Bianca just being blind af in the first games is a new head canon I'll gladly accept. Bianca: "Dad, I'm gonna go live my life! Don't stop me!" Her dad: "Bianca, you can't leave home without picking up your glasses, they're prescription!" Bianca: "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" **runs into a wall**
He was boring in the first game and he's boring in the sequels. The Unova games are the most overrated shit. I don't understand why anyone likes that generation.
I still do like Iris' BW design a lot more but the big, poofy dress has definitely grown on me. It's so over the top and flashy that I can't help but smile.
I mean over the top is just what a champion is supposed to be Over the top Pokemon Over the top Special Moves Over the top Outfits Etc. (Champions usually only have 1 of over the top thing about them)
That big poofy dress is also great because they also give a reason for why she's wearing it. Not only is it a gift from Dreyden, but it's also implied iirc that it's the first time she's really tried on something fashionable so she's going over the top
I don't think N's design feeling different is from him "looking down instead of up", its the fact that in the original design there was a shadow over his face, while now its bright and a lot more clear.
@@Tenzsei That's the design choice. The shadow cast on his face makes him look more "evil", while his face without the shadow looks a lot more friendly.
The direction of where he looks is important too: in BW he looks down, he is superior and the thoughts of those who don't agree with team plasma are irrelevant; in B2W2 he looks slightly upwards, meaning that he's "submissive and breedable" JOKES ASIDE it means that he's approachable, doesn't seek conflict and is more open.
I always found it kinda funny that Zinzolin was the dude who got trapped in cold storage, then became a full fledged ice villain, we really traumatised him in BW 1
I like how despite its low sales White 2 and Black 2 are some of the best games in the series which improved almost everything White and Black did. (Also if you want to buy it these days it'd be $80 and upwards)
Even some relatively minor things. You can select a group of Pokemon now. The game asks you if you want to reuse a Repel. You can put all your most useful items in a special bag (number 1 feature I want to see back).
Since we brought up the seven sages, shout outs to the sage that rejected Ghetsis and kept the old Team Plasma alive with the ideals they more publicly were known for. Don't remember the sage's name, but he had a following with grunts that still wore the knight outfit and they were really just chill and were like "treat pokemon better, please." and I think they even ended up helping you take on Neo Plasma in the plot near the end or something or other.
His name was Rood, and yes him and some of the other former Team Plasma grunts helped take care of the Neo grunts at the Giant Chasm so you could go on ahead
Black and White 2's release timing was unfortunate for sure, coming out in late 2012 for the original DS, then X and Y being revealed barely over two months after they released (going off the US release date) definitely hurt them.
Something I do find interesting is that even outside of B2W2's Memory Link feature, you can actually see Iris and Team Plasma's old designs in the new games I think the reason for Iris is simple enough, her BW design could be seen as more of a casual attire, while her new design is saved for when she's actually acting as Champion For Team Plasma, it's a lot more significant, as the Team Plasma members with the old designs are the Team Plasma members who are still faithful to N and are striving to help the Pokemon that were separated from the trainers, in contrast to the new Team Plasma who seek conquest of Unova.
I like that they did this for the anime too! When she's being casual, like hanging out with Ash, she's in her old outfit, but during battles she changes into her champion dress.
I actually love Lenoras apron. It felt like she was a working archeologist, restoring fossils etc with her apron on where she can keep her tools and stuff
Bianca was also kind of clumsy if I recall so the glasses may also be helping with that. She also used to rush around everywhere so overall her glasses might represent her becoming less clumsy and also taking things more slowly and appreciating things more(which is reflected in the first scene we have with her where she is admiring a beautiful view).
Also, I agree with the Lenora design thing. I think it would have made more sense to give her clothes that resemble like museum staff, a researcher, professor, or even a librarian. The only way i can think of that having the apron relates to her character is that she has like a husband I guess(and that’s kind of a stretch). The apron makes her look like cooking or something is an important part of her character even though it’s not. I definitely get the idea but the apron was not a good way of conveying that imo.
Another thing about Zinzolin's B2W2 design is that it's meant to be very, VERY insulated to show how much he hates the cold. If you remember his appearance in BW, he was stuck at the Cold Storage and that was all he kept yammering about that whole time
In hindsight, that was probably supposed to tip people off to the "twist" that he isn't really running the show, what with Ghetsis being the one who's *actually* trying to use Kyurem to freeze over Unova.
It's interesting that the most popular and exciting pokemon games are actually sequels. Pokemon black and white 2 and gold and silver (heartgold and soulsilver for remakes). Going back to the place you remembered and everything is different. Familiar faces have grown up, stories have moved on and the characters you once played are now legends in your new game. And yet game freak seems to avoid this for some reason. Who wouldn't like a pokemon game where you visit older regions to see how they changed. Imagine jhoto with gigantimax battles being featured now or mega evolutions in sinnoh?
I'm still mad USUM weren't actual sequels. Otherwise Gen 7 would have really become one of the top gens. And now with DLC it seems this era is definitely over...
To add more about Iris' new look, the fabric that loops over behind her head from under her arms is specifically common in imagery of kami or other spiritually powerful beings, called a hagoromo, or "celestial veil".
Pokemon Black 2/White 2 is my favorite pokemon game ever. The amount of love, details and care put into the game still stands not only as a fantastic pokemon game, but one of the best DS games period.
