My best guess for top 5 antagonists. By ‘best’ and ‘strongest’ I mean a combo of their skill, power, and abilities.
*only listing the final character fought in each arc. For example, Elec really is the primary antagonist of his saga, but it’s just not as fun.
*leaving out Cell Max because I don’t think there’s nearly enough info to make a truly educated guess.
*This is based off of info given. For instance, Jiren presumably has improved since the ToP but we can’t possibly know by how much.

1. Broly - Goku said he might even be stronger than Beerus, and his guage for others abilities has been unparalleled. Aditionally Toriyama said that if Cell Max had been completed that “even Broly” wouldn’t have been able to beat him. Not Frieza, Beerus, Jiren, Goku, Gohan, etc… Implying Broly is the bar to beat as of Superhero.
   
2. Beerus - see above, plus we’ve been given no indication anyone aside from maybe Broly has surpassed him. Plus his powers been a moving goal post since the start.
   
3. Frieza - I mean, he one shoted Gas at the top of Gas’ game.
   
4. Gas - This guy dunked on Goku with his best UI yet (which is improved from his fights with Jiren), Vegeta and Wish power Granolah at the same time.
   
5. Jiren - given how the fight played out, I’d bet solid money Jiren would grab the W against Moro (who I would put at 6) but I’m willing to admit I’ve got less riding on this one. And I put Beerus above him because if I recall they specified Jiren being stronger than HIS universes destroyer, and it’s implied Beerus is one of, if not the best of the Destroyers.
   

Aight, let’s see all your lists!

Let me explain, out of all the characters in the game, I always felt like the BL cast fit better with Edelgard than with Dimitri. Simply changing their homes to being within the Empire would improve Edelgard's support. (- Dedue, because Dimitri does need a calm 2nd hand)
Sylvain relates to Edelgard in the sense that he despises the crest system. For CF, it's easy to see how he would jump to her side, and his flirting can be used to balance out Hubert. His backstory only fuels a connection to her. He would be better than Ferdinand in the sense that he would be more satisfied to have his father stripped of his title. Or feel it was more justified. (At least I assume)
Mercedes is from the empire I believe, and she seems happy to join up with her brother again. She believes in the church, though her devotion to her classroom (BE in this case) she wouldn't want to fight for the kingdom. Linhardt isn't interested in the war (he hates blood) making me think he'd rather not start a war. He'd be more likely to try and fight the war than help start it.
Ashe. If his father had been part of the empire, he would be on Edelgard's side and his adopted brother's execution will turn him against the church. He would side with both his ruler and defeat who he believes is the reason Lonato is dead. He'd replace Caspar, who also doesn't want to start a war.
Bernadetta is sweet, but she doesn't quite fit the fierce Edelgard. You could say that's the point, but in CF the cast I feel needs to be more serious and cutthroat. Ingrid would be better here, her down to earth personality could actually work with Hubert's, for the two could work together on war efforts. She'd be a more reliable military leader than Bernadetta, and in the War at Gronder I feel she would be willing to die for her cause.
Okay. Next we have Dorothea. If the opera company had been in the Kingdom, I don't see any reason that Dorothea would really join Edelgard. She has supports with her, so it seems her emotional connection to everyone leads her to fight at all. I don't think Annette has any reason to be with the kingdom other than her dad. . .though she could feel spite towards the kingdom or church for her father leaving her. I know it doesn't go in well, but Annette's intellect could improve the hunt and help locate TWSITD.
Petra and Felix I feel can't be switched. Felix's backstory is too intertwined with Dimitri's for either to be complete. Brigid is too far from the Kingdom to be properly connected as well. Petra would feel off with the BL cast I'll admit. Her and Ashe already share similarities however, along with Ingrid's dedication to her homeland, Annette's urge to learn, Sylvain's need to improve international relations, and maybe Mercedes's kindness could all mold to adapt to her.
Anyway I was having a conversation with a friend and I wanted to share my opinion on why the CF cast should be more serious with how they're facing the war. Overall just most of the BEs don't feel like they'd want a war to start a war at all. I may be wrong though.

Hi,
So I've only been playing the game for a couple of days now, and I'm REALLY enjoying it! I own the game multiple times (Steam, Epic and PS4, all free!) and have for a while now, but just decided I'd finally try it. Turns out it's fun... survivor is scary, but with friends it's fun!
Anyway, I've played a few games with each of the base killers, and I think my favourite is The Wraith, I like being able to ambush people while uncloaking, being able to do it then instantly grab a survivor (Without having to beat them down first) is great!
That being said, I've noticed that all the DLC for the game is currently on sale on Steam, but only for another 24 hours or so (Yeeeaaaah, I was late noticing!), and even though they're cheap as chips, I can only afford to buy one right now (Boo!)...
If Wraith has been my favourite to play so far, which DLC killer would you recommend I buy? I kind of wanted to try Wesker just because I'm a Resident Evil fan, but you have to buy him as part of a pack so I'll have to wait for another sale when I'll actually have money to buy more lol.
Cheers!

I'm a new player i dont know anything about the game. When i strted playing i like it and now my damage are so low that i feel its very frustrating to play btw i strted 7 days ago . There are loads ans loads of info everywhere but nothing on like which character i level up and how i play that i will not regret in future. Some saying this character is god tier level this up and some saying other but i dont have those characters . I got charaters like amber .. kaeya .. a boy with blond hair whose sister got kidnapped .. Barbara..sucrose ..razor..nischel..lisa..noelle ..xingqiu .......... Can someone tell me which team i have to level up and which charater is best 😑😑???

