Your stance on "pity" badges.

[CyberCubed]

I didn't care about it in Kanto but if it happened in every region it would have gotten old fast.

Johto still had some pity badges too like Pryce and Whitney.

[Caseydia]

What do you think of "pity" badges?

Personally, I like them. They're refreshing for the plot. Without them, Kanto would have amounted to just gym battle after gym battle (and we never would have gotten that awesome Sabrina arc!). Just because he didn't get them traditionally doesn't mean he didn't earn them. He rescued Erika's Gloom, made Sabrina laugh (Psychic types were OP, so Ash couldn't possibly beat her plausibly), saved Cerulean Gym from TR, and impressed Brock with his action of putting his Pokemon's health before a victory; the least they could do is reward him, right? He did prove himself, after all.

So yeah, they're pretty underrated, and we need more Gym arcs like that.

~marioluigifan05

Pity badges don't serve any purpose to Ash now that he's been a winning fandom with gymbattles after Kanto. If you think they will dumb Ash down even more to gain back pity badges like he used to than you just need to re-watch the old series again.

[Hilda]

It's great, because it was just the beginning of the journey. Things happen like that. It's wrong to say pity though, he did deserve them. The gym leaders test the trainers skills and stance, if they deem the trainer worthy, they will give the badge.

[Dragoniss]

Ash had a reason in kanto to get "pitty" badges. He was a new trainer. just starting out he didn't know that much. It was fair. Now though, no. Unless its specified circumstances Ash can not just loose a battle 5 times and have the leader be like "oh..well...here" -that was kinda an out there example-

I would much rather see some development with Ash's emotions. Make him loose, once or possibly even twice until he finally gets it. Make us root for him and want him to win. Then make us feel good that he won. They did that really well with the Surge fight.

They break up the norm yes but it shouldn't become a norm. 1 pitty badge would be all I would want and even then I see a lot of people complaining about it.

[Dwail8023]

Ash had a reason in kanto to get "pitty" badges. He was a new trainer. just starting out he didn't know that much. It was fair. Now though, no. Unless its specified circumstances Ash can not just loose a battle 5 times and have the leader be like "oh..well...here" -that was kinda an out there example-

I would much rather see some development with Ash's emotions. Make him loose, once or possibly even twice until he finally gets it. Make us root for him and want him to win. Then make us feel good that he won. They did that really well with the Surge fight.

They break up the norm yes but it shouldn't become a norm. 1 pitty badge would be all I would want and even then I see a lot of people complaining about it.

Completely agreed with you.

[Haunter227]

They don't bother me at all, Ash earnt them fair and square when he proved to each Gym Leader that he had the skills to gain them. Not any trainer would just risk their life to save a Gloom.

[Starsurfer]

I didn't mind the pity badges for the time period. I feel they served the purpose of giving depth to Ash's character. I also feel that they were to show his inexperience, and act as way of teaching Ash life lessons. And like some have said, most of the pity badges that were given were done so because of unfair obstacles in Ash's way or to give a character choice context. (Brock following Ash, Erica denying him gym access, Sabrina being impossible to defeat, etc.)

But that being said, I think it's a writing mechanic that won't work anymore. While Ash is still not a champion, he's beyond the point where a pity badge is acceptable. He's a skilled battler (despite making rookie mistakes from time to time) and it's even been written into his character over the past few generations that he doesn't like receiving badges he feels he hasn't earned. Again, was good for the time it was used, but I don't think pity badges will be making a comeback.

[Pikafleg]

True, but regardless, he saved the gym (without him, who knows what could have happened...)

And actually, although it was much later, he did beat misty in a battle in the johto region episode "the totodile duel"...and speaking of I loved in that battle how misty used togepi to make pikachu forfeit the match, that was so adorable and sweet and clever...

[marioluigifan05]

Pity badges don't serve any purpose to Ash now that he's been a winning fandom with gymbattles after Kanto. If you think they will dumb Ash down even more to gain back pity badges like he used to than you just need to re-watch the old series again.

He's already been dumbed down XD And again, he doesn't have to be dumbed down for a 'pity' badge, there just needs to be a good story behind it. I wouldn't want, say, for Skyla to 'determine' he was the winner and then he just gets the badge, that would be a waste.

It's wrong to say pity though, he did deserve them.