Blaze Black 2 is the best romhack and best addition to the game ever. all 650 pokemon and increased difficulty ontop of the amazing base game makes it the best ever pokemon experience Ive ever played. I wish gamefreak took this approach to pokemon instead of kid friendly 3d
@@2014dotcom if you like playing rom hacks I highly recommend Inclement Emerald. It has every mon up to gen 7, megas, different difficulty modes and almost every quality of life addition you could think of.
iirc, when you reach the last town on BW2 there is an npc that will talk to you about a trainer who saved unova 2 yrs ago, it's the same guy you first encounter outside your town when you play BW. it gave me nostalgia when i first play it
@@ZenCheesecake Ash is not a canon character, he's an anime only character (hence why the characters of the game appear in the anime, but not the other way around: the only canon of the Pokémon franchise is what happens in the games). So Iris is still the youngest Champion ^^
The thing that managed to make me love even more that generation, is the Gechis event from Pokémon Masters Ex, where they tell you two important things: 1) For the first time ever in the history of Pokémon they revealed that Nate, the canonical protagonist of BW2, is apparently fatherless for who knows how much time, and when he see's the behaviour of Gechis towords N being so harsh we, this time, thruly know why the main protagonist hates the villain so much, since all he's ever wished to have was a paternal figure... and i'm not gonna lie the lines that he shouts in order to defend N hits worse than a truck. 2) In his sinc move animations alongside Kyurem, Gachis states: "I'll take you down with my own hand". This implies that he's not hiding his right arm, he straight up doesn't has that arm!!!
@@Boltz4 If the main game is not fully able to do so, then another one should take the responsability of teaching us more. So yes, even though is not "canon" it still manages to do his job correctly
I know there was a theory that his hydreigon actually bit off his arm and destroyed his eye, hence why they are both covered up, because he abused it into evolving too early, as it is below the level it can normally evolve.
@@Blaze-nm1uh Nah, we see his other arm in BW's intro, and it's perfectly intact. We also see it intact in other branches of canon. As for his eye, the eye itself is also intact, as shown by some concept art which showed that it just has a scar around it. It's unlikely that his hydreigon caused this injury, even if he definitely abused it: After all, it's the only NPC pokemon ever to have minimum friendship, and as a result the only NPC pokemon ever to use a max power Fustration.
I regret not buying BW2 back then. I was a child and couldn't really afford it or to be precise, I didn't allow myself to buy it after already playing the previous White. Also, I didn't expect it to be much different. I played all main games and BW was one of the best I think. I would love to play the sequel one day, it is a bit difficult to get it these days.
@@karuiz3658 That's not really true though, pokemon remake's always get released in the order of which region has had the longest without a game. The next "remake" is likely going to be gen 2 followed by a gen 5 remake at some point. Although due to how gen 5 has 2 entirely seperate game's potentially it would need 2 remakes in a row.
I didn't like Iris' look in B2/W2 until I saw a comment that really put it into perspective. "Iris' appearance and theme emphasize that she's going to destroy you like it's her birthday party."
My personal headcannon is that with the time skip in BW and BW2 is that your trainer and rivals in the first game isn't initially 10 years old they never implied they were and their designs do seem more teenager than young child so I think the two year gap makes sense as to why they changed a good bit that's just me though.
I'm pretty sure your friend group in BW was 14~15 and that's why they look more mature here. Cheren literally works as a teacher and a gym leader so he's 18 at the least
I think these are my favourite of your videos, it’s just fun to see someone discuss how character designs evolve, why these changes were made and just taking a moment to appreciate them
I love that you singled out Gorm because in Saltydkdan’s Pokémon friendlocke season 2, when he shows up, they act all surprised, like Gorm of the Seven Sages! And that’s the only reason I even remember their name.
I dont know how people hate bw or bw2, there's so much effort put into those games that it brings some joy to me, National dex at the time, HUNDREDS of NEW sprites just fot THOSE specific games, a lot of small details such as low HP pokémons having a bit slower animation, or closed eyes when sleeping + slow animation, the soundtrack of the games fits perfectly in every single place, one of the best stories and antagonists, the world moves with you instead of moving around you, such as in bw the gym leaders interact a lot with you unlike other games, there's so much to do in these games, you can even be a moviestar or play a little "dating" game with yancy or curtis depending on your character, the post game is kinda big, with the big tree and a lot of legendaries to catch, it's all so interactive and at the time it felt so alive, just the fact that you could call your mom was awesome for me, i always would call her between cities to se her reaction, the battle train was also awesome tho, some people didn't even know where did ingo came from in legends arceus, but i got so happy seeing him get some atention, just a bit sad that he got separated from his brother, the graphics fits a lot for pokémon in the DS, people complain about pokemon designs but i love a LOT of those, i love trubbish's idea seeing that unova is mostly urban, unfezant and pidove being based on pigeons. Leavanny is my favorite pokemon, scolipede is awesome, gigalith, excadrill, lilligant, Krookodile, scrafty, ZOROARK, galvantula, CHANDELURE...And a lot more amazing pokemon, people that complain to me never really tried to give it a chance, the games are definitely underrated, and even today with a lot of new pokemon ganes such as legends arceus or swsh, i still consider bw2 and bw to be some of the best pokemon games out there, it was time when gamefreak still put effort, time and love into those games unlike today...Let's just hope that pokémon scarlet and violet can bring us more joy from this pokémon world that we much love and care about
It's really due from them 1. Ditching all old pokemon 2. Replacing them worse allegedly worse pokemon 3. The story feeling like it was too serious for a pokemon game 4. Weather wars. If you know, you know
It was fun seeing Iris as champion in Pokémon Journeys. I watched all of Black and White as a kid and am very nostalgic for that generation even though I never got to play the games.
Bianca's eyesight got worse and Cheren started wearing contacts I never really considered N an enemy after the second meeting. He just seemed... Too lax.
N's old look looks a lot like his making a great and strong entrance(his introduction to the games and anime) and the glow-up looks like his looking back before saying goodbye.