What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Mostly gaming + maybe Zoom meetings
• Games: Rocket League, Elden Ring (+future FromSoft games), any future PC releases for The Last of Us,

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• $1,500 - $2,250
• willing to go a bit higher for significant improvements

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• 1 week - 1 month

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

• I'm starting completely from scratch, so any/all elements involved in building a PC.
• (clearly I'll have to look up some guides on how to put it all together, so any direction y'all can offer me there would also be great)

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• Portland, OR. USA
• looks like there aren't any microcenters nearby

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• No parts being reused apart from maybe a mouse. right now I am only looking for a keyboard and mouse for basic tasks and navigating menus

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• No overclocking

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• I'd like to take up as little desk space as possible, preferably storing whatever I can under the desk

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

• WiFi
• right now we just use the gateway that came along with our Xfinity wireless plan. It's been pretty stable but I'm open if y'all have any recommendations to greatly improve performance
• I'll also be moving a room over from the gateway - about 25-30 ft away

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• Colors: really as neutral as possible, preferably matte black or matte white
• no LED lighting
• As small as possible without greatly sacrificing performance. it looks like ITX or microATX fit that best.
• If it is safe to store under my desk, I'd be ok going bigger
• No window if possible

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• I would need a copy, best available

Thanks everyone! I recognize that I'm coming into with pretty minimal knowledge so any direction y'all can point me in is fantastic

I personally do not like the direction Star Wars has gone since George sold it to Disney but I do love the franchise and I and give everything that is released a fair chance. Some examples of things that I do really enjoy that have come out in recent years are Rouge One, the back half of The Clone Wars/ Bad Batch, and I have really enjoyed most of the video games that have been put out under the IP. I know a lot of people that share my way of thinking LOVE the Mandolorian but I have never gotten into it. I have not watched the 3rd season so I may end up changing my opinion (waiting for them all to come out so I can binge). My main quarrel with the show is with what has made it so popular, and that it Grogu. To me he seems like a poorly written cash grab by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau which is disappointing because they do really good work most of the time. I know George Lucas was not above cash grabs (Ewoks, Jar Jar, etc) but I do not think that it justifies more of them. It seems to me that they did not think a show about just a Mandolorian would be very popular so they made it about a warrior and natural born Bounty Hunter who has to baby sit a quirky baby version of one of the franchises' most popular characters. I also liked how mysterious Yoda was and that we never saw a planet of Yoda's or even a group, all we ever had was Yaddle who did not have much screen time in anything. It made his character and more importantly his species more mysterious and in my opinion a great riddle George left us with to theorize about. Anyway that is just my opinion and this is my first time posting on the sub so I just wanted to see what everyone else thought. I would like to make it clear that it is just my opinion and I do not think that there is a "right" or "wrong" answer.

Saw a sneak preview of the D&D movie and, I gotta be honest, I don't think that I can recommend it.
So, anyway, the movie starts in this halfling village, and there's a guy, I think he's a farmer (who writes "farmer" for their backstory when they could be the prince of the kingdom?), but he's trying to take his first level in wizard, which really doesn't make much sense to me, because everyone knows that that's a class that halflings aren't great at. Tasha's rules, maybe?
So, he finds a human baby in the river near their village, and the head of the village is like "take her back to her fellow humans!", which totally nixes the idea of that baby getting some sweet Custom Lineage options. The halfling takes the baby and some hirelings and leaves the village, where they meet the next PC, like half an hour later. Really? What kind of shitty DM keeps the party separated like this? And what kind of smooth-brain plays a human fighter? At least he has the criminal background, which makes him kind of cool...
So they adventure around, and the human fighter is kind of a jerk (I think he's supposed to be Chaotic Neutral, but they never really explain it), and they end up meeting even more PCs (clearly this DM loves his homebrew Brownie race). They fight the BBEG's daughter for a while, but then the daughter ends up switching side (DMPC much? And she's a human fighter, too!), they go to a castle and fight some trolls which have clearly been homebrewed, because standard trolls don't have a climb speed, and the halfling uses a completely OP flesh-to-stone spell.
Finally, they get to the final battle with the BBEG, and how do they defeat her? Prestidigitation. A stupid cantrip. Any BBEG worth her salt would have totally made her saving throw to figure that out.
So, in the end, the halfling finally gets his wizard dip (all that effort for one level? shitty DM strikes again...), and the human fighter goes off with the other human fighter which, again, totally kills any chances for Variant Human options... two regular humans making more regular humans, I guess. I don't know what happened to the brownies; they must've dropped out of the group.
I heard that Disney is doing a series that continues the campaign, but I have to be honest, if that's as confusing and homebrew-y as the movie, I won't be watching it.

I have not beaten Elden ring yet, and started playing a couple months ago been taking my sweet time to finish the game. For current information my character is level 90, 40 vig, 50 strength, 20+ Guts great-sword with lion claw. Just beat Crucible duo fight second try, with no spirit summons. After getting my build together no fight has taken more than 10 tries. Which is odd since other soulsborne have has had me on bosses for hours.
While my build is admittedly over tuned right now, I don’t think I have played much of the game over leveled in terms of weapons or stats. I try to limit guides and never look up boss strats. I have also tried numerous builds but settled on the sweaty gamer melee only.
My question is after hearing so much about this game online being stupid hard for melee only no summons builds, it has been ludicrously easy compared to my recent blood-borne replay. Did the game just get easier for melee only with patches? because the online community made it out in the beginning that melee only was neigh impossible.
Im not sitting here trying to claim I am some gamer god, since I’m still getting my ass handed to me in bloodborne. Just find the dichotomy between the games release and now interesting.

Hey there, I have quit gaming altogether and have no need for these items anymore. They are in great condition except for the RX480 which is for parts only and not working. The prices listed here are asking price but I am willing to consider reasonable offers.
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• 6700 XT: $400 Timestamp

This model is MSI Mech 2x and it's brand new as far as I can tell, I bought it used about 2 months ago and runs flawlessly, never overclocked or mined. Apex was pretty much glued to the FPS cap (240).
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• finalmouse Starlight Pro Tenz small: $350 Timestamp

This mouse is cross-listed with MouseMarket so it is first come first serve basis. There really is nothing to say about this mouse except that it's awesome, also in pristine condition. No nicks, scuffs, scratches, double clicking, or any scroll wheel issues.
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• ViewSonic ELITE XG240R 24" 144Hz TN: $200 Timestamp

This is a high end TN panel, bought back in 2020. It has good viewing angles for a TN panel and really fast response times. Has one dead pixel that is not noticable, otherwise this monitor is in great condition. No HDR but has good brightness and Dynamic Contrast Ratio, and absolutely 0 ghosting or smearing. Also has FreeSync Premium.
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• Corsair VS550 PSU: $50 Timestamp

Less ketchup and mustard. Plenty enough to drive low/mid-range systems and is 80+ certified.
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• AOC 21.5" 75Hz: $100 $80 Timestamp

Nothing crazy here, just a basic office monitor with a less awesome stand than the ViewSonic one, also has basic FreeSync for some reason. Item is in fair condition.
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• Broken Sapphire Nitro+ RX480 4GB: $50 $25 Timestamp

FOR PARTS ONLY, not sure how it died. It seemed to overheat while I was playing and just failed permenantly, fans don't spin on boot-up and no signal. Could be used for cooler or other PCB components.

