Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet announced!

Today, the Pokemon Company hosted Pokemon Presents as part of Pokemon Day, where they talked about upcoming news and updates for various games such as Pokemon Go, Pokemon Cafe Mix, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The stream ended with the reveal of the 9th generation of the Pokemon games: Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet!

From what can be seen in the trailer, the games appear to be following up on the open-world gameplay that Pokemon Legends: Arceus built. The trailer showcased a few areas, such as some grassy plains, a forest, a desert, a beach, and a town. Some familiar Pokemon from past titles were also seen during this, such as Starly, Hoppip, Petilil, Bounsweet, Driftloon, Meowth, and of course, Pikachu.

But speaking of Pokemon, it also showed off the new three Starter Pokemon! A green cat called Sprigatito, a duck with what appears to be either a hat or some stylish hair called Quaxly, and a red crocodile-pepper-thing called Fuecoco.

The trailer also showed off what appears to be the protagonists. Unlike the Pokemon, their names were not revealed. (Though following Pokemon tradition - mainly the naming conventions that the Pokemon Adventures manga goes with - the boy's placeholder name will be Scarlet, while the girl's placeholder name will be Violet) Notably, their designs resemble how the humans looked in the spin-off game, New Pokemon Snap.

You can watch the trailer here! The game is planning to release in late 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay revealed for Pokemon Legends: Arceus!

Nintendo and the Pokemon company have released a 13 minute trailer that shows off some new features for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as well as how it will play.

As previously stated, Pokemon Legends: Arceus takes place a couple of years in the Sinnoh region's past, back when the region was referred to as the Hisui region. In the center of Hisui is home to Mt. Coronet, which is surrounded by various areas with distinct ecosystems, such as the grassy Obsidian Fieldlands.

In these areas, players can collect various resources, which they can use to create helpful items, such as Poke Balls, lures, and healing items. The player can find these resources while exploring the place or catching Pokemon. The player's own Pokemon can also help them on collecting certain materials, such as stuff hidden in breakable rocks, or items hidden up in tall trees.

Additionally, as you would expect, you can also find Pokemon wandering about. Different Pokemon will be exploring these areas depending on the day, as well as the weather. If you spot a Pokemon, you can try to catch it with a Poke Ball, or engage it in battle. Many Pokemon have different temperaments, meaning you'll have different ways of approaching them

First, there are some Pokemon - like Bidoof - who are friendly, and won't mind if you approach them. These one can be easy to catch because of this!

Some are a bit skittish - like Starly - and will try to run away if they spot you, meaning you'll have to sneak up on them from behind if you want to catch one of them. Using certain items, like berries, may distract them, giving you a better chance to catch them!

And then there are aggressive Pokemon. If they spot you, they become angry! They'll also become angry if your attempt to stealthily catch them in a Poke Ball fails. While they're angry, they will try and hit you with their attacks, and all Poke Balls you throw at them will fail to capture them. If one of the wild Pokemon's attacks hits your trainer, they'll take damage! If the trainer gets hit too many times, they will black out, and lose whatever items they were currently holding.

If you want to catch an aggressive Pokemon who's attacking you, you'll have to avoid their attacks, then toss a Poke Ball that contains one of your partner Pokemon at them to begin a battle! Once you weaken the wild Pokemon, then you can attempt to catch them.

Pokemon Battles play out to how they have before in the past, where your Pokemon and the wild Pokemon exchange blows to each other, one after the other. As stated above, you begin a battle by tossing a Poke Ball that contains one of your partner Pokemon near the wild Pokemon you want to fight. If you manage to actually hit the wild Pokemon with your partner's Poke Ball, it may surprise the wild Pokemon, giving you an additional turn to act.

New to Pokemon Battles are styles. There are two types: Strong, and Agile. Strong makes a move more powerful, but you may end up losing a turn. Agile has your move come out quicker, and may even allow you to attack again, but the attack will be weaker. Regardless, using a Strong or Agile style will drain more of a move's PP (Power Points). If PP runs out, then you can no longer use that move until you fully heal your partner Pokemon.

