Make a Musou – Pokemon Musou

Hello, and welcome to the third article in my new series on The Story Arc: Make a Musou. I love Dynasty Warriors, the number of times I bring it up and the multiple Musou related articles I’ve written should be proof enough of that. However,  I am currently in a Dynasty Warriors drought as I have no interest in Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires so I thought it was time to flex some creative writing.

But what could I do? When it comes to Dynasty Warriors content you can find whatever you want online already. For the past twenty years the internet has been filled with character analyses, essays on the storytelling, and gameplay deconstructions. I don’t have much to add when talking about Dynasty Warriors itself. However there is one question that everyone has had at one point in time; “What if ___ was a Musou game?”

That’s right, it’s time to pretend we’ve gone back to the Tumblr days when imagining your ideal game and talking to people about it wasn’t cringe! I have asked my friends to give me a list of franchises and I will make a Musou roster out of each and every one of them. Last week I made a Musou roster out of the Sakura Wars franchise, this time I will he picking a franchise that is much, much larger

This week on The Story Arc we shall be making a Musou roster out of Pokemon!

Now we must discuss how Musou Movesets typically work if we are going to create a wide variety of them. If you have already read my pieces on making a Batman Musou or the Sakura Wars Musou you may skip ahead to when we start talking about how many characters our roster will have. First let’s go over the basics of each character’s normal attacks. You all likely know how Musou movesets work on a basic level, you string together combos consisting of light attacks and heavy attacks. However there is a pattern that movesets typically follow that I feel needs some explaining.

Pressing light attack once and then heavy will knock enemies directly in front of you in the air allowing for a juggle or for you yourself to transition into an attempted combo.

Pressing light attack two times and then a heavy will perform an attack that while not super powerful will hit enemies close to you, generally on your left and right.

Pressing light attack three times and then heavy will perform an attack that while not your strongest will hit a wide range of enemies.

Pressing light attack four times and then a heavy will perform an attack that is either straight forward or will move you slightly forward

Finally, pressing light attack five times and then triangle will perform an attack that does plenty of damage in a short range, the perfect attack for enemy officers.

These are the foundations of a basic Musou moveset however there is more to explain and think of for our roster.

The bar you have been seeing below or next to the health bars in this footage is the Musou gauge. Once it is full you are able to unleash your most powerful attack: a Musou attack. So we’ll need to think of a Musou for everyone.

Next we have the trickiest part of our roster, the R1/RB button. The R1/RB button is used as a weapon switch in mainline Dynasty Warriors but various spin offs have used it as a button that activates a unique skill or attack for a character. These attacks can span from being very average to something atypical so thinking about each character’s unique will be hard.

Finally we’re going to incorporate something that main modern Musous and Musou clones have, skill attacks. Holding down a button will give you an option of activating a skill. Most of these are just buffs like increased attack or speed, however many Musous give characters extra moves via skills. As we want to make this hypothetical game seem as appealing as possible we shall come up with 3 skill attacks for each character.

And that’s everything! 5 Normal combos, a musou attack, a unique skill, and 3 skill attacks for each character. As we go into this I won’t describe what each and every character’s individual combos will be but rather just how we imagine them playing with a few combo examples. I will mostly focus on describing every Musou, unique, and skill attack we come up with. A fair warning as well that I won’t talk about some characters as much as others, thinking of a variety of different movesets is difficult

With everything about how we will go about this explained let’s move on.

Before we get into picking our characters we first need to figure out how big the roster could be. While a true dream would be everyone playable we’re going to have to be realistic with this. Other licensed Musous started with rosters of these sizes

Berserk Musou – 8 characters

Arslan Musou – 16 characters

Dragon Quest Musou – 13 characters + 1 DLC

Touken Ranbu Musou – 15 characters

One Piece Pirate Warriors – 15 characters

As we’re dealing with Pokemon (the largest mult-media franchise in the world!) We’re going to go the absolute higher limit and make a roster of 18 characters. The largest roster I will ever make for this series 

Picking 18 Pokémon out of the nearly 1,000 in the franchise is next to impossible. Thus, I have decided to make it easier on myself. We shall be picking 18 different trainers from across the franchise and picking two Pokémon for them.