Hey fellow crablings, and hopefully CritCrab if you’re reading this! I wanna start off by saying this isn’t a horror story, but more of just a chaotic session in general. Also I’m writing this after the session just ended, but this session has been the best, most unhinged gameplay I’ve ever witnessed.
It all starts with getting into this homebrew campaign of magical girls, think of sailor moon like, a few months ago at my college. We’ve only had a few sessions due to some scheduling issues but so far it’s been such a blast to see our little group band together and have some fun.
I guess I should also say the player characters of this story as well to make things easier, but there’s:
-Rover(me, a halfling bard who is a pacifist) -Ken(a human cleric turned woman due to a magical mishap) -Amelie(a human Druid) -Silkie(a cat Druid that can take the form of a tabaxi)
Well, after we’ve had some fun and adventures in this magical city parallel to the human realm, we get some information related to the backstory of two of our party members and with it a quest to kidnap the leader of a criminal organization. We all spent the next hour joking around and planning the kidnapping given the intel of someone on the inside. The leader, a small child who stayed young using a magical elixir, was to head to the bathrooms on the second floor to take her medicine, being guarded by her 7’5” Goliath body guard. I joked that I would distract her in a “meet cute” kind of way as my party snuck in and took out the leader. But, then the cleric found out he has a ceremony spell of some sort that allows for marriage between two willing creatures, and so a new plan was put into action.
THE PLAN
Amelie, using some stealth would use create water on top of the guard drenching her dress, and Rover, dressed as a server, would run to her aid and help her get dried up and dressed in a wedding dress that we had stashed beforehand. All the while I had Ken enhance ability my charisma checks so I could ensure I could rizz up this guard and lead her away from our real target.
(A little background about my character before I continue. Rover is heavily inspired by Wander from the Disney cartoon show Wander over Yonder, and thus he is influenced from many aspects of his life. He’s a pacifist, friendly, do-gooder, with a heart of gold. He always sees the best in people and will always do what he needs to help, even in bizarre situations(like marrying a random guard). He is also insanely good at Persuasion and Deception due to him being a College of Eloquence bard, so at this time the lowest possible check of those two would be a 17, so he could always put his friendly aura into good use. Anyways, back to the story…)
After Rover, Ken, and the guard go to a separate room away from the party and guests, the other two, Silkie and Amelie are to incapacitate and sneak out the leader from the bathroom and out to the balcony, where they have flying brooms waiting to fly them out to our hideout. All the while Rover gets married to the guard, with help from our cleric.
THE KIDNAPPING
So we all arrive to this mansion in the summoned car from our cleric, and enter being checked by the guards(one of which is undercover). Rover begins to work as a server on the second floor, as the two druids sneak around and the cleric goes to my aid with the guard. A few persuasion checks later, and with a dress and a ring I get married to this guard. And as we kiss, she reveals some startling information…
SHES PRETENDING TO BE THE GUARD, AND IS ACTUALLY THE LEADER OF THE CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE!
(Although as we are married she does explain that she hates her family and wants to run away with me, so I’m hoping this is a story of redemption and Rover can be by her side, married or not, he won’t let her down.)
And that’s where the session ended, and the whole party freaked out to this realization, but only half our party actually knows this in game as the two druids are working on what they assume to still be the plan with kidnapping the other woman. We also don’t meet up for another week, but if there’s anything else to update on, I’ll let y’all know!
TLDR: Our party sets a plan for my character to marry someone as a distraction so they can kidnap the leader of a criminal syndicate, but ends up marrying the leader on accident.

Hello, everybody! Nice to see you all again.
You might not remember me, but i was the guy who 4 months ago posted this text about being playing Kingdom Hearts 1 for the first time and after 4 months i finally finished and wanted to share some thoughts.
Before everything, i just wanted to say that if this kind of post is not allowed i will delete it, just need a mod to talk to me. Also
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS
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First of all, it's been 4 months but obviously i didn't played 4 months straighted, i played for like 40 hours. I stopped for some time to play another game
So...i loved it. This game was fantastic. It's hard to put how i'm feeling now in words, it's been just 1 hour since i beat it
The worlds are beautiful. The story was intriguing and had twists i was not expecting. I was not expecting for Maleficent to not be the final boss. I was not expecting for Ansem to be the bad guy, i thought he was going to be an ally, and i pictured him more like an old man, not someone so young.
And what a fight he was, the hardest boss in the entire game for me. His final form almost got me
I was out of itens and just one more hit would kill Sora. Donald had fallen and Goofy was still fighting while i was dodging the attacks waiting for the right time. When Goofy was defeated, i decided to go for it, it was all or nothing. And when everything seemed to be lost i gave the final blow and defeated him
The final cutscene felt deserved. It was beautiful. I was watching with a straight face, thinking of everything i went through, all the times i died, all the worlds i've explored and all the characters i've met. I liked them more than i thought i would. I was tired, but satisfied
When Sora and Kairi were separated and Simple and Clean started to play, my eyes widened for less than 1 second. And i started to cry. This is one of the only pieces of media to every make me cry along with The Little Prince, Klaus (the 2019 movie) and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
I'm 100% going to play the other games, and i will start Chain of Memories tomorrow. I don't care how long it takes, i'm going to play up until KH3. I have so many questions. I'm seeing this through to the end.
Sorry if this post is relatively short, i'm still a bit dizzy from the ending and i'm very, very tired. Thank you for reading, and as they say on the Earthbound fandom:
"No crying until the end"
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P.S.: During the journey i've also made a ranking with all the worlds. I also gave then 1-5 stars depending on how much i enjoyed it. 1 star is bad, 3 stars is average and 5 stars is the absolute best:
1- Hollow Bastion (5 stars)
2- Deep Jungle (5 stars)
3- Halloween Town (5 stars)
4- Olympus Coliseum (5 stars)
5- Destiny Islands (5 stars)
6- Traverse Town (4 stars)
7- Neverland (4 stars)
8- Wonderland (4 stars)
9- End of the World (3 stars)
10- Agrabah (3 stars)
11- 100 Acre Wood (2 stars)
12- Dive to the Heart (2 stars)
13- Monstro (1 star)
14- Atlantica (1 star)

