Pokémon Scarlet and Violet managed to emphasize the series' emotional element with Generation 9's most impactful storyline. While Pokémon's competitive scene and collection-based gameplay are by far its most recognizable qualities, it has shown an ability to portray heart-gripping stories. Scarlet and Violet were not the first games in the series to do this, and this ability is not simply constrained to the video games either.
The storylines of Pokémon games were originally simple ways to keep the player moving from one place to another during their adventure, such as in Red and Blue. As the series has advanced though, the plots of the games have expanded, with more characters involved and bigger moments to focus on. Scarlet and Violet are not the first to feature a story with a lot of emotional investment, either. Pokémon has been making players cry for years, and with some of its storylines, it's not hard to see why.
Arven's Mabosstiff In Scarlet & Violet Is A Powerful Pokémon Story
In Scarlet and Violet, Arven is first introduced to the player as a standoffish fellow student, much more so than fellow rival Nemona who had been hanging out with the player since the beginning. He ends up being the face of the Path of Legends storyline, which leads the player to face off with Titan Pokémon while searching for mysterious herbs known as the Herba Mystica. While Arven seems like a difficult guy to get along with early on, his reasons for finding the Herba Mystica would hit home for many players.
Arven's own Pokémon is a Mabosstiff, a strong doglike Dark-type Pokémon, who has been badly injured, and he hasn't been able to cure it with regular medicine. Even with Scarlet and Violet's low ratings, the emotional value of the storyline is unavoidable. Arven's love for Mabosstiff leads him to search across Paldea for the Herba Mystica, which is said to be able to cure anything. Even though in the story he and the player end up having to face down the intimidating Titan Pokémon, anyone who has had a pet would be able to understand and sympathize with his plight, as they would probably do the same for their own pet.
Arven's quest to heal his Mabosstiff takes him from being a rather prickly character to one that the audience can understand in an instant. The culmination of the arc, where Arven's Mabostiff does heal, feels like a satisfying culmination of his journey as well as the player's hard work. Not to mention, the scene itself is nothing but heartwarming, and the player couldn't be blamed for getting teary-eyed. Although Pokémon would be better with voice acting, the simple visual of the scene can be strong enough for its purpose.
Past Pokémon Games Have Served Heavy Emotional Moments As Well
Pokémon games didn't start getting emotional with Scarlet and Violet. Previous games in the series have worked in heavy plot moments, although it wasn't until Ruby and Sapphire that the stories started to be about more than being the best and stopping the evil team. One good example of this would be the ending of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeons Explorers games.
The player manages to complete their mission to defeat Primal Dialga and save the world from falling into a dark future. However, since they came from that future, they end up erasing themselves from history, at least until Dialga revives them at the end of the credits. Scarlet and Violet's postgames unlock lots of content, but resurrecting the protagonist is an entirely different phenomenon. Equally strong is the ending of Pokémon X and Y's storyline with AZ. After being alive for thousands of years and attempting to atone for his sins, the former king AZ is finally reunited with his beloved Floette, which was the only thing he ever wanted.
Just because Pokémon titles are often referred to as kids' games, that doesn't mean that they can't have good stories. Scarlet and Violet were only the latest games in the series to draw an emotional reaction from players. Good writing can make a story of any genre powerful, and JRPGs like Pokémon frequently manage to have some of the longest, most gripping stories in the medium.
The Pokémon Anime Has Been Making Fans Cry For Years
Making players feel for the characters is not something that is restricted to the games. Although Ash didn't come to Pokémon games until Masters, the anime was making players cry long beforehand. Both trainers and Pokémon have been the subject of tear-jerking episodes, and the movies have made similar impacts. With over 20 years' worth of episodes, there's little surprise that a few have reached the hearts of fans so easily.
One of the earliest heartwrenching episodes was Charmander's debut. After being left alone in the rain by its uncaring owner, a Charmander is rescued by Ash and his friends, who see to its health. There's also the famous "Bye Bye Butterfree", where Ash releases his Butterfree to live with a group of other Butterfree, marking the first time one of Ash's original six Pokémon left his party. Another rather sad episode is "A Poached Ego", where in order to protect a group of Ekans and Koffing from a poacher, the usually villainous Team Rocket let their beloved Weezing and Arbok go to protect the wild Pokémon while they hold off the poacher themselves. The contrast between this and Team Rocket's normal antics makes the reminder that they love their own Pokémon quite effective.
The Pokémon anime was laying down the foundation for emotional Pokémon stories when the games were still focused on the Pokémon League and little else. Every time someone had to release one of their Pokémon, whether it was Ash, Team Rocket, or anyone else, it marked a memorable milestone in the series. One could easily see how the games got more proficient in drama after watching some of the anime's saddest moments. Although Scarlet and Violet's uniforms disappointed, they were on point when it came to recreating drama like the anime.
Scarlet and Violet's Arven storyline is easily one of its high points, but Pokémon has been managing to make stories of similar quality for years. The heart that can be seen in both the games as well as the anime is one of the series' most underrated strengths, as it pulls players into this silly world of magical monsters. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet made players care about Arven and his Mabosstiff, and it won't be the last time that it has that effect on fans.