Why two Pokémon? This will allow us to split up their moveset evenly. Each trainer will have a main Pokémon and a secondary Pokémon. Their main Pokémon would be the one you’re actually controlling and thus the center of their moveset and Musou attack whereas their second Pokémon shall be saved for their skill attacks, being called in like an assist character in a fighting game.

While that makes picking Pokémon easier it by no means makes it easy. Me and fellow Story Arc contributor Victiny had to brainstorm for hours on this.

There is some anime bias on this roster because well, we kinda need to have an anime bias for some generations. We did however make sure there would be very little starter Pokemon and very few Legendaries for the sake of having a wide variety of types in the roster.

With all that explained let’s finally get into the roster itself!

Character 1: Red, Pikachu, and Snorlax

Of course Red and Pikachu are both on our roster! In terms of iconic trainers Red is the man, and in terms of iconic Pokemon Pikachu is literally the face of the franchise. The idea of doing a roster like this without them would be ridiculous.

Red’s main Pokemon will of course be the electric mouse himself. Pikachu will be a very speedy character, one of the fastest in our roster. His moveset will involve a lot of throwing himself at enemies. With light attacks being focused on scratching things with his claws while his heavy combos will involve various tackles and electric attacks.

We won’t go in-depth with Pikachu’s combos as media like the anime and Super Smash Bros have already given you an idea of how Pikachu fights. However we do have a few, such as how his second heavy combo would involve him standing still and electrifying enemies close to him.

For a fourth heavy combo that will allow him to move forward slightly Pikachu will jolt tackle forward at enemies, similar to his side-B move in smash

Musou: Volt Tackle

For Pikachu’s musou attack we’ll take inspiration from his Final Smash in Super Smash Bros Brawl. He’ll become a ball of pure electricity in using Volt Tackle and fly around at enemies to damage them before returning to his original position.

For his special skill, Pikachu will let out a “Pika!” And gain an electric aura. This will give his attacks an electric status effect that just like in main series Dynasty Warriors will give his attacks a damage effect that spreads to nearby enemies.

For his secondary Pokemon Red will have a Pokemon associated with him: Snorlax. I love Snorlax and am so happy that Red has him in Masters, allowing me to justify his slot on this roster. 

Now let’s get into the good stuff: Snorlax attacks! For someone who sleeps at all times it was remarkably easy to come up with attacks that Snorlax can do.

As a first attack skill Snorlax will do the thing you all expected, he will sleep. He’ll appear already asleep and fall right onto enemies, damaging them.

Sleeping isn’t the only thing Snorlax can do though! As any Legends player has experienced this dude can run fast when enraged. For a second attack skill Snorlax will appear and run straight forward, annihilating all enemies in his path! 

For a final skill attack regular Snorlax won’t be summoned but rather Gigantamax Snorlax will appear behind you, a beam will shoot out of his finger to eliminate enemies before he disappears.

Red, being such an integral part of the franchise, is given his due diligence in his pokemons moves and proper representation. Both of his pokemon are well rounded, jack of all trade attackers that make for the easiest approach for new and old players alike. 

With Red being the first rep in our roster, absolutely none of you will be surprised by our second character. So, let’s move right forward to them!

Character 2: Blue, Squirtle, and Arcanine

If we’re having a roster full of iconic trainers, we can’t not include the very first rival of the franchise! Red and Blue are pretty inseparable plus this will let us include another iconic Pokémon from Gen 1: Squirtle!

Being a stage 1 starter Pokémon, Squirtle will also be fast like Pikachu. However, unlike Pikachu Squirtle won’t be throwing himself at enemies, instead he’ll be attacking from a slight range via water attacks. His light attacks will involve scratching with his claws, but those heavy combos will involve water skills. 

For a third heavy combo Squirtle will have a small whirlpool appear on the ground in front of him, doing light damage to enemies but more importantly will gather them to the center of the whirlpool bunching them all up so you can lead right into another combo such as…

Squirtle’s fourth heavy combo will have him start throwing balls made of water rapidly in front of him, knocking back enemies while doing damage.

For a special skill, Squirtle can hide in their shell for a period of invincibility, which would be incredibly useful to buy time in the toughest of spots on the battlefield. 

