Pokémon Scarlet & Violet - Kieran Final Battle Music (HQ)

[@Pokeli]

Hi! Hope you have fun with the game! Sorry I was busy from my other channel! I hope you will appreciate those. Took me 6 hours to do all of those assembly. Have a good day!

[@雪者]

Real talk, through. I legit *loved* both of those characters. I can't wait for Kieran's villain arc to climax in him committing murder. :D

[@gladigatorrawr1480]

You are the 🐐

[@elsleazo9592]

You're the best dude, thanks so much for uploading these tracks.

[@Eacowind]

The Pokémon ost goat ^^

[@MetalZuko]

It's this music track that returns for all other times you battle Kieran post-epilogue, isn't it?

[@matavastros]

I like how he says “aw man” whenever he loses a battle until the final one where he says “figures”

[@QueuedUp_]

The pipeline of "shy new rival" to "realizing he's not the main character" was phenomenal

[@kidnamedzit]

Isn’t that basically just Hop?

[@prismus6520]

Where Hop took the role without bitter feelings, Kieran couldn't stand the thought of being sidelined. ...especially considering he was fascinated about Ogerpon for so long, only for you to catch it instead of him.

[@thepotatoportal69]

He's Hop mixed with Gladion and apparently also a bit of Ganondorf at the end

[@sirsheep8011]

@@kidnamedzit Hop was like "Oh, yeah, I'm just not good" Kieran, on the other hand was like "I must be better!"

[@jimmy72035]

@@sirsheep8011 wait until you play shield and he gets zacian

[@2dark4u88]

i noticed that once Kieran realizes that the player lies to him, he no longer has a glint in his eyes, couple that with his eyes colors, and he legit seems to have predatorial eyes, really like that small design change.

[@excalibur493]

Yeah, I noticed that Carmine and Kieran basically have snake eyes. Weird, but cool. And other people tying Dipplin to the story of the original sin makes it better. Not the first time it happened, though. The B2W2 trailer had a female plasma grunt with a seviper. And it's really weird how there's only one instance of that in B2W2.

[@Komacherry]

Also at that cliffhanger cutscene with Kieran, we see him from the back and it looks like he’s putting his hair up or something so maybe a hairstyle change for Kieran too🤔

[@makeeeveeacupcake]

I love Kieran, its unfortunate that in the short span of 3 days he lost all his mental stability, composure, sanity, and is going to murder us in part 2

[@雪者]

Oh boy, I'm excited for that! :D

[@amiiboguy7288]

Considering the levels of the Trainers in Kitakami, there’s a good chance his Pokemon might be above lvl 88 in part 2. UPDATE Bro uses a level 87 Hydrapple 💀

[@RafaelSilva-yn4ps]

In my nightmares he's a psycho

[@robertbui9030]

bring it on!!! @@amiiboguy7288

[@DeepInZero]

He boutta be the new Champion of Blue Berry academy. I'd love if in Indigo Disk we're introduced to him like the toughest and most badass of them all and the final rematch is actually carried out in the depths of Area 0 as the true ending of the DLCs, even after the (possible) fight with Rea and the "God-form" Terapagos boss battle

[@RinReforged]

Carmine: Lets keep this a secret from Kieran Me: That seems like a bad idea *3 days later* Me: yep, it was a bad idea

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

Underrated comment

[@charlotteshenkenberger345]

Me: (Glaring at Carmine) I told you so. Now you are GOING TO HELP ME FIX THIS, OR SO HELP ME ARCEUS, I WILL END YOU.

[@TimWolfe-e5c]

Florina: If I'm gonna die because of what you did carmine, by arceus I'm taking you down with me you ruddy c*nt!!!

[@hollowgod8824]

If it were up to me I tell him the truth. Because he’s my friend and I think of him as my brother.

[@joshuakim5240]

Carmine: "What's the worst that could happen?" Indigo Disk Kieran: *maniacally laughing with the Toxic Chain trio master legendary and new Dipplin dragon* Me: "Carmine! This is all your fault!"

[@porygon4023]

Finally, a Pokemon character that reacts appropriately when you catch legendaries

[@RetroLiminal99444]

Yea man. Honestly I feel for him. I have never felt conflicted catching a legendary.

[@Astral-Zed]

If we battle him in part 2, I want to see dialogue between Ogerpon and him when sent into battle. Boutta relive his moment that broke him lol.

[@flallana18]

@@RetroLiminal99444in our defence, apart from Kieran clearing Ogerpon’s name, he interacted with her a lot less than us or Carmine.

[@RetroLiminal99444]

@@flallana18 yea I mean Ogerpon saw Me and Kieran battle and enter it’s home. So she was aware of Kieran. Maybe it didn’t feel comfortable around Kieran or we just remind her of her old trainer.

[@zfantasy349]

@@flallana18 probably because his family and new "friend" didn't want Kieran to know. Plus, he feels rob and frustrated to be left in the dark while the player and Carmine spend most of the time with Ogerpon

[@arandomskeleton1384]

I love how in his first battles against him he mainly uses cute and cuddly pokemon like Yanma and Sentret and by the end he uses scary and intimidating ones like Shiftry and Gliscor, really shows his shift in character

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

A lotta his mons are also Angry-looking

[@Keihzaru]

He still keeps his dipplin, but it seems like it will get an evolution on Part 2, wonder if it is also gonna look scary.

[@jma0645]

I understood that his team was gonna get meaner when I saw he got rid of furret did nuzzleaf

[@jma0645]

​@@Keihzaru I feel like it will be a dragon with one very goofy looking head and one more intimidating looking

[@amiiboguy7288]

Poliwhirl to Poliwrath perfectly shows this change

[@wolfwolfx356]

Honestly, one thing that made Kieran stand out to me in the final fight was the way he carefully considered what items to give his pokemon. Focus sash on shiftry, Gliscor holding yache berry... The moment I hit gliscor with an ice type move and saw that berry activate and survive was when I realised I was up against someone trying their utmost to win this battle

[@RRed19]

My reaction was similar when Shiftry’s focus dash activated against my Yanmega, I had company over and I audibly said. “Kieran, congrats. You’ve earned my respect. Unfortunately, Tyranitar to the face.

[@MarioMastar]

@@RRed19Yeah doing the DLC with a stacked 7 star raid built team of level 100 max IV/EV pokemon did make the story a bit easier, but i'm glad the devs finally respected us enough to really make the AI trainers "strategize" like we would. Made thier level 70s hold up pretty well.

[@kpopgamingstudios]

I'm gonna be honest... I didn't even see those items activate when I was playing. XD. My Noivern two shot his Shiftry, and then my Basculegion two shot his Gliscor. What WAS cool (and highly terrifying) was seeing his Poliwrath use Belly Drum and then eat a Sitrus Berry. This boy really did consider items. Which makes me scared of what we will face when we meet him again at Blueberry Academy.

[@robertoneill589]

the moment i saw Kieran use a Yache berry, my mind immediately thought of the one other imfamous Pokemon with a Yache berry. Cynthia's Garchomp. Safe to say Kieran wanted us dead the moment he used that and Belly Drum Sitrus Berry Poliwrath

[@InktheImpassive]

Didn't know his Gliscor is holding a yache Berry. I blasted em with Ursaluna's blood moon while terastalized.

[@Terumimi]

I think Kieran is the first pokemon character to have a reverse character arc, and i mean that in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE. Genuinely an amazing rival

[@eldritchexploited5462]

"I can Fix Him" Silver vs "I can make him Worse" Keiran

[@Terumimi]

​@@eldritchexploited5462 as a silver enjoyer i couldnt agree more with that statement lol

[@aetriandimitri190]

Anakin Skywalker: He just like me fr

[@Israel_Augustine]

Negative character arc; like Azula from ATLA

[@ShadowSkyX]

A few years ago i remember mentioning I wanted a rival that started as friends, but something happens to their starter (it gets stolen from an evil team or something around 2 badges in). This irreversably changes them for the rest of the game and makes them colder, more competitive, and its when they pick up the other starter and pick new members. They essentually have to start from scratch. This was my answer to having a friendly rival; one that starts friendly and nice but turns into a jerk due to life altering circumstances. They stop being your friend because you can't understand what they went through having their pokemon stolen or what came after. Now you're the naive one who is too trusting, and they're determined to make you understand the danger of that mindset. With their newfound realization, they're out to hurt you and they think its better to learn the lesson from them than some random stranger like they had to. By the very last fight, they find his starter and two other team members he caught early on-- except they know good egg moves now. He wanted them to become strong like the others. But they went through similar growth as the rival and want to become strong to protect him and themselves. It's why they adhere and accept his change as a character.

