Favourite regional pokemon league

[AshK]

**This is like my other thread but this one has the poll included as requested by MODs**

We have 4 regional pokemon leagues so far in the anime(Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh) each with a slightly different format in terms of how many people advance and what a trainer has to do to advance. (one on one matches, special fields, double battles, etc)

What league format was your favourite? What do you think was the most effective or most exciting? I liked the Hoenn league best. For some reason that tournament seemed the most complete with a first round one on one match to I guess weed out the worst and I liked double matches so I was glad that was a part of the league. Then went straight into a 6 on 6 tournament after that for the top 32 which I liked because it made the matches more exciting and meaningful. Sinnoh was alright but was only what... 64 competitors? I always wondered why the number for Sinnoh league was so small in comparison to the hundreds of the other ones.

 

[Piplup]

I don't really care about the "format" each used... I care about wether I liked the eps themselves, the characters, the battles... so this is how I'd rate them from the best to the least liked:
1. Sinnoh League
2. Johto League
3. Orange League (yes, I count it... while it was different, it IS a League)
4. Kanto League
5. Hoenn League
I don't think it's even possible to argue against the Sinnoh League being the best in terms of plot, development and battles... Johto was just awesome and I loved the characters like Macey, Jackson, Harrison and how the Ash and Gary rivalry concluded... Orange was one of the better battles of the early times of this show, Kanto wasn't really that good but at least it wasn't as boring to me as Hoenn was (seriously, what was up with the Hoenn League? Ash didn't even have any real rival there, the battles weren't nearly as good as Johto/Sinnoh Leagues, Ash's opponents weren't interesting at all and the only thing I really liked is Ash's character development in how he accepted having to battle Morrison compared to how he acted in the past with Richie)

 

[temporaryaccount]

I did like the changing fields in Kanto

 

[투 애니원]

Sinnoh, Johto and Orange Islands. Sinnoh without a doubt is the best, being greatly written and handled pretty well. The battles were entertaining especially my favorite which is Ash vs Conway. The battle felt serious and funny at the same time showing that writers can improvise opposites too blend well. The only downside though has to be that fool Tobias. He felt like a rush, last minute decided concept to end the league. The battle was alright I guess but everything revolving around Tobias felt poorly written but other than him the league is the best for now. Oh and I forgot to mention Ash vs Paul, actually I don't need to it speaks for itself

Johto had great battles for that time. I would say it was when Johto was at its best. The league was thoroughly enjoyable and Ash vs Gary was spot on. The battle played off with their rivalry and it ended pleasingly well. Ash vs Harrison was what I loved the most about that league when I was a kid. My eyes were literally glued on the screen. Though the rivalry seemed rather poor between the two the battle felt intense. Charizard vs Blaziken was the highlight of the entire battle. The battles were great but the storyline felt flat. Not much training and spotlight for some Pokemon really bugs me but I guess it was a trial an error process for the writers back then.

As for Orange Islands League, I cant remember much except for Drake vs Ash (or was it just them, lol, I dunno). I'd say this is when Pikachu got the spotlight felt very entertaining. The battle with Dragonite (who incredibly has alot of moves) really showed emotion and the strength which Pikachu gained throughout his journeys. Both sides' Pokemon showed personality and the battle conclusions were really satisfying. The league ended pretty nicely and it really felt like Ash accomplished alot during his travels with his(then) current Pokemon.

 

[Aestivate]

I loved all the leagues, really, but obviously Shinou is tops. I rewatched the Shinou battles recently and I have to say we were treat to a very well-structured league. I would have preferred if Satoshi had to verse some COTD after the Round of 64, but I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed Satoshi vs. Kouhei, Jun vs. Shinji (!!! Jun is one of my favorite characters, so), and of course Satoshi vs. Shinji.

I will say I really did enjoy the Johto League, and Pikachu vs. Nyarth in Boots for Houen.