-Musou: Hydrocannon

For Squirtle’s Musou attack he’ll fill up with water before launching a huge stream of it out of his mouth like a fire hose, any enemy unlucky enough to be in front of Squirtle will be completely decimated in the process.

Another iconic Pokémon to Blue is his Arcanine, the “legendary” ‘mon that attacks with incredible might. As a first attack skill Arcanine will appear and breath fire from his mouth like a flame thrower, a very simple attack but one fitting a Generation 1 Pokémon

It’s second attack skill is also fairly simple, a tackle toward enemies in front of  Arcanine. This wouldn’t be anything flashy but would be good to combo off of Arcanine’’s third heavy combo. Then finally as a third attack skill we’ll have Arcanine howl and rocks will fall out of nowhere in using rockslide, a nod to the Hisuian type of the future (past) entries into the franchise.

Now Blue may be the first rival on our roster, but he isn’t the only one! Let’s close out Generation One and move on to Generation Two with our next rep

Character 3: Silver, Crobat, and Sneasel

Silver is the original Pokémon “bad boy” as it were. Though Blue predates him in the jerk polls, Silver wins out by being, well, a full-on criminal (seriously, Pokémon Generation 2 had your rival steal their starter of choice, something never really attempted since) being so integral to the plot of Team Rocket’s return also helps. Though his poor mother (Madame Boss Ariana) is so forgettable even we here on the team needed to jog our memories on who she was, the red-haired hellion stole our pokemon and our hearts on sheer cool factor. 

Silver’s Crobat swoops in as an aerial chip damage attacker with a focus on inflicting poison damage to complement its DPS style attacks. By utilizing all four wings, Crobat’s damage output can spread its venomous flair at blisteringly high speeds while also staying airborne to avoid ground confrontations. Also, just look at this thing’s official height; It’s 5’11! Imagine a bat the size of an adult male taking a swing at you. That’s terrifying. 

With light attacks, the purple winged menace would slice the air with its multiple wings in order to carve an opening for its allies to charge forth. With a good base speed in game, Crobat would be focused more on a damage-per-second aspect than a brute force one, making quick work on waves of Pokémon enemies in multiple quick slashes of its malicious wingspan. 

Heavy attacks are a different story though. Here is where the special poison components would get involved. For the first heavy combo, Crobat can enact toxic on a major foe in order to slowly drain their HP and get them into a range where it can wreak havoc.

For the second, Crobat would snap a quick poison fang into the foe, in a strong move that can take down even the mightiest opposing foes while also granting a weaker version of poison damage. The third, using its impressive wings, would be an air slash that provides leeway for Crobat to continue its reign, by using damaging air currents to blow away enemies.

The fourth would be leech life, a bite similar to poison fang but with higher base power and a vampire-like health effect instead of the poison (Hey, remember when this move sucked, and it got buffed like hell in Gen 7? That was incredible). Finally, the fifth heavy attack combo would be brave bird, a self-damaging end-all attack known to Crobat though egg moves. It would propel its massive (and I can’t stress this enough, massive body forward to strike the enemy in a full-frontal assault. 

For a special skill known only to Crobat, it would be able to summon a tailwind in order to boost its attack speed even higher for a period, making for a blisteringly fast, 5’11 beast of a bat even more terrifying (not that it needed it).

-Musou: Cross Poison 

The Musou attack would be cross poison. By using its signature venom, Crobat swings its gigantic appendages in an X formation, with the gorgeous purple damage effects that these Musou games are known for. This attack would strike for significant damage and be able to inflict AOE poison damage as well, allowing the bat to be an absolute scourge should it be able to get the move off. 

Sneasel’s attacks, meanwhile, go in tandem with Crobat’s winged assault by providing quick claw-based attacks instead. For the first attack Sneasel’s fury swipes would make quick work of the mooks in the front row with a number of slashes in quick succession.

The second attack would be fake out, allowing for a brief moment of stun damage in order to capitalize and have Crobat take the kill. Finally, by using icy wind, Sneasel has a chance to freeze the opponent to provide the ultimate opportunity for its vampiric companion to strike, proving these two as a dangerous combination in practice. 