Headshots in a competitive space for the most part are far too influential for how little it is to control them.
I'm not talking about getting headshots, i'm talking about defending against headshots.
In most competitive shooters, or anywhere it matters, headshots deal anywhere from 150% to 300% damage depending on the game. And while this does create a large skill ceiling for players to better their aim, the problem is that there is such a large disparity between the offensers capability to kill you, and the defenders capability to defend themself (outside of just killing them first)
It creates a highly negative experience in which the player who died to headshots had basically nothing in their control to have prevented that situation.
Take Overwatch 2 for example. If I am against an opponent with good Hanzo aim and is able to get good headshots, what tools do I have as a player to protect myself from that aim? Well...nothing, really. Not stepping in his field of view? If one player is that threatening that no one can enter their line of sight without dying instantly they seem to have just a little too much influence on the current game. I have no way to protect my head, and outside of strafing in random directions and jumping, that still doesn't prevent pure luck or even accidental headshots.
The other half of the coin is because headshots are so powerful in these games, it artificially limits the capabilities of everything that can potentially get a headshot, tying the entire concept of many weapons or heroes strengths into something that the defender literally has no power over controlling.
Environments where I feel headshots have been done appropriately are places like CSGO, where the game has evolved around aim being the entire concept of skill in said game, and even then helmets as an equipment stop certain weapons from being one shot kills in the head (apart from the powerful ones like the AK47 or AWP for example)
Without headshots being so powerful, it does remove a small amount of skill ceiling, but it also removes the extremely negative experience of "I died to a headshot instantly, theres literally nothing I could've done about it", while also allowing weapons and characters of games to have more tightly controlled strengths and weaknesses.
For example, TF2 does not have headshots for anything but the sniper class (with a few exceptions on specific weapons like the ambassador) and because of that the classes can be more tightly controlled or balanced. If headshots were possible on classes like, say, scout, then the utter volatility of class balance would make the competitive scene non-existent. This game positively does headshots correctly in limited case scenarios while also creating a more fun environment, and a more balanceable environment.

I was listening to GoF last night and was puzzled about the origins of the Goblet of Fire itself, which are never really addressed. Dumbledore explains that it’s an impartial judge, and the language he uses gives weight to the cup, like it can think for itself (like when he says he thinks it will be ready to spit out names in one minute at the feast). We know based on the sorting hat’s song in OOTP that the hat started out as Godric Gryffindors hat and was animated to serve a purpose: sorting students into houses. Slytherin keeps the basilisk, a sentient being with a task (even if the task is a little more dangerous than what the sorting hat does lol). Could Helga Hufflepuff have enchanted the Goblet of Fire to be a sentient impartial judge of character? Hufflepuff house traits include loyalty, fairness, and impartiality, which go hand in hand with choosing who to pick out of a lottery of names.
To further this theory, I think Voldemort heard that Hufflepuff had a cup, and thought he had found it in the golden cup owned by Hepzibah Smith. He was drawn to thinking this cup was THE cup, as the golden cup was a symbol of wealth and power, and has Hufflepuff’s crest denoting it, like how the locket had Slytherin’s mark. This reflects Voldemort’s character, as instead of searching deeper for the actual cup, he accepts the cup with no apparent magical powers, as opposed to the goblet, which holds powers that Voldemort doesn’t necessarily value. I feel like it makes sense that if Hufflepuff’s cup had any significant powers, it would be more utilitarian and humble than flashy and showy. Sort of a “holy grail at the end of Indiana Jones and the last crusade” situation.
When I told this theory to my friend, we also joked that the cup is tricked into believing Harry is from a fourth school, and that seems like a very stereotypical Hufflepuff thing to happen.

And I'm going to prove it.
What follows is an in-depth analysis of the Pokemon world and its culture (hereafter referred to as the “Poke'verse.”) Where I’ll attempt to understand just what these beings actually are, and how they relate to the humans of their universe. The relationship between human and pokemon is obscure, but we'll be defining it today. For this post, I will reference the video game lore, but I will, to a large extent, be pulling examples from the anime. While I can understand why some might say this invalidates my points, I truly think the anime should be considered fair game. It depicts what the Poke'verse is truly supposed to be like, as the writers intend it to be, unhampered by the restrictions of a video game.

Let's dive in.

At this point, I know that the Pokemon fandom and the general public have a well-established and largely iron-cast interpretation of what it means to be a Pokemon Trainer, but today I’m going to attempt to challenge that interpretation. Because on the whole, it’s not especially flattering, and I think it’s false. You’ve seen the jokes, and the video essays, and the parody comics. You’ve seen it all. People have criticized Pokemon for the premise of the game effectively being a system of romanticized slavery. That the heartless humans kidnap these innocent animals and force them into sadistic dog-fights to further their own power, to the point where it is a global, televised sport. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you, Pokemon…are slaves. It's animal abuse. Those who argue it are in denial.
The funny thing is, most people don’t argue it. Which is because, to a large extent, most people don’t care. It’s just a video game, right? It’s not as though the Pokemon are outwardly suffering. Pokemon fans seem to just accept this premise and live with it, because the Pokemon world is bright and enjoyable and the formula of the games is addicting. To most people, the problematic premise of this universe isn’t a big deal. Nobody takes a passionate stance against it, apart from Gamefreak itself. They have little choice but to dismiss these claims, to argue against them…but nobody really listens. The franchise may do the best it can to play up the whole “friendship” angle, but the majority of fans, casual and otherwise, would say they’re not fooling anyone.

I see things differently.

This conclusion about the Pokeverse is not the only one that can be drawn from analyzing this world. It's also based on several assumptions, headcanons, and interpretations of this world’s symbolism. I interpret these things another way myself, and I’ll try to explain how. But the bottom line is that humans and Pokemon exist together in this world and have a unique relationship. Our world has humans, but not Pokemon, so one can assume that the Pokemon are a deliberate symbol of…something. What that something is will probably vary based on who you ask, but just about everyone seems to interpret them as the “animals” of their universe. As in, living creatures who are not human. (Because Humans…are also Animals, and that’s kind of the whole point right there, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
We seem to draw an inherent comparison between Pokemon and #RealWorld Animals, which is where all of this stems from. I believe this is a mistake. Or if nothing else, it’s not the definitive interpretation of what they are. If anything, the closest comparison I can think of is…maybe Angels? But even that doesn’t truly describe their role. The more the Poke'verse gets fleshed out, the clearer it becomes to me that catching and training Pokemon are completely misunderstood concepts. They’re not really comparable to anything in real life, certainly not the training of animals or the keeping of pets. I genuinely don’t think that the relationship between Trainer and Pokemon has an equivalent in our world.
I do understand where the impulse to make this comparison comes from. Of course people look at Pokemon and see animals. After all, they're living, breathing creatures, magical creatures that coexist with humanity. A not insignificant number of them do resemble real-life animals or are otherwise based on them. The most crucial bit of evidence for this idea is that the Pokeverse, by all appearances, lacks “real world” animals of its own. There are no recognizable creatures from our world to speak of, apart from humanity. So I can see how people reached this conclusion and I get why they draw the parallel.

