Technically speaking, Volo counts as a cosmic horror character: one who craves knowledge beyond his own comprehension to the point he literally goes insane.
Sinnoh's the most mythological region, even with Alola dabbling into the multiverse, and Giratina is basically Yog-Sothoth....and you're dealing with GOD ITSELF, which, even if you don't unchain yourself from an Abrahamic perspective, is a pretty eldritch existence in of itself. So, Volo being basically someone who'd buddy up with Whateley and Marsh would not be out of the blue.
@@N0rth_Star It's not That far back, her other ancestors design implies 1800's. So depending on when gen 4 happens it would only be like 3 greats at most.
Still love the fact that Volo was so good at raising pokemon yet so misguided that he was outright called a wielder of pokemon. There was no one in this time period that even stood a chance at beating him, so Arceus called someone from the future with the capabilities to defeat Volo, just to make him REALIZE that he was wrong. That's just amazing writing and this song embodies that to me. And since he's Cynthia's ancestor and all too, it all lines up perfectly to put fear into the hearts of pokemon veterans with the piano ptsd. And I just LOVE the clock bell.
This man is as exactly as dangerous as he looks in this moment, but not simply because of being related to Cynthia. His title as Pokémon Wielder isn't an exaggeration, in that time period of Hisui, Pokeballs were only recently invented, and only a very small handful of people knew how to use them, much less barely command more than two Pokémon. Besides Commander Kamado (someone who is fairly versed in Pokémon despite his feelings), Ingo (formerly a battling master with his brother pre-amnesia from the present day Unova), and Potato Mochi Man Beni. Volo is the only person in Hisui to have 6 Pokémon with that sheer level of strength and the ability to command a Legendary Pokémon. When he was cursing about how it was as if you were sent to Hisui just to interfere, like some form of divine intervention, it wasn't just him cursing you, his god literally sent you to stop him because there was nobody who could. Let that sink in.
@@longbeing Cyrus also is only putting on a facade of being emotionless. His whole plan and reasoning is literally that he was abused and distanced himself from his emotions to not have to deal with the issues of it, which is a common coping mechanism, known even back when the original Diamond and Pearl were being developed. That's what the Sunnyshore dude who is Cyrus' grandfather implies with his messages. The only villain who has a team of Pokémon that hate him is Ghetsis. Who is a literal narcissist, it's not hard to see why they don't like him. Volo is just genuinely unable to see others as people in the way he is a person and wields veneration of Arceus despite the hypocrisy it makes with his actions. He effectively watched a sandcastle get kicked down and decides to make it Arceus' problem. That's what I got from his motivation. Ironically, this makes Cyrus' motivations the same as Guzma, and the latter handled it healthier, but he's also Guzma.
A great detail I love about this piece is when it starts from 0:00 to 0:17, in-game it just STOPS if you don’t press any buttons and overall silence is just heard until you acknowledge (press the button) that you are about to battle, then the rest continues. The devs literally KNEW when that piano 1st hit all the memories and PTSD of Prime Cynthia being a menace came back and literally made us, the player reminiscing in silence go “Press A when you’re ready to face your fears….again” That silence is almost as scary as the boss Sublime
Fun fact: If you beat the first part of Volo's final battle, it does NOT say "Battle decided". Basically a small indicator that Gamefreak put there to say "You won this match... but it's not over yet."
Just a reminder, this was the guy that taught us the most effective way to catch a Pokémon is to hit it square in the back of the head with a Pokeball when it doesn’t see you. I’ll admit that I thought the villain was going to be Kamado but Volo was a very well constructed Antagonist.
Yeah, it really threw me for a loop when kamado essentially put you on trial for witchcraft. I thought for sure that meant kamado would be the main villain
I mean kamado was kind of the antagonist for the main story ending, since he went crazy and tried to do something ridiculous to save his people. But yeah Volo is definitely a full on villain in comparison
He also doesn’t do anything for basically the entire game despite following you around everywhere, he knows a ton more about the plates than he should, and Cogita even points out that he doesn’t actually do any work. I was suspicious of him since pretty much the start of the game when he just shows up out of nowhere, but I never actually decided he was the villain until I met him at the Giratina statue. A+ villain writing right there.
Cynthia's Garchomp: A fearsome dragon type with a friendly personality wanting to help the world. Volo's Togekiss: A cute fairy type with a cruel personality wanting to remake the world.
@@jordanrichardson2367 No, its possible Togekiss also wants to remake the world considering Togekiss is revolted by pain and suffering, Volo is too revolted by pain and suffering. Mix those two together and They were made for eachother
On August 12, 2012, a 9 year old me beat Cynthia with only my level 84 Empoleon. On August 12, 2022, a 19 year old me beat Volo with that same Empoleon. Some things never change.
Imagine being so strong that the God of your world doesn’t wanna fight you head-on and instead opts to distort time and space itself just to bring in a prodigy from 200 years in the future to have a CHANCE at beating you
If you think about it, you were God’s second choice; Arceus must have first picked Ingo as the world’s greatest fighter to save the universe… then poor Ingo wasn’t as strong without his brother then Arceus picked you
@@thekylestkyleeeeee9386 at least even Arceus recognizes how ingo is amazing, even if it meant separating him from his friends and family for who knows how long
@@Flapjack3734 Ingo seems to be a little younger than middle aged in Black/White and looks to be older but not particularly what one would call old age in Legends Arceus. I'd say he's in his mid-late 30's in Black/White and in his mid-late 50s if not early 60s in Legends Arceus. My guess is that he's been trapped in the past for roughly 20 years. Though again the Pearl Clan talks about him as if he's somewhat new, so who knows?
@@thekylestkyleeeeee9386 Actually, I’m pretty sure the player was Arceus first choice. Volo did say he opened the time rift, and it is completely possible (and implied I believe) that Ingo was in the wrong place and the wrong time and fell through. Ingo doesn’t have the arc phone or given ‘the seek out all Pokémon’ mission from Arceus. So I think the poor guy was just unlucky rip.
Tbh giratina was extremely easy, a single togekiss trained in def and sp def is enough to wall both giratina battles, volo on the other hand was quite difficult.
@@christophersalumro3076 The hero would be a good call since most of the old verses imply that he met Arceus, even going as far as to reference the Sinjoh Ruins
Nah, nah. Nuzleaf. No other betrayal outright led to the player's DEATH until and SINCE him. And just like Nuzleaf, this man sicced a LEGENDARY on the player to kill them. And considering how hard Giratina was to defeat, he might as well have been successful in that too. ^^"
Hey, I saw Dusknoir coming a mile off. Then told my dad there was no way Volo was the villain when he called it and felt incredibly stupid a bit later. Biggest betrayal is the one you don't see coming imo
I found it interesting that Volo was the trainer we ended up fighting first, not Rei / Akari. I didn't think much of it, a new game with a new formula, I just thought "Oh, so they broke having your rival be your first trainer battle tradition in this game." Of course, it isn't until much, much later that you realize... *they didn't break tradition.* Such a small detail I didn't notice until now, I love this game.
@@hairglowingkyle4572 He's one of the firsts that's true but not the actual first character you fight against like with Volo. Either way it's a nice little foreshadowing in both games.
The trend of ‘each game’s first Pokémon Trainer battle is the rival’ applies to every game except Diamond and Pearl (and the remakes), you don’t fight Barry until after Jubilife, and you have to go through Route 202’s trainers first. So, they already broke tradition 15 years ago.
@@MarthaVsHumanity Ah, just my luck the only mainline games I never got to play as a kid lmao. I already played through Brilliant Diamond but it was mostly forgetable.
Volo means 'will' in latin. Cogito (for Cogita) means think in latin. Sentio ( for Cynthia) means feel in latin. Together, the three compose the same things as the lake guardians: thought, will, and emotion.
I love how he uses 8 pokemon not because he's cheating, but because trainer battle rules haven't been invented yet. I assume the player character has a 6 max because they were Isekai from modern times, and can't break rules they still believe to be true.
I just realized another comparison, well in this case Volo to Sephiroth... Sephiroth has a God Complex who believes to be last of the Cetra. Volo says his ancestors are of Sinnoh/Hisui's past, thus is obligated to find Arceus and become a God himself. Yikes! The comparisons couldn't be anymore clear!
My alpha zoroark at 59 hp from a super effective move: "call an ambulance, call an ambulance!" That same Zoroark, about to rock Origin Giratina's shit with a nasty plot-boosted, strong style bitter malice: *"But not for me."* Literally how the fight went for me I love that zoroark.
Well actually Legends Arceus is only set like 150 years in the past because it is set in what is basically the Pokémon world's equivalent of the Meiji Restoration
I just like that he got arceus’s attention but not in the way he would had comprehended. He did all of this to get a reaction out of arceus in which he takes a possible champion from another time, scrubs his memory then essentially sends you on a quest that makes it impossible for you to not get in volos way at some point. It’s like a cockroach trying to get the attention of the owner of the house, but the owner just gets an exterminator to deal with it so he doesn’t have to
@@minefish Yeah, with a level gap lower than against Kamado at the beach, I only survived by using a Max Revive, and it left me with a single Luxray at half health. Let's say that I didn't even get the chance to throw a single ball to Giratina.
Volo foreshadows his betrayal in a few different ways. He teaches you the Back-Strike technique. This one should be pretty straightforward, but for those who might not get it, it’s because he figuratively stabs you in the back later on. He scares you. He sneaks up behind you and says, “Boo!” This is a really subtle way to foreshadow, and I love it. It’s because he has the Spooky Plate. There’s also his tendency to show up wherever you happen to be, no matter how nonsensical for a Ginkgo Guild member. He’s following you. There’s also his trusting and friendly nature towards you, which is a stark contrast to the suspicious behavior from the others.
Also his ace is the Togakiss a Fairy Flying type, while Cynthia's ace is Garchomp Dragon Ground, the exact opposite of Togakiss, which foreshadows while these are both similar people as both cynthia and volo use both pokemon on their team and serve a similar purpose in the game up to the palkia/dialga fight. After that it shows how Volo is truly the oppisote of Cynthia who is a true guide and trying to actually help you.
At first I was thinking "there has to be a villain here. Well, this guy's mysterious, so it's definitely him." Then when Volo took me in when i got kicked out, i genuinely felt sorry i was suspicious of him. I grew attached to him and felt happy to help him do his research. We got the last plate, but when he started laughing... My heart sank. Best mainline pokemon game I've ever played.
Yeah, same. The one dude in the beginning who was totally friendly and cool. I shoulda known. I thought for sure cyrus ancestor was gonna be the big baddy and i was so sus of her the entire game and she was totally just our for everyones well being. Meanwhile my bro of a traviling merchent i hung out with on the reg learnin lore stuff was the eldritch priest summoning pokemon cthulu to fight god and got me stuck on the past and even worse got my train boys ingo and emmet eternally seperated. I was so upset there wasnt any after story quest to get them reunited.
This theme sounds both heroic and terrifying at the same time, it’s what final fight music should sound like. Reminding you that the real villain is the friend you made along the way.
Just realised this, Volo using giratina to drive dialga and palkia mad so that Arceus would be drawn out is very similar to how Zinnia manipulated Team Magma and Aqua to unleash Groudon and Kyogre in order to draw out Rayquaza.
@@MariOmor1 most likely not. Since Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem were originally one single Dragon that split apart when the twin heroes decided to pursue truths and ideals respectively and then clashed over which side was right.
@@ultraomenmurat9937 I suppose then it would be possible. But drawing out Kyurem would’ve been dangerous since its Pokédex entries convey that it killed and likely devoured people and Pokémon who entered its domain. Since this game would’ve taken place in the past, we’d be experiencing first hand just how Kyurem got this reputation in the first place.
What makes Volo a good twist villain (for me, at least) is the fact that you actually had a reason to trust him. For most of the game, I was determined to figure out who would be the villain, and Volo was my prime suspect. The way he shows up randomly to say random things was JUST like Pokémon's previous twist villains. But when he came to my aid after I was kicked out by Kamando, he gained my trust. Not to mention that at this point I was busy hating Kamando. And by the time Kamando had gained my trust back, I thought it was to late for another twist villain. Then I got to the part where he first mentions Giratina, and I started to catch on. I thought to myself: "no way he's actually doing this." And even so, I didn't expect the reveal that he opened the space-time rift, or the fact that he WAS LITTERALY WORKING WITH THE POKÉMON EQUIVALENT TO THE DEVIL. The following battle against him and Giratina is one of my favorite moments in a Pokémon game.
I suspected him as soon as I beat Liligant/Arcaine. He asked about how the plate hunt was going. As if he didn't care what happened to the people. I then thought, it would make a really cool twist villian. That is what a good twist villian, not something obvious or something impossible to miss.
I legit suspected him first or second time he showed up. He was way to sus for me not to suspect him of being someone bad. every time he showed up after that just made me feel more right being sus of him, the way he talked about the plates and just being out of place from everyone else, how he HAPPENED to be legit anywhere of importance. when he outted himself at the end I screamed at my TV going "fucking knew it!" I enjoyed beating his ass way more than I should have.
I feel like Volo is all of the Cynthia memes personified. He's all of Cynthia's brutality in battle, but with none of the kindness, duty, or hell...any of her positive aspects.
Pokemon Wielder..a fitting title for one who would use god's creations against him. He does not 'train' pokemon. He is unconcerned with living alongside them in harmony. He does not 'use' pokemon. He does not see them as mere objects or tools for power. *He WIELDS them. Like an artist using their brush to paint over the canvas god put into being.*
Except he kind of does work alongside them, though. He uses a lucario in his team, which canonically would only evolve from a riolu given a strong enough bond to its trainer; or maximizing its friendship in our terms. He's less disheartened and more misguided to the point of insanity.
Well while he had it first, he didnt compose it However Cynthia in-universe did, she wrote the song for her piano So in a way she composed her ancestor's and her own theme
It's more of their way of saying "In case you haven't realized it yet, surprise, it's Cynthia's ancestor" without actually slapping you in the face with it.
I really liked Volo. He was there for you even when the rest of the world wasn’t. Then you find out the whole time he was just using you for his own gains… that was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more betrayed while playing a game
We often think that those who are there for us at our lowest are the ones we can trust the most to be on our side- I love seeing a Pokemon game show us that isn't always the case.
You know, Volo had me actually crying tears of gratitude when he showed up to bring me to Cogita's camp after I got kicked out of Jubilife. I was fully expecting a battle when he called me up to Spear Pillar, especially when he started getting crazy eyes when talking about the legendaries, but his betrayal still hurt. I wrecked him and Giratina first try though. My rage left them in pieces. NPCs aren't allowed to toy with my emotions like that.
@@TheDracolordian NPC literally means Non Player Character. If his actions are controlled by the game instead of someone with a controller, he's an NPC.
I don't think I can understate the raw fear I felt in my soul when I heard those piano notes. Something about Cynthia's theme playing when you don't expect it induces so much more terror than facing her down in the Sinnoh games proper.
Didn’t even realize one tear slipped down my face until I finished the battle… well, more so Volo did. I got my ass beat into a pulp, had to train more.
I am a newer pokemon player so I never experienced the pain of Cynthia but I now know it through Volo. It took me so many tries to beat him... then more tries to beat Giratina... then more tries to beat the Origin Form Giratina. When I finally beat him I put down the game for a while I was so tired lol. Now on another playthrough I beat him first try without over leveling 🤣
I find Volo the most relatable out of all the villains. He wants to meet his god and understand why the universe exists so badly he snaps. He's quite literally consumed by his curiosity. As someone haunted by the same questions, his quest for knowledge rather than just plain power or perfection hit me strangely hard.