There are also Alpha Pokemon. These ones differ from regular Pokemon by being stronger than the others, as well as having glowing red eyes. They also appear to be the only wild Pokemon capable of using the Strong or Agile styles when using a move! Alpha Pokemon will be tough to capture, but if you somehow manage to do so, you will have a powerful ally by your side!

As you catch Pokemon, you will report your findings to the professor of the Survey Corps you belong to. Of course, it's not enough to just catch them. Sometimes you also need other info, such as witnessing the Pokemon using certain moves. As you send in your reports, your Survey Corps Rank increases, and you receive funds, which you can use to buy items and materials.

The various areas can be wide and daunting to traverse, but you'll receive some help from some friendly Pokemon! Wyrdeer helps you traverse quickly on foot, while Hisuian Braviary will help you slowly glide through the skies. Basculegion, meanwhile, helps you trainer get across oceans and seas much quicker.

The main town your character is living in is Jubilife Town. Here resides the Galaxy Expedition Team, a group of people from various regions who have come to study and live in the harsh region of Hisui. Jubilife Town serves as the main hub world for the game, and is where your character receives missions and requests. Missions will advance the story, while requests are optional quests. Completing either of them will give you a reward.

In addition to the Galaxy Expedition Team's base and your own home, there are other notable buildings of interest as well, such as clothier, where you can customize your trainer's appearance; the craftworks; and the trading post, where you can trade Pokemon with others.

As you advance through the story, you will have to face off against Noble Pokemon. Initially peaceful - or at least keeping to themselves - something has caused them to become frenzied and go on a rampage! To calm them down, you'll have to throw balms at them, which contain the Noble Pokemon's favorite food. This won't be easy, as the Noble Pokemon will also be trying to attack you!

As you continue to throw balms at them, the Noble Pokemon will eventually drop its guard, allowing you to have one of your Pokemon directly fight it! If you manage to drain the Noble Pokemon's HP (Health Points) to zero, it will become exhausted for a bit, and any balms that hit it during this will significantly calm it down.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus, will release on January 28th, 2022.

New animated Pokemon special titled Pokemon Evolutions to air throughout the upcoming weeks!

About a week ago, Pokemon announced that they were planning on releasing a series of shorts titled Pokemon Evolutions. Pokemon Evolutions is planned to have eight episodes, and each other them will focus on one of the eight regions throughout the mainline games.

Similar to 2016's Pokemon Generations, this one focuses more on the game universe, rather then the anime with Ash Ketchum and his buddy Pikachu. (Though it could be possible that their game counterparts, Red and Pikachu, may show up here.) These events will give more details about what went on during those adventures. Additionally, unlike Generations, this series will start with the most recent entry with Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield's Galar region, slowly working its way backwards to Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue's Kanto region.

In fact, the first episode was posted yesterday, focusing on Champion Leon and his Charizard. You can watch it here!

The second episode focusing on Lillie - and possibly Selena, the protagonist of Sun, Moon and their Ultra versions - should be released in the following week.

Super Smash Bros. Fighters - Pokémon series - 08 Incineroar

Debut
In the Pokémon series: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon (2016)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2017)

Boxing Ring Title: The Ring's Raging Flame

Theme Song:Battle! (Trainer) - Pokémon Sun / Pokémon Moon 

Incineroar: the Heel Pokémon. Fire and Dark Type. #727 in the Pokédex. Incineroar is the evolved form of Torracat, who is the evolved form of Litten, who is one of the three starter Pokémon in the Alola region. If you chose the Water Type Popplio, then your friendly rival Hop would choose Litten. Litten evolves into Torracat at level 17, and into Incineroar at level 34.