However, it’s just not a fair comparison to make. Not at all.

Some animals do have the means to defend themselves, of course. But Pokemon have abilities on another level entirely. They’re basically magic. They have superpowers unique to themselves. Can a human spit fire? Tunnel a hole in seconds? Can they summon storms in the blink of an eye? Can a human block all damage with Wonder Guard? The answer is no. They cannot do this. Humans are one race, and a relatively mundane race at that. While they are distinctly separate from Pokemon…that doesn’t make them superior. It doesn’t make them more powerful. The sheer variety in Pokemon species, not to mention the variety of their powers, means that if war was to break out between the two communities…the humans would not win. It wouldn’t even be close.
Pokemon are baked deep into this culture. If you had to guess which of these two societies was here first, would you really guess humanity? I wouldn’t. Just look at the spiritual side of this world. It has deities who are confirmed to exist, who created this world as we know it..and they’re all Pokemon. Who knows where the humans even came from, but the Legendary Pokemon are the ones who fashioned the universe. It is vanity to assume that Humanity is the dominant species of the Poke'verse.
They are not, nor have they even been in charge of this world. Pokemon explicitly range from human to above-human level intelligence. The humans attempt to understand them, but the Anime clarifies that they’ve chosen to name the Pokemon based on their speech patterns. Pokemon don’t “say their name” and nothing else. It’s the reverse. They speak unique languages that the humans elected to name them for. By contrast, Pokemon can clearly understand human language. There’s no way around it, they are smarter than us. So it’s no surprise that they have their own communities and systems, totally independent from humanity. However, there are also countless Pokemon who choose (read: CHOOSE) to work with humans, on individual and group-wide scales.

In fact, Pokemon and Humans may not be so different at all.

I bet their DNA is remarkably similar. They may descend from a common ancestor. There is consistent flavor text that verifies this, stating that on a fundamental level, Pokemon and Humans are all but the same. Perhaps humankind and Pokemon weren’t always separate beings? Perhaps they were once one and the same? It’s pure conjecture, but according to the Library in Canalave City, there was a time in the ancient past when Pokemon ate at the same table as Humans and would even marry them sometimes. That last bit of trivia is cut from the English version, undoubtedly because of the popular interpretation I discussed earlier. Fans see Pokemon as animals, and the dubbing team probably wanted to avert any weird implications.
What’s odd is that in Legends: Arceus, which takes place in the ancient past…humans and pokemon have clearly already been separated, and have no relationship beyond hostility and fear towards each other. There are exceptions, of course, but by and large, the idea of a “Pokemon Trainer” is a new concept to the humans in Hisui. I’m getting very off topic now, but it does make a fan wonder. Just what happened to separate pokemon and humankind? They were as close as kin at one point, before some kind of split occurred, and it’s taken countless generations for them to redevelop a closeness...there’s a greater mystery here that isn’t relevant to the topic at hand, but these questions are worth asking. Either way, the point is that the two communities are almost fated to come together.
The Pokemon are drawn to humanity, and whether they invest in an official “trainer” or not, they seek out humans just as often as the humans go looking for them.
The Pokemon will form these partnerships out of their own desire. A desire for what, you may be asking? I think it varies, but when it comes to the TrainePokemon relationship, we can assume the typical goal is shared strength. The human and the Pokemon form a symbiotic relationship in the Training system. This is stated numerous times, especially in the Anime - A wild Pokemon will never reach their full potential. Not without a Trainer. You see? It isn’t only the humans who benefit from this relationship, and the Pokemon understand this. The vast majority of them want to be caught, they seek a trainer who can help them harness their powers.
Mewtwo decries Pokemon Training as Slavery during Mewtwo Strikes Back. Pikachu contradicts him, and Ash literally puts his life on the line in the effort to prove him wrong. Much later, in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the same question comes up. Lucario asks if Ash is Pikachu’s “master” and Ash rejects that terminology. Because Pikachu is his best friend, nothing less. There is a reason why the word is “Trainer” and not “Master” or “Owner.” Because Pokemon Trainers do not own their Pokemon. Full stop. The Poke Ball isn't a prison. It, and the PC Boxes from the games, are implied to be a kind of virtual reality. The Poke Ball is a symbol, a convenience more than anything else, but not a requirement. Ash is living proof. The Poke-Ball may be the norm, but if you're claustrophobic like Pikachu, or you're just not feeling it, you can abstain. Ash has never treated Pikachu as a captive. Or any of his Pokemon for that matter. We don't ever see anyone keeping Pokemon as prisoners apart from the villains.

But what about catching Pokemon in general? That's still messed up, isn't it?

There is an obvious counterargument to be made to my stance, a Donphan in the room, and I won’t ignore it. The counterpoint here is that capturing Pokemon is almost always done against their will. Or at least, that’s how it’s traditionally done, and the norm in the games remains consistent. Still. Ash winds up befriending the majority of his Pokemon instead, and he’s far from the only trainer we see doing so. James is another human who recruits his teammates primarily through his own likable qualities. You might argue that while obtaining a Pokemon can happen without fighting, that style is still unusual. But again, based on the anime, it doesn’t seem to be that uncommon. I think what’s considered rare is that Ash seems to specialize in doing this despite his intended goal of training Pokemon for battle.
Regardless, capturing Pokemon through battle still happens. It happens quite a lot. The examples that differ from this norm don’t erase that, nor do they erase how repugnant it is. After all, the Trainer is cornering a creature who more often than not, was just minding their own business. (A wild Pokemon is very often the one to initiate battle, but never mind.) The trainer then forcibly kidnaps them after violently assaulting them. Even the term “capturing” Pokemon has problematic connotations. No way around it - on paper, this sounds bad. It sounds horrific. But if I may, I’d like to offer a different perspective based on what I’ve been able to observe of the Poke'verse’s culture. First of all, I’d like to offer a scalding hot take about the violence of Pokemon battles. This may be where I lose a lot of people, but hear me out.

I challenge the idea that a Pokemon battle is “violent.”