Silver would be all about agility, special conditions, and maneuverability. Both of his Pokemon focus on damage that, when taken at high speeds, completely decimate any foe. It pairs well with his bad boy demeanor, though due to the fact Crobat only evolves with high friendship, maybe there really is a heart of gold under all that red hair dye.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. This roster is too obvious so far, right? Well let’s move onto a trainer and type that you probably weren’t expecting! That’s right, a dark type trainer!

Character 4: Karen, Umbreon, and Houndoom

“Strong Pokemon, Weak Pokemon. That is only the selfish perception of the people. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites”. That’s a famous quote, right alongside the Mewtwo line about the gift of life in the first movie that resonates with longtime Pokémon players and new fans alike in Gold/Silver and their respective remakes. Karen was the first dark specialist in the series, a type newly introduced in the very same era. Known as the “evil” type in Japan, dark trainers ironically tend to be the most relaxed and philosophical of the specialists, a trait Karen holds tenfold. Her calculating, bulky playstyle serves to reflect this. 

Sporting the dark type darling of an Eevee evolution (and my personal favorite) Umbreon, Karen would take advantage of the cat’s (dog’s?) naturally bulky stat distribution in order to outlive and outmaneuver the foe. Umbreon may not have the highest offensive prowess (though some builds in the metagame attempt to highlight this route), but it makes up for raw strength in sheer capability. For example, its weak attack would be a lowly bite that has a quick cancel to it. That way, when used in succession the move can give headway into even the trickiest of spots on the map. 

For the first heavy combo, Umbreon’s snarl would hit as a weak AOE dark based move, knocking hoards flat and lowering the attack stat with one dark cry. The second, assurance, carves through the crowd in a straight line that isn’t judicious in friend or foe. Umbreon cares not for how deep they get in with their moves, the bulk is more than enough protection in even the tightest of spots.

The third heavy is a powerful double-edge, this time using the full weight of its body to slam into a single target, damaging itself in the mix. Fourth is shadow ball, where the dark type devastator fires a ghostly ball into the frey in a move that bases damage on the opponents sp.def rather than regular defense. For the fifth and final heavy combo, Umbreon’s iron tail has it slam their tail on the foe while coated in steel to inflict heavy damage, especially to ice types.

The special skill would be mean look, an attack that in the games makes it so the opponent cannot retreat after being afflicted. In a musou this would translate to the enemy being stunned for a period of time while Umbreon is free to wail on them. 

-Musou: Dark Pulse

The big bad Musou attack is dark pulse. Performing a similar AOE style attack to snarl, this move would send out huge dark shockwaves onto enemy lines as a decisive “get off of me” attack, while also inflicting heavy special damage at the same time. 

Whereas Umbreon is all about defensive prowess, Karen’s other partner Houndoom instead focuses on burn damage and speed to wring out of tight spots. Its first attack, beat up, summons a dark barrage of fists to beat down a number of foe’s in Houndoom’s conquest of the map.

The second attack is flame charge, where cloaking its body in fire and dashing forward can have devastating effects and burn even the most stubborn of foes. The third and final is sucker punch, a feint that can turn the tide of battle around with a single strike. 

Karen’s philosophy applies perfectly here; these aren’t the strongest Pokémon physically or even overall at a first glance, but her command of dark brutality and flame proves that her love of Pokémon shines brighter than “tier lists” or “meta calls”, making her a worthy contender for the game. 

And those are our Gen 2 reps! A fan favorite generation for sure, so let’s move onto an underdog of a generation that was once hated but has gained a lot of fans in the modern day!

Character 5: Steven, Metagross, and Aggron

The first champion on our roster if you don’t count Blue is none other than Steven Stone. Steven. Goddamn. Stone. The greatest name in the series that only serves to embellish an already incredible trainer. A man so badass he willingly left his post as champion to go look at more cool rocks and left a pure water champion in his stead! Steel straight up resists water, so you know that win was purely an excuse to leave. An archeologist by trade, Steven’s meticulous nature and polished strategy reflect earnestly in his moveset, as if this game was just another field day for him. 