[@ItsArrzee]

The Kieran villain arc starts here

[@雪者]

Oh god, here we go

[@musicaltaurus3309]

Yes, that's its starting point, and WE are the ones to be blamed for inactivity upon the disaster.

[@arpandas2243]

​@@musicaltaurus3309I mean why bother he is a sore loser nothing else

[@navybluegacha2119]

CANON EVENT ACTIVATION

[@davethefyrezorua]

Gen 1: Mafia Gen 2: Mafia round 2 Gen 3: "MORE LAND!!!!" "NOOO, MORE WATER!!!" Gen 4: Depressed maniac Gen 5: Kill deh child >:) Gen 6: Genocidal Dorito Gen 7: Bug Shaker and Jellyfish enjoyer Gen 8: Goth Simps and Elon Musk but evil Masters EX: John Wick and Mafia part 3 Legends Arceus: Ancient Team Rocket, Volo, and Giratina Gen 9: Shy Eevee fangirl, robot parents, three jackass "Loyal" three, and jealous kid.

[@wuhhhhhhh]

I like how Kieran’s rematches in Indigo Disk use this theme, showing he’s not upset anymore, but the experience of the last few months did indeed change him, otherwise they would’ve played his first or third themes

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

This theme also shows he's as serious as ever in a battle

[@wuhhhhhhh]

@@notshockwavedemon7543 yea for sure. Tbh i really love his champions theme and in retrospect it woulda been cool if they took the intro from Carmine/Kieran’s first battle theme and had it replace the shrill violins and then played the champ theme

[@lyonvensa]

Likewise. It took me some time to realize this is the theme that was used in the rematch. I love how it feels like a "middle ground" between the serious and friendly Kieran. He's no longer the shy, pushover introvert anymore, but he's also not the battle hungry, vengeful maniac either.

[@ooskks6370]

I love that this becomes Kieran's battle them after the events of part 2. It shows that he'll never fully return to who he once was before meeting the MC, but has still recovered from his worst. (Also it's an absolute banger.)

[@thetreyceratops]

Also it’s funny that it means all the YouTybe uploads that called it “Kieran final battle” aren’t wrong technically

[@BlooperTanooki]

"The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth"

[@jeanduresau]

lol

[@leonides1527]

Nah. Hes gonna use the fire to cook the player alive

[@jasonthejazzman8521]

This saying goes so hard wtf

[@fernandoguillen5996]

Gen 9 really has something with the shy childs being criminals of the dangerous class

[@questionmarkquestionmarkques]

​@@fernandoguillen5996team star wasnt really dangerous though

[@Yak0666]

The thing that makes him scary is his growth over the span of a few days. Even we, the protag, took quite some time to build a good team, meanwhile Kieran pushes himself and his Pokemon to a champ level in a few days. That kid is dangerous

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

He might become a "Pokemon Wielder" in Indigo Disk

[@Lunacy4]

@@notshockwavedemon7543 all that to get rolled by a juiced up level 100 krookodile from 2014 bruh 😭

[@lagmanrealtrustme]

​​@@Lunacy4lmao, based Krookodile enjoyer

[@Dave-cw2mj]

Lets calm down now. The pokemon in kitakami are all like level 50+ and most of them evolve after 1 level up.

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

@@Lunacy4 Krookodile with Power Trip

[@baconkattid]

I always wanted to see a friendly rival slowly turn into a “mean” one. I’m so happy we finally got it

[@axou4200]

But it hurts so much !!

[@shuichisaihope398]

Kind of happened in Pokémon Masters if you're interested in another story of pokemon with this idea

[@DuffyDevil]

​@@shuichisaihope398yeah with paulo

[@Demi-Joker]

​@@axou4200that's the best part

[@5ashll303]

I really want one as the main rival in a game. If we can get two jerks in blue and silver and two nice guys in hau and hop, we can surely get another like this.

[@FirstLastname604]

Kanto and Johto: Your rival is a jerk, teach him a lesson! Hoenn-Paldea: You and your rival push each other to become stronger, regardless of the outcome! Kitakami: You are the catalyst for this child’s breaking point. The mental damage you’ve done to him is irreparable. What he’ll do next is uncertain, but all we know is that *it’s all your fault*

[@Koopa126]

Um, what about Nemona? She's also our rival during the main story line in Gen 9.

[@thatoneguy5343]

@@Koopa126 Aside from the gen, she fits in category 2.

[@tapeshsharma9254]

​@@Koopa126 Nemona: the only rival who was a champion before the start of the game. 😳😳

[@zerius6743]

Category 3 fits better on Kieran than on Nemona. She's like your friendly rival, but everytime you beat a gym leader she keeps following you and eager to having a battle with you. Nemona should belong in category 2 if you exclude the pokemon generation games.

[@Scorpionspear77]

@@zerius6743plus, up until the final battle of the Victory Road story, Nemona is explicitly holding back, so she doesn’t have a problem losing to you. And she’s delighted that you win the last battle because it means she actually has an equal or even a new height to shoot for in skill.

[@analyticofexistance7847]

This kid had more team developement in 3 days then even some rivals, and we still have part two of the DLC when he unleashes Applin's final evolution!

[@JediWilli]

I feel really bad for Kieran. He got pushed around all his life into shyness and submission, lowkey bullied into being weak. That same weakness then becomes his biggest obstacle when he finally gets an opportunity to stand out. He’s set up to fail in all aspects by the people around him, and he’s supposed to just. Take it and move on. There’s such a mean dissonance between the message given to the player being “Never give up! With friends you can achieve anything!!” And the message given to rival characters like Hau, Hop and Kieran is “Well sometimes life comes at you hard and you have to give up on your dreams and find something else that makes you happy”

[@jamesdinius7769]

And this plotline really brings that message to the fore. Hau and Hop just accept that we're better and just move on with their lives. Kieran doesn't, or at least hasn't yet. It's even pretty logical that he wouldn't. Hau and Hop had supportive fiends and family. What does Kieran have? A sister who puts him down every chance she gets, a so-called new friend who lied to his face, and a grandfather who TOLD that friend to lie to him. He's got no support network, and a world telling him he's worthless.

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

@@jamesdinius7769 Yeah this boy has NO ONE to trust

[@smonkk8556]

it's interesting looking at characters like this VS. a lot of the other rivals we get. you have characters like bianca, who never really wanted to be a great trainer to begin with and went on her journey to find what she's passionate about. it made her sad to lose, but ultimately she kept going because she knew she didn't want to be some unbeatable master anyway. then you have characters like silver, cheren, and barry who keep losing to the player but they never really take it to heart too much. cheren's journey involves self discovery over what it truly means to be a strong person, but ultimately their experiences in life (especially barry who's dad has been a wildly successful career trainer for some time now) teach them that losing is simply something that happens and you can still be a prestigious trainer without literally being the best in the world. and then there's people like hop, hau, and kieran. hau handles his losses pretty well, but hop and kieran seem to be an example of why you shouldn't get your hopes up. unlike people like cheren, blue, and barry, it simply isn't enough for them to fail. maybe it's overcompensating for a lack of self confidence, maybe it's just mismanaged expectations, but they seem to be under the expectation that you either win everything or you keep losing. obviously it's nice that hop has a good support network and is able to find what he wants to do, and you could argue that his mindset was all wrong for such a competitive environment anyway, but it's still somewhat interesting to me that a big part of him losing his faith in becoming a trainer is that he fails to realise that there are plenty of successful trainers, like the gym leaders, who aren't the best in the world, or even the region, but are still competent and accomplished. a lot of the reason hop wants to be a trainer is because of internalized pressure to be like his brother, which makes sense. in his mind he probably never even registers the idea of simply being "very good" rather than "the best", because if two siblings are in the exact same career, the champion of the entire region is always going to hold the spotlight. and then there's kieran. kieran, who has those exact same overblown expectations, that lack of self confidence, the failure to consider that he could still be something without being some magical, important figure. but kieran has no support network, kieran has nobody to temper his expectations or comfort him, kieran's family act poorly to him, the people he makes friends with deceive him, and he can never accomplish anything he wants to - whether it's what he "really wants" isn't even relevant, because he's so stuck in this horrible environment. it's interesting to think about where they're going to go with kieran in the next DLC. i don't think the moral he has to learn actually IS "life comes at you fast and hard and you have to give up on your dreams" because the only reason that's the moral hop and hau learn is because the goals they set for themselves are so ridiculously unrealistic and lofty, and they're not willing to compromise with the idea that they might not be some natural prodigy the way the player is, but they can still do it if they love it. because the moral they learn is that they don't really love it that fully in the way somebody like barry does, and their heart is in some other place, which is completely reasonable. this is probably going to be the lesson kieran learns too, but it's not like he has to just slink off and go redirect his entire career path.