Y'know, my hope for remakes has been pretty much crushed by BDSP, but imagine if by some divine miracle game freak was still able to make decent remakes, they could remake the B&W gen by smashing both B&W and B2&W2 together with the second story taking place after an in-game timeskip in postgame, somewhat similar to the delta episode in ORAS. Sure, the story would be changed a bit since you'd stay the same character (or maybe not and you create a second character for the second half and are able to challenge your old self to unlock the ability to switch character. Pokémon teams are shared from the start though to not screw you over), but a warped story in a remake would be a welcome change to make things even fresher.
firstly BDSP weren't made by Game Freak and secondly BDSP were decent remakes imo, certainly not deserving of the scorn they get. that'd be an interesting idea though! I am wondering how they would do it
thank you for this video, its so cool to understand the smart design choices put into the character art and how they are meant to show something about the character. its so interesting how these things are so subtly (at least subtle to me cause im stupid) put into a characters design that have such a huge meaning
b2w2 are the best pokemon games objectivelly, are just super super polished games and very good quality in every way, lots of content also and lots of postgame, you just have an open world to explore you start opening the areas gradually but at the end is an open world when you beat the main story couse there are still milions of places you havent explored and even during the game every badge you have like 3 or 4 places to explore and level up, the level curve is very good unlike modern games and the difficulty curve is very good unlike modern pokemon games
Another thing I love about Ghetsis' redesign is his battle theme. In BW his battle theme sounded mysterious, intimidating and mighty. Which then transforms into sounding more evil and intimidating. It sounds like the theme of someone who thinks of himself as an absolute ruler. A god. In BW2 his theme already starts with the second part. He doesn't hide his true plans anymore. He isn't hiding that he is evil. Also this theme is very chaotic, unlike his first theme, which was much calmer and not chaotic. Definitely fits his new character and development.
With Lenora and the apron I can see her wearing them in either way ( though an animation of her going from it being worn to it over her shoulder would have been awesome as a pre battle animation). It's well within her profession to wear that style of apron.
Iris' champion design is still my favorite character design in pokemon to this day. Her outfit looks awesome, make her looks like a princess. It give off cute, energetic, and powerful vibes at the same time
I love how they updated all these designs I have to love elesa because of her glow up its so good. Also cherens and Iris new designs look better than the old ones I just love how iris became the champion in b2w2
Really like Unova. Even at the time I really enjoyed the games & was pretty surprised by the hate they got over the lack of older Mons during initial playthrough & the reboot of the Anime. Iris was awesome too as both a GL & a Champion so was unfortunate her teasing Ash about being a Kid when he seemed to be pretty elite in Sinnoh or at least getting there placing top 4 & doing better than the finalist challenger vs Tobias, outshined her game counterpart. Also I remember people raging about B2W2 being on DS not 3DS, which definitely explains the sales in part.
Zinzolin heavy coat is also because he is always freezing as he was the sage that try to hide himself in the cold storage in the previous game and now always feel like he is freezing which is nice
BW2 have a special place in my heart simply because they were the first Pokémon games I ever played. I sadly never got to finish it because it was a copy my cousin gave me, in Japanese, so I had no idea what the hell I was doing 99% of the time and got stuck in Castelia City lol.
bw to b2w2 had some of the best time skips. Organic, tied up loose ends in bw plot (such as Bianca finding out who she wants to be, Cheren being ok w not being champion and trying smn new) and the designs all made sense. I loved it
Ghetsis’ appearance gives off a large intimidation factor. But something more intimidating is his strength. If you observe the Black 2/White 2 battle sprite, he quite literally breaks the top of his cane off as he jabs it into the ground. This man ain’t screwing around. His anger leads him to break STEEL with his bare hand
I had to look back at his intro animation to see this, and... oh my! You're right! I never even noticed that before. Ghetsis is definitely capable of killing the player with his bare hands... or, hand, since he might be missing his right hand/arm. I don't think we've ever seen it in any iteration of him. That little detail just made him so much more intimidating.
additionally to your notes on Zinzolins new design. He's wearing a gamberson (woolen armor typically used by knights.) It makes even more sense since the region vets colder.
As exciting as remakes can be, or third versions for that matter, sequels are way more interesting. Instead of just making the original version obsolete, they instead build upon what was already established and expand the world, characters, and gameplay with a continuing storyline that offers a new experience that's equally as important as the original. Black/White 2 are similar to XD Gale of Darkness in that regard, both offering fresh, yet familiar experiences that do not take away from the original Black/White/ Colosseum thanks to the bridges in storyline.
While I do genuinely love your videos, I am a HUGE Gen 5 softy. As they are still to this day my favorite Pokemon games. I even noticed how you had the rare dream world music in the outro of your videos lately.
GatorEX, I seriously appreciate your videos. I love the way you focus on characters' design and how it reflects their personalities and roles in the greater Pokémon context. Also, THANK YOU for putting respect on Iris and Agatha, both are so cool and worthy of a closer look :D
I wish the internet stopped trying to attack non-issues to "defend us" As a black person I never had a problem with her design, it does makes her look motherly It makes sense
But tbf many black people do have a problem with it and have been harmed by the stereotype. Best to not have it than have it when it's such a quick and easy fix.
I still wish your character from the first game made an appearance in the second one. At the very least i would have like to see them hangout out with their buddies at some point. Would have been cool to see the trio together again.
For me Black and White and Black 2 and White 2 were the peak of Pokémon games, they had everything, incredible designs, musics so high quality they may put you in a trance and that have a very distinctive identity, the graphics and gyms were the best we ever had and the plot was just the best with villains more complex than everything we had before, these games for me were the culmination of all the other before them, they took the formula, but they also took everything that made the past Pokémon games good and unforgettable, the very soul of the franchise, and refined it to perfection. It was the ultimate Pokémon game. What came after never ever reached that level and I don't think it ever will.
Iris really was a cool character in black and white, but the sequel really made her cooler. I’m glad cheren (sorry if that’s wrong spelling) is a gym leader too and Bianca becoming a professor or more or less, a helper.
Something else about Cheren's design in B2W2. His face is a bit flushed in his art, but I've also noticed that his battle sprite appears to be sweating, showing that he hasn't gotten his footing in this whole gym leader thing quite yet.
Never played black/white but I played black 2 and it's my favorite pokemon game to date. Was interesting to see how some things had changed from 1 to 2!