Metagross, the four-armed terror with the mind of a damn supercomputer, comes in swinging. Literally, it’s weak attack would be a sweep using its titanic arms to volley the enemies out of the way, as if they were childs play to the psychic/steel type (and seeing its intelligence and stat distribution, it may as well be).

The first of the heavy attacks would be bullet punch, a deceptively (for such a lumbering huge body) quick dash in a fixed direction, bulldozing any enemy in its stead. Second is metal claw, which by coating its talons in steel similar to Umbreon, can have destructive effects (even for a move with comparatively low base power). 

Third’s psychic employs Metagross’ mental ability to send out waves of paranormal energy to strike, while fourth is flash cannon, a similar special based move that instead moves in the steel direction rather than a psychic based one and razes enemy lines as Metagross sees fit. For the final heavy move, an astronomically strong hammer arm would cause a crater in the ground in typically flashy musou fashion and stomp out even the mightiest on the battlefield. 

As a special skill Metagross enacts a light screen that cuts incoming physical damage in half before it even has a chance to lower this rampaging pseudo-legendaries health. With extra bulk and deceivingly fast assaults, the enemy wouldn’t know what hits them with Metagross in play.

 -Musou: Mega Metagross

Steven makes choosing a Musou for him incredibly easy, why? Because Metagross has a Mega Evolution! When activating his Musou attack Metagross would turn into his Mega Form and dash forward with its four arms and utterly decimate the enemies with Meteor Mash before reverting back to normal.

As a companion to the big heavy boys fan club that Steven calls his own, Aggron’s supreme control of rocks and ability to level the very land itself provides powerful back up to its allies. The first attack, rock tomb, buries droves of enemies under stone and crushes their numbers.

The next is metal burst, a move that in the game scaled based on the opponents attack similar to foul play. Here Aggron would shoot a wave of metal shrapnel in all directions, with damage varying based on the foe in question. Last would be the move stone edge, a notoriously strong move in the games (which is also notorious with missing) that would have large jagged chunks of rock sprout beneath the enemy to strike them down. 

Steven Stone lives up to his air of badassery here. His two Pokémon of choice both can strike with thunderous strength, though still recede with tactical advantage in order to ensure the best possible result. Hey, it’s just efficiency. The less time Stone has to spend on the battlefield, the more time he can dedicate towards looking at cool rocks again. 

With our old final boss out of the way let’s move onto a character who is slightly more modern, one introduced in the Gen 3 remakes!

Character 6: Zinnia, Rayquaza, and Whismur

Lorekeeper Zinnia and her partner Aster the Whismur serve as the focal point of ORAS’ Delta Episode, an original entry to the series. There, Zinnia is an aloof Dragon type trainer who holds a mysterious aura to her motivations and actions. When it’s revealed that Zinnia’s end is to destroy a meteoroid foretold to end the planet, that’s where we learn that Zinnia is a pivotal character in the ORAS universe after all, and this is where her grand though still shrouded attack methods for this game come into play. 

I said this roster would have very little legendaries but I didn’t say it wouldn’t have any. Rayquaza is a very iconic Pokémon, and it just so happens to be associated with a specific trainer, giving us a convenient excuse to put him on the roster.

Rayquaza will be the largest character in our roster. He won’t be as large as he is in the anime or even Smash Bros but rather a size comparable to the playable beasts in Berserk Musou. This size and power will come at a price however, he will also be the slowest in our roster. Zinnia will be riding on top of him as he will perform light attacks involving swinging his body around a wide parameter to hurt enemies. His heavy combos will involve using his claws, mouth, and of course lasers.

For his second heavy combo, Rayquaza will bash his tail to the left and right to crush enemies.

The third heavy combo of this moveset will also involve Rayquaza’s tail. He will swing in a circle once and knock back enemies.

Rayquaza’s fourth heavy combo will not involve the tail at all but another important body part: his teeth! Rayquazza will charge forward briefly and chomp down on whoever is unlucky enough to be in his path.

As a fifth heavy attack Rayquaza will fire a laser forward, an attack that will devastate the health of enemy commanders.

Ray’s special skill, air lock, prevents the ‘mon from being affected by inclement weather conditions.

