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@@VolticWind yeah, that's why I don't feel the hyped when ash won alola. To me it was just another orange island thing (but with better story and animation).
What makes XYZ standout is its well thought out plot, great development for characters (specifically Ash and Greninja), and its lack of filler episodes unlike the previous 2 seasons of XY.
Absolutely. I'd say that one of X & Y's biggest weak points is the filler episodes. Very disappointing how there's so many, especially since each ones of those episodes had potential to be a lot more interesting.
Ngl I loved some of the filler episodes. It might just be nostalgia but there were some bangers in there. The mirror cave, the pokeball factory, the gadget festival/escape room, and the Malamar hypnosis episode are all great. I think a big part of this is just how fun it was for me to see the cast interact as it always made me smile. Definitely need to rewatch these sometime soon.
Ash’s story arc was peak. He felt older, more matured. He failed, but got depressed. You saw how he was affected by his failures. He grew a bond with his Pokémon strong enough to rival mega Pokémon. He fought in the battle with his Pokémon, feeling the damage and having complete understanding between them. It’s sad to see Ash go now, but honestly, he probably should’ve left sooner, sun and moon just made him feel like an inexperienced child again. Watching the two shows back to back is jarring, making you appreciate XYZ even more. It truly was beautiful and how I choose to remember Ash in the end.
I’m glad you even mentioned the part where ash acts inexperienced like when he was catching galarian Pokémon (idr what it was called) he was making mistakes like he was in the indigo league and it made me a lil mad
XY felt like a love letter to longtime fans because of how Ash here really felt like he had matured as a person and trainer due to his journeys so far. And the attitude of other characters towards him reflects this, most notably that of Clemont, Sawyer and Serena who saw him as a role model and that helped in their own growth as characters. And Ash's battles here also reflected his maturity due to how clever and strategic he was throughout the series.
I think it helps that the XY series was the last traditional journey Ash went on before things became a lot more episodic and goofy. It was truly the last time that you could take him seriously.
*Why I think XY(&Z) was so popular:* 1. Ash was portrayed like a teenager with experience instead of a 10 year old boy that knew nothing of pokémon. 2. The animation was at it's best, every battle, scene, moment & detail was outstandingly done. It really felt like an anime. 3. There wasn't a lot of filler, and if there was, most had character development or were funny episodes in-between. 4. Amourshipping was a big thing and even the writers of the series later on confirmed that Ash & Serena would get married. 5. Ash's team was really great and all of them had at least some episodes where they really shine. 6. All of the gym battles were amazing, even better than Diamond & Pearl and Black & White. 7. Mega Evolution is such a great concept and the X & Y games were amazing as well. Most designs were really nice. 8. Greninja became more & more popular through the series with SSB4. Olympia's vision & Ash-Greninja later on only helped. 9. The music of both in-game and of the series were outstanding, next to Black & White the best we ever gotten. 10. All side-characters were explored and had a role. Even smaller side-characters like Shauna, Tierno & Trevor got explained. 11. Team Flare wasn't anything like Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic or Plasma, they really wanted to destroy the world. 12. Everyone was hyped in the battle between Ash & Sawyer & Ash vs Alain. If Ash won the Kalos League, the world would've known it.
@@EWOODJ Look on the internet for Tetsu Yajima interview, you'll find out. Also Satoshi Tajiri himself said 'might' so for him it's a possibility, depending on the writers, Tajiri is only the director, not the writer.
The art style debate never really came up until Sun and Moon was revealed with a radically different style and more animation friendly character designs
@@crestofhonor2349 No one on the internet is gonna bring up Pokemon's art style without something to compare it to. While the ones before XY/Z weren't that bad at the time of their inception that it didn't really warrant a comparison that would get tons of people to discuss it, the Sun/Moon art style was such a step away from the usual art style that people instantly took notice of it. If it was a good art style in the general public's opinion, then you wouldn't be hearing people talk about it or XY/Z's as much; but the general public opinion from what I'm always hearing around the internet is that the art style is a total turn off for most people. Once you have something you think is bad, you'll start to compare it to something similar that you think is good or the best.
i think the art style helps, but this is also clearly veteran ash now, from his first interaction in kalos he already knows so much more then his other series counterparts where he regressed back to basics
i will never ever forget my 12 year old selfs extreme hype for alola anime after this, and i remember the intro getting leaked, and being super confused why they were singing about having fun in the sun after having the most badass pokemon intro in the season before that
not watched it since so i have no clue what its like, hearing that ash won the league annoyed me so much, he could of just won in XYZ lol@@SirFoolsworth_chknsndwch
even though its been years and years, the immeasurable disappointment kid-me felt seeing the new alolan ash design compared to his x and y design is something i'll never forget
@@alexfrostwalker 100% agree I git hooked by pokmeon because I watched the black and white anime and continued to XY and XYZ, seeing sun and moon made me stop watching pokemon because the artsyle seems too different and it doesn't attract me to watch ut so I just skipped and continued to the journeys instead
This style is the best, but I think people don’t realize how hard it becomes to animate with more complex character designs. The simplistic style of SM allowed for much more fluid animation than XYZ did
xy and xyz was my first time seeing pokemon on tv when it was being aired and i agree with all this. ash looked like he had matured and the transition from black and white to xy with ash being on the plane to fly over to kalos really made me feel like all of the series beinf one complete timeline was being acknowledged by pokemon (the company).
The XYZ Anime will forever be the peak of Pokemon for me. Ash Greninja was just fire and the characters were all insanely good like Korrina and her Lucario Ragdolling pikachu in his mega evolved form, that was cool asf.
The fight scenes alone carried the series for me. Every fight reminded me of typical Shonen anime with how well animated it was. And as soon as either battle bond/ mega evolution came up it was a whole new level with how powerful each attack was.
Espcially if you watch the Kalos league battles with the Japanese music. The Ash greninja song it 100 percent more better in their version and it made the battles have you as a fan on the edge of your seat.
Also Serena's popularity should probably at least have a shout out. That definitely mattered at the time it was coming out when I was following the anime.
she was peak, she wasnt useless she had her personality and the ash serena dynamic was SO GOOD i actually miss that a lot from xy that ash serena dynamic is so incredible it pushed me to rewatch it. and the fact that she had a talent and dream doesnt make her just like any other ash companion.
@@Omega-XSerena is probably second favorite female companion. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life but we went on that journey with her. Her growth as a performer and as a character felt natural with all the ups and downs that she went through. Her failure at her first performance was heart breaking but she didn’t whine or complain. She picked herself up and showed that she wanted to learn and grow from it to become better.
I will never forget the sheer disappointment I felt when I saw the trailer for sun and moon!!! I actually thought it was fanmade until I realized it was real. Everything I liked about XYZ was removed in Sun and Moon, the animation felt like a downgrade despite still being fairly good, in XY Ash finally felt like a mature character and they threw it down the drain in every way, with not only character design, but just his entire personality. I had a lot of hope for the final pokemon series with Ash to be like XY, but I was still disappointed :(
Did u even watch sun and moon? There were some moments in the series that are double xy’s maturity, i won’t spoil it, please give it a chance. I too was turned off by its art style and the first 20 episodes were horrible but it became really good in the later series.
@oscarzhan1435 I watched all of it, but it felt really episodic at times, like things they did didn't matter half the time. it was decent overall and was pretty good sometimes but in my opinion didn't hit the spot xy did, or maybe I was just older and didn't appreciate it for what it was idk
@@oscarzhan1435 The darker and more "mature themes" of Sun and Moon felt entirely overshadowed by how silly and childish the rest of the series felt. If they wanted to drive home deep and touching points, it would have done better in a series like XYZ that was more mature overall. I see the argument all the time of Sun and Moon supporters defending the series with their life and while we're all entitled to our opinions, half the time SM supporters feel like they can't respect people who disliked the series. Their argument is always "But it had mature themes in it!" but neglect to consider how those themes are overshadowed by how unserious the rest of the series became. I have no issue with people liking the series, but I wish SM fans would learn to respect other fans as well when we say we didn't like it.
@@dinosaur8682First off I wanted to say that I was definitely respecting him and I was by no means hurting his feelings. Yes if they wanted maturity overall, they should watch xy but the maturity was more in general rather than the extra deep and touching moments in Sun and Moon. Even though it didn’t have overall maturity, some episodes had double the maturity of an average xy episode. And our arguement is most definitely not “But it had mature themes in it!”, but I have to admit it is more of “Nah you just didn’t watch the series because of the artstyle”. Why do we think this? Well it’s really because it is partially true, many people are put off by the series because of the art style and its goofiness and then proceed to put hate about it. Even tho I do prefer XY over Sun and Moon, I have to say that the amount of bashing Sun and Moon fans got from XY stans was really unnecessary, because like you said, some fans really need to learn to respect other fans when they said that they don’t like it. I could go on and on about the tonal backlash and how the audience for Sun and Moon where all XY fans rather than the audience that they were targeted at (10 year olds lol), which all really hurt its ratings. Anyways I just wanted to make sure that he actually watched it, which is like the first step to getting your opinion valid.
XY was my first ever Pokemon anime series back when I was about six or seven, and it holds a special place in my heart for that. I always loved watching Ash just generally be so cool even when he wasn’t battling. It’s because of this series that Kalos always has and will be my favourite region, and it’s why I just love Pokemon so much ❤️❤️
XY is what got me into pokemon. The writing of the human characters was what caught my eye, which is why I pay more attention to the people than the pokemon. Clemont is my favorite pokemon anime character just because I relate to him so much as an older sibling myself.
3 reasons as to why I think it was popular was: 1. The animation style 2. Introduction to the first pokemon gimmick - Mega Evolutions and finally.... *ahem... *clears throat, *applies mouth spray, *wears a suit SERENAAAA !! And also, the best villain arc ever... like ever... ever ever... Looking back, villain arc in BW and XY were so cool, and now we beat up random kids and call them villain, they really went downhill huh? Edits: 1. Oh yeah, greninja, how could I forget about it as a competitive battler (probably because it's ability was nerfed to oblivion) 2. I subscribed, now where is my hug?
I find it weird calling it "like an anime." Most anime you see are catered to more mature audiences. Doremon and Crayon Sin Chan are both an anime but both are considered children's show. Because anime is just Japanese word for animation. We call it anime because the animation is from there.
Thx for reminding me of the PEAK Pokémon days of ash greninja, Sereana and ash’s relationship, ash’s maturity, and just an all around good anime. Xy and XYZ will forever be PEAK I love it and it’s movies ❤
Pokémon XY&Z was what truly got me into Pokémon. It was my first experience with the anime, and was ultimately what got me hooked. I feel weird saying that Pokémon changed my life, but that’s the honest truth. Sorry for getting a little emotional there, but thank you for making this. It’s crazy to see how one series impacted so many different people. You got yourself a sub with this one.
You don't have to apologize for anything shows like these are so good that left you simple but strong message like never give up that could help anyone who is going through many problems or any sort of thing in life and I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees XY as a show that changed many peoples lives.
