Greetings. While I know it is a bit early to do an editorial, I wanted to get this one out; what is the greatest generation of Pokémon? This question has been the surprising topic of debate, and the answers are quite varied. Now, it is important to realize that some generations were better than others in certain categories, and all were best in something. From a purely 'game' standpoint, most will argue, and very strongly at that, that Generation II was the best, though it would not be uncommon to see others arguing for III or VI. From a nostalgic standpoint, III or I would take the honor as combatants. Graphically, if someone would argue from a purely graphical standpoint to begin with, would be VI. From a story perspective, V or VI would usually be the common arguments. Admittedly, both nostalgia and hype take a major role in many people's assessments, which is often why many label Generations I, II and/or VI to be the best. And I would be lying as well if I said nostalgia had nothing to do with me writing this chapter.

So, even in light of that, I would say the Generation that was the most rounded out of them all, the one that managed to strike a proper balance between all categories while managing to expand their depths, would be the best Generation. And that is why I look to IV, which, ironically enough, is the most critically overlooked because of that exact balance.

Arceus the Critic

Why Generation IV was the Best

Though I will be examining all the aspects of the generation, I will start with the game related ones first, particularly the ones that were introduced in all Generations IV Games.

The Games:

Revolutionary Graphics:

While I find it silly that anyone would measure the worth of a game by it's graphics, I won't deny that they are an integral part of it. After all, the graphics are what you see in the game, and thus offer the biggest window of interaction with it. They can help to establish the emotions of the characters that would normally not be understood through static text, set up a certain atmosphere for a particular area, and even offer jokes in of themselves. And, obviously, if the graphics are poor, you probably won't want to have to look at them for hours on end.

The graphics in Generation IV were Pokémon's first experiment in 3-Dimensional graphics, but frankly I think most people were to distracted by just how much detail the overworld got to even fully notice or appreciate the scope of it. Before, graphics were just 2-Dimensional; small, isolated, and difficult to discern. It could even be a challenge discerning legs and arms from the torso in the sprites. The new graphic allowed for a much closer look at the game; one that let you appreciate every single creepy detail in the Old Chateau.

Ultimately, the new scope of graphics in Generation IV would let players appreciate the games even more than before, but they also did not over-emphasize them.

Revolutionary Multiplayer:

I will concede this one was a bit of a double-edged sword. Before the advent of wireless battles and trading, only the people who actively participated in tournaments would know about the best type of Pokémon Teams, but with the ability to battle and trade anywhere with an internet connection, it helped to spread the winning compositions faster. While I suppose it really is nothing more than silver lining that everyone could use the same few teams in an attempt to win, I do suppose the way battles are designed in Pokémon made it inevitable. And, it was not as bad as the following Generations.

Downsides aside, the new innovation allowed for more depth in the previously bland multiplayer, and made it easier to fill up the Pokedex, in addition to the new level of depth to the Underground.

Best Music:

A good soundtrack can be said to be the foil to good graphics. Music is capable of conveying emotion, necessity, atmosphere and even the overall theme of a character or setting. The only difference is that music, obviously, cannot be seen, so it clearly serves as an ambiance and enhancer to the graphics, and in many ways, both are reliant on each other for success in conveying any sort of feeling.

Pokémon soundtracks are usually good, though before Generation III it relied to heavily on a clunky mechanical sound. There are a handful of pieces edging close to Zelda and Fire Emblem's expertise, and overall the Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Mystery Dungeon Explorers games were able to make consistently good soundtracks that defined their themes and regions. Hoenn's music was proud and majestic, if not a little grandiose, and reflected the nature of exploration that defined the region, the awe of discovery, and the might of the Legendaries who dictated nature. Unova was combative and energetic, reflecting the clash between truth and ideals, Plasma and Trainer, Human and Pokémon and so on and so fourth. Sinnoh's music was rustic and graceful, with a sublime and intangible feel that suited the ancient identity of the region and the immaterial realms it Legends represented.

