Yet, Gen 9 will also likely be associated by long-time fans with Ash and Pikachu leaving the Pokemon anime after 25 years, which can be very sad for those who love the iconic duo. A consequence of this is the fact that the new anime season devoted to Gen 9 games will see a new protagonist, a young girl who some fans believe could be Ash’s own daughter. This trainer will seemingly choose Sprigatito as her Pokemon Scarlet and Violet starter, laying the groundwork for it to replace Pikachu in the long run.
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Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Sprigatito Could Become The New Pikachu
While Pikachu will likely be near-impossible to remove as the franchise’s mascot for the foreseeable future, its anime successor as the lead character’s main Pokemon will have very big shoes to fill. This is because Pikachu’s personality consolidated over the years as that of a playful companion who makes of Ash its pride and joy, as well as appearing always caring toward other pocket monsters and people. These traits make the viewers empathetic towards Pikachu, and if Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Sprigatito is to follow, then it has to boast at least some similar personality traits.
To help Sprigatito’s case come the recently revealed details about Gen 9’s Pokemon on the official Pokemon Scarlet and Violet website, which now features the official art and descriptions for many new critters. Among them are Sprigatito’s evolutions, Floragato and Meowscarada. While Sprigatito’s official descriptions don’t go too much into details, which is likely due to the fact that it was published at a time when nothing was known about Gen 9 games, Floragato and Meowscarada’s dedicated web pages describe them as affectionate and wanting attention from their trainer.
Floragato is described as mischievous when it doesn’t succeed at getting its trainer’s attention, and it also appears to seek its human partner’s company. Meowscarada, on the other hand, is described as jealous when other Pokemon or people get its trainer’s attention, showing a sensitive side that also depicts it as very attached to its trainer. These characteristics could easily make Sprigatito a great Pokemon protagonist in the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet anime series if they applied to the Grass kitty’s base form, rather than only to its evolutions.
As such, the new portagonist’s Sprigatito could be portrayed as a sensitive and loving Pokemon, which is also a great way to show a great relationship right from the start in order to make up for losing Ash and Pikachu. While Ash and Pikachu’s departure puts more weight on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as a whole because of the expectations fans might have, this is also a great chance to start anew with a strong pair of characters that could immediately grow on the fans. What follows is that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet may have indeed planted the seed for Sprigatito to take over successfully, and if that is the case, fans may be in for a treat with another lovely Pokemon lead.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.
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