 

[AshK]

I don't really care about the "format" each used... I care about wether I liked the eps themselves, the characters, the battles... so this is how I'd rate them from the best to the least liked:
1. Sinnoh League
2. Johto League
3. Orange League (yes, I count it... while it was different, it IS a League)
4. Kanto League
5. Hoenn League
I don't think it's even possible to argue against the Sinnoh League being the best in terms of plot, development and battles... Johto was just awesome and I loved the characters like Macey, Jackson, Harrison and how the Ash and Gary rivalry concluded... Orange was one of the better battles of the early times of this show, Kanto wasn't really that good but at least it wasn't as boring to me as Hoenn was (seriously, what was up with the Hoenn League? Ash didn't even have any real rival there, the battles weren't nearly as good as Johto/Sinnoh Leagues, Ash's opponents weren't interesting at all and the only thing I really liked is Ash's character development in how he accepted having to battle Morrison compared to how he acted in the past with Richie)

I agree with you about most of what you said except for Hoenn. Ash didn't have a long term rival going into the league no, but I think Morrison and Harrison played the rival roles very well and for a short time I thought they were great characters. And I loved that one battle Ash had with that tough girl trainer- the one with the golduck dugtrio, venomoth, etc. One of the best Ash matches I have seen. Plus He used the same 6 pokemon, 5 of which were new pokemon and all really tough. One more evolution for one of the team and Ash would have had a super team almost.

 

[Almonds]

I like all of them... but I'm still going to pick Johto for wrapping up the rivalry between Ash and Gary

 

[SimH5]

They where good for different reasons. In Johto the rival battles with Harrison and Gary were both interesting. I loved how Hoenn went to full battles early on. And Sinnoh featured lots of old pokemon and rivals. Though overall I'd say Sinnoh.

 

[Zexy]

I voted Sinnoh as well. It had the only 3-parter full battle so far (a pretty nice one, though the Infernape vs Electivire final matchup and outcome was more than expected. Heck, even Blaze was expected to kick in...). Ash vs Nando, Barry vs Paul, Ash vs Conway were all quite nice battles. The only lackluster one, was of course Ash vs Trollbias, but I didn't care that much since I knew that Ash would lose this one, plus, I was somewhat bored after so much battling.

It was a lot better than the Kanto, Hoenn and Unova leagues, and imo only a bit better than Johto.

EDIT: I really liked Ash's Pokemon returning, plus, its longest length ever.

 

[Chiplet]

F*ck Sinnoh.

Hoenn clearly dominates.

I mean, sure. Sinnoh had the Ash Vs. Paul battle, which was great and all (even though I still aren't too happy with the Pokémon Paul used), but that's pretty much it. The Ash Vs Nando battle was rushed as fuck, and I'd even say it's worse than the Ash Vs. Trip battle. Then we have Barry Vs Paul... A part of me is biased due to the fact that I love the both of them, but the battle really sucked, and I wasn't impressed at all. It was really boring overall, and I definitely prefer the Kotetsu Vs. Bianca over it due to the fact that Bianca actually wasn't completely humiliated like Barry was.

The Conway Vs. Ash battle was... okay, I guess. Being a huge fan of Gible I was really glad for Gible's sake, but what about Donphan? That's a Pokémon which I really like, and yet it did absolutely nothing in that battle. And with the exception for Trick Room, I wasn't all that impressed by the battle itself. That too felt kinda boring. sorry Conway baby

Ash Vs. Tobias was fine. I really don't hate Tobias as much as others do, and I was glad that at least Sceptile and Pikachu got some spotlight, but the battle overall was kinda sucky too.

In Hoenn, basically all of the battles were actually very good. Both Ash and Morrison treated us to some really enjoyable battles that actually weren't rushed nor badly handled, and I was especially impressed by how the writers actually gave Ash a 6 on 6 battle against a completely random Trainer (Katie), a battle that I really liked at that too.

Johto was also very good. Even though we didn't get to see as many battles as in Hoenn, it was still very good, and I liked the concept we saw when Ash got stuck in a group with two other Trainers and only could advance by getting the most points.

Unova and Sinnoh were both pretty boring with the regular elimination rounds... I mean, even Kanto had a better concept.

If I'd have to rank the Leagues, I'd rank them like this;

1. Hoenn
2. Johto
3. Sinnoh
4. Unova
5. Kanto

 

[Zexy]

F*ck Sinnoh.

Hoenn clearly dominates.

I mean, sure. Sinnoh had the Ash Vs. Paul battle, which was great and all (even though I still aren't too happy with the Pokémon Paul used), but that's pretty much it. The Ash Vs Nando battle was rushed as fuck, and I'd even say it's worse than the Ash Vs. Trip battle. Then we have Barry Vs Paul... A part of me is biased due to the fact that I love the both of them, but the battle really sucked, and I wasn't impressed at all. It was really boring overall, and I definitely prefer the Kotetsu Vs. Bianca over it due to the fact that Bianca actually wasn't completely humiliated like Barry was.

