Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Are Darker Than You Thought

[@charusharu]

The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/charusharu02231

[@kodytiffany5686]

I have ran with head cannon from near the start of my anime journey that the games keep enforcing; the manga supports; and the anime hints at. Now it truly is darker than most think. Now I am not going to cover any one series or game but use general staples that led to my belief in the "True history of the Pokemon world" and the region I created that rests at the core of that history "Zuto Ura" (spelling might be off a bit; my notes are scattered so this is from current thoughts not my notes). 1) Repeat people. It struck me as odd that every Jenny and Joy are mostly the same. It struck me even odder realizing that as needs arose more repeat people would show. Oddest yet Jenny and Joys of the past look the same as the currents in a region if its a matter of Oaks time or similar. My explanation leads into my next point. POKEMON BREED/FARM THEM. 2) Pokemon leaders. There are a significant number of manipulators that are pokemon; even so there are a lot that mention human control in some fashion or that they prey on children and fools in some fashion. Clearly there are controllers out there like Celibi and other temporal agents that can mask there actions using mankinds false impressions of superiority. My theory is that they made humanity stunted and bizarre as they are in the technical sense; forcing the tech to advance in ways that favor pokemon in the long run. Everyone has mansions or lives in nice places with NO HOMELESS... quite sus really. If you can't find the slums then the slums will find you as a society. Hence all the Team Skulls and Team Stars out there along side Team Galatics and Team Flares. 3) The world is to Stanford Wives. Which leads to the main reason I think the pokemon world as a whole hides this great darkness of "in your face" oppression like this. Literally every region has a clean and clone feel despite the environmental differences. Name one region where Job markets or poverty is a thing at all... that's right you can't; every person has a place and every family is middle class at worst. You can look at Jessie/James/Meowth backstory and see the possibility of things being rough on the rejected... but JJM all 3 CHOSE that path of rejection. They chose to work outside there own molds and was punished by society for seeking that freedom of choice. Only those seeking that freedom suffer in Pokemon. "N" for instances was an unwanted bridge between species that the poke-overlords arranged for failure to get rid of. Theres more if you want; but for now I will describe the region I made Its basis is the super continent Pangea/Mu/Atlantis type of places. Its size is roughly 4 times that of Asia. Its shores have one safe route to reach and only if the Captin of the ship is approved and all non-pokemon on it are accounted for and approved. Planes only go missing to reappear 7 days later in a random port elsewhere everyone as they were those 7 days ago. Only by boat can you reach and only if allowed. The land it self is of every type of course but mostly plains and grasslands for leagues. The sheer vastness of the land always knocks newcomers stupid in awe... you just feel it; and at about that time you realize the Mt. Everest sized HILLS and that your not seeing a horizon but rather mountains so immense that they swallow the entire horizon like oceans can. The peaks are literally to high to see (Think red line in One Piece). In this most ancient land you find that some humans have pokemon move potential because of that's how close the bonds to pokemon are here. I do not mean stuff like draco meteor where literal meteors are summoned; but rather Giga impact and other moves that are martial rather than material. Some moves like Fire breath can be replicated with tools but still. My point being is these gyms the trainers fight also so the team is KO'ed by the trainer falling also. There is ZERO ball limit for your party and some gyms even do 64 vs 64 challenges... at once. The Mt's hide the truth tho. Inside that ring is a land of noon time light and otherwise eternal twilight; except for the false sun and moon that are legendaries in disguise (evolved forms of Sun and Moon Legendaries in fact). In that place are gangs of pokemon that are bandits or towns folk and most humans are owned by some pokemon. In all of that reign 2 positions of human power respected by pokemon as equals. The PokePriestess (Shinto like Japanese temple types) and the Lead Professor... tho he teaches little. Those posts are PR purposed only and can't change laws or anything. Peace keepers in other words. If you want to know more just ask.

[@dark2lighting]

thank you for this my man...though im sure you dont need me to say it but here it is anyway....i'll let you know if it helps with my goal of being a vmodel streamer/editor/creator....im wishing for big things from this

[@Flowxrz0]

liar

[@NotReinaHamazaki]

This probably makes team star the most empathetic evil group in the pokémon series. They're a bunch of kids who got bullied, only to become bullies themselves.

[@arand0mguy]

None of the other teams are empathetic so yes

[@madnessarcade7447]

@@arand0mguy team yell kinda

[@madnessarcade7447]

They were never bullies just misunderstood

[@LycanMOON]

@@madnessarcade7447 nah team yell was just annoying,marnie got all the development and piers got...something? He only gets development in weird ways

[@MagillanicaLouM]

@@arand0mguy skull

[@ScorbunGame]

Scarlet and Violet's writing in Starfall Street and Path of Legends proves that the series is at it's best from a story standpoint when it breaks away from the ridged 8 gyms/challenges to get to the League formula, to the point that Victory Road feels like a afterthought thrown in because "it's a Pokemon game." The world may be fantastical and silly sometimes but the struggles Arven and Penny went through are going to hit close to home for some people. Arvan is a broken man who was neglected, forced to only rely on himself and desperate to heal the only true companion he had for his entire life. Meanwhile Penny, like the rest of Team Star, just wanted the abuse and bullying she was enduring to stop but lost her way due to anger and rage. But she managed to snap out of it and realize that her friends were just enabling a vicious cycle of cruelty by continuing as Team Star. This is a game about finding your treasure and the journey it takes to do so, a journey that's hard for everyone but if you can find the right people to help you then eventually you WILL find it. And the best part? Anything can become a treasure.

