The Semi-Final Frontier! (657)

[Caseydia]

I guess we'll never know. Will we?

[wobbanut]

Too bad that Ash faced such a hard-to-beat opponent for what turned out to be his last Sinnoh League match. He was as outclassed vs. Tobias as he was against Paul in season 12. At least it was an opportunity to see Ash's old pokemon again, but that's about the only good thing.

6/10

[Ash&Pikachu-Fan]

Does anyone know the name of the music that plays when Ash uses Pikachu? it sounded so epic to me.

[Fairplay]

Cheapest battle ever. I can't believe how they made Ash look like a weak trainer who doesn't deserve to be in the finals. I don't get, what the writers were aiming for with that. Why don't they let him win a league? He defeated his toughest rival EVER and proved how strong he can be. Why not just give him that victory? To give a random and never seen Trainer Legendary Pokemon is just unfair and should have been forbidden in the league. Thats why i turned my back on the series at first, but later watched Best Wishes after a few months... Although i don't expect Ash to win the Unova League either.

[oli6]

Please what are the pokemons of opponent of Tobias in final? http://www.serebii.net/anime/picture.../657/DP328.jpg
------
I think Tobias is a strong trainer, who can match agaist elite4 members but he can´t agaist Champions - Lance, Cynthia, Steven or Frontier Brains - Brandon and Palmer.
Just look at battle Brandon vs Paul. He use regi-trio and all Paul´s pokemons were uselles. Even Ash won just because Brandon use just Regice - not all his regi´s...

Cynthia´s Garchomp - she defeat with him all sinnoh elite4 members. ( You saw it, dont you? I think it was battle vs Lucian...)

All of this "super-trainers" have at least one who can be as good or even better than Tobias Darkrai..I think rest of his team is weaker - maybe legendary birds, dogs or something that "at pseudo legens" level...

[TurtwigFan1]

Great episode, but Tobias was such a cheap way to make sure Ash doesn't win. But I do like the fact that Ash managed to beat two of Tobias' Pokémon, when no-one else, not even the finalist, could beat his Darkrai. I loved seeing Ash turn his hat around for the first time in forever, it made the Latios vs. Pikachu fight all that more special. I felt so insanely proud watching Pikachu battle Latios, so sad that Ash had to lose. Team Rocket were enjoyable again, I love seeing them support Ash. Top 4 is amazing! A great way to end the Sinnoh League.

[pokemonsquared]

Who wants to bet Tobias had arceus? And the creation trio as well?

[Jazz Hands]

Tobias was so damn strong, although he knida cheated using an Uber. IT'S AN OU TOURNAMENT OBVIOUSLY. Sceptile just damn rocked though, I mean, surviving Dream Eater, then taking Darkrai down.

[matt0044]

Epic episode but either way, Tobias is still a phoned in plot device for Ash to lose. At least past league rivals were remotely developed or elaborated before their matches with Ash. He may be suppose to be "mysterious" but the thing about mysteries is that they're suppose to be solved for a story. Furthermore, the fact that this guy came out of nowhere with Pokemon WHO'S VERY EXISTENCES ARE QUESTIONED (hence why they're LEGENDARIES), it automatically gets the viewers (who know this fully well) wanting answers ASAP. But we get jacksquat for Tobias's history. And considering how he won the final match with Darkrai only, this means that Ash would won and at least finally won a conference if not for Mr. Plot Device. Maybe not the Elite Four too but it'd be about time.

Sorry for *****ing about this for the umpteenth time but as an aspiring writer, I hate things like this.

[Infernape4ever]

i think only pokemon that can defeat darkrai is mewtwo, i mean sceptile did defeated him but if ash had mewtwo i think he would lose aswell cuz we havent seen other 4 of 6 tobiass pokemon

[Haunter227]

Agreed very much, Ash losing to Harrison was okay, but once Tyson basically felt a rehash with a 'new' threat being his Meowth instead of Blaziken.

If they carried on doing a new trainer in a 6v6 with a specific powerhouse, it'd have gotten boring.

LOL.

I remember posting this, what a shame.

Cameron turned out to be Harrison/Tyson 3.0 - With Lucario being the new threat. How depressing.

[Caseydia]

I loved this battle although it was sort of cheap. Ash's pokemon was able to atleast take down two of his pokemon though anyone wasn't able to. I liked that than with Lucario.

[Infernape4ever]

im just sad that after 16 seasons of ash and pikachu he once won pokemon league(orange league) and become a master of battle frontier but i thougt he would face tobias in finals and in unova he didnt even use his old pokemon except pikachu and he ended up in top 8

[Brownie]

The Semi-Final Frontier

I’m just going to say that I can see why people hate this episode so much. I’m sure almost everyone expects Ash to lose every major league by now, but the way this is done is DEPLORABLE. First off, Tobias doesn’t even get disqualified for having brought a LEGENDARY POKEMON, making him look more and more like a Gary-Stu each time. The actual battle is too one-sided and anti-climactic, because he more or less sweeps half of his team with Darkrai, until Sceptile barely beats it. You’d think his next Pokemon would be a non-legendary so Ash could put up a better fight, right? Instead…he sends out a freakin’ LATIOS, which sweeps the rest of his team and ties with Pikachu. Most of them don’t even put up a fight, just pretty much stand there and let Tobias beat them. The thing that really sucks is, Ash really could have won (even though we know they wouldn’t let him) if Tobias didn’t appear.

Writers, please, PLEASE keep your Gary-Stu/Mary-Sue characters OUTSIDE of canon, thanks.

[ZacT94]

That episode actually goes to show that if Tobias wasn't in the league, Ash would have won the whole league, being the only trainer strong enough to take out not only one, but two of Tobias' legendaries. Although it was a disappointing episode, it sheds light on how strong Ash really is. I'd love to have versed Tobias myself with my Darkrai, one Focus Blast and bye bye Tobias' Darkrai.

[Rohanator]

The Semi-Final Frontier

I’m just going to say that I can see why people hate this episode so much. I’m sure almost everyone expects Ash to lose every major league by now, but the way this is done is DEPLORABLE. First off, Tobias doesn’t even get disqualified for having brought a LEGENDARY POKEMON, making him look more and more like a Gary-Stu each time. The actual battle is too one-sided and anti-climactic, because he more or less sweeps half of his team with Darkrai, until Sceptile barely beats it. You’d think his next Pokemon would be a non-legendary so Ash could put up a better fight, right? Instead…he sends out a freakin’ LATIOS, which sweeps the rest of his team and ties with Pikachu. Most of them don’t even put up a fight, just pretty much stand there and let Tobias beat them. The thing that really sucks is, Ash really could have won (even though we know they wouldn’t let him) if Tobias didn’t appear.

Writers, please, PLEASE keep your Gary-Stu/Mary-Sue characters OUTSIDE of canon, thanks.

Legendary Pokemon in the anime are hard to obtain and control, so people who are able to use them deserve all the praise they get, unlike in the games where it's just cheap(although this doesn't apply to all legendaries, many of them are quite bad in the grand scheme of competitive play to be honest) I agree on pretty much everything else, although I love the fact that beating 2 of Takuto's Pokemon made Ash the strongest regular trainer in the league.

That episode actually goes to show that if Tobias wasn't in the league, Ash would have won the whole league, being the only trainer strong enough to take out not only one, but two of Tobias' legendaries. Although it was a disappointing episode, it sheds light on how strong Ash really is. I'd love to have versed Tobias myself with my Darkrai, one Focus Blast and bye bye Tobias' Darkrai.

Until we get to BW which regressed Ash. But, hopefully he gets back to this level and beyond in the XY anime.