It is very understandable, since there would always be a point during our lives where we would think: “Why is the world like this?” and a desire to change it to a much happier world. He’s just greatly misguided by his curiosity and thirst for answers that he would use any method necessary to achieve it. A shame really, he could’ve been a great friend.
@@Code_Lune There might be a chance of redemption for him. He has a Togekiss and Lucario after all, two Pokémon requiring friendship to evolve, so maybe there’s some humanity left in him. At the time of this reply, a Pokémon direct for Pokemon day is airing tomorrow this Sunday, so we may get Legends DLC announced. If that’s the case, we may see Volo again, perhaps wanting to atone, or maybe trying to kill you again. Would be cool if there’s a special event in game where you can show Volo the Arceus you caught so he can “meet” God.
@@thatoneguy5343 Him wanting the answers to the universe does not mean he does not have compassion. It rather shows that while now consumed by the unending quest for knowledge, Volo once was or maybe still is a nice person, its just that possibilities laid upon him have caused him to walk a path that causes him to betray his friends and allies and cause massive damage to entire regions.
@@sleepyllama3673 I like to think that Volo started off as a misguided, but well meaning man just wanting to meet his creator without ill intent. When Giratina and Volo crossed paths however, I believe that’s what drove Volo to psychopathy. I think Giratina is the true villain. Before Legends came out, Giratina being the Devil and wanting revenge against Arceus for their banishment was nothing but a headcanon by the Pokemon community, but Legends confirms Giratina desires vengeance. Giratina bestowing Volo with the Spooky Plate is the equivalent of Eve eating the fruit of knowledge offered by the Snake in the bible. Volo didn’t just want to meet Arceus under Giratina’s influence, he wanted to destroy and recreate everything to fit his standards. Only after you put him and Giratina in their places that Giratina decides to protect the universe rather than conquer it either out of fear or realizing the error of their ways. Volo, despite being freed from the Devil’s temptation, is still corrupted, but with a small spark of the man he used to be. Whether he atones or suffers is up to him and him alone.
POV: 15 years after conquering Sinnoh on the DS, you are working from home in the pandemic. Your child finishes his homework and continues his game of Pokemon Arceus. In between Zoom calls, you hear this music. YOU KICK DOWN THE DOOR TO SAVE YOUR SON.
Love that he's referred to as a Pokemon wielder, I've actually forgotten what all other characters we fight at any point were referred to as, but it stuck out to me when he was called a wielder. It's such a contrast to a trainer. He wields Pokemon like objects, like weapons.
So everyone reiterates the same "Volo is the biggest back stabber in the pokemon franchise" while I'm over here listening the how perfectly this soundtrack fits the stakes of the world at this point, Volo is LITERALLY a threat to this whole universe, so much so that God itself had to do something without presenting itself because arceus vs giritina would be world ending on its own. You as the player are the last thing standing between Volo and him changing the world into almost nothing
@@katiestrong385 That legitimately should be a secret "super hard mode," people would shit themselves. Obviously Nintendo would never do that, because they're cowards, but still.
The fact that the Paldea ruin Pokemon where sealed away by a group known as the Pokémon Wielders makes Volo’s title imply that he might just be one of many skilled trainers from the past
How nice it is that Volo is the antagonist and Cyllene is a helper to the protagonist. This was probably the first pokemon game where I was surprised at who the antagonist was. Pokemon Legends:Arceus is a truly magnificent game.
What's even better is how they're characterized. You can imagine what traits and dialogue Volo and Cyllene have that would influence their descendants, mainly Cynthia and Cyrus.
@@LucarioShirona Definitely, and in Volo's case, his obsessions kicked off generations worth of his descendants all being invested and working to study lore even long after him. Kind of wild when you think about it.
@@BladedShard and with Cyllene, you feel tough, strict love from her. While that’s good, it unfortunately must’ve been diluted through the generations until only the tough/strict part was left and that’s what partially led Cyrus to being the way he is :(
A bunch of people theorized that she intentionally did it, knowing full well what it already was, that's she's also more knowledgeable than she wants people to believe. Some also claimed she could possibly be immortal like other Pokemon characters
You know what? I decided I wanted a Togekiss on my main team for this game because of this dude. I told my friend that I thought he was pretty cool and she (who had the game months before me) responded with “oh”. Few days later, I get to this battle and MY HEART SHATTERED, this is probably the first ever character in this franchise I truly gotten attached to and ouch that hurts.
You know, I used a Togekiss on my team as well due to that reason as well, having a party member the same as an important character really makes you more attached to them and the Pokémon. Ironic that him having a Pokémon that represents happiness, and influencing the one who defeated him to use one as well, would lead to that Togekiss being a vital weapon against him, being able to stand it’s ground against several of his other Pokemon like Spirtomb, Garchomp, Roserade and even Ghiratina himself.
My friend played, who's brand new to Pokemon by the way, played brilliant diamond and when she met champion-revealed Cynthia, she heard the piano music. I told her this is the song that every real pokemon trainer knows as "I'm Going to Lose" theme. As we played this we heard the music and both just looked at eachother...
@@janposekany5392 Crap I literally didn't mean that. Platinum was my first game but Brilliant Diamond was hers. I agree completely different games. My mistake, thanks!
I've been thoroughly enjoying reading everyone's analyses on Volo's character, and I'd like to share something I haven't seen mentioned in this comment section yet (though maybe someone did and I just missed it): Volo, despite being the game's twist antagonist with warped ideals, is not a bad person at his core, which can be proven by analyzing his Pokemon. His Togepi most obviously proves this point -- at the beginning of the game, it is his partner Pokemon at only level 5 in your first battle. By the final battle, however, it has evolved into a level 68 Togekiss. A Togepi will only evolve into a Togetic "under the loving care of a trusted human companion," as stated by the game's Pokedex. Even though he calls himself a "Pokemon wielder," implying that he only uses his Pokemon as weapons, the mutual love and trust between him and his Togepi had to be real, because it simply would not have evolved otherwise. I mean, just take a look at the photo of the two of them displayed in front of the photo studio; their bond just had to be genuine, because I don't think a bad guy would care for his Pokemon to that extent. And if you think he replaced his original Togepi with a Togetic/Togekiss behind the scenes, I addressed that in one of the replies to this comment. Another Pokemon that proves this point is his Garchomp, which you first see as a Gible in your second battle with him. Of course, unlike Togepi, this Pokemon evolves with leveling, so we can't play the friendship level card to prove his bond with it. However (assuming he didn't just replace it with a Gabite/Garchomp), he had a strong commitment to raising it through all three stages of its evolution, showing the devotion he has to his Pokemon. Now, going back to Pokemon that only evolve with high friendship: Riolu. Maybe he caught a Lucario and skipped the evolution, but judging by how he chose to raise his Gible rather than catching a Garchomp, as well as how he raised his Togepi rather than catching a Togekiss, I think he very likely started off with and raised a Riolu as well. And if this is true, then we can once again judge Volo's true character based on him having one. This game's Pokedex entry for Riolu states that it "has the mysterious ability to read the minds of humans," and that "the pure of heart are met with Riolu's approval, while those of ill nature earn only its loathing." Lucario, of course, has the same traits and abilities as Riolu, so even if he never actually had a Riolu, this point still stands. If Volo truly had an "ill nature," then he would not be able to gain the trust of a Riolu, much less have it fight for him or evolve into Lucario. And even if Volo somehow faked his bond with Togepi, it would be impossible for him to manipulate a Riolu/Lucario, which can read minds. Thus, the only conclusion we can draw is that he is pure at heart; he genuinely wants to make the world a better place, and he genuinely thinks that what he is doing is right. TL;DR: Volo has Pokemon that only evolve if they have a strong, mutual bond with their trainers, he chooses to raise his Pokemon from their first evolutions rather than simply catching an evolved form to skip the process, and his Lucario can read his mind and tell that he is pure of heart. So, Volo is a genuinely good person deep down, but does not realize how misguided he has become. But this is all just how I perceive his character, and also me overanalyzing a team that was only created for the purpose of mirroring Cynthia's, so make of this what you will!
i really like this idea. the only thing i think goes against it is the idea of being a weilder and not a trainer. i think this was definitely an intentional distinction
the only point that makes really sense to me is the one with riolu/lucario. because - yes he uses a togepi and gible in the first 2 fights but - he could have just caught those two for the time being and then catch a togetic/togekiss and gabite/garchomp for the final fight. this would make - for me - much more sense because he is a pokemon wielder - NOT a trainer. which would show that he uses them as weapons or tools for his plan
Dont forget the roserade, if hes gonna raise a riolu then whats stopping him from raising a budew (The lucario and roserade could literally be in there just for the cynthia reference however I believe he raised togepi, as its probably harder to come by pokeballs as a non-member of the galaxy corps, though ginter d o e s sell bundles of them so idk)
lets be real Arceus sent the player back in time to stop volo from taking over the world because he was far far stronger then any other person in this era. If arceus didn't send the player back in time volo probably would have been completely unstopable and might have actually succeeded in his plan.
This makes sense and with him being As strong as he is and the predecessor to Cynthia and we all know how strong she is because if you think about it your character has fought Cynthia many times in which it it makes complete total sense
I mean, he does say that he feels like your character was just sent in to get in his way.... So I'm pretty sure that's what Arceus was going for. Can't give Volo what he wants by stepping in personally. Being defeated by a god is expected, being defeated by a child forces you to step back and consider your choices.
Idk man, if anything’s beating Ultra’s theme, it’s Origin Fight. This theme is good, but not in the same way Ultra’s is. Also, I’m probably gonna get crap for this, but all the fights weren’t THAT hard. I didn’t even know what was gonna happen and I only needed to use one max revive. My team was relatively on level, and even if it wasn’t, you get XP for spam catching stuff so there’s almost no excuse unless you are actively going after the story to be far underleveled. Challenging, sure, but not difficult.
@@coldzoroark6440 Wait until N's ancestor will have an epic battle with 7 pokemon with the original dragon aka Kyurem true form without healing in between on possibly Unova legends game.
@@yangwenlifangirl They can always make it worse. Phase 1: 6-pokemon battle Phase 2: Kyurem, Reshiram, Zekrom one after another Phase 3: the complete original dragon with Eternamax Eternatus-like BST
“Good guy” is a bit of a stretch. I don’t think so. You were being used by him throughout the game, dude literally tries to get that legendary to kill you. He set everything in motion. Hisui would have been destroyed had you not been there at all because of him. He is a cool villain, I’ll give you that.
They're actually kind of opposites in a way. N is used by Ghetsis, whereas Volo uses you as his pawn to get all the plates. I'd say villain wise he's much more similar to Ghetsis. But he differs in the sense that Ghetsis is content with not being the chosen one so long as he gets what he wants which is domination over the league, whereas Volo is absolutely not content with the idea of someone else being the chosen one and through that built up resentment drives his own actions in the story. He has a god complex mixed with the capability of a mastermind manipulator, which makes sense considering this game's heavy gen 4 and 5 influence. He's like Cyrus and Ghetsis combined in my mind at least, which is pretty cool within the theming of self-fulfilling prophecy that's present in this game.
The second Volo revealed himself and this theme, I've had the most genuine goosebumps in my entire life. Hands down my favorite moment in all of Pokémon
FACTS! Just to figure out once you beat him after a couple tries that that was only the first stage of the fight! It was a truly aggravating masterpiece
I'm so sad 😆 I beat the main story and figured all the twists were done. Naturally I googled to see what I missed and other cool things I noticed, only to get this bombshell dropped on me. I had everything on Twitter muted too. Damn
Just did the fight today, I was nervous since my team was: Typhlosion, Wyrdeer, Kleavor, Overquil, Goodra, and Zoroark. This team didn’t have the best type coverage, and was nearing the level 80 mark. I abused Shelter like crazy.
Interestingly, his name Volo not only means "I wish" in latin, but his name is also a part of the term Diavolo, which means devil in italian. Given his ace, I think that name fits him even more now.
My favourite thing about this twist is how subtle it is. Unlike say, Lysandre (who's still a pretty good villain) who might as well have had a sign saying: Hey, I'm gonna be the bad guy, Volo is involved enough in the story and world so that you think he's just a normal character but constantly shows signs that make him always seem 'off'. At the back of your head u know he must be hiding something but don't have enough information to place it down. Only when he starts sending you to collect the plates in the post-game do the pieces slowly start falling into place until you finally see him for who he truly is. The moment I saw him send out Spiritomb with a full team of six I started getting BW post-game flashbacks.
Lysandre was the dumbest one since I literally figured it out practically the first time you see him in.. the Flare Cafe since a fucking grunt is standing outside and the man has a mane of red hair.. it was stupid they ever tried to fake us out XD
Lysandre really was obvious, even as a dumb 13 year old I knew immediately he'd be the Team Flare Leader. Aesthetics matched way too well, and his little speech to Diantha wasn't subtle at all. Volo meanwhile? He just seemed like a bit of an airhead to me, shirking his merchant duties and all, right up until his laugh at the Giratina statue. That's when I knew something was up. He seemed perfectly friendly and I came to look forward to seeing him every time. Especially when he was the first one able to really help me after Kamado turned on me. I mean I understand why the two Clans had to turn me away but he came to me when I needed a friendly face the most, only later did Adaman and Irida show up to help.
"Hey, it's nice to meet you." "This world is imperfect..." "What?" "...if only I could wipe away the impurities..." "Is anybody else listening to this?" "...and make it as beautiful as me."
@@BaconNuke Lysandre was weird and obvious because the original twist to him was he was supposed to be the alter-ego of Professor Sycamore. X & Y were heavily stripped down, most of the original plot, and a lot of content were abandoned due to time constraints - the games were rushed - and the fact that much of it was simply deemed too weird.
To those who were suprised by him being the main villain, look at some of the plot points for the story again. He is everpresent through the story, he always seems to be separate from the action, but never far away. He knows far more then a simple merchant should (even considering personal hobbies). I was legitimately convinced when I walked into the cave that he was about to show his true colours and attempt to steal the plates. he also treats himself as separate from the rest of the merchant guild as well, which is brought to light. his every sentence is off and designed to be unnerving to the observant viewer. he is a masterpiece of an antagonist.
Yeah, and the other good part is the game lulls you into thinking he is just a curious person and a friend, as he is cynthias ancestor. Cynthia was also obsessed with mythology but wasn't evil, so we assume he will be the same. Its pretty clever and I'm actually suprised that GF put that much thought into it
I certainly wouldnt go as far as calling him a masterpiece. he is quite good and fkn hard, but compared to other villains i would call a masterpiece... not a close call
Yeah. No one else was there for you at your most darkest. Everyone you knew, the professor, hikari/rei, cyllene, forced to stay away because kamado. Neither clans due to the fear of ruining relations with galaxy team. Volo was there for you. He showed you Cogita, and indirectly helped you save hisui and get kamado to his senses. He was there for you when you needed someone..so him being the reason this all happened, broke me mentally. Someone so helpful, so kindhearted, so dorky at times, was so broken and driven to destroying the world to rebuild it
Perhaps it was because you had ten plates. It stands to reason you'd be able to collect the rest, letting Volo fulfill his own goal. Being able to remain undercover was a welcome side effect.
