Druddigon

The star of today's observation is a very tasteful Pokémon with a lot of fire and spirit. Probably one of the best out there and a very cool baconated guy:


Lookin' Badass & Adorable, Pignite!

Pokémon Summary

Pignite is Ash's main Fire-type of Unova and has been on the show since the beginning pretty much and he was caught in The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice!. Pignite was abandoned back when he was a Tepig by Shamus for being "untalented". That's not much of a far cry from Ash's past Fire-types on the show who have all been abandoned or abused for some reason, except Torkoal who was bullied by many Steel-type Pokémon . People complained often about how bland, boring, uninteresting Pignite was as a Tepig. There were complaints of him being a carbon-copy of past Fire-types and how it was an overused and worn-out plot line and I can see what people mean, especially coming after Chimchar in DP. Tepig is a Pokémon that wanted nothing more than to please his trainer and if he ever lost in a battle or failed he would often sulk to himself.


Tepig after being defeated

I immediately think that's something that sets him apart from past Fire-types as his abandonment is shown to be hurting him after the fact, it isn't gotten over in the span of one episode.

Character Interactions

Ash & Pikachu

Ash met Tepig at a Battle Club where he was tied up and starving pretty much. Ash immediately stepped up to try and help the poor pig, finding out that he was abandoned. Since Ash adopted Tepig he has grown up so much and gained so much confidence in himself as well as has become a very strong Pokémon at that. Ash never once has condemned or gotten angry at Tepig for losing a battle and that's one of the things I like about Ash the most. If I could say anything, I'd say Ash and Tepig had a pretty coach-and-player type relationship. Tepig had little confidence in himself or his skills but with Ash's constant support and patience, he was raised into a strong Pokémon . Ash and Pikachu did their best to pick up Tepig whenever he lost a battle and Ash would rather blame himself for being a "weak trainer" rather than blame his players. It's an endearing relationship to say the least.

Iris

Iris immediately started grabbing Tepig's cheeks after knowing him for a while, she also originally wanted to capture Tepig but the Pig Pokémon wanted to be with Ash. Iris called out Shamus for abandoning Tepig and got extremely angry at him for making rude comments about the lil' guy. Seeing Ash work with Tepig was also a stepping stone toward Iris gaining some respect for Ash.

Roggenrola

Tepig weakened Roggenrola enough for Ash to catch it, Tepig also helped save Roggenrola's friends and him from Team Rocket. Despite the type advantage Tepig stepped up to battle Roggenrola and really wanted to win, he showed some killer drive when trying to overpower Roggenrola with Tackle. Him stepping up to battle against that Rock-type shows that Tepig had gained a new level of confidence in himself since the day Ash caught him. He eagerly wanted to battle and catch Roggenrola and succeeded.

Oshawott

Oshawott and Pignite are the most brotherly Pokémon on the cast in my opinion. They were Ash's most used Pokémon and joined at the same time and have similar power levels. They get into small scraps often, whether it be over food or being laughed at. Regardless these two usually pull themselves together in times of crisis, for example in Baffling the Bouffalant! Tepig used Flamethrower to jet propel Oshawott into range of a herb needed to heal an injured Bouffalant. They really do care about each other and often hang around each other, like I said, they're brothers pretty much. Oshawott is the older one and Pignite is the slightly younger one, they really do have some good interactions with each other.

Snivy

Snivy cares about Tepig and can relate to him since she had a past trainer, she teamed up with Tepig to help battle Shamus. She knocked Tepig out of the way of a nearly fatal attack and helped save him. She stayed out her Poké Ball to cheer for him and he evolved and hugged her after winning. He cares about her and she does as well and these two are like good friends who can stand up for each other when the time calls for it. Snivy in-general tends to be look out for other Pokémon , but Pignite is the one she's invested a lot of her time and work into helping.

Mamoswine

While these two didn't have any super significant interactions, they sparred together in The Mystery of the Missing Cubchoo!. The two boars ended up having a tie, they both seemed to be giving it a hard effort. The reason I decided to add Mamoswine, well he's a boar and Pignite's a boar and they battled. It shows how strong each of them is and how much both have changed since they were caught by their trainers.

Character Development & Growth


Tepig using Flamethrower

Pignite has easily had the best development and growth in all of BW, he's grown from the physical side and mental side. He doesn't see himself as a piece of incompetent, irredeemable trash and truly has some respect for himself now. He's eager to battle and he trust his trainer. This development is gradual is what I like most about it, we truly get a feel for Pignite how much he's grown and changed. He's also more impulsive, this is shown when he burns Shamus' face after Shamus attempts to recruit him after he beat him. Just like his personality, his battles and moves reflect that. He doesn't have to rely on weaker moves like Ember and Tackle as he has a slew of strong moves in his arsenal now, Flame Charge being a popular example.


Have the changes and growth with this character been good?

Yes, the best development and changes in all of BW. The absolute best.

Is this character memorable?



Pignite, yes. He might be a tad overshadowed by other Fire-types of Ash's, but regardless Pignite is an absolute memorable part of Ash's team. Not only because of his screen time, but the way he's grown in BW in-comparison to other Pokémon and how effective he is as a character especially when interacting with others. His episode of evolution probably is one of the best episodes of BW ever. Although this isn't anything huge, I always liked the way Tepig's tail glowed whenever he used Flamethrower or Ember. Like I said, Pignite's growth being gradual and more subtle is what makes it so much more compelling to me than the other Fire-types who got over their abuse in relatively short time. I'll be using Tepig in W2 because of Ash's.

How they rank?

Ash's Unova Team
1.Oshawott
2.Pignite
3.Snivy

The Unova Gang Pokémon Overall
1.Oshawott
2.Pignite
3.Excadrill
4.Snivy

Next time:I dunno.