Given that Hilbert was 15 along with his rivals, Bianca and Cheren now look so grown up because they're 17 now And since Iris is older than them, she's likely a grown woman now
Gen 5 will always have a special place in my heart, These were the first Pokemon games Ive ever played, I catched up on older games like Soul Silver and Perl and ofc played the newest games but Gen 5 still are my favorites, The Pokemon, the Story and especially the characters and Region just feeling like home to me,,, whenever Im feeling down, Im listening to some gen 5 soundtracks to comfort me, I love the part of the time skip so much even tho I was too young to really understand this back then, I love seeing old characters in new games so much! and especially seeing the redesigns are the most interesting part for me! I have to say, I really love the redesigns in BW2, I would say I also prefer them! Cheren is the only exception tho, I really adore his BW outfit,, but both are amazing, no question!! his character development is amazing as well, seeing him grow up and learning from his mistakes, so great
Are you sure the apron was to make her seem more motherly? I always thought it was like blacksmithing aprons or woodworker aprons, but for archeologists where they keep their tools and brushes and stuff
Still not a fan of making Iris a champion in Journeys. It feels like it just the reason is: "make her champion just like in games". The backstory how she became one is non-existent. Not even mentioning of Alder. Wouldn't be so jarring if she became a Gym Leader like Drayden wanted eventually. Although she's shown during the match with Cynthia to be experienced enough.
thank you for showing me caitlyn from gen 4, cause that is actually so cool how they brought back a character giving them so much more personality. Also sabrina at pokerstars is something else i didn't know
I’d love to, but the only thing is that they’re constantly getting new outfits, so if I do, it’ll be outdated soon. Unless maybe I got like a year end recap maybe or based around a certain theme or make it like a Top 10 list that updates? 🤔
@@GatorEX Well, Pokémon Masters EX is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the end of the month so I imagine a recap per year would be a great idea. You could even evaluate the year overall 🤷♂️ I like the idea 😂
I like to think that reason Bianca has glasses in B2W2 is because her not having them is why she was clumsy in BW.
Bianca just being blind af in the first games is a new head canon I'll gladly accept.
Bianca: "Dad, I'm gonna go live my life! Don't stop me!"
Her dad: "Bianca, you can't leave home without picking up your glasses, they're prescription!"
Bianca: "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" **runs into a wall**
Wait this makes so much sense though.
Even Bianca's anime counterpart was clumsy and didn't see well half the time. This would make sense.
Welp thats been officially added to my head canon!
It's probably just so her face looks different lmao. Aside from the glasses, it's pretty similar
Ghetsis in B2W2 is so cool, because now that everyone knows he’s evil he no longer has to hide it and can be as unhinged and insane as he wants
His battle theme. Combined with this new look, you know it really means business.
He was boring in the first game and he's boring in the sequels. The Unova games are the most overrated shit. I don't understand why anyone likes that generation.
@@Anti-HyperLinkStill less overrated than Sinnoh.
@@shytendeakatamanoir9740 thats true
@@Anti-HyperLink are you going elaborate why you don’t like games or you here just to start shit
I still do like Iris' BW design a lot more but the big, poofy dress has definitely grown on me. It's so over the top and flashy that I can't help but smile.
I mean over the top is just what a champion is supposed to be
Over the top Pokemon
Over the top Special Moves
Over the top Outfits
Etc.
(Champions usually only have 1 of over the top thing about them)
@bruh moment it'll certainly be as enjoyable as a birthday for Iris
That big poofy dress is also great because they also give a reason for why she's wearing it. Not only is it a gift from Dreyden, but it's also implied iirc that it's the first time she's really tried on something fashionable so she's going over the top
It's also a mixup over the usual a knight saves the princess from a dragon. Now she's like the princess who tamed the dragon
She is the queen of dragons at this point and I have to say, it's one of the coolest champion fights in any game
I don't think N's design feeling different is from him "looking down instead of up", its the fact that in the original design there was a shadow over his face, while now its bright and a lot more clear.
I was thinking that too!
Im pretty sure the shadow is there because he has a hat on
@@Tenzsei That's the design choice. The shadow cast on his face makes him look more "evil", while his face without the shadow looks a lot more friendly.
why not both? :p
The direction of where he looks is important too: in BW he looks down, he is superior and the thoughts of those who don't agree with team plasma are irrelevant; in B2W2 he looks slightly upwards, meaning that he's "submissive and breedable" JOKES ASIDE it means that he's approachable, doesn't seek conflict and is more open.
Elesa is more than a Glow-up she is electrifying
She's a good Gen 5 Waifu plus she's a model.
@@FTChomp9980 "waifu" ugh.. this word makes me cringe so much
@@FTChomp9980 Weeb
9/10->12/10
@MagicalBread proud of being a weeb. I see that as a compliment.
I always found it kinda funny that Zinzolin was the dude who got trapped in cold storage, then became a full fledged ice villain, we really traumatised him in BW 1
Except the man complains about the cold the whole time.. like dude.. use fire types if you are cold..
@@BaconNuke bro there's snails hotter than the sun, just sit by the snail and stop complaining about the cold
@@BaconNuke Who knows, it could be PTSD
We traumatized him so bad he wanted to make unova feel how he felt when we chased them into the cold storage 😭
yeah i also thought that was cool. honestly the b/w games really did their characters justice
I like how despite its low sales White 2 and Black 2 are some of the best games in the series which improved almost everything White and Black did. (Also if you want to buy it these days it'd be $80 and upwards)
Pretty much, I never really liked BW for anything other than it's story but BW2 keeps pulling me back
Even some relatively minor things.
You can select a group of Pokemon now.
The game asks you if you want to reuse a Repel.
You can put all your most useful items in a special bag (number 1 feature I want to see back).
I actually hate the fact that it didnt sell well cuz you know for fact that gamefreak will never try to do that again
@@degreeskelvin3025 I know, it's really unfortunate :[
Good thing emulators exist amiright
Since we brought up the seven sages, shout outs to the sage that rejected Ghetsis and kept the old Team Plasma alive with the ideals they more publicly were known for. Don't remember the sage's name, but he had a following with grunts that still wore the knight outfit and they were really just chill and were like "treat pokemon better, please." and I think they even ended up helping you take on Neo Plasma in the plot near the end or something or other.
His name was Rood, and yes him and some of the other former Team Plasma grunts helped take care of the Neo grunts at the Giant Chasm so you could go on ahead
I think they gave you a Zorua too
@@ladybug1601 N's Zorua, right?