-Musou: Mega Rayquaza

For her Musou attack Zinnia will have Rayquaza Mega Evolve and then fly into the air. A series of lasers will then rain down on all surrounding enemies to destroy them before Rayquaza lands and returns to normal. A powerful Dragon Ascent to decimate the enemies. 

Zinnia’s main Pokémon here is a giant, powerful, monster. So, what’s the perfect companion for that? Why a tiny creature that can only yell of course! Gen 3’s most famous Pokemon may be its giant legendaries, but we also want to focus on its fewer beloved monsters

As a first attack skill Whismur will appear and let out a screech, knocking away enemies near the much larger Rayquaza.

For a second skill attack Whismur will appear and immediately begin to cry. The stream of tears will harm any enemy unlucky enough to be near this crying baby

Finally for a third skill attack Whismur will run around in fear. This will be the only one of Zinnia’s attacks that will have any speed to it as the poor Pokemon will knock down enemies as it runs around.

Zinnia and Aster are one thing but having the powerful Rayquaza under their command presents a new threat entirely. This cryptic trio of devastators are sure to present quite the challenge to face and to use, from the lowliest Whismur to the mightiest Mega Rayquaza.

That’s Gen 3 done! Two reps and our very first Legendary on the roster! Let’s go back to fan favorite stuff now with Generation 4, the one with the blondes.

Character 7: Cynthia, Garchomp, and Lucario

Cynthia is essentially the Sinnoh rep, so the idea of a roster of trainers not having her would be ridiculous. The idea of a roster of Pokémon not having Lucario would be even more ridiculous, so let’s take two birds out with one stone. However, while Lucario will be the focus of her attack skills and special skill, I couldn’t in good conscience have him be her main Pokémon.

No, for her main moveset we will have Cynthia fight with her Garchomp, this deadly alliance will make Cynthia’s play style very fast with a lot of close-range strikes

As a first heavy combo, Garchomp will hit enemies into the air and then jump up after them, if the player were to then press the heavy combo again Garchomp would spin vertically and knock them back to earth with his tail

For his second heavy combo to hit enemies close to him Garchomp will hit the ground and cause some sand tornadoes to form around him briefly, knocking back enemies close to him

As a fourth heavy combo Garchomp will dig under the ground only to reappear slightly forward and damage any enemy unlucky enough to be standing where he emerges 

-Musou: Mega Garchomp

I love Pokemon that have Mega Evolutions just because they make thinking up a Musou attack easy. For her Musou Cynthia will have Garchomp Mega-Evolve. A dragon-shaped aura will then engulf Garchomp as he charges forward and decimates enemy forces before turning back to normal.

Cynthia’s special skill will be caused by Lucario as opposed to her Garchomp. When pressing R1 a a blue aura will surround Garchomp for a second, if an enemy attacks in this short period of time Garchomp will counter right back with a bite.

Lucario may only be delegated to attack skills on our roster, but he will still get his chance to shine and show off attacks associated with him via Super Smash Bros and Pokken

For a first attack skill Lucario will run up to enemies in front of Garchomp and blast a short burst of aura from his hands, knocking back and damaging enemies

Then as a second attack skill Lucario will form a staff made of aura like the one he uses in Pokken, he’ll then proceed to spin it around and hurt enemies near Garchomp

Finally, as a third attack skill Lucario will use what is his Final Smash in the Super Smash Bros series and blast a giant aura laser from his hands, an attack as devastating as a Musou which will require a long recharge time.

Well now that Cynthia is out of the way let’s move on to our next character, Cynthia again!

Character 8: Volo, Roserade, and Spiritomb

Pokemon Legends Arceus introduced undeniable proof that Cynthia turned everyone who grew up with Gen 4 Bisexual, so we had to have him on our roster. The enigmatic merchant proves that people love a handsome man in their Pokémon games, and his helpful nature to boot seals him as a definite in this roster. Plus, Legends Arceus is just a banger of a game in general so it’s perfect. 

His Pokémon of choice, Roserade, will play fast but he won’t hit too hard. His light attacks will involve a lot of tackling, but his heavy combos will all be ranged attacks that spread enemies away from him, if I were to make a comparison to normal Dynasty Warriors then Lefeaon would be the Zhu Ran of our roster.