Ultimately I settled with Sinnoh as having the best soundtrack, for it's grace, composition, and timing. Even the more energetic pieces that play have an air of solemnity to them; they feel inspiring but not wild, almost somber and respectful to a degree. It's more restrained compositions manage to feel both relaxing and foreboding, yet spur you on to continue. Then there is Cynthia's Pre-Battle Theme, which has to be, rightfully so, the most recognized piece of music that Pokémon has composed, aside from the clichéd Lavender Town theme.

Move Categories:

This was the most revolutionary change to happen to Pokémon Battles until Mega Evolution, and certainly far more subtle. Before Generation IV came around, every type had one predetermined method of attack; all Normal, Fighting, etc. type moves would all be physical, all Psychic, Ghost, etc. type moves would be special. Generation IV shifted the scope from the type of the move, to the individual move itself.

This would allow for many Pokémon that were previously neglected to become useful, and even develop their own flavors, as many developed their own specialties, not to mention finally let Hyper Beam be immune to Poison Point.

Migrating Pokémon:

Now, the ability to transfer your old Pokémon from a previous generation into a new one was incredibly innovative, and perhaps more importantly, well implemented. There had been no previous way to transfer Pokémon from Generation I to Generation II, or Generation II to Generation III, but with the Nintendo DS's ability to hold both a Gameboy cartridge, and a DS one, Pokémon came up with a way to do so. It was probably the least expected addition to a Pokémon game, but was enthusiastically accepted.

In my opinion, the Pal Park was probably the best way to transfer Pokémon; it only required one console, no wireless connection, and it was free.

Gender Differences:

This was one of the more subtle, and perhaps even unasked for, additions in the game that made you appreciate all the hard work Pokémon put into it.

Time:

Now, the concept of time was introduced in Generation II, but inexplicably removed in Generation III. At most, it was simply setting your clock and used to regulate the way that certain Pokémon would evolve and the effectiveness of a few moves. When it was reintroduced in Generation IV, though, they went far beyond what the previous generations had done. In addition to the more practical applications, time weighed in heavily on the aesthetics of the overworld, and even a bit of it's accessibility. For example, almost every city in Sinnoh had both a theme during the day, and a slightly altered theme at night, which is one of the more forgotten perks of Sinnoh. Likewise, only certain Pokémon could be found at certain times of day, and even a few events and conversations were inaccessible in certain times of day, which greatly increased both the depth and realism of the game.

Contests and Pokeathalon:

Now, Contests were introduced in Hoenn, but refined in Sinnoh to their best form. The Pokeathalon was an entirely new concept that could be seen more as physically-reliant foil to the graceful Contests. Both were enjoyable, entertaining, a nice alternative from constant battling, and a good step to achieving the Black Card. They ultimately required an entire different set of skills from usual Pokémon battles, and managed to add a new dimension to the Pokémon and Berries/Apricots. Black and White would bring the useless Pokémon Musicals, which was a smack in the face to everyone who enjoyed their spiritual precursors, and a simplified version of Contests would be reintroduced with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but neither would ever reach the finesse that Generation IV had.

Safari:

Another thing that was brought to it's height underneath Generation IV was the safari. Sinnoh expanded the previous style of the Safari by creating a clearer division of the zones, permitting for an easier time in finding the Pokémon you want and enjoying it's habitat, and the Johto remakes gave players the option to create their own custom safari, in addition to, for better or worse, getting rid of the time (step) limit.

The Safari Zone was another mechanic that was done away with in Generation V, for reasons that still elude me. In fact, it would have actually been a good idea to include it as it would have given another opportunity to expand Team Plasma's dynamic, however it did make an unsatisfying return in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, but only in name, bearing almost no semblance to the previous Safari Zones.

Battle Frontier:

It was created anew in Platinum, with a reduction from seven to five facilities, and carried into the Johto remakes. I am hesitant to say that it was improved over the Emerald Battle Frontier, due to the reduction from seven to five, but due to the massive increase in Pokémon, and the fact that the three new facilities offered a deeper and more dynamic experience than the previous, I can say it was still a very solid inclusion.

Once again, it would meet it's death at the hands of Black and White, though the World Tournament would make up for it, and ORAS would mock the player base by not including one of the most memorable features of Hoenn, but promise its return. Either way, it was still one of the most memorable and challenging areas in Pokémon history.