@@PrinceLearStanyep and if you bring it through the whole game N will respect you for that in his lines
Iris and Elesa are my personal favorite redesigns, also Caitlin's
nice
Black and White 2's release timing was unfortunate for sure, coming out in late 2012 for the original DS, then X and Y being revealed barely over two months after they released (going off the US release date) definitely hurt them.
Its prob 3DS that hurt them rather than X and Y
@Bryce Pruitt wdym legends arceus is popular?
@Bryce Pruitt i would rather say how it was like with bdsp and arceus
As I recall BW2 was slated as the last Nintendo made game that was to be released for the Original DS.
What are you talking about? That's absolutely not true.
Something I do find interesting is that even outside of B2W2's Memory Link feature, you can actually see Iris and Team Plasma's old designs in the new games
I think the reason for Iris is simple enough, her BW design could be seen as more of a casual attire, while her new design is saved for when she's actually acting as Champion
For Team Plasma, it's a lot more significant, as the Team Plasma members with the old designs are the Team Plasma members who are still faithful to N and are striving to help the Pokemon that were separated from the trainers, in contrast to the new Team Plasma who seek conquest of Unova.
I like that they did this for the anime too! When she's being casual, like hanging out with Ash, she's in her old outfit, but during battles she changes into her champion dress.
I actually love Lenoras apron. It felt like she was a working archeologist, restoring fossils etc with her apron on where she can keep her tools and stuff
That’s literally what she is and why she wears it. Guess Gator did get that.
@@EWOODJ it's unfortunate I get why he would think negative but literally we've seen chef wear aprons in Pokemon like wtf.
I'm pretty sure she's still wearing the apron just backwards
@@AlphaFX-kv4ud yes she us
@@AlphaFX-kv4ud She is holding it in here hands and over her shoulder, like she's ready and prepared to go field research.
Bianca was also kind of clumsy if I recall so the glasses may also be helping with that. She also used to rush around everywhere so overall her glasses might represent her becoming less clumsy and also taking things more slowly and appreciating things more(which is reflected in the first scene we have with her where she is admiring a beautiful view).
Also, I agree with the Lenora design thing. I think it would have made more sense to give her clothes that resemble like museum staff, a researcher, professor, or even a librarian. The only way i can think of that having the apron relates to her character is that she has like a husband I guess(and that’s kind of a stretch). The apron makes her look like cooking or something is an important part of her character even though it’s not. I definitely get the idea but the apron was not a good way of conveying that imo.
Another thing about Zinzolin's B2W2 design is that it's meant to be very, VERY insulated to show how much he hates the cold. If you remember his appearance in BW, he was stuck at the Cold Storage and that was all he kept yammering about that whole time
In hindsight, that was probably supposed to tip people off to the "twist" that he isn't really running the show, what with Ghetsis being the one who's *actually* trying to use Kyurem to freeze over Unova.
It's interesting that the most popular and exciting pokemon games are actually sequels. Pokemon black and white 2 and gold and silver (heartgold and soulsilver for remakes).
Going back to the place you remembered and everything is different. Familiar faces have grown up, stories have moved on and the characters you once played are now legends in your new game. And yet game freak seems to avoid this for some reason.
Who wouldn't like a pokemon game where you visit older regions to see how they changed. Imagine jhoto with gigantimax battles being featured now or mega evolutions in sinnoh?
Don't forget Platinum
bw2 are the least popular games, they sold the least out of all the games in the 2010s
I'm still mad USUM weren't actual sequels. Otherwise Gen 7 would have really become one of the top gens.
And now with DLC it seems this era is definitely over...
@@miikapm2 least sales (some ppl back then thought it was just a third game not a sequel so they didnt buy it) but def not the least popular
@@ktbmk theyre literally called black and white TWO people did not mistake them for third versions they just werent popular 🤦
To add more about Iris' new look, the fabric that loops over behind her head from under her arms is specifically common in imagery of kami or other spiritually powerful beings, called a hagoromo, or "celestial veil".
Pokemon Black 2/White 2 is my favorite pokemon game ever. The amount of love, details and care put into the game still stands not only as a fantastic pokemon game, but one of the best DS games period.
this guy knows
Profile pic checks out
Also, Nate best boy
Blaze Black 2 is the best romhack and best addition to the game ever. all 650 pokemon and increased difficulty ontop of the amazing base game makes it the best ever pokemon experience Ive ever played. I wish gamefreak took this approach to pokemon instead of kid friendly 3d
@@2014dotcom if you like playing rom hacks I highly recommend Inclement Emerald. It has every mon up to gen 7, megas, different difficulty modes and almost every quality of life addition you could think of.
That Seven Sages joke made me burst out laughing in public. Thanks everyone’s looking at me now. Worth it
Iris’s BW2 glow up was great and finding out she’s champion of Unova was crazy.
Her theme is great too. A fun song to be fighting a champion.
The originals were my first games. Then I played these as my next ones. There is so much nostalgia here it's unreal.
Same the nostalgia is the main reasons oshawot is my favourite srarter
iirc, when you reach the last town on BW2 there is an npc that will talk to you about a trainer who saved unova 2 yrs ago, it's the same guy you first encounter outside your town when you play BW. it gave me nostalgia when i first play it
Iris being a grown up and Ash still being a kid is still insane
They are the same age
the dk rap reference!!!!
the redesigns in b2w2 are SO good, especially cheren and iris IMO. one of the many reasons gen 5 is my favorite
Cheren was definitely done well!
I like Iris’ new design a lot, it makes her look like a princess, which is fitting for the youngest champion (at the time)
The Dragon Princess
what do you mean by at the time
@@KaylaTheKindOne I believe ash became a champion in Sun/Moon series, so she's no longer the youngest champion
@@ZenCheesecake Ash is not a canon character, he's an anime only character (hence why the characters of the game appear in the anime, but not the other way around: the only canon of the Pokémon franchise is what happens in the games). So Iris is still the youngest Champion ^^
@@LadyPrincessDiana technically if am not mistaking he is suppose to be a alternate version of Red
But even then ….there the same age
The thing that managed to make me love even more that generation, is the Gechis event from Pokémon Masters Ex, where they tell you two important things:
1) For the first time ever in the history of Pokémon they revealed that Nate, the canonical protagonist of BW2, is apparently fatherless for who knows how much time, and when he see's the behaviour of Gechis towords N being so harsh we, this time, thruly know why the main protagonist hates the villain so much, since all he's ever wished to have was a paternal figure... and i'm not gonna lie the lines that he shouts in order to defend N hits worse than a truck.
