Animated Atrocities: The Battle of the Badge

Show: Pokemon
Episode: 65
Year: 1998/1999

Writer(s): Hideki Sonoda
Director(s): Shigeru Ōmachi, Yūsaku Takeda


Yes I realize I haven't put the chief complaints section in this time, I only plan to use it some of the time to save me time when doing a review. I prefer the classic notepage structure anyways and feel my summaries address the problems well enough. Anyways let's get on with the review.


I've stated before that the worst gym battles of the Pokemon anime in my humble opinion are "Haunter Vs. Kadabra", "Pokemon Scent-Sation" and most infamously "Dazzling at the Nimbasa Gym". While do find this particular episode to be an Animated Atrocity I still don't hate it as much as the above three. It might be the nostalgia talking, but I think it still works as a precursor to Mewtwo Strikes Back regardless of it being a terrible episode in its own right. It doesn't really do anything truly offensive like the other 3 but it is very insulting all the same and it uses bad manipulation to trick you into thinking Ash will fight Giovanni, only to suckerpunch you in the gut.


I'm not going to debate things like the dub saying it's been a year since Ash was in Viridian City because that's an argument I don't wanna tangle with. I'm also aware that the anime has rules that are far different from the games at this point in time so I am not going to argue things like type advantages or why Giovanni is using Pokemon other than Ground types. Considering he uses other types in Pokemon Yellow I can accept this change; plus he's a villain, who says he NEEDS to play fair? When you have a FUCKING MEWTWO you can do whatever the fuck you want. And his batte against Gary still leaves me in awe to this day; unfortunately that's where the good ends and the problems begin. Also Gary having 10 badges when Kanto only has 8 Gyms still makes him the ultimate badass, fuck logic! Although I would beat the fuck out of the guards for denying me entrance and watching Gary get MASSACRED!


By revealing Giovanni's face for the very first time you assume Ash is gonna battle him and Mewtwo here, but no; that was just done to get you excited so they can pull the rug out from under you and shoot you in the dick! The problems start the moment Togepi gets snatched up by a Fearow and it randomly lands in the hands of Jessie, James and Meowth. Now I understand these morons think Giovanni will accept any Pokemon regardless of how powerful it is because they believe he'll use them for mundane shit like Bagon's hard head to crack open coconuts or Magic Honey so he can rub it on his naked body to attract Pokemon to have sex with him (yes that really happened, Meowth's got some creepy fantasies); but what makes them think he'd want this useless baby? Yes Togepi is an undocumented Pokemon by this point but all the same by this point it's pretty much useless. So they manage to present Giovanni Togepi, and he honestly chews them out for bringing him a useless baby. This is why I hate Misty's Togepi in general, it never actually had real potential so it was only ever a plot device and a Deux Ex Machina.


Anywho, even though Giovanni just told Messy and Lames off he has to go with Mewtwo for important business and leaves the king queen and joker of crime in charge of his gym for, some reason. Why the fuck would you trust these morons with your valuable gym and the base for your entire operation? Did you not remember what they tried to pass off to you like 5 seconds ago? Are Bitch and Cassidy still in jail? Couldn't THEY run the gym instead? This was all done just so Ash wouldn't get to meet the leader of Team Rocket and avoid a grizzly death in the most contrived way possible! I would've preferred he die here in that case, at least he'd have gone out fighting! Especially considering the Indigo League and how the show loves to fuck with the possibility of him becoming champion.


So instead of Giovanni, Ash has to battle the same 3 idiots he'll be forced to fight with untill he's old, bed-ridden and forced to use adult diapers and a colostomy bag! Of course, given Ash is magically stuck at 10-years old that won't happen, but you get my point. Instead they waste 1/2 the goddamn episode focusing on TOGEPI and not the Gym Battle Ash SHOULD HAVE HAD! Along with that there's lots of obnoxious shouting because this is a kids show and you need loud noises so things don't get too serious! GAG ME! GAG ME LIKE THE FEAROW THAT TOOK TOGEPI! I will however give credit to Team Rocket's sadism fueling the sadist within me though; a gym arena that forces the trainers to absorb the pain of their Pokemon is fucking ingenious! Why didn't Gi-Gi use that on Gary, huh?


But the fact that Giovanni's Pokemon are so fucking broken makes the battle just seem dumb to me. The Three Stooges being trusted with near invincible Pokemon makes no sense, why would Giovanni give them a Machamp, Kingler and Rhydon that're so obviously hacked by a Game Genie (Gameshark and Action Replay didn't exist back in 1996)? Honestly if I were Ash and learned the gym was under the control of Team Rocket I'd trick my sociopathic and disobedient Charizard into commiting ARSON ON THE WHOLE PLACE! I wouldn't even care about dying, becaue it'd be worth it for their precious base to go up in smoke! Seriously though, why didn't Ash just use Charizard to beat all 3? You'd think his dick would get hard about fighting invincible Pokemon!


Ash and his whole never give up attitude quite honestly disgusts me; why, why not just cut your losses and go to the police about the gym? This way when Giovanni comes back he'd be caught red handed provided he doesn't remember to use Mewtwo. No, instead Pikachu somehow beats all the Pokemon Bulbasaur and Squirtle couldn't because it's power is entirely determined by plot; and once again TOGEPI interferes by BLOWING UP THE GYM! Ash didn't earn this badge because he beat 3 idiots even a preschooler could whip with a Caterpie under normal circumstances! Also it FELL FROM THE FUCKING SKY!


This episode just makes me so angry and frustrated! No I don't think it's worse than "Haunter Vs. Kadabra", Pokemon Scent-Sation" or even "Dazzling at the Nimbasa Gym"; I hate those episodes more and they make me even angrier than this one. Call it the nostalgia talking but even though I hate this one, it's tie-in to the first movie make sure it isn't entirely unwatchable. The stuff before Togepi hogs most of the focus is really nice despite the anime logic and it shows just how ruthless Giovanni is, but it ain't long before he shows what a moron he is by trusting those three who deserve to be fired with his gym and base! I actually agree with Jessie on this one, I wouldn't GIVE Ash the badge! I also have to assume all the Pokemon under Giovanni's "care" died in the collapsing gym rubble so that's some unfortunate implications right there. Just... Stupid, stupid, stupid all around.


Cringe-Inducing Audio: 5
Cringe-Indcuing Visuals: 0
Lackluster Writing: 8
Annoyance: 8
Disturbing Content: 0
Unnecessary Cruelty: 0
Rancid Morality: 0
Low Production Values: 2
Unfortunate Implications: 4
Character Derailment: 0

Final Score: 27/100


Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Gamefreak and The Pokemon Company.

Animated Atrocities is from

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