[@charusharu]

You summed it up well - Arven and Penny's struggles were easily among the most compelling in the series in my opinion.

[@arohamumberry7324]

Not even a broken man, a kid. He's still a teenager. I feel that makes it even worse

[@shelbybayer200]

That's mainly cause being a Champion isn't the point of Scarlet and Violet It's stopping the Time machine in Area ZERO You need to beat all 3 Lines cause your three friends are needed to actually get to The last part of Area Zero

[@WriothesleySimp]

@@shelbybayer200 no shit Sherlock

[@nestrior7733]

None of the three lead-up stories are about us. Sure, we play a role and help, but none of them are ours. And in two of them, the respective treasures are revealed at the end. Not so in Victory Road. It makes pretty clear from the very beginning that we are Nemona's treasure, someone who can not only keep her pace but challenge and defeat her. The biggest issue in that regard is that none of the Gyms have any sort of scaling. Minimum Levels are nice and well, but there should also be room above. Dynamic teams, if you will. Because of this, Nemona and her excitement fall flat since it's exceedingly easy to out-level everything. But the core of us being her treasure(d friend) is still there and extremely important to The Way Home.

[@PKshockwave]

It was great. I found myself crying at the end when Penny revealed they were her treasures. She valued them and their well-being more than anything else. This just really showed, that no matter how bad the bullying can get, there are people who genuinely care and love you, and they are the ones that truly matter. When people consider suicidal thoughts and depressive actions, they need to remember these people.

[@juliusnovachrono4370]

I can relate to this heavily.

[@lightdarksoul2097]

I'm glad that the Principle accepted the responsibility too, like he knows that the school didn't do its part so the students acted on their own merits which while not great in the end, is admirable.

[@melissamurray8307]

He and Larry are two of my favorite adults in the games.

[@GladDestronger]

Something a lot of schools tend to ignore.

[@aster4jaden]

I recently finished this Storyline and Bullying in this is even Darker than even you give it thought for, the Classes in the Academy are all mixed ages with Adults going to school with Children. After finishing this I realized there is the grim possibility that Team Star's Bullies could've of been full grown adults and even Elderly People, who bullied a Pre-Teen to Teenagers which disturbed me a lot.

[@FunnyFany]

I haven't stopped thinking about this comment since I read it. The implication that Mela specifically might've faced harrassment from adults because she was a beautiful teenage girl makes my stomach churn. Disgusting, and certainly explains the extreme fashion choices she adopted in order to protect herself. (For clarity, I LOVE her design, and it is known that punks and specifically punk girls and women reject traditional beauty standards and adopt aesthetics that look off-putting and unapproachable on purpose.)

[@pinkerycelebi]

in primary school i was ostracised by others for no reason and i only started to have friends when i was in primary 5 (11 years old) so i could really relate to team star and i feel its a really good idea for an "evil" team since in this game you go to school

[@charusharu]

School can be rough haha. It seems like things generally improve a lot with the change to university. :) I thought it was a nice idea for a storyline, too!

[@a-bomb777]

You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

[@charusharu]

Yes indeed. :)

[@gelnart25]

I love team stars all soundtracks, especially Penny's theme..thanks to Giacomo.

[@charusharu]

Penny's theme is awesome!

[@thunderbro7218]

Remember when literally the entire fanbase dissed team star and then we watched the story unfold and now we totally love them

[@Shinyprofjareth]

As someone who was a victim of bullying in middle school, I could kinda relate to team star at the end

[@charusharu]

Middle school is definitely a weird time in life haha.

[@Shinyprofjareth]

@@charusharu very true

[@minermole101]

ah yes, fuck middle school. And I too was a victim of bullying.

[@juliusnovachrono4370]

@@minermole101 You guys have still grown up to be good people though, I am sure of it.

[@minermole101]

@@juliusnovachrono4370 thankfully yes

[@itfigurescomics6704]

I love Penny for that; She builds up this Rebellion to strike down bullying before realizing that she was becoming a bully herself (along with her 5 friends and many followers). She saw the error of her ways before deciding to ask for help from a New Student, whom she saw a great potential in--one who could save her friends from themselves...and Penny, herself. She's a great character who once tried to destroy what had harmed her by befriending those that were in her shoes. Not once did she deny her faults and failures within her attempts and even went as far as to ask for help in clearing up her mistakes before it would be too late for anyone. She, along with her friends, were tragic heroes-turned-villains before receiving redemption for their transgressions...caused, not by themselves, but by the very issues that schools today refuse to stop.

[@Lynn17]

Penny's storyline is the one I feel resonates the hardest because bullying has, unfortunately, never gone out of style. It's changed its methods (pushing kids in mud puddles or shoving them in lockers or tripping them has been replaced with hatebombing their social media, doxxing, and death threats) but it's still dangerous and hurtful. The only difference is that today more people understand how bad it is and are willing to call it out. And depending on the kind of people the authority figures are, sometimes the bullies get what's coming to them. (Sadly, some schools do still victim-blame and go "oh, kids will be kids" as if all the bullies did was track mud in the halls.) I'm glad Penny got off easy for what she did, because she'd been through enough. Sometimes society puts too much emphasis on punishment for bad deeds. (Plus, having to work for the League isn't Penny's idea of a fun time, so it balances out.) I also disagree that it's a hamfisted PSA because some anvils need to be dropped.