If we ever get an x and y remake they should make battle bond forms for the other starters or at least mega evolution. because the other starters are completely overshadowed
HOLY SHIT I HAD THE SAME IDEA, they could also even add the hoopa ring thingy so we could get all the legendaries, a diancie or volcanion post game, new places to explore, an actually story focused on zygarde (they could completely revamp the story), maybe a bit new pokemon, and more mega evolutions, thats all i could ever want, xy was my firts ever pokemon game it will always have a special place in my heart ❤
@@aaryaaswadhati5525The Pokémon company can introduce the Pokémon Z version likewise there were third versions in other generations. They can add more mega evolutions like sinnoh starters. And that game can actually focus on fractions between two legendaries and Zygarde too. Actually the post game of xy really sucks. Back in those days I actually was hoping for the Pokémon Z version.
What made me watch XY&Z after not having watched the Pokemon anime in many years was that amazing opening. It's incredible how energetic that song is and because of how much I was working out in my late teens i listened to it at an almost daily basis
I think what made these series standout most is Ash. we all wanted to see our boy Ash become this mature pokemon trainer and we got that. He was brave, fierce and he knew how to handle himself when it came to the battles and the whole Ash-Greninja was awsome to see. Also i think the characters around Ash also helped a lot, we had Serena who was just in complete awe of Ash and Clemont who I belive was the best male companion since Brock and don't get me wrong I love Brock but I feel brock acted like an older brother to ash whereas with Ash and Clemont it was like a bromance. Also another character that I thought had good development is Sawyer, watching Sawyer battle ash in the league was amazing in fact it was like watching two Ash's battle against each other.. I still think to this day the xyz series should have been Ash's first league win or better yet I wouldn't have mind if Sawyer would have won. And the animation was fantastic I remember watching the trailer and I was like woah is this pokemon
Idk man Paul was like an emo character put in the series only to push Ash to surpass him or make his emo side go away. Bro acted that way only because his brother lost and gave up whom he admired a lot. He was strong and rude, but nothing more than that. He was more like an anti-hero/villain than a rival to Ash.
@@Ming-f5k That's exactly what they were going for with paul. To push ash to his limits and get stronger and open his eyes. If you look online you would see that paul is the favorite rival by miles. And some explain better why paul is so popular.
@@Doggof2p can't argue with that, at least Paul had an ambition and a reason for the way he acted not like Trip from Unova who had 0 reasons for the way he acted 😭😭.
Xyz was awesome for so many reasons. Amorshipping is still pretty big, the animetors even brought serena back in journeys and made a great Gaspy ref. The only thing I think fans are disappointed with is the fact that ash didn’t become a champion in that end of that region. But it’s so obvious they weren’t done with ash 😊
Ash WAS going to win the Kalos League, but the official writing team went on a seasonal recess to enjoy personal time and to come up with possible ideas for the upcoming Sun and Moon anime. Something to note; every generation of the Pokemon anime is led by different staff of writers. The XY/Z writing staff would become the first recurring staff due to how well written, produced, choreographed, and directed the anime was. However, the anime would see great demand for the XYZ anime during the recess, so to meet that demand, the Pokemon Company brought back experienced writers from Black and White to continue the Kalos league until the recess was over. The original writers hadn't shared with this new team of writers what they had in mind for the Kalos League finale. It wasn't until afterwards that they came and said Ash was going to win the league in the original script. Once Ash lost, the Pokemon company was receiving massive threats, mostly amongst the Japanese community, for their dumb decision. The anime saw a drastic decline after the league which sucks because the Zygarde/Team Flare arc was really good.
When you rewatch x and y 10 or 11 years old you can’t deny the hype for the show still is there especially with the public which is crazy and I was age 14 years old
I had a xyz fanacc, 2016 was such a peak experience the community and friends I made are memories I'll never forget I literally remember everyone watching the last eps around the same time during its release and crying together, good times and good video man
honestly as a writer it felt surprisingly seeing how much growth all the characters had in xyz it was a very fun serious to watch :) (also great vid pokee!)
I grew up with the original series. During the lockdowns, I binged Pokémon XY/XYZ. Since that time, I’ve casually watched all the other seasons. XY/XYZ is truly the best the Pokémon anime every has been and has the best English dub.
This series in particular always had a special place in my heart growing up watching it. It was a series that really made the pokemon anime itself feel like it was actually an anime, and I think that truly meant something. The character designs (ash's design especially was like the peak of his design and nothing will ever come close to it in my opinion), the character development with most noticeably being Serena's and I personally think she had the best in the show, the humor, the pokemon fights and the action, the animation, the way the plot and pacing was handled, everything about it made this series what it deserved to be and it meshed so well amongst other factors even for its time. Characters like Clemont and Bonnie as well who were characters you would just genuinely feel so happy seeing on screen and exploring their own story that they brought to the table. I don't think I can recall any other series having this level of quality put into it and I'm so glad people are appreciating it for what it is. I must say I think serena should definitely be brought up more and appreciated more by the community because of the fact that she 100% played an immense role in the appeal and success to the series, and for the archetype of an independent and enjoyable female character who really wanted to do her own thing after struggling with figuring out her dream. She easily made some of the most enjoyable moments in the show as well as her admiration for Ash being a contributing factor. I really loved both of them having their moments and it really made the series a lot more wholesome and their adventure being inspirational to a lot of viewers at the time, myself included. I'm honestly still going to be forever disappointed that they made Ash lose in Kalos, but at least now he's finally become a world champion. Honestly, if they do ever plan to bring him back as some sort of side character all grown up, I really wouldn't mind it, and hoping that we will see Serena with him too when they get married and such. Great video
I have so much nostalgia for this series, from watching these episodes airing on YTV, to always dealing Pokemon cards in Grade 1, to re-binging the series when it was on Netflix as a 10 year old, this series is why I got into Pokémon in the first place. This makes me want to rewatch the series again as a broke teenager lol
Why XY&Z is best & so popluar in my view: 1) Portrayal of Ash, he looked so matured and acted very intelligent. Finally he would look a bit aged, not anymore 10 year older boy stories. 2) Definitely the Artstyle and Animation would be the important pillars of this series. This kinda Animation we'd only seen in Pokemon movies or in some important battles, but here they used for every single episodes. 3) The entire Story, Battles, Animation, Art Style, BGMs.. everything, literally everything good. Title tracks were bit famous, especially the Japanese versions. 4) Seriously this entire series took care by none other than Kalos gang. There would be no mentions or appearances of Ash's previous companions, pokemons and even his experiences. Only Steven's appearances, Delia and Oak at last episode, only one time were Dawn and Piplup were mentioned indirectly. 5) Every single battles would be a high intense battles, especially engaging with Sawyer and Alain. Every single Gym battles, almost at its best. In every battle Ash would impress everyone with his unique strategies. For me, Santalune, Lumiose, Anistar and Snowbell were best. 6) Main pillar of this series was Character development, definitely the characters in this series were the best (atleast most of them). From how Clemont improve his character by travelling with Ash, how Serena became a Independent & Strong girl from a shy one. How Alain understands himself and found his redemption. How a 8-Year girl Bonnie taking care of the legendary Zygarde, her love snapped him out of Team Flare's control and even she would be the one who commands the last attack. And many more too.. 7) For each and every characters, there would be a purpose for them. None of them were just a passers-by. Every single were used very well and showed their importance. 8) For me, XY&Z was the best Pokemon story (and DP too). Yeah, it was a slow start but also steady. Fillers were very lesser ones, each and every episodes were interesting with combination of both fun and serious parts. Gym battles, Showcase, Bond Phenomenon, Mega evolution, League battles were shown brilliantly. Especially the Villan Arc, atleast for me the first time they killed the villan and entire climax would be at whole different level. Definitely the peak moments were Courmarine and Snowbell part. 9) The famous Ash-Greninja, the whole new different level of Ash's battling. The moments between them and the very moment Frogadier evolves into Greninja, XY&Z just powered up. 10) For me atleast, the group of Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were the best group of Pokemon Anime history. How Ash led them, how they help and support each other to reach their goals. Literally they're lived up like a Family. 11) Ash improved as character, the one who inspires everyone. Even further Ash would became a light version of Chocoboy. The Rivalry between Serena and Miette for Ash were just interesting and fun too. The way Serena supported him, the way Ash supported her, the way she worried about him, the Blue ribbon and Snowbell part. Finally, Pokemon decides to give Ash a potential Girlfriend situation. They made Amourshipping as a Canon. The stunt pulled by Serena at the end, no one would expected that was coming while at the first time.. the way Serena vowed to Ash, the Kiss everything blowed our mind (and internet too) Afterall, that Serena girl stepped out for her journey to find Ash and she was the very first girl who invited by none other Ash himself. 12) Biggest ever disappointment was seeing him as the runner-up, after that hard fought battle he just lost in that final move. The one and only flaw for me in XY&Z. Goodness knows, if he would have won that battle. Afterall, XY&Z deserves more Love and respect. Some people were hating this just because of their pure jealous. Deep down, without XY&Z, Alola & Journeys would have never been succeeded. After XY&Z game and Unova series, seriously pokemon went down and lost so many fans and viewers, at that time XY&Z came for rescue and brought the people back. I swear if XY&Z came right after DP, this would have been celebrated by everyone as the best one without any hate. (They haven't made the justice by brought XY&Z after DP, afterall in DP Ash was bit matured, but in Unova he'd behave more dumb than what we seen in OG) And to Our Way! ❤️
def agree xyz was such a good show for multiple reasons. Serena is one reason. But Ash is the real reason. It was the first time the Anime portrayed Ash in a way that seemed like a coming of age, mature, almost master-level character where it seemed actually possible for the first time that Ash would finally accomplish his goal of becoming a Pokemon master. Unfortunately they reversed this in Sun and Moon and made him even more childish than he was before. But in XYZ, it was like a culmination of everything he had learned thus far was actually going into his character development and applying to the plot. Ash was finally forming an actual relationship with a girl. Ash and Pikachu felt like experienced Pokemon/trainers approaching the master-level with Ash-Greninja, mega evolution, and overall expertise in comparison to new trainers like Serena and others, that really showed how much Ash had truly grown, and people liked the fact that they could see how Ash had finally grown as a trainer after all these years.
@@Pokiiii62I remember my brother tried so hard to get me into Pokemon and then one day I just randomly decided to ask for Pokemon X for Christmas and absolutely loved it. Then I discovered the anime and watched it constantly
Watching this video brings me so much nostalgia, i remember loving XYZ when i was a kid, singing the opening songs in the car with my siblings, gushing over ash greeninja vs charzard for hours with my friends... Black and white was my introduction to pokemon, but the only pokemon series that really stuck with me was XYZ, i'm so glad other people also have the same amount of appreciation as i have for it... it really brings me back to my childhood days
As someone who was introduced to the franchise from Indigo League, but grew up watching XYZ premiere every weekend on Cartoon Network, it was my absolute favorite show and I still adore it till this day. It’s still so unique even compared to alot of the newer ideas in the pokemon franchise. Amazing stuff, definitely plan on rewatching it since the announcement of Z-A today !
its Serena's fault. its all Serena's fault. its all Serena's fault that XYZ was so popular. 1. Serena is quite the cutest character in Pokemon, and they bothered to give her an incredible backstory 2. Amourshipping (all because Serena kissed Ash near the end of XYZ) 3. S Y L V E O N
Everyone here in the comments is point more a more details and points but I just like to say one of the best things about XYZ was the OTS, e.g. that fucking intro with the drums and the electric guitar is just... Beautiful.
i have one word to describe as to why. Creative. the X and Y forms are truly, creative and shaped the future of pokemon games in the future as we stand. not only did the X and Y forms make a big entrance as the concept was extremely awesome, but it also started a chain for pokemon to keep trying to make something as revolutionary as the X and Y forms. obviously, they failed. even up to this day, i'm looking forward for the X and Y forms to come back.
