Warning this blog post contains spoilers for this game. Read at your own risk!
Before I get into the story of the game which is the main point of this post, I would like to point out that a multitude of incredible Pokemon were added in this generation that have become mainstay staples in competitive play. This game also ushered in the Weather Wars which was and is one of my favorite aspects of the series. Finally, this is the generation where hidden abilities were added making some formerly useless Pokemon (like Venasuar) some of the best
But now, onto the plot and symbolism. Lets start with the geography. Generation 5 is based off of New York City. This is most obvious with Castelia City and Nimbassa which are based of the central business districts and Central Park respectively. There is a Brooklyn Bridge that the trainer crosses around the midpoint of the game. One of the darker themes shown is the relic castle. Two broken towers filled with Ghost Pokemon that crave to have the life back that was stolen unexpectedly from them in an unforgivable tragedy. The area around the towers is called "Ground Zero." Wanna take a wager at what part of New York this is?
Now that we have established the fact that this game has darker and edgier undertones, we should explore why this may be. Pokemon is a series that has had a large fan base for its entire existence, but that fan base has gotten older just like the ones of Harry Potter. In fact its many of the same fans for both. So, just like Harry Potter, the fans wanted something more adult for their growing age.
This trend started becoming obvious in Diamond in Pearl with Cyrus, but that character deserves their own blog post.
But it became obvious in Black and White. To show it, I will be exploring two characters and how they affect the plot and actually change the normal flow of the Pokemon Games.
I'll start with my favorite character in the Game: N Harmonia. Young Autistic Male who suffers from Feral Child Syndrome allowing him to talk to Pokemon and enjoy their company far more than he finds in the presence of Humans. While he does come off creepy in the game, that is due to his Autistic tendencies which are most obvious in the infamous Ferris Wheel Scene. The battle after this is also infamous where N proves how deadly of a Rival he is when he sends out a very strong Siglyph.
Later you find out he is the leader of Team Plasma. A Pokemon evil Gang that is the universes version of PETA. Telling trainers to release their Pokemon into the wild because that is what is right. And just like PETA, they resort to terrorism when they don't get their way. This presents an interesting dilemma to the Player that had never been addressed in the series before.
As the game continues, N becomes obsessed with capturing a Legendary Pokemon to then help him convince the world that his ideals are correct. This was not the first time this was employed as both Ruby/Sapphire and Diamond/Pearl had this same idea with their plots. Thus when the game's first climax occurs at the top of a tower where the legendary sleeps, most savvy players expected, N to fail. Thus the biggest surprise was when he didn't! He caught the Pokemon and there is nothing you can do to stop him.
Finally you reach the Elite 4 and chase after your rival as he beats all the trainers first. Eventually you reach the champion. Normally this person serves as the last boss of the game. Not this time! N beats the Champion and before you can battle him there for the Title of League Champion, Team Plasma sets their plan in motion and takes over the Pokemon League, their hideout appearing from the ground below as it engulfs the entire area.
With this sudden change in events and an incredible change in the Pokemon formula, you the player step into their lair to have a decisive battle with N and save the world. Once you step inside, you quickly realize that this young autistic boy, is nothing more than a pawn for an even greater scheme. The real point where this hits you is when you enter N's toy room and realize the extent of the abuse his father, the true villain of the game put him through just to make him his pawn.
When I entered this room, I felt a level of shock I had not experienced since Red/Blue Lavender Town. Black/White had crossed the moral event horizon and that moment marked the true Cerubus Syndrome marker for the rest of the series thereafter. I had to put the game down for a moment and gather my thoughts, and after the fact when I turned to online forums, I found I was not alone in this regard.
Finally I reached the top of the castle and knew the Battle with N was eminent. But first, the player is allowed to catch the other Legendary Pokemon that is the counterpart to the one N had already caught. Thus after the game makes you put the legendary you just caught in your party, you get to finally battle N with his Legendary versus Yours. This is the only time in the series where this has occurred and I hope that Nintendo does this again. Finally after a very tough battle, the player wins, N is defeated, and the player assumes they have won, but then, the character who you have realized is the true mastermind behind the plot decides he wants to deal with your personally. This brings us to the other character.
Ghetsis Harmonia, Pokemon's Knight of Cerubus. On TV Tropes, this guy has so many villain tropes associated with him that he has been awarded the troperific award. But first and foremost, this guy is a complete monster, utter sociopath, and unlike many villains in not just Pokemon but in fiction in general, he brings his A Game.
He used his son N as a disposable pawn to rule the world. Tricked many people into surrendering their Pokemon to him so that he could use them to enslave the human race once they all belonged to him. To that end he trapped his son in a room with no human contact, sent in abused Pokemon to trick his son into thinking Humans are bastards and worst of all, the one abusing the Pokemon was none other than him.
You find out that he alternative plans in place in case his son failed such as possessing the orbs to control other legendary Pokemon including the ones that control time and space itself. That's right, Ghetsis was considering destroying the entire universe if his plan failed and had the tools to accomplish it.
Even worse, once N loses to the player. He calls him useless. Talks about how he is only a means to an end, and tells him to step aside and let his father, and master show him how to properly battle. Before decrying to you that he is the future ruler of the world, he then battles you himself. With his words before the battle begins that he will crush you slowly as he enjoys most, watching the hope vanish from his victims as they learn defeat.
And that is a feeling you learn once you battle him. His battle theme is unlike any in the entire series. The background has a swirling dark wind akin to something out of the Video Game Chrono Trigger.
He first sends out a Cofagrigus, a super bulky Pokemon that has no trouble at all in taking on your legendary as it Toxic stalls it to death. The rest of his team even contains a few of the star Pokemon of the Elite 4s teams making his composition exceptionally tough to take on. But after 5 of his Pokemon are down for the count, the player may be weakened but they are ready to beat this bastard. Then his final Pokemon appears and you learn the meaning of despair.
He chose a Pokemon befitting the leader of Team Plasma, and Hydreigon deserves mention in its own right. As one of now 7 "pseudo legendaries", this Pokemon has stats that are unparalleled and a movepool to match. In competitive play, the only prediction you can make about Hydreigon's movepool is that there will be no predictions. While he has a glaring weakness to fairy types, those Pokemon did not exist in Black/White leaving the trainer all alone in the darkness to face this monstrosity.
A monstrosity that has become my favorite Pokemon in the entire series and as you may have read in an earlier blog post, one that I see as synonymous with my Autism. The final stage of my growing up will see me turn into an unstoppable force of awesomeness just like this Dragon.
With a movepool of Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Focus Blast, and Surf., he hits every single Pokemon in the entire game for at least neutral damage. And with a sky high special attack stat it hurts when you are on the receiving end.
Many people that played through the game met game overs a plenty to Hydreigon, but finally the player triumphs against Ghetsis and his Dark Dragon. He gets arrested and all seems well in the Pokemon world.
Except its not because he escapes to show up again in the sequel, where he and his Dragon try to KILL the player before they even battle. Ghetsis is a villain that would better fit in a far darker game that Pokemon allows and that's why we all love to hate him.
This game is more than just a Pokemon Game. It is among my favorite games in the world and I highly recommend any who read this give it a try.
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