[@Mikeywf]

@@smonkk8556love this deep dive into all these characters. Say what you want abt Pokémon stories, they’ve nailed character writing almost every gen since gen 5 (sorry Gen 6)

[@PlaugeofRomano]

Finally someone else gets it! I dont' get how so many people think he's just shy and his sister is being a "typical big sibling". She's so horribly abusive towards him! She belittles him at every turn and just ignores his feelings as "teenage angst."

[@ariekazami4213]

"Just you wait (Player name)" This gives me chill more than the fight with Ultra Necrozma somehow...

[@matteocaporusso8396]

YEAHHH ME TOOO. I think it's because this way he addresses the player directly

[@thosebrownboxes6736]

…that’s enough to give you chills?

[@Temnxeiz]

How has one single Pokemon game had TWO chilling lines?!? First it was Sada/Turo's "Please, defeat me." and now this

[@Twerpt]

It was definitely that grin at the end

[@忘れ物常習犯]

あの不敵な笑みはゾクゾクした

[@aspenve]

We need to talk about his force fields and how his punch was literally what reawakened the loyal three

[@kapiquantum]

This and carmine's/grandparents saying kieran is "not like that usually" convinces me that he is controlled/manipulated by a pokemon. I mean look at his eyes at the last cutscene - its different! And this corelates really strongly with a theory of the fourth Royal (hidden image in the files during grandpa story) which gives a toxic chain to other Royals and then ressurect them by the manipulation of kieran

[@luckyinky7849]

@@kapiquantum THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYI-

[@thatoneguy5343]

@@kapiquantum That would be dumb. It would be more interesting and better writing if Kieran’s envy and resentment towards the player is genuine rather than being manipulated or controlled by a third party. Like some of the other commenters are saying, he’s like the antithesis of the “Nice Rival” character we been getting these recent gens, as instead of just accepting you’re superior and he should give up like Hop and Hau, instead he gets angrier and more determined to beat you. If GameFreak use their cards right, Kieran might become one of the best written characters in the verse. Edit, Post Indigo Disk: Thank god I was right.

[@TheNintenfan64]

@@thatoneguy5343it IS genuine. It’s probably just being pumped up to eleven by the fourth one.

[@thatoneguy5343]

@@TheNintenfan64 I still don’t want him to be influenced by a third party. It would be more interesting if his envy as well as the intensity of it is ALL from him. Also, what would the Peach even do in the second part? Ogerpon’s story is done, the lousy three have been defeated and captured by us, and both parts will already be connected with Kieran and Carmine going to Blueberry. If GameFreak wanted to use the Peach they should’ve done it in part 1; I think this might be an AZ Floette situation where it’s a Pokémon in the game files that will never see release or be used.

[@Legithiro]

I've seen people complain about how "Kieran became a villain because he realized we're the protagonist." And to those people, let me ask you, if some random person from Spain (who you thought was your friend) not only achieve all of you're dreams in a matter of days, but also went out of their way to exclude you from them, how would you feel? I also don't think Kieran is a villain in the usual sense of the word, he seems to want to be treated as an equal

[@thatoneguy5343]

The proper term for him is an antagonist, not a villain. Villain implies the antagonist is a horrible person who wishes to do violent harm, but Kieran is still at his core a good person who’s letting his envy and ambition consume him, and it’s up to us to liberate him from those chains that are dragging him down to no return.

[@TheDunsparceGames]

well we should also look at it from florian/juliana’s perspective (the actual player characters not just us thinking for them) they meet kieran, a young boy who is quite kind to them but also timid and a bit obsessive, they try to make friends with him and somewhat succeed! the festival happens the day after their first few interactions with him, and during the festival they witness a mysterious figure which turns out to be the ogre from the stories on the billboards after trying to tell kieran what happened, they get pretty much harassed into silence by carmine having an outburst, which convinces kieran that they’ve been bullying him behind his back, and carmine continues to threaten them into not telling the truth, pretty much shattering any hopes of them ever being friends no matter how much they speak up a second chance appears when kieran apologizes for stealing the mask they were going to return, and they apologize to him for lying pretty much against their will. kieran accepts their apology, and they even get another chance to bond through the mask retrieval squad! happy ending after all right? right? no. kieran chooses not to join them and carmine in helping retrieve ogerpon’s masks, instead running off into who knows where, directly avoiding the opportunity to bond with both the kid who wanted to be their friend and ogerpon herself, instead opting to put ogerpon in a dangerous situation from the mc’s perspective given that kieran never told anyone what his plan was it all comes around when they’re getting ready to say goodbye to ogerpon for good before they leave back for paldea, only for ogerpon to run back to them, saying she wanted to go with them instead. and after this happy moment, kieran decides that they’re not worthy of the pokemon that they took the time and effort to help and bond with, and that he is instead. once again being forced to battle and defeat kieran, driving him further into hatred for them the mc never wanted to exclude kieran from anything (besides ogerpon but that’s less of them not wanting kieran to have her and them trying to defend ogerpon’s decision), they wanted to be his friend, and through a bunch of unfortunate mishaps of no real fault of their own they are never able to do so and kieran pretty much puts a death wish on them the poor kid still thinks kieran can change too, and while yes their faith in him is rewarded in the end of dlc2 they pretty much watched a kid who they thought was a friend start blaming them for everything wrong in his life and start pushing everyone around him away so he can focus on his goal of beating them specifically kieran became an antagonist because of things the mc was basically forced to do or watch, and had most of the fault for his own decisions or carmine enabling that kind of behavior on them if i was the player during dlc2 i could never forgive kieran for what he chose to do himself, bless the mc’s heart they have a heart of gold for believing in kieran

[@kittensolder8818]

@@TheDunsparceGames As someone who usually gets attached to the player character and makes a design and personality for them rather than just seeing them as a self-insert, this is exactly what I imagined. When _my_ Juliana walks onto that battle court for the Champion battle, she's going to be thinking/saying "this is for your own good, friend."

[@davidblaze2091]

What's the matter with being from Spain?

[@Legithiro]

@@davidblaze2091 Nothing, but it's a small detail that makes it slightly funnier

[@Pandachu123]

"We've crossed the point of no return and there's clearly no way for us to go back, but let's keep going and see what happens."

[@heitormedina7098]

Good line

[@GSavel]

Something I realized: Kieran is an antithesis of Hop Both of them start out as great friends with the player Both of them are heavily involved in the story of the game mascot Both of them have something that negatively affects them ~1/4 through their story (Hop feeling like he's dragging Leon's name with him, Kieran getting lied to about the truth of Ogerpon by the player and Carmine) while also doubting their strength due to the fact that they can't beat you Both of them box their Normal-type 2 stage Route 1 Pokémon after this critical point in the story However, unlike Hop, Kieran continues doubting himself, leading to the battle for Ogerpon and his resentment for the player due to his loss Meanwhile, Hop accepts that (despite being a strong trainer in his own right) he probably won't be as strong as you, and obtains Zamazenta/Zacian after that point Kieran is what Hop would've been if he kept doubting his strength

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

I actually think it's an antithesis of Wally. Both are shy at the start and have problems with their families. Both meet you and admire you. Both get really, Really strong to defeat you. You defeat them and accomplish their dreams in front of them. But only one reacts.

