Why isn't Team Flare in the anime yet?

[pokepal_123]

We have gotten to almost the mid-point of the saga and Flare-dan(Team Flare) still haven't appeared in the main anime yet. As you all know XY062 is set in the power plant where Team Flare play a big part in the games but in with what information we have gotten so far it appears that Team Rocket is causing troubles as usual instead of Team Flare. So what do you think the writers and directors are doing with Team Flare do you think that they will appear in the anime soon or will they only appear in the post-league saga similar to Team Plasma, which I think will happen. Right now only Lysandre has appeared in the Mega Evolution episodes, so do you think that they will be limited to only appearing in the Mega episodes until post-league.

The only problem with this is that it looks as if Lysandre won't be appearing in Act 3 as he is leaving it to Steven and Alan to go to Rustboro City to further see the roots of Mega Evolution while he is heading back to Lysandre Labs which is in Lumiose City in Kalos.

The big question is why are the head writers and directors ignoring Team Flare in the anime and when will they appear in the main anime if they do ever appear?

 

[Dogasu]

Re: Team Flare

They're waiting to see what the third version is going to do with them, just like they did with the Gen 4 and 5 games.

 

[pokepal_123]

Re: Team Flare

They're waiting to see what the third version is going to do with them, just like they did with the Gen 4 and 5 games.

Well the problem is why introduce Lysandre then if they aren't going to use him in the main anime at all for a while. My biggest worry is that they are going to ignore Lysandre Labs when the gang reaches Lumiose City even though they mentioned it during the Act 2, it could be a prefect spot for Prof.Sycamore and the gang to meet Lysandre to discuss about Mega Evolution and it doesn't have to relate to Team Flare.

 

[WallflowerCanyon]

Re: Team Flare

I've been kinda wondering about this myself. I'm wondering if Lysander's plan in the games involving genocide of all 'mons and people has anything to do with their lack of debut? The plot involving Team Flare and the Kalos War in the games may be too dark for them to implement it in the main anime, but I suppose there's always the possibility that they may tweak it as well.

@Dogasu: That's what I was thinking too, but I'm a little confused because almost everybody in this forum keeps emphasizing that there will not be a "3rd version" for X/Y.

 

[Shadao]

Re: Team Flare

They're waiting to see what the third version is going to do with them, just like they did with the Gen 4 and 5 games.

Well the problem is why introduce Lysandre then if they aren't going to use him in the main anime at all for a while. My biggest worry is that they are going to ignore Lysandre Labs when the gang reaches Lumiose City even though they mentioned it during the Act 2, it could be a prefect spot for Prof.Sycamore and the gang to meet Lysandre to discuss about Mega Evolution and it doesn't have to relate to Team Flare.

I believe Lysandre's appearance in the Mega Evolution Special is the anime's way of saying that "yes, Team Flare exist in the show" as well as a potential bridge for a crossover between Ash and Alain. I would even guess that Alain working for Lysandre is the anime's way of setting up the game's twist that Lysandre is the boss of Team Flare, with a bit of justification and improvement. If I recall correctly, Lysandre in the games didn't play a major role (aside from cameos with obvious foreshadowing) until after you beat Clemont.

 

[pokepal_123]

Re: Team Flare

They're waiting to see what the third version is going to do with them, just like they did with the Gen 4 and 5 games.

Well the problem is why introduce Lysandre then if they aren't going to use him in the main anime at all for a while. My biggest worry is that they are going to ignore Lysandre Labs when the gang reaches Lumiose City even though they mentioned it during the Act 2, it could be a prefect spot for Prof.Sycamore and the gang to meet Lysandre to discuss about Mega Evolution and it doesn't have to relate to Team Flare.

I believe Lysandre's appearance in the Mega Evolution Special is the anime's way of saying that "yes, Team Flare exist in the show" as well as a potential bridge for a crossover between Ash and Alain. I would even guess that Alain working for Lysandre is the anime's way of setting up the game's twist that Lysandre is the boss of Team Flare, with a bit of justification and improvement. If I recall correctly, Lysandre in the games didn't play a major role (aside from cameos with obvious foreshadowing) until after you beat Clemont.

Yes, but what's the point of introducing a character and not using it for a long time especially if it is vital to the storyline especially since we don't have any proper villains or characters on the show currently.

The thing is you can introduce a character but you have to use it consistently.

 

[Deadman]

Well, certainly a bit bothersome to have no trace of team Flare up till now. I can imagine multiple reasons for it though.
1. Simply the target of Flare (Genocide), nothing a nice, brave and all happy kids show would show off. (Although the Malamar eps with altering the whole world is a bit strong).
2. Then the theme with death behind AZ creating the weapon and war, another thing not to present for a kids show.
3. Might preserve it for like half (or whole) a season later on.
4. Might also root in other reason from XY that I momentarily can't recall but could not be suited for a kids commercial show like the Pokemon anime.

However, before I want Team Flare to appear I want TR (as comic relive) stop appearing in every freaking episode to waste like 10 or more minutes of the show with always the same stupidness.
Anyway, we're currently in the first half of the second season of XY (for me) so there is still time for the debut of Flare.

