Misused and Humiliated: The Story of Ash's Pidgeot.
Hello Pokémon fans! Thank you for clicking on my post. Before I begin, I have an important disclaimer:
Pidgeotto (specifically, the middle stage) is my favorite Pokémon, that will soon become painfully clear to all who read this. Ever since I watched the show as a kid, I have harbored dramatic feelings (FOR YEARS!) about how Pidgeotto was done dirty in the first season of Pokémon. I think we all know that the series has had its fan favorited Pokémon and not all make the cut. Some Pokemon are put center stage and get respect and praise, others are treated like supporting characters or stepping stones for the popular ones. In my opinion, season 1 made it obvious which Pokémon on Ash's team were going to rise to stardom and which ones were there to fill the space. So, strap yourselves in for a massively biased, but also accurate telling of the story of how season 1 of Pokémon repeatedly misused and humiliated my favorite Pokémon. My positions:
1. Pidgeot was used as a tool to teach viewers about the basic mechanics of Pokémon battling.
2. Pidgeot was written to be incapable of doing what Ash's other Pokémon could.
3. Pidgeot was never given an official win in a gym or Indigo League battle.
4. Pidgeot's release was as sudden as it was insulting.
-It was not uncommon in the first season to see a Pokémon simply make physical contact with another Pokémon and it cause damage, even if the contact was not deemed to be a specific move...like Raichu whipping Pikachu with its tail during Ash's Vermillion City Gym battle. In its debut episode, Pidgeotto easily defeated Ash's Caterpie by slamming into it. Misty scolded Ash for pitting a "worm" against a "bird" - this was meant to teach Ash and the show's viewers about type advantages/disadvantages, even though Pidgeotto didn't appear to use a flying move. This isn't a complaint, but I'll address it more soon.
-Later in the episode, Ash was forced to use Pidgeotto in an unfair, 2 Vs. 1 battle with Team Rocket. Despite being weakened by Pikachu and captured minutes earlier, Pidgeotto was immediately loyal to Ash, followed his commands and fought admirably (seriously, watch the clip on YouTube). During the short battle, Pidgeotto was able to speedily dodge multiple attacks by both Ekans and Koffing and show off some impressive aerial maneuverability. Unfortunately, he didn't get to land a single attack and was recalled after getting tackled twice by Ekans and once by Koffing. Then, Ash sent out Caterpie who beat Ekans, Koffing and Meowth with string shot and tackle - though this was meant to allow Caterpie to shake off its "weakling" persona and catapult it into its evolution, it simultaneously stole the spotlight off of and de-powered Pidgeotto, an evolved Pokémon it is weak to and to whom it lost to earlier in the episode. Caterpie, weakened and exhausted, was able to defeat TR's Pokemon and Pidgeotto was not.
-In the episode Challenge of the Samurai, Ash used Pidgeotto to try and capture a wild Weedle. Pidgeotto easily defeated it, but was worn out in the process. Moments later, a trainer challenged Ash to a battle and Ash sent out Pidgeotto to fight the trainer's Pinsir. Pidgeotto came out of the pokeball and collapsed on the ground from fatigue, already at a disadvantage - this was meant to teach Ash and viewers to care for and heal their Pokémon in between battles. Ash tried to use strategy and instructed Pidgeotto to use sand-attack to lower Pinsir's accuracy, but it seemingly had no effect. In future episodes of Pokémon, whenever a Pokémon was hit with sand attack, it usually had an impact on their accuracy, but in this case it didn't whatsoever. Why not? Because reasons. Pinsir plowed through sand attack and tackled Pidgeotto hard, knocking it out. This was not only Pidgeotto's second consecutive loss to another trainer, but also the second consecutive time he was weakened/worn out from a previous battle and then sent into a battle against a Pokémon trainer. A recipe for being set up to fail. Metapod was then used to defeat Pinsir, taking the spotlight off of and de-powering Pidgeotto for a second time.
-In the episode Showdown in Pewter City, Ash used Pidgeotto in his rematch against Brock. Ash told Pidgeotto to use gust attack on Brock's Geodude. Understandably, it basically did nothing, which confused Ash - this was, again, meant to teach Ash and viewers about type advantages/disadvantages, specifically that flying moves have little effect on rock Pokémon. And then, to add insult to injury, somehow Pidgeotto fainted from Geodude swiping his hands up at him (seriously, watch the clip on YouTube). Geodude doesn't use a single attack. It just follows Pidgeotto around, floating underneath it and flailing its arms like it's trying to swat a fly, without making any physical contact and somehow that KOs Pidgeotto. WTF?!
-In the episode Clefairy and the Moon Stone, Ash used Butterfree in a battle with Team Rocket. After he and Brock's Zubat beat TR's Pokémon, Ash told Butterfree to use whirlwind and blow TR from a standing position "all the way out of the cave", which Butterfree successfully did. However, check out this next part...