[@GSavel]

@@Adrian-ze9ud He definitely shares a lot of similar points in his arc as Wally too

[@Lilypadcorp]

This. Hop is genuinely a good character and I'm glad to have an "evil" counterpart to him.

[@phoenixshadow6633]

@@Adrian-ze9udEspecially in ORAS where Wally becomes colder and more calculating. This is a trait even Masters points out.

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

@@phoenixshadow6633 I have to disagree. In the original games, Wally's family didn't let him go for an adventure, and he escapes from his home because of this. He is fighting against his family, his illness, against everything in the world. And he still losses. In that sense, it's really similar to Kieran. His message is "Fight all you want, become the strongest you want. Keep doing that, and someone that has talent will destroy you with half the effort". In ORAS, however, Wally's, family did encourage him to follow his dreams. And he still escapes from his home. That absolutely breaks his message. The only thing that improved in ORAS was his theme. His new message is "Fight for your dreams, we all believe in you, you can do anything". In my opinion, the second is clearly worse

[@alexjames4507]

I haven’t felt this bad about winning a fight since Hop’s Pokemon League fight in SwSh

[@navybluegacha2119]

CANON EVENT ACTIVATION THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SINS CRAWL ON YOUR BACK

[@bluevern904]

Yeah… No, he’s borderline trying to steal a Pokémon against her will, despite feeling sympathy, someone has to graft some common sense into him

[@cyberrb25]

Finally someone that understands why I feel Hop is such a good character! Thank you!

[@GSavel]

​@@cyberrb25plus, Kieran is what Hop would of been if he kept doubting his strength. (With a bit of Wally mixed in)

[@IronTrickster]

Kieran is basically a mix between Hop and Volo😅

[@abyss3975]

Pains to see the shy friend turn into an intense enemy

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

He's done being weak in Part 2

[@veracsthedefiled]

Lol "enemy" let alone "intense enemy" Some people legit have an ego and you can't believe that? Pokemon battling isn't hostile activity, he's not going to murder you as you lot think, just baseless thinking thirsty for violence in a kid friendly game -facepalm-

[@Marshadow731]

@@veracsthedefiled Do you know what a joke is?

[@RetroLiminal99444]

Character development hits different

[@perirana1078]

he's definitely the quiet kid in class

[@geo_dragon6008]

I swear the second Cyrano says our name in the beginning of Indigo Disk, Kieran will come storming outside out to the academy's shore just to give us the hardest punch in pokemon history

[@TFI3X]

this had me dying💀

[@TwilightChomperEnthusiast]

🤛🐸👊

[@SkylineGuy]

Kieran used Rage Fist

[@sharkattack2903]

@@SkylineGuy *SUPER EFFECTIVE!*

[@excalibur493]

He probably wouldn't be happy to hear about exchange students in general because of what happened during our field trip. But seeing us in the mix would definitely have him yelling profanities lmao

[@Zero-2712]

after facing Kieran in the final battle, we'll know sh-t is about to get real when a trainer's Pokemon has a HELD ITEM and a FULL TEAM OF SIX. Not many trainer in the Pokemon core games can do that, which means Kieran is at least champion level, maybe tied with Nemona

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

Fun fact: all Pokemon in the trailers of the second DLC are level 50. *It's literally going to be a Battle Frontier*

[@LatinGiudo817]

Well, we already know Kieran's better than "La PrImErA", that's for sure 😂

[@alex_dc800]

​@@LatinGiudo817one simply does not fuck with la primera and her killer gogoat😂😂

[@gordonb8739]

When I saw the leftovers activate on one of his pokemon, I was SCARED. I have never seen a NPC trainer use a full team of six that wasn't apart of the final stretch. Not even one that used HELD ITEMS.

[@Bladehound83]

@@LatinGiudo817 Yeah, the fight was easy since I had a full squad of level 100s, but he still managed to take a mon off me with that Sturdy Petaya Berry Probopass. Unlike Geeta, Kieran actually knows how to use his pokemon's abilities to their fullest.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

Got a feeling he'll be the Champion of the Blueberry Academy Elite Four.

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Same

[@lobsterjake]

No shot he won’t.

[@quaxlyquixote4003]

Yeah it's him. You can tell it's him from one of the trailers even though they don't show his face

[@chiikkenn]

​@quaxlyquixote4003 yea gamefreak arent good at twists anymore so i alr knew he was gonna be apart of the academy somehow

[@Keihzaru]

@@chiikkenn somehow? Was the uniform your tip off? Or that they outright state they are students of blueberry?

[@vryday]

Player: “I’m sorry Kieran. He’s my friend.” Kieran: “So was I.”

[@zhezhang420]

"Juliana, you seem to have it all, just like the hero in this story." This is a line I will remember for the rest of my life.

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

Specially when you remember that the heroes of the DLC where actually villains

[@guillermoandresmaynezruiz6095]

⁠@@Adrian-ze9udI do not think he meant it that way, I think what he meant is that nothing can go wrong in the main character’s life or on our journey and he is right in a way, NOTHING can go wrong in our journey. One thing that makes me realize that is the encounter with Kieran specifically in his final fight when most trainers defeat you it is said that you run to the Pokémon center to heal them but when you lose to Kieran while yes you go to the Pokémon center after returning to Kieran it is somewhat obvious that the lost encounter against Kieran is considered that it never happened, he just acts like we are getting ready (maybe this is because cannonicly we are supposed to beat him in one try) sure Kieran may be able to “beat” us but he will never have a true victory from us the player

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

@@guillermoandresmaynezruiz6095 yeah, I know that, in I do think that's the main idea in that sentence, I just thought that it could have a double meaning. Btw, first the Koraidon/Miraidon battle, and now this with Kieran, I'm starting to think that Toby Fox did more than just music.

[@deadzone6661]

If there was ever a time to finally allow an in game trainer to have a team of Lv 100 Pokémon, Kieran deserves to be the first one ever.

[@ThomasCurrie1024]

Right?! And EV trained/Perfect IVs/competitive move sets/items.

[@davidmckenzie9086]

​@@ThomasCurrie1024I wouldn't go that far do you want a repeat of what BDSP Cynthia was

[@ThomasCurrie1024]

@@davidmckenzie9086Yes, I do, actually, lol. But that's just my personal preference.

[@Rptor_]

​@@davidmckenzie9086Absolutely I do

[@BertRyce]

​@@davidmckenzie9086Uh, HELL YEAH. After that last scene, he better be that nice.

[@ZacktheTastySnack]

Kieran is just what happens when Wally mega evolves

[@dnmstarsi]

And is physically healthy.

[@aedaniammx7559]

He mega evolved into a dark-type dude

[@krisdreemurr3533]

*Mental health is considered to be deeper than years ago, now we need to get Kieran to calm down.*

[@SplootingCorgi]

I mean his name does mean Little Dark One ;) @@aedaniammx7559

[@LatinGiudo817]

And you caught Ralts before him

[@starr_tots]

I went into the dlc expecting him to be at least somewhat of an opposing force then when you meet him and he's jus a shy lil buddy i got so attatched to him only for the game to hurt him again and again and i just felt so horrible everytime seeing him go through all that. why can't we just be friends and be happy

[@Mikeywf]

Idk how I’ll feel if we don’t go back to being buddies after his arc wraps in part 2. He became my favorite SV character and didn’t deserve this 😭

[@Eacowind]

I mean his envy and jealousy got the best of him as his mental state degrades bit by bit until that last battle where he just snaps he doesn’t care about ogerpon’s or any one else’s feelings he just wants to win

[@jarvis5552]

SAME,, I hated not being given the option to just tell him the truth/why we couldn't tell him the truth- I felt awful continuing to beat him :(

[@juliansiles5410]

Same😭😭😭

[@reydesonic]

This song’s vibe, especially that electric guitar, it’s like something wants to go loose but does not. Which, you know, fits perfectly with this guy.