The fact people still making videos about XY and its greatness already shows how good and popular this show is a show that mean a then and now from pokemon and its anime ❤️💙❤️💙💛💛🌅🌀.
One thing I could have some critique of Pokémon XY is the first movie Cocoon of destruction got my hopes up of the battle between the two Kalos Legends that was seen in the trailer and Kalos Gang being in the center of chaos. However those scenes from the trailer were never shown in the actual movie unfortunately. To this day I don’t know why they didn’t included those scenes.
The gen 6 seasons of the anime got me into Pokémon in the first place, and thats part of the reason why i love it, but it was also just great for all the reasons you mentioned.
I think another reason why XY and XYZ are so popular is because of Ash himself, it's something I have encountered when talking to other Pokemon fans. XY and XYZ made Ash more mature, they didn't erase his childishness and his charm, but they made him more mature and more experienced. In the previous Pokemon series Ash felt more like an actual child that haven't gone through multiple leagues, met multiple legendaries and mythicals and fought many evil organisations. Ash doesn't want to brag? Ok, fine, but still.
XYZ had Mega Evolution which was the best ever mechanism that Pokemon introduced + I will never forget the iconic battle of Ash Greninja vs Mega Charizard. It was Pokemon at its finest.
I would say another big reason would be that there was a jump in birth rates in 2007 so they would just start getting into Pokémon around the time X and Y were released and just like how a lot of people’s favorite Pokémon is their starter. Their favorite show was the first one they watched.
From what I remember from the XY series, is that it was the first time since Sinnoh where Ash was completely shown to be an experienced Battler aswell as a an Experienced Travel conpanion. He was also more mature, and had his goals set, showing himself as the leader of the group while the mentor of the group (Clemont in this case) also looked up to him. Not to mention the not so hidden romantic feelings Serena felt for Ash, aswell as her amazing character development that led to her being an amazing Pokemon performer
6:05 WOAH, I agree that he's a good rival, but Trip easily takes the cake for me, he's a genuinly really good written and thought out rival that actually had a good reason to be rude and backed up his trash talk and talk, unlike 90% of rivals in the series and talk trash and then just lose easily
the reason i love xy and xyz so much is because it’s so nostalgic to me, i have very fond memories of coming back from school and watching it, i think i rewatched it about 14 times? lol
The concept of special bond forms is just so awesome to me. They to me feel like a perfect blend of what makes Pokemon, well, Pokemon: trainers bonding along a grand journey, intense battles that scratch the same itch that Ash Greninja does, and a way of making the star of your team that bit more special and personal. I know that having bond forms for all fully evolved pokemon that can change in loads of ways would be awful game balance and require a lot of work, but at least in concept it just sounds so cool. Imagine battling someone online and both people use powered up bond form favourites in a final standoff. So cool. Now, to anyone who sees this, what would your bond form be? Mine would be a Steel/Ice Glaceon.
@@Optimus_Invictus The possibilities for a water/flying blastoise are endless. Imagine a more nimble, lighter frame blastoise with the ability to rocket jump from the front and back to reach enemies from the skies or directly tackle them? Man, I love this sort of stuff
I really think that Ash should've won the Kalos League. It's the best region where Ash developed the most and him winning the league would make more sense. Everyone around the world would've celebrated it more than him winning in the World Tournament.
Alan was fighting legendary pokemons before Ash Even got his 4th-3th medal, it would hace been cool seeing him win but Alan had more challenges in his way
What I think the XY and Z Anime is the chu and the story. The story Ash and Pikachu in a new adventure is nothing like I’ve seen before! It’s got great battles, new world, and new Pokemon of course. Just like Misty and Brock these three new friends are unforgettable with their stories and characteristics like Serina and her journey to become a fashion icon at the Poke-fashion contest and going against Team Rocket with Jessie, Clemot who makes these gadgets and does his best to solve the problem but ends up spontaneously explode when things go wrong, and his sister Bonnie who likes to ask other girls who will take care of his “big brother”. And the humor in this show is also very fun to watch! After watching the Indigo series and coming back to it years later with this show, this has been both me and my brother’s favorite show! And don’t get me started with the battles! They get SUPER HEATED! And as someone who never played any of the games back then (besides Pokemon let’s go Eevee and Scarlet) this is a huge improvement with everything I knew about Pokemon and how the fights work! They introduced Mega evolution so well that it’s super cool and I get super excited to see what their mega evolution looks like! And the movies are also super cool too!
Animation/artstyle, Mega evolutions, Serena and the shipping with Ash but actually having a foundation to stand on within the lore and throughout the series, Greninja, good rival, Ash getting to the finals, etc
I didnt watch this series till lockdown. Back in 2013 I was just at the age where Pokemon was losing me. I didnt enjoy gen 5 as much as gen 4, the BW anime was unwatchable and I just lost interest. During lockdown, I binged the whole series, and man did I regret not watching this back then. I felt like a kid again. Greninja was one of my favourites back when I played XY (I had no prescence in the community at the time, so i didnt know he was hated when leaked, then loved after release etc.) So cool to see
great video! you went very in-depth and explained everything very well, as well as bringing up actual resources and statistics. you have a great voice for content creation. xyz was definitely my favorite season and now that ash is gone, i dont think thats gonna change lol new sub here :) keep it up!
i love love LOVE XYZ. sometimes my brain feels sour on it (mainly because of toxic shippers and because a lot of XY fans hated the SM series) but i do really love XY and XYZ.
Honestly two things that I remember from the series was that the intro absolutely slapped and the first episode with inkay and malamar freaked me out so much I never finished it.
My personal headcanon is that the whole story of XYZ was originally going to be for Pokemon Z. Also I find it unique that Ash-Greninja has the letters XYZ in his body! I guess XYZ literally was the "Ash-Greninja Show" and this one of the reasons for my only criticism of this show two of Ash's team members for Kalos suffered a lot because of it like Goodra and Noivern despite the fact that Noivern was the first baby Pokemon on Ash's arsenal to ACTUALLY evolve.
The fact that all the gym leaders and the champion were competent enough to assemble like their region's fighting an avenger's level threat instead of lying sleeping on their houses while some random visiting 10 year old and its friends fight the bad guys is my favorite moment and solidified XYZ being the best. Will never forget the chills when I first saw them appear to help.
XYZ had the best writing, best cast, best battles. Too bad Ash was hosed out of winning the Kalos League. He should have won it. The writing went downhill after XYZ ended. Plus I felt Ash was at his most mature in Kalos.
I freaking LOVE XYZ!! I remember watching it and talking to my friend about it. His favorite pokèmon was Greninja BECAUSE of this anime! I love the story, the characters, the pokemon, the animation, and the music.. all of it is just *perfection..* ✨ I physically remember the first time I bought a Netflix subscription I immediately started watching XYZ.. I love everything about it.. Mega Evolution is by far the best gimmick in Pokèmon!!
Why was it so popular? Well, to put it simply, it was just overall really high quality. The animation was great, the plot was great, the characters were great. It was just _really good._
havent watched the vid yet but its popular because it targets young teens. the animation was on par with other big animes that it got the recognition it deserved.
In my eyes XYZ actually made Ash feel like a teenager with his height and character development, even if everyone in universe kept calling him 10, this was the closest thing to a teenager Ash we got
Sun & Moon is so underappreciated due to people being scared of change in the artstyle. Animation only improved throughout and there were so many memorable characters, honestly the best show to watch during summer break or something.
this was my first ever pokemon related thing that i watched, and the nostalgia just came flooding back in so much. God i wish i could watch this show over and over again I love this show so much this introduced me into pokemon overall
i think its because of: 1.greninja 2.ash looks damn good and mature 3.serena cuz why not?romance between serena & ash was good.... 4.the best ending in pokemon..no iam not talking about that kiss. 5.XYZ intro boosts me up. 6.incomplet love story ....💔 7.childhood backstory......
Holy shit, you just unlocked a CAVERN of memories!!! I used to tune in to every episode back in 2016 when I was 11. I didn't care much for Pokémon at the time but something about XYZ was just so...different, so captivating.
i was 6 when the first episode debuted on tv and it was stunning. a large part of my childhood was coming home to watch X and Y. i recently rewatched it and am reminded why i still love both pokemon and anime. a truly amazing introduction to the franchise.
I don't know if I think it's funny or sad that this is easily more popular than the actual X/Y games. The games were good but needed a third version. (RIP Pokémon Z)
It's quite unfortunate, actually! It stings me every time when Pokemon generation discussions happen between me and some of my friends and peers that I am essentially forced to say that the best way to experience the Kalos region isn't the games, but rather the anime. It's the outlier for all Pokemon generations, even generation 8! I wasn't the biggest fan of generation 8, but that's a whole other opinion not related to Kalos. However, Galar and Paldea both could've easily been connected to Kalos, but GF just loves to disregard Kalos. They honestly owe us justice for X&Y.
Its the only games to get nothing(I think) Like Gen1 had a remake even had the lets go games, Gen2 had a remake, Gen3 had a Third version and a remake from gen6, Gen4 had a 3rd version and a legends games, Gen5 had a continuation game and potentially a legends game(Rumors by People), Gen7 had a Extended/Continuation game, Gen 8 had DLC's, and same with Gen9 also had DLC see the Pattern here? It was in need of either a remake/3rd version/ or a Continuation game and it got none😂😭
XY/XYZ will always be my fav Pokemon show...The reasons are fairly simple.. Ash was more mature looking like he's more in his mid-teens (like 14-16)and was a veteran from the start instead of regressing to completely "inexperienced state" at the start of every new season...He was more clever and strategic oriented and made strategies that actually made sense... The animation,battles,choreography was outstanding... The background music is sick af, definitely the best background music.... The Mega lucario going berserk was a new thing showing downsides of mega evo's too... The character development for each character... And most of all the "disaster arc"....Where the main villain starts to execute his plan.... It actually made sense and the story was well written and exceuted and it gave me a sense of urgency and the sense of destruction and the feeling that we are going to lose everything throught out that whole arc...I loved that whole 10 or so episode arc....Alain also getting his redemption and all the gym leaders and champions gathering for the final fight was literal goosebumps.... And Ash-Greninja as you said was the best thing that happened in XY/XYZ....It was really built up from Froggy's first appearance....Froggy leaving his previous trainers and choosing Ash as he's the destined one and after that training under another Greninja and olympia's future sight prediction and all that was really built the hype amazingly.... And the amourshipping is still my fav shipping....They had actual moments together and an actual kiss scene which forever cements the fact that they are infact the best couple....It was really well developed with serena already having a crush on Ash since they were kids and met again as destined and slowly developing their relationship amd it was simply beautiful...I always loved it when the other girl performer always teased Serena about Ash and Ash was dense af not understanding whats going on... I can go on and on but Tldr;XY/XYZ is the best and peak Pokemon reached in terms of everything both objectively and subjectively....