Or at least, I don’t believe the characters consider it to be violent, not in the same way we understand it. A pokemon battle isn’t assault, because they’re not human. But it’s also not animal abuse, because the Pokeverse doesn’t have animals. Again, it’s worth remembering that Pokemon are supernatural creatures with magical powers, and I’d say their powers, the “moves” they learn, play by different rules than conventional fighting. There’s actually quite a bit of evidence to suggest that this is true.
In Mewtwo Strikes Back, the Pokemon very specifically fight their clones without access to any of their actual moves, after Mewtwo psychically blocks their powers. Everything about this scene is meant to convey tragedy. All of a sudden, a series that’s been all about battle is preaching against violence. Sure, we can call it bad writing, executive meddling, or anything we want. But ignore the Fourth Wall and ask yourself, why would the characters react this way in-universe? Why is it that Pokemon battling has always been okay, but in this one instance, it’s not? The movie goes to great lengths to show us that the Pokemon are hurting each other. Which we don’t normally see.

The only difference? The Pokemon aren’t using their normal moves.

From this, we can conclude that the typical, conventional Pokemon battle, where the two Pokemon fight using their special abilities...it doesn’t hurt them. It may tire them out, but a Pokemon Center can heal basically any injuries in record time. Nurse Joy is some kind of miracle worker…or maybe she isn’t. Maybe The Pokemon are being tired out from their battles, but not actually harmed in the long term. Ever wonder why Pokemon can use hidden moves in the field, even when they're supposedly "fainted?" Or why Pikachu is able to get right back up after fainting in battle to cheer Ash on? This would explain why Pokemon attacks don’t cause lasting damage to humans, either. Get hit with a Flamethrower? Don’t worry, you’ll just be temporarily stunned and have soot all over your face. The doylist explanation is, once again, that it’s a children’s cartoon, but that doesn’t explain what’s happening in-universe. Team Rocket has been electrocuted by Pikachu a near-infinite number of times. So how are they even alive?
Simple. Pikachu isn’t actually trying to kill them. Because of course he isn’t. It’s quite possible that Pokemon moves simply are not capable of inflicting serious damage, or perhaps Pokemon have an inherent resistance to them. But I suspect it’s not a lack of ability that stops Pokemon moves from being violent…but an almost universal choice. That when Pokemon go on the offensive with their powers, or at least, when they direct said powers at humans…they are always pulling their punches. That’s why the fight on New Island was so grotesque - the Pokemon were not remotely familiar with battling that way, engaging in true violence, and there’s little doubt that they were figuratively and literally scarred by that night. (The ones who still remember it, anyway.)
It’s no wonder they never use their powers to cause actual bodily harm to anyone - I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some kind of sacred, unspoken taboo among Pokemon against doing so. A taboo that wouldn't be known to the newborn clone Pokemon on New Island. A taboo that may not have existed centuries ago, in say, the ancient times of the Hisui region. But present day, communities of Pokemon are more civilized, and they a working relationship with human society that ranges from neutral to friendly. We’re in head-canon territory now, but this kind of law among Pokemon kind makes a lot of sense. There may be Pokemon out there who break this taboo, but they would be few and far between - probably outcasts among their own kind. It would add a new dimension to Pikachu's refusal to fight back against his clone counterpart.
Again, this scene makes a point of telling us over and over, that what we’re seeing is wrong. “Pokemon aren’t meant to fight. Not like this.” That line right there is precisely the point. Battling isn’t meant to be like that, and in practice, it almost never is. There’s a reason why Pokemon almost never actually die in battle, and only get “very weak,” a condition that is cured flawlessly with the medical science of a Pokemon Center. It’s almost like a Pokemon’s powers create a kind of invisible simulation system, allowing them to spar with their opponent safely. Because that’s what a Pokemon battle is, at heart. It’s a test of skill. It’s meant to just be friendly sparring. A kind of sport that the Pokemon and Trainers engage in together, and it’s stated many times that they need to be in sync to have any hope of a successful career in professional matches. Again, I refer you to Mewtwo Strikes Back. The Pokemon were able to use their powers collectively to restore Ash to life. There’s clearly a lot more to a Pokemon’s power than just combat. That part is nothing more than recreation for them.

I deviated tremendously from the original question about capturing Pokemon, but I feel that it’s important to address this point.

Pokemon Battling is not violence. It’s effectively a sport that all sides consent to playing, a sport that has safety measures practically built in, as well as further precautions offered like the Pokemon Center. In that sense, it's more or less just another interpretation of Pokemon Contests, and Showcases, and everything else. A human helping a Pokemon study their powers and use them to fullest potential. This is the reason why I don’t actually consider a Trainer fighting a wild Pokemon to be so obscene. However, that only addresses the question of violence. Trainers are still kidnapping Pokemon against their will, right? That’s why one has to “weaken” a Pokemon to catch them. Well, believe it or not, I’m going to debunk that too.
Barring exceptions, the wild Pokemon must be exhausted to the point that they can no longer resist a poke-ball, before you can obtain them. Their opinion about being caught is always a non-issue. By all accounts, it doesn't seem as though this is acceptable. But even this, I think, is part of the cultural dissonance. Among other things, we don’t know what the little “click” of the Poke-ball actually means. It signals that the capture was a success, but is that the Pokemon choosing to yield, or the Poke Ball’s technology locking them in? It’s a little ambiguous, I’ll freely admit as much…but I would argue that the former idea isn’t impossible. Again, wild Pokemon, generally speaking, actually want to find a Trainer. The first episode of the anime even hints that certain wild Pokemon are jealous of those with trainers. With that in mind, why is catching them even a fight to begin with?

I’ll tell you why. When a wild Pokemon battles a trainer, they are essentially giving that trainer a test.

They’re gauging the trainer’s abilities to bring out the potential of their Pokemon. If you’re a trainer, and your Pokemon defeats another Pokemon in the wild…you’ve just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that your Pokemon is stronger than the wild one. You have now proven that you have something to offer, you’ve passed the test. The wild Pokemon now realizes that it stands to learn something, to grow more powerful, by accepting your tutelage. That’s why it’s considered acceptable to the Pokemon to follow a trainer after they are overpowered and captured. It’s like…right of conquest, but with fully informed consent.
Consent is key here, and I believe this cultural understanding to be the reason that most Pokemon are immediately comfortable with following the trainer who caught them. While one might argue that they don't really have a choice anymore...that simply isn't true. The anime clarifies that Pokemon can release themselves from a Poke-Ball whenever they want. Misty’s Psyduck is the most iconic example of this, but there are countless others. In theory, a Pokemon could just leave a trainer who they find unsatisfactory. Actually, that’s not just a theory. That’s canon. Something that most people don’t seem to realize (or at least, they forget) is that it’s not just Trainers who ditch Pokemon they no longer want. It happens in reverse as well.