[@Mojo1356]

To make things worse, there are still schools that have staff that don’t care about such problems just like the academy back then. I know of a kid going through such problems.

[@aldrinlagarde]

Took this part of the game very seriously as well. From the first base I raided, I noticed it right away. Man, these people were just victims of bullying. And things got dark right away. One of the best storylines in all Pokemon games.

[@kamentrainerhorn2073]

Only a Charusharu video can get me to more fully appreciate characters and other aspects of Pokémon. I already loved SV, Paldea, and its characters, but this made me love Penny even more. As usual, Charles, you’ve convinced me. *MEOWSCARADA! USE FLOWER TRICK!* (It was a critical hit! The Like Button fainted.)

[@charusharu]

Glad you enjoyed the video! And thank you to your Meowscarada for OHKOing the like button lol.

[@Mojo1356]

Paldea isn’t one of my better regions, but I didn’t need a video to tell me this is a top tier story for the mainline entries. Heck, this even applies to part 1 of the dlc. Kieran and Arven are both among the best characters in the mainline titles to have appeared since N.

[@HerrakProductions81B1k5]

I personally loved the Starfall Street storyline (Despite having doubts about it before launch). But in all honestly I cried at the end due to how much I related to the characters in it.

[@charusharu]

Yeah, they did a nice job with the story. :)

[@Uncreative_Username]

A lot of people dislike the Team Star route but as someone who went through a lot of bullying and being labeled negatively I felt noticed and felt I could relate to these characters.

[@paolocalapatia6401]

The Story of This Team came to be is the reason why it's become One of MY Fave Pokemon Antagonists

[@kamentrainerhorn2073]

Giovanni: I will conquer the world and make money with the power of Pokémon! Archer: I will revive the glory of Team Rocket so that Giovanni will return! Maxie: I will save the Pokémon of the world by expanding the land! Archie: I will make a better world for Pokémon by returning everything to the oceans! Cyrus: Emotions are evil; spirit is pointless; I shall create a new world void of such folly! Ghetsis: Pokémon are tools, fit for only MY use! N: I just want a world where Pokémon can be free... Lysandre: This world is polluted; I shall restore it to its unspoiled splendor and reset everything to zero! Guzma: I am undefeated; NO ONE is better than me! Lusamine: Children must listen to their parents; ungrateful children are not worthy of protection or affection! Rose: The world will be destroyed when its energy runs out; I will prevent that at ALL costs! Penny: My friends and I were bullied and just wanted to fit in at school.

[@charusharu]

Yeah, it's great to see a team's backstory like this!

[@charusharu]

Haha that sums it up so well. :)

[@WarmLillie]

Pokemon SV story is absolutely amazing something that to even me Sun and Moon story. I really love Team Star, they are like Team Skull but on a deeper level. Seeing pokemon tackle a subject really shows how much everyone has grown now. This a great PSA, This is the stuff about pokemon that I love. All I can say is listen to the whispers and people don’t do something for absolutely nothing. Try to learn what’s that something. Don’t get people get you down, there are more who are with you and know what is up. And be careful on approach. Also get someone who listen or an adult to help. There a better way. -------------------- I can actually relate and even seen people who taken the irl star path, it made me question something even myself. I had a friend who suspended themselves to protect others. Another time someone shielding me from a bully but… Question fashion sense or pfp and even a victim of abit of bullying. I’m guilty of that… I was like Eri and acted like an Atticus then went through the Mela transformation. Even becoming a Queen like figure to others and even leaving like Penny. I’m lucky anything wasn’t bad and under control with management. But a Queen reign can never end and the second go starting making a new kingdom. I made sure to not to try to become monster that I try to fight and even telling others to stop me incase I go to far. Now I’m here to do my best and stay true to my old and new self, let’s us have fun and let’s smile as well.

[@charusharu]

Glad to hear you also got some good insights out of the games! Indeed - let's stay true to ourselves, have fun and smile. :)

[@zacharyspencer6839]

I keep seeing you everywhere

[@asagothe_fander]

I thought it was pretty dark with some of the themes such as negligence when it comes to raising a child, the parent literally dying in the AI version sacrificing itself, the whole bullying plot. There’s a reason I believe that the story of Scarlet and Violet is second only to the GEN five games. Pokémon black and white, and black2/white2 were some of the best games in the series and nothing can top them, but I will say Scarlet and Violet are very close.

[@KobayashiBrynhild]

I agree. The story for SV is amazing.

[@GladDestronger]

If only Scarlet/Violet didn't have so many glitches, errors, and bugs in them.

[@starrywisp]

Team Star is the only “evil” team in Pokémon that I can honestly say I’d join realistically. Their commonality of being outcasts who were bullied just hits so hard.

[@maxtornogood]

I've been bullied by people who later on admitted they had been bullied. This was back when I thought bullies just teased others for fun. Turns out they were just coping with their own bullying!

[@Mojo1356]

Yeah. It’s actually a thing most people criticizing that Star storyline don’t realize. That’s actually a thing.

[@PeterGriffin11]

I think I would've liked the story of Team Star more if the game did less telling and more showing. The characters talk about how their bullied but we never see it happen.

[@kamentrainerhorn2073]

I guess that’s fair. In some ways, only hearing about the bullying from one side shows as much as either actually seeing it happen, but I do feel like the story would have been stronger if we saw at least undertones from other characters or random NPCs that supported the Team Star story.