X&Y was good, but not the best, in my opinion. The Diamond and Pearl anime and Hoenn/Battle Frontier are, in my opinion, superior. X&Y undoubtedly has better animation and combat choreography, but I believe the battles in DP and H/BF are better. The fights had higher stakes and greater tension. Obviously, it doesn't matter if Ash loses a fight, but the fights felt like they were always coming down to the wire. Those fights were major nail-biters, and this may be my bias because I grew up with the anime during the BF-DP era and binge-watched the original seasons as a kid, but the excitement of seeing one of Ash's Pokemon evolve or learn a new technique in the middle of a fight was SO HYPE. It felt like I was rooting for an underdog. X&Y Ash felt like a continuation of DP Ash, which was refreshing after the Unova saga downgraded his character, but around the halfway point of X&Y, Ash started feeling more like a power fantasy kind of Protagonist. I think when the writers started focusing heavily on Ash Greninja, they contributed to that feeling. I'm not gonna lie in retrospect the hype of Ash Greninja felt very artificial, especially compared to Ash's other ace, Pokemon. Charizard, Sceptile, and Infernape. Ngl Greninja kinda robbed Ash's Kalos team of personality with the exception of Hawlucha. They all had significantly less spotlight compared to Greninja. Even Pikachu took a hit. Compared to Hoenn/Battle Frontier and DP where all of Ash's Pokemon felt like the all had their own personalities and well even screen time. With Torkoal, Glalie, and Gible being slight exceptions, although the latter two put in major work during their respective leagues, knocking out some major threats. Whenever I hear about Ash's Kalos team, it's always in regard to it being his "Ultimate Team," and it's not hard to see why. Ash had a Greninja with a special ability that no other Pokemon has that's similar to and rival's Mega Evolution, two Dragon types one of whom was a Pseudo Legenday who prior to the league has never loss a battle and the other one battle and maybe (its been a while) defeated a Zapdos. Also, a regional bird who also battled a legendary bird being Moltres. As for Hawlucha, I don't remember any of his feats at the top of my head, sorry. But I don't hear talk about their personalities. It seems like they focused more on their strengths rather than personalities, but I could be wrong. I personally didn't connect with anyone other than Greninja and Hawlucha. On to the characters and honestly, DP takes the crown for this one. Ash, Brock, and Dawn are objectively the best traveling group. There's nothing beating those 3. They encouraged each, teased each other every now and then and were definitely the most supportive. When Dawn was on a major contest, losing streak to the point of nearly quitting Ash and Brock helped her develop new techniques and gave her words of encouragement. With the additional help from Zoey and May as well. Or when Ash loss to Paul at Lake acuity, Brock helped treat Ash's Pokemon and gave him words of encouragement while Dawn put on a mini Circus for Ash and his Pokemon to help pull them out of there depression. Those felt more natural to me than when Serena failed her first showcase, cried, cut her hair, and then suddenly grew as a character, apparently, who never loss a single showcase until the finale. Or when Ash lost to Wulfric and wanted to be left alone, but Serena somehow thought, throwing snowballs and going on a hissy fit about "You're not the Ash I know" even though the two barely interacted with each other was a good way to cheer him up. I'll touch on why I hate Serena later on. Even the side characters and rivals were memorable and had their own personalities. Paul, Zoey, Ursula, Conway, Nando, Barry, Kenny, and side character like Reggie, Cynthia, and Flint. X&Y's side characters were forgettable. The X&Y rivals in the anime were pretty bland, just like their game counterparts, Serena's rival with the Blue hair was more interesting than Serena was, but the major side characters were Alain and Sawyer. Sawyer was cool, but I wish he was introduced earlier on in the series. Maybe give him a few more battles and interactions with Ash. But Alain is great but suffers from the same problem of not having as many interactions with Ash until later in the series. On to the main crew, Ash and Clement have a brotherly bond that lowkey rivals that of Ash and Brock. He's awesome, and Bonnie is a MUCH BETTER version of Max. She's the most adorable cinnamon role. I wish X&Y was just these 3, but Serena exists. Serena, to me, is easily Ash's worst traveling companion. I mean that with a hundred percent, with a thousand percent. I don't like her. She's a forced character retconed into Ash's Journey and is only carried by shipping. Serena's whole character revolves around Ash, and I hate it. She starts out on her journey just to meet Ash because she saw him on TV and then wants to give him back a handkerchief from when they were kids, which is creepy and weird and not quirky or cute. She wants to impress Ash in one episode at Ryhorn racing even though she hates doing it and is bad at it, but because of "plot" is suddenly good at it, or how she started during showcase to appear more feminine in front of Ash to impress him. I'm sorry, but I hate this character SO MUCH!!! and her toxic fandom does help either. Overall, X&Y is a great (not perfect) season of the anime, and while I would improve a few things, it definitely was a hype season for sure. Although I wish the kids who grew up watching the XY&Z seasons as their first anime would tone it down a bit. I get it. You love XY&Z, but don't hold it out as the absolute best season and be respectful to those who like the other seasons more. Ehh, who am I kidding? Nobody's gonna read my post.
I read your post to talk about the xyz team spotlight issue. I have heavily disagreed, goodra had an entire character arc dedicated to him in xyz. Pikachu had a major spotlight in the pokemon League. He took down a bunch of alains pokemon and took down aegislash, pikachu was always with ash, too. I believe noivern and talonflame are the only ones you can say anything about, but even then, they still got spotlight, especially with noivern and hawluchas amazing dynamic
About Serena, At first i was mid with her, but when Toxic appearance, I started to hate her, and when i rewatch XYZ, is so creepy af that Serena want to go with my boi, Only to make Ash love with her.
PLEASE READ: Everyone... I want to say thank you so much for the support on this video... it means so much to me that people can band together and help one another like this... your comments are so fun to read, and I apologize if I haven't gone through all of them! I didn't think I would one day have passionate fans like you guys ever. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, I've been going through a lot lately, and this all just puts a smile on my face. I'm not asking you guys to subscribe, and you don't have to at all... so if this is our last time meeting, then friends, I thank you for helping me... I love you all 😭💙
No probs, still can't believe pokemon xy is a decade old
Bro your commentary is godly and all the passion u put has reached us. Stand proud brother
@KaitouKiara422 thank you for the kind words... almost had me tearing up bruh 😭
@@Pokiiii62 no prob Man U deserve a sub :D
You gotta sub ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ
I just realized that Pokémon xyz is probably the last time where we see trainers doing gym battles to enter the league. 💀
Wait.... oh my gosh your right 💀
The Alola League being open invitation did cheapen the experience
@@VolticWind yeah, that's why I don't feel the hyped when ash won alola. To me it was just another orange island thing (but with better story and animation).
I also didn't notice this
I also didn't notice this
What makes XYZ standout is its well thought out plot, great development for characters (specifically Ash and Greninja), and its lack of filler episodes unlike the previous 2 seasons of XY.
Exactly my point!
It was also the most engaging sending new iideas, revelations and endings
Absolutely. I'd say that one of X & Y's biggest weak points is the filler episodes. Very disappointing how there's so many, especially since each ones of those episodes had potential to be a lot more interesting.
Ngl I loved some of the filler episodes. It might just be nostalgia but there were some bangers in there. The mirror cave, the pokeball factory, the gadget festival/escape room, and the Malamar hypnosis episode are all great. I think a big part of this is just how fun it was for me to see the cast interact as it always made me smile. Definitely need to rewatch these sometime soon.
Yeah
Ash’s story arc was peak. He felt older, more matured. He failed, but got depressed. You saw how he was affected by his failures. He grew a bond with his Pokémon strong enough to rival mega Pokémon. He fought in the battle with his Pokémon, feeling the damage and having complete understanding between them. It’s sad to see Ash go now, but honestly, he probably should’ve left sooner, sun and moon just made him feel like an inexperienced child again. Watching the two shows back to back is jarring, making you appreciate XYZ even more. It truly was beautiful and how I choose to remember Ash in the end.
I will forever be mad that sun and moon ash won but xyz ash lost
Just pretend Alain's mega X charzard got washed by Ash Greninja. Happy now?
That whole arc when he trained in the snowy forest cuz he lost to Wulfric was..mannn
That was Deep! Ash gets back up and "came back stronger"@@markanine562
I’m glad you even mentioned the part where ash acts inexperienced like when he was catching galarian Pokémon (idr what it was called) he was making mistakes like he was in the indigo league and it made me a lil mad
XY felt like a love letter to longtime fans because of how Ash here really felt like he had matured as a person and trainer due to his journeys so far. And the attitude of other characters towards him reflects this, most notably that of Clemont, Sawyer and Serena who saw him as a role model and that helped in their own growth as characters. And Ash's battles here also reflected his maturity due to how clever and strategic he was throughout the series.
Exactly, it developed ash's character so well
Yeah
@@Pokiiii62 and it felt quite natural too given Ash's journey so far.
in alola ash kinda became stupider but it was still good just not as good
@@MyNameIsThis15 yeah
I think it helps that the XY series was the last traditional journey Ash went on before things became a lot more episodic and goofy. It was truly the last time that you could take him seriously.
Yeah...too true
Yeah
I liked Alola. It was fun and a nice changeup of the formula. Made it seem like Ash really was 10
@@jepoyburner alla was made for younger audience but xyz was still made for the older one
Well that sucks
*Why I think XY(&Z) was so popular:*
1. Ash was portrayed like a teenager with experience instead of a 10 year old boy that knew nothing of pokémon.
2. The animation was at it's best, every battle, scene, moment & detail was outstandingly done. It really felt like an anime.
3. There wasn't a lot of filler, and if there was, most had character development or were funny episodes in-between.
4. Amourshipping was a big thing and even the writers of the series later on confirmed that Ash & Serena would get married.
5. Ash's team was really great and all of them had at least some episodes where they really shine.
6. All of the gym battles were amazing, even better than Diamond & Pearl and Black & White.
7. Mega Evolution is such a great concept and the X & Y games were amazing as well. Most designs were really nice.
8. Greninja became more & more popular through the series with SSB4. Olympia's vision & Ash-Greninja later on only helped.
9. The music of both in-game and of the series were outstanding, next to Black & White the best we ever gotten.
10. All side-characters were explored and had a role. Even smaller side-characters like Shauna, Tierno & Trevor got explained.
11. Team Flare wasn't anything like Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic or Plasma, they really wanted to destroy the world.
12. Everyone was hyped in the battle between Ash & Sawyer & Ash vs Alain. If Ash won the Kalos League, the world would've known it.