As a species, Incineroar are energetic, and love to fight! In battle, it tends to disregard the safety of both its opponents and the on-lookers, sometimes even attacking an opposing trainer. There are times it'll even ignore the commands of its trainer if it doesn't feel like listening. That being said, Incineroar finds fighting opponents it deems "unworthy" boring, and it can quickly lose interest fighting because of it. Weak or injured opponents also cause this, though some foes are known for taking advantage of that to get the upperhand. Incineroar values the attention of the audience, if they are excited, its spirit goes up as it gives it's all. If they are bored, its confidence starts to falter. While it tends to act like a heel, Incineroar is very happy internally when receiving the admiration of children or young Pokémon. Oh, and that flame belt on it? It's something that Incineroar produced itself. The belt tends to burn brightly as Incineroar's spirit goes up. Incineroar have a higher chance of being male than female.

Notable Incineroar include Ash's Incineroar from "Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon." Back when he was a little Litten, he lived quite a harsh life before being found and taken in by an aging Stoutland. Since then, Litten has been repaying Stoutland's kindness by going off and bringing back whatever food he can find.

Litten makes his proper debut in the 1st episode "Alola to New Adventures!" where he was resting at the beach, only for Ash to accidentally step on his tail while he was chasing Pikachu, which didn't cause a very good first impression for Litten. In the seventh episode "That's Why the Litten is a Little Scamp!" Litten steals Ash's food, which frustrates him, but also motivates him to try and add Litten to his team. When Ash learns why Litten is stealing food, he decides to not catch Litten and let him live in peace with Stoutland. Later on in episode 16 "They Might Not Be Giants!" Litten helps Ash's Rowlet and Lana's Popplio return back to their trainers when they got separated, though after doing so he would run off back to his home.

In episode 21 "One Journey Ends, Another Begins..." Stoutland was trying to teach Litten how to use Fire Fang. During their lesson, Stoutland was growing tired and restless until he eventually collapsed. Litten ran off to find Ash, who would rush him to the Pokémon Center. After Nurse Joy check Stoutland's health, she gave some private confirmation that Stoutland wasn't going to live for much longer. The following day, Litten and Stoutland manage to make it back home, where Litten once again attempts to learn Fire Fang. When Litten still wasn't able to perform it, he decided to take a nap next to Stoutland.

The next day, Litten wakes up and discovers that Stoutland had disappeared. Frantic, Litten began searching for him all throughout Melemele Island to no avail. Arriving back home in defeat annd wracked with grief, Litten would cry into the night as a storm began to brew. Ash, Pikachu, and the rest of his Pokémon would later arrive to try and comfort Litten during this harsh time. The next day, the storm has ended, and Litten would wake up and see a cloud formation of Stoutland, seemingly smiling in approval. With newfound resolve, Litten would offer Ash a Sitrus Berry and then have a battle with Ash's Pikachu, during which he finally masters Fire Fang. And with that, Litten joins Ash's team.

Personality-wise, while initially somewhat distant, Ash's Litten would slowly start opening up to Ash and his friends. He would even gain a friendly rivalry with Ash's Rockruff. In episode 63 "Pushing the Fiery Envelope!" Litten would evolve into Torracat. As Torracat, he would develop a more serious, yet also respected, rivalry with Professor Kukui's Incineroar. In episode 143 "Fiery Surprises!" Torracat would evolve into Incineroar aftenr finally defeating Professor Kukui's Incineroar in the Alola Pokémon Tournament, though he would end up fainting from exhaustion afterwards.

Once Ash's adventures in Alola were over, Ash decided to have Incineroar - as well as the other Alola Pokémon  he caught - stay at Professor Kukui's Laboratory.

In Super Smash Bros., Incineroar isn't afraid to use dirty tricks to win the match! (He is the "Heel" Pokémon after all.) Regardless, he's excited to be fighting all of the interesting opponents in Super Smash Bros.!

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: Darkest Lariat

Incineroar spins around, whacking anyone nearby away from him. On the ground, it has high priority, so Incineroar can power through his foes attacks! Incineroar can also move forward slightly while using the move.

