• The forums' spoiler embargo for all content from Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC has been lifted! Feel free to talk about the new content from the expansion across the forums without the need of spoiler tabs!

    Please note that this lifted embargo only applies for the forums, and may still be in effect on other Bulbagarden sites.

Which character was the meanest to Ash?

Who was the meanest to Ash?

  • Total voters
    52
Paul was a regular jerk. Gary seemed more friendly and they ended up being good friends later.
 
Shinji wasn't actually mean to Satoshi, he just made Satoshi angry by doing things differently and treating his Pokémon badly. No one was actually mean to him, but Kasumi and Satoshi did fight a lot, but not in a really mean way, just as kids falling out about things. Shigeru was quite mean at the beginning too.
 
Paul was a big jerk not just to Ash but pretty much everyone around him.
 
I don't think we can really compare all these characters since each of them is really different by itself AND by its relationship and interactions with Ash
I'd compare it more on rival or girl basis, with Charizard not even getting into the list at all...
I'd say Misty had more reasons to act towards Ash the way she did than Iris... but Iris is doing it in a nicer/funnier/less insulting way than Misty did, who used to physically hurt him or talk more harshly than Iris is... but it's got more to do with the change of style the show had and how it's nowdays Americanized even in Japan to be acceptable for international airings... if the show stayed Japanese-only, we'd probably have now Iris acting much more like Misty was, and who knows what could've been in AG/DP...
As for Gary, Paul and Trip - it's really only Gary that was "mean" to him... Paul just did his own business and simply honestly believed in different things than what Ash believed in... Trip is just "wtf do you want from me, I don't care about you" with a slight insulting added by seeing him as "someone from the boonies", but he's really not MEAN to him...
 
Gary was being mean to Ash... but we know that's all because he loves Ash too much and doesn't want to admit it... that's just my imagination.
Yeah, he WAS mean, but at least it motivated Ash in many ways.

Charizard literally tried to burn Ash to ashes.
 
I think Trip is the meanest. His hate for Ash doesn't even make sense.
 
Trip doesn't really HATE Ash 0__o (and none of others listed here either)
He just seems to dislike Ash's personality (like when Ash went all crazy over the starters when it was Trip choosing from them and not him, and was also probably seemed "childish" to Trip) and have some crazy opinions about people who came "from the boonies", for some reason...
 
It seems a little weird to put both traveling companions and rivals in the same group. I mean, its obvious that all the rivals were meaner than Ash's friends! So yeah, I'd say Trip is the meanest rival for the same reason as Gliscor'd said, but the same goes for Iris. Her and Ash seem more like acquaintances than good friends, with her proclaiming Ash's immaturity as a "little kid" in just about EVERY episode. Which is sad because, its kind of true.
 
This is tricky, because it's all up to how we perceive the antagonism/trash-talk/bitching at Ash for every character.

For Misty, she was often quick to give Ash flak and physically abuse him for it. However, for the latter I think that's a matter of Kanto-era quirks, where a lot of crazy (and more violent) stuff was fair game that wouldn't be today. Not only that, but Ash was a bonafide moron as he started out, so a lot of the time Misty yelled at him, it was usually justified because Ash was fucking up, and in those days I can see where actually smacking him would do him some good to get out of his abraisive, retarded newbie stage. Misty probably went overboard a lot of times (anything OS-related is like a blur in my memory right now) since even Brock was a victim of her wanton abuse now and then, but the circumstances surrounding it did call for some of these actions, I'll admit.

Gary was just egotistical and most of his antagonism against Ash seemed to be for kicks, especially when they're established as childhood friends. So with that in mind, Gary's insults felt more playful and teasing (way more so than that other person that "playfully teases" Ash), plus it's the rival's job to keep Ash on his feet, so some degree of being mean is to be expected. But Gary? Naw. He was just trolling.

Charizard just got a sudden burst of ego since it evolved for the first time, and considering this was around the time that Ash was a newb, I guess I can see why Charizard was so disrespectful to Ash for a while and why he'd toast the kid whenever he tried to get up in his business. It was pretty much an extended test for Charizard, because once Ash proved himself worthy and loyal, there was no more conflict and roasting Ash was a sign of affection. ♥ Like they said in DP, a Pokemon's shortcomings are the fault of the trainer, so this was another disciplinary move in my opinion.

Paul was pretty mean to Ash (though it's completely untrue that he was a jerk to everybody), but there was a point to that as well. In a way I can understand Paul's rudeness towards Ash because you can tell the two have completely different personalities, so while Ash is an open book and a social butterfly, Paul clearly prefers to not talk unless he feels the need to and prefers to be alone rather than surround himself with a bunch of people. Ash not only pestered Paul on a consistent basis by trying to make small talk with him, but Ash also had a habit of nagging at him, too. He was pretty much a total mom in DP. It's understandable that Ash would scold Paul for treating Chimchar like shit, but outside of that Paul wasn't really doing anything other than being himself. Paul took the rivalry thing much more seriously (even if he tried to ignore it in true tsundere fashion), and I think Ash NEEDED to be pushed as hard as he was in regards to his and Paul's clashing philosophies on Pokemon training and the like. It gave Ash a stronger resolve, he trained very hard and we saw the proof, and when it came down to it, it wasn't a matter of right or wrong as time went by, but rather the matter of pride and establishing each other's points of view as legitimate stances on what it means to be a trainer. Because in their own ways, Ash and Paul were both right.