[@budgieinahoodie5661]

Agreed; his Champion theme better go completely off the rails.

[@KoraAzure]

@@budgieinahoodie5661oh, it did

[@JoeSmith-xp5ll]

Kieran comes from the Gaelic name 'Ciarán' (said the same way), which means 'child of darkness'. Way more fitting than I thought it was going to be.

[@Rayquaza911]

It actually means "little dark one" or "little dark-haired one

[@TopOfAllWorlds]

​@@Rayquaza911thank you for correcting him

[@luckyinky7849]

​@@Rayquaza911ngl, that would have been so cool and terrifying to have an evil child named like he said in a pokemon game

[@IronTrickster]

Oh my god, that's so sick though!😱

[@tapeshsharma9254]

Nah bro fr 💀💀💀💀

[@edman9953]

This man has the best setup possible for a kickass story arc in part 2. I just hope Game Freak don’t drop the ball and pull the punches. I want this dude to hate our guts, seeing how we basically robbed him of everything in this DLC.

[@andri7037]

agreed, he would have a good reason to hate us

[@jamesdinius7769]

Believe it or not, I actually have confidence with Gamefreak on the story front. There are issues with these games, but the writers have been on point, and as far as a kids game goes, they really haven't been pulling punches. Also, they've got a real outcast/isolation theme going with the characters. Penny and team star, Nemona being isolated by strength and battle obsession, Arven with no present family. Now we've got Kieren, a shy boy, constantly bullied by his older sister, who had everything he ever hoped for snatched right out from under him by someone he thought was a new friend. The rest all get good endings, and I have no doubt Kieren will too in the end, but here's hoping we get to see him go mad with rage and power for awhile first. Really earn that inevitable redemption.

[@Hylian_Waffle]

They’ve absolutely nailed the characters this gen.

[@sinnohperson8813]

​@@jamesdinius7769also there is a theme of finding "your" treasure

[@hydrosphagus9672]

​@@sinnohperson8813and Kieran's entire subplot surprisingly can be seen as someone else stealing HIS treasure

[@willprivett6729]

Little bit of Psychology: Younger siblings tend to get bossed around by older siblings, as we see happen with Carmine and Kieran. Generally, this creates an inferiority complex of sorts which places a lot of deep-seated feelings inside younger sibs. Speaking from personal experience, anytime me and my two bros (older and younger, I'm middle) played smash bros on the gamecube/wii, we'd make it a point to beat the ever living shit out of the others, specifically the older sibling in relation to who was older. I imagine that Carmine's constant bossy attitude has left Kieran with some serious anger towards Carmine that he conceals out of the fact that she's his sister, he shouldn't hate his sister....but as things start to sour and continuously go wrong for Kieran, all those pent-up dark emotions start to boil over--which he then aims at both his sister and the protagonist. It's fascinating to see a pokemon character start to dive down a dark path since the games are generally light-hearted for a majority of the gameplay. Hop from the Galar region also had a similar theme of constantly being beat down, only to come back stronger than ever...with the difference being that he wasn't obsessed with power like Kieran is. Kieran's desire for power likely stems from being beat down his whole life, and he's sick of it. If he returns in the Indigo Disk DLC with a much stronger team composition/better battle tactics, and commits to this dark side we see emerging--I'm sold on it.

[@ficmatagaea7813]

Psychology friend hello

[@vic_ges2365]

I think we can call you Nostradamus by now. Excactly predicted

[@Lilypadcorp]

Giovanni: Corruption Maxie/Archie: Imbalance Cyrus: Power Volo: Ambition Ghetsis: Fear Lysandre: Chaos Guzma: Rejection Lusamine: Lust Rose: Impatience Sada/Turo: Zeal Kieran: Resentment

[@DerpySnek]

So, assuming that this is a list of reasons why Pokémon antagonists became antagonists, 1. Maxie's and Archie's wouldn't really be imbalance. It's more like Good Intentions, Bad Execution. The imbalance came from their feuding, and the eventual future had Brendan/May not stopped them as seen in USUM. 2. Cyrus' motivation is not power. He would be control, but there's another guy right under him that fits the bill a heck of a lot more. Cyrus said that he desires a world where he is alone, and can control time and space. In order to do this, he says that he has to destroy this one. So really, what is his motivation? It's not really control, since he'll have nothing to control in his new universe filled with nothing. I really have no clue. 3. Why is Ghetsis fear? He was scared of nothing. He is full on Desire for Control. Heck, you could even give him Power. He created the lie about liberating pokemon so that nobody could challenge him when he usurped control over Unova. He wanted to put fear in others, but he mainly wanted to be the one pulling the strings. 4. Lysandre....... His motivation is just being a bully. He wanted to purge the world of people who were not "beautiful." And we know that his definition of beautiful was not meant for physical aspects. So in order to do this, he shoots a super-nuke into the sky that will come back down and destroy everyone. So I guess his would beeeeeeeeeee.... To reset everything and rebuild in his vision? Even though his method would kill him and everyone else? 5. Lusamine as lust is sort of fair, but a better one is Insanity. Losing her husband caused her to retreat, and soon lose interest in her children. She began pushing them away in favor of Pokemon. Her adoration for Nihelego made her force Lilie into the dress and hat she wore. She pushed Lillie into running away, but in her twisted mind, she saw it as Lillie leaving her for no reason. Before this, she was running some not pleasant tests on pokemon. Gladion found out about this, and smuggled Type: Null away to protect it from his mother. Gladion still held some love for her, but he did not really like her during the main story until she was freed from Nihelego and sent to Kanto for treatment. The same thing happened with Lillie, only that A. She smuggled away cosmog. and B. She, unlike Gladion, still loved their mom deeply. The others are perfectly fine

[@kamenkuma05]

Perfect Conclusion- Learning END

[@GregoryMom]

@@kamenkuma05Can't wait for g10 villain to literally just be Ark

[@GSavel]

​​@@DerpySnekI'm pretty sure it's supposed to be their "main theme", not the reason why they became villains. E.g. Ghetsis instilling fear in others

[@DerpySnek]

@@GSavel Ok, that makes a LOT more sense

[@wolfey316]

Kieran is now the best rival even without seeing how his story ends

[@zerotwosday1027]

Honestly Kieran’s final fight does a really good job at making you look like the bad guy/ final obstacle on his journey and that makes it so much more compelling

[@bbleague-exchamp]

Wowzers, huge props to whoever composed my second theme.. but, on my behalf, I hope you’ll forgive me not considering the Ogre’s feelings back then.

[@thetreyceratops]

Ex champion?

[@Lloydproductions4171]

All is forgiven if it makes you feel better I mean my ogerpon Kieran

[@alexramos4089]

LOOOL?????

[@Cerularge_from_cerulean]

so you admit you are the ex champion?!

[@EmberTheLich]

I've never wanted to lose a battle so badly.

[@BlazeInferno360]

Yeah, man. I desperately wanted to lose, but I suck at losing 😅

[@charlotteshenkenberger345]

He wanted to battle and came at me no holds barred. I felt it was respectful to respond in kind. Didn't stop me from feeling terrible about it, but sometimes we have no choice but to start someone's villain arc.

[@EmberTheLich]

@charlotteshenkenberger345 Oh, for sure. With how Kieran's character is written, it couldn't have gone any other way. As Carmine pointed out, he's shy and insecure, but he's also prideful. Handing him what he wants would've been an insult. It's about earning his victories through merit. Merit that he feels he lacks. But even though he lost everything he wanted every step of the way, he still did the right thing. (Honored his promises, giving the mask back, letting you take Ogerpon if he lost, etc.) But sometimes the right thing HURTS to do. I like that it's really no one's fault. Just life being unfair one too many times.

[@kieranpleaseforgiveme]

Unfortunately, Ogerpon doesn’t trust him. If he won, Ogerpon still would’ve went to the mc. That would’ve hurt him so much more than losing the battle.

