10 Online Vs. Reality
These images come from the Pokémon anime episode “The Punchy Pokémon” wherein Ash enters his Primeape into a fighting competition. That business aside, this meme is a good play off of how a lot of gamers, or people in general, act online. They may sound tough online, but in person they would would never dare say these nasty things in public. As the meme points out, they’re like struggling Pikachus, wailing their arms in rage.
9 The Original Mascot
Before Pikachu, Clefairy was almost the mascot for the Pokémon series. Given that fact, this meme from the episode “Clefairy and the Moon Stone” makes sense. Pikachu, especially in these early seasons, can be quite brutal. It wouldn’t be that surprising to have seen it obliterate Clefairy until there was only a hair left.
8 Pokéball Problems
The world of Pokémon is presented as this bright and colorful place where monsters and humans can be friends. When one thinks about it, enslaving monster to battle for sport and to be prisoners locked away in tiny balls is far from a utopian society. In the very first anime episode “Pokémon I Choose You” Pikachu refuses to go in the ball so Ash drags him around instead. Like the meme says, it does seem less cruel.
7 Ghost Bros
This kind of plays off of Family Guy wherein that show loves to ask these remember questions before smash cutting to something random. Ash reflecting on the time both he and Pikachu literally died and became ghosts in “The Tower of Terror” is a joke to show just how crazy the anime got. A meme in this style could show off literally hundreds of hilarious instances.
6 Ashley Ketchum
Pikachu can also play the remember game. This is from an episode called “Pokémon Sensation” wherein Ash has to dress like a girl in order to battle in the Celadon City Gym.
This scene ends with Pikachu shocking Ash to reveal his identity. This meme is funny but the moment in episode is even better.
5 Ketchup Revenge
Ever wonder where Pikachu’s love of ketchup came from? While the episode “Showdown at Dark City” doesn’t explain why it loves the sauce, it is the first instance of Pikachu’s fascination. They even made figures of it happily display ketchup. All one needs to know is that it is adorable and if one messes with Pikachu’s ketchup, they’re getting the claws and or shocked.
4 Ruthless
This might be more ruthless than the Pokémon meme with Clefairy because this actually happened. In the episode that followed the S.S. Anne sinking, “Pokémon Shipwreck,” Ash and his gang end up on a raft with Team Rocket. Meowth falls off and is drowning while Pikachu just watched him struggle for a good while before Meowth makes it on board. Pikachu then snaps its fingers afterward as if to say, “Darn, Meowth didn’t die.” Is that savage or what?
3 Spinoff Mistakes
“Electric Shock Showdown” is one of the most beloved episodes of the show. Ash wants Pikachu to challenge Raichu but it resists at first. After getting pummeled, Pikachu relays an impassioned speech about beating Raichu without resorting to evolution. It’s touching.
This meme replacing that idea with Ash trying to get Pikachu to cash in on a poorly planned spinoff, Pokémon Dash with a Metacritic of 46, is also great. Pikachu being bandaged after the experience then is quite funny.
2 Impossible Winnings
There are a lot of differences between the Pokémon games and anime. For instance, in the games, there is no way Pikachu’s electricity could defeat Onix. In the anime, Onix is weakened by a sprinkler system, thus weakening it up to Pikachu’s electricity. This was in the episode “Showdown in Pewter City.” It’s too bad too because using the environment to one’s advantage in battle could be a cool mechanic for the games. There is still time to use this idea in the next set of games.
1 The Anime Is Better
To sum up this article and the early seasons of the anime, this meme points out just how great it really was. From over exaggerated faces to brutal takedowns, the first season of the show holds up. This might just be nostalgia talking but 90s kids definitely know the feeling. There is nothing quite like the Pokémon boom of 1998.
NEXT: Ranking Every Version Of Pokémon & Its Clones (Or Other Monster-Catching Games)
