Pokemon's Best Character - N

[@AJ-ey5eh]

I like how N never gave up on wanting to free Pokémon in B2W2, he just realised that forcing them apart from their humans is wrong. He accepted the truth without surrendering his ideals

[@WoobertAIO]

He willingly accepted his role as the bad guy, what a man!

[@ssilent8202]

Still a bad guy

[@OmniMon94]

or surrendering his ideals even if the truth changed him

[@mariothane8754]

He’s still looking for that place. The place between the black and the white. A meeting between truth and ideals where the world should be.

[@Christopher-qq4dl]

​@@WoobertAIO😂

[@solidskullz5736]

That little reveal he made on the Ferris wheel was mind blowing for me as a kid. Having such a simple understanding of good and evil made me very confused about N until I finally understood Ghetsis and what he was doing. Makes me wish that Pokemon got more invested in telling a story because the potential is there and the Unova games are proof of that

[@your_SecondShadow]

Yeah in my opinion only games that have gotten close in the 3d era is ultra sun/moon but an argument can also be made for sword and shield

[@canisblack]

What's hilarious is that the Ghestis's plan is an unintentional call out of the gun control narrative as well. Just substitute guns for pokemon and it's a scary parallel. And I say it is unintentional because Japan's gun control laws are extremely severe.

[@canisblack]

@@your_SecondShadow Sword and Shield didn't develop the characters as well as Black and White did. It was on the same track but it's the difference between a well plotted and cohesive 24 episode anime series and a slap-dash 13 episode series where half the episodes are filler.

[@your_SecondShadow]

@@canisblack again only one that got close in 3d and i said ultra sun was probably better

[@canisblack]

@@your_SecondShadow Eh, I'd argue that Sun and Moon handled Lusamine better than USUM did and seeing as that whole family conflict is central to the storyline... Well I'd say that Sun and Moon were better from a story perspective than Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. But beyond that nitpick you're probably right.

[@geistgrace6452]

There's one small detail that I absolutely love. Every time you fight N (before the final battle), his pokemon are native to that area. And after a battle, he releases them. And in a memory link, you seeN release his pokemon after the battle in Charge stone cave, and a Plasma grunt slightly sad to release his own pokemon, N tells him not to unless he truly wants to, and even allows he to leave if he so wishes without any hard feelings.

[@ju1ceb0xx]

I remember that memory link so fondly, I think it was a really nice touch to the game

[@Insert_Creativity_Here]

The thing that made me realize the whole “nothing is black and white” theme was when I realized I could empathize with one of the team plasma grunts in Chargestone Cave after they said this: “Because they use Pokémon, people hold competitions to sort out the strong from the weak... Is this fair? Is this right? Are Pokémon just the Trainers’ tools?” I was actually a little confused at first when I realized I could understand where some of them were coming from lmao

[@biggslorp]

I think what makes team plasma interesting as a whole is that they have a point. Unfortunately Pokemon falls into the trap of "bad guy is crazy so everything he said must be wrong" but there's still enough room to think about what's going on. Are Pokemon conditioned into enjoying fights? Do they even enjoy fights? How would the answer to those questions impact a society that is almost entirely based around Pokemon battling?

[@Insert_Creativity_Here]

@@biggslorpI feel like there’s something very interesting about the fact that the team plasma grunts beliefs varied from member to member. There were a notable enough number of them who genuinely believed in a noble cause, questioned the ethics of the way their society was built, and others who didn’t care about Pokémon at all. (The way it made individual grunts feel like _people_ is something I like a lot about this game actually) Idk I guess I just like the way BW didn’t entirely write it all off. They questioned that the whole way through, wondering if neither you nor N are entirely right or wrong. Both of you have a point in the end. I think that’s why he left, at the end. He had to figure out those things for himself.

[@darknessknows1235]

@@Insert_Creativity_Here to add on, the grunts, much like N himself, actually do change their methods. They still believe and care for pokemon, and see that people like Ghetsis who would take advantage of them exist alongside people like the gym leaders who do still care for them, and in BW2 they're more or less searching for a way to keep their previous ideals without forcing them on others maliciously.

[@historicflame972]

@@biggslorp Which luckily is salvaged by B2W2, showing that many Plasma grunts were indeed good people who jumped ship once Ghetsis took off the mask

[@topcat59]

Honestly I feel like black-and-white was the pure peak of good narrative in Pokémon. Even having rival that generally makes you think about how you treat your Pokémon which I really like.😺

[@NosferatuZoddsOnlyFans]

The casual fan base didn’t like BW at the time due to the heavy storytelling so that’s why we haven’t gotten one as good since.

[@majelalover8837]

you can tell that they tried to recreate this kind of narrative in ORAS but kinda failed

[@BuryTheLight-tds]

@@majelalover8837 You mean the Delta Chapter or are you talking about something like the Professor in SV being dead and replaced by a robot?

[@majelalover8837]

@@BuryTheLight-tds no the delta episode, zinnia and N's arcs have many parallels, with the difference that ultimately zinnia fails to be accepted by the legendary dragon

[@LuigiLonLon]

Also if you notice, N's arc also reflects into the protagonists friends mindsets, Cheren's Pragmatism and Bianca's Idealism and how they also are changing for the better in B&W2

[@misterzygarde6431]

You know, I think N’s goal to separate humans and Pokémon was doomed to fail. It’s been established that Pokémon like to battle and/or live as pets. So if N was to succeed in separating Pokemon from their trainers and owners, I think he’d start a Pokémon revolution in that these Pokémon are fighting to reunite with their trainers. Ironic if you’ve seen any Pokémon revolution fanfic.