2) In his sinc move animations alongside Kyurem, Gachis states: "I'll take you down with my own hand". This implies that he's not hiding his right arm, he straight up doesn't has that arm!!!
Hmm, didn't know Pkmn Master had these kind of things, it's interesting to know how the MCs from each game act, personality and etc
@@Boltz4 If the main game is not fully able to do so, then another one should take the responsability of teaching us more. So yes, even though is not "canon" it still manages to do his job correctly
I know there was a theory that his hydreigon actually bit off his arm and destroyed his eye, hence why they are both covered up, because he abused it into evolving too early, as it is below the level it can normally evolve.
@@Blaze-nm1uh That would be interesting
@@Blaze-nm1uh Nah, we see his other arm in BW's intro, and it's perfectly intact. We also see it intact in other branches of canon.
As for his eye, the eye itself is also intact, as shown by some concept art which showed that it just has a scar around it.
It's unlikely that his hydreigon caused this injury, even if he definitely abused it: After all, it's the only NPC pokemon ever to have minimum friendship, and as a result the only NPC pokemon ever to use a max power Fustration.
I regret not buying BW2 back then. I was a child and couldn't really afford it or to be precise, I didn't allow myself to buy it after already playing the previous White. Also, I didn't expect it to be much different. I played all main games and BW was one of the best I think. I would love to play the sequel one day, it is a bit difficult to get it these days.
Emulate the game on your phone, laptop or pc for free lol
Modern problems require modern solutions xD
I would honestly emulate it, Nintendo/Gamefreak don’t care enough about it to really bring it back for a reboot.
@@karuiz3658 That's not really true though, pokemon remake's always get released in the order of which region has had the longest without a game. The next "remake" is likely going to be gen 2 followed by a gen 5 remake at some point. Although due to how gen 5 has 2 entirely seperate game's potentially it would need 2 remakes in a row.
I didn't like Iris' look in B2/W2 until I saw a comment that really put it into perspective.
"Iris' appearance and theme emphasize that she's going to destroy you like it's her birthday party."
Fun fact: Elesa's new design incorporates wool/fluffy clothes because she has a Flaaffy on her team now
My personal headcannon is that with the time skip in BW and BW2 is that your trainer and rivals in the first game isn't initially 10 years old they never implied they were and their designs do seem more teenager than young child so I think the two year gap makes sense as to why they changed a good bit that's just me though.
I think they were 14 in BW
I'm pretty sure your friend group in BW was 14~15 and that's why they look more mature here. Cheren literally works as a teacher and a gym leader so he's 18 at the least
@@ramamoorthy8211 isn't there an e4 member who's a literal child in the scarlet and violet?
Aint nobody care about child labour laws lmao
I think these are my favourite of your videos, it’s just fun to see someone discuss how character designs evolve, why these changes were made and just taking a moment to appreciate them
it’s really unfortunate that these games had such low sales. they’re great games imo
I loved Blue's evolution througout the years. He aged very well.
I love that you singled out Gorm because in Saltydkdan’s Pokémon friendlocke season 2, when he shows up, they act all surprised, like Gorm of the Seven Sages! And that’s the only reason I even remember their name.
I dont know how people hate bw or bw2, there's so much effort put into those games that it brings some joy to me, National dex at the time, HUNDREDS of NEW sprites just fot THOSE specific games, a lot of small details such as low HP pokémons having a bit slower animation, or closed eyes when sleeping + slow animation, the soundtrack of the games fits perfectly in every single place, one of the best stories and antagonists, the world moves with you instead of moving around you, such as in bw the gym leaders interact a lot with you unlike other games, there's so much to do in these games, you can even be a moviestar or play a little "dating" game with yancy or curtis depending on your character, the post game is kinda big, with the big tree and a lot of legendaries to catch, it's all so interactive and at the time it felt so alive, just the fact that you could call your mom was awesome for me, i always would call her between cities to se her reaction, the battle train was also awesome tho, some people didn't even know where did ingo came from in legends arceus, but i got so happy seeing him get some atention, just a bit sad that he got separated from his brother, the graphics fits a lot for pokémon in the DS, people complain about pokemon designs but i love a LOT of those, i love trubbish's idea seeing that unova is mostly urban, unfezant and pidove being based on pigeons. Leavanny is my favorite pokemon, scolipede is awesome, gigalith, excadrill, lilligant, Krookodile, scrafty, ZOROARK, galvantula, CHANDELURE...And a lot more amazing pokemon, people that complain to me never really tried to give it a chance, the games are definitely underrated, and even today with a lot of new pokemon ganes such as legends arceus or swsh, i still consider bw2 and bw to be some of the best pokemon games out there, it was time when gamefreak still put effort, time and love into those games unlike today...Let's just hope that pokémon scarlet and violet can bring us more joy from this pokémon world that we much love and care about
Sword and shield in a nut shell
Best gen fr
I do agree but just gonna say the battle train was in BW1
@@ed-b8045 it was in both games, and also i was talking about both of them. In bw2 it was the battle subway that you find in nimbasa city tho...
It's really due from them
1. Ditching all old pokemon
2. Replacing them worse allegedly worse pokemon
3. The story feeling like it was too serious for a pokemon game
4. Weather wars. If you know, you know
I like to imagine adult Caitlyn is using her psychic powers to maintain her impossibly wide mane of hair.😂
I think that’s actually what Ohmori (her character designer) said he was going for with her design haha
BW2 Iris's dress is something I would definitely like to wear. It's so over the top and I love it.
Same with BW2 Elesa
Okay, but Cheren's glow up is a 10 out of 10 🌟
It was fun seeing Iris as champion in Pokémon Journeys. I watched all of Black and White as a kid and am very nostalgic for that generation even though I never got to play the games.