Inspired by the move, Darkest Lariat, introduced in "Pokémon Sun & Moon." Darkest Lariat is a Physical Dark Type move with a power of 85. The move ignores any of the opponents stat changes to deliver a powerful hit, which can be useful if the opponent buffed up their defensive, but not so much if the opponent's defenses were lowered. Darkest Lariat was the Signature Move of Incineroar until "Pokémon Sword & Shield."

Incineroar learns this move the instant Torracat evolves into Incineroar. 

Side Special: Alolan Whip

Incineroar rushes forward with his arm outstretched. If he grabs someone, he tosses the opponent behind him towards some wrestling ring ropes that appear behind them. The opponent will bounce off of them back to Incineroar. Depending on when you press the Special Button will depend on what Incineroar will do.

If you press it too early, Incineroar will perform a back body drop on the opponent, flinging them into into the air.

If you press it too late - or not at all - Incineroar will take damage as the foe collides with him. The foe takes damage as well and get slightly flung away from Incineroar.

If you time it just right, Incineroar will perform a powerful lariat on the opponent, flinging them away!

If something happens to the opponent that prevents them from being attacked by a followup from Incineroar, he'll look to the screen and shrug.

This move is original to Super Smash Bros., though the perfectly timed hit could be based on the move, Throat Chop, introduced in "Pokémon Sun & Moon." It has a power of 80, and prevents the foe from using sound-based moves for two turns. It was one of the Signature Moves of Incineroar until "Pokémon Sword & Shield."

Incineroar needs to visit the Move Relearner to learn Throat Chop. 

Up Special: Cross Chop

Incineroar jumps into the air, dragging any nearby foes with him. Incineroar than dives forward in a diagonal direction, and causes a small fiery explosion upon hitting the ground.

Inspired by the move, Cross Chop, introduced in "Pokémon Gold & Silver." Cross Chop is a Physical Fighting Type move with a power of 100, an accuracy of 80%, with an increased chance for Critical Hits. The flame effects shown here are original to Super Smash Bros.

Incineroar learns this move in the later levels. 

Down Special: Revenge

Incineroar puffs out his chest.

Anyone who hits him causes Incineroar's belt to erupt in flames and fling the foe away from him!

Not only that, but Incineroar's fur will now be glowing! This indicates that Incineroar has been "Powered Up" and that his next attack will be devastating! Follow up with a Smash Attack, or maybe the Alolan Whip. Just don't take too long deciding, Revenge's power boost only lasts for 60 seconds, and the timer decreases quickly if your attack misses. The power boost will be lost immediately if Incineroar is grabbed and tossed.

Inspired by the move, Revenge, introduced in "Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire." Revenge is a Physical Fighting Type move with a power of 60 and lowered priority of -4. This ensures the user will go last unless another Pokémon uses a move with lower priotrity or uses Revenge and is slower. (in case of a speed tie, it's randomly decided who attacks last) While it's power is always 60, if user happens to get hit by an attacking move, the move's power doubles to 120. The flame effects shown here are original to Super Smash Bros.

Incineroar can learn this move through the use of a TM. 

Final Smash: Max Malicious Moonsault

Incinium Z flashes above Incineroar's head before he charges forward. If he happens to grab someone, he and the opponent teleport to a wrestling ring where Incineroar performs the Irish--I mean, Alolan Whip and then uppercuts the foe into the air before chasing after them, barraging them with a drop kick and another uppercut.

Incineroar then flies above the foe and performs a Diving Battering Ram on them...

and proceeds to slam both of them back down to the middle of the wrestling ring as a giant explosion occurs!

After which, both Incineroar and the foe return to the stage as the foe goes flying away. If anyone happens to be nearby when Incineroar grabbed his foe, they will also get flung away when the two return to the stage.

