Pokémon Master

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In the fictional Pokémon Universe, a Pokémon Master is the typical goal of a Pokémon trainer. It is a status of esteem that symbolizes mastery in the field. Fictional characters such as Ash Ketchum, are starred in various media as protagonists with this goal in mind. Allegedly, this is the actual goal of the many colored video games. Seeing how these games do not actually end (though they do show credits upon becoming Pokémon League champion), questions are raised as to what is necessary to become a Pokémon Master.

Contents 1 Requirements 1.1 Pokédex 1.2 League Champion 1.3 Other 1.4 Conclusion

[edit] Requirements

Discontinuity occurs between the television series, the video games, and the manga. In the case of a Pokémon Master, these will all be taken as the same fictional universe and all exceptions will be mentioned as they come up. The actual requirements for the status of Pokémon Master are ambiguous. Numerous goals have been suggested or stated in these various media. However, nothing definitive or attainable has clearly been stated.

[edit] Pokédex

It is often stated that completion (or filling) of a Pokédex is the only requirement. This necessitates the capturing or possessing, even if briefly, all the Pokémon listed in the Pokédex. This presents a problem in that new Pokémon are being discovered constantly. In the context of the television series, this is stated right out. In the video video games, this is shown with each colored version having a Pokédex with a different amount of total Pokémon; initially 150, then 251, and recently 386 Pokémon. The fourth generation games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, offer even more Pokémon--a total of 493 have been revealed until now. This is reflected in all media; these Pokémon have shown up in recent seasons of the television show and the latest movies. With each generation, the Pokédex is updated to include the new Pokémon. There has been criticism that a Pokémon Master cannot be a person who has completed the Pokédex or even caught all Pokémon as there are more to come. One who has completed the Pokédex at one point, will find that they are lacking later on. This brought up the argument that catching all the Pokémon would be impossible. Furthermore, it has been stated and largely implied by the television series that some rare Pokémon are best left uncaught. They often portray the antagonist as trying to capture legendary Pokémon and the protagonist protecting them. This is clearly seen in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th movies. This only further demonstrates that a complete Pokédex or even just catching all Pokémon is an unlikely requirement for becoming a Pokémon Master.

[edit] League Champion

Another suggestion is that defeating the Elite Four and the current League Champion grants the status of Pokémon Master. This is enforced by the fact that defeating the Elite Four and then the Pokémon League Champion in each of the video games shows developer credits such as at the end of a movie. In one instance, a manga tells of Red becoming a Pokémon Master. A graphic novel by Satomi Nakamura (really need confirmation on all this info), Pokémon Zensho, which was released in 1998. A translated version does not exist; it never left Japan. Unfortunately, verification of the legitimacy of this manga has yet to be confirmed. It was released as a single volume with 10 chapters, each one corresponding (and named after) a town. It follows the video game, and partially the anime, very closely. It ends with Red defeating the Elite Four and then his rival. More relevantly, this graphic novel goes as far as to claim that Red had become a Pokémon Master, before completing the Pokédex. After this proclamation, Red learns of another Pokémon's location (presumably Mewtwo) and then goes to capture it, which implies that he has yet to catch all the Pokémon in the world or even complete the Pokédex. At this time, there is no evidence that this manga is in anyway related to the original creator of Pokémon or if it is official. It is probably best to remain a skeptic in this case. This seems to be another example of 3rd-party creation. It similiar to Pokémon Live! and the associated sound track which revealed information not available otherwise but creates discontinuity. In general, these are not associated with Pokémon's creator and are irrelevant, though worthy of being noted. A criticism of this theory is that many trainers would have gained the title of Pokémon Master already though nowhere in the television series, the video games, or the manga is a Pokémon master named, with one exception being named later. According to the video games, Ash/Red, Gary/Blue, Lance, and Steven Stone have all been Pokémon League Champions and would thus be Pokémon Masters.

[edit] Other

It is important to take note that there was one case in the television series that a person was called a Pokémon Master. Japanese episode #101 The Mandarin Island Miss Match has Lorelei being called a Pokémon Master. She is called Kanna in the Japanese version of the episode, Prima in the American version, and Lorelei as a member of the Elite Four in the Red/Blue/Yellow and Fire Red/Leaf Green video games. In particular, her reference is significant because of the anime reference, so the name Prima will be used here (and not Kanna because this article is in English, obviously). It was not possible to verify whether she was called a water/ice Pokémon Master or just a Pokémon Master. Either way, it does not matter here. A Pokémon Master of a specific element is the same as a Pokémon Master in general. As a member of the Elite Four (and the first one to fight, at that), Prima clearly was not a Pokémon League Champion. It was also not stated that she had completed a Pokédex or caught all Pokémon or even just those of the water/ice variety. It has been suggested that Prima was actually only an expert, a person highly esteemed for her knowledge and abilities because she was an Elite Four member and that the term master in that one instance was meant to reflect this though she holds no such title. In some context, members of the Elite Four are said to be masters in their field. However, this is not necessarily related to the status of Pokémon Master. More importantly, in the context of this episode, emphasis was placed on Prima's knowledge and abilities with all Pokémon and her philosophical insight. Perhaps the status of Pokémon Master is bestowed upon reaching a certain understanding of Pokémon. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to judge and makes it impossible for this to be official with the Pokémon League. The president of the Pokémon League cannot go out and give a Pokémon Master license or certificate in this case. With how the knowledge known about Pokémon keeps expanding, keeping up with it would be impossible. Complete knowledge and understanding borders becoming a deity, and for the purpose of becoming a Pokémon Master, assumed impossible.

[edit] Conclusion

It is probably best to think of the title of Pokémon Master as nothing more than an unattainable dream. It requires include travelling and exploring the world of Pokémon, catching Pokémon, training Pokémon, making friends with and understanding Pokémon, winning tough Pokémon battles (probably even winning the Pokémon League, though not necessarily), and achieving greater awareness of the world as a whole and how important Pokémon are to keeping a balance. Members of the Elite Four and Pokémon League champions in general excel in each of these areas and may be viewed as masters though they are without the title. It is best that this title remain an unattainable dream that cannot ever be officially declared for anyone. This way, trainers such as Ash/Red and Gary/Blue can continue on forever without fear of having nowhere left to go. Similar to the Pokémon video games where they keep going with no end to the game.