_“even the writers of the series later on confirmed that Ash & Serena would get married.”_
Umm…what?
@@EWOODJit's not real news
@@EWOODJ Look on the internet for Tetsu Yajima interview, you'll find out. Also Satoshi Tajiri himself said 'might' so for him it's a possibility, depending on the writers, Tajiri is only the director, not the writer.
The games suck ngl
Serena ❤
The popularity was also due to the art style and how it made ash look older
The art style debate never really came up until Sun and Moon was revealed with a radically different style and more animation friendly character designs
@@crestofhonor2349 No one on the internet is gonna bring up Pokemon's art style without something to compare it to. While the ones before XY/Z weren't that bad at the time of their inception that it didn't really warrant a comparison that would get tons of people to discuss it, the Sun/Moon art style was such a step away from the usual art style that people instantly took notice of it. If it was a good art style in the general public's opinion, then you wouldn't be hearing people talk about it or XY/Z's as much; but the general public opinion from what I'm always hearing around the internet is that the art style is a total turn off for most people. Once you have something you think is bad, you'll start to compare it to something similar that you think is good or the best.
i think the art style helps, but this is also clearly veteran ash now, from his first interaction in kalos he already knows so much more then his other series counterparts where he regressed back to basics
i will never ever forget my 12 year old selfs extreme hype for alola anime after this, and i remember the intro getting leaked, and being super confused why they were singing about having fun in the sun after having the most badass pokemon intro in the season before that
Yeah... it was disappointing to say the least
I’ve bean disappointed with Pokémon’s anime starting Alola
not watched it since so i have no clue what its like, hearing that ash won the league annoyed me so much, he could of just won in XYZ lol@@SirFoolsworth_chknsndwch
even though its been years and years, the immeasurable disappointment kid-me felt seeing the new alolan ash design compared to his x and y design is something i'll never forget
I honestly lost interest in Pokémon after Alola it's like they just peaked for no reason.
I like this art style SO MUCH better then what we had today I wish we could get this old art style back.
It’s so perfect mann
This is the only one I like. I just get the feeling he is like 3 years younger in the later ones. Feels a little wrong
It was a let down for me when I saw Sun and Moon
@@alexfrostwalker 100% agree I git hooked by pokmeon because I watched the black and white anime and continued to XY and XYZ, seeing sun and moon made me stop watching pokemon because the artsyle seems too different and it doesn't attract me to watch ut so I just skipped and continued to the journeys instead
This style is the best, but I think people don’t realize how hard it becomes to animate with more complex character designs. The simplistic style of SM allowed for much more fluid animation than XYZ did
I'm actually really glad that I grew up with this specific Pokemon series! The storyline was peak at this series
For real man, I agree
Yeah
Same, but after I saw sun and moon I was extremely disappointed because my expectations were so high
@@ilysm_pookie000 same. After sun & moon, I stopped watching Pokemon animes completely
@@Green_Kirby really ?
xy and xyz was my first time seeing pokemon on tv when it was being aired and i agree with all this. ash looked like he had matured and the transition from black and white to xy with ash being on the plane to fly over to kalos really made me feel like all of the series beinf one complete timeline was being acknowledged by pokemon (the company).
SAME FOR ME TOO!
Can’t believe it’s over a decade since XY was out! It’s still my favorite series forever! 💙❤️
SAME!! - won't change either
no way
YEAH ME TOO. HOWEVER, TO ME, XY still is THE BEST! because of the reasons mentioned by @BoyFromBelgium99 which I agree with.
Many people’s favorite
It's been 10 years _💀_
XY and XYZ will always be peak Pokemon for me because not only was the story engaging but the animation and art was also appealing to look at.
The battles and Team Flare Arc were peak
@@imfrommars7362 I second that. It really felt like End Game 😅.
it peaked so hard and then had a massive downfall with Sun and Moon. the art quality made it unwatchable
@@mind_of_dro Yea, also the colors seemed really bland and didn’t stand out compared to the art and animation in XYZ
XYZ had things that made it feel like a true anime, there’s so many things that make it the best series. Great vid my friend
U appreciate the kind words, ym. I'm glad for your comment 💙
FACTS, STRAIGHT FACTS
I agree as well. It honestly felt like a Shonen anime back when I first watched it
@@AnonymouslyPoignant yeah
Yeah agreed
The XYZ Anime will forever be the peak of Pokemon for me. Ash Greninja was just fire and the characters were all insanely good like Korrina and her Lucario Ragdolling pikachu in his mega evolved form, that was cool asf.
Yeah
The fight scenes alone carried the series for me. Every fight reminded me of typical Shonen anime with how well animated it was. And as soon as either battle bond/ mega evolution came up it was a whole new level with how powerful each attack was.
You and me both brother, the fight scenes were a spectacle
Espcially if you watch the Kalos league battles with the Japanese music. The Ash greninja song it 100 percent more better in their version and it made the battles have you as a fan on the edge of your seat.
Also Serena's popularity should probably at least have a shout out. That definitely mattered at the time it was coming out when I was following the anime.
she was peak, she wasnt useless she had her personality and the ash serena dynamic was SO GOOD i actually miss that a lot from xy that ash serena dynamic is so incredible it pushed me to rewatch it.
and the fact that she had a talent and dream doesnt make her just like any other ash companion.
@@Omega-X Fully agreed!
@@Omega-XSerena is probably second favorite female companion. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life but we went on that journey with her. Her growth as a performer and as a character felt natural with all the ups and downs that she went through. Her failure at her first performance was heart breaking but she didn’t whine or complain. She picked herself up and showed that she wanted to learn and grow from it to become better.
she’s the reason fennekin is my goat 🙏
serena is the reason i still rewatch pokemon XYZ she was so ind to ash and the backstory of how they had met a long time back makes it even better
I will never forget the sheer disappointment I felt when I saw the trailer for sun and moon!!! I actually thought it was fanmade until I realized it was real. Everything I liked about XYZ was removed in Sun and Moon, the animation felt like a downgrade despite still being fairly good, in XY Ash finally felt like a mature character and they threw it down the drain in every way, with not only character design, but just his entire personality. I had a lot of hope for the final pokemon series with Ash to be like XY, but I was still disappointed :(
XY was just so cool, and nothing they did after that lived up to the sheer hype I felt waiting weekly for each episode back then.
Did u even watch sun and moon? There were some moments in the series that are double xy’s maturity, i won’t spoil it, please give it a chance. I too was turned off by its art style and the first 20 episodes were horrible but it became really good in the later series.
@oscarzhan1435 I watched all of it, but it felt really episodic at times, like things they did didn't matter half the time. it was decent overall and was pretty good sometimes but in my opinion didn't hit the spot xy did, or maybe I was just older and didn't appreciate it for what it was idk
@@oscarzhan1435 The darker and more "mature themes" of Sun and Moon felt entirely overshadowed by how silly and childish the rest of the series felt. If they wanted to drive home deep and touching points, it would have done better in a series like XYZ that was more mature overall. I see the argument all the time of Sun and Moon supporters defending the series with their life and while we're all entitled to our opinions, half the time SM supporters feel like they can't respect people who disliked the series. Their argument is always "But it had mature themes in it!" but neglect to consider how those themes are overshadowed by how unserious the rest of the series became. I have no issue with people liking the series, but I wish SM fans would learn to respect other fans as well when we say we didn't like it.
@@dinosaur8682First off I wanted to say that I was definitely respecting him and I was by no means hurting his feelings. Yes if they wanted maturity overall, they should watch xy but the maturity was more in general rather than the extra deep and touching moments in Sun and Moon. Even though it didn’t have overall maturity, some episodes had double the maturity of an average xy episode. And our arguement is most definitely not “But it had mature themes in it!”, but I have to admit it is more of “Nah you just didn’t watch the series because of the artstyle”. Why do we think this? Well it’s really because it is partially true, many people are put off by the series because of the art style and its goofiness and then proceed to put hate about it. Even tho I do prefer XY over Sun and Moon, I have to say that the amount of bashing Sun and Moon fans got from XY stans was really unnecessary, because like you said, some fans really need to learn to respect other fans when they said that they don’t like it. I could go on and on about the tonal backlash and how the audience for Sun and Moon where all XY fans rather than the audience that they were targeted at (10 year olds lol), which all really hurt its ratings. Anyways I just wanted to make sure that he actually watched it, which is like the first step to getting your opinion valid.
XY was my first ever Pokemon anime series back when I was about six or seven, and it holds a special place in my heart for that. I always loved watching Ash just generally be so cool even when he wasn’t battling. It’s because of this series that Kalos always has and will be my favourite region, and it’s why I just love Pokemon so much ❤️❤️
ITS AMAZING
I had the same experience, I also watched it with my sister, so yeah, this video holds a ton of nostalgia for me
I remember, around I was 5-7, in 2015-2018 I watched the anime, AND LOVED IT
Same!
XY is what got me into pokemon. The writing of the human characters was what caught my eye, which is why I pay more attention to the people than the pokemon. Clemont is my favorite pokemon anime character just because I relate to him so much as an older sibling myself.
I'm glad you felt that way, clemont is also my favorite character in the xy anime as well... I heavily agree my friend 💙
Agreed
@@Pokiiii62Clemont stans unite! ^^
Same here mate, Clemont is my favourite character as well!
Coming from gen 5 being the first pokemon series I watched it was refreshing seeing ash be a more competent trainer
Same, ash honed his skils well in xyz
same here! Gen 5 was the first i watched, and the iris ash thing was always a bit annoying. Then ash becomes like an ACTUAL teen.
@@xsxenofacts
3 reasons as to why I think it was popular was:
1. The animation style
2. Introduction to the first pokemon gimmick - Mega Evolutions
and finally....
*ahem... *clears throat, *applies mouth spray, *wears a suit
SERENAAAA !!
And also, the best villain arc ever... like ever... ever ever...
Looking back, villain arc in BW and XY were so cool, and now we beat up random kids and call them villain, they really went downhill huh?
Edits:
1. Oh yeah, greninja, how could I forget about it as a competitive battler (probably because it's ability was nerfed to oblivion)
2. I subscribed, now where is my hug?
It actually felt like an anime instead of a kids show
Exactly how I felt
I find it weird calling it "like an anime." Most anime you see are catered to more mature audiences.
Doremon and Crayon Sin Chan are both an anime but both are considered children's show.
Because anime is just Japanese word for animation. We call it anime because the animation is from there.
Thx for reminding me of the PEAK Pokémon days of ash greninja, Sereana and ash’s relationship, ash’s maturity, and just an all around good anime. Xy and XYZ will forever be PEAK I love it and it’s movies ❤
YESS!! - ITS AMAZING
Pokémon XY&Z was what truly got me into Pokémon. It was my first experience with the anime, and was ultimately what got me hooked. I feel weird saying that Pokémon changed my life, but that’s the honest truth.
Sorry for getting a little emotional there, but thank you for making this. It’s crazy to see how one series impacted so many different people. You got yourself a sub with this one.