Inspired by the move, Malicious Moonsault, introduced in "Pokémon Sun & Moon." Malicious Moonsault is a Z-Move exclusive to Incineroar that has a power of 180, though it can double to 360 if the foe Incineroar is targeting used Minimize beforehand. To use it, the player needs the Z-Ring, the Incinium Z-Crystal, and an Incineroar that knows the move Darkest Lariat. Once they give their Incineroar the Z-Crystal, going into battle and selecting Z-Move will allow the player to use Malicious Moonsault, where Incineroar summons a Wrestling Ring around the opponent before rushing on over to leap on top one of the turnbuckles, engulf itself in flames, and then perform a powerful 450° splash on them.

Additional Notes 

Being a Fire type, Incineroar takes additional damage in the water if he falls in, so don't go swimming in there for too long!

Incineroar will strike poses after performing certain moves. If he hits the foe, he'll be happy, but if he misses, he'll be frustrated. These poses can be interrupted whenever you want, so no need to worry about leaving yourself open.

One of Incineroar's alternate colors resembles his Shiny form!

One of Incineroar's victory animations has him hold up a Championship belt!

Incineroar was not the initial choice to represent the 7th generation of Pokémon. Decidueye was. Decidueye is a Grass and Ghost Type Pokémon who is the evolved form of Dartrix who is the evolved form of Rowlet, who is one of the three starter Pokémon of the Alola Region. Masahiro Sakurai changed his mind on adding Decidueye when he thought Incineroar would be more interesting since he never made a fighter with professional wrestling-based moves before.

Super Smash Bros. Fighters - Pokémon series - 07 Greninja

 

Super Smash Bros. Fighters - Pokémon series - 07 Greninja

Debut

In the Pokémon series: Pokémon X and Pokémon Y (2013)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U (2014)

Boxing Ring Title: Master of Stealth

Theme Song: Battle! (Trainer Battle) - Pokémon X / Pokémon Y

Greninja: the Ninja Pokémon. Water and Dark Type. #658 in the Pokédex. Greninja is the evolved form of Frogadier, who is the evolved form of Froakie, who is the one of the three starter Pokémon in the Kalos Region. If you chose the Grass type Chespin, your friendly rival Shauna will pick Froakie. On the flipside, if you choose the Fire type Fennekin, your main rival - either Serena or Calem - will pick Froakie. Froakie evolves into Frogadier at Level 16, who then evolves into Greninja at Level 36.

As a species, Greninja tend to move about with the speed and the grace of a ninja, and it uses this fact to toy with foes in battle by utilizing hit-'n-run tactics, hitting the foes with Water Shurikens while trying to keep out of the foe's sight. When Greninja isn't in battle, it's mostly quiet and reserved, sometimes observing its surrounding with its watchful eyes. Oh, and the pink scarf its wearing? That's actually its tongue. Greninja have a higher chance of being male than female.

Notable Greninja include Ash's Greninja from "Pokémon the Series: XY." As shown in episode 92 "Cloudy Fate, Bright Future," Ash's Greninja, back when he was a little Froakie, lived near a pond with others of his kind. While all the Froakie there loved to play, he preferred to isolate himself to train for battles instead, which eventually caused the other Froakie to see him as a disturbance and attack him. He was then rescued and restored to full health by Nurse Joy, during which he learned that he could become stronger if a capable Pokémon Trainer raised him. Froakie was then given to Professor Sycamore, a man who gave new trainers their first Pokémon to begin their adventure. Froakie journeyed with many trainers, but he would always end up returning to Professor Sycamore's lab, as the Trainers he journeyed with lacked something he was looking for: love.

Fraokie made his proper debut in Episode 1: "Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!" One day while roaming around Lumiose City, Froakie happened to spot Ash Ketchum and Pikachu after they got kicked out of the Gym's security system, and decided to keep an eye on them. When the Team Rocket Trio - comprised of Jessie, James, and Meowth - interrupted a friendly battle Ash was having with a boy named Clement, Froakie stepped in to help fend them off, which left him weak and injured. Ash would rush Froakie back to Professor Sycamore's lab so he could be healed. Here, he asked about Froakie's trainer, only to be informed that Froakie's trainer was planning on returning him because of Froakie's disobedience. 