No Braille:

I'm not sure how many people remember this incredibly irritating aspect of the Gen III games, which was, dare I say it; almost as annoying as the game of Marco Polo you had to play with the Gen III Latis (ORAS had the sense of mind to just give them to you), Cresselia, Mersprit, the Kami Trio and the Legendary Birds.

Trainer: Marco!

Legendary: Polo! But don't look at the Pokedex or fly near me or I'll magically appear on the other side of the region!

You see, braille was used in instructions on how to get the Regis and open the door to the Dotted Hole. Now, personally I think it was a clever touch that added an air of mystery as well as a bit of a challenge, but there was one big problem: the target audience were kids!

How are they going to read braille, let alone recognize it, especially when there was no one to tell them it was even braille? At least Uknown runes are recognizable, well known, and somewhat easy to translate, but there was nothing to ever indicate what a series of dots were. Granted the strategy guides provided braille translations, but it was still an annoying and confounding obstacle to getting the Regis or trading with Hoenn.

Thankfully Sinnoh had no braille in Snowpoint Temple, but you still had to use the Regis to wake up Regigigas.

Improved Characterization:

Now, over the course of Pokémon's history, the plot has remained pretty much the same every generation; fill up the Pokedex, become the best trainer of your region, and defeat a group of villains in the process. It's changed a bit over the years, and each region has their own priorities, but overall it's still pretty much the same and has been for some time. What has improved over the course of Pokémon's history, though, is it's characterization.

Before Generation IV, character was pretty scarce. The only consistently developed character was your rival, with a little going to the Champion, Professor, Villainous Leader, one of the Gym Leaders and a side character. In Generation III, Pokémon expanded that underdeveloped aspect of the character, but it was still poorly done. The Aqua and Magma Admins shared dialogue, both Archie and Maxie were rather vague, Wally was, and still is to a degree, poorly implemented as a rival, and the parental dynamic with Norman had a lot of untapped potential. Now, to be fair, Pokémon was just beginning to experiment with characterization, but they would make a great leap in quality with Generation IV. In fact, Generation IV marked the period where Pokémon began to shift their interests from mechanics and battles to character and plot.

Generation IV brought out a variety of characters, and managed to bring out the most depth from them. Cyrus, Cynthia, Barry, Dawn/Lucas, Looker and Professor Rowan all had very fleshed out characters, and even the Galatic Admins, Stat Trainers, and many of the Gym Leaders were all developed as separate beings with unique personalities and roles as well. The Johto remakes managed to do a good job with characterization as well, but because of the massive scope of the game, they could never achieve the depth that Sinnoh had.

What I find to be the most important about this though, was that character development was not added in at the detriment of the game itself. Lysandre was a very developed, and even a sympathetic, villain, and easily one of the best parts of X and Y, but I don't think that even that could have made up for virtually no post-game. Generation IV managed to strike a very good balance; expanding and experimenting with both but not playing favorites with either.

Platinum:

Now for the game I consider to be the best main game in the entire Pokémon franchise; Platinum. Considering the fact that Platinum, being the last third title to a current entry, was an improvement over the already masterful Diamond and Pearl, it's place is well deserved. In fact, the only real criticisms I have ever come up with it over the many years it has been out, was that you do not get to battle Dawn/Lucas, or can obtain the Azure Flute legally. So, why don't we take a look at what Platinum improved?

All Pokémon Viewable:

Now, in every main Pokémon game before and in many after Platinum, in order to fully fill up the Regional Pokedex, you would have to trade with other players. This was particularly troublesome, considering that before Generation IV, the physical presence of another game was required, in addition to a link cable. Despite the fact that trading was much more convenient with wireless technology, Gamefreak still made it possible to encounter every Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokedex without outside assistance. Essentially, this meant that if you battled every trainer, searched through the tall grass thoroughly, and evolved whatever was leftover, you would be able to completely fill up the Regional Pokedex without ever having to set foot inside the GTS.

This was a massive boon for children who had no idea how to set up an internet connection to access the GTS, or people who were just (rightfully) skeptical of the Pokémon traded over the GTS to begin with. It also made the game much more fun, knowing that it was possible to achieve one of the biggest goals solely on your own merit and effort. Sadly though, this was probably the most overlooked aspect of Platinum.