[@Dark_Peace]

"Pokémon can't like to battle, it's internalised slavery!" - someone

[@leoultimaupgraded9914]

that would actually be a really cool concept for a Pokemon sub game, where you could play as a Pokemon fighting in a revolution against Ghetsis and N in an alternate timeline where N achieves his goals. Maybe it’d be more of a 3D hack and slash too or something, either way it’d be cool

[@jadedsilverlining9427]

@@leoultimaupgraded9914 Kinda sounds like the Mystery Dungeon series with a more interesting story twist.

[@darekichinose1034]

N's goal isnt to seperate them. His goal is to stop them being used as tools(which is how he perceives it, he knows the opposite is true thanks to his own team) his ideals was that they can coexist as friends without one OWNING the other. Its just blatsnt misinformation to say "seperate" as this would imply isokution between both species

[@nnightkingj]

@@darekichinose1034 they were stealing Pokémon and N knew this so yes it isn’t wrong to say separate but either way it was doomed to fail the Pokémon would still be loyal to trainers and stay alongside them had they had the opportunity

[@KinakoIshiyama]

Natural Harmonia Gropius! Black and White are easily my favorite games in the franchise and I agree that I'd love to see more Pokemon games with this level of story telling. We'll just have to hope we get that sometime in the future.

[@KinakoIshiyama]

@Caitlyn Carvalho Uh....I have no idea...

[@SuperGoker64]

You know, it's funny. Back during my university days, I took a class on media, and the big assignment we had to do was to set up a set of old-style webpages. I decided to turn mine into an essay of sorts about how video games can be considered art, and Pokemon Black and White was one of the games I talked about in that essay. And it was all thanks to Natural Harmonia Gropius here. I got a 100% on that assignment, btw. Unfortunately, the page itself is long gone, as is what I wrote.

[@mettatonex7221]

N is one of the best showcases of a paradigm shift of any character I've ever seen. Meeting him in Accumula Town is likely one of the first times he's been outside in the real world after a life of being sheltered inside the castle forming his skewed beliefs, and the first thing he sees is you, with your Pokemon saying it was happy to be around you. He was thrown back by it and refused to accept it at first, and by the time you meet him next in Nacrene City, his only way of rationalizing it is was that you are an exception, not the status quo, but he does take a shine to you as a result. But as he says at the end of the game, once his adopted father is in custody, the longer he went on his journey, the more he saw people and Pokemon having a positive relationship, and the more unsure he became of himself. There was a part of him that wanted you to prove him wrong by the time you confront him in his castle, and it's why he wanted you to find that dragon and was happy when it awoke for you before his eyes. He didn't want to believe he was wrong this entire time, but he knew deep down that he doesn't have all the answers. He internalized at the end of it all that he's unable to live up to his identity as the man that understands the hearts of Pokemon. If you have someone that was brought up on a misguided or revisionist ideology and they're provided with strong proof of the contrary, they will not accept it right away; they're going to cling to what they understand for a long time before they're able to even begin accepting the fact that their beliefs are wrong, and N embodies that perfectly.

[@FengTheSlayer]

It would be amazing to see N’s return in future Pokémon games, just to see how much he’d changed and what’s he doing after the events of BW and B2W2

[@zfantasy349]

Perhaps a BW 3 if they ever gotta go back to the unova games

[@kazkatgamer6722]

@@zfantasy349 Id say the same...but i fear pokemon ruining / trying to retcon things in a BW3 XDXD. Even this was a shot in the dark for pokemon.

[@zfantasy349]

@@kazkatgamer6722 i guess so. I feel like it’s something they could more likely considered doing if they ported bw and b2w2 to the switch. Who knows really.

[@Cam10_84]

He's in the Gacha game Pokemon Masters.

[@visceralities]

@@Cam10_84 yeah and it honestly provides some decent substance for his character. Ghetsis’s debut event really gave us a lot of insight into N’s feelings on Ghetsis and how he still has a desire to have a proper parent-child relationship with him, and the Summer 2022 event showed us that N is somewhat insecure because of his inexperience with the world, being self-conscious about attending a festival because he’s never been to one and thus doesn’t know “how to have fun at one”

[@rhyperiorhunter7339]

Honestly I feel that Zekrom makes more sense for N as a character due to one of the games other themes, truth vs ideals To elaborate, in the gen 5 games, Truth is presented as tradition, whereas Ideals are presented as change, this is shown through each versions general aesthetics, The black versions are more technological and futuristic with black city, a more futuristic Opeluced city, a fully developed route 4 in black 2, and Zekrom's generally sleeker and more modern appearance with its tail being a generator, The white versions on the other hand are the exact opposite being more naturalistic and historical with white forest, a more rustic Opeluced city, the temples on route 4, and Reshiram's more mythical, design invoking the vibe of ancient legends with its tail being a torch, With that in mind I feel that Zekrom fits N better as N seeks to destroy the status quo of people and Pokemon living together and bring about major social change, so it makes sense for him to use the legendary who embodies the change he wishes to bring, rather then the legendary who embodies the traditions he hates and seeks to destory

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

Yes but their design don't match. Reshiram is a better color combination with N's design. Also, I guess Pokemon came before humans, which is why I guess Reshiram represents the past, before pokeballs existed, and I would say a stronger Bond between Pokemon and humans while not being a collectible due to that. Either way, most trainer's Pokémon are just fine with battling, otherwise they could just run away supposing the pokeballs aren't a brainwashing device

[@rhyperiorhunter7339]

@@schizophrenic_rambler ok but personally I think that Zekrom makes more sense for N as a character, given his goals, and how truth and ideals are presented, in my eyes character matters more then design, and Zekrom fits N as a character better

[@darknessknows1235]

@@rhyperiorhunter7339 Reshiram fits just as well though because BW treats Truth and Ideals as two sides of the same coin. N would be more radical because he sees his "Truth" that Pokemon are better off without humans as correct as opposed to an "Ideal" of separating humans and pokemon. It also makes more sense that the indoctrinated child would see his beliefs as Truth to return to, not an Ideal to reach

[@rhyperiorhunter7339]

@@darknessknows1235 ok but that's just taking the words at face value where as I was refering to what the words represent in the context of the games with truth being tradition and ideals being change with Reshiram representing tradition and Zekrom representing change which is why Zekrom fits N better as he seeks to change Unova not keep to traditions he'd been taught to despise

[@todd2.08]

N has the mindset akin to a calculator where if two equations are opposites to each other, it computes to 0 or nothing. That’s why he also embodies Truth too and Reshiram’s traditional looking design fits with original team plasma’s aesthetics

[@amirgarcia547]

What makes N such a compelling character is that he kind of like the proto-Lillie, where his current actions and personality are a result of the psychological trauma and abuse of his upbringing. But instead of getting anxiety and self-esteem issues like Lillie did, N was basically brainwashed by Ghetsis to not only fulfill his ideals of liberating Pokémon from humans, but due to keeping him isolated, he managed to prevent N from discovering the truth as well. That being that Pokémon and humans are truly happy together and would be better kept together than pulled apart. Which perfectly ties into the game’s main themes: truth and ideals. Not only that, but despite being an adult male, N still has the mindset of a child due to being pure, righteous and innocent, to the point where when you go in his room in Team Plasma’s castle, it’s still filled with toys along with a music box. And is perhaps the best example of environmental storytelling that the series has had to offer. N is probably the best character to come from the series, being that much like Mereum from HunterXHunter, he doesn’t really feel like a villain and you find it harder to hate him as the game goes on and even agree with him in certain aspects. Which’s why the twist with Ghetsis works, albeit being a bit of a cop-out, as it’s both meant to illustrate N learning the truth and finally being able to grow as a person and free himself from Ghetsis’s influence. As well as giving us a final big bad that we have zero reservations about pounding into the dirt.

[@chaliceohearts4658]

Maybe that’s why you get Zekrom in White and Reshiram in Black. We chose the Legendary on the box, but we also wound up choosing what N was striving for whether it was finding the truth or realizing his ideals.

[@neonnwave1]

N may be the best Pokemon rival/villain, but my favourite will always be Guzma. He's a lot deeper than most people will think, mainly because there are hints to his past that can easily be missed. There's a video talking about Guzma where it's heavily hinted that he was abused as a child, where his dad would hit him with golf clubs for not being 'good' enough. And while on the topic of Gen 7 (Sun & Moon), Lusamine is by far the most insane villain. She confuses control for love. She disowns her own children for not following her rules, comparing raising children to raising Pokemon (sadly she's not wrong). I honestly think Lusamine is a representation of the twisted aspects of parenting - how appropriate since Japan is notorious for how parents are towards their children sometimes - while Guzma is a representation of the consequences of bad parenting.

[@willsmithgaming2053]

based guzma

[@narxmagee727]

I really do love Guzma. At first he grabs you with his boisterous charisma and great music, but when you go deeper into the game you start to see something past the "beats you down and never let's up" facade he puts up. When I heard he followed Lusamine because she seemed to be the only person who understood him that really struck a cord with me. Guzma, much like his Grunts, aren't bad people. They just want the attention and time they were never given which is what brought them together. A commonality in emotional struggle. It's why they are my favourite team. Not only are they funny, they have so many small subtleties to them that really build on a good foundation while not being force fed to you through text from other characters, especially Guzma.

[@neonnwave1]

@@narxmagee727 They're nothing but bullies. Bullies are people who try to make up for their flaws with aggression, intimidation, and false confidence. It's a shield. Of course there will be other reasons why people become bullies (in Guzma's case it's because of abuse), and rarely are they mean for the sake of it or just enjoy being evil. They felt weak and only knew one way to feel strong. Lusamine took advantage of that by making Guzma feel as though he's being recognized for being strong, which is what he wanted - recognition and validation - since he never got that from his parents.

[@dolphinpower1107]

Yeah Guzma is a really good character I especially like how the anime expanded on him, also side note I hate how team skull and team Yell get thrown in the same boat as boring evil teams when their is a clear difference between how their dynamic that goes beyond toxic Fanboys.

[@shinji2898]

@@dolphinpower1107 What? Afaik most fans thought that team yell was just team skull but worse, i didn't know people hated team skull too

[@NaiTaiDai]

The game felt like experiencing a more mature version of the anime itself, and I can agree it had more nuance to it than previous games. Too bad all I saw anyone focus on in Gen.5 was "the Pokemon designs are bad!"

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

Actually many gen 5 mons were very cool with a quite unique angular design. Take Hydreigon or Haxorus for example, but the cog ice cream garbage was the focus of all the hate

[@rikimaroshu]

@@schizophrenic_rambler i always hated that argument and RtGames make an interesting counterargument that Trubbish is better than just a purple blob and Vanillite is better than a Seal called Seal.

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

@@rikimaroshu I still wonder why no one complained about those but did complain about garbacogcream.

[@minespatch]

Screw that, Gen 5 introduced the legendary Joltik. Black and White is a treasure for introducing that poofywoofer.

[@poolturtle5772]

@@schizophrenic_rambler considering Voltorb, Magnemite, Grimer existed before, a garbage bag is actually pretty creative.

[@FishBola1991]

I never noticed that Ghetsis’ Team was explicitly built to counter N’s. That is a brilliant detail. The only other time I’ve seen that is in AZ, the immortal king. His team is a Golurk, a Sigilyph, and a Torkoal. Two un-aging automaton and the longest lived land animal we know of. Ideal for a man who can’t die.

[@miimiibeschde4818]

Another neat detail AZ taught all of his pokemon return because he still loved them after floette left In contrast to ghetsis who's signature pokemon uses frustration

[@someguycalledgoober155]

Natural Harmonia Gropius is a very N-pathetic (yes, I'll make more of these puns). He's a interesting character with understandable goals, but also is very human with how much he was molded to be that way. One of the things to bring up you didn't is his text speed, N-ytime he talks to you he's a _fast_ talker. He always talks at the default fastest text if you set it for medium or low, and if you set it to fast he talks *eve-N faster,* getting his own unique text speed to talk with. It's little things like this that make Gen V the very best, like no Gen ever was. Now we just need Kame-N to make a video on the other three.

[@ju1ceb0xx]

I think it’s really amazing how give him his own special text speed to show that he’s a fast talker (excellent puns btw)

[@someguycalledgoober155]

@@ju1ceb0xx Thank you, I try.

[@ju1ceb0xx]

@@someguycalledgoober155 N-ytime 😎

[@k8ne0456]

i thought it was just my 3ds that was making him talk fast, thats actually a really cool detail

[@lucad9667]

He's probably mashing the A button to skip through the text (another parallel between him and the player character)

[@legendarycryptid2629]

I just noticed you were calling Alder "Adler", and now I can't help but think of Charlie Adler as a Pokémon champion.

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

Squid Adler

[@SuperGoker64]

Reminds me of how one of my friends used to call Midna "Minda"

[@mockersjayparker813]

I always loved how he was made so interesting. I loved everything about how they wrote him to have such a twisted view yet so calm. I feel like he was one of the reason gen 5 was so good. I hope we see this type of writing in the future. Its one of my big hopes if Scarlet and Violet.

[@narxmagee727]

Whoever thought it was a good idea to have a character's last name be Gropius needs a medal I my opinion. N was so interesting. Throughout the story you both seem to learn and grow from each other, slowly realizing that both of you aren't fully wrong or right in these endeavors. This lead to what I believe is the best battle in the series. Nothing truly compares to the narrative tension here of truth and ideals clashing one last time to truly understand one another. I really don't think N will ever be topped as the best Pokemon character. I like characters like Guzma and Lillie more but I think old Harmonia's the magnum opus. He was one in a million.

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

Standing here I realize You are just like me Trying to make history But who’s to judge The right from wrong When our guard is down I think we’ll both agree That violence breeds violence But in the end it has to be this way

[@narxmagee727]

@@schizophrenic_rambler *Insert Hilbert commanding Emboar who is rapidly punching an unphased Zekrom with N riding him glaring down as this plays in the background*

[@yami6245]

I like the detail in his splash art, and how the dull eye says a lot. In anime, when a character doesn't have sparkle [or a lil white dot] in its eyes, it's usually linked to a cold and dull, personality or some problem, but N is calm, yet gives some sad feeling, like in the farewell speech. Its so weird, its that type of feeling that you cant describe and gives you chills.

[@kylajensen1957]

I always saw it as foreshadowing to how Ghetsis gaslit and brainwashed him. Dull, dead eyes are a pretty common design choice for characters who lack a will or whose will is being controlled by someone else. That's just my take tho.

[@Mario87456]

Even when he was technically an antagonist, I find it hard to truly call N evil. Personally I would argue he was more misguided than truly evil per se due to how Ghetsis raised him especially since he was still a genuinely nice person even as an antagonist.

[@adamreddick1349]

I think there's some competition for best in the spin offs for sure. Grovyle in Mystery Dungeon comes to mind. I'll give some points to Nobunaga in Conquest as well. Gen V was something special though, and N is certainly most iconic of that.

[@Pikapool-oi9rs]

Natural Harmonia Gropius I liked the detail you pointed out about Ghetsis team designed to take out N’s team. Since it highlights his heartlessness and how he was willing to get rid of N, his own “son”, in order to pursue his agenda.

[@AeirEclipseHayastin]

Natural Harmonia Gropus. N really stuck to me as a kid. Even if I couldn't fully grasp what he represented as a whole back then, I had this feeling that he was different from prior gens. The fact that N's Farewell was used as a reprise in his debut event in Masters EX, made a fair few folks, including myself, kinda cry a bit. We spent so long without seeing him after his departure, as did Hilbert, and seeing him again was like seeing an old friend. The emotional payoff was real. Of course, him having in possession my 2nd most favorite Mon (Zekrom) does him wonders, but even without it, I appreciate what N does.

[@raccoon_lord9430]

I've always loved N the game came out when I think I was maybe 8-10ish I've played through both black and white multiple times just enjoying the story and seeing N his design and his motives to some degree I've agreed with some people are absolutely terrible to pokemon you can look back to all the series and you can see it but throughout it all you can still see the bonds people made with pokemon more N wanting nothing more than to save the pokemon that were abused was a heartwarming thing to me and I genuinely felt like I wanted to do something about it black and whites story made me so invested that I wanted to do things in reality it's stories like this that make me feel like pokemon hasn't hit the exact spot like they use to they have gotten I don't wanna say lazy because they work so hard on games but maybe a bit lack luster with the story telling

[@user-fd5dr6io1s]

N: Natural fundable tokens Hilbert/Hilda: What?!

[@TearfulZorua]

No, not NFTs! Take my like bru

[@Source-Z-rer]

Black was my first main Pokemon game that I owned. Having N be this interesting definitely stuck with me, and reminds me why it was my favorite game for the longest time.

[@cocoabeanzwantstopuzzle]

Same, for me it was White. N was my favorite Nintendo character of all time for over a decade, only getting overtaken a few months ago. Now he’s my second favorite, and I think neither he nor the character who became my favorite are going to be moving from those spots anytime soon.