I honestly believe Pokémon Legends Arceus is the best game the franchise has seen since the jump to full 3D. I think part of this stems from how the game is not structured like a Pokémon game, but closer to a regular JRPG. There's so many different climactic parts of the game. The exiling from Jubilife Village, the fight with Kamado, the fight against the first of the two legendaries between Dialga and Palkia, this absolutely mind-blowing fight with Volo + Giratina, and of course the final fight with Arceus. This game is so memorable and is gonna go down as one of my favorite games in the entire franchise. I just really wish they supported it longer and didn't skip to Gen IX so soon
YES ! I know i’m 2 yrs late into the party but Legends is really great and a good refresh game for pokemon. Yeah it’s might be not everyone liking. How much i love the entire game scenery, it’s beautiful and not bland nor boring at least it’s memorable. The whole crafting item is neat, i like this semi open world with few area. The character 3D model style isnt great but it’s okay ( i mean.. SV look way worse even though it got more depth & texture ). Not a big fan of the game ending , i like the build up to climax where you banish from the village and no one cant help you but Volo but somehow the ending is just meh for me. Seriously PLA is goated, GameFreak could wait at least a year for PLA to have it’s own time instead of releasing SV soon after ( i mean obviously make the game also less glitchy & render it better ).
It's funny how everyone assumed Cyrus or Rowans ancestors would be the main villains and It's actually Cynthia's ancestor. Really gave me a swerve, most of the recent bad guys who where twists where easily seen as such (Lusamine, Rose) but this guy just seemed like a normal shopkeeper
@@MariOmor1 funny bc i don’t think her ace is hell, i actually have more troubles with spiritomb and the milotic but i do admit that roserade makes me anxious in rare times
He thinks that what he's doing it's right, plus i think the happy parts of the song are made to reflect the happy moments you spent with him while you were "friends"
Man I miss N he hasn't appeared in any games past gen 5 besides appearing in a mobile game heck Ghetsis and Colress have both made an appearance in gen 7
@@mrwannabe00 I heard someone say that N is dead in the gen7 timeline (which i don't really believe myself but whatever-) considering that Ghetsis has Reshiram/Zekrom in his battle during the Rainbow Rocket episode
@@sentientsodacan all the villains that were brought to the team rainbow rocket thing were ones from timelines in which they won, right? honestly.. it isn't that far fetched to believe. but it doesn't mean N is dead by the time of gen 7. just that a ghetsis is brought in from a different timeline to the one of usum where N lost, dead or not.
Listening to this song again after months has made me truly remember how fun and amazing this game really is. I would've never been the same without playing this. Listening to this song also makes me kinda sad realizing I have beaten this battle, which is one of the main bosses. When I first had to do this battle, I raged and died my first try of course but it seriously was an amazing experience. No Pokémon game can ever be as good as this was in my opinion. (Also, this was the first Pokémon game I ever played so that makes me appreciate it even more.)
This was one of my first games too! I was playing Brilliant Diamond at the same time. I finished BD before this game through , glad I did through I wouldn’t have understood why the piano went so hard lol.
I got attached to volo through the main story after all the times he pulled through and helped you. Then when I had to fight him and his giratina I felt broken man. The game actually made me like the main villain
I felt this bro, Volo was there when no one else was and to find out the whole time he was just using you? That stung more than Cogita using the pixie plate as a cutting board
I think the reveal of Volo as the antagonist was really well done, there were just enough easily missable hints: his first model being menacing looking, his seeming lack of a real connection to the merchant guild, and one or two ominously framed shots are all things someone could simply not notice.
Yeah I was wondering why they always made him Smile the way he does, and his Eyes always wierded me out but I thought it was just a bug. Wasn’t expecting this at all
He talked about doing business with you, and yet he was almost never shown to act as a merchant, only on about two occasions did he actually sell items.
I agree I thought they were just giving him so much screentime because he was Cynthia's ancestor. Looking back I really should have seen it coming. What a great reveal.
Yeah, I always thought Volo was up to something as soon as I saw that grin when I first fought him, same with the next battle, the final battle though, I have heard this theme WAY TOO MUCH, he can sweep if if you arent careful, even with tanky legendaries, he will destroy your team.
ye i love the dialogue where he refers to the merchant people like hes not one of them at one point thats what really made me sus of him, that and how the guild dont know who he is too, then how obsessed he was with the plates really made me expect the betrayal, but was still really good
Can we just take a moment to reflect on how absolutely insane Volo's Battle AI is? I was floored by his Togekiss multiple times, Had to redo the fight. He even walled out my Dialga and Palkia, Aswell as a maxed Avalugg, Sneasler and Garchomp. His AI abuses the Agile>Strong Combo to practically guarantee his mon' can one-hit you if it's Supereffective against your type. Even his Giratina AI in the later fight was absurd. I think whoever designed his AI deserves a pat on the back.
His AI is actually cheating. I had Dialga out and his Roserade used spikes, so I wanted to swap into Staraptor and suddenly he uses poison jab, which he shouldn'tve done since Dialga is part steel. He knew I was swapping pokemon that turn.
@@guill3118 This game’s battle system is different from the others, when you switch it happens before their turn since you and your foe don’t move at the same time. Which is prob why he could use poison jab against your staraptor, since first you threw it out and then he decided what move roserade would use. Unless I’m misunderstanding what you said.
@@JM-cw6wd Ok, that might be what happened. I'm still not sure how the battle system works. It makes me a little bit anxious because I never know who will move first and how many attacks they get off.
@@guill3118 Yeah the system can be confusing at times with the enemies sometimes attacking up to three times lol, but that’s what makes its exciting as well to me.
I just realized that since spiritomb is pretty much immortal that means the spiritomb you fight against Cynthia is the same as the spiritomb you fight against Volo
Volo's Spiritomb is male, Cynthia's one is female..... Fun Fact: Almost every Pokémon of Volo's team (Except Hisuian Arcanine that Cynthia obviously don't have) is the opposite gender of Cynthia's one (Cynthia's Garchomp, Spiritomb, Roserade are female. While Cynthia's Togekiss is male and Volo's is female)
The thing with Volo being called a „Pokémon-Wielder“ instead of trainer is pretty accurate since he doesn’t see his Pokémon as companions or friends but instead as tools. You train with friends or companions BUT you wield weapons
I love how this whole thing is put together. to his ace pokemon being Togakiss the COMPLETE opposite of Cynthia's ace pokemon Garchomp, a fierce pokemon that belongs to a protector, contrary to a pokemon who only appears when there is peace used by an oppressor. to the music having this familiar dread from the piano flourish mixed with this light almost whimsical feel. like it's expressing the characters confused emotions after being stabbed in the back by who they thought was a friend. to the sheer difficulty of the battle itself. this might be just my opinion, but i'd never think i'd see the day where pokemon makes a better battle then N's final battle.
Volo and Cynthia, despite being related, are two sides of a coin Both are interested in ancient history. Cynthia uses the information she finds to shape the world, Volo uses it for his own benefit Both have opposing aces (Garchomp/Togekiss) And their musical themes are also opposite. Volo's battle theme is Cynthia's encounter theme with a bit of the battle theme in it, and his encounter theme is mainly her battle theme
Just remember, that long pause near the start will hold until after the “Battle Start” sign passes. The Cynthia part only plays when the battle begins, Gamefreak really wanted to install fear into the fight.
In Platinum there was no backing down because you made it that far so it was all or nothing. In B/W 2 she gives you the choice to fight her or not. A first time ever after the ! Appears over the trainer.
I have bested Ultra Necrozma with a Sumo Wrestler and a Shape-Shifting fox... I have crippled both Volo and Giratina using a Waifu Bunny and a Grape-Shape Bat... I have turned beating Blue into a calculation after speedrunning Fire Red well over 12 times by this point. Yet, Cynthia in Platinum... yeah, no. I'm not dealing with *That* without 25 revives and Full Restores at the ready.
In Japanese (ウォロ), English (Volo), German (Volo), Spanish (Volus), Korean (월로) and Russian (Воло), Volo's name is derived from the Latin "volō" for "I wish", and possibly the philosophical statement "volō, ergo sum" (I wish, therefore I am). In French, his name is Percupio, from the Latin "percupio" for "to wish greatly". In Italian, his name is Ethelo, from the Ancient Greek ἐθέλω (ethélō), for "to wish". In Mandarin and Cantonese, his name is 望羅/望罗 or 望羅 (Wàngluó or Monglòh), from 望 (wàng/mong) for "to hope" plus the transcription of Volo. His name always represents his ultimate desire to meet Arceus.
There's a little mistake when talking about the philosophical statement, since it's actually "cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am) instead of I wish
Man, I looove the way they totally subverted expectations with the ancestors. Kamado turns out to despise you and banishes you, Beni (Wally’s ancestor) ends up being a crouching tiger and ultimate ninja, and CYLLENE of all people is a genuinely good and loyal person. Oh and THEN VOLO. VOLO!!! HE is the reason the rift opened after you closed it, the reason you were driven from your only home, and he was using you and tracking you the WHOLE time so he could get the plates-- and using Cogita too! Then he lures you to the temple HE ruined so he can subjugate THE LITERAL CREATOR GOD and make HIS OWN NEW WORLD. FUCK his noble goal to end all suffering. He threatens all but to KILL you to get the other 17 plates and THEN he summons POKÉMON SATAN TO KILL YOUR ASS.
The bit where he says that no matter what all roads lead to fighting him was super well done line. I don't know if it's still just where the game is still new but I think volo may be the best villain in the series.
correct. Volo is like cynthia and ghetsis rolled into one with a dash of cyrus and ultra necrozma for good measure. He has opposing things His ace is a togekiss which is opposite typing to garchomp cynthias ace He replaced the water type with a fire type milotic and arcanine. His clothes resemble arceus while cynthias looks like giratina.
Actually, no, Volo is a tough fight because he jacks Cynthia's team, and then gets some blatant horseshit on top of it. Cynthia doesn't need to rely on cheap bullshit like Volo does.
@@plompedu Within the game universe, sure, but the designers were clearly basing Volo off Cynthia, because of how time works in real life, so the design credit still goes to Cynthia.
I honestly liked Volo so much, I didn't even realize he was acting weird until I was almost finished collecting the plates. That's when I started to actually notice his strange dialogue and how invested he was with me, the player. I also didn't realize he was Cynthia's ancestor until I was battling him at the temple, but to be fair I haven't played Diamond or Pearl yet
Hearing this theme hit and seeing him send out Spiritomb. Crazy. I’m 28 but for a moment I felt 14. Actually felt that way the whole playthrough. One of my favorite games ever.
Oh man! I am so glad I wasn't the only one! I was 12 when I first battled and defeated Cynthia, when she first sent out her Spiritomb, and now here I am fighting Volo at 25 years old. I beat Cynthia back then, I wasn't going to lose to Volo no matter what.
It’s insane how good this game is to create this. I’d skipped SS and BDSP because they felt too lacklustre. But playing this game, gave me shudders unlike any main line game before. The excitement of evolving my two Eevees in what felt like my own narrative but really just good times random Pokémon, the fact that even though you felt like you grounded/ did side missions for a while before moving onto the next area, the enemy levels stayed almost on par with yours. Leading up to the final encounter with Volvo and Giritina. I only have 2 Pokémon and even then they were only 5 levels above and still very capable of one shooting me if I misplayed. Having to switch between the two just not to die, only for Volo to do the same was surprisingly nerve-wracking in a good way, as I had to find ways to slowly dismantle his team, only to find his next Pokémon to prove another threat to them. And then came Giratina… this game will be played for a while longer I feel XD
Same!! I legit screamed NO!!! when I heard the music and saw the Spiritomb pop out. Even tho I was 10+ levels above his team…I still felt the fear in my heart lol
31 here, this was really amazing, it's been a while (since pokemon gold with RED) that i felt issued a challenge like this. This is my favorite battle so far, so hard, and full of emotion
Cyllene, who is evil Cyrus' female counterpart, is good. Volo, who is good Cynthia's male counterpart, is evil. Good Cynthia is dressed in black and has a Dragon/Ground-type ace. Evil Volo is dressed in white (during the final fight) and has a Fairy/Flying-type ace.
Hold up togekiss is his ace? I honestly lost to him so many times that his last Pokémon would have been togekiss, roserade, or garchomp depending on my strategy.
In a story I created, purely fanfiction, Cyrus is Cynthia's dad.... Don't ask why I did that. I was Cynthia's cousin, so he was my uncle... Please remember that I did this story when I was about 10 years old (13 years ago of typing this comment.)
0:53 - 1:06 Gives off a mysterious vibe, similar to when we first meet Volo, which transformed into a chaotic and emotional sequence, similar to Volo's shift into madness. 1:17 - 1:29 Has a gentle and happy melody that almost makes you think there's still hope for Volo under that maddening passion to truly comprehend the meaning of the world.
I feel like 0:53 - 1:06 is referencing a motif we've heard before, but I can't place it at all and it's irritating me so much Edit: is it referencing the mount coronet music??? That's the best I can think of
@@J75Pootle It reminds me of Eterna forest, but that is quite different, I think. Or maybe the Uxie/Azelf/Mesprit battle, but I have trouble exactly recalling that song but it is also different... But I clearly recognise the song, perhaps another generation?
@@J75Pootle I couldn't place it for the longest time, but it sounds really similar to the theme that plays when you successfully beat Cynthia. Like, the victory music after you become champion
@@LeafyRowlet do you mean the hall of fame theme? I can't hear it in the battle victory music but I *think* the first melody in the section we're confused about sounds like a sped up (and maybe minor?) Version of the last melodic line in the dppt hallof fame theme before it repeats
a merchant cant relate to a champion they said... a merchant cant have a good battle song they said... No one person can cause every bad thing happen they said... a main villain cant have a name that looks like violin they said... no one person could strike ptsd they didn't say, it can not give agony to those, but the volo/cynthia family, are the only ones to history that can
I feel it is possible that Volo didn't feel that you were the chosen one right away. While he had suspicions about what falling out of the hole meant, you are not the first person from another time to show up. He knew Ingo already and knew for certain how strong Ingo's affinity for Pokemon was even without his memory. I feel the suspicions rose to a horrible point around the stage when you have calmed 2 lords and he starts asking more questions about what you saw in the hole. It slow creeps further along with more interactions as well. While I do believe that he was suspicious all along, his kindness towards your character at the start was no facade and the plan to use you for the plates started to form only when he decided to help you clear your name to grow more attached to you. TLDR I think Volo is one of the most complex characters Pokemon has ever written and I applaud them for a job well done.
In the Italian translation his name was changed to Ethelo, which in greek means "I desire", "I crave" or "I wish". In latin "volo" means "I wish", but it shares the same meanings as the greek "Ethelo"; this all makes sense as Volo/Ethelo has spent all his life trying to find more and more about Arceus: he craves for more knowledge, he always desires more and more, which is a running theme through rebellious deities like Lucifer or Giratina. Guess all these years of studying Latin, Greek and Italian are actually proving to be useful lol
What’s also interesting is the use of “Dires Ires” in his battle theme. It’s repeated several times. It’s like Nintendo really wants to drive home the point here. Edit: Now that I’ve listened to it again, it actually never stops. It’s the basis for the whole song. It’s just at times it’s more prominent than others.
This whole game I couldn't stop relating him to JoJo since the main antagonist of one season is named Diavolo and then Dio and Giorno are famous for their blonde hair
That's so cool, they really kicked it up a notch with the etymology for his name. Just a moment ago I was thinking "what kind of name is volo anyway lol". In what tense is Cogita in, then?
Giratina wasn't rebellious unlike lucifer, his presence is just too destructive to the normal world that Arceus decided to just throw Giratina into the distortion world But if Giratina was so destructive to Arceus creation, why made Giratina in the first place u ask? For matter to exist, antimatter must correspondingly exist too, Giratina is the god of antimatter
Im sure plenty have, but I haven’t seen anyone mention yet how Togekiss dex entry talks about them hating conflict and vanishing because of conflict as well as being lucky and peaceful creatures. And that’s his first/main Pokémon. I like that detail a lot cause I think it shows how he could have been a very happy and chill person if grief didn’t push him.