The Battleground:

Ah, the Battleground. I'm sure anyone who's finished Platinum remembers this little club in the Survival Zone where you can re-battle the Gym Leaders and the Stat Trainers, all of whom have five powerful Pokémon in their sixties, not to mention your energetic Rival, who will have Pokémon in their eighties by the third rematch (and would take the title strongest NPC until Red's return). Out of all the methods of re-challenging the Gym Leaders and any other pertinent characters, this was my favorite. You did not have to wait for a certain time of day or week, or for a call on the PokeNav, nor have to spend a massive amount of Poke to get a challenge, and you did earn experience and Poke while simultaneously facing a strong opponent.

It was the best method of battling the Gym Leaders and facing the Stat Trainers again, and I was immensely disappointed when Pokémon had completely done away with the ability to fight Gym Leaders Post Game in Unova.

New Evolutions D/P left out:

I'm not exactly sure why Diamond and Pearl left out Pokémon like Gallade, Dusknoir, Electivire, Magmortar and the other Pokémon (as well as their previous forms) that got new evolutions in Gen IV. Since they weren't in the Sinnoh Pokedex, but were introduced in Gen IV, that left one wondering what region these Pokémon belonged to, and how Game Freak could make such a glaring omission.

Fortunately, Platinum added them and their evolutionary lines in the game, for a total of 59 more Pokémon (many of them fan-favorites), which would bring the grand total of Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokedex up to 210, and allow for far more dynamic battles.

The Villa:

Another new feature that was included in Platinum, the Battle Resort in particular, was the villa. It was largely impractical, but then so was the massive amount of money you no doubt had by that point, and essentially meant you were a ten year old trainer-champion prodigy, who not only had befriended Legendary Pokémon, but legally owned their own luxury home in an exclusive resort and had their abode frequented by the most famous and powerful trainers of the region.

What I found to be truly great about this seemingly useless feature, though, was the character development that was brought out from it. Due to the fact that it was frequented by all sorts of characters, including ones you would normally not be able to meet outside of their perspective locations like your Mother and Prof. Rowan, it opened up the possibility for all sorts of interactions and character development. And Pokémon went one step further by not only having the characters interact with your own, but even each other in certain circumstances. Really, it was because of this one seemingly insignificant feature, that Platinum was able to bring out even more personality from the usual characters.

Difficulty:

I daresay Platinum was the last consistently challenging Pokémon game. It did a good job in keeping you prepared for the Gym/Rival/Galactic battles, and ensured that it provided a consistent difficultly without being overbearing. The opponent's Pokémon all had fluctuating levels; meaning that rather than all their Pokémon staying at one static level and having their signature jump by two level, they varied throughout the battle, which allowed for a more realistic battle, and a more challenging one at that.

The Sinnoh Elite Four is considered by many to be the strongest, and up until Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, was the highest leveled Post Game. Lucian's Gallade was the same level as Lance's Dragonite, and Cynthia's Garchomp was only rivaled by Steven's Metagross in Emerald (though it would surpass her by one level in ORAS), and exceeded by Red in HGSS. Then there was the overall quality and balance of Cynthia's team, which has cemented her, and her Garchomp's, places as one of the most powerful and memorable opponents. Cyrus was no pushover either, including having a Honchkrow that knew Heat Wave, a move it could not legally know.

The consistent difficultly and challenge of Platinum stood in stark contrast to that of Black and White, which was, for the most part, consistently easy due to the fact Dragon Types had become overpowered, and that there were no Ice Types brought back from the previous generations to counter them. It then proceeded to suffer in a massive jump in difficultly in the final battles with N and Ghestis', with the latter's Hydreigon being stronger than most of the Unova legendaries, and was most likely the main factor for the creation of the Fairy Type.

Black and White 2 would try to remedy this by introducing the option to increase the difficultly, but the fact there needed to be an option to increase the difficultly in the first place was an ill omen. It would be fulfilled by Kalos, which failed to be much of a challenge at all outside Lysandre and Korrina, but unlike Unova, had almost no difficultly whatsoever in the final battles, and Diantha could be defeated with Pokémon ten or so levels lower than hers.