[@charusharu]

Perhaps they did it that way to avoid any pushback on depictions of bullying - hard to say. I agree that it would have been good to see more of the actual bullying that kicked their story into motion.

[@sadgirlhours4088]

I dont care about star fall street for this entire reason. Tell (even though they barely told anything) dont show is so bad. It's really hard to sympathize when you see nothing at all.

[@JacksonVoet]

@@sadgirlhours4088 I mean, it did happen a year or two ago. They removed the bullies, and the complacent staff who turned a blind eye.

[@Oceane1803]

I can really relate to Team Star, since I got bullied during the entirety of primary and middle school. When I entered high school, I was really withdrawn and I didn't let anyone approach me, because before that, when people came near me, it was to bully me. But my classmates pulled me out of my shell, and I'm really grateful that they did. I was more open and more happy than ever. And this also was when I started freeing myself from my toxic mother's perspective because of that. My classmates freed me from the degrading point of view that my mother has about other people and that I believed up until that point since I had nothing to compare that opinion to. High school really was a turning point in my life. To be more open to others, to think more by myself, and to become more open-minded in general.

[@KnightsofGaming2016]

As someone who was bullied in high school due to being the only Chinese in a Malay majority school, I can kinda relate to Team Star. I say kinda because I took it into my hands and became a prefect (and ruled the school with an iron fist and made people fear me 😎😈). Ah, how I miss my time as a prefect.

[@charusharu]

That's how to do it - get so good you become untouchable. 😎

[@underplanet4911]

Team Stars story has some flaws, but I love it since had a good ending and message on why Team Star is the way they are!

[@charusharu]

Yeah, it was a good one!

[@concertpapyrus8361]

Shout outs to all my homies out there who thought Clive being Clavell was more of a surprising twist than Cassiopeia being the big boss. and Penny being Cassiopeia.

[@RagingBrachy]

I really thought that Clive was Clavells twin💀

[@catgirl6940]

I can relate to Team Star cause I been the target of bullying, both at school and by my biological dad as kid who severely abused me, and also been bullied online when I been on panels to the point of wanting to stop doing it altogether. People in chat accusing me of sound drunk, or, high ( even though I don't drink or do that kind of drugs at all), among other things like being a troll and telling the panel host to mute me cause of my speech. All because I was born with two neruology conditions one of which affects my speech and way of talking. Though big difference between me and Team Star was I didn't bully back. I never wanted to make anyone feel the fear I was feeling and I spoke up about being bullied. I still to this day at 25 deal with the severe depression, PTSD, and anxiety from all the bullying and abuse I have gone through in my life.

[@michigosinister1508]

As a former victim of bullying myself, I know how they must have felt being bullied and having no one listen to you when you go to get help. When I realized that this group were people who had been bullied, I began to wonder if there was something I could do to help them. I was hoping I could talk to the Director and tell him what had happened. Get him to go easy on them for what had been happening and helping them get back into the school. Telling Nemona what was actually going on so she would understand why everything was happening and ask her to give them another chance. I was worried heading to the final battle with Penny because I just wasn't sure what would happen to the team after all of this was over. I'm glad that everything worked out and that the members of Team Star are able to go back to school to enjoy their school life. I would like to say that I know explaining their actions doesn't excuse what they did. But it does help people understand why these things happened.

[@tanzyvat5834]

Team Star might honestly be my favorite team in the entire franchise. They aren't necessarily evil, they're just hurt. The 5 bosses were my favorite part as all of them had their own reasons for being bullied like wealth, strictness, jealousy, and more. I too was bullied, a lot of us were, and it made me feel really bad to hear what team star went through. If I'm being honest, the younger version of me, like the middle school me, would have wanted to join them, that was a sad time for me. I'm better now, but that ain't the point, the point is that Starfall Street does an excellent job at characterization of both the bosses and grunts.

[@shiratojin]

I’m pretty sure almost everyone has experienced a bad school experience. Also when Cassiopeia is in the courtyard I think that it was implied by Clavell that they were gonna jump off if no one showed up, and most likely would’ve jumped either way. He says something about having a vague idea of who they are, referring to them as a ‘troubled’ student, and urging the protagonist to make haste. Also take in note how high up the courtyard is. If they jumped I don’t think they would’ve lived the fall. Cassiopeia asking Clive to record the outcome of the battle and the idea of destroying team star (knocking out each base until the leader show up, according to them).. Yeah. to me I think Cassiopeia would’ve jumped off the courtyard after having told the Team Star base leaders that they are the big boss, as their entire goal during Starfall was ‘wiping team star off the map’. TLDR: big boss sees team star as evil or bad and wants to disband it by wiping it out. As they are the boss of team star, the most efficient way to wipe them out would be to defeat all of the leaders so that they wouldn’t try to save Cassiopeia, and then jump off the building. I’m not sure if anyone has talked about this before, and I would like to share my thoughts.

[@mettatonex7221]

A lot of people give the Cassiopeia twist flack for being too easy to see coming, and I agree it was, but I think modern media has conditioned us into thinking that a good twist has to be shocking, and while that is a component, I don't think it's the most important one. The most important part of a twist is offering a missing piece to the puzzle that is the overarching story and ultimately helping the story make sense, and the hidden agenda of Cassiopeia and why she wants to disband Team Star accomplishes that. If she was just a disconnected shut in that wanted them out of the picture, that wouldn't have been nearly as interesting, but the fact that she was the one that assembled them in the first place and is recognizing that the organization is unsustainable in its current state is what makes this work. Would it have been better if the story was written in a way that the twist was more difficult to guess? Probably, but I still vastly prefer this to twists that only exist for their shock value and don't enhance the story at all. I like to make the comparison to Meet The Robinsons, a movie that also had a pair of character-reveal plot twists that couldn't have been easier to see coming if they were on a bright neon sign from the start, but it's forgiveable because they both served a purpose for the themes of the movie and making the story make sense.