[@sparrowsonnett]

@@lordofminorannoyance3510 me too, honestly.

[@phoenixshadow6633]

I love how we collectively agreed he'll try to murder us.

[@rey_0f_sunshine.]

I remember when I first saw the trailer when he balled up his fist and overheard the conversation about Ogerpon, my immediate joke was “Woah, Kieran put the knife down there Buddy”

[@veracsthedefiled]

"murder"

[@excalibur493]

He probably would if they raised the game's rating for it lmao.

[@veracsthedefiled]

@@excalibur493 he's a jealous kid, I think you forgot to also say raise his age along with the game rating, but then it won't even be Pokemon anymore

[@excalibur493]

@@veracsthedefiled I mean... at least in the U.S., there've been a loooooot of teenagers that have massacred people. Especially in the last 5-6 years.

[@dekumidoriya2928]

As much as it hurts to take this kid dreams and desires and crush them, we ironically wouldn't remember him in the slightest if he reacted well to us catching Ogerpon and just be okay with it Somehow him being an outlier in the Pokemon serie (basically the only character that does mind you catching a freaking legendary,that isn't a boss team or an evil antagonist) make him way more memorable than he could've been otherwise Anyway imma prepare my team for a level 75 fight MINIMUM, this dude ain't joking in the indigo disk and im here for it

[@clyvetruises9587]

I love that GF is making those nuanced characters. "You know nice rivals and jerk rivals? Prepare for emotionally complexe rivals. Is it a friend ? Is it a jerk ? Did the Momotaro pokémon really possess him into doing all of this ? You won't know until Winter"

[@thepotatoportal69]

You know the character is becoming evil when they abandon furret

[@alexramos4089]

That pokemon just can walk man...

[@deltaknight2764]

Indigo Disk Kieran's the kind of kid to run in the halls just to prove he's a bad boy.

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

I see him more like shooting around in the halls

[@laravioliiii2832]

I see him more like shotting you

[@octolotl]

CUT MY LIFE ENTO PICES )POASTXSPK JDOD8FRET# NDNBLFMWAWJQ

[@downbeatdialga1341]

I love how the guitar is a synthesizer and not an actual electric guitar. It gives that sorta inexperienced passion perfect for Kieran’s character so far. Though, I’d imagine, since he’s pretty much snapped and will be hellbent to beat us in Part 2, I think some of the instrumentation for his theme will change. While in TRUTH he’s got a ways to go to catch up to us the player, his IDEAL is to beat us, and I think with the help of a wish from Terapagos (and Briar manipulating him and pushing him over the edge), he’ll be consumed by his malice as the superboss of Part 2. The harsh truth of where he stands vs the idealistic place he wants to be would also be a good foil of Gen 5’s motif of truth and ideals. Then to match his new persona/power, the guitar synth will be changed to an actual electric guitar to symbolize it.

[@ajlucky0076]

Seeing him slowly lose his sanity is bone chilling

[@navybluegacha2119]

CANON EVENT ACTIVATION

[@jma0645]

​@@navybluegacha2119*Spiderman 2099 theme here*

[@thatoneguy5343]

@@jma0645 Kieran: WHY DO I KEEP LOSING TO YOU, AND WHY DO YOU GET TO KEEP OGERPON!? Player: It’s a canon event bro…

[@excalibur493]

​@@navybluegacha2119Arven: "Little buddy, why'd you kick his ass??"

[@Justapikachu577]

When we first battle him he has a sentret and yanma. But in his fourth battle, he abandons his furret. His first pokemon and very friendly pet. Now adding Cramorant, gligar, poliwhirl and dipplin. His most friendly pokemon is gone, now replaced with rising anger. God I love pokemon

[@CaptainObliviousV]

Kieran is what you’d get if Wally or Hop were to snap. Honestly lost to him the first time around, was not expecting him to have a somewhat competent competitively built team; was also how I found out Shiftry got buffed to have Wind Rider as an ability. If he’s this strong now, I’m both excited and terrified to see him in part 2. This poor boy…

[@RedTheWeeb]

I replaced my team in the dlc with a poochyena I caught to be my "starter" only to lose to both carmine and Kieran in the start which funnily enough dont make you blackout and you just lost the battle

[@CaptainObliviousV]

@@RedTheWeeb same thing happened to me lol. I went into the DLC with a level 43 Palafin a friend had given me a long while back, I never got to use her in the main story so this was her first outing. Safe to say a lone Palafin doesn’t stand much of a chance against a level 60 Poltchagiest. I restarted after losing to Carmine and caught a Poochyena and Yanma so the fight would be even😅

[@Its_an_Eze]

Bruhhh what?! They gave shiftry love?! Let's goooo

[@hithere9393]

@@RedTheWeeb Are the dialogues different afterwards?

[@RedTheWeeb]

@@hithere9393 some of them I believe but the game continues without a loss assigned atleast early on

[@darriusaustin7436]

Props to my dude. You may have lost to me, but you'd still steamroll through "top champion" Geeta. See you in part 2.

[@excalibur493]

Dude swept the 4 mons I grabbed for my new team and nearly got my level 100 skeledirge. But of course, I'm a champion, and you can't be champion without spamming full restores!

[@baum9048]

​@@excalibur493the mf actually got held items didnt expect that and went in with a completly new team so no way too overleverd mon for me wish the games in general were lile this it was actually intresting and had to think about it unlike sword where i just steamrolled 99% of the game

[@Eacowind]

@@excalibur493lol I did it with just my max pawmot and my lvl 100 what ever the ruin gold fish is lol his team was fire and fighting allergic

[@Ben-Jamin673]

Me seeing Kieran at the start of the game: A baby! :D Me seeing him at the end of the dlc: .... D,:

[@navybluegacha2119]

Add eyeshadow to that

[@navybluegacha2119]

AND THE GUILTY WEIGHT OF YOUR SINS FOR ACTIVATING HIS CANON EVENT

[@雪者]

Nuuu, tiny boi! D:

[@jamesdinius7769]

Me at the end: I've created a monster, haven't I?

[@navybluegacha2119]

@@jamesdinius7769 canon event activation

[@musicaltaurus3309]

The combination of Ultra Recon Squad, Aether President Lusamine, Determinate Trainer Wally and Pokemon Wielder Volo in this particular theme shows how grossly we misinterpreted the disaster we somehow had created in our own volition at the expense of Kieran. He indeed wished to be Ogerpon's companion and to befriend her, yet we had never disclosed to him the gravity to the situation, as caused by the "Resurrection" of the sinister triad. He lost everything and he's still standing strong ; he wants nothing else in life than to prove that he will surpass us no matter what the cost. He's a combination of Penny, Wally and Volo. We created a villain and that's particularly our fault because HE trusted us !

[@BeetleTricks411]

Kieran from what we've seen is someone who is shy and in the past would often rely on his sister a lot, he know this and tries to change However, whenever seeing the main character bond quickly with Carmine and Ogrepon, Kieran ends up feeling very cynical about how others see him when faced with the comparison between him and the main character This is ultimately why defeating the main character is his desperate way of changing how other see him hoping that like how he viewed Ogrepon, others will value his strength.

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Yeah this pretty much sums it up.

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

For someone who has nothing. Power is the only thing that would allow them to stand out.

[@BeetleTricks411]

@@notshockwavedemon7543 Its basically Spiderman with the Black Suit

[@domek_0]

When he eventually fights us in the second part, I hope he has a special reaction if we bring Ogerpon, kinda like how Leon reacts if we bring Eternatus or N reacts if we bring his Zorua/Zoroark

[@bearturtle6058]

I really hope he that expected you to pull that, and has some sort of surefire counter prepared. His obsession with his idol pokemon develops into malice because of being rejected despite everything he's done for it.

[@HaberdashingRogue]

@@bearturtle6058 Eh, Kieran only ever talked to the townsfolk about them, which Carmine had also wanted to do. While you actually helped Ogerpon, he ran off to train up a team so he can try to beat you so that he can own Ogerpon in spite of its clear desire to be with you. Calling it an idol is appropriate. He comes off like one of those psychos that freak out when their favorite idol "betrays them" by getting married. We got the cringy streamer in the main game and a creepy simp in the DLC.