Overall, Platinum could have been said to be the most challenging Pokémon game, yet the most paced one as well. It would not be until Pokémon Conquest was released that there was a challenging game in Generation V, and not until Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire that the concept of pacing would be reintroduced into Pokémon.

Now, why don't we move away from the main games and transition into a certain side game of Generation IV?

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky:

Ah, yes, Explorers of Sky. The pinnacle of not only the Mystery Dungeon series, but of Pokémon side games in general. Even more so than Conquest, if only for the lack of character and dialogue that Explorers had. This genre of side games can be said to make up for whatever the main games were unable to accomplish. For one, the characterization and plot of the Mystery Dungeon series has always been spades ahead of the main series, and many other games at that, but they are usually overlooked or outright dismissed critically for reasons that remain beyond me.

After all, a game that manages to deliver it's story so masterfully and with enough finesse to make most of its players cry at the ending for the characters; for your character, for your partner and for Grovyle, has to be doing something right. In addition to the detailed artwork of the characters during dialogue, artwork that would not be surpassed until Pokémon Conquest, not to mention the beautiful and memorable soundtrack, the Mystery Dungeon franchise is perhaps best remembered for it's character development and plot, which was not only unusually deep for Pokémon at the time, but was so deep to the point where most would not even assume it was Pokémon to begin with. What it is, I'm not privy to say. You should either know by now, or get the game to find out.

Now, while the Mystery Dungeon series were already revolutionary in their own right, such as being the only games to hold every single Pokémon per the time they were released (at least until Gates to Infinity rolled around), Sky added two new revolutionary features to it that could actually be, and should be, used in the main games. Those were the Sky Jukebox, and Special Episodes. Now, one of the highlights of Explorers was its soundtrack. It was so beautifully composed, and timed perfectly with the story, that it felt as if it was the dialogue itself, portraying every single emotion that the characters were feeling in addition to the theme. Unfortunately, Time and Darkness provided no way to listen to them again at a whim, and conjuring up that wonderful nostalgic feeling in the process, and many of the best tracks were exclusive to the story.

The Sky Jukebox remedied that, not only allowing you to hear any soundtrack that you have previously heard in the game, but also let you set it up to shuffle, loop, etc. Then there were the Special Episodes. These were little asides that gave you not only the chance to play as other major characters in the game, but to also get better glimpses into their personalities, backgrounds, and how their own actions affected the main story. Black and White 2 would come the closest to replicating this with its flashbacks, but this was still one of the most enjoyable aspects of Sky. Frankly, the only thing Sky lacked was a Special Episode detailing Cresselia and Darkrai's past struggles, something that could have easily replaced Sunflora's story, and my inclusion.

Now for one of the more dubious achievements of Generation IV:

The not-Games:

The Villains:

Yes, Generation IV brought us the best villains in Pokémon history. Now, don't assume I am saying Ghestis and Lysandre are bad villains, because they're not. The former is pure evil, cunning, sociopathic, subtle, and perhaps most importantly, patient, while the latter is actually sympathetic and terrifying at the same time. But, Cyrus still has them beat.

In a way, Lysandre and Ghestis could actually just be said to have been two parts of Cyrus that were amplified. Ghestis represents his cold and sociopathic state, the one that led him to deem emotion worthless, manipulate hundreds of individuals, and plot to destroy the entire universe, along with everyone, including his own team members, and recreate a new one in his image. Lysandre could be said to be the more idealistic side of Cyrus, the side that wanted a better world but became disgusted and disillusioned with it as all his peaceful and altruistic endeavors failed, and caused him to slowly descend into madness. I could go on about Cyrus, but given how well he is remembered by the fans, it's clear he was one of Pokémon's greatest villains.

Galatic itself as a whole was wicked as well. Almost all the team knew fully well what Cyrus wanted and what they were plotting to do, they were just ignorant of the fact that Cyrus planned on excluding them once everything was said and done. It makes them different from Plasma, because, as post game BW and BW2 showed, there were many members who were fooled by Ghestis and genuinely thought what they were doing was right. There were many amongst Galatic who also thought they were in the right, but the difference was they were not ignorant of the real plan. This also separates Galatic from Aqua and Magma, despite the fact their goals were more similar to Galatic's than Plasma's were, since they also truly believed meddling with the balance of nature would be beneficial. I can't really say how Flare measured up to Galatic on that account, since all the grunts really talked about was fashion.