[@RetroLiminal99444]

People have slept on Team Star for being “mid” but seriously GameFreak give a lot of thought into this team than they did with Teams Skull and Yell. The Greek mythology aspect and the similarities to that story makes this team one of my favorite teams. What’s also insane is that this team was responsible for a Scandal that happened in the School and how all teachers including Harrington just quit, plus I thought Clavell had been director for awhile which the scandal aspect of the story made it a bit more interesting. Also I like how the bullying aspect made its way into “The Way Home” storyline when Korai/Miraidon encountered their bully once again down into the crater.

[@danito20]

Mid? Someone's being overly generous

[@RetroLiminal99444]

@@danito20 maybe but apparently they are the worst team.

[@cucumbermainline]

@@RetroLiminal99444 they're delusional if they think Team Star is worse than Team Yell

[@RetroLiminal99444]

@@cucumbermainline fax. Despite team Skull not really being evil at least they actually did something, team yell were just annoying. But Team Star is actually how you do non evil teams but just complex.

[@sadgirlhours4088]

Ain't no way you're gonna put team skull in comparison to yell 💀💀 Yell is a wet fart of an ""evil"" team dont mention them next to the BOIS

[@kevinbarber2795]

I’ve wanted to say this, this reminded me. It is SUCH a missed opportunity and so disappointing they didn’t have all the people we meet come and help us in Area Zero. You could’ve had the teachers you bonded with, the Gym Leaders and Champion, the Team Star bosses (and maybe the cars and grunts, too) all show up to help you, but they didn’t! It felt like they were setting it up, too, but no! 😂😢 I’m still so sad they didn’t do that.

[@progamer24680]

honestly scarlet and violet was the first time i was ever really invested in the story. i never played black and white witch i hear is the best story in pokemon but i fell in love with the story. i hope pokemon keeps trying to address more serious problems like these in the future games

[@PhillysOkayestDad]

As someone who went through my faith deconstruction, I can relate to this on both ends: being the victim AND the victimizer. My cries for help went unanswered, and I resorted to bullying/intimidating the staff at my church. I created more damage than intended. All to say, we’re on the mend after I took responsibility for my actions. Relational restoration, hard as it is, is rewarding when both sides work together. And just because something is damaged doesn’t mean it’s destroyed. ❤️

[@tracyhess3373]

I think team star might be the best evil team. Possibly next to team rocket and plasma. Those I don't think team star is evil. If you think it about it. Their just a group who couldn't take the bullying. But went down the same path. But really you feel sorry for them. At the end things did work out for them. Maybe in the DLC we might get to deal with former staff.

[@charusharu]

That would be great if the DLC fleshed out some of these bits!

[@saintzeroinfinity]

There was a quote that still gets to me “ be the hero you needed when you were a child” .It’s from the CW’s (DC comic) Batwoman tv series from a couple of years ago. It’s a calling I can’t seem to answer. I don’t want to myself as a victim but, I just don’t have the conviction needed to create a plan to change everything about me. But I don’t know if that’s the hero I needed when I was young.

[@Kos4Evr]

I just want to say that after watching this I can't help but think of an incident involving 2 boys at columbine. The bullies were protected by the system. The victims were turned into monsters for fighting back against those who abused them. This is both because the system, the staff, the faculty all turned a blind eye to the abuse and because people other than the bullies were victims of the boys attempt to fight back.

[@bacd-nn2lg]

Here are my top 10 dark moments in pokemon games: - Cubone's mother death at hands of Team Rocket grunt - Mewtwo backstory - Silver backstory - Wally final fight(in the background you can see Lycoris flowers which symbolizes death and reincarnation, so it can mean that he has overcome his health problems, or his live is ending soon), - Hugh sister Purrloin backstory - AZ Floette story - Gladion, and Lillie relationship with their mother Lusamine - Arven storyline - People fearing the pokemon power in Legends Arceus - Spiritomb backstory PS. I have few problems with generation 8 with pointing out really good dark moment.

[@charusharu]

Great examples! For Gen 8 - perhaps seeing Rose's intend to do the greater good for the region warped into a sinister vision? I'd have to take a moment to think about good Gen 8 moments as well haha.

[@veenadayma6514]

Arven's storyline just went too far in terms of a sad storyline.

[@_Zixen_]

Arven's storyline would be the darkest honestly. his father/mother is dead, we don't know about his other parent though. then his hopes were lifted up when he saw the AI version of them, only to find out his parents were dead after OVER TEN YEARS, then proceeds to watch the AI Turo/Sada leave. my guy got his heart broken twice! and the fact that he thought his parents neglected him after all those years, and his childhood Pokémon friend almost died too. and even after all that, he decided that he wanted to find more about his parents, because he realized he never payed attention to their lives either. even though he's just a character in a game, i GENUINELY feel bad for him

[@bloodbadger5332]

​@@_Zixen_ his parents are both sada and turo.

[@_Zixen_]

@@bloodbadger5332 yes, but depending on the game you have, the other one is also dead (or left) AI sada and turo aren't in the same game, of course, so the characters change depending on which game you've got. for example, in scarlet, Arvens father could have just left him at a young age/passed away, while same goes in Violet

[@RainMaker0602]

One of the most beautifully written pieces you made, Charles! Congratulations and keep safe always

[@smittyslayer4302]

I was never bullied once in my life, luckily. However, messages about how dysfunctional society is and how it can be the everyday people who give birth to this disfunction is something I live through every day and are forced to repress since nothing that is seen as "normal" behavior is punishable by a stain on your permanent record and possible arrest. If you somehow avoid this, people will then see you as sick when really, you just want the happiness in your life you know you want and know can exist. This is what Starfall Street did for me: it showed people whom cries were unheard and as a result, did what they thought was right, but everyone villianized them since they knew nothing and didn't bother to try learning. That is something that hurts me every day and I am proud that on one level, someone actually thought that this was possible.

[@suicune2001]

The stories in this game were so good!

[@yurilulu5500]

I was bullied long ago when i was young and i can understand the pain of team star Because they were bullied but didn't inform teachers and didn't even be noticed until they wanted to rebel only leading them to be the ones to be the one they were trying to rebel against. They were just victims of bullying And they just wanted to try to stop the bullying but ended up being the bullies themselves.. And since they started bullying others many painted them as the villains.. Without realizing the real villains.. Was the ones who harmed them..

[@ThatRandomBritish]

What a great video! It would be great if you would do a video describing your opinion on "The way home" storyline as well, and perhaps the victory road story because I don't think you've gone into a great deal of depth about those. Of course, I could just be misremembering.

[@charusharu]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I plan to touch on each of them, but since you asked, this video digs into The Way Home with a focus on Professor Sada: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5jReWuceJ5jqsU Hope you enjoy it!

[@bukojoetheslapsoils8273]

I love Starfall Street and all the Team Star bosses. I feel so much for them, EXCEPT for Penny. Her "plot twist" need not have to be a plot twist because anyone could have seen it from a kilomile. Btw, welcome back bro!!

[@charusharu]

Yeah, I guess they played the "this is so obvious it's funny angle" but it would have been nice if there was actually a big twist lol. Thanks! It's nice to be back.

[@Redstorm_Mars]

The single way they could have saved the plot twist of penny was if they basically didn't make her say in the first lines that she likes hacking, and sending you the rewards via some Pokemon like her eeveelutions instead of coming to reward you herself

[@JDjade1]

Those bosses, I think you just described the class from "Komi-san Can't Communicate".

[@Vergil_sparda1987]

ya know this story is kinda like mine in middle school I was bullied a lot and I don't know why I tried fighting back but everything they did only got worse than I told the teachers and they did absolutely nothing and when I tried fighting back it was me who was getting in trouble but me myself never bullied anyone

[@mikaiink]

Really enjoyed this analysis for the Team Star's story arc! It feels like it's usually misunderstood and people want to take a "side"- when this story is very gray-area. It shows how complex human nature is. Even when thinking that we are doing something for the "better" it can lead us into making mistakes that can harm others. There is a saying that says; "A veces el camino al infierno esta hecho de buenas intenciones." which translates- "Sometimes the path to hell can be made of good intentions."

[@La8ghost]

Well, that was unexpected

[@lianaverwood9810]

Real Life: Bullied Child takes a Gun to School, kills many people and themselves after. Pokémon World: Bullied Children takes super-intimidating Hacked Pokémon to School, Bullies soil themselves and drop out, no one physically harmed... How is this not a more desirable outcome?

[@JacksonVoet]

It is a more desirable outcome.

[@kolathiss7414]

I've beaten Scarlet like 2 hours before watching this vid and I gotta say relationship between Arven and his mom was just sad plus when we got to know that Sada died and one in Area Zero is an AI... Its just really, REALLY too dark for Pokemon

[@fryhope1352]

the game doesn't hide that the director is clive at all, so there shouldn't be any surprise he was undercover.

[@orhanefeunal1811]

i just hope in anime we start the focuss on the star leaders also maybe in some episode focus one of the leaders insted of liko and roy like mela whit her charlos the charcadet maybe they fight whit ceruledge or armarouge and then maybe charlos evovles who say its a good idea

[@charusharu]

That would be nice to see. :)

[@orhanefeunal1811]

@@charusharu also giacomo run for the president of the school student council

[@jordankapitany5253]

I like this video alot! The backstory of team star was lost on me the first time I played scarlet. As a victim of bullying myself actually looking at the cycles of behaviour in this game are really well developed even if the game has some issues. Thanks for pointing them out

[@madnessarcade7447]

this is the first Pokémon game where there isn’t really a villain The professors I guess but they were more misguided and dead already And the AI didn’t have control over their actions

[@doomwinterxglitchgamer]

when I have battled against the bosses of team star, I didn't just defeat them, I defeated their demons and freed them of their shackles, same with Penny, it's like battling demons in doom, since my character is named Doom Winter

[@casbert3000]

well i know how it feels to be bullied and it not a great feeling , starting to distance oneself from everyone but when you expect grown-up to help and they dont only makes the pain worse

[@Sylveon-vimp3]

I fought the dark team star boss when I played scarlet for the first time and seeing his backstory made me feel sorry for kicking his ass

[@aurawarrior1367]

So glad that somebody is talking about how great SV’s writing is

[@sebastianalvaradocolon5983]

In the US, thats immediate expulsion AND an arrest warrant.

[@charusharu]

Pretty much lol

[@sebastianalvaradocolon5983]

I would also like to add this, but if Team Star is basednof the Cassiopeia Constellation, are we, the player based of the Orion Constellation, aka the hunter?!

[@DragonXBird]

I felt that game design was a little lazy, but the story writing, characters, and pokemon made up for the design.

[@kimberleykorf7141]

Finally someone who’s willing to talk about these things and ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS TEAM STAR! behind fancy outfits and AWESOME battle music, these kids have some deep stuff. My favorite character in the entire series is penny.

[@leonkaufmann9776]

If i remember correctly it's mentioned at some point that penny was in Galar before she returned to paldea (i think it vas Clavell who mentioned it)

[@theauraone7755]

That is so sad. Very tragically sad.

[@charusharu]

A sad tale indeed. ;-;

[@DeadLasher]

I hope the unova remakes are horror themed and explore the way that both pokemon and humans can be more scarier than we first thought bringing the dark tones to light with Pokedex entries and more

[@MrJJLand]

Honestly I just finished the game (I got lost in the country side just catching stuff for a very, VERY long time) and I gotta say, the stories for the Titans, Starfall Street, and Area Zero were all just.... amazing.... which is so weird when compared to how almost unforgettable alot of the battles with the Elite Four fights somehow were? I think by stark contrast potentially they just didn't do anything with them different which is the problem, and I stand that the Elite Four teams weren't constructed the best, nor was Geeta really worthy of "Champion" with how she fought. Everything else was so perfect though, I dont remember ever having so many emotions for my Pokemon game like this. Now I just need to be able to change clothes

[@ZexalDSJAsh]

I'ma be real, while things could have been written or done better, this game showed this issue off VERY very well. While it isn't always gonna be rainbows and roses, this at least gave us a good ending to working to stop bullying. While it isn't as dark as Arven's story, it is almost to that point since it could affect so many people. I guess it really is a PSA. Kinda drove me up the wall seeing how I had to go through this kinda story in a video game, since it was NOT what i was expecting, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't invested in trying to see what the heck was going on, and why did Penny come back from her home in Galar (at least, i think it said she is from Galar. If not, then it is me misremembering her stay over there). Like I said, not the best well written, but it was the well executed due to how close to home it can hit. i'm just glad it ended on a good note, since I expected so many of these things to end with a nengative ending, even tho Pokemon would never give us the possibility of having a "bad ending" like in stuff like "Persona 4" or "Digimon Survive" or anything like that. No... uhh... what is it? Friendship gauge? Sociability gauge? It's the thing that dictates how well you do in the story, and how your choices matter and can give you a different ending based on it. Kinda like how you can fail the assessment for the Pokemon League challenge... WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW WAS ACTUALLY POSSIBLE TO FAIL! I thought it was just a story thing, but apparently I was wrong. Anyway, really good video, Charusharu. Keep up the good work!

[@WriothesleySimp]

I just wanna see the team camps after the solution was solved I wanna just see them going like “now move your arms like this to make a star!”

[@Animesrk]

Nice video charles

[@charusharu]

Thanks, Animesrk!

[@spence6195]

Scarlet & Violet had the best stories in a Pokémon game

[@theforgottenscribe]

I think my one and only criticism of Starfall Street's storyline is that it never actually addresses the true flaws of Team Star. It never fully acknowledges the grunts who harrass students to fill a quota, or the fact the Bases went out of their way to block roads. While I understand taking a hard stance siding with them about what happened to them, it shouldn't have to be at the cost of overlooking the genuinely harmful things they did. Which Clavell did overlook by focusing instead on the fact they were truant and ignoring the school uniform.

[@sillyputtyisfun7567]

The way you deal with bullying is you smack the bullies in the face immediatly. Adults don't know a damn thing about the next generation's troubles. Bullying is different depending on the Era. Swirlies and getting thrown in lockers isn't the normal way of bullying anymore if they ever were. The only language that bullies know universally is "If you fuck with me, you will regret it."

[@Mojo1356]

That’s exactly how more bullies come to be dude.

[@jamba_juicyt6899]

Director clavells disguise could not have been more obvious 😂

[@tgbrandinov-c2657]

The game: gives a deep story full of lore that can be interpreted emotionally and reveals a sad story of Team Star Me: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@clusterchuck7346]

Yeah, teamstar resonated with me the most because I was bullied in all throughout school and it just got to the point where I stopped reporting it cuz either the faculty did nothing or made things worse

[@christianthomey7352]

one of my favorite youtubers said the story in S/V is worse than SW/SH. I can agree with them on most things but in this case I had to ask them what they were smoking to come to that conclusion. I'm not going to pretend this story is perfect, but damn, the developers put more passion and effort than they had any right to. this story runs the gamete of so many themes including being consumed by isolation and obsession, abandonment, death and coming to terms with it, and how institutions fail to protect their students. S/V, to me, has the most compelling Pokemon story because this is not about becoming champion and beating an evil organization. It is about rising above adversities that are way too real and making your own way in life despite the expectations set on you.