You don't have to apologize for anything shows like these are so good that left you simple but strong message like never give up that could help anyone who is going through many problems or any sort of thing in life and I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees XY as a show that changed many peoples lives.
I miss XYZ! It's on my rewatch list for 2024.
Cool
Awesome!
Speaking of, by any chance do you know where I could watch it again?
If we ever get an x and y remake they should make battle bond forms for the other starters or at least mega evolution. because the other starters are completely overshadowed
REALL
HOLY SHIT I HAD THE SAME IDEA, they could also even add the hoopa ring thingy so we could get all the legendaries, a diancie or volcanion post game, new places to explore, an actually story focused on zygarde (they could completely revamp the story), maybe a bit new pokemon, and more mega evolutions, thats all i could ever want, xy was my firts ever pokemon game it will always have a special place in my heart ❤
@@aaryaaswadhati5525The Pokémon company can introduce the Pokémon Z version likewise there were third versions in other generations. They can add more mega evolutions like sinnoh starters. And that game can actually focus on fractions between two legendaries and Zygarde too. Actually the post game of xy really sucks. Back in those days I actually was hoping for the Pokémon Z version.
true@@life_w_anime
And Pokemon Z. It was supposed to be a thing, but...
What made me watch XY&Z after not having watched the Pokemon anime in many years was that amazing opening. It's incredible how energetic that song is and because of how much I was working out in my late teens i listened to it at an almost daily basis
The Japanese opening was the most hype and it’s a reason to actually look into the sub rather than dub
I think what made these series standout most is Ash. we all wanted to see our boy Ash become this mature pokemon trainer and we got that. He was brave, fierce and he knew how to handle himself when it came to the battles and the whole Ash-Greninja was awsome to see. Also i think the characters around Ash also helped a lot, we had Serena who was just in complete awe of Ash and Clemont who I belive was the best male companion since Brock and don't get me wrong I love Brock but I feel brock acted like an older brother to ash whereas with Ash and Clemont it was like a bromance. Also another character that I thought had good development is Sawyer, watching Sawyer battle ash in the league was amazing in fact it was like watching two Ash's battle against each other.. I still think to this day the xyz series should have been Ash's first league win or better yet I wouldn't have mind if Sawyer would have won.
And the animation was fantastic I remember watching the trailer and I was like woah is this pokemon
"Never a good written rival"
Paul would like to have a word with you
Idk man Paul was like an emo character put in the series only to push Ash to surpass him or make his emo side go away. Bro acted that way only because his brother lost and gave up whom he admired a lot. He was strong and rude, but nothing more than that. He was more like an anti-hero/villain than a rival to Ash.
@@Ming-f5k That's exactly what they were going for with paul. To push ash to his limits and get stronger and open his eyes.
If you look online you would see that paul is the favorite rival by miles. And some explain better why paul is so popular.
@@Doggof2p can't argue with that, at least Paul had an ambition and a reason for the way he acted not like Trip from Unova who had 0 reasons for the way he acted 😭😭.
Xyz was awesome for so many reasons. Amorshipping is still pretty big, the animetors even brought serena back in journeys and made a great Gaspy ref. The only thing I think fans are disappointed with is the fact that ash didn’t become a champion in that end of that region. But it’s so obvious they weren’t done with ash 😊
Ash WAS going to win the Kalos League, but the official writing team went on a seasonal recess to enjoy personal time and to come up with possible ideas for the upcoming Sun and Moon anime. Something to note; every generation of the Pokemon anime is led by different staff of writers. The XY/Z writing staff would become the first recurring staff due to how well written, produced, choreographed, and directed the anime was. However, the anime would see great demand for the XYZ anime during the recess, so to meet that demand, the Pokemon Company brought back experienced writers from Black and White to continue the Kalos league until the recess was over. The original writers hadn't shared with this new team of writers what they had in mind for the Kalos League finale. It wasn't until afterwards that they came and said Ash was going to win the league in the original script. Once Ash lost, the Pokemon company was receiving massive threats, mostly amongst the Japanese community, for their dumb decision. The anime saw a drastic decline after the league which sucks because the Zygarde/Team Flare arc was really good.
@@tylerkloever4442 💀
When you rewatch x and y 10 or 11 years old you can’t deny the hype for the show still is there especially with the public which is crazy and I was age 14 years old
I had a xyz fanacc, 2016 was such a peak experience the community and friends I made are memories I'll never forget I literally remember everyone watching the last eps around the same time during its release and crying together, good times and good video man
Thanks for the compliment, friend... I'm glad to hear it
honestly as a writer it felt surprisingly seeing how much growth all the characters had in xyz it was a very fun serious to watch :) (also great vid pokee!)
Thanks so much friend! - it means a lot
The Kalos series brought me back to Pokemon. To this day its still my favorite take on the Pokemon league formula for Ash.
I grew up with the original series. During the lockdowns, I binged Pokémon XY/XYZ. Since that time, I’ve casually watched all the other seasons. XY/XYZ is truly the best the Pokémon anime every has been and has the best English dub.
Here's a tip maybe put a butt-ton of tags or keywords in your description and your videos might get a boost in viewership
Great video by the way
Thanks for the tip! - and thanks for the compliment as well friend : )
Oh man, this makes me want to watch XY&Z all over again.
Honestly go for it man
Tbh I just wanna know where to watch it ;-;
Edit: Turns out XY-XYZ is on Prime Video and Hulu... I'm 100% watching it.
@@BloonPlays you again!????
@@TheBloon bro are you following my comments 😭
similar name tho 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
@@BloonPlays uhhh dont question it
As a person who watched XYZ 22 times I think it was popular cuz the plot was flowing and amazing and the animation was mind blowing for its time imo
This series in particular always had a special place in my heart growing up watching it. It was a series that really made the pokemon anime itself feel like it was actually an anime, and I think that truly meant something. The character designs (ash's design especially was like the peak of his design and nothing will ever come close to it in my opinion), the character development with most noticeably being Serena's and I personally think she had the best in the show, the humor, the pokemon fights and the action, the animation, the way the plot and pacing was handled, everything about it made this series what it deserved to be and it meshed so well amongst other factors even for its time. Characters like Clemont and Bonnie as well who were characters you would just genuinely feel so happy seeing on screen and exploring their own story that they brought to the table. I don't think I can recall any other series having this level of quality put into it and I'm so glad people are appreciating it for what it is.
I must say I think serena should definitely be brought up more and appreciated more by the community because of the fact that she 100% played an immense role in the appeal and success to the series, and for the archetype of an independent and enjoyable female character who really wanted to do her own thing after struggling with figuring out her dream. She easily made some of the most enjoyable moments in the show as well as her admiration for Ash being a contributing factor. I really loved both of them having their moments and it really made the series a lot more wholesome and their adventure being inspirational to a lot of viewers at the time, myself included. I'm honestly still going to be forever disappointed that they made Ash lose in Kalos, but at least now he's finally become a world champion. Honestly, if they do ever plan to bring him back as some sort of side character all grown up, I really wouldn't mind it, and hoping that we will see Serena with him too when they get married and such. Great video
I have so much nostalgia for this series, from watching these episodes airing on YTV, to always dealing Pokemon cards in Grade 1, to re-binging the series when it was on Netflix as a 10 year old, this series is why I got into Pokémon in the first place. This makes me want to rewatch the series again as a broke teenager lol
My main reason was definitely the animation because it was the last one before the alola anime redesigns
Yup same
Why XY&Z is best & so popluar in my view:
1) Portrayal of Ash, he looked so matured and acted very intelligent. Finally he would look a bit aged, not anymore 10 year older boy stories.
2) Definitely the Artstyle and Animation would be the important pillars of this series. This kinda Animation we'd only seen in Pokemon movies or in some important battles, but here they used for every single episodes.
3) The entire Story, Battles, Animation, Art Style, BGMs.. everything, literally everything good. Title tracks were bit famous, especially the Japanese versions.
4) Seriously this entire series took care by none other than Kalos gang. There would be no mentions or appearances of Ash's previous companions, pokemons and even his experiences. Only Steven's appearances, Delia and Oak at last episode, only one time were Dawn and Piplup were mentioned indirectly.
5) Every single battles would be a high intense battles, especially engaging with Sawyer and Alain. Every single Gym battles, almost at its best. In every battle Ash would impress everyone with his unique strategies. For me, Santalune, Lumiose, Anistar and Snowbell were best.
6) Main pillar of this series was Character development, definitely the characters in this series were the best (atleast most of them). From how Clemont improve his character by travelling with Ash, how Serena became a Independent & Strong girl from a shy one. How Alain understands himself and found his redemption. How a 8-Year girl Bonnie taking care of the legendary Zygarde, her love snapped him out of Team Flare's control and even she would be the one who commands the last attack. And many more too..
7) For each and every characters, there would be a purpose for them. None of them were just a passers-by. Every single were used very well and showed their importance.
8) For me, XY&Z was the best Pokemon story (and DP too). Yeah, it was a slow start but also steady. Fillers were very lesser ones, each and every episodes were interesting with combination of both fun and serious parts. Gym battles, Showcase, Bond Phenomenon, Mega evolution, League battles were shown brilliantly. Especially the Villan Arc, atleast for me the first time they killed the villan and entire climax would be at whole different level. Definitely the peak moments were Courmarine and Snowbell part.
9) The famous Ash-Greninja, the whole new different level of Ash's battling. The moments between them and the very moment Frogadier evolves into Greninja, XY&Z just powered up.
10) For me atleast, the group of Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie were the best group of Pokemon Anime history. How Ash led them, how they help and support each other to reach their goals. Literally they're lived up like a Family.
11) Ash improved as character, the one who inspires everyone. Even further Ash would became a light version of Chocoboy. The Rivalry between Serena and Miette for Ash were just interesting and fun too. The way Serena supported him, the way Ash supported her, the way she worried about him, the Blue ribbon and Snowbell part. Finally, Pokemon decides to give Ash a potential Girlfriend situation. They made Amourshipping as a Canon. The stunt pulled by Serena at the end, no one would expected that was coming while at the first time.. the way Serena vowed to Ash, the Kiss everything blowed our mind (and internet too) Afterall, that Serena girl stepped out for her journey to find Ash and she was the very first girl who invited by none other Ash himself.
12) Biggest ever disappointment was seeing him as the runner-up, after that hard fought battle he just lost in that final move. The one and only flaw for me in XY&Z. Goodness knows, if he would have won that battle.
Afterall, XY&Z deserves more Love and respect. Some people were hating this just because of their pure jealous. Deep down, without XY&Z, Alola & Journeys would have never been succeeded. After XY&Z game and Unova series, seriously pokemon went down and lost so many fans and viewers, at that time XY&Z came for rescue and brought the people back. I swear if XY&Z came right after DP, this would have been celebrated by everyone as the best one without any hate. (They haven't made the justice by brought XY&Z after DP, afterall in DP Ash was bit matured, but in Unova he'd behave more dumb than what we seen in OG)
And to Our Way! ❤️
def agree
xyz was such a good show for multiple reasons.