Ash wouldn't have grown nearly as much in DP if Paul hadn't been there to constantly challenge and test him. I think it also showed that Paul did have some consequential flaws, like how he pretty much judged Ash like a book by its cover at first, but was surprised and (imo) shaken when he learned Ash had already beaten the man that Paul himself wanted to beat and whom Reggie couldn't defeat, all just before the two even met, which meant Paul had underestimated Ash from the very beginning. Because after that, Paul was still standoffish, but the rudeness faded into a more blunt honesty to keep Ash grounded and focused on their inevitable decisive battle, as well as other threats in the Sinnoh League.

So yeah, Paul was nasty to Ash for the majority for DP, but I think he had more reason to be that way than anyone else on the list. And since Ash was a constant reminder to Paul of how Reggie used to be, I think it's natural that would bring about some hostility. It was a sore spot hitting far too close to home for Paul; it wasn't even really Ash's fault in that department. Just some very circumstancial elements that went into how Ash and Paul interacted.

Trip, on the other hand... hah. Yeah, he had no right to call Ash a hick, but at the same time Trip's comments towards Ash are so half-hearted that it hardly feels like Trip's even being mean. Just ignorant and newbish. His comments don't affect Ash the way Paul's did at all, so while Trip's trash talk has no justification, there's no fire to fuel this rivalry, hence Trip doesn't really come off as "mean". He's a delusional elitist, not an unrepentant asshole.

Which leaves Iris. Does she come off as an unrepentant asshole? Hells yeah. Can't hardly go an episode without calling Ash or SOMEONE a kid, or annoying and whatnot. Unlike previous characters who've given Ash flak, Iris' insults, however playfully teasing they may be, have zero purpose. Ash doesn't grow out of immaturity or learn anything when Iris gives him attitude. Even when she is somewhat justified in saying it, about 99% of the time it's because the writing for Ash's character went down the toilet and all of his development from previous series goes ignored just so Ash can do or say something idiotic. And guess what! It makes no difference then, either. Ash doesn't even respond to Iris' insults, unlike how he does for everyone else. That's how meaningless Iris' unjustified attitude is. She will tell other people how childish Ash is. And Ash isn't her only target; she'll start shit just for the hell of it with anyone, even if they're not doing anything to her to warrant an insult, or in Georgia's case, defamation of character. Her range of insults is extremely limited, so you know Iris really isn't going anywhere or proving anything when she calls Ash a kid. It's a godawfully unfunny and worn out running gag, and all it does is make Iris look bad. We the viewers know better about Ash, but the writers never acknowledge this themselves, instead preferring to drag Ash's character and development through the mud just so Iris can call him a kid. Yeah, throwing away all those years of development is so worth it just to have Iris childishly insult Ash, isn't it?

We've got ourselves a winner here, looks like.
 
I say Gary. He constantly bullied Ash and even when out of his way a few times to embarrass him and stuff. True, he later changed and became a good friend to Ash, but still.
 
Shinneth said:
We've got ourselves a winner here, looks like.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I'd put Iris, and Misty on equal footing (they do play basically the same "role" in the group after all). In saying that though. I really don't know how Ash puts up with either of them.

Out of rivals, I'd agree that Paul was probably the meanest and harshest. I'd say he was probably the "meanest" overall too.
 
Last edited:
It seems lately, Iris' anger has been (rightfully) aimed at Cilan more so than Ash. When's the last time she said "kodomo ne" at him, really? I'd say I'd take her straight-man status over Misty's downright abrasive behavior early on when she was physical. But then again, the "tsundere" archetype just annoys me. And I find Iris' "kodomo ne" endearing, lol, so I'm a bit biased.

I think Trip is the meanest. His hate for Ash doesn't even make sense.
Click to expand...
He doesn't hate Ash, he hates foreigners because he's a racist. Ash just happens to be the only foreigner around for Trip to project his feelings at.
 
Ah, it just doesn't seem prevalent as much towards Ash...but I guess that's because Best Wishes has been introducing more and more characters with personality flaws for her to aim her venom at.

And having them pretty much have Cilan do a 180% into a complete nut-case.
 
I'd say Misty. Iris just picks at anyone and Trip is the least meanest of them all. Saying someone's a boonie isn't mean it just means he needs to start thinking better. So I guess he and Iris are the same. But Iris told Cilan, Georgia, Burgundy and Ash, so that's just over doing it.
 
While I wouldn't necessarily say she's the meanest overall, Misty wins easily.

Physically abusive, very rude and such to Ash. She was harshest on both fronts.


None of the other characters really compare to Miss Tsundere.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom