Thread: Shadow Triad - A case of Adaptational Villainy or elaborate Red Herring?

I would love it if, in a future chapter, just as Black is about to say "I know who you all are... you're the three Gym Leaders from Sanyou City!", the three suddenly turn up disproving the theory on the spot.

But yeah, this is pretty convincing evidence. I'm almost convinced that they are.

I'm reserving my judgement until it's officially revealed one way or another in the games or manga.

Let's see if each canon is the same or different. (I know that the Kanto Elite Four are genocidal maniacs in the manga but benevolent or neutral in the games.) I mean, Cilan is a main character in the anime this generation. How would this theory work there and how would that twist the story? Or, if the Striaton Brothers AREN'T the Shadow Triad, will they get a chance to redeem themselves in BW2 after the original Gym Leader showdown with Team Plasma?

Well, if we're lucky, the info might get revealed in this month's CoroCoro Ichiban. (Maybe even Pokemon Fan)

That's around three weeks until the info gets revealed.

I thought I was crazy when I first played the games and thought the Shadow Triad were the Striaton trio...but now I can't unsee it.

I have to hand it to Kusaka and Yamamoto for making it so subtle, yet so obvious at the same time.

Originally Posted by Joshawott

I thought I was crazy when I first played the games and thought the Shadow Triad were the Striaton trio...but now I can't unsee it.

I have to hand it to Kusaka and Yamamoto for making it so subtle, yet so obvious at the same time.

So you believe these hints, but not other hints about Hoenn? Oh well at least we can finally agree on something about this.

But I also believe this will occur in the anime and in BW2. It's perfectly possible in the anime for Cilan to be a good guy still, there just repaying Ghetsis as he saved their lives and feel like the owe him. Cilan could have been told to follow Ash after Team Plasma somehow found out that Zekrom had appeared to Ash.

I expect this to happen in the games and anime, as although the story is different, and the characters personalitys can be different, ie Evil Elite 4, has there ever been a case before where 2 people were the same person in one canon but different in another?

Originally Posted by Joshawott

I thought I was crazy when I first played the games and thought the Shadow Triad were the Striaton trio...but now I can't unsee it.

I have to hand it to Kusaka and Yamamoto for making it so subtle, yet so obvious at the same time.

Same here. I just saw the Shadow Triad on Black version and all I could see was the Striation Trio.

So, it's been revealed that the trio won't be Gym Leaders in BW2.

Gee, I wonder why :P

I sort of believed the Straiton trio being the Shadow Triad theory , but this basically proves it for me. Although it's only for the manga, and won't likely happen in the anime/games, but it's still very satisfying.

I always thought it might have been true, but now this pretty much confirms it, especially the mask thing. It's the one thing I love about this manga - it gets to do whatever it wants and can muck about with the story as much as it wants. The anime feels somewhat limited compared to the manga.

From what I hear, the games don't reveal who they are?

Doesn't mean it won't apply here.

This is Pokemon Special where Surge, Sabrina and Koga were villains. Kusaka can go through with Cilan, Chili and Cress being the Shadow Triad with every other liberty he's taken.

*Does face palm* Wow... I can't believe I totally didn't see that connection...

Since the games don't give any indication who the Shadow Triad are, it probably can go either way in this Pokemon Special. I'd rather it just be a red herring, I wouldn't want Kusaka to stray to far away from the games canon. Yeah there were a lot of evil Gym Leaders and Elite members back in the day, but that was back in the day, when there weren't too many well done villains in the games. Now there are a bunch, but I dunno. Could go either way, and if Kusaka can write it beautifully, I say go with it.

If the Shadow Triad can be the Waiter Trio in Pokemon Special, then I can find at least one thing I like about it. But dang, that is good evidence. oAo

Hm, it's an interesting theory. Kind of reminds me of the days back when everyone in the Ace Attorney fandom theorized that Damon Gant was Apollo Justice's father. But that aside.

In the games though, I do not believe that Cilan, Cress and Chili are the Shadow Triad, especially since the three former gym leaders are in fact still in BW2, just much, much later in the game. But from Special's canon, it is possible. And all of those points made have certainly made it into a strong possibility. Especially those masks.

Though whether it does happen or not in the manga, I won't really care so much.