As one of the most popular and mainstream anime franchises of all time, Pokémon is a show that has had many ups and downs during its long run. When a series has lasted as long as Pokémon has, there are bound to be some mistakes and errors along the way, and the more popular it gets the greater the scrutiny becomes.
The popularity of Pokémon has catapulted it into stardom in multiple sectors of entertainment, including anime and video games, and since its debut in the '90s, it has constantly tried to improve and hone its craft. That being said, there are definitely some aspects of the show that don't really make sense, but fans welcome either way.
10 The Redundancy Of The Police
In a world where children are given the approval to travel around the continent alone, with nothing but magical pets that can shoot flames and electricity, it's a wonder why a police force exists at all. When criminal organizations like Team Rocket are capable of running rampant across the globe, and it's left to a group of youths to stop them, what's the need for Officer Jenny? It seems like she's only there to reject Brock's advances, which is something fans are always here for.
9 Parents Are Never Around
No self-respecting parent would let their child run around the world unchaperoned with plenty of dangerous Pokémon around to do whatever they please. The fact that so many parents of preteens are seemingly okay with their kids tackling criminal organizations and wild, untamed beasts is a mystery. However, fans across the board would be lying if they said this dream of adventure and proving oneself wasn't something they longed for deep down.
8 Making Pokémon Fight Each Other
The entire essence of the Pokémon franchise is to get these creatures to fight each other, but when a more philosophical and moralistic perspective is taken to the show it has to be asked whether this is a cruel use of their abilities.
The Pokémon Company has received a lot of backlash over the years by animal rights groups, especially PETA, by comparing Pokémon forced to fight each other to dogfighting in the real world. While it's a bit of a stretch to say it's glorifying animal abuse, there is a sense of truth to their statement. But without this conceit, Pokémon wouldn't exist.
7 The Ridiculous Disguises
Team Rocket members Jesse and James are the epitome of comic relief characters and have blasted off more times than is worth counting. Their futile attempts to capture a Pikachu are so laughable. If they had just spent all the time they put chasing Ash and Pikachu into finding a Pikachu and training it themselves, they'd be a lot better off.
Most ridiculous of all has to be their disguises, which are usually so low-bar that it's a legitimate shock the protagonists fall for it every time. Despite their ludicrousness, they're always a source of hilarity for fans.
6 Pokémon Only Saying Their Name
During the '90s, there was an unspoken rivalry between Pokémon and Digimon due to the similarities that went beyond just the name. Both involved kids teaming up with partner creatures to battle other creatures while forming special bonds.
The obvious correlation between the two inevitably lead to comparing them both, and one way Digimon beat Pokémon was the fact that the humans could actually talk to their partners. While it would be cool to have Ash talk to his teammates, the fact the Pokémon only say their name adds to the charm.
5 Ash's Elixir Of Youth
Even though Pokémon has been running for over 25 years, Ash hasn't seemed to age a day. It's become a running meme among fans to try and guess his real age if he hadn't drunk from the fountain of youth. This was made even worse during the Sun & Moon series when the animators decided to give him a redesign to make him look even younger, to the outcry of the fans. While it detracts from the reality of the show and plateaus his character development, it maintains the innocence and nostalgia of the franchise.
4 Trusting The Fate Of The World To A 10-Year-Old
Continuing along the lines of the impotent police force within the Pokémon world, the notion that the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of a child and his ragtag group of friends is strange. Especially when there are adult trainers with a more powerful party of Pokémon at their disposal. That being said, it has given fans the opportunity for fans to meet all the legendary Pokémon across all the regions and see Ash develop into a true Master.
3 Brock's Relentless Pursuits
A rather outdated part of the anime, that would probably be omitted if it was being produced now, is Brock's incessant attempts at trying to court any woman that comes his way. From every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny to any female Gym Leader, Brock never stopped.
Fortunately, his pursuits were never really creepy and primarily verged on the point of cringe. This was helped with Misty and several Pokémon coming forth to literally slap some sense into him. Despite it being old-fashioned, it was still humorous.
2 Ash Losing When It Matters
After 24 years on the air, Ash has only won two leagues. The first was the Orange Island League from the second season, though this is usually overlooked because only 4 gym badges were required and the season had a shorter run than most others. The second came two decades later with the Alola Pokemon League in Sun & Moon, meaning fans had to spend years and years watching Ash fail time and again. This just made the win even sweeter after such a long time and made Ash's perseverance admirable.
1 Team Rocket's Persistence
The only thing funnier than Team Rocket's costume ideas is their ridiculous persistence across multiple continents to basically stalk and creep on a group of kids. After all their failed attempts, they should have just given up and tried somewhere else, or perhaps realize that crime wasn't for them. Despite how many times fans have watched Team Rocket "blast off," it's still funny to see the writers come up with new and inventive ways to make it happen. The money they spend on Meowth Hot Air Balloons must be insane.