Anime Galatic were no pushovers either; being the first villainous Team in Pokémon history to consistently use real weapons, albeit metal staves and explosives, and even when they were rarely foiled by Ash and Co, they still achieved their goals. This was demonstrated in the fact that they, over the course of the anime, managed to control five legendaries, and even when they were defeated, Cyrus still managed to create a new world and escape into it. They were so prolific that they were the first team to get arrested en masse at their defeat, because, unlike Rocket, Magma and Aqua, they had demonstrated that they were practically irredeemable in the Anime and that was the only way they could be written off.

The Magna Galatic presents a bit of a unique viewpoint though, one quite different from the games and anime. Now, Sinnoh had many different comic books dedicated to it, which managed to bring out different perspectives from similar characters, but Galatic's portrayal in it is relatively consistent. Cyrus himself is a ruthless, ambitious man who desires to build what he sees as a better world and is willing to brush aside anyone in his path to do so. And over the course of the magna, his relationship with the commanders is expounded to where he views them, and treats them, as being something akin to surrogate children. In the end, he usually turns around and repents, for lack of a better word, disbands Galatic, and attempts to build life anew with his 'family'. It may seem to be a butchering of his established character, but I view it more as another side to him; one that would be brought out were his view on emotions changed, and a welcome viewpoint at that. That doesn't mean he won't crush anyone in his path, though.

Now, though Cyrus and Galatic were some of the most memorable villains in Pokémon history, the turning point for how villainous teams were made in Pokémon, possibly being the hallmark of Pokémon teams given how much Ghestis and Flare resembled them, and arguably the most villainous team in Pokémon history, they weren't the greatest villain Pokémon has made. No, that dubious honor would lie to another Generation IV villain; Darkrai.

Ah, Darkrai. We all remember him, even if he doesn't remember us. He was the greatest villain Pokémon ever concocted; he was sociopathic, homicidal, driven, cunning, and, perhaps most frightening of all, intelligent. He orchestrated the entire events of the Explorers game, ironically enough his own downfall as well, and was one of the (or just the, depending on how you look at it) only villains in Pokémon history to actually succeed at his plan.

Yes, in a strange twist of fate, the game already starts off with Darkrai winning, and no one knows it. The entire story is quite literally a race against the clock to inadvertently foil Darkrai's scheme to paralyze the world and throw it into a continual state of darkness and madness via the destruction of Temporal Tower, except because Cresselia is the only Pokémon that actually knows of his plot, he is allowed to readjust his plans and begin again after you save the world and advert the future you came from.

He was thorough too, attempting to leave no loose ends. When his plan to drive Dialga mad and destroy the flow of time failed, he decided to warp space, using the player's own existence against them for that means. First by trying to convince them to commit suicide while disguised as Cresselia, bending the truth to paint them as the cause of the continued disturbances, and when that failed, he decided to trick Palkia into killing them for him (again disguised as his mortal enemy). And when that was barely stopped, he set a trap hoping he could destroy his three foes in one fell swoop, thus eliminating the only thing that could stop him from recreating the bleak future, and even set up an escape route to who-knows-where so he could begin again if he failed. It was only the timely (i.e: last minute) intervention of Palkia that stopped him from getting away intact, and ended up punishing him in the most ironic way fathomable.

It was never truly explained what drove him to want the world of darkness, being as his dialogue after recruitment reveals a more placid side to him, implying something had to happen to drive him to that, and his own past is never well explained, but the villain himself chocks it up to a desire for absolute power. Perhaps though, it oddly suits his shadowy nature; and the fact that the true extent and consequences of his plotting is never fully revealed, makes him all the more terrifying of a villain. And if all that wasn't enough, his battle is considered by many to be the most difficult in Pokémon history (more than Cynthia's, Ghestis' and Red's).