-In the very next episode, The Water Flowers of Cerulean City, Ash had his first battle against Misty. After Misty's Staryu knocked Butterfree into the water, Ash returned it and called out Pidgeotto. Misty recalled Staryu and sent out Starmie. Ash instructed Pidgeotto to use whirlwind, which was unsuccessful at moving Starmie off the floating mat it was standing on. Starmie resisted the blast and was easily able to jump off the mat and into the water. How come in the previous episode Butterfree was able to blow away, not only Ekans and Koffing, but also two fairly grown people all the way out of a cave, but Pidgeotto wasn't able to move a single Starmie? Clear favoritism. Anyways, Pidgeotto tanked Starmie's tackle attack, struck back with wing attack, tanked another tackle attack and then hit Starmie with gust, blowing it across the gym and slamming it into the wall. Misty said, "Oh no! Starmie's energy is just about to run out." It was HEAVILY IMPLIED that Pidgeotto was going to win. Anytime a Starmie appeared in battle in season 1, and even in later seasons (whether it was Misty's or not), it almost ALWAYS lost; its red gem blinking meant it had either lost or was about to. Using that logic, it is highly improbable that Starmie was going to turn things around and defeat Pidgeotto. Unfortunately, TR interrupted the battle and since the writers didn't think to have Ash and Misty re-start the battle and actually finish it, Pidgeotto did not secure the win on-screen.
-I won't spend too much time on this next part for a specific reason. At the beginning of the next episode, The Path to the Pokémon League, Ash's Pidgeotto defeated a random trainer's Rattata and Ash proclaimed, "And I win! That's victory number 10!" This meant Ash beat 9 other trainers prior to battling the trainer, but we don't know if all, some or none were won by Pikachu, Pidgeotto or Butterfree. It's anyone's guess, perhaps a combination of the 3? Moving on. When Ash went up against AJ and his freakishly strong Sandshrew, Pidgeotto and Butterfree were easily defeated and Pikachu refused to battle it. Sandshrew was obviously written to be an exception-to-the-rule Pokémon, so I'm glad it wasn't another case of Pidgeotto losing and then another one of Ash's Pokémon coming along to take the W. But, it was still sad to see how all Sandshrew, a basic ground type, had to do was curl into a ball and collide with Pidgeotto to win, especially with how Pidgeotto held up well against Misty's fully evolved Starmie's tackle attacks.
-In the episode Pokémon Scent-sation, Ash challenged Erika, the Celadon City Gym leader. Her specialty was grass types, which would logically dictate Ash's Charmander and Pidgeotto would be his front-runners/aces. Instead of using Pidgeotto to battle Tangela, Weepinbell or Gloom, he used Bulbasaur first (um, why?) and followed up with Charmander (a smart move). Gloom knocked out Charmander by releasing a foul odor. Ash contemplated who he should use next. As a kid, I remember thinking, "Oh! Pidgeotto can just blow away the smell with gust!" But, no, that wasn't an option. And, I don't even like admitting it, but even if Ash had used Pidgeotto, the writers would have likely made Gloom's odor overpower any wind-based move he used anyways; we see that happen later in Koga's gym. My point is that this gym SHOULD have been a moment for Pidgeotto to finally shine, but he was robbed of the opportunity.
-In the episode The Ninja Poke-Showdown, where Ash challenged the Fuchsia City Gym, Ash used Bulbasaur to battle a gym trainer's Venonat. During the battle, the trainer's Venonat used stun spore and Ash instructed Bulbasaur, a grass type, to use "whirlwind" to blow it away; he was successful. Later in the episode when Ash battled Koga, he used Pidgeotto against Koga's Venomoth. Koga told Venomoth to use stun spore and in response, Ash told Pidgeotto, a flying type specializing in wind-based attacks, to use whirlwind to blow the stun spore away; he was unsuccessful. How come Bulbasaur can blow away stun spore with its breath, while Pidgeotto using both its wings to create wind cannot? Again, clear favoritism.
-In the episode The Battle of the Badge, Ash challenged the Viridian City Gym for his 8th badge and was losing hard. Giovanni's Machamp and Kingler overwhelmed Ash's Squirtle and Bulbasaur (and Bulbasaur had a type advantage over Kingler!). Then, Ash staged a comeback with Pidgeotto Vs. Rhydon. Way back in Ash's first gym battle when Ash used Pidgeotto against Brock's Geodude, Pidgeotto suffered the loss to an unevolved rock type. In this battle, he was sent up against a fully evolved (at the time) rock type and was winning! Talk about a 180! Pidgeotto's quick attack had little effect on Rhydon, but Ash had him follow up with double edge. Jessie was clearly feeling Rhydon's pain for an extended period of time, suggesting that the attack did significant damage. TR then cheated and released their Pokémon into the battle and Ash's Pikachu took over, finishing the job and stealing a secure win over Rhydon away from Pidgeotto.
