Druddigon

Anyway, thankies to @Karamazov; for allowing me to do this. He's doing character examinations, so far he's done quite a few, popular examples being Dawn and May. I thought it would be cool to do some Pokémon observations as well, because Pokémon are people...um...characters too. As always, I'll be trying to keep these observations bias free. I'll be leading with a character who is cute, well-received, but at the same time slightly disliked. He's often compared to his Sinnoh Water-type cousin, Piplup. Is he just a carbon-copy?


Burn Up, Oshawott!

Pokémon Summary

Oshawott has the blessing of being one of the new starters of Pokémon Black & White, a series of Pokémon games that broke the mold in a way and that tried new things. The minute Oshawott was unveiled, he was disliked for being ugly supposedly, potato-nosed, and received less praise than his other starter friends, Tepig and Snivy. I'll be talking about Ash's now. Ash's Oshawott is very personality filled, that goes without a doubt. There isn't one distinct behavior Oshawott sticks to, he has shown to be happy, easily angered, confident, lustful, cocky, scared, worried, and proud and many other things, he is definitely a very potent character in his own right and he often has very glaring interactions with just about every character in the show.

He's often compared to Dawn's Piplup, both very personality-filled, boisterous, marketable, and attention excessive. To show how different they are, I think Oshawott is a bit more mature than Piplup and a better battler. It would make sense if Oshawott was a better battler, given he’s not tailored toward contest the same way Piplup is. Oshawott also doesn’t have as nearly a strong attachment and bond to his trainer as Piplup. Oshawott is also less sly than Piplup whom is more teasing prone. Anyway, let’s see what the people think!

If you could describe Oshawott in one word, what would it be?

[9:30:34 AM] Tsutarja: Derp
[9:30:51 AM] Human: Awesomorable
[9:33:29 AM] Paperhorse: err um energetic? idk XD
[9:34:55 AM] SSJ_Jup81: Badass. in his mind :D
[9:44:56 AM] Karamazov: Motherfucker
[9:58:44 AM] Iteru: Underwhelming. In the sense that it gets a lot of focus but never really has a good, lasting impression mainly because its the arrogant, buttmonkey role in the group
[10:30:07 AM] Trainer Yusuf: Piplup
[10:03:10 AM] Atomic: cute

Dentogirl
Um.

Blue.

Character Interactions

Ash & Pikachu

Ash cares a lot about Oshawott and Oshawott is probably the Pokémon whom he has devoted most of his time in Unova toward training and using. Ash adopted the little otter after Trip rejected him and this Pokémon has become quite the confident and strong battler. The two work together to help Oshawott overcome his fear of opening his eyes under water and manages to OHKO Palpitoad with Aqua Jet, with Ash making the capture in Facing Fear With Eyes Wide Open! as well as helping Oshawott adjust to life without his scalchop after it’s kicked away by Stan’s Blitzle in Oshawott’s Lost Scalchop!. Oshawott also has a pretty generic relationship with Pikachu, Pikachu is far more mature than Oshawott and often encourages him. Without a doubt, it's Ash's support and kindness that has helped Oshawott shine.

Iris

Iris has had some choice interactions with Oshawott, she was enamored with the little otter from day one and hugged him.(She also did this to Piplup, Tepig, Lillipup, you get the picture.) She's gotten lost with this Pokémon twice, once with a Vanilluxe and another time when trying to elude a group of Bouffalant.

Cilan

Um......Cilan let Oshawott use his cookware one time for a scalchop. Cilan also talked down to Oshawott and Ash but his opinion changed after Oshawott defeated Pansage in a tenacious battle. You could say Oshawott is the whole reason Cilan is in the group now.