[@asierx7047]

​@@bearturtle6058 it would be cool for Dipplin to become Poison/Dragon upon evolution, based on the classic fairytale trope of the poisoned apple

[@bearturtle6058]

@@asierx7047 Prob gonna have pseudo legendary stats based on how much stronger Diplin is than Applin. and because it appears to be Kieran's ace, plus he seems he'll be the main antagonist in part 2 of the dlc. So it should be formidable I expect a more tradional dragon that's a combination of Appletun and Flapple

[@Hyper_Drud]

And Kukui with the legendaries at the League.

[@Jet_Genesis720]

Upside is that he found his drive Downside is that drive is going to kill us

[@RRed19]

We broke the kids heart. Now he wants to break our spine. We did this, it’s only right we stop this madness in Part 2 ourselves before it consumes him.

[@incognitoinhell8742]

Kieran's probably the best form of a rival they've come out with, even Nemona. Nemona's strength is already established, and her story with the player focuses on her desire to have a person she can have a no holds bar battle against, and have a fair fight on both sides. Kieran though, he was a shy kid who admired you, after you beat Carmine. He started to trust you and become friends with you, but then, thanks to Carmine, the player is forced to break that trust. The image of you he'd built in his head? Shattered, just like that. And not only that, you come along and take from under him the Pokemon he's adored ever since he was a child. He always dreamed of befriending the ogre, and what happens when he finally gets his chance? Ogrepon chose you over him, and you catch it. And now, he's furious. Not only at you, but himself, for not being strong enough to defeat you. And that fury seems to be turning into hate. We've known Kieran for hadly any time, and he's already one of Pokemon's best written characters. He doesn't sit there and go 'Haha! Oops, you beat me for the 50th time in a row. My bad'! He gets frustrated. He sees it as a weakness. And this theme captures that desperation and desire to win, almost reminding me a bit of Oleana's - It's fast and erratic, showing Oleana's fury with the player, and Kieran's desperation. Awesome track

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Yeah Nemona's questline is just that she saw potential in the Main Character and she wanted them to become a Champion so she can finally have a battle with someone who can beat her since she's never had a real challenge.

[@LazaVanta]

Also, Kieran had an obsessive personality from the start. When he first saw the protag kick his big sister's ass in battle he began to idolize them. Even when he felt betrayed he still did, still obsessed with overcoming their strength. But with them defeating the Loyal Three, befriending Ogerpon, and winning every battle, the protag appeared absolutely insurmountable. Kieran is now completely obsessed with power and finally defeating his ultimate enemy. This Spanish rando came in and totally deconstructed his region's mythology and did everything HE aspired to do in a mere THREE DAYS. That cannot feel good..

[@kangels.]

tysm for this, i haven't played the dlc but im interested in the lore and this explains a lot why they set kieran to look evil in the indigo disk

[@makeeeveeacupcake]

Wowzers… i expected carmine to be the bad guy, not kieran…

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Mostly Carmine's fault why he fell into the deep end. Carmine isn't exactly good either.

[@luisfillipebeserra2108]

​@@notshockwavedemon7543both are bad, carmine is destructive and kieran is self destructive

[@navybluegacha2119]

Literal quiet kid got his canon event activated Get ready bucko

[@flamenami]

@@notshockwavedemon7543”mostly carmine’s fault” she lied to him and that’s it. It’s mostly the player that broke him, not carmine.

[@dnmstarsi]

@@flamenami Yes but player did what she told him to plus player was just trying to have a good time and help out a Pokemon but got roped into The Teal Mask stuff.

[@JetTheBaron]

Ain't no fucking way its almost been a year since the release of the Teal Mask 😭

[@Leavce]

This is his main theme as of the epilogue since it plays whenever you rematch him

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Shows that while he's back to his friendly self, he is still in serious mode in battle At least he's having fun again in battles.

[@meta527II]

It's actually kinda weird that Kieran looks suspicious-looking in his official artwork, but in his in-game model he looks cute and innocent-looking.

[@chris_wrld2522]

I'm glad we're getting good rivals again. Hop was good, but he was the one good thing in SwSh's story. PLA didn't really have a rival, aside from Rei/Akari who we only fought like, 4 times, then stopped being story relevant. Then finally, we got Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Three great rivals in their own ways. And now, we have Carmine and the little man himself, Kieran. These two all but confirm that Gamefreak can make good rivals.

[@chris_wrld2522]

Also, before anyone says anything, Marnie and Bede were okay, but to me, they were just extra fuel for Hop's arc, as Hop was meant to be the one character who hadn't found something for him. We became champion, Marnie and Bede became gym leaders, and Sonia became a full fleged professor. It's only after post game does Hop realize what he wants to do.

[@e12bl13]

Yeah I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said

[@jadethena]

i have been waiting for a rival like him for SO LONG!! thank you game freak!

[@TopazTheDragon]

0:44 This guitar melody is focused and cheerful. Kieran's still a good kid under the surface. Wonder what he'll do in Indigo Disk...

[@PlushiePower]

i already commented this before but i love Kieran so much, i like how we end up as friends bc i was crying like an idiot at the final cutscene i just wanna hug him😭

[@Lloydproductions4171]

God this slaps 🥶 we’re making it out of kitakmi with this one

[@MicroBihon]

We're not. Kieran will murder us LOL

[@Lloydproductions4171]

@@MicroBihon oh definitely

[@jma0645]

​@@MicroBihon💀💀

[@excalibur493]

​He'll fail. Just like all of his battles.

[@kieranismyfav]

@@excalibur493god damnit I shouldn’t have laughed

[@LitFuse230]

1:06 I love how empowering this part sounds. Gives the vibes that Kieran’s fed up.

[@dr.rockso2703]

Maaaaan that guitar sounds so sick!!

[@jamesdinius7769]

We'll see how this plays out in the end, but honestly, I didn't expect Pokémon to go here anytime soon. We, as the player, broke this boy. To his view, we backstabbed him, right alongside the older sister who has clearly been making his life hard for a long time. We gave him a taste of friendship, and snatched it away. He looked up to Ogerpon for so long, instinctively seeing through the false stories about it, and took a lot of grief for it in the process, only for us to be the one to reveal the truth, and get Ogerpon on their team. Getting the village to accept Ogerpon, that was his last ditch move to try to reclaim what he had wanted for so long. It clearly took a lot of courage for him, and he got jack all for it. The only 'recognition' he got was a thinly veiled barb about how shy he is from his sister. His whole world was brought down around his ears, and we were the catalyst, and in no small part a perpetrator. Lots of directions this could go. Does he go full villain, giving us the true antagonist that SV currently lacks? Lotta people say he seems almost possessed. Maybe all this ticked him off and let something else take control. It'd explain why he's apologetic about fighting with us over Ogerpon, but still does it anyway. And after reading over the Loyal Three dex entries, I see some parallels here. They were weak and unremarkable, until somehow they became what they are now (I know there were leaks about some Pokémon presumed to be responsible for those toxic chains, but I haven't seen it). Are we seeing the same happen to Kieren? Only time will tell. Say what you will about gen 9's performance, the writers have been on point this generation. (Also, an interesting theme of people being outcasts throughout, the whole team star plot line, Arven with his parent, Nemona being kinda isolated due to her strength and battle obsession, and now Kieran).

[@baum9048]

Sada/turo and kieran actually suprised me for once and kieran actually got something going for hime unlike the top fraud

[@Ocsttiac]

Kieran went from being my little buddy friend to being the kid that explicitly tells me to come to school tomorrow.

[@AlexG-jk8tc]

"You broke my heart, SpongeBob! Now I'm gonna break something of yours!" -Kieran in The Indigo Disk, probably

[@dnmstarsi]

(to Ogerpon) "If I can't have you as a friend, I'm gonna make you a trophy! I even picked out this nice ball for you!" -Kieran before his final battle of The Teal Mask

[@AlexG-jk8tc]

@@dnmstarsi Okay that's genius.

