Thread: The Purpose of "Shipping Episodes"

Figured I'd get a shippers POV on this.

Throughout the series we've seen a number of episodes based around shippings including the main characters. There were a few in OS, some in Hoenn, and one in Sinnoh near the end.

Do you think that the writers actually have plans to make these pairings come to fruition by the end ( if the series ever ends), or are they just implanted at various points in a said saga for the females of that generation?

I don't think the writers see anything as shipping. It's more about the fan interpretation. I don't think they'll ever be an official Ash shipping, not even at the very end. As a Pokeshipper I really wish there was hope but the writers don't consider romance important to a show like this.
The only reason the writers would pair off Ash with someone would be to please the fanbase and no matter who they paired him with, they'd be making the fans of the other females (or males) very angry.

A way of appeasing the fans perhaps? Even if these episodes were planned out before the pairing even becomes popular but they might predict it.

I guess on could say it's done to give character interactions more "spice" or something. Having a episode where Misty has to choose between a guy who wants to marry her and Ash, or an episode where a Kenny is showing how much he is in love with Dawn for instance seems somewhat counterproductive if they don't want the characters to deal with romance.

Considering Misty dodged marriage and Dawn dodged traveling with the guy who likes her, it's actually not very counterproductive to avoiding outright shipping.

Misty chose to continue traveling with Ash; that's not shippy when you think "Rudy was offering marriage five minutes after meeting her" compared to "Ash is moving forward once he's done here". Settling down with your lot vs making a lot for yourself?

Dawn chose to continue with Ash because of a promise, to see his journey through, like he saw hers. Having Kenny brought in before the the league was saying, "Yeah, she's not going with him now," because if Kenny had made the same proposition in episode 192, that would have lead to not being able to dodge the shippy, if that's what the writers really are going for in their romances.

Makes me wonder if the writers had more plans for Kenny like Drew. He was a fairly significant rival for May, and helped her grow while have somewhat of a subplot with her. Misty had a subplot early Kanto/OI. Kenny only seemed to be created to have a wimpy kid with a crush, whose purpose was to beat Ash in a 1 v 1 battle at the end.

I'm just curious if the writers have something planned for the end, or just throwing it in their to gain female interest.

Since Kenny was introduced very early on, like DP25, it did seem like he was originally intended to be a major character. I guess the lukewarm response to his character from fans is pretty much why his appearances fizzled out and he didn't even have any role in the Grand Festival whatsoever.

The only reason Contests continued into DP is they were originally running off the success of May's contests. Once May's arc got old where people started forgetting about it, the DP contests had to stand alone on its own character interaction, and aside from Ursula, it fell flat.

Its quite possible Contests were originally intended to be a permanent staple of the series, they were in the anime for nearly a decade after all, but the waning interest caused them to be axed.

Originally Posted by Gliscor'd

Since Kenny was introduced very early on, like DP25, it did seem like he was originally intended to be a major character. I guess the lukewarm response to his character from fans is pretty much why his appearances fizzled out and he didn't even have any role in the Grand Festival whatsoever.

The only reason Contests continued into DP is they were originally running off the success of May's contests. Once May's arc got old where people started forgetting about it, the DP contests had to stand alone on its own character interaction, and aside from Ursula, it fell flat.

Its quite possible Contests were originally intended to be a permanent staple of the series, they were in the anime for nearly a decade after all, but the waning interest caused them to be axed.

Enlightening, and all which has nothing to do with the topic. Moving on.

Nah, having any canon pairing with Ash would be far to restrictive to the plot, in my opinion. He's better off oblivious and alone, for the sake of non-conflict.

With that being said, I think that these obvious "shipping episodes" and awareness that the shipping exists is for fanservice. Pure and simple; fortunately, they don't do it that often, but it's enough to rile up the fans for a while, as you know :P

He's a 10 year old boy, he should be focused on more important things, like training his pogeymans :)

Originally Posted by CommanderPigg

Nah, having any canon pairing with Ash would be far to restrictive to the plot, in my opinion. He's better off oblivious and alone, for the sake of non-conflict.

With that being said, I think that these obvious "shipping episodes" and awareness that the shipping exists is for fanservice. Pure and simple; fortunately, they don't do it that often, but it's enough to rile up the fans for a while, as you know :P

He's a 10 year old boy, he should be focused on more important things, like training his pogeymans :)

Personally, I think this is the reason why Ash is so Oblivious- Romance matters less to him than pokemon training. A LOT LESS.

Anyway, I don't expect any shipping pairngs to become canon in this show....serious romance in this kind of series is just a distraction, in my opinion.

I can only see it happening in the credits or a short epilogue at the end of the series...but even then just showing the back of the girl he's marrying at the wedding so you can pretend it's whoever u want so all the shipping fangirls don't burn the Pokemon company at the stake for putting Ash with Dawn with Misty or vice versa.

I think they do these "shipping episodes" is probably to interest fans who support so-and-so shipping, and get them riled up, as CommanderPigg said.
Seriously. I hope they never make any major ships come true in the anime. That would just be... not right, IMO.

To cause sqweeing and butthurt throughout the fandom. They're for fanservice, pure and simple.

I really don't think there going to be a shipping episode The creaters, The writers, The etc, know that lot of Pokemon Fans aren't shippers, and plus there are young kids who are watching it to, But if they made a episode of it and only put it on a website of shippers or something, I would watch it.

Only to make fans happy some times like kakuna Matata said.