Bianca's eyesight got worse and Cheren started wearing contacts
I never really considered N an enemy after the second meeting. He just seemed... Too lax.
Favorite game in the series and its partially due to seeing characters grow it made the BW world feel like an actual living world
Black/white 2 = the peak of the series. I miss the abimated sprites enough to play the game again every few years
N's old look looks a lot like his making a great and strong entrance(his introduction to the games and anime) and the glow-up looks like his looking back before saying goodbye.
Y'know, my hope for remakes has been pretty much crushed by BDSP, but imagine if by some divine miracle game freak was still able to make decent remakes, they could remake the B&W gen by smashing both B&W and B2&W2 together with the second story taking place after an in-game timeskip in postgame, somewhat similar to the delta episode in ORAS. Sure, the story would be changed a bit since you'd stay the same character (or maybe not and you create a second character for the second half and are able to challenge your old self to unlock the ability to switch character. Pokémon teams are shared from the start though to not screw you over), but a warped story in a remake would be a welcome change to make things even fresher.
5g doesn't deserve a remake, 5g deserves a sequel. A sequel about the og dragon
@@JoJoboiWav *Pokémon Legends: Kyurem*
@@Boltz4 that's what I'm waiting for as well
@@Boltz4 Jokes aside Pokemon Grey with him on the poster sounds amazing on top of making the most sense considering the point of Black and White
firstly BDSP weren't made by Game Freak and secondly BDSP were decent remakes imo, certainly not deserving of the scorn they get.
that'd be an interesting idea though! I am wondering how they would do it
thank you for this video, its so cool to understand the smart design choices put into the character art and how they are meant to show something about the character. its so interesting how these things are so subtly (at least subtle to me cause im stupid) put into a characters design that have such a huge meaning
When did i say that 💀💀💀
b2w2 are the best pokemon games objectivelly, are just super super polished games and very good quality in every way, lots of content also and lots of postgame, you just have an open world to explore you start opening the areas gradually but at the end is an open world when you beat the main story couse there are still milions of places you havent explored and even during the game every badge you have like 3 or 4 places to explore and level up, the level curve is very good unlike modern games and the difficulty curve is very good unlike modern pokemon games
And ash still can’t age lol
It's only natural for the story being told
Another thing I love about Ghetsis' redesign is his battle theme.
In BW his battle theme sounded mysterious, intimidating and mighty. Which then transforms into sounding more evil and intimidating. It sounds like the theme of someone who thinks of himself as an absolute ruler. A god.
In BW2 his theme already starts with the second part. He doesn't hide his true plans anymore. He isn't hiding that he is evil.
Also this theme is very chaotic, unlike his first theme, which was much calmer and not chaotic. Definitely fits his new character and development.
With Lenora and the apron I can see her wearing them in either way ( though an animation of her going from it being worn to it over her shoulder would have been awesome as a pre battle animation). It's well within her profession to wear that style of apron.
Even only seeing (probably) most of the Black and White anime years ago, this has got me so amazed to what happened afterwards.
5:50 The thugs predicted COVID19
Iris' champion design is still my favorite character design in pokemon to this day. Her outfit looks awesome, make her looks like a princess. It give off cute, energetic, and powerful vibes at the same time
I love how they updated all these designs I have to love elesa because of her glow up its so good.
Also cherens and Iris new designs look better than the old ones I just love how iris became the champion in b2w2
Really like Unova. Even at the time I really enjoyed the games & was pretty surprised by the hate they got over the lack of older Mons during initial playthrough & the reboot of the Anime. Iris was awesome too as both a GL & a Champion so was unfortunate her teasing Ash about being a Kid when he seemed to be pretty elite in Sinnoh or at least getting there placing top 4 & doing better than the finalist challenger vs Tobias, outshined her game counterpart. Also I remember people raging about B2W2 being on DS not 3DS, which definitely explains the sales in part.
Zinzolin heavy coat is also because he is always freezing as he was the sage that try to hide himself in the cold storage in the previous game and now always feel like he is freezing which is nice
Has anyone else noticed that Iris' crown kinda looks like cat ears?
6:27 "he actually looks kind of intimidating" He looks like Grimace...
BW2 have a special place in my heart simply because they were the first Pokémon games I ever played. I sadly never got to finish it because it was a copy my cousin gave me, in Japanese, so I had no idea what the hell I was doing 99% of the time and got stuck in Castelia City lol.
5:43 ayo I saw that 👀
bw to b2w2 had some of the best time skips. Organic, tied up loose ends in bw plot (such as Bianca finding out who she wants to be, Cheren being ok w not being champion and trying smn new) and the designs all made sense. I loved it
Ghetsis’ appearance gives off a large intimidation factor. But something more intimidating is his strength. If you observe the Black 2/White 2 battle sprite, he quite literally breaks the top of his cane off as he jabs it into the ground. This man ain’t screwing around. His anger leads him to break STEEL with his bare hand
I had to look back at his intro animation to see this, and... oh my! You're right! I never even noticed that before.
Ghetsis is definitely capable of killing the player with his bare hands... or, hand, since he might be missing his right hand/arm. I don't think we've ever seen it in any iteration of him.
That little detail just made him so much more intimidating.
@@vulturesalesman I wasn't even aware of it until a good friend pointed it out
B2&W2 was one of my favorite games. I think that's why I was so excited to see Ingo again in Legends Arceus.
additionally to your notes on Zinzolins new design. He's wearing a gamberson (woolen armor typically used by knights.) It makes even more sense since the region vets colder.
As a black person I liked the first version of "Lenora" design
As exciting as remakes can be, or third versions for that matter, sequels are way more interesting. Instead of just making the original version obsolete, they instead build upon what was already established and expand the world, characters, and gameplay with a continuing storyline that offers a new experience that's equally as important as the original. Black/White 2 are similar to XD Gale of Darkness in that regard, both offering fresh, yet familiar experiences that do not take away from the original Black/White/ Colosseum thanks to the bridges in storyline.