[@amirgarcia547]

@@cocoabeanzwantstopuzzle Out of curiosity, who is your new favorite?

[@itsdripnovababy]

I have a crush on N, he’s my favorite Pokémon character, so analysis videos surrounding him are always my favorite.

[@Fortuneman24]

Natural Harmonia Gropius I don’t think I ever knew that last part of his name, so cool there. It’s great to see some commentary on things you like, also good to see some love for Gen 5.

[@Lizventures22]

N was my biggest cartoon childhood crush and i remember getting butterflies during the ferris wheel scene because i thought it was a date and was really disappointed when he wasn’t in love with me once the game ended

[@TearfulZorua]

Uh, fanfiction exists y know? And yeah relatable. I wasn't that disappointed though, I like to be imaginative. Besides I had to hide the crush for a long time because I'd be teased for it loool. So I even pretended to hate the color green (which was the complete opposite).

[@vivieyysoumalover]

SAME OMGGGG i was 7 back then and he was like my first love for some reason and i kept talking abt him to my friends and they were like “ew you like fictional boy?”😭😭😭

[@extremmefan7305]

Natural Harmonia Gropius... I've struggled to spell that full name correctly for so long, the few times I got it right ended up actually sticking. XD What I find most interesting in this analysis is your design analysis during the "N as a foil" segment. You mention the ball cap and headwear in general, but generally speaking, N's entire outfit is surprisingly tame for a mainline Pokemon character of any kind of notoriety (minus the protags themselves, which is the point given that those are usually blank slates), let alone the antagonists (I swear half of them are like "business suit man" and the other half mostly just scream "I'm the bad guy" in some other design way). His outfit design is basically a protag with a few extra trinkets, which reinforce the idea that his view of the world (due to blank slate status, SUPPOSEDLY) mirrors that of the protag, being its exact opposite. (Also Brendan is, indeed, still wearing a hat. Hat with a wig, but still a hat; Bianca is indeed the only rival with a hat but she also has the least rival-like story of the entire series anyways) Unfortunately, N's viewpoint is a bit downplayed by the Pokemon world itself, including Unova, being a utopia, making it hard to buy into his point of view when you're seeing no evidence of it being true at all, just hearsay from him and Team Plasma (Ghetsis included). While this is good for the player character as they feel justified to fight on to protect the beautiful harmony they see all around, it makes it far from perfect when the only way you would believe Team Plasma is to share the same belief yourself (potentially due to spinoff games that featured the Pokemon as their own civilizations, leading to believing they are the same as humans in that regard, and thus making certain implications regarding the mainline worlds). You could still keep the angle of Pokemon enjoying the company of humans even as fighting creatures or as pets, but smaller touches like a Pokemon being abandonned like Charmander in the Indigo anime season would make the story more believable (as well as explain where Ghetsis found those supposedly abandoned or mistreated Pokemon in, and I quote, "an utopia"). Still, the attempt was definitely there, and it's nice that they acknowledge these darker aspects are there at all even if they can't flatout show them. This is a story where outside context and experiences help in appreciating it. I also love the message of these games, so despite how hard the internet makes it, I try to still keep an open mind regarding people's opinions. (Though this might be a bit personal since I'm godawful at communication. '^^)

[@Ozzieapologist]

Natural Harmonia Gropius being such an amazing character makes me sorely regret never playing Pokémon White when I had the chance

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

You can always use emulators, especially since Nintendo hates it. Screw Nintendo and their hate for fangames

[@lolatulip3609]

@@schizophrenic_rambler What emulators would be good in such a case? Very new to that kinda stuff, just want to play it safe, you know?

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

@@lolatulip3609 try DraStic for Android, or just search for some other, it's not hard

[@schizophrenic_rambler]

@@lolatulip3609 come to think about it, I also used DeSmuME for Windows

[@lolatulip3609]

@@schizophrenic_rambler Oh, why thank you! Also those both have DS capitalized in them I noticed haha, I think that's nifty

[@parkergosline44]

Natrual Harmonia Gropius! N is definitely the deepest Pokémon has gone with an antagonist, and I would like to see more of that in future games.

[@MarxMayhem]

Gen 5 as a whole was a treasure trove of great storytelling. And then came Gen 6...

[@JeromeSankara]

Ahhhhh so worth the wait and the money, amazing job as always

[@Mangakamen]

Thanks again :)

[@sandvicheatfresh]

11:17 "um actually basket ball can be found in one of the stadiums in nimbassa city during X time then there's also the old bridge"

[@FenrirWolf203]

Honestly, one of the aspects of the game that made me like it over other generations was truly because of N. His way of acting, and talking about what he believed, it made sense, like, it would be how someone that defended what he did would do, and even though the fights were what solved the conflict in the story, there were some good points made along the way, even if simplified for the audience to understand it, since at the end of the day, the demografic for pokemon games is usually kids, that might have a rough time understanding concepts like symbiosis, but would understand that Pokemon and trainers help each others, and as such, they stick together because mutual gain (I at that time didn't completely understand, but the ideas in display felt natural). Now, the fact that Ghetchis was able to manipulate people and actually make people who thought like N act for his plans, when he had no intention to free the pokemon, it makes the story more grounded and mature, since it's not like a good vs evil sittuation, since there are good people inside team plasma who love their pokemon, and when you talk with them, they tell you about the fact that part of them feels bad for having to say goodbye to their partners, but have to do it because it's what they feel is right for their pokemon. That's some nuance that I miss from that generation, and that pokemon hasn't been able to get even close to. That game's story was honestly refreshing for the series. Also, it's really nice seeing you more positive about this topics. Yeah, your remarks about games that did things terribly wrong are funny, but if it really is helping you to focus more on well written characters and well written stories to feel better and more positive, keep it up, because honestly, I enjoyed hearing this one. Because I knew what I liked about N, but didn't exactly know how to put it into words, and now, thanks to you, I find what I liked, and even some parts of the character that I didn't realize were more well thought than I expected it to be (like the reason why black 2 and white 2 weren't pokemon grey.)