As someone who grew up with pokemon, I cried when this played. But not out of nostalgia or happiness. But out of pure fear and dread as I knew what was coming.
I like the idea that the player in Legends is just slightly older DPPt protaganist, and therefore, they beat not only Cynthia in their original time, but then came back and beat Volo. If you think about it, Arceus may have seen the players fight with Cyrus, Giratina, and Cynthia and decided that that was why they would be able to face Volo and stop him If that’s what the Sinnoh protag did to catch Arceus eye, Makes you wonder just how much Ingo did in his time before he was brought back, or if it was even Arceus’ doing or something completely different.
@@navi0760 I’m pretty sure like Annabelle in OG S/M and Looker in ORAS that Ingo fell through an ultra wormhole. The difference between the MC and Ingo is the MC still has their memories ‘cause Arceus directly sent them by its will to Hisui, but Ingo gained amnesia because as we seen in the gen 7 games and anime, falling through an ultra wormhole at the very least has a high chance of screwing up your memories. Annabelle had amnesia in S/M, Looker had Amnesia in ORAS, and Ingo follows the trend.
@@thatoneguy5343 I think it'd make alot of sense if Ingo was brougt there not by an Ultra Wormhole, but by the Space-Time rift Giratina created. After all, it's a *Space-Time* rift, and Ingo travelled through both space and time to "coincidentally" appear in the place and rough timeframe of the Space-Time rift being created. Not to mention that Annabelle and Looker seemed to have completely forgotten their prior life, while Ingo atleast remembers *some* of it.
@@holyroman6541 That’s true. Another theory I have which is far fetched but hear me out: Ingo was Arceus’ first attempt at stopping Volo. The reason the MC was brought to Hisui was to stop Volo, and according to Laventon, we directly came out of the space time rift atop of Spear Pillar. If your theory is true that Ingo fell through the same rift, then it could be Arceus either directly sent him to Hisui or set up the events that led to Ingo ending up in Hisui, but Ingo failed due to him losing his memories. Arceus noticed and learned from this attempt as when they sent the MC to the past, they made sure it was directly from them and not sabotage them to go through a portal like Ingo so the MC can keep their memories and thus be more efficient.
Volo caught me off-guard. I was just derping about having fun running around getting all the plates, and when the final battle started I was legitimately shaken because after several years of playing the mainline games, _I was not prepared for it at all._ My team consisted of random pokés I was only using for task research, with the exception of my high-levelled Typhlosion and Staraptor for emergencies. _And boy, was this an emergency._ I had to heavily rely on my very small, diminishing stash of revives and potions to get through his fight. And then _Giratina showed up._ I actually shouted _"No, you can't do that!!"_ when he transformed for phase two of his fight. I love this game. It took everything I knew about Pokémon and stomped on it.
I had a similar moment, literally shouting "WHAT?!" after I beat Giratina's first form. It had already token me around 5 tries to beat volo, another solid few tries to beat giratina, and then yet another few tries to beat Giratina's final form. My Pokemon were level 67 when I first challenged volo. I kid you not when I say when I finally beat him, my team were level 78. I had to be that overleveled just for a fighting chance. I legit would take a break, work on the pokedex, and come back every 4 hours or so to try again. What a satisfying victory.
@@averypatrick5279 when I fought him the first time my team was already level 80. And I didn't grind at all. All I did the entire game was trying to complete the pokedex.
I kinda laughed when people talked about their PTSD with Cynthia, because I thought it was ridiculous. She's just a champion, if you lose just face her again. I get it now, Volo left me in tears
The cynthia piano rift near the beginning has that feeling of twisted dread and I love that. Finding out he was behind the space-time rift in the sky the whole time, even when you saw him as one of the only allies who supported you, you were just his closest answer to meeting Arceus
God, I just love his title of "Pokémon Wielder" as opposed to trainer. More than that, I love that they don't make a big thing of it. It's simply matter of fact, he uses them. You train them.
@@coldzoroark6440 I wouldn’t say that. Volo wants knowledge above what any human can possibly know and to possibly reshape the world. Sorta like Cyrus. Ghetsis is a straight up psychopath who wants control of everything. He has no grand plan for things to be “better” under him. He just wants the power and will casually murder children for it. At least Cyrus and Volo saw themselves as heroes and thought they could make the world better. They weren’t inherently evil.
The fact that you have to fight this guy with Cynthia’s exact same team and 2 Giratina’s WITHOUT being able to recover is simply insane. The worst part is that if you fail, you’ll have to do the battle from the very start.
Technically speaking, Volo counts as a cosmic horror character: one who craves knowledge beyond his own comprehension to the point he literally goes insane.
So he's
A Lovecraft Protagonist?
Man trying to fight God?
I mean, he does call Giratina an eldritch being.
@Phoenix Lozano "Oooooooooooooooohhhh"
Sinnoh's the most mythological region, even with Alola dabbling into the multiverse, and Giratina is basically Yog-Sothoth....and you're dealing with GOD ITSELF, which, even if you don't unchain yourself from an Abrahamic perspective, is a pretty eldritch existence in of itself.
So, Volo being basically someone who'd buddy up with Whateley and Marsh would not be out of the blue.
I love how kid-friendly Pokémon is on the surface, but also how deep, and sometimes really dark, the story can be
Can't escape her even if you travel back in time, first in sinnoh, then in unova, and now hisui, the piano's gonna follow you everywhere
You forgot Alola; Volo's bloodline really follows us everywhere 💀
Cynthia's bloodline is like the Sephiroth of the Pokemon games.
They were also in HGSS
her evill grate grate grate grate grate grate grate grate gramps lmao
@@N0rth_Star It's not That far back, her other ancestors design implies 1800's.
So depending on when gen 4 happens it would only be like 3 greats at most.
Just realized, Volo teaching you the “Back Strike” mechanic made A LOT of sense. lol
This is now my favorite detail I missed in the game
"I am here to betray you" foreshadowing
"It's kinda low to stab a man in the back, you bloody psychopath!" ~Rex
@@adriellightvale8140 Volo actually reminds me of Jin but with Amalthus’ motivations.
He also shouts “Boo!”
*He had the spooky plate the entire time.*
Still love the fact that Volo was so good at raising pokemon yet so misguided that he was outright called a wielder of pokemon. There was no one in this time period that even stood a chance at beating him, so Arceus called someone from the future with the capabilities to defeat Volo, just to make him REALIZE that he was wrong. That's just amazing writing and this song embodies that to me. And since he's Cynthia's ancestor and all too, it all lines up perfectly to put fear into the hearts of pokemon veterans with the piano ptsd. And I just LOVE the clock bell.
Cynthia's entire bloodline is the definition of "built different"
@@notshockwavedemon7543I can’t wait for Pokémon Neo: Giratina to see Cynthia’s descendant completely destroy us
Arceus said "goodbye volo"
@@ChaoticDoodle that'd be funny and terrifying to imagine
He was called a wielder of Pokemon because "Pokemon trainer" wasn't a word yet at the time
This man is as exactly as dangerous as he looks in this moment, but not simply because of being related to Cynthia. His title as Pokémon Wielder isn't an exaggeration, in that time period of Hisui, Pokeballs were only recently invented, and only a very small handful of people knew how to use them, much less barely command more than two Pokémon. Besides Commander Kamado (someone who is fairly versed in Pokémon despite his feelings), Ingo (formerly a battling master with his brother pre-amnesia from the present day Unova), and Potato Mochi Man Beni. Volo is the only person in Hisui to have 6 Pokémon with that sheer level of strength and the ability to command a Legendary Pokémon. When he was cursing about how it was as if you were sent to Hisui just to interfere, like some form of divine intervention, it wasn't just him cursing you, his god literally sent you to stop him because there was nobody who could.
Let that sink in.
And Potato Mochi Kakashi from the hidden Jubilife Food Court
Nah god just wanted you to try some potato mochi
aight chill bruh
Wait I thought he was related to Volkner
@@Morflow_ no Ginter the merchant in Jubilife Village whose sitting in a chair (another Volkner reference) is related to Volkner
Referring to him as a "wielder" rather than a trainer makes a lot of sense. You train fighters, but you wield weapons.
He can’t think of Pokémon like that tho, he has a lucario, which evolves from friendship
@@connorlego5229 I mean, Cyrus has a Crobat, so who really knows
@@longbeing Cyrus also is only putting on a facade of being emotionless. His whole plan and reasoning is literally that he was abused and distanced himself from his emotions to not have to deal with the issues of it, which is a common coping mechanism, known even back when the original Diamond and Pearl were being developed.
That's what the Sunnyshore dude who is Cyrus' grandfather implies with his messages. The only villain who has a team of Pokémon that hate him is Ghetsis. Who is a literal narcissist, it's not hard to see why they don't like him.
Volo is just genuinely unable to see others as people in the way he is a person and wields veneration of Arceus despite the hypocrisy it makes with his actions.
He effectively watched a sandcastle get kicked down and decides to make it Arceus' problem. That's what I got from his motivation.
Ironically, this makes Cyrus' motivations the same as Guzma, and the latter handled it healthier, but he's also Guzma.
@@connorlego5229 trades exist. Cyrus and volo probs traded t
@@connorlego5229 lucario can spawn naturally in the alabaster icelands
The pianist genes that runs in this family are such a blessing
As well as a nightmare
@MesSurge The piano of impending doom…
the theme maked me realize that he is the ancestor of cynthia
Further proof their family name is Giovanna
Yeah, a blessing, good one
A great detail I love about this piece is when it starts from 0:00 to 0:17, in-game it just STOPS if you don’t press any buttons and overall silence is just heard until you acknowledge (press the button) that you are about to battle, then the rest continues.
The devs literally KNEW when that piano 1st hit all the memories and PTSD of Prime Cynthia being a menace came back and literally made us, the player reminiscing in silence go “Press A when you’re ready to face your fears….again”
That silence is almost as scary as the boss
Sublime
The amount of fear and traumatizing flashbacks that played in that 17 seconds is something else
I had to deal with BDSP Cynthia,which is arguably her hardest version
@@tannersandschafer8513 not sure about the originals but in BDSM Cynthia and the 4 have competitive teams
Me being glad I started on gen 8 and never experienced the nostalgia that y'all have
Admit it, we all flashed back to that house in Undella Town.
Fun fact: If you beat the first part of Volo's final battle, it does NOT say "Battle decided". Basically a small indicator that Gamefreak put there to say "You won this match... but it's not over yet."
This happens in all battles.
@@SomeNinety._. No it does not, Battle decided appears in all other battles BUT Volo's 3-Battle Gauntlet
Not to mention, this theme plays the encounter theme of Cynthia instead of her battle theme, meaning that the true finale is yet to come
@@MariOmor1 So basically gamefreak finessed us with this entire 6v6
I notcied that when I finally beat Volo!
And then I thought,
"Wait...
Oh f*ck"
Just a reminder, this was the guy that taught us the most effective way to catch a Pokémon is to hit it square in the back of the head with a Pokeball when it doesn’t see you. I’ll admit that I thought the villain was going to be Kamado but Volo was a very well constructed Antagonist.
Damn that's so right. I totally forgot about that. This game has so many small details that all add up in the end. Such a great game.
It’s a lot more noticeable when you say it like that lmao
Yeah, it really threw me for a loop when kamado essentially put you on trial for witchcraft. I thought for sure that meant kamado would be the main villain
I mean kamado was kind of the antagonist for the main story ending, since he went crazy and tried to do something ridiculous to save his people. But yeah Volo is definitely a full on villain in comparison
He also doesn’t do anything for basically the entire game despite following you around everywhere, he knows a ton more about the plates than he should, and Cogita even points out that he doesn’t actually do any work.
I was suspicious of him since pretty much the start of the game when he just shows up out of nowhere, but I never actually decided he was the villain until I met him at the Giratina statue. A+ villain writing right there.
Cynthia's Garchomp: A fearsome dragon type with a friendly personality wanting to help the world.
Volo's Togekiss: A cute fairy type with a cruel personality wanting to remake the world.
Well Volo may have tricked it into thinking that way
@@jordanrichardson2367 No, its possible Togekiss also wants to remake the world considering Togekiss is revolted by pain and suffering, Volo is too revolted by pain and suffering. Mix those two together and They were made for eachother
My experience fighting Togekiss on Showdown has taught me they thrive on others’ suffering *cough cough* Serene Grace Air Slash
Dont let that friendly nature fool you
That Garchomp has shattered many hopes and dreams
the true ancestor of Gold's Togepi in the manga
On August 12, 2012, a 9 year old me beat Cynthia with only my level 84 Empoleon.
On August 12, 2022, a 19 year old me beat Volo with that same Empoleon.
Some things never change.
let's go
History repeats itself..... Backwards?
careful. Volo might hire team Rocket to yoink that empoleon from you
Sound like the main character
AUGUST 12TH, 2036. THE HEAT DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE
Imagine being so strong that the God of your world doesn’t wanna fight you head-on and instead opts to distort time and space itself just to bring in a prodigy from 200 years in the future to have a CHANCE at beating you
If you think about it, you were God’s second choice; Arceus must have first picked Ingo as the world’s greatest fighter to save the universe… then poor Ingo wasn’t as strong without his brother then Arceus picked you
@@thekylestkyleeeeee9386 at least even Arceus recognizes how ingo is amazing, even if it meant separating him from his friends and family for who knows how long
@@Flapjack3734 Ingo seems to be a little younger than middle aged in Black/White and looks to be older but not particularly what one would call old age in Legends Arceus. I'd say he's in his mid-late 30's in Black/White and in his mid-late 50s if not early 60s in Legends Arceus.
My guess is that he's been trapped in the past for roughly 20 years. Though again the Pearl Clan talks about him as if he's somewhat new, so who knows?
@@thekylestkyleeeeee9386 Actually, I’m pretty sure the player was Arceus first choice. Volo did say he opened the time rift, and it is completely possible (and implied I believe) that Ingo was in the wrong place and the wrong time and fell through.
Ingo doesn’t have the arc phone or given ‘the seek out all Pokémon’ mission from Arceus. So I think the poor guy was just unlucky rip.
I always imagined it was less a matter of "he's too strong" and more a matter of "he's not even worthy to meet me". Maybe God is just petty lmao
The challange of him plus BOTH Giratina forms at once was actually insane.
The Volo blood line is something else man
question is
who came before Volo?
@@stormtalksgames Oh god, I bet its someone as menacing as him. The entire leniage seems to be the strongest.
@@stormtalksgames The Hero Who Chalenged God Arceus
Tbh giratina was extremely easy, a single togekiss trained in def and sp def is enough to wall both giratina battles, volo on the other hand was quite difficult.
@@christophersalumro3076 The hero would be a good call since most of the old verses imply that he met Arceus, even going as far as to reference the Sinjoh Ruins
Some of y’all talking about Volo being the biggest betrayal in Pokémon must have never met Dusknoir 😭
Oh no
Vietnam flashback of tower of time
Nah, nah.
Nuzleaf. No other betrayal outright led to the player's DEATH until and SINCE him.
And just like Nuzleaf, this man sicced a LEGENDARY on the player to kill them.
And considering how hard Giratina was to defeat, he might as well have been successful in that too. ^^"
*That one girl Trading haunter in sinnoh*
Hey, I saw Dusknoir coming a mile off. Then told my dad there was no way Volo was the villain when he called it and felt incredibly stupid a bit later. Biggest betrayal is the one you don't see coming imo
For me, it was Munna.
"Can't you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins-the eldritch presence icing your heart?"
*f e a r*
Are you feelin it now Mr. Krabs?