Tepig(Now a Pignite)

Oshawott and Tepig kinda have a brotherly relationship, these two are both starters, cute, and joined the team around the same time and have similar moves.(Tackle, Flamethrower-Hydro Pump, Flame Charge-Aqua Jet, et cetera.) Oshawott and Tepig have gotten into small fights at times, but they usually make up quickly. Oshawott is like the slightly older brother to Tepig, but Tepig is the more meek-ish, pacifist when he's not dealing with his brother and desperately wants to become better and improve and prove himself rather than overly lusting for attention. Either way, these two are probably Ash's most well trained Unova Pokémon.

Emolga

Oshawott has a crush on Emolga, the minute he laid eyes on her he started going crazy and the crush shows up again in Crisis at Chargestone Cave!.

Piplup

The day the anime stood still. Piplup and Oshawott meeting and forming a rivalry. Over what? Over a woman of course, abut a Pokémon woman. Basically both Oshawott and Piplup were after some legendary poo-nanny and each attempts to cockblock the other. These two have a pretty brat-on-brat relationship and similar behaviors. Though they will come through for each other if a situation arises, like a gang of Onix trying to kill them. Despite their constant fighting, Piplup and Oshawott really do care about each other. Oshawott and Piplup helped take out some Onix together, attempt to calm down a raging Dragonite, and search for a lost Cubchoo. They manage to interact heavily through out nearly every appearance. Piplup's rivalry with him forced Oshawott to become better in a way, learning Hydro Pump out of the blue to protect Meleotta.

Character Development & Growth


Oshawott defeating Clay's Krokorok

Oshawott's growth throughout the series has been showcased many times and the Otter has probably grown the most throughout the whole series. Character development wise, Oshawott hasn't really changed much in character, he's the same funny, cute, tenacious little Pokémon he was from the beginning, although he has learned to battle without his scalchop. He has become quite the strong battler and has learned some strong moves, showcased some innovative techniques, and shown when he's faced with adversity he can walk the walk and talk the talk like a champ. His development from the physical side has been stellar. In early BW he would often show fear when being faced with an intimidating opponent, like Dewott, Pansage, or Timburr. Oshawott himself loves battling and will step-up to fight at times, like against Bianca's Daddy's Darmanitan, Burgh's Leavanny, or Stephan's Blitzle. That's the thing about Oshawott's character, he changes from the physical side but keeps the same persona and attitude everyone knows him for. It's a case of changing but staying the same.

Have the changes and growth with this character been good?

Yes and no. I can't really comment since he hasn't changed much character wise. He has become a strong Pokémon in his own right with much development into becoming a viable member of Ash's team. Yes, he's grown at a stable and believable manner.

Is this character memorable?



Oshawott is similar in personality to Piplup, so people usually associate his personality with the penguin's, but Oshawott does seem like a character that will be memorable for many. Charizard, Sceptile, Pikachu, these are or were really powerful Pokémon of their respective times. Oshawott will be remembered as being similar to them in a way, being known to get screen time and battles often intermixed with a few plot development episodes and becoming one of Ash's most reliable Pokémon.

Oshawott has a different battling style from Piplup's, Oshawott relies on his scalchop i.e. the shell on his chest to deflect and attack opponents. Pokémon using items as weakens haven't been too plentiful on Ash's team up until this point, Oshawott will also be known for his prominent screen time as well as bustling personality. I don't think this Pokémon will ever be forgotten so easily. I will probably always remember Oshawott as Ash's best Unova Pokémon and the one I cared about the most.

How they rank?

Let's see, after thinking about it. Considering this is the first observation.....

Ash's Unova Team
1.Oshawott

The Unova Gang Pokémon Overall
1.Oshawott

Next time:You guys choose what you want. Your choices are:

1.Cilan's Stunfisk
2.Iris' Excadrill
3.Ash's Krookodile
4.Ash's Palpitoad
5.Dawn's Mamoswine

Vote, please.

Hope you enjoyed this! :)
I would also like to thank @Karamazov; @Iteru; @Tsutarja; @Human; @Trainer Yusuf; @Atomic; @Paperhorse; and @SSJ_Jup81; .

This observation was made thanks to contributions from viewers like you. Thank you.