Good Movies:

This is actually one of the more overlooked aspects of Gen IV. Now, most people who are fans of Pokémon recognize that it can make a decent anime and great games, but know that they have no idea what they're doing when they try to make a motion picture. Granted, there are a handful of exceptions; Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokémon Heroes. But, curiously enough, the one Generation where Pokémon was able to make consistently good movies was Generation IV.

Why?

Well, most of the time I like to think of Pokémon Movies as unusually long filler episodes of the Anime. Sometimes they advance character, are entertaining, and have solid plots, but most of the time they have no development, are always seemingly isolated from the events of the anime, and are just a medium to introduce Legendary Pokémon and show off their powers.

The exception to this was the Creation Trilogy; The Rise of Darkrai, Giratina and the Sky Warrior and Arceus and the Jewel of Life. One of the reasons I like to think this trilogy was so good is because of it's plot; something rarely used in a Pokémon Movie. But not only did they use sound plots in each individual movie, Pokémon went all in with this trilogy.

Not only did each movie build off the previous, the final movie actually explained the events for the previous two and concluded everything. To emphasize this, they gave Darkrai, Alamos Town and it's residents, Shaymin, Zero and Newton all cameos in the credits.

Zoroark: Master of Illusions wasn't bad either; it had a villain on par with Cyrus and Ghestis who managed to steal the show, but it felt like Destiny Deoxys with more greenery and a rather pointless appearance by Entei, Raikou and Suicune. Regardless, Generation IV managed to churn out four good movies, before Pokémon sadly relapsed into their old method of movie making.

Best Anime:

While we're on the topic of Pokémon on the television, let's take a look at the Sinnoh Anime. The Sinnoh Anime built off of the Hoenn and Battle Frontier Anime's policy of making Ash an intelligent, strategically sound trainer who proved to be far more of a challenge than in previous seasons or following.

While one could assert that Ash was more powerful in Battle Frontier, we have to keep in mind that the Battle Frontier Facilities allowed multiple challenges and Ash didn't always win on his first attempt. On the other hand, the Pokémon League is single elimination and that Ash managed to get into the top four (the furthest he's gotten in a League so far), not to mention having defeated two Legendary Pokémon in one battle to boot.

Now, an intelligent and powerful (and even a slightly less dense) Ash is always good, but that is not the sole reason I would say the Sinnoh Anime was the best. First the battles were paced and executed perfectly. In the Kalos Anime, a battle between a Froakie and a Fletching was portrayed as being an important and memorable battle through over the top effects, when in reality it was just a battle between two basic Pokémon that haven't had much training.

While Kalos continues to overrate its battles with flashy animation (though for some reason Pikachu and Lucario's battle was utterly one-sided, which makes little sense considering this is the same Pikachu who has defeated legends), Sinnoh understood perfectly when and how to show off its battles.

Finally, the anime was able to present much better character than its successors. Now, I'm not saying that the Unova and Kalos animes (or Kanto for that matter) were unable to provide character and development, but we got quite a bit more of it in Sinnoh. With the addition of supporting characters such as Nando, Zoey, Kenny, Lyra, Barry and even Paul, who were defined by personalities rather than quirks, they made a much more lasting impression on us.

(Stephan: It's Stephan!)

Of course it is generic rival. I'm sure everyone remembers you for your incredible backstory and character development rather than your running gag.

Overall, these are the reasons why I believe Generation IV to be the best. There are still strong arguments as to why II, III or V would be the best, but even if I did not convince you today that IV surpassed them, I would at least like to think that I have helped break down the conspiracy of silence surrounding it.

"There? Are you happy now?" Arceus asked as he turned around, looking at Mew who was in the corner, playing one of her games.

"Yep!" she replied quickly, before redirecting her attention at the console.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you actually took the time to write down an entire dissertation on how Generation IV was the best."

"It's not like you would have done an editorial on it if I hadn't." the Pink Pokémon relied, not even taking the time to look up from the machine.

"Yes, I suppose so. Being the equivalent of a deity does not give me much spare time (and I would be a fool to waste it on games)." Arceus bemoaned, ignoring the snort that came from Mew after saying that. He hovered out of the room, leaving her alone.