Hardest line I’ve ever read in a Pokemon game
*GIRATINA! STRIKE THEM DOWN!!*
BISHAAAANN!
@@sirskellie9769 GIRATINA! STRIKE THEM DOWN!
I found it interesting that Volo was the trainer we ended up fighting first, not Rei / Akari. I didn't think much of it, a new game with a new formula, I just thought "Oh, so they broke having your rival be your first trainer battle tradition in this game." Of course, it isn't until much, much later that you realize... *they didn't break tradition.* Such a small detail I didn't notice until now, I love this game.
Well technically back in BW, other than your rivals, the first trainer you actually fight is N who was also the final boss
@@hairglowingkyle4572 He's one of the firsts that's true but not the actual first character you fight against like with Volo. Either way it's a nice little foreshadowing in both games.
Damn I forgot about that
The trend of ‘each game’s first Pokémon Trainer battle is the rival’ applies to every game except Diamond and Pearl (and the remakes), you don’t fight Barry until after Jubilife, and you have to go through Route 202’s trainers first. So, they already broke tradition 15 years ago.
@@MarthaVsHumanity Ah, just my luck the only mainline games I never got to play as a kid lmao. I already played through Brilliant Diamond but it was mostly forgetable.
Volo means 'will' in latin. Cogito (for Cogita) means think in latin. Sentio ( for Cynthia) means feel in latin. Together, the three compose the same things as the lake guardians: thought, will, and emotion.
Just put this together like, 2 minutes before finding this comment lol. I love this connection.
Thought, will,and emotion so they each represent one of the lank guardians
Also.
Look at Cynthia's hair
Yeah I’m taking classes in Latin rn actually, Volvo means will/desire
Noice.
Me surviving Volo's team with 1 pokemon with very low health: YES YES YES YES
Me after Giratina appears: NO NO NO NO
"NO NO NO NO, Wait wait wait wait, WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!!!"
our hopes go up and down and up and down
Joseph: OH MY GAWWWDDDD
Bro when that happened I went "HE HAS A PHASE TWO?!?! AW HELL NAHHHHH"
THIS IS A SERIOUS BATTLE! RUNNING IS NOT AN OPTION!
I knew about this twist but I had never seen the cutscene so when this fella said "I used Giratina to tear the hole in time and space" my jaw DROPPED
Just gonna say it, "Pokémon Wielder" is one of the most aggressively badass trainer classes I've ever heard of.
there was like, 5 actual trainers in the entire game tho so it kinda makes sense lmao
Pokémon Wielders ARE trainers
@@MariOmor1
No, because there’s only one of them
It’s Volo
I love how he uses 8 pokemon not because he's cheating, but because trainer battle rules haven't been invented yet. I assume the player character has a 6 max because they were Isekai from modern times, and can't break rules they still believe to be true.
@@MariOmor1 nope. Trainers bond through battling. Wielder, however, implies that volo views his pokemon as a means to an end.
Pokémon fans to Cynthia: "Stay where you belong, in my memories."
Volo: "I will.....never be a memory!
LOL
Cloud: Player
Sephiroth: Volo
😂😂😂
I just realized another comparison, well in this case Volo to Sephiroth...
Sephiroth has a God Complex who believes to be last of the Cetra.
Volo says his ancestors are of Sinnoh/Hisui's past, thus is obligated to find Arceus and become a God himself. Yikes! The comparisons couldn't be anymore clear!
@@LucarioShirona they are also both degenerate psychopaths
Vo-LOL
Indeed, Volo came back as Cynthia.
*beats Volo*
"I did it! I won!"
Giratina: "Are you sure about that?"
*beats Giratina*
"NOW I did it!"
Giratina: "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?"
Call an ambulance!
BUT NOT FOR ME!!!!
My alpha zoroark at 59 hp from a super effective move: "call an ambulance, call an ambulance!"
That same Zoroark, about to rock Origin Giratina's shit with a nasty plot-boosted, strong style bitter malice: *"But not for me."*
Literally how the fight went for me
I love that zoroark.
Took me 5 tries to beat him
My overleveled starter samurot: No.
dialga : tanks a hit and kills it
“Oh boy I sure am glad that this game is 1,000 years in the past and that Cynthia can’t possibly be in it”
Volo is Cythia but worse and he literally would have won if it wasn't for you meddling child.
@@notshockwavedemon7543god literally has to send the player back in time to stop him
Well actually Legends Arceus is only set like 150 years in the past because it is set in what is basically the Pokémon world's equivalent of the Meiji Restoration
150 years
I just like that he got arceus’s attention but not in the way he would had comprehended. He did all of this to get a reaction out of arceus in which he takes a possible champion from another time, scrubs his memory then essentially sends you on a quest that makes it impossible for you to not get in volos way at some point. It’s like a cockroach trying to get the attention of the owner of the house, but the owner just gets an exterminator to deal with it so he doesn’t have to
So arceus sent the equivalent of the second coming of Christ just to put volo back into his place, noice.
@@corvusdominus9835 and he was still that difficult for us to beat...
@@minefish Yeah, with a level gap lower than against Kamado at the beach, I only survived by using a Max Revive, and it left me with a single Luxray at half health.
Let's say that I didn't even get the chance to throw a single ball to Giratina.
@@draghettis6524 wait... you can catch giratina in the battle?!?!?!?!
@@minefish Unfortunately no, you have to beat this battle no ball throwing allowed.
Volo foreshadows his betrayal in a few different ways.
He teaches you the Back-Strike technique. This one should be pretty straightforward, but for those who might not get it, it’s because he figuratively stabs you in the back later on.
He scares you. He sneaks up behind you and says, “Boo!” This is a really subtle way to foreshadow, and I love it. It’s because he has the Spooky Plate.
There’s also his tendency to show up wherever you happen to be, no matter how nonsensical for a Ginkgo Guild member. He’s following you.
There’s also his trusting and friendly nature towards you, which is a stark contrast to the suspicious behavior from the others.
He's trusting and friendly to you because he knows damn well that he's the reason why you're in Hisui
@@coldzoroark6440 he’s like “ohh shit this is my fault, guess I gotta keep an eye on em”
@@Prisma_Axolotl he stalking you in hopes of being conveniently around when Arceus decides to ring you or appear for whatever mysterious purposes
Also his ace is the Togakiss a Fairy Flying type, while Cynthia's ace is Garchomp Dragon Ground, the exact opposite of Togakiss, which foreshadows while these are both similar people as both cynthia and volo use both pokemon on their team and serve a similar purpose in the game up to the palkia/dialga fight. After that it shows how Volo is truly the oppisote of Cynthia who is a true guide and trying to actually help you.
He also have sign machiavellianism
At first I was thinking "there has to be a villain here. Well, this guy's mysterious, so it's definitely him." Then when Volo took me in when i got kicked out, i genuinely felt sorry i was suspicious of him. I grew attached to him and felt happy to help him do his research. We got the last plate, but when he started laughing... My heart sank.
Best mainline pokemon game I've ever played.
Yeah, same. The one dude in the beginning who was totally friendly and cool. I shoulda known. I thought for sure cyrus ancestor was gonna be the big baddy and i was so sus of her the entire game and she was totally just our for everyones well being. Meanwhile my bro of a traviling merchent i hung out with on the reg learnin lore stuff was the eldritch priest summoning pokemon cthulu to fight god and got me stuck on the past and even worse got my train boys ingo and emmet eternally seperated. I was so upset there wasnt any after story quest to get them reunited.
I KNEW that he was evil and yet tried to convince myself he wasn't
him sending out Spiritomb just like Cynthia would also gave me whiplash
True betrayal
Thinking about how him teaching you the back strike technique symbolizes him betraying you
This theme sounds both heroic and terrifying at the same time, it’s what final fight music should sound like. Reminding you that the real villain is the friend you made along the way.
Except Volo never saw you as a friend. He saw you like he sees his Pokemon
A means to an end
He even admits it after he loses
He fights alone
He says that
I'm late but damn "the real villain is the friend you made along the way" goes way too hard
Just realised this, Volo using giratina to drive dialga and palkia mad so that Arceus would be drawn out is very similar to how Zinnia manipulated Team Magma and Aqua to unleash Groudon and Kyogre in order to draw out Rayquaza.
What’s next, Ghetsis’ ancestor trying to capture Kyurem to draw out Reshiram and Zekrom?
@@MariOmor1 most likely not. Since Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem were originally one single Dragon that split apart when the twin heroes decided to pursue truths and ideals respectively and then clashed over which side was right.
@@Laserbeak316 technically they wouldn't be wrong, Cuz in theory that could happen AFTER the original dragon split.
@@ultraomenmurat9937 I suppose then it would be possible.
But drawing out Kyurem would’ve been dangerous since its Pokédex entries convey that it killed and likely devoured people and Pokémon who entered its domain. Since this game would’ve taken place in the past, we’d be experiencing first hand just how Kyurem got this reputation in the first place.
@@MariOmor1 hold up-
What makes Volo a good twist villain (for me, at least) is the fact that you actually had a reason to trust him. For most of the game, I was determined to figure out who would be the villain, and Volo was my prime suspect. The way he shows up randomly to say random things was JUST like Pokémon's previous twist villains.
But when he came to my aid after I was kicked out by Kamando, he gained my trust. Not to mention that at this point I was busy hating Kamando. And by the time Kamando had gained my trust back, I thought it was to late for another twist villain.
Then I got to the part where he first mentions Giratina, and I started to catch on. I thought to myself: "no way he's actually doing this." And even so, I didn't expect the reveal that he opened the space-time rift, or the fact that he WAS LITTERALY WORKING WITH THE POKÉMON EQUIVALENT TO THE DEVIL.
The following battle against him and Giratina is one of my favorite moments in a Pokémon game.
I was also to busy despising Kamado as well🤣
I think we ALL were too busy hating Kamafo to suspect anyone at that point.
I suspected him as soon as I beat Liligant/Arcaine. He asked about how the plate hunt was going. As if he didn't care what happened to the people. I then thought, it would make a really cool twist villian. That is what a good twist villian, not something obvious or something impossible to miss.
I legit suspected him first or second time he showed up. He was way to sus for me not to suspect him of being someone bad. every time he showed up after that just made me feel more right being sus of him, the way he talked about the plates and just being out of place from everyone else, how he HAPPENED to be legit anywhere of importance. when he outted himself at the end I screamed at my TV going "fucking knew it!" I enjoyed beating his ass way more than I should have.
Personally due to how much he helped me, I just didn't want him to be the villain.
I feel like Volo is all of the Cynthia memes personified.
He's all of Cynthia's brutality in battle, but with none of the kindness, duty, or hell...any of her positive aspects.
True.
And the piano
Never forget the piano
@@MariOmor1 if you forget the piano ... you not survive for long
The Piano is the deciding factor on rather to can even leave alive
He’s fucking beautiful.
before he starts cosplaying as arceus
Pokemon Wielder..a fitting title for one who would use god's creations against him.
He does not 'train' pokemon. He is unconcerned with living alongside them in harmony.
He does not 'use' pokemon. He does not see them as mere objects or tools for power.
*He WIELDS them. Like an artist using their brush to paint over the canvas god put into being.*
Underrated comment
Except he kind of does work alongside them, though. He uses a lucario in his team, which canonically would only evolve from a riolu given a strong enough bond to its trainer; or maximizing its friendship in our terms. He's less disheartened and more misguided to the point of insanity.
Trainers have friends. Wielders have tools.
N live reaction
@@barx And Cyrus had a Crobat in Platinum, despite him being emotionless. The team doesn't have to make sense.
Be it Sinnoh. Be it Unova. Be it Alola. Be it Johto.
Be it the present. The future. Or the past.
*........you can't escape her.*
Her bloodline is literally Sephiroth
Not even by playing another game (her theme is in Smash).
I even made a Cynthia FNF Mod. There is truly no escape from her.
*dread it..... run from it....... SHE ALWAYS ARRIVES.......*
@@Jet_Genesis720 She will... Never be a memory
Don’t you guys realize? This is Volo’s theme, not Cynthia’s. After all, he had it first. Wow.
Well while he had it first, he didnt compose it
However Cynthia in-universe did, she wrote the song for her piano
So in a way she composed her ancestor's and her own theme
It's more of their way of saying "In case you haven't realized it yet, surprise, it's Cynthia's ancestor" without actually slapping you in the face with it.
@@Faxanadu_ and yet we were robbed out of a Wally's battle theme remix with Beni.
this is cynthia"s, since cynthia created in 2006
@@richard35791 Volo is like in a timeline, definitely in story wise, before Cynthia
I really liked Volo. He was there for you even when the rest of the world wasn’t. Then you find out the whole time he was just using you for his own gains… that was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more betrayed while playing a game
Ever heard of Dusknoir?
@@btt2701 Nah Dusknoir was sus for a while, I saw his betrayal coming a mile away. Volo on the other hand.
@@zerosorigin8387 Haven't even got to fight Volo but I always thought he knows just way too much to be good
I was like reliving Solas in Dragon Age Inquisition... which coincidentally involves a crack in the sky caused by a Satanic archetype.
We often think that those who are there for us at our lowest are the ones we can trust the most to be on our side- I love seeing a Pokemon game show us that isn't always the case.
You know, Volo had me actually crying tears of gratitude when he showed up to bring me to Cogita's camp after I got kicked out of Jubilife. I was fully expecting a battle when he called me up to Spear Pillar, especially when he started getting crazy eyes when talking about the legendaries, but his betrayal still hurt. I wrecked him and Giratina first try though. My rage left them in pieces. NPCs aren't allowed to toy with my emotions like that.
He’s not an NPC he’s a character there’s a difference
@@TheDracolordian NPC literally means Non Player Character. If his actions are controlled by the game instead of someone with a controller, he's an NPC.
if you beat him first try you are the menace
@@iamBOXO I *AM* the eldritch chill!
"This theme is pretty cool, but that piano feels familiar"
*Volo sent out Spiritomb!*
"Oh, oh no-"
oh shi-
*It was at this moment he knew, he flipped up*
I vocally whimpered when I saw that
I heard the theme saw the spiritomb then I figured out I was pretty much screwed
Music: starts
Spiritomb: time to sleep
I don't think I can understate the raw fear I felt in my soul when I heard those piano notes. Something about Cynthia's theme playing when you don't expect it induces so much more terror than facing her down in the Sinnoh games proper.
Reminded me of Undella Town when I first heard it. I was just sitting there with: “Wait what the fuck *she’s here-*”
the raw fear I got from seeing a Togekiss in a 8-pokemon team with cynthia theme playing in the background can't be said in words.
Didn’t even realize one tear slipped down my face until I finished the battle… well, more so Volo did. I got my ass beat into a pulp, had to train more.
Remember when you walked into year house and she Merca your whole squad
I am a newer pokemon player so I never experienced the pain of Cynthia but I now know it through Volo. It took me so many tries to beat him... then more tries to beat Giratina... then more tries to beat the Origin Form Giratina. When I finally beat him I put down the game for a while I was so tired lol. Now on another playthrough I beat him first try without over leveling 🤣
I find Volo the most relatable out of all the villains. He wants to meet his god and understand why the universe exists so badly he snaps. He's quite literally consumed by his curiosity. As someone haunted by the same questions, his quest for knowledge rather than just plain power or perfection hit me strangely hard.
It is very understandable, since there would always be a point during our lives where we would think: “Why is the world like this?” and a desire to change it to a much happier world.
He’s just greatly misguided by his curiosity and thirst for answers that he would use any method necessary to achieve it. A shame really, he could’ve been a great friend.