Serena is one reason. But Ash is the real reason. It was the first time the Anime portrayed Ash in a way that seemed like a coming of age, mature, almost master-level character where it seemed actually possible for the first time that Ash would finally accomplish his goal of becoming a Pokemon master. Unfortunately they reversed this in Sun and Moon and made him even more childish than he was before. But in XYZ, it was like a culmination of everything he had learned thus far was actually going into his character development and applying to the plot. Ash was finally forming an actual relationship with a girl. Ash and Pikachu felt like experienced Pokemon/trainers approaching the master-level with Ash-Greninja, mega evolution, and overall expertise in comparison to new trainers like Serena and others, that really showed how much Ash had truly grown, and people liked the fact that they could see how Ash had finally grown as a trainer after all these years.
XY and XYZ is so nostalgic to me. I wanna go back to those times
SAME MAN WE ALL DO
@@Pokiiii62I remember my brother tried so hard to get me into Pokemon and then one day I just randomly decided to ask for Pokemon X for Christmas and absolutely loved it.
Then I discovered the anime and watched it constantly
One of the main reasons I think is that it came after the Black and White/Best Wishes anime which most people hate so yeah
Watching this video brings me so much nostalgia, i remember loving XYZ when i was a kid, singing the opening songs in the car with my siblings, gushing over ash greeninja vs charzard for hours with my friends... Black and white was my introduction to pokemon, but the only pokemon series that really stuck with me was XYZ, i'm so glad other people also have the same amount of appreciation as i have for it... it really brings me back to my childhood days
When life was peak 😭
Xyz took up the whole budget for the next 10 years😂
For real, though 😭
Yep
As someone who was introduced to the franchise from Indigo League, but grew up watching XYZ premiere every weekend on Cartoon Network, it was my absolute favorite show and I still adore it till this day. It’s still so unique even compared to alot of the newer ideas in the pokemon franchise. Amazing stuff, definitely plan on rewatching it since the announcement of Z-A today !
its Serena's fault. its all Serena's fault. its all Serena's fault that XYZ was so popular.
1. Serena is quite the cutest character in Pokemon, and they bothered to give her an incredible backstory
2. Amourshipping (all because Serena kissed Ash near the end of XYZ)
3. S Y L V E O N
pokemon legends z-a we are so back
YESSIRRRR
Everyone here in the comments is point more a more details and points but I just like to say one of the best things about XYZ was the OTS, e.g. that fucking intro with the drums and the electric guitar is just... Beautiful.
i have one word to describe as to why. Creative. the X and Y forms are truly, creative and shaped the future of pokemon games in the future as we stand. not only did the X and Y forms make a big entrance as the concept was extremely awesome, but it also started a chain for pokemon to keep trying to make something as revolutionary as the X and Y forms. obviously, they failed. even up to this day, i'm looking forward for the X and Y forms to come back.
The fact people still making videos about XY and its greatness already shows how good and popular this show is a show that mean a then and now from pokemon and its anime ❤️💙❤️💙💛💛🌅🌀.
It's everything to me as well 💙
One thing I could have some critique of Pokémon XY is the first movie Cocoon of destruction got my hopes up of the battle between the two Kalos Legends that was seen in the trailer and Kalos Gang being in the center of chaos. However those scenes from the trailer were never shown in the actual movie unfortunately. To this day I don’t know why they didn’t included those scenes.
Ahhh I see
Fennekin is just so cute and I love the character development of Serena in the anime
SAMEEE!! i love the little cute fox, too
@@Pokiiii62 I ❤Fennekin
I agree!! I luv foxes so much!!
The gen 6 seasons of the anime got me into Pokémon in the first place, and thats part of the reason why i love it, but it was also just great for all the reasons you mentioned.
For me I fckn love serena performance and the whole kalos queen arc. It feels so magical when I watch it as a kid
She was a boss
@@Pokiiii62 YES SIRR
I luv her performances too!
I think another reason why XY and XYZ are so popular is because of Ash himself, it's something I have encountered when talking to other Pokemon fans. XY and XYZ made Ash more mature, they didn't erase his childishness and his charm, but they made him more mature and more experienced. In the previous Pokemon series Ash felt more like an actual child that haven't gone through multiple leagues, met multiple legendaries and mythicals and fought many evil organisations. Ash doesn't want to brag? Ok, fine, but still.
XYZ had Mega Evolution which was the best ever mechanism that Pokemon introduced + I will never forget the iconic battle of Ash Greninja vs Mega Charizard. It was Pokemon at its finest.
FOR REAL THOUGH, also W miku pfp, best girl 🔥
@@Pokiiii62 MEGAS ARE BACK
@@godtiermiku YESSSSSSS I SAWWWW
Megaevolutions, son... They appear in response to cool plot twists.
(And fairy type)
I would say another big reason would be that there was a jump in birth rates in 2007 so they would just start getting into Pokémon around the time X and Y were released and just like how a lot of people’s favorite Pokémon is their starter. Their favorite show was the first one they watched.
4:55 top 3 best style (not gen 9)
1: XYZ (best fighting
2: Wishes (best artstyle
3: journeys (best look
ok but can we talk about the scene where bonnie saved squishy with her song bro I was on the floor crying
THAT SO WAS AN AMAZING SCENE AND SAD..
@@Pokiiii62 love it too
Kinda sad we never see squishy again
@@watchforever1724 he said that when Bonnie became a trainer they’ll find each other again
From what I remember from the XY series, is that it was the first time since Sinnoh where Ash was completely shown to be an experienced Battler aswell as a an Experienced Travel conpanion.
He was also more mature, and had his goals set, showing himself as the leader of the group while the mentor of the group (Clemont in this case) also looked up to him.
Not to mention the not so hidden romantic feelings Serena felt for Ash, aswell as her amazing character development that led to her being an amazing Pokemon performer
6:05 WOAH, I agree that he's a good rival, but Trip easily takes the cake for me, he's a genuinly really good written and thought out rival that actually had a good reason to be rude and backed up his trash talk and talk, unlike 90% of rivals in the series and talk trash and then just lose easily
You literally cannot just say "trip easily takes the cake" when Paul also exists lol
I loved this show as a kid, and I’ve been binging the series since I saw this video and I’m close to finishing it.
I miss this era of pokemon so much
I watched the intro after this and got shivers.
Man nostalgia hits so hard this was peak childhood 😢
Literally
Ye this was so peakk
the reason i love xy and xyz so much is because it’s so nostalgic to me, i have very fond memories of coming back from school and watching it, i think i rewatched it about 14 times? lol
SAMEEE I've rewatched it so many times
The concept of special bond forms is just so awesome to me. They to me feel like a perfect blend of what makes Pokemon, well, Pokemon: trainers bonding along a grand journey, intense battles that scratch the same itch that Ash Greninja does, and a way of making the star of your team that bit more special and personal. I know that having bond forms for all fully evolved pokemon that can change in loads of ways would be awful game balance and require a lot of work, but at least in concept it just sounds so cool.
Imagine battling someone online and both people use powered up bond form favourites in a final standoff. So cool.
Now, to anyone who sees this, what would your bond form be? Mine would be a Steel/Ice Glaceon.
SAME FRIEND, I AGREE HEAVILY
Steel/Ice Glaceon sounds awesome! Mine would be a Water/Flying Blastoise who would shoot air out of his chest and use the air to fly and attack
@@Optimus_Invictus The possibilities for a water/flying blastoise are endless. Imagine a more nimble, lighter frame blastoise with the ability to rocket jump from the front and back to reach enemies from the skies or directly tackle them? Man, I love this sort of stuff
Your growing fast! This will be worth it soon
I really think that Ash should've won the Kalos League. It's the best region where Ash developed the most and him winning the league would make more sense. Everyone around the world would've celebrated it more than him winning in the World Tournament.
I'm planning to make a video about that bit I agree yeah
Alan was fighting legendary pokemons before Ash Even got his 4th-3th medal, it would hace been cool seeing him win but Alan had more challenges in his way
What I think the XY and Z Anime is the chu and the story. The story Ash and Pikachu in a new adventure is nothing like I’ve seen before! It’s got great battles, new world, and new Pokemon of course. Just like Misty and Brock these three new friends are unforgettable with their stories and characteristics like Serina and her journey to become a fashion icon at the Poke-fashion contest and going against Team Rocket with Jessie, Clemot who makes these gadgets and does his best to solve the problem but ends up spontaneously explode when things go wrong, and his sister Bonnie who likes to ask other girls who will take care of his “big brother”. And the humor in this show is also very fun to watch! After watching the Indigo series and coming back to it years later with this show, this has been both me and my brother’s favorite show! And don’t get me started with the battles! They get SUPER HEATED! And as someone who never played any of the games back then (besides Pokemon let’s go Eevee and Scarlet) this is a huge improvement with everything I knew about Pokemon and how the fights work! They introduced Mega evolution so well that it’s super cool and I get super excited to see what their mega evolution looks like! And the movies are also super cool too!
The opening of the Japanesse and English versions were fire! Be a hero, XY&Z, Stand Tall. Like the opening riff on Stand Tall was chefs kiss
FRRRR SOMEONE'S SPEAKIN
Animation/artstyle, Mega evolutions, Serena and the shipping with Ash but actually having a foundation to stand on within the lore and throughout the series, Greninja, good rival, Ash getting to the finals, etc
I didnt watch this series till lockdown. Back in 2013 I was just at the age where Pokemon was losing me. I didnt enjoy gen 5 as much as gen 4, the BW anime was unwatchable and I just lost interest. During lockdown, I binged the whole series, and man did I regret not watching this back then. I felt like a kid again. Greninja was one of my favourites back when I played XY (I had no prescence in the community at the time, so i didnt know he was hated when leaked, then loved after release etc.) So cool to see
great video!
you went very in-depth and explained everything very well, as well as bringing up actual resources and statistics.
you have a great voice for content creation.
xyz was definitely my favorite season and now that ash is gone, i dont think thats gonna change lol
new sub here :) keep it up!
Yeah
i love love LOVE XYZ. sometimes my brain feels sour on it (mainly because of toxic shippers and because a lot of XY fans hated the SM series) but i do really love XY and XYZ.
Same, I love it so much man... I even remember being a kid and watching the league it was PEAK
Honestly two things that I remember from the series was that the intro absolutely slapped and the first episode with inkay and malamar freaked me out so much I never finished it.
My personal headcanon is that the whole story of XYZ was originally going to be for Pokemon Z. Also I find it unique that Ash-Greninja has the letters XYZ in his body! I guess XYZ literally was the "Ash-Greninja Show" and this one of the reasons for my only criticism of this show two of Ash's team members for Kalos suffered a lot because of it like Goodra and Noivern despite the fact that Noivern was the first baby Pokemon on Ash's arsenal to ACTUALLY evolve.
The fact that all the gym leaders and the champion were competent enough to assemble like their region's fighting an avenger's level threat instead of lying sleeping on their houses while some random visiting 10 year old and its friends fight the bad guys is my favorite moment and solidified XYZ being the best. Will never forget the chills when I first saw them appear to help.