The Team Rocket Trio, recovering from their previous defeat, would disguise themselves as scientists to steal the Pokémon living at Sycamore's Lab. Froakie recognizes them and informs a nearby Garchomp. The Team Rocket Trio decide to test out a ring device they made on Froakie, but it ends up capturing Garchomp instead. The device malfunctions, which causes Garhcomp to go on a rampage throughout Lumiose City. Ash, Pikachu, and Froakie would chase her down to the top of Prism Tower, where they manage to break the ring device and save her. All of these events make Froakie realize that Ash is the Pokémon Trainer he was looking for, and so the next day would join Ash's team.

During their travels, Froakie would be shown to be a loyal and protective ally with a huge sense of honor, though he notably would feel embarrassed if he lost in a bad way. In Episode 52 "A Stealthy Challenge," Froakie would evolve into Frogadier. Later on in Episode 100 "A Festival of Decisions," Frogadier would evolve into Greninja.

Once Ash's Greninja became a... Greninja, he would also acquire a unique form called "Ash-Greninja," a transformation that would occasionally occur due to the bond Greninja and Ash had. It took a awhile While Greninja is noticeably stronger as Ash-Greninja, any pain he receives during battle would also be transferred to his trainer as well.

Once Ash's adventures in Kalos were over, Greninja would choose to stay in the region and help protect the Kalos region with the two Zygarde cells, Squishy and Z2.

In Super Smash Bros., Greninja uses his speed and stealth to gain the upperhand! He's also not above pulling some dirty tactics to win. This is a Pokémon to watch out for!

Special Moves 

Neutral Special: Water Shuriken

By holding the Special Button, Greninja charges up a Water Shuriken. Once it's all charged up, Greninja will automatically toss it forward, though you can also have him throw it earlier by simply letting go off the Special Button.

A fully charged Water Shuriken will drag any foes that it hits with it before flinging them away, while a not-fully charged one will disappear after hitting the foe, though it compensates by being faster.

Inspired by the move, Water Shuriken, introduced in "Pokémon X & Y". Water Shuriken is a Special Water Type move with a power of 15, and the potential to hit a foe 2-5 times. It also has a priority of 1, meaning the user will act first unless the foe is using a higher priority move, or is faster when using a move with the same priority. (in case of a speed tie, it's random who goes first) This move was the signature move of the Greninja line until "Pokémon Sword & Shield".

Greninja learns this move when its prior form, Frogadier, evolves into Greninja. 

Side Special: Shadow Sneak

A shadow appears in front of Greninja, and as long as you hold the Special Button, it moves a certain distance away from him.

After a few seconds - or if you release the Special Button - Greninja disappears and reappears where the shadow was, attacking anyone nearby.

Greninja is able to freely move and jump around while using the move, though he is unable to dash or attack until he executes Shadow Sneak. As Greninja moves, the Shadow will remain at a relative distance away from him. If the shadow goes off the stage, Greninja will simply teleport near the ledge if he's on the ground.

Inspired by the move, Shadow Sneak, introduced in "Pokémon Diamond & Pearl". Shadow Sneak is a Physical Ghost Type move with a power of 40 and a priority of 1, meaning the user will act first unless the foe is using either a higher priority move, or is faster when using a move with the same priority. (in case of a speed tie, it's random who goes first)

Greninja needs to visit a Move Relearner in order to use this move. 

Up Special: Hydro Pump

Greninja shoots water out of his hand to fling himself in whatever direction you're holding, with upwards being the default if nothing is held. The liquid Greninja is shooting can also push foes away and deal minor damage.

Greninja can also fire himself in another direction during the halfway point of Hydro Pump's distance, otherwise he'll continue to fling himself in the same direction he's currently traveling.