@@Code_Lune There might be a chance of redemption for him. He has a Togekiss and Lucario after all, two Pokémon requiring friendship to evolve, so maybe there’s some humanity left in him. At the time of this reply, a Pokémon direct for Pokemon day is airing tomorrow this Sunday, so we may get Legends DLC announced. If that’s the case, we may see Volo again, perhaps wanting to atone, or maybe trying to kill you again. Would be cool if there’s a special event in game where you can show Volo the Arceus you caught so he can “meet” God.
@@thatoneguy5343 Him wanting the answers to the universe does not mean he does not have compassion. It rather shows that while now consumed by the unending quest for knowledge, Volo once was or maybe still is a nice person, its just that possibilities laid upon him have caused him to walk a path that causes him to betray his friends and allies and cause massive damage to entire regions.
@@sleepyllama3673 I like to think that Volo started off as a misguided, but well meaning man just wanting to meet his creator without ill intent. When Giratina and Volo crossed paths however, I believe that’s what drove Volo to psychopathy.
I think Giratina is the true villain. Before Legends came out, Giratina being the Devil and wanting revenge against Arceus for their banishment was nothing but a headcanon by the Pokemon community, but Legends confirms Giratina desires vengeance. Giratina bestowing Volo with the Spooky Plate is the equivalent of Eve eating the fruit of knowledge offered by the Snake in the bible.
Volo didn’t just want to meet Arceus under Giratina’s influence, he wanted to destroy and recreate everything to fit his standards. Only after you put him and Giratina in their places that Giratina decides to protect the universe rather than conquer it either out of fear or realizing the error of their ways.
Volo, despite being freed from the Devil’s temptation, is still corrupted, but with a small spark of the man he used to be. Whether he atones or suffers is up to him and him alone.
@@Code_Lune he didn’t desire a better world just to be god
"So Volo is the villain, well this shouldn't be too bad, I'll just..."
*hears piano
"Oh no...
*OH NO...*"
In the words of Jacob Alpharad, "I wasnt scared until I heard the piano"
POV: 15 years after conquering Sinnoh on the DS, you are working from home in the pandemic. Your child finishes his homework and continues his game of Pokemon Arceus. In between Zoom calls, you hear this music. YOU KICK DOWN THE DOOR TO SAVE YOUR SON.
*it's too late. He cannot be saved.*
That poor child just became a man
It's too late
[you can't run from a trainer battle]
Father: "you agreed to stay away!"
The piano: "I lied, as I have many times."
Are you winning son?
FATHER, SAVE ME!!!!
Love that he's referred to as a Pokemon wielder, I've actually forgotten what all other characters we fight at any point were referred to as, but it stuck out to me when he was called a wielder. It's such a contrast to a trainer. He wields Pokemon like objects, like weapons.
Which in a way feels kind of odd, considering he has a Togekiss that was evolved from a Togepi
@@wanderingtyphlosion7332 might be a nice wielder lmao, same with Cyrus back in the day tho
This is why I love L:A.
@@sirmcdust5572 With Cyrus I just headcanon that his Crobat simply agrees with his worldview, and evolved from that.
@@SomeAsian Maybe the Togepi wanted revenge against God too then
So everyone reiterates the same "Volo is the biggest back stabber in the pokemon franchise" while I'm over here listening the how perfectly this soundtrack fits the stakes of the world at this point, Volo is LITERALLY a threat to this whole universe, so much so that God itself had to do something without presenting itself because arceus vs giritina would be world ending on its own. You as the player are the last thing standing between Volo and him changing the world into almost nothing
God literally be sending a teen to fight for the whole future of the universe and not send them back.
and then you lose the fight 12 times a reaslize losing has no consequences
imagine losing against him meant your whole save gets wiped bc he won and became god, holy shit-
@@katiestrong385 That legitimately should be a secret "super hard mode," people would shit themselves.
Obviously Nintendo would never do that, because they're cowards, but still.
@@Code_Lune I'm starting to realize that Giratina had his reasons.
The fact that the Paldea ruin Pokemon where sealed away by a group known as the Pokémon Wielders makes Volo’s title imply that he might just be one of many skilled trainers from the past
More reasons to love Legends arceus and scarlet and violet
How nice it is that Volo is the antagonist and Cyllene is a helper to the protagonist. This was probably the first pokemon game where I was surprised at who the antagonist was. Pokemon Legends:Arceus is a truly magnificent game.
What's even better is how they're characterized. You can imagine what traits and dialogue Volo and Cyllene have that would influence their descendants, mainly Cynthia and Cyrus.
@@LucarioShirona Definitely, and in Volo's case, his obsessions kicked off generations worth of his descendants all being invested and working to study lore even long after him. Kind of wild when you think about it.
@@BladedShard and with Cyllene, you feel tough, strict love from her. While that’s good, it unfortunately must’ve been diluted through the generations until only the tough/strict part was left and that’s what partially led Cyrus to being the way he is :(
What about Pokemon Sword and Shield?
@@tuskoub I mean, Cyrus DOES have a Crobat though
I think he's just a hypocrite
Volo's Betrayal stung more than Cogita using the Pixie Plate as a cutting Board
I'd use it as a cutting board too if it makes the food better
@@originalname5303 what does the universe taste like?
@@solgaleo3533 hopes and dreams
@@originalname5303 finally i can say i get that reference
A bunch of people theorized that she intentionally did it, knowing full well what it already was, that's she's also more knowledgeable than she wants people to believe. Some also claimed she could possibly be immortal like other Pokemon characters
You know what? I decided I wanted a Togekiss on my main team for this game because of this dude. I told my friend that I thought he was pretty cool and she (who had the game months before me) responded with “oh”. Few days later, I get to this battle and MY HEART SHATTERED, this is probably the first ever character in this franchise I truly gotten attached to and ouch that hurts.
You know, I used a Togekiss on my team as well due to that reason as well, having a party member the same as an important character really makes you more attached to them and the Pokémon. Ironic that him having a Pokémon that represents happiness, and influencing the one who defeated him to use one as well, would lead to that Togekiss being a vital weapon against him, being able to stand it’s ground against several of his other Pokemon like Spirtomb, Garchomp, Roserade and even Ghiratina himself.
You should. My Togekiss solo Giratina.
I also got attached and now my heart is broken 💔
Same
It must've hurt even more when you learned you had to essentially fight Cynthia EX when you finally confronted him.
My friend played, who's brand new to Pokemon by the way, played brilliant diamond and when she met champion-revealed Cynthia, she heard the piano music. I told her this is the song that every real pokemon trainer knows as "I'm Going to Lose" theme. As we played this we heard the music and both just looked at eachother...
Its diamond don't be that Guy who literaly thinks that this Is platinum remake
@@janposekany5392 Crap I literally didn't mean that. Platinum was my first game but Brilliant Diamond was hers. I agree completely different games. My mistake, thanks!
@@janposekany5392 I don't mean this seriously but
Pokemon Legends Arceus
PLA
Platinum, anyone?
[JOKE, THIS IS A JOKE]
@Araidiara i don’t think she’s joking guys
I've been thoroughly enjoying reading everyone's analyses on Volo's character, and I'd like to share something I haven't seen mentioned in this comment section yet (though maybe someone did and I just missed it): Volo, despite being the game's twist antagonist with warped ideals, is not a bad person at his core, which can be proven by analyzing his Pokemon.
His Togepi most obviously proves this point -- at the beginning of the game, it is his partner Pokemon at only level 5 in your first battle. By the final battle, however, it has evolved into a level 68 Togekiss. A Togepi will only evolve into a Togetic "under the loving care of a trusted human companion," as stated by the game's Pokedex. Even though he calls himself a "Pokemon wielder," implying that he only uses his Pokemon as weapons, the mutual love and trust between him and his Togepi had to be real, because it simply would not have evolved otherwise. I mean, just take a look at the photo of the two of them displayed in front of the photo studio; their bond just had to be genuine, because I don't think a bad guy would care for his Pokemon to that extent. And if you think he replaced his original Togepi with a Togetic/Togekiss behind the scenes, I addressed that in one of the replies to this comment.
Another Pokemon that proves this point is his Garchomp, which you first see as a Gible in your second battle with him. Of course, unlike Togepi, this Pokemon evolves with leveling, so we can't play the friendship level card to prove his bond with it. However (assuming he didn't just replace it with a Gabite/Garchomp), he had a strong commitment to raising it through all three stages of its evolution, showing the devotion he has to his Pokemon.
Now, going back to Pokemon that only evolve with high friendship: Riolu. Maybe he caught a Lucario and skipped the evolution, but judging by how he chose to raise his Gible rather than catching a Garchomp, as well as how he raised his Togepi rather than catching a Togekiss, I think he very likely started off with and raised a Riolu as well. And if this is true, then we can once again judge Volo's true character based on him having one. This game's Pokedex entry for Riolu states that it "has the mysterious ability to read the minds of humans," and that "the pure of heart are met with Riolu's approval, while those of ill nature earn only its loathing." Lucario, of course, has the same traits and abilities as Riolu, so even if he never actually had a Riolu, this point still stands. If Volo truly had an "ill nature," then he would not be able to gain the trust of a Riolu, much less have it fight for him or evolve into Lucario. And even if Volo somehow faked his bond with Togepi, it would be impossible for him to manipulate a Riolu/Lucario, which can read minds. Thus, the only conclusion we can draw is that he is pure at heart; he genuinely wants to make the world a better place, and he genuinely thinks that what he is doing is right.
TL;DR: Volo has Pokemon that only evolve if they have a strong, mutual bond with their trainers, he chooses to raise his Pokemon from their first evolutions rather than simply catching an evolved form to skip the process, and his Lucario can read his mind and tell that he is pure of heart. So, Volo is a genuinely good person deep down, but does not realize how misguided he has become.
But this is all just how I perceive his character, and also me overanalyzing a team that was only created for the purpose of mirroring Cynthia's, so make of this what you will!
It really brings out the theme of "the road to hell was built on good intentions"
i really like this idea. the only thing i think goes against it is the idea of being a weilder and not a trainer. i think this was definitely an intentional distinction
This? This is a good take.
the only point that makes really sense to me is the one with riolu/lucario. because - yes he uses a togepi and gible in the first 2 fights but - he could have just caught those two for the time being and then catch a togetic/togekiss and gabite/garchomp for the final fight. this would make - for me - much more sense because he is a pokemon wielder - NOT a trainer. which would show that he uses them as weapons or tools for his plan
Dont forget the roserade, if hes gonna raise a riolu then whats stopping him from raising a budew
(The lucario and roserade could literally be in there just for the cynthia reference however I believe he raised togepi, as its probably harder to come by pokeballs as a non-member of the galaxy corps, though ginter d o e s sell bundles of them so idk)
lets be real Arceus sent the player back in time to stop volo from taking over the world because he was far far stronger then any other person in this era. If arceus didn't send the player back in time volo probably would have been completely unstopable and might have actually succeeded in his plan.
Maybe
He nearly Pulled a Cyrus, Whilst being so much more powerful than Cyrus
This makes sense and with him being
As strong as he is and the predecessor to Cynthia and we all know how strong she is because if you think about it your character has fought Cynthia many times in which it it makes complete total sense
Volo would never have succeeded, but I guess Arceus viewed his shenanigans as worth sending someone else to take care of.
I mean, he does say that he feels like your character was just sent in to get in his way.... So I'm pretty sure that's what Arceus was going for. Can't give Volo what he wants by stepping in personally. Being defeated by a god is expected, being defeated by a child forces you to step back and consider your choices.
I didn’t think I could like a track more than Ultra Necrozma’s theme.
Volo killed that opinion, much like he did my team on my first go.
Same
Oof
Idk man, if anything’s beating Ultra’s theme, it’s Origin Fight. This theme is good, but not in the same way Ultra’s is.
Also, I’m probably gonna get crap for this, but all the fights weren’t THAT hard. I didn’t even know what was gonna happen and I only needed to use one max revive. My team was relatively on level, and even if it wasn’t, you get XP for spam catching stuff so there’s almost no excuse unless you are actively going after the story to be far underleveled. Challenging, sure, but not difficult.
Mhm, and then Giratina's beat it to a pulp. It's taken third place now, which is still respectable.
Ultra Necrozma’s theme is overrated imo
Even though fans now prefer that Ai battle between Sada and Turo, Volo's battle still have a special place in my heart.
The battle with the AI was just business, while with Volo it was personal.
Those two battles, along with N's final battle, are my 3 favorite battles of all time
@@coldzoroark6440 Wait until N's ancestor will have an epic battle with 7 pokemon with the original dragon aka Kyurem true form without healing in between on possibly Unova legends game.
_I like this one more tbh_
@@yangwenlifangirl They can always make it worse.
Phase 1: 6-pokemon battle
Phase 2: Kyurem, Reshiram, Zekrom one after another
Phase 3: the complete original dragon with Eternamax Eternatus-like BST
Volo is definitely one of my favorite Pokémon antagonists now up there with N. My man is a good guy corrupted by ambition and the need to feel chosen.
“Good guy” is a bit of a stretch. I don’t think so. You were being used by him throughout the game, dude literally tries to get that legendary to kill you. He set everything in motion. Hisui would have been destroyed had you not been there at all because of him.
He is a cool villain, I’ll give you that.
While N was with on the antagonist side, he wasn't a antagonist per se. And also, N was used, manipulated
Like the guy above me said N wasn't an antogonist he just a puppet under the real antagonist
They're actually kind of opposites in a way. N is used by Ghetsis, whereas Volo uses you as his pawn to get all the plates. I'd say villain wise he's much more similar to Ghetsis. But he differs in the sense that Ghetsis is content with not being the chosen one so long as he gets what he wants which is domination over the league, whereas Volo is absolutely not content with the idea of someone else being the chosen one and through that built up resentment drives his own actions in the story. He has a god complex mixed with the capability of a mastermind manipulator, which makes sense considering this game's heavy gen 4 and 5 influence. He's like Cyrus and Ghetsis combined in my mind at least, which is pretty cool within the theming of self-fulfilling prophecy that's present in this game.
Well, he was chosen. Just not in the way he was hoping to be.
The second Volo revealed himself and this theme, I've had the most genuine goosebumps in my entire life. Hands down my favorite moment in all of Pokémon
FACTS! Just to figure out once you beat him after a couple tries that that was only the first stage of the fight! It was a truly aggravating masterpiece
Dude yes, I was on the edge of my seat, completely baffled and then the music began and I actually shivered
It was even better than getter a shiny not gonna lie
I'm so sad 😆 I beat the main story and figured all the twists were done. Naturally I googled to see what I missed and other cool things I noticed, only to get this bombshell dropped on me. I had everything on Twitter muted too. Damn
Just did the fight today, I was nervous since my team was: Typhlosion, Wyrdeer, Kleavor, Overquil, Goodra, and Zoroark. This team didn’t have the best type coverage, and was nearing the level 80 mark. I abused Shelter like crazy.
Interestingly, his name Volo not only means "I wish" in latin, but his name is also a part of the term Diavolo, which means devil in italian. Given his ace, I think that name fits him even more now.
Interestingly, Cogita means "think" in Latin.
Diavo-
KING CRIMSON!
"volo" means Also "i fly" in italian
true and volo means fly in italian
@🌸Ivy🌸 Giratina pops up later in the battle after you murder his normal team, but Volo also means fly in Italian, which is exactly what Togekiss does.
This guy literally teaches you the backstrike technique. Some of the best foreshadowing I’ve ever seen.
My favourite thing about this twist is how subtle it is. Unlike say, Lysandre (who's still a pretty good villain) who might as well have had a sign saying: Hey, I'm gonna be the bad guy, Volo is involved enough in the story and world so that you think he's just a normal character but constantly shows signs that make him always seem 'off'. At the back of your head u know he must be hiding something but don't have enough information to place it down. Only when he starts sending you to collect the plates in the post-game do the pieces slowly start falling into place until you finally see him for who he truly is. The moment I saw him send out Spiritomb with a full team of six I started getting BW post-game flashbacks.