[@bunnychu15]

Natural Harmonia Gropius! I'm a die-hard N fan. Thank you for making a video on him!

[@sydneyrobberts489]

Naturala Harmonia Gropus I've never played the gen 5 games before, since I didn't have a console when they came out, but seeing your review makes me want to play and experience it for myself. I like the more positive focus of this video. Talking about bad things is fun and necessary, but its always healthy to take a step back and focus on something you like. It can also be really relaxing to watch to get your mind off of negative topics. I'd enjoy seeing more of it in the future.

[@pokeymaster9415]

NATURAL HARMONIA GROPIUS!!!!!!!!! Also is nice to see you happy about things you talk about (:

[@chaoscanvas03]

Pokémon Black version 2 was one of my first Pokémon games! Glad to see a video about N!

[@gumbarius]

I definitely love the more positive content you're putting out, but I also love the cynical stuff from before, so I am absolutely up for you doing both!

[@jeromehenry2909]

Natural Harmonia Gropius Great Work on the video, this really helps me understand a little bit more on Pokemon and getting me back into the Franchise. Keep up the Positive video too, it's nice seeing you Happy (or at least Stoked) to talk about Perspective/Themes/Topics/Series (etc.) that you deeply care for.

[@powersurge_beast]

The trainer design part really got me

[@Somaxs21]

Natural Harmonia Gropius! Glad you made the video. [Also I see that you decided to show N with Reshiram during the final battle gameplay section, good choice!] I know that he can fit into both Truth&Ideal but I always preferred N partnered up Reshiram since I always saw his journey as him wanting to discover the Truth. Should people&pokemon be together or separate? And like you mentioned in his journey finding out that the world isn't so simply Black&White as he initially thought and that's actually quite complex and is thanks to you that he finally discovered the Truth, that people and pokemon can work/live together. Just like there are people like Ghetsis who wants to use pokemon for his plan for World Domination, there are also people who value their pokemon as pets/friends and you being one of them. Also I can easily see N Lv.52 Reshiram demolishing Alder's Lv.77 Volcarona. What's a Bug/Fire pkmn gonna do against a Dragon/Fire legendary? Reshiram resist both of Volcarona STAB attacks.

[@nanni0580]

I really hope that one day the games get an anime that is soley based on what actually happens in them (with changes to make them better of course) and when it's B&W's turn I want there to be a scene like this: MC: So, what's your real name? N: My real name is Natural Harmonia Gropius. MC: You're...kidding right?

[@sirwolfy9372]

This makes more sense for Nuzlocke runs, having more restrictions and making the player caring more for each capture they made.

[@thecursed_1lordofcats738]

N was always one of my favorites, and I really wish he showed up in more games. Hell, we see Team Plasma's scientist (I don't remember his name) as well as champions of old in the Alola games, so it wouldn't be hard for N to make an appearance at some point in the future.

[@courtneycalvert185]

Natural Harmonia Gropus??? This was a great vid Kamen! I LOVE gen 5, it’s my favorite gen and game, it’s really nice to finally see people appreciating the game and giving it the attention it deserves

[@Yan_Alkovic]

Yeah, easily the best of the series. Natural Harmonia Gropus really could've been a great protagonist if the Pokemon games didn't have silent player-insert playable characters. And I loved basically everything you've said and I'm glad that now I have a video to show people!

[@MimiMonday]

Natural Harmonia Groupus! Thank you for covering N. Honestly, Black/White is the only pokemon game I've completed start to finish. I usually just catch the eeveelutions and dip (dumbt but the games are gifts so no money on my part). But N hit different and is my favorite character and antagonist in Pokemon. Your analysis with ideals and truth hit home for me, and now I understand why I like him so much now. Also his design is fire.

[@sakurabiskuit]

Natural Harmonia Gropius?! Also, yes, I would like to see you making more positive videos like this one

[@Mangakamen]

Noted

[@rockfan243]

Natural Harmonia Gropius Great video man. After these past 2 years being very hard on everyone talking about something positive is a refreshing change of pace. I do believe sadly gen 6 was a start of a freefall of the quality of pokemon game with a few exceptions but I still hold out hope we can get a new one to remind everyone why this franchise has stolen the hearts of so many.

[@Mangakamen]

Unfortunately, youtube and my audience doesn't seem to like the video - so there's not a lot of incentive to talk about positive things.

[@rockfan243]

@@Mangakamen fair enough you gotta do what you gotta do to get by. Still wishing you the best 👍🏻

[@SaddieMoon]

8:00 Wait Gen 3 protags are wearing head gear. The white thing on Brendan is his hat. You can see brown hair coming from it.

[@drelezar7745]

Ahhh gen 5, the most underrated gen by far (especially B2 and W2)

[@kasinokaiser1319]

N is my favorite pretentious anime teenager from the 2010s whose name starts with the letter N

[@AKJZSD]

Banger vid, also find it interesting how you can also catch pokemon in the wild in B1/W1 that have N's Trainer ID

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

N truely is the best! He maybe a villain but he's such a good boy.

[@TearfulZorua]

"You may be bad guy, but that does not mean your bad guy." - Zangief, wreck it ralph,

[@blitzkrieg9800]

10:56 ah yes my favorite champion, adler

[@tanithfaye9868]

Natural Harmiona Gropus! 💚 :) what a great video! You tie all my feelings about N into a perfect video! ^^ thanks for doing it (and lol to the guy who paid him😂👍)

[@ren_suzugamori1427]

Natural Harmonia Gropus? To be fair I found that out before this, but glad to be of service in letting you know I made it this far. Heck, I didn't even know Ghetsis' team was meant to defeat N's team.