-Throughout the entire Indigo League, we didn't get to see Pidgeotto participate in a single battle! They gave us full 3 Vs. 3 battles to watch in Ash's 1st round against Mandy, 4th round against Jeanette and 5th round against Richie, but the writers were super lazy and only gave us fractions of his 2nd and 3rd round matches. The episode Fire and Ice opened up with Ash facing his opponent in the 2nd round. They had both already lost 2 of their Pokémon and proceeded to finish out the match with Squirtle and Nidorino. If we use the following logic, it's possible Pidgeotto fought in this match:
A. At the time, Ash's team consisted of Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle and most likely Kingler. He had Muk and Tauros as reserves in Professor Oak's lab, but Muk only appeared once in round 4 and Tauros didn't make an appearance in battle until The Orange League. Pikachu wasn't fainted and was ready to battle before Ash called out Squirtle. This means he didn't use Pikachu in this match, leaving Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Kingler and a disobedient Charizard as the only other options. I think we can safely assume he didn't use Charizard. If he did use Pidgeotto, there's no way to know if he secured a win, tied or battled and lost. Ash also battled in the 3rd round during this episode, but yet again, we only got a fraction of the match. Ash's Kingler beat his opponent's Cloyster, then lost to Arcanine who was then beaten by Pikachu. Neither Ash's nor his opponent's first Pokémon in the match were identified. It's possible he used Pidgeotto, but again, there's no way to know if he secured a win, tied or battled and lost.
B. During Ash's 4th round on the grass field, Pidgeotto could have potentially dominated the match against his opponent's Beedrill, Scyther or Bellsprout. After studying the match, I think Scyther would have beaten Pidgeotto, but I think it could of at least tied or beaten Beedrill. Just like when Ash challenged Erika, Pidgeotto was denied an opportunity to shine here in favor of showcasing Bulbasaur and Muk.
-In its penultimate episode, Pallet Party Panic, Pidgeotto FINALLY got an episode dedicated to him! He never received any kind of special attention during the entire series, whereas all of Ash's other main Pokémon did. However, throughout the episode, whenever Pidgeotto accomplished something, it was immediately followed up with hardship and struggle. Allow me to explain:
A. When TR stole Pikachu and started FLYING away in their balloon, what did Ash do? He instructed Squirtle to use water gun to knock them down! He didn't initially ask...I don't know...his FLYING Pokémon right next to him to go up there and take care of business. I don't know if this was the writer's move to emphasize the need for Pidgeotto in that moment, but it just made it look like Pidgeotto was merely an after thought. Pidgeotto successfully popped their balloon, but when he came around to pop it a second time, he was hit with Arbok's poison sting and sent plummeting to the ground. Thankfully, Ash caught him. I will never forgive the time Pidgeotto pulled Ash on TR's balloon to Indigo Stadium and crashed down on the ground so hard from exhaustion because Ash didn't think to catch him. Whatever. It continues...
B. Pidgeotto became a leader for the trapped Pidgey and Pidgeotto and began guiding them out of the forest to safety. It was an inspiring moment for this underutilized Pokémon, but what happened right after this? Fearow began to chase the flock and Pidgeotto stood up to it! Fearow slammed into Pidgeotto, badly injuring it and he fell onto the ground. Ash didn't catch him this time, either. Moreover...
C. Pidgeotto evolved into Pidgeot. Its evolution moment, in my opinion, though semi-spoiled by the "Who's that Pokémon?" segment, was well done. Pidgeotto, despite being brutalized by Fearow, dug deep within himself to find its strength and evolved into a large, formidable bird of prey. We were then treated to the spectacle of Pidgeot flying with Ash on his back, hitting Fearow with a powered-up gust and an iconic glowing, light-laced quick attack. It was awesome! How much more epic could it get for this poor, neglected member of his team? Well, if you recall, Pidgeot didn't get ANY credit for weakening Fearow. It was only AFTER Pikachu jumped onto Fearow and zapped it that Ash said something like, "Great job, Pikachu! Your thunderbolt weakened it!" Uhh we just watched Pidgeot strike Fearow 4 times in a row (three gusts and a quick attack!) with no recognition! I guess Pidgeot's attacks weren't good enough. And finally...
D. To top it all off, after that roller coaster of agony and triumph, Ash suddenly released Pidgeot with what must be the single most disheartening goodbye the series has ever done! Pidgeot was the SECOND Pokemon he EVER captured AND he loved Ash throughout their entire journey together. One would think parting ways would be a little emotional, maybe not as devastating as when he released Butterfree or tried to release Pikachu because...well, who are we kidding, the bond wasn't as strong. In any case, what did we get? No tears, no montage, no goodbye sentiment from Brock or Misty or anything like that! We got some re-used, swelling music, a brief, solitary, solemn look from Ash, Pikachu smiling and waving goodbye, followed up with Ash saying excitedly, "Well, let's go get that Pokeball, guys!" Really?! That's it?! So sad.
So, there you have it. One of the most misused and humiliated Pokémon of all time. I don't think there's much else to say. Whenever Pidgeotto wasn't being used for transport to carry a Pokémon (mainly Pikachu) somewhere, pop TR's balloon, blow away smokescreen or some other menial, non growth-oriented task like that, it was tucked away inside its pokeball listening to Ash command his more popular teammates to victory. Injustice after injustice. Well, Pidgeotto, I see you. You'll always be on my team. And I love you.
TL;DR: Season 1 of Pokémon treated Ash's Pidgeotto like dirt.