Pokemon can and do abandon their trainers, if they deem said trainers to be unworthy of their talents.

Remember when I said that I would be chiefly referencing the anime, because it’s the most reliable depiction of what the Pokeverse is supposed to be like? This is exactly what I was talking about. Because obviously, this never happens in the games. Your Pokemon don’t just disappear from your party or PC boxes, because that would be an incredibly stupid and unfair mechanic. But in the anime, where the relationships between Pokemon and Trainer are more fleshed out? In the first season, Bad To The Bone is about a Marowak who chose to ditch his trainer after said trainer had his badges stolen. While the Marowak eventually changed his mind, at no point did any character voice the idea of trying to return him by force. That was never on the table. It was Marowak’s choice and no one else’s, which is why the trainer was heartbroken.
But that’s not a one-off, it’s not the only example. There are quite a few. Due to a misunderstanding, Gym Leader Pryce once believed his Piloswine had abandoned him. Then there’s Ash. Always the mother hen, he’s adopted many Pokemon who were abandoned by previous trainers, but the opposite has also happened. His Snivy, and his Greninja, are both Pokemon who were explicitly stated to have had previous trainers whom they chose to leave, because they didn’t feel understood. Typically, it seems that Pokemon choose to leave because they feel as though the unspoken contract that is “pokemon training” has been violated somehow, or they’re otherwise not getting what they signed up for. This is why the traditional method of “catching” Pokemon is so vital. Because it’s an honor system. There's a reason we aren't able to capture a Pokemon has already fainted. That would be the most efficient way to go about things, but the MC won't do it. Why? I can only assume this is to ensure the Pokemon gets a voice in whether they're caught.
Any time a human does attempt to force a Pokemon into submission or otherwise harm them through any method that is not the traditional system of capture, the story treats them as unquestionably villainous for doing so. The other humans react in horror, and attempt to stop them. This is because forgoing the “defeat them in battle” route and instead using some kind of technology or whatnot to claim the Pokemon is seen as dishonorable at the best of times, and evil at the worst of times. The Trainer is ignoring the agency of the Pokemon. Attempting capture in the conventional way is a mutually accepted system, the wild Pokemon know and understand that a trainer may attempt to take them, and if they really don’t want to be said Trainer’s Pokemon, they can always choose to leave after they are captured. But the use of other means takes that choice away from them. These villains, usually the evil Teams, are using methods of capture that fail to demonstrate to the Pokemon why they are a worthy Trainer, and likewise rob them of the ability to judge them as unworthy.

There are exceptions, but for the reasons I have described, I fail to see how the idea of “slavery” is applicable to properly trained Pokemon.

They have the power to attack their trainers whenever they choose. Sometimes they do. They have magical abilities that enslaved humans in real life do not have. Legends: Arceus does a great job of highlighting just how dangerous Pokemon could be toward their human counterparts if they really wanted to be. They also have the power to leave. A Pokeball is not a chain. The only time a Pokemon struggles to escape a Ball is when it is first used on them, and the connection is initially forged. But, as I’ve talked about, I believe this to be a ceremonial process and little else. Trainers will immediately send out freshly caught Pokemon to heal or train, and the Pokemon don’t run. But once again, they could. What is stopping them? Ash’s Charizard never saw fit to abandon him, but if he had, what could Ash have actually done about it? Basically nothing. He’d get a flamethrower to the face and then Charizard would fly off. The same thing is true for any of Ash’s Pokemon, or the trained Pokemon of any Trainer ever.
There’s another Donphan in the room that I’d like to touch on real quick. I’ve talked a lot about how the anime clarifies the nature of Pokemon and their relationship to their Trainers…but I also mentioned that the developers have openly tried to beat back the claims of animal abuse, of slavery. The anime speaks for itself, but what about the time Black and White openly addressed these criticisms? You were probably waiting for me to bring it up, but the truth is, I don’t have much to say. The idea of Pokemon and Trainers having a symbiotic relationship, and needing each other…the idea that they shouldn’t be separated…all of that is touched on in the games, but the subject is mostly used as a scapegoat by a wannabe dictator.
I have yet to see any character in Pokemon honestly make the same comparison that critics make in real life, and I doubt we ever will see that happen. It’s just not an idea that can be properly explored in the Pokeverse, because our world is unknown to them. Our way of doing things isn’t something that any in-universe Trainer could hope to understand. It’s an entirely different culture. The way we personally view Pokemon as creatures is colored by our context, by the fact that we’re on the outside, peering into this world with the perspective of a society that doesn’t have Pokemon. To the humans, this is the way their world works. Team Plasma came the closest to approaching that idea, but even then, they were the villains. It was made abundantly clear that they were wrong.
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• In theory, Pokemon are servants at the whims of their Trainers. In practice, they’re actually the ones with real power and the relationship is balanced, nuanced, and heavily based on mutual trust.
• In theory, Pokemon are the wild animals of their universe. In practice, they have no equivalent to our world. They are, as we're told many times, "wondrous creatures." They have no explanation.
• In theory, Pokemon are forced to engage in senseless violence day in and day out. In practice, Pokemon battling is an art form that the Pokemon themselves choose to pursue, and it is not remotely dangerous.

If you've stuck with me this long, know that I appreciate you. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. If you need me, I'll be shiny hunting for Klawf.