Lysandre was the dumbest one since I literally figured it out practically the first time you see him in.. the Flare Cafe since a fucking grunt is standing outside and the man has a mane of red hair.. it was stupid they ever tried to fake us out XD
Lysandre really was obvious, even as a dumb 13 year old I knew immediately he'd be the Team Flare Leader. Aesthetics matched way too well, and his little speech to Diantha wasn't subtle at all.
Volo meanwhile? He just seemed like a bit of an airhead to me, shirking his merchant duties and all, right up until his laugh at the Giratina statue. That's when I knew something was up. He seemed perfectly friendly and I came to look forward to seeing him every time. Especially when he was the first one able to really help me after Kamado turned on me. I mean I understand why the two Clans had to turn me away but he came to me when I needed a friendly face the most, only later did Adaman and Irida show up to help.
"Hey, it's nice to meet you."
"This world is imperfect..."
"What?"
"...if only I could wipe away the impurities..."
"Is anybody else listening to this?"
"...and make it as beautiful as me."
@@BaconNuke Lysandre was weird and obvious because the original twist to him was he was supposed to be the alter-ego of Professor Sycamore. X & Y were heavily stripped down, most of the original plot, and a lot of content were abandoned due to time constraints - the games were rushed - and the fact that much of it was simply deemed too weird.
@@AZUREPHOENIX777 Pretty much XD
To those who were suprised by him being the main villain, look at some of the plot points for the story again. He is everpresent through the story, he always seems to be separate from the action, but never far away. He knows far more then a simple merchant should (even considering personal hobbies). I was legitimately convinced when I walked into the cave that he was about to show his true colours and attempt to steal the plates. he also treats himself as separate from the rest of the merchant guild as well, which is brought to light. his every sentence is off and designed to be unnerving to the observant viewer. he is a masterpiece of an antagonist.
Yeah, and the other good part is the game lulls you into thinking he is just a curious person and a friend, as he is cynthias ancestor. Cynthia was also obsessed with mythology but wasn't evil, so we assume he will be the same. Its pretty clever and I'm actually suprised that GF put that much thought into it
He also mentions that he’s hunting for the plates too sometime during the story and knows a lot more about the myths than the player
@@plant433 Yeah, which makes sense in hindsight but we don't think anything of it because cynthia was the same
I certainly wouldnt go as far as calling him a masterpiece. he is quite good and fkn hard, but compared to other villains i would call a masterpiece... not a close call
@@Shiokishisan because god forbid someone have a different opinion to you
The reveal of Volo's true nature hurts even more when you remember that he was the one who helped you find a safe place after you were exiled. ;-;
he even taught you the back strike technique. a true backstab.
You were at your lowest, I mean who wouldn't take that opportunity?
Yeah. No one else was there for you at your most darkest. Everyone you knew, the professor, hikari/rei, cyllene, forced to stay away because kamado. Neither clans due to the fear of ruining relations with galaxy team. Volo was there for you. He showed you Cogita, and indirectly helped you save hisui and get kamado to his senses. He was there for you when you needed someone..so him being the reason this all happened, broke me mentally. Someone so helpful, so kindhearted, so dorky at times, was so broken and driven to destroying the world to rebuild it
Perhaps it was because you had ten plates. It stands to reason you'd be able to collect the rest, letting Volo fulfill his own goal. Being able to remain undercover was a welcome side effect.
I honestly believe Pokémon Legends Arceus is the best game the franchise has seen since the jump to full 3D. I think part of this stems from how the game is not structured like a Pokémon game, but closer to a regular JRPG. There's so many different climactic parts of the game. The exiling from Jubilife Village, the fight with Kamado, the fight against the first of the two legendaries between Dialga and Palkia, this absolutely mind-blowing fight with Volo + Giratina, and of course the final fight with Arceus. This game is so memorable and is gonna go down as one of my favorite games in the entire franchise.
I just really wish they supported it longer and didn't skip to Gen IX so soon
Agreed
I like how I can complete my game with out needing to trade Pokemon just to evolve it
YES ! I know i’m 2 yrs late into the party but Legends is really great and a good refresh game for pokemon. Yeah it’s might be not everyone liking. How much i love the entire game scenery, it’s beautiful and not bland nor boring at least it’s memorable. The whole crafting item is neat, i like this semi open world with few area. The character 3D model style isnt great but it’s okay ( i mean.. SV look way worse even though it got more depth & texture ). Not a big fan of the game ending , i like the build up to climax where you banish from the village and no one cant help you but Volo but somehow the ending is just meh for me.
Seriously PLA is goated, GameFreak could wait at least a year for PLA to have it’s own time instead of releasing SV soon after ( i mean obviously make the game also less glitchy & render it better ).
PLA is probably the best gameplay-wise.
It's funny how everyone assumed Cyrus or Rowans ancestors would be the main villains and It's actually Cynthia's ancestor. Really gave me a swerve, most of the recent bad guys who where twists where easily seen as such (Lusamine, Rose) but this guy just seemed like a normal shopkeeper
@CJ Dinoy Yeah it's up there along with the reveal you don't fight Alder in Black and White.
Makes sense considering the fact that the fans consider Cynthia as devil incarnate
@@MariOmor1 hm…. I wonder why…? (Im guessing bc of the Garchomp?)
@@EKURAIN and her other team members especially Spiritomb
@@MariOmor1 funny bc i don’t think her ace is hell, i actually have more troubles with spiritomb and the milotic but i do admit that roserade makes me anxious in rare times
A strangely calm and peaceful theme.. for the main villain... ??
I mean, they made some parts more intense sounds just to make it more intimidating than calm.
He thinks that what he's doing it's right, plus i think the happy parts of the song are made to reflect the happy moments you spent with him while you were "friends"
Akechi: ...Am I a joke to you?
Well, Cyrus has a heroic theme, yet it fits him well.
@@neverbackdown1918 It said calming, not heroic. But you have a good point.
Volo, Red, N.
Top 3 best final bosses in all pokemon games, hands down. Legends really outdid itself in many ways.
Red is Post game not final ending 🙄
@@a.x.x8184 By that logic, the same could be said for Volo himself, since you only fight him after the credits roll
Man I miss N he hasn't appeared in any games past gen 5 besides appearing in a mobile game heck Ghetsis and Colress have both made an appearance in gen 7
@@mrwannabe00 I heard someone say that N is dead in the gen7 timeline (which i don't really believe myself but whatever-) considering that Ghetsis has Reshiram/Zekrom in his battle during the Rainbow Rocket episode
@@sentientsodacan all the villains that were brought to the team rainbow rocket thing were ones from timelines in which they won, right? honestly.. it isn't that far fetched to believe. but it doesn't mean N is dead by the time of gen 7. just that a ghetsis is brought in from a different timeline to the one of usum where N lost, dead or not.
Listening to this song again after months has made me truly remember how fun and amazing this game really is. I would've never been the same without playing this. Listening to this song also makes me kinda sad realizing I have beaten this battle, which is one of the main bosses. When I first had to do this battle, I raged and died my first try of course but it seriously was an amazing experience. No Pokémon game can ever be as good as this was in my opinion. (Also, this was the first Pokémon game I ever played so that makes me appreciate it even more.)
this game is ass compared to the others go play emerald
This was actually the hardest Pokémon battle for me since ultra Necrozma in usum they did an awesome job on this game
I do think there is a Pokemon game better than this, and it's Mystery Dungeon 2.
This was one of my first games too! I was playing Brilliant Diamond at the same time. I finished BD before this game through , glad I did through I wouldn’t have understood why the piano went so hard lol.
I got attached to volo through the main story after all the times he pulled through and helped you. Then when I had to fight him and his giratina I felt broken man. The game actually made me like the main villain
That's sad and funny, hope you recovered
@@narniadici1976 recorevered man when I shit my pants they make fun of me they don't say anything nice pls call me something nice
I felt this bro, Volo was there when no one else was and to find out the whole time he was just using you? That stung more than Cogita using the pixie plate as a cutting board
Me too
duude same
*You can't run away from Trainer battles*
*YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM TRAINER BATTLES*
*YoU cAn'T rUn AwAy FrOm TrAiNeR bAtTlEs*
Let me out- LET ME OUTTTTT
(Visible traumatic crying)
*Volo used Mean Look*
*Trainer can no longer escape*
*You can't escape your fate*
*YOU CAN’T RUN AWAY FROM YOUR DESTINY.*
I think the reveal of Volo as the antagonist was really well done, there were just enough easily missable hints: his first model being menacing looking, his seeming lack of a real connection to the merchant guild, and one or two ominously framed shots are all things someone could simply not notice.
Yeah I was wondering why they always made him Smile the way he does, and his Eyes always wierded me out but I thought it was just a bug. Wasn’t expecting this at all
He talked about doing business with you, and yet he was almost never shown to act as a merchant, only on about two occasions did he actually sell items.
I agree I thought they were just giving him so much screentime because he was Cynthia's ancestor. Looking back I really should have seen it coming. What a great reveal.
Yeah, I always thought Volo was up to something as soon as I saw that grin when I first fought him, same with the next battle, the final battle though, I have heard this theme WAY TOO MUCH, he can sweep if if you arent careful, even with tanky legendaries, he will destroy your team.
ye i love the dialogue where he refers to the merchant people like hes not one of them at one point thats what really made me sus of him, that and how the guild dont know who he is too, then how obsessed he was with the plates really made me expect the betrayal, but was still really good
The greatest difference is that Cynthia only managed to bring a piano. Volo? He brought out THE ENTIRE FUCKING ORCHESTRA
Volo: I want, therefore I am
Cogita: I think, therefore I am
Cynthia: I feel, therefore I am
Wait, is that actually the origin of Cynthia’s name?
Willpower
Knowledge
Emotion
@@Ilikebats123WAIT WAIT HOLD ON
@@Ilikebats123hold the fuck up
I think you just blew my mind 😂
Red:...
Can we just take a moment to reflect on how absolutely insane Volo's Battle AI is? I was floored by his Togekiss multiple times, Had to redo the fight. He even walled out my Dialga and Palkia, Aswell as a maxed Avalugg, Sneasler and Garchomp. His AI abuses the Agile>Strong Combo to practically guarantee his mon' can one-hit you if it's Supereffective against your type. Even his Giratina AI in the later fight was absurd. I think whoever designed his AI deserves a pat on the back.
His AI is actually cheating. I had Dialga out and his Roserade used spikes, so I wanted to swap into Staraptor and suddenly he uses poison jab, which he shouldn'tve done since Dialga is part steel. He knew I was swapping pokemon that turn.
I mean the AI of all the game is insane like even the wild pokemon are smart
@@guill3118 This game’s battle system is different from the others, when you switch it happens before their turn since you and your foe don’t move at the same time. Which is prob why he could use poison jab against your staraptor, since first you threw it out and then he decided what move roserade would use. Unless I’m misunderstanding what you said.
@@JM-cw6wd Ok, that might be what happened. I'm still not sure how the battle system works. It makes me a little bit anxious because I never know who will move first and how many attacks they get off.
@@guill3118 Yeah the system can be confusing at times with the enemies sometimes attacking up to three times lol, but that’s what makes its exciting as well to me.
I just realized that since spiritomb is pretty much immortal that means the spiritomb you fight against Cynthia is the same as the spiritomb you fight against Volo
It doesn’t _mean_ it, but I’m sure as hell gonna Headcanon it now
@@dr.tursko2312 well yeah not exactly can be canon but it can be passed down spiritomb definitely has the life time for it at least 👍
Volo's Spiritomb is male, Cynthia's one is female.....
Fun Fact: Almost every Pokémon of Volo's team (Except Hisuian Arcanine that Cynthia obviously don't have) is the opposite gender of Cynthia's one (Cynthia's Garchomp, Spiritomb, Roserade are female. While Cynthia's Togekiss is male and Volo's is female)
@@jeanduresau I’m so proud of Spiritomb transitioning!
@@dr.tursko2312 okay that is hilarious to think about
The thing with Volo being called a „Pokémon-Wielder“ instead of trainer is pretty accurate since he doesn’t see his Pokémon as companions or friends but instead as tools. You train with friends or companions BUT you wield weapons
And not a lot of people had pokemon with em or use em for combat
the game literally calls you a weilder as well but who cares its still badass
0:17 = As it turns out, Even in ancient sinnoh, The Cynthia piano riff is still terrifying.
how tf is like 150 years ago ancient.
@@mrkill2020 its not ancient???
yes YES JUST VERY TERRIFYING
@@mrkill2020 you must be a 3000 year old dragon loli
But I guess if we are going by facts yes it is not ancient
I love how this whole thing is put together. to his ace pokemon being Togakiss the COMPLETE opposite of Cynthia's ace pokemon Garchomp, a fierce pokemon that belongs to a protector, contrary to a pokemon who only appears when there is peace used by an oppressor. to the music having this familiar dread from the piano flourish mixed with this light almost whimsical feel. like it's expressing the characters confused emotions after being stabbed in the back by who they thought was a friend. to the sheer difficulty of the battle itself. this might be just my opinion, but i'd never think i'd see the day where pokemon makes a better battle then N's final battle.
His ace (Fairy/Flying) is untouchable by Cynthia's ace (Dragon/Ground)
bruh this wording is taken from another video I think by JPR why?
Shh. don't tell anyone. but the guy took how i felt right out of my mouth so i couldn't word it any different.
Volo and Cynthia, despite being related, are two sides of a coin
Both are interested in ancient history. Cynthia uses the information she finds to shape the world, Volo uses it for his own benefit
Both have opposing aces (Garchomp/Togekiss)
And their musical themes are also opposite. Volo's battle theme is Cynthia's encounter theme with a bit of the battle theme in it, and his encounter theme is mainly her battle theme
Just remember, that long pause near the start will hold until after the “Battle Start” sign passes. The Cynthia part only plays when the battle begins, Gamefreak really wanted to install fear into the fight.
Be glad Cynthia is on our side. If this is what her ancestor can do imagine what she'd be capable of if she snapped
Having battled her in both Platinum and Black and White 2...are you SURE she's on our side?
In Platinum there was no backing down because you made it that far so it was all or nothing.
In B/W 2 she gives you the choice to fight her or not. A first time ever after the ! Appears over the trainer.
@@crauce I just spammed super effective moves.
if she ever met this guy, I'm sure she would be horrified.
I have bested Ultra Necrozma with a Sumo Wrestler and a Shape-Shifting fox...
I have crippled both Volo and Giratina using a Waifu Bunny and a Grape-Shape Bat...
I have turned beating Blue into a calculation after speedrunning Fire Red well over 12 times by this point.
Yet, Cynthia in Platinum... yeah, no. I'm not dealing with *That* without 25 revives and Full Restores at the ready.
In Japanese (ウォロ), English (Volo), German (Volo), Spanish (Volus), Korean (월로) and Russian (Воло), Volo's name is derived from the Latin "volō" for "I wish", and possibly the philosophical statement "volō, ergo sum" (I wish, therefore I am).
In French, his name is Percupio, from the Latin "percupio" for "to wish greatly".
In Italian, his name is Ethelo, from the Ancient Greek ἐθέλω (ethélō), for "to wish".
In Mandarin and Cantonese, his name is 望羅/望罗 or 望羅 (Wàngluó or Monglòh), from 望 (wàng/mong) for "to hope" plus the transcription of Volo.
His name always represents his ultimate desire to meet Arceus.