[@rina5407]

I like Kieran. He really made the DLC for me. As of this writing I'm real excited to face him again in part 2. Come at me bro

[@Mojo1356]

Yep. He was the star of this dlc.

[@excalibur493]

I've heard Indigo Disk was gonna be tough, even around level 80, and I hope that's true. Kieran deserves to be a boss that's tough as nails.

[@5ashll303]

The teal mask without context. “It should have been me, not him, it’s not fair!”

[@gengargamer5657]

Basically

[@hoya8968]

You know, I expected him to just be Wally 2.0, but in fact he's such a better character ! I never expected GF to make a character who's jealous of us, and I never wanted to ruin all his childhood dreams...... One of the best thing with Scarlet and Violet is clearly the characters, and Kieran is one of my favorites. Can't wait to fight him again in the second DLC ! Hope they do him justice

[@BlaizeTheDragon]

I find it more interesting that it's not just him being jealous but also the fact that it's the protagonist that messed up. Very rarely (if at all) does the player character's actions have consequences in Pokémon.

[@cjmarshall7970]

I can’t believe we spent a majority of this DLC bullying a child alongside his sister.

[@dragonphoenix790]

Seriously, this music is so banger and incredible. No wonder if this music will still be played at the part 2.. He's still going to murdering us all...

[@supremekai7112]

I think it’ll be a more wallyish based version of this final battle we got

[@dragonphoenix790]

@@supremekai7112 I guess so, maybe

[@navybluegacha2119]

HE WILL GET REVENGE FOR ACTIVATING HIS CANON EVENT

[@excalibur493]

I hope so! This battle theme is badass!

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

If there's only one fight with Kieran, I hope he has a new theme. If we fight him multiple times, I want this to be his new normal battle theme and have a new one for the final battle. The original version would disappear like the original Kieran.

[@NeoZiggy92]

He and Wally would make FAST friends! Another note: I was psyched to be able to rematch my favorite opponent in the BB Academy. And hearing this theme again meaning his conviction has gotten even STRONGER with a brand new resolve!

[@nixsidus3244]

It'll be kinda scary to have a 'villain' that hates *us specifically* in part 2

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Yeah.

[@user-ei9zl5df9d]

Easily my fave theme of his. The part from 1:06-1:17 always gives me chills. To me it just sounds so seething, wild, reckless and maybe a little desperate, which encapsulates this whole battle perfectly imo

[@noobiimiri]

I love the music changed from his usual battle music to show how desperate and how much he has grown with his team, a really great boss

[@CwapPlatinum]

His mental state drops much like the frame rate still does

[@excalibur493]

This comment deserves to be pinned.

[@finalbossgamer5481]

Pokemon "twist" villains haven't really shocked me much, but watching this shy, sweet kid slowly use his mind and be overcome with jealousy and anger genuinely surprised me. Im so excited to see where this goes in Indigo Disk.

[@dylans.1741]

At first, I didn't really understand the hype surrounding Kieran, mainly because I thought his motivation for being a bad guy was incredibly petty. That was until I actually completed Teal Mask, and realized that Kieran wanting to catch Ogerpon is only a symptom of a larger problem. Kieran's primary motive is to have power and to never be pushed around or looked down on again. Ogerpon is simply the means by which he intended to get that power, and I have to admit, I definitely judged his character too soon. The moral of this story, if anything, is to wait until after you've completed an expansion to judge the characters

[@jokelethkurueisner9229]

Kieren Theme 1: Timid New Friend Kieren Final (Battle for Ogerpon): Signs of Darkness Champion Kieren: Boiling Over Kieren and Terapagos: Moment of Truth

[@analyticofexistance7847]

Damn, now I want this kid in the anime. You just know Liko is gonna bond with Ogerpon and he's gonna get jelous, becoming a formidible force in the later part of the show.

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

AGREE

[@dnmstarsi]

Or Roy given how Liko probably has Terapagos due to her pendent. As well as Dot, can't forget her.

[@NokoTheTaco]

In the anime, I actually want Kieran to be Ogerpon’s canon trainer. The reason I want this is because not only are they quite similar, but that would also mean that the Player stole his Pokémon that he originally would’ve gotten from him! Would make it so much more heartbreaking if he was a Chosen One.

[@dnmstarsi]

@@NokoTheTaco Unless the anime version also acted a jealous baby who quickly assumed the worst because of a lie AND tried to fight for Ogerpon against her wishes. Yeah I feel bad for Kieran but we forget that he also acted out of line because he put his feelings over everyone else's.

[@user-kl6kv7ii5s]

@@NokoTheTaco plus the anime isn't gonna affect tbe game's story, so everything is ste free.

[@frostkitsunelive7661]

God, Kieran is the first rival in so long that has just been done *perfectly* in almost every way. He starts out as a kind rival, wanting to be friends with you. But then you start overstepping your bounds and take the one thing he wanted most from him. Then he snapped, and became the most challenging battle in the entire game, and the only other Trainer in the entire game that will utilize all six of his Pokémon as potential Terastallization targets.

[@edgargaebolg9307]

And as a parallel, Carmine starts off like the annoying rival and turns out to be the sibling you bond with the most

[@notshockwavedemon7543]

Also he was lied to and you had no choice but to roll with it.

[@basilofgoodwishes4138]

@@edgargaebolg9307 Kieran however changed for the better(I don't think he was annoying, he was simply turning into a jerk)...Carmine didn't, not nearly as much!

[@PK_LuiZi]

Genuinely heartbreaking. I even tried losing the fight on purpose! I'm so sorry Kieran!

[@Leavce]

Bro is gonna be “The Spot” of Pokemon

[@matthewwilliams8267]

"YOU LIED AND HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF OGERPON!" >"I've humiliated a lot of different people in front of a lot of different pokemon"

[@ShadowSkyX]

​@matthewwilliams8267 you can't fathom the amount of those humiliated and defeated behind me.

[@Jet_Genesis720]

He even had a “See you back home Spider-Man” kinda line

[@luckyinky7849]

​@@Jet_Genesis720 Kieran in Blueberry academy : "hello "

[@lilshokan]

Arven: little buddy why did you Create that guy

[@chrismaystar3014]

It was actually wild af seeing a shy but kind-hearted friend grow so bitter and competitive. Reminds me of me lol

[@MaxCheng95]

Kieran at this point reminds me so much of Paulo, and it’s making me a bit sad to see two people tormenting themselves like such over practically nothing

[@kellythekitty5190]

Me, stepping into blueberry academy and immediately hearing this as well as the alpha sound from legends: "Haha, i'm in danger :D"

[@Matth16kero]

Nemona is the best example of the spirit of a champion and the true friendship: becoming happy even if your friend wins and you lose…

[@babyseal8822]

"You turn her against me, You take her from me" My man Kieran Turn into Anakin Skywalker

[@Unknown_Nexus535]

“Kieran, Ogerpon wants to go with (player)” “LIAR!!!”

[@Adrian-ze9ud]

YOU WERE MY BROTHER KIERAN. I LOVED YOU

[@heseipikmin6415]

Watching Kieran fall onto the floor made me internally scream "NOOOOOO" in despair for him

[@wid4523]

I never knew I could relate to a pokemon character this much and for that he is my new favorite character. I just love the fact that after he finds out you were lying to him, you can see him glaring at you. Like the first signboard picture hes being shy and in the second one hes warmed up to you and is actually posing with the MC but in the last one hes giving you the death stare. I also love the fact that in this final battle his music and starting animation changes, as well as his losing animation. I hope this dont screw up the indigo disc because i love these kinds of arcs and im really excited for whats gonna happen next.

[@JulioBread]

I love how this version shows the 180 degree turn of Kieran's character.

[@excalibur493]

... do you mean 180??? 360 is a spin and going the same direction.

[@JulioBread]

@@excalibur493yeah, thanks for the observation.

[@savovalex14]

Kieran gives me that Wally vibe. Curious to see how he does in part two. Man's gonna go full batshit sicko mode I bet.

[@BeastYoshi333-69]

This dude literally has the "driven to insanity" vibe bro AND THE THEME IS THE LAST RESORT BEFORE COMPLETE BREAKAGE