I used to be a hopeless romantic a couple of years back, thinking that love is something "special", what ever that is supposed to mean. Maybe you could say supernatural, or something magical. However nowadays my view on love has changed quite a bit.
Love, as Rick Sanchez said it, seems to be a chemical reaction which forces animals/humans to breed. Something merely conditional. Of course everyone is looking for something else in a partner, but broadly speaking the conditions that matter the most for people are things like your looks, your sense of fashion, your social skills, your taste in art, your political opinions, your income, your values, your sense of humor, your lifestyle etc.
I don't even know what people mean with terms like "true love". All I know is that I could scream every time I hear a certain type of women talk about how their ideal partner should be tall, muscular, ambitious, financially well off, smart, loving, social, charismatic and funny, just so they can end their monologue with terms like "soulmate" or "true love".
If one looks into the animal kingdom, one wouldn't say that the female lion fell for the male lion, because it was "true love", or that the male rabbit mated with the female rabbit, because they were "soulmates". One would say something about dominance hierarchies, or males fighting for the chance to mate. Yeah i know, humans are much more complex and it wouldn't be fair to describe modern dating with purely biological terms. Still I believe that our primal instincts influence us A LOT.
People tell me that there are still many "good" women out there, who will mostly care about me as a person. Great. What is that supposed to mean? And who the hell am I? No, but seriously what makes up my personality are a bunch of opinions, experiences, jokes, slangs, mannerisms, likes and dislikes. Non of these things are constant, and all of them are gathered from my experience. I don't know, I feel like I am searching for some kind of unshakable core, within myself and my abstract gf, which would be the basis of the relationship. Something that gives me the feeling that I am not just a piece of meat, that can be replaced in a heartbeat. Because thats what I witness all around me. Living in a big city, I am surrounded by friends and acquaintances sleeping around and changing their sexual partners like their underwear. All these so called "situationships", it makes me sick.
Its not like I don't understand my friends wanting to sleep around. I get it. I also love women and the idea of sleeping with them. On the other hand I resent myself for viewing them as objects, and inhibit myself from sleeping around. This resentment I feel towards myself for objectifying women makes me think of myself as decent and good. Absurd right?
Obviously I know that the need for approval from others, having a sex-drive and the motivation to successfully pass your genes are deeply human. Still i think of them as absurd and shallow. I really don't know why. Why can't I just accept the fact that I am an animal? Being human is such a chore. Its like as if my primal side and my socialised/idealist side are constantly battling.
There are just so many people who are together with their partner, manly because of some superficial thing like the way they look or their financial situation. It just makes me sad and angry.
This isn't about me not being able to date women. I would consider myself as pretty attractive to women. I‘ve had several romantical and sexual experiences, and if I would only care I could have much more of them. I have never been in a relationship. The feeling of being in love is probably one of the best feelings there is to experience. And maybe all my assumptions are completely wrong. However I resent so much regarding love, that I'd rather die alone. But I still want a girfriend, bruh😩 My idealistic thought process always ends with nihilism. I should not have watched any Disney movies. I hope it made sense, what I was trying to say.
Am I being pessimistic, or realistic? Some feedback would be appreciated!

Used to play computer RPGs all the time and SRPG was my favorite subgenre. However over the years Pen and Paper RPGs and Tabletop gaming in general has replaced gaming in general as my prime hobby........
I have to ask if anyone else feels that SRPGs really are lacking in the RolePlaying part and are more like Warhammer and other miniature wargames?
I recently have been playing under Death Bringer rules and the Game Master has made a campaign revolving around an invasion of a falling Empire. It very much felt like a strategy RPG video game and more similar to Warhammer than 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons (which was the last edition of DND and gonna be replaced this year by a new one).......... Except there was plenty of actual social part of the game. From conversations between players to the GM improvising new situations based on the flow and ebb of battle (including actually fighting in a shieldwall Phalanx formation!) and so much more. In the mass battles all players were conversing with each other including focusing on strategy and even NPCs (played by the GM) felt like advanced AI that acted sentient.
In between battles we rested at camps where we talked conversations like real people and we not only visited towns for purchases and getting new sidequests but PCs interacted with local NPCs including going into a relationship with one and later marrying.
Even outside camp and cities random traveling traders, bandit encounters, and hunting animals and other stuff really made the Role Playing felt real despite the mass battles involving moving miniatures and using formations and flanking and other real life military stuff.
When you take a look at almost all SRPGs like X-Com and Fire Emblem........ The setup feels more like BattleTech and other miniature wargames in supplemental campaign books where series of battles are determined for the flow of the story. With the linearity of Warhammer End Times where the plot's already written and the course cannot be changed.
Even something like Shining Force has NPCs that are really shallow in town and side quests are an afterthought.
Anyone else feels this way? Going back to my fav like Final Fantasy Tactics it felt like I was playing a Warhammer campaign rther than actual Role Playing games esp since the inbetween team selection and equipment purchases felt like using points to build up a Warhammer army on Battlescribe.
This is made all the more irony in that first edition DND actually played heavily like a Wargame during battles with factors like morale and using attacks aiming at specific weak points and armor slowing you down, etc . In fact DND was actually made to supplement another wargame setting Greyhawk with a plot and the idea morphed into allowing players to use actual characters with their own real personalities rather than as set pieces on a game table.
Those upgrades that say soldiers receive after each X-Com fights? Warhammer and BattleTech has supplemental books for custom made campaigns where surviving troops level up and purchase newer equipment and money earned from enemy treasures is used to buy newer stronger warmachines and recruit or train more elite specialized troops.

Hey everyone, I'm going to start posting a series of reviews biased around every character in smash bros melee. The rules are the games each have to have you play as the same character as the fighter in melee and it has to be a game I haven't beat before, here is the full list of characters and games, in no real order.
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Mario- Super Mario Galaxy 2
Luigi- Luigi's mansion 3
Bowser- Bowsers inside story
Peach- Super Mario 3d world
Yoshi- Yoshi's island ds
Donkey Kong- Donkey Kong jungle beat
Captain Falcon- F-zero GX
Fox- Star Fox assault
Falco- Star Fox 2
Ness- Earthbound
Samus- Metroid Prime
Link/ Yong link- Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time
Pikachu/ Pichu/ Mewtwo/ Jigglypuff- Pokémon lets go
Dr. Mario- Dr. Mario
Roy- Fire Emblem, Binding Blade
Marth- Fire Emblem, Shadow Dragon
Mr. Game and Watch- Game and watch gallery 4
Ice Climbers- Ice Climbers
Zelda- Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
Ganondorf- Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity
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Just some notes. I know Ganondorf's game isn't perfect but outside of the first hyrule warriors, which I have already beat, it was the best I could find with him playable. Also, all the pokemon share a game and link shares one with young link because I felt it was still in the spirt of my idea. Next if you're wondering why i picked these games instead of others it's probably because I have previously completed the others, and these are the best ones I haven't finished.
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I'll start with my first review of Shadow Dragon soon and will go from there.

Hi Travelers,
So I finally got around to completing/mastering my dual artifact routes for v3.5 (which I feel pretty good about as I think they're both efficient)!
Route 1 is almost all Sumeru with 127 spots + the 7 from Apam Woods bubbles.
Route 2 is Sumeru 12hr respawns, Liyue, and Inazuma with 124 spots + the 7 from Apam Woods bubbles.
Note that the 7 Apam Woods artifacts can be added on to the end of either route as long as 24 hrs has elapsed since the last time you collected these.
It feels pretty good to have 2 different clean-feeling artifact routes to alternate between and not worry about 24 hr timing.
Hope this helps and here's a link: https://youtu.be/nYoXF5kO7nw