Inspired by the move, Hydro Pump, introduced in "Pokémon Red & Blue". Hydro Pump is a Special Water Type attack with a power of 120 (in Gens 1-5) or 110 (in Gen 6 onwards) though it has an accuracy of 80%.

Greninja tends to learn this move in the later levels. 

Down Special: Substitute

Greninja strikes a pose. If he gets hit during it...

... Greninja gets replaced by a Substitute doll!

After which he reappears while delivering a powerful flying kick! Depending on the direction you're holding will depend on where Greninja reappears for his counter attack, otherwise it's randomly chosen.

Sometimes instead of a doll, Greninja will be replaced by a log. Speaking of which, both the doll and the log will stick around on the stage for a bit before vanishing. During this, they can block projectile attacks, making them situational shields of sorts.

Loosely inspired by the move, Substitute, in "Pokémon Red & Blue". Substitute is a Status Normal Type move that gives the Pokémon a Substitue Doll to hide behind, but they have to sacrifice about 25% of their maximum health to set it up, and if doing so would KO them, it'll fail. The Doll will have the same amount of health the user lost to summon it, and it'll take every hit except for Sound-based moves, like Hyper Voice, as well as a select few other moves. In Super Smash Bros., Greninja will not take any damage from using it, and it will also allow Greninja to block and counter Sound-based moves. The use of a log is a reference to popular folklore of ninja using it as a substitute/body-replacement to escape danger.

Greninja tends to learn this in some of the later levels. 

Final Smash: Secret Ninja Attack

Greninja transforms into Ash-Greninja, and uses Mat Block to fling any opponents in front of him up towards the top-center of the stage.

Ash-Greninja then begins barraging the opponent with various attacks...

...before slamming them back down towards the ground! After that, Ash-Greninja will then turn back into Greninja.

If Ash-Greninja fails to hit anyone with his Mat Block, then the move fails and he'll turn back into Greninja.

Very loosely inspired by the move, Mat Block, in "Pokémon X & Y". Mat Block is a Status Fighting Type move that will block any move that isn't a Status move for the user, as well as the user's allies. The move doesn't have any increased priority, so if the user goes last, then Mat Block does nothing. It must be used on the first turn that the Pokémon is sent out, otherwise it'll fail on every subsequent turn. The only way to use it at that point would be to switch it out with a different Pokémon and then put it back into the fight. Mat Block was the Signature Move of Greninja until "Pokémon Sun & Moon." Greninja would have to visit the Move Relearner to use it. Unlike it's portrayal in Super Smash Bros., it has no offensive utility, nor does it send opponents to the sky.

The barrage of attacks and overall aesthetics could be inspired by the move, Night Slash, introduced in "Pokémon Diamond & Pearl." Night Slash is a Physical Dark Type move with a power of 70 and has a high chance of scoring a critical hit. Greninja learns this move at the later levels, though it could also visit a Move Relearner to learn it sooner.

Ash-Greninja is a form that debuted in "Pokémon the Series: XY." Ash's Greninja obtained it while trying to protect Pikachu. Ash-Greninja would later on appear in the games through a unique Greninja having the ability, "Battle Bond". Upon scoring a KO, Greninja would transform into Ash-Greninja and have increased power.

Additional Notes 

While incredibly weak. Greninja's Down Taunt can damage and opponents and fling them skywards. Despite the previous statement, it is capable of KOing foes, but only at ludicrous damage percentages.

Although Greninja is a Water type, he can still drown if you leave him to swim in the water for too long. Don't think about it too much, I suppose.

To celebrate Greninja joining the cast of "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U", a special Greninja was distributed to players of "Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire" in Japan from December 9, 2014, to March 25, 2015. This Greninja was male and at level 36, and had the same attacks as he does in Super Smash Bros. (Water Shuriken, Shadow Sneak, Hydro Pump, and Substitute.)

