like that there are different reactions towards Uruto because he is a new addition to the group and most of them don’t actually know him? Roy has known him for a while and has a history with him the way Liko and Dot don’t, and he has his own dynamics with him. He can argue with him but at the same time, both of them seem to know each other well when it comes to battles. Liko wants to know more about Uruto and they are gradually becoming friends. As the protagonist, she is the one who gets to ask him questions to make Uruto open up so she, as a character, and us, as the audience, can know more about him and get glimpses of his circumstances. Roy is already familiar with Uruto (and possibly his past and circumstances?), so he can’t do that in his position.
On the other hand, Dot doesn’t seem to take Uruto into account when she plans things with Liko and Roy (she was surprised he’d come along, etc). There are different levels of acceptance when it comes to Uruto. In a way, it reminds me a bit of Dot’s reaction when Amethio teamed up with the trio in HZ088. At some point in the battle, Dot gave instructions to both Liko and Roy, but she didn’t say anything to Amethio. Liko agreed to team up with Amethio and both Roy and Dot followed her opinion (and even looked at her when Amethio suggested it, because they were waiting for Liko to give her approval), but it didn’t mean she knew Amethio or his battle style that well to take him into account in her plans? It also reminds me of Dot’s behavior in HZ054 when Ann met up with the trio on their way back to Orange Academy. Roy got along with Ann quickly and they even had a high five, but Dot didn’t really talk to her. I think all these instances show that it takes time for Dot to get used to people who aren’t Liko or Roy (which doesn’t mean she is not capable of making friends on her own because that’s not true either, since she befriended Botan and knows Nanjamo really well too and these are bonds she made for herself and by herself, independently of her friendships with Liko and Roy). It’s not that she dislikes them or anything, it’s just that if she doesn’t know people on a personal level, it’s going to take time for her to warm up to them, which is realistic. She wasn’t exactly used to Ann or Amethio, and now it’s the same thing with Uruto. It makes me curious about how they’ll both interact once Dot meets Uruto in person and starts physically traveling with the group again.
I also really liked that Dot suggested meeting up with Murdock in person to discuss what their next move should be.. Cool moment of growth for her, because she used to find Murdock overwhelming and she wasn’t sure how to open up to her family but now her relationship with Blanca and Murdock improved. I think they both tried to understand her, but even on Dot’s side, she wants to take that step and meet them in the middle? Her mother has a completely different personality from her, but Dot still showed at the beginning of the arc that she wanted her to understand what “streaming” is. Murdock is protective of her, but I think Dot can see where he is coming from now. She considers him trustworthy and reliable, and she wants to consult him and asks him for advice. I like that Murdock is the first person coming to mind for Dot when she thinks about who they should turn to in this current situation. Also, the mention of Murdock working with Kaede is a nice bit of continuity with Terastal Debut (and again, it shows that Dot and Murdock are in contact offscreen because she knows what he is doing currently). I wonder if we’ll see Kaede again, and maybe other Gym Leaders from Paldea? (I really liked Grusha and Liko’s arc, so what if they met again)
Rayquaza.. I didn’t expect to meet him so early in this arc. I wonder if Fusube City holds special significance for him? Did Rayquaza go there in the past, which is why he knew that there would be people who could protect him in time of need? Rayquaza chose to go there to rest, so I think such a choice is special.. Rayquaza waking up thanks to Pagogo reminds me of how Lucius was awakened by Gibeon’s Zygarde when he was sealed in the Rakurium. Something about the fact that their bonds are what allows them to go forward? (also makes me a bit emo on the Lucius/Rystal side of things because Pagogo was Rystal’s partner and Pagogo’s very presence is what makes Lucius’s partner awaken.. I really like the bond between Pagogo and Rayquaza) Also, the parallel between Pagogo and Rayquaza who both had to rest for a year makes me wonder if Zygarde also needed rest after Rakua..? Though Zygarde wasn’t involved in trying to purify the Rakurium, which is what seemed to take so much energy from Pagogo and the Six Heroes, so maybe it’s a bit different in Zygarde’s case.