While I do genuinely love your videos, I am a HUGE Gen 5 softy. As they are still to this day my favorite Pokemon games. I even noticed how you had the rare dream world music in the outro of your videos lately.
GatorEX, I seriously appreciate your videos. I love the way you focus on characters' design and how it reflects their personalities and roles in the greater Pokémon context. Also, THANK YOU for putting respect on Iris and Agatha, both are so cool and worthy of a closer look :D
Honestly, they need to do this more. Ideally in games with a good story (like BW) but just having a direct sequel is cool.
"But what is a pokemon game without its villians."
A modern pokemon game?
I wish the internet stopped trying to attack non-issues to "defend us"
As a black person I never had a problem with her design, it does makes her look motherly
It makes sense
But tbf many black people do have a problem with it and have been harmed by the stereotype. Best to not have it than have it when it's such a quick and easy fix.
@@natalimoina thanks god pro-censorship losers like you aren't in charge of pokémon
I still wish your character from the first game made an appearance in the second one. At the very least i would have like to see them hangout out with their buddies at some point. Would have been cool to see the trio together again.
Now we just need a video on the updated appearances if all the gen 2 gym leaders from gold and silver to Heartgold and soul silver
She’s still a kid… kids dress up as princesses all the time. You ever experience a Halloween?
Ye she is 12 in canon
I can confirm seeing iris as the champion very soon after finishing the anime I freaked out
Find it funny that of all the regions to go for a more royal theme they go with one of the gens based in america
For me Black and White and Black 2 and White 2 were the peak of Pokémon games, they had everything, incredible designs, musics so high quality they may put you in a trance and that have a very distinctive identity, the graphics and gyms were the best we ever had and the plot was just the best with villains more complex than everything we had before, these games for me were the culmination of all the other before them, they took the formula, but they also took everything that made the past Pokémon games good and unforgettable, the very soul of the franchise, and refined it to perfection. It was the ultimate Pokémon game. What came after never ever reached that level and I don't think it ever will.
Team Plasma changed from bunch of crazy knights to literal terrorist organization
1:45 stole Fred's drip.
I love that Ghetsis was allowed to go straight up cookydook
Iris really was a cool character in black and white, but the sequel really made her cooler. I’m glad cheren (sorry if that’s wrong spelling) is a gym leader too and Bianca becoming a professor or more or less, a helper.
Can’t believe the new team plasma grunts are practicing safe hygiene by wearing masks
Ngl I would like a spin-off of this series in looking at one-off alt designs e.g. the Pokestar studios designs
Or Ethan/Lyra's Pokeathalon Outfits You Only See Once.
Something else about Cheren's design in B2W2. His face is a bit flushed in his art, but I've also noticed that his battle sprite appears to be sweating, showing that he hasn't gotten his footing in this whole gym leader thing quite yet.
I'm kind of surprised we didn't get a Sword/Shield timeskip, since it feels like the game sets up the future of lots of characters
6:14 maybe it’s just me but he kind of resembles the Pope? the big hat and the purple color just gives off that energy to me
When I first play BW2 last month, I cried seeing Cheren, Bianca, and especially Iris.
B2W2 was really something else, it's so good. I just hope we'll see the full dragon someday
3:30 after 11 years im just finding out caitlin was in gen 4 💀💀💀
Maan black white, black2 white2 were my childhood! Its so nice seeing people actually acknowladging them for the Masterpoeces they are
Never played black/white but I played black 2 and it's my favorite pokemon game to date. Was interesting to see how some things had changed from 1 to 2!
Ghetsis In the manga bashes N’s skull in with his cane
Given that Hilbert was 15 along with his rivals, Bianca and Cheren now look so grown up because they're 17 now
And since Iris is older than them, she's likely a grown woman now
If the ages from the manga are cannon, the rivals are 14 in B/W and 16 in B2/W2
Gen 5 will always have a special place in my heart, These were the first Pokemon games Ive ever played, I catched up on older games like Soul Silver and Perl and ofc played the newest games but Gen 5 still are my favorites, The Pokemon, the Story and especially the characters and Region just feeling like home to me,,, whenever Im feeling down, Im listening to some gen 5 soundtracks to comfort me, I love the part of the time skip so much even tho I was too young to really understand this back then, I love seeing old characters in new games so much! and especially seeing the redesigns are the most interesting part for me! I have to say, I really love the redesigns in BW2, I would say I also prefer them! Cheren is the only exception tho, I really adore his BW outfit,, but both are amazing, no question!! his character development is amazing as well, seeing him grow up and learning from his mistakes, so great
Always a good day when Gen 5 gets praised
Love Cheren's design and pose from B2W2.
Are you sure the apron was to make her seem more motherly? I always thought it was like blacksmithing aprons or woodworker aprons, but for archeologists where they keep their tools and brushes and stuff
That's the way I seen it. Racist? No
I hate how poofy everything got with later generations. All the little kids started looking like Mickey mice with their big eyes and toothy smile.
Still not a fan of making Iris a champion in Journeys. It feels like it just the reason is: "make her champion just like in games". The backstory how she became one is non-existent. Not even mentioning of Alder. Wouldn't be so jarring if she became a Gym Leader like Drayden wanted eventually.
Although she's shown during the match with Cynthia to be experienced enough.
thank you for showing me caitlyn from gen 4, cause that is actually so cool how they brought back a character giving them so much more personality.
Also sabrina at pokerstars is something else i didn't know
These games are so good. Easily my favourite mainline games in the franchise. Big shame they were so underplayed. 😭
6:41 he’s finally back to kick some tail
You should talk about Pokemon Masters' redisigns for Sygna Suits, Special Costumes etcetera
I’d love to, but the only thing is that they’re constantly getting new outfits, so if I do, it’ll be outdated soon. Unless maybe I got like a year end recap maybe or based around a certain theme or make it like a Top 10 list that updates? 🤔
@@GatorEX Well, Pokémon Masters EX is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the end of the month so I imagine a recap per year would be a great idea. You could even evaluate the year overall 🤷♂️
I like the idea 😂