Unlike the other Pokémon fighters, who were chosen due to their popularity in other media - like "Pokémon  the Series" - Greninja was chosen before it was even revealed to the public. Masahiro Sakurai wanted someone from the (then) upcoming "Pokémon X & Y" to join the battle, and decided to go with Greninja after looking through the concept art of various Pokémon Game Freak had made. Pretty lucky that Greninja turned out to be quite a popular Pokémon, huh?

Pokemon Legends Arceus revealed at Pokemon Direct! Remakes of Diamond & Pearl also confirmed!

 

The Pokemon Company held a direct today to reveal upcoming events for Pokemon Sword, Pokemon Shield and Pokemon Masters EX; as well as reveal new info about the upcoming New Pokemon Snap and two new projects.

Fans of the Nintendo DS games, Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, will be happy to know that the games are getting remade on the Nintendo Switch and titled Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl. They are being developed by Ilca Inc., who also worked on Pokemon Home.

Compared to Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, these games take a more chibi-style approach to it's artwork akin to "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening" remake on Nintendo Switch. At least when exploring the overworld. In battle, the humans return their more normal-looking look.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl put the player in the cold region of Sinnoh. After picking their starter Pokemon - Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup - players journey throughout the region to find and catch Pokemon, beat the eight Gum Leaders, become Champion, and stop nefarious schemes of Team Galactic.

While previous remakes tended to give the characters new looks/clothes, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl seem to have forgone this and just keep the characters as-is. It is currently unknown if certain elements from Pokemon Platinum will be included or not, or if you can customize your character's appearance.

For those looking for something different, than they should be pleased to hear about Pokemon Legends Arceus! Just like Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokemon Legends Arceus takes place in Sinnoh, though the adventure takes place years in the past before those two games happen. Playing as either Dawn or Lucas - or at least their similar-looking ancestors - the player starts off with either a Rowlet, an Oshawott, or a Cyndaquil as they journey across the land to discover the legend of Arceus and find out how Sinnoh - and the Pokemon World - came to be.

The game is planning on shaking up the classic formula that Pokemon has rigidly followed, for better or worse. Following on the footsteps of Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Legends Arceus looks to be an open-world adventure where the player can go anywhere, akin to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Catching is slightly different in this game, as the player must try and learn a Wild Pokemon's pattern, sneak up on it, and then try and aim a Poke Ball at it in hopes of catching it. If the player walks into a Wild Pokemon, they enter a battle against it. However, a new mechanic introduced in this game can allow players to try and sneak attack Wild Pokemon by taking out a Poke Ball that contains one of their Pokemon team members and tossing it near the Wild Pokemon.

The Pokemon Company also briefly revealed some new info on New Pokemon Snap. Within the Lental region, you and your rival Phil will be helping Professor Mirror and his assistant Rita by getting photos of various Pokemon, as well as investigate the mysterious Ilumina phenomenon. The Ilumina phenomenon is a strange orb of light that the professor created, and if you throw it at a Pokemon, it'll glow and be worth more points. Sometimes it'll even make a Pokemon do something different. For an example, there's a Scorbunny who is kicking the air and leaving a trail of fire behind it. If you throw the orb at Scorbunny, the flames will become blue!

As for other news, players of Pokemon Sword and Shield have a chance to fight - as well as try to capture - Gigantamax Pikachu. Meanwhile, players of Pokemon Cafe Mix who log on will receive 2500 Golden Acorns. Both of these are available from 02/25/2021 to 2/28/2021.

For Pokemon Go players,  Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo will be showing up as Raid Bosses from 2/20/2021 to 3/1/2021

And finally, for players of Pokemon Masters EX, Galar Champion Leon and his Charizard will be available to recruit to your growing team from 2/25/2021 to 3/17/2021.

New Pokemon Snap wll arrive on the 30th of April, while Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokmeon Shining Pearl are expected to be released sometime this year. Pokemon Legends Arceus will be released sometime next year.

Pre-order New Pokemon Snap here!