Either way, I like that Rayquaza is allowed to be vulnerable and to need rest at all? Rayquaza is a legendary Pokemon but he is portrayed as a full being with feelings instead of a distant all-powerful entity, and I find his portrayal endearing and it makes it easy to get attached to him. We get the feeling that Rakua was a difficult experience for Rayquaza (Lucius’s death, purifying the Rakurium which took a lot of energy, the other Heroes Pokemon were all affected by the Rakurium and went berserk and Rayquaza had to stall for time and fight them, etc), so he still needs some rest before coming back into action. I also found it meaningful that Rayquaza listened to Uruto and looked at him.. I think Rayquaza was able to sense the kind of person Uruto is and knew that Uruto was trying to encourage him clumsily, and acknowledged him in his own way by listening to his words.
Something, something about the manipulation of truth and the fabrication of narratives, which has been something constant in this arc. Spinel lying about the RVT, Nyabiko lying about seeing Rayquaza, and in this episode, the Dragon Gang spread lies about themselves and their intentions and manipulated the truth so that no one would bother them and find Rayquaza. They didn’t care about their own reputation and made themselves look like bad guys so they could fulfill their roles and do something they thought was just and the right thing to do (ie, protecting a Pokemon)? Something about spreading rumors/lying with bad intentions vs with good intentions, and how the truth isn’t necessarily what you think it might be?
I feel a bit bad because I support Roy's dream and if Uruto's dream is the same as Roy’s, these two are in conflict and I can't fully give my support to Uruto knowing that I want Rayquaza to choose Roy as his new partner and that I’ve been cheering on Roy from the beginning of the series to fulfill his dream. I want to support Uruto too, but I don’t think I can fully do that currently. I feel conflicted. I am curious about how the narrative will approach this specifically. I don’t want either character to be downplayed in the process of the story unraveling if one of them becomes Rayquaza’s partner (and that will be Roy, as things stand). I don’t want a “winner” or a “loser” in this specific case (and Rayquaza is not a trophy to win anyway, he is a full being who should be able to make his own choices and choose his partner for himself). I wouldn’t like it. I am speculating that Uruto’s deal may not be about Rayquaza specifically (though I do wonder why he is interested in this specific Pokemon in the first place), because this episode gave me the feeling that he thinks he will be acknowledged (by his potential second Pokemon?) if he is the strongest.. So if Rayquaza is really strong and Uruto befriends him, then he will be validated as someone strong as well, and gain the acknowledgment of whoever he wants validation from. Rayquaza doesn’t seem to be the end goal here, but one of the steps for his end goal of “getting validation from [?]”? Maybe Uruto will reframe his way of trying to get recognition, and he will get that in other ways. He is already slowly reframing his meaning of being the strongest thanks to Liko’s words. I’m not sure how they’ll go at it.
Pokemon moments I liked: Lucario being done with Achigator who was too full to move an inch was fun, I thought it showed his personality a bit (Lucario is lacking individual moments so far, and I hope he’ll have more so we get an idea of who he is).
Masquernya being jealous of Uruto and showing her possessive side with Liko. I think it’s fun that this side of her still shows through in moments like these. Masquernya protecting the eggs. She immediately jumped to cover them with her body and it felt so natural for her to do so? I think she is the coolest.
Uruto calling Yamirami a “traitor” was funny and I think it really shows their close bond. I am really liking Yamirami’s characterization so far. There are lots of fun bits and he feels very much like an independent being? Like, he came down to eat the pancakes while Uruto stayed on the tree out of embarrassment. He just did his own thing without Uruto.
Overall, I liked Uruto and Liko’s moments. There is lots of intrigue around Uruto (the Dusk Ball) and I’m genuinely invested and I want to know more about him. His character is quite surprising to me because I feel like he defies my expectations in a refreshing way? He acts tough but deep down, he is a good kid who cares about Pokemon (I really liked the moment when he said he wouldn’t forgive anyone who hurts Pokemon, it shows who he is at his core). He is willing to admit his mistakes and correct his behavior when he needs to. I wonder how his character will connect to the current mysteries surrounding the Explorers.