 

[Moe]

Re: Team Flare

They're waiting to see what the third version is going to do with them, just like they did with the Gen 4 and 5 games.

For BW the skipped Plasma episode at the start would indicate that they were going to do a storyline the whole way through, not wait for the third version before committing to a plot. Obviously that worked out well in the end for being able to introduce the 'two years later' version of N from the beginning and Episode N was really good - but while it would have been a different story, I don't think it would have been a significantly worse one if the BW version of the Team Plasma plot was the one that was followed.

Throw some hints out there in episodes at least - like the little cutaways to Team Rocket while building up to the Battle Subway climax. They don't need to know the exact details to start building up to there being something major.

 

[Dogasu]

For BW the skipped Plasma episode at the start would indicate that they were going to do a storyline the whole way through, not wait for the third version before committing to a plot.

Not necessarily. All we know is that a bunch of unnamed Plasma grunts were going to try to steal the Meteonite from the Rocket-Dan. There aren't really any good reasons to believe that anything was planned for the organization beyond that.

I mean, it could have led somewhere but it could have just as easily not.

I don't think it would have been a significantly worse one if the BW version of the Team Plasma plot was the one that was followed.

Except there was no way they could have followed the plot from the games due to them skipping every single Plasma-Dan appearance leading up to the two-parter.

 

[Galactic_V]

Agree with Dogasu. I mean the episodes were skipped without major problems as far as we know (other than some retcons and plotholes we've got, but still...), and if we follow the 6 month production schedule it means Plasma-Dan wouldn't appear for quite some time, indicating they wouldn't do anything important until there.
What also helps this is Flare-Dan whom had no appearances until now other than Fleur-de-lys, so isn't it safe to say that the only meaning of that 2-parter was to introduce Plasma but not doing anything important with them until much later? That's what I think at least...

 

[Platinum Lucario]

Okay, keeping on the topic of Team Flare in the Pokémon anime... I'd still say it's still a little bit too early for them to appear. I mean, Team Galactic didn't show up in the previous series until about halfway through the series. And of course, this would be no different for Team Flare either. Here's what I think:

Xerosic owns all three of those evil Malamar, and he commanded them to use Hypnosis on people and Pokémon to build the ultimate weapon. It's quite likely that it hasn't come to the part where they show Xerosic yet, and only then will he reveal that he was in command of those Malamar. Then that's when the battles between Team Flare become more intense and then eventually leading to Lysandre and Yveltal. But that's just my speculation.

 

[Almonds]

The Mega Evolution Specials and Ash's story is going to overlap at some point. Team Flare will make its official debut then. At least we got Lysandre as an important recurring character for the Mega Evolution Specials so its unlikely that they'll drop the major villains.

 

[SammyW27]

As Dogasu said, the producers are waiting for more info on follow up games before they commit to anything. Those always have a decent sized effect on what happens to the Villain Teams in the TV Show.

Deadman also makes a good point about the issue of how TF's story means going somewhere the creative team just isn't allowed to go to, which just has to be quite an obstacle...

 

[Galactic_V]

As Dogasu said, the producers are waiting for more info on follow up games before they commit to anything. Those always have a decent sized effect on what happens to the Villain Teams in the TV Show.

Deadman also makes a good point about the issue of how TF's story means going somewhere the creative isn't allowed to go to, which just has to be quite an obstacle...

Maybe not, if the staff were allowed to come with Hunter J in DP. However, as I've never played XY, not sure how dark Flare-Dan's, so maybe they'll have to tone it down.

 

[kantoskies]

If Dogasu's predictions about the 3rd version/sequels coming out this year are true then the anime producers probably already know about them and probably already have some idea about what they want to do. In fact they probably had some ideas since the beginning but, like what's been said, waited until they knew what they could do before starting anything.

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[Grabbergirl]

Shh... It's too early usually it takes 100+ episodes to show an evil team.

 

[JacobYBM]

The Mega Evolution specials are considered a part of the normal episode count, going by the DVDs and Hulu Japan. The Flare Gang is being developed in those episodes, but in a more clandestine way than the other teams. It's actually rather refreshing.

 

[DasManiac]

I am of the opinion that there will be no Team Flare in the anime. I think Lysandre is just going to be an independent villain. Every evil team (with the exception of Plasma) has shown up by now and Flare hasn't. If there's a third version (which is extremely unlikely), the production team already know about it. I very much doubt that there will ever be a Team Flare in the anime. So far there's been no indication that they exist.

 

[Galactic_V]

I am of the opinion that there will be no Team Flare in the anime. I think Lysandre is just going to be an independent villain. Every evil team (with the exception of Plasma) has shown up by now and Flare hasn't. If there's a third version (which is extremely unlikely), the production team already know about it. I very much doubt that there will ever be a Team Flare in the anime. So far there's been no indication that they exist.

I don't think so, if they shoved Plasma to the end of the Isshu arc, they'll most likely use Flare as well, after all the producers might have a motive to use those villain teams (as showed by the late insertion of Plasma-Dan)

 

[Perpetual_Phoenix]

I feel they will have some sort of appearance during the Lumiose City arc but a small one.

Personally I feel they will make their grand debut after the Kalos League.