[@netapel2625]

The gen 5 games are my favourite in the series. Pokemon B2W2 is peak pokemon imo. People hate gen 5 because in BW you could only use the new pokemon added in the game, you couldn't get pokemon from other generations till the postgame.

[@sirwolfy9372]

Well.. to be kinda fair here.. 7:00 there is that theory that the pokemon that we box in are not ours, just a clone that we could regenerate throught technology... But there is also the theory of the anime, where your boxed mons are at the Ranch Lab, where the professor is able to care about them, like the Day Care Stable for raising them for you... This theory is heavily implied to be true due to game freaks having the "games": Pokemon Ranch Pokemon Box Pokemon Home, etc...

[@TearfulZorua]

In Legends Arceus the PC is actually just a personal pasture for the pokemon to stay at. They aren't even in pokeballs in the pasture either. Makes the game more reasonable since you have to catch every pokemon many times just to progress. And you can actually hang out with the pokemon as well.

[@SpeedStar1642]

I too have known some people who've been stubborn to a fault with their views in media. I get the drive that goes beyond them. But they just can't listen. I'm so glad to see that this topic is approached when you talk about them.

[@Wolfheartgal]

Natural Harmonius Gropius! Also, I love this video! I do like when you can be critical about stuff, but this was nice to see you excited about a property and examining why it works for you. Also, been a long time fan of your work and happy to see you grow. Maybe doing a blend of either style could be good. Either way, this was nice and happy to keep supporting you!

[@Mangakamen]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SapphireLibra3]

Natural Harmonia Gropius! Very well made video. The idea that N was an opposing protagonist was something I shockingly hadn't considered.

[@somewackoonyoutube2449]

9:20 I like that you (accurately) called Ghetsis "[N's] asshole father".

[@zeroxvii17]

Natural Harmonia Gropius This was cool! I only really played the recent games and thought much of the writing was shallow. Cool to see a more complex character in the series

[@chairfaceheadthing4161]

Never played any Pokémon game but the first game (yellow, never finished) and only watched xy(z) but he’s been my favorite character since i was 8

[@srialekhyananduri7036]

Natural Harmonia Gropius is the reason I started loving Pokemon Games and also there is something about the protagonist we play as and their character design along with Cheren and Bianca and the world as a whole which makes Pokemon Black and White more than just your new gen generic Pokemon game.

[@jackall-trades6149]

I would butcher the spelling on that name, bruh. That being said, did watch the whole thing. Very well done.

[@missliv.404]

I fucking love N, his music is so good, and something about him makes me want to protecc him

[@Matrix-tx5ff]

14:00 And, we the player, learned the same lesson through N. That’s pretty awesome

[@michaelgum97]

I liked the pattern of Natural Harmonia Gropius gaining the trust of the Pokémon that you can find in the previous/current area before the battle with him.

[@arthurdias6860]

Natural Harmonia Gropius is my favorite pokemon character, i just love everything about him and this video made the justice to him that he deserves. Great job!

[@CelticVizard]

I never thought he was a rival. He was just a tool to be used by the Team Leader in my eyes. A plot device leading to a betrayal.

[@TearfulZorua]

Well I'd agree to a fault. N himself isn't a tool in my eyes, but he was certainly used as one by Ghetsis. Funny that, cuz Ghetsis literally uses every living thing as a tool...

[@projectmessiah]

N is my boy and he will never not be underrated

[@TearfulZorua]

Never ever never. N is best character, and deserves all the attention. I mean canonically he was deprived of human attention for a looooong time.

[@stormbiskit7271]

Natural Harmonia Gropius' team having a weakness against Ghetsis' is something I wasn't aware of. What I do remember noticing is that, aside from Zoroark and his legendary dragon, his team has two pokemon weak to Reshiram, and two weak to Zekrom. Vanilluxe and Klinklang are weak to Reshiram's fire attacks, and Archeops and Carracosta are weak to Zekrom's electric attacks. My theory is that the developers wanted to give the player an opportunity to really test out and bond with their new dragon, since they hadn't really had it for the entire storyline, unlike the rest of their team.

[@leonmott8419]

N is one of my favorites, I even have an N stuffy

[@TearfulZorua]

Oo lucky!

[@miguelperez9906]

There is also the added boost to his popularity that comes from being made pritty enough that it only takes like 30 minutes to rule 63 him. There by making him part of the pretty boy archetype.

[@TheGasMan666]

Naturharmowhatnot? Lol, great video, loving these essay vids.

[@GodofLoveandLust1998]

Natural Harmonia Gropius... Never knew that was his real name. I general skip past most dialog in games, pokemon included, but I have Pokemon Black, where you get Reshiram, and most of the time I did stop to read what N had to say even if I didn't fully agree with him. I guess it was just something I never thought I'd see in Pokemon, someone giving an actual look at how people could be treating their pokemon.

[@wordfr]

Great video dude keep up the great work

[@Mangakamen]

Thanks, will do - Now if only YOutube actually shared my video.

[@Corrdunk]

Yes. N is a very deep interesting character however he make me go awooga awooga Humana humna *eyes pop out of head* bark bark bark

[@TearfulZorua]

Uh... I'm assuming you're saying you have a crush on him and going to say same.

[@johnnycage112]

N was such a mindfuck when it happened. For him and the player.

[@AbominationAtBirth]

Coming back to my childhood crush😼

[@PikachuX2073]

Kamen, please continue with content like this. Because regardless of cringy jokes, this is what the world needs right now.