XYZ had the best writing, best cast, best battles. Too bad Ash was hosed out of winning the Kalos League. He should have won it. The writing went downhill after XYZ ended. Plus I felt Ash was at his most mature in Kalos.
I freaking LOVE XYZ!! I remember watching it and talking to my friend about it. His favorite pokèmon was Greninja BECAUSE of this anime! I love the story, the characters, the pokemon, the animation, and the music.. all of it is just *perfection..* ✨
I physically remember the first time I bought a Netflix subscription I immediately started watching XYZ..
I love everything about it.. Mega Evolution is by far the best gimmick in Pokèmon!!
Why was it so popular? Well, to put it simply, it was just overall really high quality. The animation was great, the plot was great, the characters were great. It was just _really good._
The dialogue was so bad though
@@the_ejumper_0804 Bruh that's true of every Pokemon series, and most anime dubs in general.
Fun fact! I met the voice actor for Bonnie! She said they had the most creative freedom with this series!
Awesome! I luv Bonnie!!
havent watched the vid yet but its popular because it targets young teens. the animation was on par with other big animes that it got the recognition it deserved.
Exactly what I said in the video
In my eyes XYZ actually made Ash feel like a teenager with his height and character development, even if everyone in universe kept calling him 10, this was the closest thing to a teenager Ash we got
XYZ and Sun and Moon have to be my favorites of the Pokémon series.
Very valid my friend
Sun & Moon is so underappreciated due to people being scared of change in the artstyle. Animation only improved throughout and there were so many memorable characters, honestly the best show to watch during summer break or something.
this was my first ever pokemon related thing that i watched, and the nostalgia just came flooding back in so much. God i wish i could watch this show over and over again I love this show so much this introduced me into pokemon overall
i think its because of:
1.greninja
2.ash looks damn good and mature
3.serena cuz why not?romance between serena & ash was good....
4.the best ending in pokemon..no iam not talking about that kiss.
5.XYZ intro boosts me up.
6.incomplet love story ....💔
7.childhood backstory......
this why XY popular right??
Holy shit, you just unlocked a CAVERN of memories!!!
I used to tune in to every episode back in 2016 when I was 11. I didn't care much for Pokémon at the time but something about XYZ was just so...different, so captivating.
It was so much FUN
the only bad thing about xyz that i can think of is that ash didn't win the pokémon league
i was 6 when the first episode debuted on tv and it was stunning. a large part of my childhood was coming home to watch X and Y. i recently rewatched it and am reminded why i still love both pokemon and anime. a truly amazing introduction to the franchise.
I don't know if I think it's funny or sad that this is easily more popular than the actual X/Y games. The games were good but needed a third version. (RIP Pokémon Z)
Yep, 100% agree
It's quite unfortunate, actually! It stings me every time when Pokemon generation discussions happen between me and some of my friends and peers that I am essentially forced to say that the best way to experience the Kalos region isn't the games, but rather the anime. It's the outlier for all Pokemon generations, even generation 8! I wasn't the biggest fan of generation 8, but that's a whole other opinion not related to Kalos. However, Galar and Paldea both could've easily been connected to Kalos, but GF just loves to disregard Kalos. They honestly owe us justice for X&Y.
Its the only games to get nothing(I think) Like Gen1 had a remake even had the lets go games, Gen2 had a remake, Gen3 had a Third version and a remake from gen6, Gen4 had a 3rd version and a legends games, Gen5 had a continuation game and potentially a legends game(Rumors by People), Gen7 had a Extended/Continuation game, Gen 8 had DLC's, and same with Gen9 also had DLC see the Pattern here? It was in need of either a remake/3rd version/ or a Continuation game and it got none😂😭
@@itsme558 Let's hope the X/Y remakes aren't ILCA faithful style.
XY/XYZ will always be my fav Pokemon show...The reasons are fairly simple..
Ash was more mature looking like he's more in his mid-teens (like 14-16)and was a veteran from the start instead of regressing to completely "inexperienced state" at the start of every new season...He was more clever and strategic oriented and made strategies that actually made sense...
The animation,battles,choreography was outstanding... The background music is sick af, definitely the best background music....
The Mega lucario going berserk was a new thing showing downsides of mega evo's too...
The character development for each character...
And most of all the "disaster arc"....Where the main villain starts to execute his plan....
It actually made sense and the story was well written and exceuted and it gave me a sense of urgency and the sense of destruction and the feeling that we are going to lose everything throught out that whole arc...I loved that whole 10 or so episode arc....Alain also getting his redemption and all the gym leaders and champions gathering for the final fight was literal goosebumps....
And Ash-Greninja as you said was the best thing that happened in XY/XYZ....It was really built up from Froggy's first appearance....Froggy leaving his previous trainers and choosing Ash as he's the destined one and after that training under another Greninja and olympia's future sight prediction and all that was really built the hype amazingly....
And the amourshipping is still my fav shipping....They had actual moments together and an actual kiss scene which forever cements the fact that they are infact the best couple....It was really well developed with serena already having a crush on Ash since they were kids and met again as destined and slowly developing their relationship amd it was simply beautiful...I always loved it when the other girl performer always teased Serena about Ash and Ash was dense af not understanding whats going on...
I can go on and on but
Tldr;XY/XYZ is the best and peak Pokemon reached in terms of everything both objectively and subjectively....
X&Y was good, but not the best, in my opinion. The Diamond and Pearl anime and Hoenn/Battle Frontier are, in my opinion, superior. X&Y undoubtedly has better animation and combat choreography, but I believe the battles in DP and H/BF are better. The fights had higher stakes and greater tension. Obviously, it doesn't matter if Ash loses a fight, but the fights felt like they were always coming down to the wire. Those fights were major nail-biters, and this may be my bias because I grew up with the anime during the BF-DP era and binge-watched the original seasons as a kid, but the excitement of seeing one of Ash's Pokemon evolve or learn a new technique in the middle of a fight was SO HYPE. It felt like I was rooting for an underdog.
X&Y Ash felt like a continuation of DP Ash, which was refreshing after the Unova saga downgraded his character, but around the halfway point of X&Y, Ash started feeling more like a power fantasy kind of Protagonist. I think when the writers started focusing heavily on Ash Greninja, they contributed to that feeling. I'm not gonna lie in retrospect the hype of Ash Greninja felt very artificial, especially compared to Ash's other ace, Pokemon. Charizard, Sceptile, and Infernape. Ngl Greninja kinda robbed Ash's Kalos team of personality with the exception of Hawlucha. They all had significantly less spotlight compared to Greninja. Even Pikachu took a hit. Compared to Hoenn/Battle Frontier and DP where all of Ash's Pokemon felt like the all had their own personalities and well even screen time. With Torkoal, Glalie, and Gible being slight exceptions, although the latter two put in major work during their respective leagues, knocking out some major threats.
Whenever I hear about Ash's Kalos team, it's always in regard to it being his "Ultimate Team," and it's not hard to see why. Ash had a Greninja with a special ability that no other Pokemon has that's similar to and rival's Mega Evolution, two Dragon types one of whom was a Pseudo Legenday who prior to the league has never loss a battle and the other one battle and maybe (its been a while) defeated a Zapdos. Also, a regional bird who also battled a legendary bird being Moltres. As for Hawlucha, I don't remember any of his feats at the top of my head, sorry. But I don't hear talk about their personalities. It seems like they focused more on their strengths rather than personalities, but I could be wrong. I personally didn't connect with anyone other than Greninja and Hawlucha.
On to the characters and honestly, DP takes the crown for this one. Ash, Brock, and Dawn are objectively the best traveling group. There's nothing beating those 3. They encouraged each, teased each other every now and then and were definitely the most supportive. When Dawn was on a major contest, losing streak to the point of nearly quitting Ash and Brock helped her develop new techniques and gave her words of encouragement. With the additional help from Zoey and May as well. Or when Ash loss to Paul at Lake acuity, Brock helped treat Ash's Pokemon and gave him words of encouragement while Dawn put on a mini Circus for Ash and his Pokemon to help pull them out of there depression.
Those felt more natural to me than when Serena failed her first showcase, cried, cut her hair, and then suddenly grew as a character, apparently, who never loss a single showcase until the finale. Or when Ash lost to Wulfric and wanted to be left alone, but Serena somehow thought, throwing snowballs and going on a hissy fit about "You're not the Ash I know" even though the two barely interacted with each other was a good way to cheer him up. I'll touch on why I hate Serena later on. Even the side characters and rivals were memorable and had their own personalities. Paul, Zoey, Ursula, Conway, Nando, Barry, Kenny, and side character like Reggie, Cynthia, and Flint. X&Y's side characters were forgettable. The X&Y rivals in the anime were pretty bland, just like their game counterparts, Serena's rival with the Blue hair was more interesting than Serena was, but the major side characters were Alain and Sawyer. Sawyer was cool, but I wish he was introduced earlier on in the series. Maybe give him a few more battles and interactions with Ash. But Alain is great but suffers from the same problem of not having as many interactions with Ash until later in the series. On to the main crew, Ash and Clement have a brotherly bond that lowkey rivals that of Ash and Brock. He's awesome, and Bonnie is a MUCH BETTER version of Max. She's the most adorable cinnamon role. I wish X&Y was just these 3, but Serena exists.
Serena, to me, is easily Ash's worst traveling companion. I mean that with a hundred percent, with a thousand percent. I don't like her. She's a forced character retconed into Ash's Journey and is only carried by shipping. Serena's whole character revolves around Ash, and I hate it. She starts out on her journey just to meet Ash because she saw him on TV and then wants to give him back a handkerchief from when they were kids, which is creepy and weird and not quirky or cute. She wants to impress Ash in one episode at Ryhorn racing even though she hates doing it and is bad at it, but because of "plot" is suddenly good at it, or how she started during showcase to appear more feminine in front of Ash to impress him. I'm sorry, but I hate this character SO MUCH!!! and her toxic fandom does help either. Overall, X&Y is a great (not perfect) season of the anime, and while I would improve a few things, it definitely was a hype season for sure. Although I wish the kids who grew up watching the XY&Z seasons as their first anime would tone it down a bit. I get it. You love XY&Z, but don't hold it out as the absolute best season and be respectful to those who like the other seasons more. Ehh, who am I kidding? Nobody's gonna read my post.
I read your post to talk about the xyz team spotlight issue. I have heavily disagreed, goodra had an entire character arc dedicated to him in xyz. Pikachu had a major spotlight in the pokemon League. He took down a bunch of alains pokemon and took down aegislash, pikachu was always with ash, too. I believe noivern and talonflame are the only ones you can say anything about, but even then, they still got spotlight, especially with noivern and hawluchas amazing dynamic
About Serena, At first i was mid with her, but when Toxic appearance, I started to hate her, and when i rewatch XYZ, is so creepy af that Serena want to go with my boi, Only to make Ash love with her.
Pokemon XYZ was the only Pokemon series
That felt like a anime rather than a kids show
You forgot to mention that XYZ Ash is the BEST Ash PERIOD
dude what the hell ive been binging your videos nonstop and u have like 700 subs. u deserve more!!!
awww... it means a lot, friend... I appreciate the kind words 😭💙