Hence why it's in quotation marks. :P

~marioluigifan05

[Nightmareisalive]

Well you can't really call them pity badges. How many of them were actually given because the gym leader were sorry for Ash? Remember a badge is a sign that a gym leader recognizes you as a good trainer either through Battle or exceptional good deeds. For example would the like of Paul get a badge for his goodness to other people and Pokemon during his Sinnoh journey? The answer is no. Ash got those badges because the leaders saw him as a great trainer who didn't need to prove it through battle and that is a lot harder than getting one in winning a battle. Also both Wattson and Volkner were more than happy to give away badges for nothing but Ash refused and challenged them to battle and won.

[*~Silver*~]

I didn't care about it in Kanto but if it happened in every region it would have gotten old fast.

Johto still had some pity badges too like Pryce and Whitney.

Was Pryce really a pity badge? I thought that the electric leader, I forgot his name, in Hoenn gave a pity badge, but I don't see how Pryce did. Ash's Pikachu beat his Pokemon by going underneath it and shocking it. It seemed to me that Pikachu won.
Whitney on the other hand was more a half pity badge. She seemed to know that Ash's strategy wouldn't work in her gym, so she just gave him the badge... xD He did win against her though.

[Rex Kamex]

What do you think of "pity" badges?

Personally, I like them. They're refreshing for the plot. Without them, Kanto would have amounted to just gym battle after gym battle (and we never would have gotten that awesome Sabrina arc!). Just because he didn't get them traditionally doesn't mean he didn't earn them. He rescued Erika's Gloom, made Sabrina laugh (Psychic types were OP, so Ash couldn't possibly beat her plausibly),

They should've done something to give Kadabra some weakness, imo. They still could've kept most of that Sabrina arc in tact if they had gotten Pikachu to beat Kadabra via some strategy, showing people in that area that Psychic Pokemon could be defeated after all. Then Sabrina could've gotten mad that Ash won, and right before turning him into a doll anyway (out of anger), Haunter could've appeared then and made her laugh.

Brock and Misty traveled with Ash, so he could've always had a rematch with them and defeated him, "validating" his first two badges then. (I guess the "Who Gets to Keep Togepi?" match with Ash and Misty could've counted, but I don't know.)

So to me, Erica's Rainbow badge is the only one of those badges I think was fine the way it was- I think that Brock's and Misty's could've been justified later on, with rematches, and that Sabrina's could've been resolved in an actual defeat.

[Sylva]

I was always a little dissapointed by them if I am honest. Back when I was just a little guy of around 7 or 8 watching for the first time whenever Ash was handed a "pity" badge my thinking was always "oh, well...can you not battle anyway? just for fun" haha

[Haunter227]

I remember during battle frontier i was really hoping for a legit rematch between the pity badges Ash had won. Shame he didn't see any of the gym leaders besides Brock and Misty.

[CyberCubed]

Was Pryce really a pity badge? I thought that the electric leader, I forgot his name, in Hoenn gave a pity badge, but I don't see how Pryce did. Ash's Pikachu beat his Pokemon by going underneath it and shocking it. It seemed to me that Pikachu won.
Whitney on the other hand was more a half pity badge. She seemed to know that Ash's strategy wouldn't work in her gym, so she just gave him the badge... xD He did win against her though.

I think you've forgotten the episode, Pikachu never beat Piloswine.

Pryce just told Piloswine to stop battling because Ash had proved himself.

[marioluigifan05]

Off-topic: I found it funny how Pryce surrendered even though Piloswine was just fine, while Pikachu was on the verge of fainting XD

[STICKTOPIA]

Was Pryce really a pity badge? I thought that the electric leader, I forgot his name, in Hoenn gave a pity badge, but I don't see how Pryce did. Ash's Pikachu beat his Pokemon by going underneath it and shocking it. It seemed to me that Pikachu won.
Whitney on the other hand was more a half pity badge. She seemed to know that Ash's strategy wouldn't work in her gym, so she just gave him the badge... xD He did win against her though.

pikachu technically defeated all of his pokemon although it was overpowered. Pikachu didn't defeat Piloswine. Did it's electric attacks even do any damage???

[Caseydia]

He's already been dumbed down XD And again, he doesn't have to be dumbed down for a 'pity' badge, there just needs to be a good story behind it. I wouldn't want, say, for Skyla to 'determine' he was the winner and then he just gets the badge, that would be a waste.

He is dumbed down, but not to the point that he doesn't know how to battle.

Good story or not, pity badges aren't needed anymore. If there was a beginning trainer then I can see but Ash, no.

[marioluigifan05]

I see your point on that last line. Maybe what this show really needs is just less conventional ways of earning badges.
~mlfan05

[Caseydia]

I see your point on that last line. Maybe what this show really needs is just less conventional ways of earning badges.
~mlfan05

But I don't think that would be gymbattles anymore. I think it would be a whole different pokeSport.