[@Mangakamen]

Then share it, leave more comments, and be sure to leave a like :)

[@Rixec2]

Natural Harmonius Gropus has always been a part of a fascinating story. He has good goals, we understand his points, but the abuse he went through gave him the wrong mindset, making him think Might Makes Right is how he'll help Pokemon. He becomes champion and assumes none will oppose him. The player us always trying to reach out, trying to save N as much as their bonds with Pokemon, and it's only when N will not listen any other way that we fight, but rather than following N's Might Makes Right, the player is Might FOR Right. We're not out to be champion and have everyone listen. We fight to save the bonds between humans and Pokemon, not to force what we think onto others. Even the NPCs show how well thought out this all was. Not everybody talks to every single NPC, but for the few like me, we gave something special. Talking with Plasma grunts by the end, there are some that see Pokemon as tools to use, some that truly believe in N's beliefs, and those that had Pokemon bond to them even though they only thought of the Pokemon as tools but are now questioning it. All of those so close together is astounding.

[@richie1589]

Honetly didn't see N as a villain as a child, I saw him as a human And oh my gosh Natural Harmonious Gropius

[@TearfulZorua]

Uh, villains can be human too. /j But in actuality I think he was a good person, and definitely not a villain. As far as we know he wasn't out there stealing the pokemon nor abusing them, and likely was unaware of the actions of many of the plasma grunts. After all, even with him as king, the real powers behind team plasma were the seven sages to begin with. He didn't necessarily have all the say. Plus he's the only one that actually abided by his own words, never catching pokemon for very long, only to combat the player and help his team escape.

[@ColdEmperor]

Naturia Harmonious Gropus. Close enough I guess. Great video my dood!

[@Mangakamen]

Yes! Thank you!

[@tyrantrexx1365]

Natural Harmonmias Gropius! And yes, this kind of content was nice to listen to, keep it up. I enjoyed it.

[@Mangakamen]

Glad you enjoyed it, but unless youtube wants to share this around, it's gonna be hard.

[@quarreneverett4767]

Yes good work I am glad to see your progress :) I'm still around here and there trying to improve my life position

[@Mangakamen]

That's great, but unfortunately, KZbin doesn't like me when I'm positive save for MGR.

[@TearfulZorua]

Why does everyone in the comment seem to despise N? Were his Ideals/Truth really all that evil. He just wanted pokemon to be happy and free. I dont find anything wrong with that. If anything its Ghetsis whose evil. Literally some people here agreed with Giovanni. How, Giovanni is like the absolute opposite of N, he Only sees pokemon as tools and money, just like Ghetsis. How does anyone prefer that ideal over Ns?

[@fratercr5262]

Natural Harmonia Gropius... is a really cool character. Not my favourite of the series, not even my favourite rival, this honor belongs to Silver, but his story was very ambisious for pokemon standarts and it´s sad that they stop to try after Gen 5.

[@wjackson6864]

N as a character? I love him and all the points you made I agree with, I just hate how it falls into the story. N's viewpoint being that humans are cruel to Pokemon in general, while never having an explicit example of besides his own underlings, makes sense as people are sending living creatures to do battle and injure each other for their trainers amusement, that's kind of not ethically ok. The Pokemon company could've done something very creative with this but no, they decided to just have N be wrong and nothing about the world of Pokemon is bad and Pokemon battles are totally fine and perfectly ethical. If it isn't clear, my issue is with the Pokemon Company and Game Freak not N.

[@wjackson6864]

Also, NATURAL HARMONIA GROPIUS.

[@AJ-ey5eh]

Actually in BW2, turns out N hasn’t given up on his dream of stopping Pokémon from being confined, he just thinks that forcing people and Pokémon apart is wrong because of Ghetsis’ actions. He believes it will happen eventually in its owner . I was really surprised to realise this!

[@wjackson6864]

@@AJ-ey5eh I didn't know that, that makes me feel better for N. Thanks.

[@visceralities]

but in the pokemon universe, pokemon enjoy battling, for the most part, and the majority of trainers take the necessary actions to ensure their pokemon are cared for after a battle. in the BW manga specifically, the concept of pokemon who enjoy battling and them being able to make that choice for themselves is presented when White’s (manga Hilda/Touko) tepig, Gigi, decides to abandon White and doing pokemon acting with her and instead go with N in favor of being able to battle with him. N chastises White for ignoring Gigi’s desire to battle and squandering her potential. the way I personally see it, many pokemon enjoy fighting by nature, and trainer battles give pokemon the chance to fight in a controlled environment that provides them with safety nets and access to care they don’t have otherwise in the wild. also iirc Pokemon Masters N (who is B2W2 N) still seems to have some slight personal aversion to pokeballs, but is more open-minded about battling.

[@leoultimaupgraded9914]

@@visceralities thats actually really interesting, I wonder if the Pokemon battles came from an entertainment aspect, or more to help Pokemon. Maybe both

[@kevinmalone7167]

Natural Harmonia Gropius I feel it's always best to make the content you're passionate about. While that may not be enough to satisfy the almighty algorithm, it makes the content easier to make. I'll also admit that I don't watch every video, because I'm not into Metal Gear or Yu-Gi-Oh. But that shouldn't stop you from making it. I am interested in pokemon, and analysis vids about why something works or doesn't work, like your RWBY, High Guardian Spice and Life is Strange stuff. I'd really love to see you do an in depth series on Arcane, but again, only if that interests you. And finally, let me just say that N's name is absolutely ridiculous!

[@madmouse1016]

The basketball segment was funnier than it should've been Natural Harmonia Gropius-

[@jackman6183]

Natural Harmonia Gropius . . . . done

[@TearfulZorua]

👍