[@charusharu]

Regarding your favourite KZbinrs' perspective, I suppose the central narrative in SW/SH is a bit tighter and more focused, but like you, I thought that S/V's story hit harder for exploring the bitters of everday life . :)

[@stephfassel6967]

15:40 I did end up getting bullied, but, wiredly enough, it did the opposite to me. After getting bullied, my current personality unlocked, which is great agaisnt getting bullied and I now know what to do agaisnt bullying, but I still won’t forgive the bully because he put me through a lot of emotional damage in order to become better, the person that I am now

[@idreadFell365]

Penny isn’t Totoroki’s long lost sister, she’s Alear’s long lost sister.

[@SEIJITV]

the only thing I wished to see were the ACTUAL bullies in the game and we get to team up w Star to teach them a lesson in humility. Then all the cutscenes with the members at the end would've felt more cohesive.

[@nebbylovesgladi9296]

Team star so unreal lol

[@MST545]

Don't know which story got to me, this or the story with the Professor in Area Zero

[@LucienDeath]

The whole story line makes sense and it mirrors the real world for alot im sure when it comes to being bullyied

[@usoppfangirl8153]

Penny best girl

[@charusharu]

She's a gem.💎

[@WellManNerd]

When Charusharu said, “What a brilliant disguise?” I really felt that

[@simsgirlgem]

Everyone needs a hug 😭

[@zimattack9994]

The thing i think most people forget is teacher cant really do anything. there hands are tied unless they see it happening they cant do anything most of the time they know it's happening. I was bullied a lot in school it wasn't until I beat the shit out of my bully that anything changed and the weird thing was i didn't get in trouble all the teacher vouched for me and the ass hole was the one who got in trouble i was never bullied again after that. Im not saying what i did was right but it worked

[@LordStrell]

I personally wish Team star was more of a redemption story than what it was ultimately. I.e. after they conquered their former bullies that they themselves took it too far and it started to spiral out of control. Where as they sort of softened and watered down any wrongdoings they could have done to ultimately be just "They were misunderstood and they were defiant out of being misunderstood." If it was the classic Bullied become the Bullies who ultimately have a change of heart because they realize how fargone they went. It would have been far more compelling. It's barely better for a villain arc than the pathetic excuse we got for sword and shield. It's like they felt like they went too hard with Sun & Moon and dialed it back to the point overkill with Sw&Sh and S&V.

[@Mojo1356]

You check out the postgame side story with Penny? That’s more or less what ends up happening.

[@adrianoctavio]

I cannot wait for the scarlet and violet anime to completely shaft this story

[@braindeadbootleg0]

It became so dark ever since those "bugs"

[@charusharu]

That is also a very deep kind of darkness lol.

[@Siegfried3000x25]

the true joke is that while fighting team star for skiping class i didn't attend one class after the first day😂

[@surviverplaysuplayer1142]

As a bully victim through out my entire school life i can say that im happy that team star could finaly find closure and get their life back together, slowly getting along again with their peers even thou thats not how it works in real life And the scene where penny gets surounded by the star admins was so sweet it lways makes me sentimental when i see it Together with peppers story line where we help his pokemon with the herbas, getting to know the gym leaders and the apsolute crushing final arc the song from edd sheeran gets a whole more meaningfull

[@gatorboymike]

I like the mental image of the original bullies walking through the academy's front door, guffawing and slapping each other's backs over the day's assorted cruelties on the way to the sandwich joint. Just then, the five Star Bosses come roaring up the giant staircase on their pimped-out Revavrooms, soaring over the bullies' heads like the freeway jump scene from the movie Speed. They turn around and surround the bullies, in their heretofore-unseen costumes, drawing their Pokeballs and proclaiming their hour of revenge. The bullies turn tail and run away screaming, as Penny surreptitiously watches from the slack-jawed crowd that has assembled, and does a mocking "hasta la vistar" gesture at them.

[@dregoro6949]

The main story got darker than I could have possibly imagined! Things went really dark at the depths of area zero, But i'm sorry... All that team star storyline was so boring I just clicked A through it. That was weak even for a pokemon story thread😆

[@TsuriaDragon]

I like team star their background stories were interesting plus Eri is my favorite 🤩

[@kamentrainerhorn2073]

Alas, Eri; she kicks major butt, but you still wanna protect her.

[@charusharu]

She is definitely the respectable oneesan of the group. :)

[@kiminowak8295]

Team Star = me if it weren't for my loving family

[@penitente3337]

Love this storyline, although I feel like it could've been done a bit better (mainly with how Penny was handled), still, it's great, and one of the things that I really like about Penny's theme that I see no one else mention is how nostalgic it sounds during the middle part. It really sounds like she's finally saying goodbye to her friends.

[@kodytiffany5686]

I early on learned to ignore bullies. most of the time if you do not react then they won't see any kind of fulfillment from bothering you. Unless they know that's your game. In that case I befriended the person if possible. Kindness solves a lot of issues. I had bullied a bit with one person but soon chose to be there friend instead when I realized we liked similar things; the only reason I picked on that person in the first place was that he would fight back... I think I was in a mood where I wanted someone to hit me for some reason. The specifics I forget with it being over 2 decades ago. he is one of my oldest friends now.

[@charusharu]

It's funny how we end up hitting it off with different people. One of my best friends and I also had a poor opinion of each other back when we first met and ended up becoming close.

[@foxyauroraart9916]

You find Penny before you get to the academy. The fight with the grunts happens when you're on your way to the school for the first time not after you've started Starfall Street within the school.

[@evansarver2989]

Being bullied myself, I can relate to everything here. But man, I just could just not find myself to enjoy Nemona or penny as a character.