The Conway Vs. Ash battle was... okay, I guess. Being a huge fan of Gible I was really glad for Gible's sake, but what about Donphan? That's a Pokémon which I really like, and yet it did absolutely nothing in that battle. And with the exception for Trick Room, I wasn't all that impressed by the battle itself. That too felt kinda boring. sorry Conway baby

Ash Vs. Tobias was fine. I really don't hate Tobias as much as others do, and I was glad that at least Sceptile and Pikachu got some spotlight, but the battle overall was kinda sucky too.

In Hoenn, basically all of the battles were actually very good. Both Ash and Morrison treated us to some really enjoyable battles that actually weren't rushed nor badly handled, and I was especially impressed by how the writers actually gave Ash a 6 on 6 battle against a completely random Trainer (Katie), a battle that I really liked at that too.

Johto was also very good. Even though we didn't get to see as many battles as in Hoenn, it was still very good, and I liked the concept we saw when Ash got stuck in a group with two other Trainers and only could advance by getting the most points.

Unova and Sinnoh were both pretty boring with the regular elimination rounds... I mean, even Kanto had a better concept.

If I'd have to rank the Leagues, I'd rank them like this;

1. Hoenn
2. Johto
3. Sinnoh
4. Unova
5. Kanto

Hoenn though had those rushed Full Battles, and only had last-minute rivals. Plus, only Ash's Hoenn Team was used.
Ash vs Nando was rushed, still Nando isn't the definition of serious rival. And still, it can't be compared in any way to Ash vs Trip, hands up...
As for the Barry vs Paul, I have to agree that Cameron vs Bianca was better. Still, it was a nice battle that didn't make Sinnoh League a mess.
What annoyed me in the Hoenn League was the teams of the Full Battle opponents. Too many Kanto/Johto Pokemon (Golduck, Venomoth, Dugtrio, Misdreavus, Scizor, Growlithe, Steelix, Girafarig, Gligar...).
Finally, I didn;t like Paul's Pokemon that much either, Neither did I like Gary's. Still, both battles were some of the anime's greatest's ever.

So my ranking would be: Sinnoh > Johto > Hoenn > Unova > Kanto

 

[Chiplet]

Hoenn though had those rushed Full Battles, and only had last-minute rivals.

Rushed? No, I definitely don't think so. The Ash Vs. Kotetsu battle was rushed, but the Hoenn battles were perfectly fine, and they really were no worse than the battles Ash had againt Harrison or Gary. It's possible that the Ash Vs. Tyson battle had a shaky start, but it certainly made up for it as the battle progressed.

Having rivals appear just before the league I really don't mind at all. It might not have been the same climax as the Ash Vs. Paul battle had, but they still were very enjoyable.

Plus, only Ash's Hoenn Team was used.

Something that I actually approved of. They deserved it. And I prefer seeing them in the spotlight when it actually was thanks to them that they even were in the Hoenn league.

Ash vs Nando was rushed, still Nando isn't the definition of serious rival. And still, it can't be compared in any way to Ash vs Trip, hands up...

How can it not be compared? What did the Ash Vs. Nando battle have that was better than the Ash Vs. Trip battle? The close combat fighting between Kricketune and Heracross was cool, but that was pretty much it. And despite being a 3 on 3 battle it still was shorter than the Ash Vs. Trip battle, which was a 1 on 1 battle, which despite being rather awful was better than the battle against Nando.

Still, it was a nice battle that didn't make Sinnoh League a mess.

No, it wasn't

What annoyed me in the Hoenn League was the teams of the Full Battle opponents. Too many Kanto/Johto Pokemon (Golduck, Venomoth, Dugtrio, Misdreavus, Scizor, Growlithe, Steelix, Girafarig, Gligar...).

Don't really see the problem. I don't mind seeing old Pokémon get some spotlight, especially not those who barely received any focus whatsoever back in Johto/Kanto.

 

[Duque]

In Hoenn, basically all of the battles were actually very good. Both Ash and Morrison treated us to some really enjoyable battles that actually weren't rushed nor badly handled, and I was especially impressed by how the writers actually gave Ash a 6 on 6 battle against a completely random Trainer (Katie), a battle that I really liked at that too.

Indeed, all the Hoenn league full battles were pretty great and, despite of pretty almost everyone dislike the fact Ash used only his hoenn team, all of them (bar torkoal) did great! That league showed Ash in his prime, in my opinion. Buuut... I stay with Sinnoh, because of all the f*%$ing wait to see Ash kicks Paul's butt (bar electivire and drapion, I didn't like Paul's final team, but, I don't hate them too). Yeah, only one fight doesn't make a league, but, I liked all the matches, even Nando's.