There's a little mistake when talking about the philosophical statement, since it's actually "cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am) instead of I wish
I thought is was supposed to be dia”volo” (diavolo) meaning devil in Italian
It's not a mistake. It's another diferent statement, not as popular as "cogito ergo sum", but still valid.
"Volo ergo sum", I rather think of that
And of course, we have a character named Cogita in Legends: Arceus.
If he wanted to make a wish so badly, he should've caught a Jirachi.
Man, I looove the way they totally subverted expectations with the ancestors. Kamado turns out to despise you and banishes you, Beni (Wally’s ancestor) ends up being a crouching tiger and ultimate ninja, and CYLLENE of all people is a genuinely good and loyal person.
Oh and THEN VOLO. VOLO!!! HE is the reason the rift opened after you closed it, the reason you were driven from your only home, and he was using you and tracking you the WHOLE time so he could get the plates-- and using Cogita too! Then he lures you to the temple HE ruined so he can subjugate THE LITERAL CREATOR GOD and make HIS OWN NEW WORLD. FUCK his noble goal to end all suffering. He threatens all but to KILL you to get the other 17 plates and THEN he summons POKÉMON SATAN TO KILL YOUR ASS.
Imagine if knives were a thing here
wasn’t dialga/palkia the one who ruined the temple
@@YD___ Yes, but they wouldn’t have ruined it if Volo hadn’t made the rift in the first place. It’s like a butterfly effect.
The bit where he says that no matter what all roads lead to fighting him was super well done line.
I don't know if it's still just where the game is still new but I think volo may be the best villain in the series.
Go outside, kid.
Volo isn’t a tough fight because he’s related to Cynthia.
Cynthia is a tough fight because she’s related to Volo.
correct.
Volo is like cynthia and ghetsis rolled into one with a dash of cyrus and ultra necrozma for good measure.
He has opposing things
His ace is a togekiss which is opposite typing to garchomp cynthias ace
He replaced the water type with a fire type milotic and arcanine.
His clothes resemble arceus while cynthias looks like giratina.
@@_Tzer sprinkling of red and N as well, perfect balance
Actually, no, Volo is a tough fight because he jacks Cynthia's team, and then gets some blatant horseshit on top of it. Cynthia doesn't need to rely on cheap bullshit like Volo does.
@@MrAcuriteOf1337 Technically Cynthia jacks Volos theme since time
@@plompedu Within the game universe, sure, but the designers were clearly basing Volo off Cynthia, because of how time works in real life, so the design credit still goes to Cynthia.
I honestly liked Volo so much, I didn't even realize he was acting weird until I was almost finished collecting the plates. That's when I started to actually notice his strange dialogue and how invested he was with me, the player.
I also didn't realize he was Cynthia's ancestor until I was battling him at the temple, but to be fair I haven't played Diamond or Pearl yet
Hearing this theme hit and seeing him send out Spiritomb. Crazy. I’m 28 but for a moment I felt 14. Actually felt that way the whole playthrough. One of my favorite games ever.
Oh man! I am so glad I wasn't the only one!
I was 12 when I first battled and defeated Cynthia, when she first sent out her Spiritomb, and now here I am fighting Volo at 25 years old. I beat Cynthia back then, I wasn't going to lose to Volo no matter what.
It’s insane how good this game is to create this. I’d skipped SS and BDSP because they felt too lacklustre. But playing this game, gave me shudders unlike any main line game before.
The excitement of evolving my two Eevees in what felt like my own narrative but really just good times random Pokémon, the fact that even though you felt like you grounded/ did side missions for a while before moving onto the next area, the enemy levels stayed almost on par with yours. Leading up to the final encounter with Volvo and Giritina. I only have 2 Pokémon and even then they were only 5 levels above and still very capable of one shooting me if I misplayed.
Having to switch between the two just not to die, only for Volo to do the same was surprisingly nerve-wracking in a good way, as I had to find ways to slowly dismantle his team, only to find his next Pokémon to prove another threat to them.
And then came Giratina… this game will be played for a while longer I feel XD
Same!! I legit screamed NO!!! when I heard the music and saw the Spiritomb pop out. Even tho I was 10+ levels above his team…I still felt the fear in my heart lol
31 here, this was really amazing, it's been a while (since pokemon gold with RED) that i felt issued a challenge like this.
This is my favorite battle so far, so hard, and full of emotion
Cyllene, who is evil Cyrus' female counterpart, is good.
Volo, who is good Cynthia's male counterpart, is evil.
Good Cynthia is dressed in black and has a Dragon/Ground-type ace.
Evil Volo is dressed in white (during the final fight) and has a Fairy/Flying-type ace.
Cyllene, close to Selene who is the moon is exactly the opposite of Cyrus, which means sun.
That's fucking clever.
Hold up togekiss is his ace? I honestly lost to him so many times that his last Pokémon would have been togekiss, roserade, or garchomp depending on my strategy.
Basically men are EEEEVVIIIL
In a story I created, purely fanfiction, Cyrus is Cynthia's dad.... Don't ask why I did that. I was Cynthia's cousin, so he was my uncle...
Please remember that I did this story when I was about 10 years old (13 years ago of typing this comment.)
0:53 - 1:06 Gives off a mysterious vibe, similar to when we first meet Volo, which transformed into a chaotic and emotional sequence, similar to Volo's shift into madness.
1:17 - 1:29 Has a gentle and happy melody that almost makes you think there's still hope for Volo under that maddening passion to truly comprehend the meaning of the world.
I feel like 0:53 - 1:06 is referencing a motif we've heard before, but I can't place it at all and it's irritating me so much
Edit: is it referencing the mount coronet music??? That's the best I can think of
1:06 onwards foreshadows his ancestor's battle theme
@@J75Pootle It reminds me of Eterna forest, but that is quite different, I think.
Or maybe the Uxie/Azelf/Mesprit battle, but I have trouble exactly recalling that song but it is also different...
But I clearly recognise the song, perhaps another generation?
@@J75Pootle I couldn't place it for the longest time, but it sounds really similar to the theme that plays when you successfully beat Cynthia. Like, the victory music after you become champion
@@LeafyRowlet do you mean the hall of fame theme? I can't hear it in the battle victory music but I *think* the first melody in the section we're confused about sounds like a sped up (and maybe minor?) Version of the last melodic line in the dppt hallof fame theme before it repeats
"I wasn't scared, until I've heard the piano."
Alpharad - 2022
And all of those who had PTSD over Cynthia's battle.
He's just a simple merchant they said..
He's doesn't have major role in the plot they said...
*Proceeds to be the cause of all the events of the game*
Modern games are too easy, they said
He isn't Cynthia's ancestor, they said
We've been used to this the moment twist villain came to Pokémon in 2016 but this one is a great execution. It felt like I was Playing PMD again.
a merchant cant relate to a champion they said...
a merchant cant have a good battle song they said...
No one person can cause every bad thing happen they said...
a main villain cant have a name that looks like violin they said...
no one person could strike ptsd they didn't say, it can not give agony to those, but the volo/cynthia family, are the only ones to history that can
@@rogue1248 just like explorers of time with dusknoir and grovyle
I feel it is possible that Volo didn't feel that you were the chosen one right away. While he had suspicions about what falling out of the hole meant, you are not the first person from another time to show up. He knew Ingo already and knew for certain how strong Ingo's affinity for Pokemon was even without his memory. I feel the suspicions rose to a horrible point around the stage when you have calmed 2 lords and he starts asking more questions about what you saw in the hole. It slow creeps further along with more interactions as well. While I do believe that he was suspicious all along, his kindness towards your character at the start was no facade and the plan to use you for the plates started to form only when he decided to help you clear your name to grow more attached to you.
TLDR I think Volo is one of the most complex characters Pokemon has ever written and I applaud them for a job well done.
Volo: Why are you looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost? Surely you’re not scared of my spiritomb?
Us: Nono it’s not the spiritomb…
*It’s the piano*
Volo : What , mine is original remember that Cynthia is my descendant
*it's that garchomp*
@@theidk4589 that explains a lot actually
The piano is horrifying
and the spooky plate
I like how he's just a well mannered guy and a good merchant who can't keep his impulses (obsessions) under control.
In the Italian translation his name was changed to Ethelo, which in greek means "I desire", "I crave" or "I wish". In latin "volo" means "I wish", but it shares the same meanings as the greek "Ethelo"; this all makes sense as Volo/Ethelo has spent all his life trying to find more and more about Arceus: he craves for more knowledge, he always desires more and more, which is a running theme through rebellious deities like Lucifer or Giratina.
Guess all these years of studying Latin, Greek and Italian are actually proving to be useful lol
... That Lucifer parallel kinda holds water. Beautiful, very powerful man who wants to defy and usurp the power of a god? Pretty dead on.
What’s also interesting is the use of “Dires Ires” in his battle theme. It’s repeated several times. It’s like Nintendo really wants to drive home the point here.
Edit: Now that I’ve listened to it again, it actually never stops. It’s the basis for the whole song. It’s just at times it’s more prominent than others.
This whole game I couldn't stop relating him to JoJo since the main antagonist of one season is named Diavolo and then Dio and Giorno are famous for their blonde hair
That's so cool, they really kicked it up a notch with the etymology for his name. Just a moment ago I was thinking "what kind of name is volo anyway lol". In what tense is Cogita in, then?
Giratina wasn't rebellious unlike lucifer, his presence is just too destructive to the normal world that Arceus decided to just throw Giratina into the distortion world
But if Giratina was so destructive to Arceus creation, why made Giratina in the first place u ask? For matter to exist, antimatter must correspondingly exist too, Giratina is the god of antimatter
Im sure plenty have, but I haven’t seen anyone mention yet how Togekiss dex entry talks about them hating conflict and vanishing because of conflict as well as being lucky and peaceful creatures. And that’s his first/main Pokémon. I like that detail a lot cause I think it shows how he could have been a very happy and chill person if grief didn’t push him.
DAMN. THATS TRAGIC
Volo and his Togekiss
Cyrus and his Crobat.
@@neverbackdown1918 they both where manipulated by their trainers
Well to be fair his end goal isn't for conflict
Lucario and Roserade are also friendship evolution Pokémon
Can’t you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins-the Eldritch presence icing your heart
the funny thing is, that is actually what you feel when you beat volo! well you don't really beat him, but you know what i mean.
who's to say?
" *GIRATINA! STRIKE HIM DOWN!* "
@@RandomGoldieStuff*BISHAN*
As someone who grew up with pokemon, I cried when this played. But not out of nostalgia or happiness. But out of pure fear and dread as I knew what was coming.
I like the idea that the player in Legends is just slightly older DPPt protaganist, and therefore, they beat not only Cynthia in their original time, but then came back and beat Volo. If you think about it, Arceus may have seen the players fight with Cyrus, Giratina, and Cynthia and decided that that was why they would be able to face Volo and stop him
If that’s what the Sinnoh protag did to catch Arceus eye, Makes you wonder just how much Ingo did in his time before he was brought back, or if it was even Arceus’ doing or something completely different.
Honestly I think Ingo was brought there by accident
@@navi0760 and that very well could be! It’s interesting to think of how that happened tho too, they leave a lot of the specifics to the imagination
@@navi0760 I’m pretty sure like Annabelle in OG S/M and Looker in ORAS that Ingo fell through an ultra wormhole. The difference between the MC and Ingo is the MC still has their memories ‘cause Arceus directly sent them by its will to Hisui, but Ingo gained amnesia because as we seen in the gen 7 games and anime, falling through an ultra wormhole at the very least has a high chance of screwing up your memories. Annabelle had amnesia in S/M, Looker had Amnesia in ORAS, and Ingo follows the trend.
@@thatoneguy5343 I think it'd make alot of sense if Ingo was brougt there not by an Ultra Wormhole, but by the Space-Time rift Giratina created. After all, it's a *Space-Time* rift, and Ingo travelled through both space and time to "coincidentally" appear in the place and rough timeframe of the Space-Time rift being created. Not to mention that Annabelle and Looker seemed to have completely forgotten their prior life, while Ingo atleast remembers *some* of it.
@@holyroman6541 That’s true. Another theory I have which is far fetched but hear me out: Ingo was Arceus’ first attempt at stopping Volo.
The reason the MC was brought to Hisui was to stop Volo, and according to Laventon, we directly came out of the space time rift atop of Spear Pillar. If your theory is true that Ingo fell through the same rift, then it could be Arceus either directly sent him to Hisui or set up the events that led to Ingo ending up in Hisui, but Ingo failed due to him losing his memories. Arceus noticed and learned from this attempt as when they sent the MC to the past, they made sure it was directly from them and not sabotage them to go through a portal like Ingo so the MC can keep their memories and thus be more efficient.
Volo caught me off-guard. I was just derping about having fun running around getting all the plates, and when the final battle started I was legitimately shaken because after several years of playing the mainline games, _I was not prepared for it at all._ My team consisted of random pokés I was only using for task research, with the exception of my high-levelled Typhlosion and Staraptor for emergencies. _And boy, was this an emergency._ I had to heavily rely on my very small, diminishing stash of revives and potions to get through his fight.
And then _Giratina showed up._ I actually shouted _"No, you can't do that!!"_ when he transformed for phase two of his fight.
I love this game. It took everything I knew about Pokémon and stomped on it.
I had a similar moment, literally shouting "WHAT?!" after I beat Giratina's first form. It had already token me around 5 tries to beat volo, another solid few tries to beat giratina, and then yet another few tries to beat Giratina's final form. My Pokemon were level 67 when I first challenged volo. I kid you not when I say when I finally beat him, my team were level 78. I had to be that overleveled just for a fighting chance. I legit would take a break, work on the pokedex, and come back every 4 hours or so to try again. What a satisfying victory.
I legit said nearly shouted “Wait thats illegal!”
@@averypatrick5279 when I fought him the first time my team was already level 80. And I didn't grind at all. All I did the entire game was trying to complete the pokedex.
I didn't say anything when the second phase hit, but I did have to put my switch down and just stare off into space for a bit.
haha I had a random Ursaring in my party I was keeping for whenever the moon finally decides to become full
What a nice looking character!
I hope he doesn't do anything insane with a legendary!
Game freak : *laughts hard*
If he wasn't so goddamn gorgeous I would've hated him all the way.
I kinda laughed when people talked about their PTSD with Cynthia, because I thought it was ridiculous. She's just a champion, if you lose just face her again. I get it now, Volo left me in tears
The cynthia piano rift near the beginning has that feeling of twisted dread and I love that. Finding out he was behind the space-time rift in the sky the whole time, even when you saw him as one of the only allies who supported you, you were just his closest answer to meeting Arceus
This really sound like a corrupted champion battle theme
joe nuts
joe nuts
God, I just love his title of "Pokémon Wielder" as opposed to trainer. More than that, I love that they don't make a big thing of it. It's simply matter of fact, he uses them. You train them.
Volo is comparable to N as a character. Seriously they nailed him.
I'd say he's just as evil as Ghetsis
@@coldzoroark6440 I wouldn’t say that. Volo wants knowledge above what any human can possibly know and to possibly reshape the world. Sorta like Cyrus. Ghetsis is a straight up psychopath who wants control of everything. He has no grand plan for things to be “better” under him. He just wants the power and will casually murder children for it. At least Cyrus and Volo saw themselves as heroes and thought they could make the world better. They weren’t inherently evil.
cuz they both mid
they tried to make N sound philosophical but really he just rambles meaninglessly. Volo is far better
@@adamfirstman0 shut the up
The fact that you have to fight this guy with Cynthia’s exact same team and 2 Giratina’s WITHOUT being able to recover is simply insane. The worst part is that if you fail, you’ll have to do the battle from the very start.