Johto and Kanto were treated well (Johto was better, though). Unova was... happy and go lucky, I hated.

Personal rate:

1. Sinnoh;
2. Houenn;
3. Johto;
4. Kanto;
5. Unova.

 

[Winterdaze]

Hoenn was hands down the best league we've ever had. Lots of full battles, a diverse set of opponents and battle types, and showcased Ash's personality-filled Hoenn team to the best of it's ability. IMO, that's what made the league so great, it was Ash's Pokemon that really took centre stage rather than the human characters or rivals.

Next best was Johto. Like Hoenn, there was a great diverse set of opponents, and while the Ash vs Gary battle was flawed, it was still a great resolution to their rivalry without detracting from the rest of the league. The only downside was the shameless plugging of the Kanto starters at the expense of Ash's Johto team, which was especially annoying since I don't particularly care for them at all.

Sinnoh was the next best. While it had the single best battle of any league on the show, the whole league just felt like a stage for the main rivalry to be settled, and the other battles suffered for it. Few of Ash's Pokemon got much spotlight, which didn't help with many of them being already shafted in the build up to league. Tobias was just ridiculous.

Unova and Kanto are about on par with one another, but with Kanto being the first league, it being awful is a bit more forgivable. The Unova league was just so much wasted potential. I liked that it wasn't just built up as an occasion for Ash to settle his score with the regional jerk, but besides the Kenyan battle it just faltered in all other areas.

 

[C-3]

1. Sinnoh
2. Johto
3. Hoenn
4. Unova
5. Kanto

 

[Master Cyrus]

Ritchie was the most god awful person ever wrote in. Its like they took all the bad from Ash and made him win. Cameron is much better IMO.

I was so dissapointed in Johto because charizard could have won but didnt.

Hoenn was too many battles for too few pokemon.

Sinnoh was ruined by trollbias.

 

[Gengarzilla]

The Sinnoh League was a masterpiece any way you look at it. Cyndaquil finally evolved, Heracross kicked so much ass, and Sceptile beat his first legendary. Ash was doing so good, the writers had to introduce someone with a very strong Darkrai and Latios for the sole purpose of stopping him.

Apart from Hoenn, the others were kinda meh. Ritchie pissed me off, Macy and Jackson got annoying real fast, and don't even get me started on Cameron....

 

[Masurao]

It's a toss up between Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Both leagues had some fun battles, and they gave off the impression that Ash's Pokemon were capable for the most part throughout the entire run of the league.

 

[Anikasnow6]

I liked the Hoenn one best. I thought that Ash's battles in Sinnoh didn't use enough of his pokemon that he had been training SO HARD, and instead he relied on pokemon that were not centered on. In Johto, the people were...yeah. And in Kanto, the battles were too quick and all that stuff.

 

[Foxeaf]

I find it really amusing that at first, most people agreed that Hoenn wasn't too good and Sinnoh was great. Then.. as the thread progressed, Sinnoh became "terrible" and Hoenn became the "best".

How did that.. what? xD

All of them were great in their own ways. I really liked Kanto's first battles, especially when they introduced the different elemental fields. The Orange Islands had a memorable final battle, especially with the Ditto technique against Pikachu.
Johto is really interesting. Ash was shown as a stronger trainer than ever, and finally defeating Gary. A majority of the battles were outstanding.
It was interesting in Hoenn that he only used his Hoenn Pokemon. I guess that is fair enough considering the Pokemon from the previous generations have been used so much. The battles were good, but they don't seem as memorable as the previous gens. I guess that's just me. :"3 Don't get me wrong, Hoenn is my favourite region and that season was one of the greatest~

Sinnoh, well, what can I say that already hasn't? It was amazingly handled.
And on the Barry and Paul battle, I have to say that it was a well written choice for a battle. It was good seeing Barry, someone who has admired Paul's battling skills, finally get to battle Paul. I wonder, once his Pokemon try so hard for him but still lose, and Paul brutally defeat him just like that in the league; where Barry has been trying so hard to enter... did Barry think otherwise about Paul?
That's why I thought Barry and Pauls' battle was great.

The Unova League?

Atleast.. well, I was about to say that they were full battles, but they really weren't.

The animation was fantastic, and the battles were written uniquely. They didn't have that memorable feel to them, though.