To give some examples of what I mean, as a second heavy combo he will send two leaves two his left and right to knock enemies away from him.

For his first heavy combo, a leaf will launch up in the air in front of Roserade knocking enemies directly in front of it upward.

As a third heavy combo Roserade will send leaves in three directions in front of him as he slides backward.

-Musou: Leaf Storm 

For his Musou attack Roserade will use stand proud, and a whirlwind of leaves will begin to blow at high speeds, hurting all enemies in the surrounding area

For a special skill, Roserade’s ingrain will heal a portion of HP to the ‘mon while being rooted to the spot, which is a moment of vulnerability in a crowded battlefield that has huge benefits if done successfully. 

Spiritomb is another iconic Pokémon in Cynthia’s roster of obnoxiously strong terrors. As a first attack skill Spiritomb will appear and let out a ghostly mist. This mist won’t knock enemies back but will do light damage to them for a few seconds

Then as a second attack skill Spiritomb will let out a ghastly shriek that is so terrifying that it damages enemies nearby

Finally, as a third attack skill Spiritomb will launch out some pink energy balls in random directions that will harm enemies unlucky enough to be shot by them.

And those are our Gen 4 reps, folks! Feel free to leave an angry comment about how Volo should count as a Gen 8 rep, I will read every one of them.

Character 9: Iris, Haxorus, and Druddigon

I told you that certain characters who appeared in the anime would be getting biased to appear on this roster. However, Iris has the added advantage of being the Champion of a game. While preceding the lofty heights of Steven Stone on this list, Iris can still hold her own as a formidable foe. A Dragon specialist by trade (woooow, a boss character that uses a type designed to be overpowered. Shocker.) Iris here exemplifies one of the funniest tropes in fiction; a small girl with a huge weapon (usually an axe or sword that would be much too improbable for her to wield if it wasn’t a work of fiction). Here though, it’s small girl with a terrorizing bulky and destructive mix of Hydreigon and Druddigon, two stars of the Unova region. Close enough. 

Haxorus itself would be a complete maelstrom of a pokemon; with a draconic rage that can do a clean sweep of even the tightest board states. Even its weakest move is slash, which uses its powerful claws to strike with the full force of a fully evolved pure dragon type menace. Standing at 5’11, this Pokémon cuts a clearly menacing silhouette as it charges full force across the battlefield. 

For the first of its heavy combos, Haxorus crunch uses its intimidatingly sharp knife-like jaw to inflict dark damage on a given opponent. The second, dual chop, is a dragon original move that utilizes the ‘mons sharp appendages to strike on either side of itself in a wide arc. After that is night slash, a slice that moves vertically to gain some advantages distance wise on the enemy or to mow down a group of poor unsuspecting mooks. 

The fourth heavy combo comes in as dragon pulse, harnessing its innate draconic energy into a beam that has an incredibly long reach directly in front of the Pokémon. Finally, the fifth is an all-consuming Guillotine, a move that, if it manages to land with its poor accuracy, will one hit knockout any enemy. This would be on a opponent to opponent basis as to not make Haxorus overly and stupidly broken. 

Special skill wise, the dragon uses protect to shield itself against attacks in a state of limited invincibility. However, the timer has a stale mechanic whereas too much use will dull the effectiveness of the guard. Use wisely.

-Musou: Outrage

The greatest and most powerful attack Haxorus has to offer is a move so strong, in the base game it will both lock you into use for the following turns and make you confused after use. Outrage is a move that creates a powerful hurricane of pure draconian fury, wiping out foes in a loop around the Pokémon itself. 

As a secondary to Haxorus’ reign of terror, Druddigon comes in as a matching dragon type to cover all the bases for Iris’ powerful shotgun style of play. By using scale shot, the secondary ‘mon provides some much-needed range to the skill set, shooting off a number of dragon scales in a full barrage on the enemy crowd. 

The second attack, lash out, has Druddigon being locked into a strong yet vulnerable dark type sweep with its talons, while the last sees it using dual wingbeat to prove its wings aren’t just for show (which, they might as well be due to the lack of flying type) and do a quick succession of slams that render the opponent helpless.

Overall, iris fits the girl-with-huge-weapon criteria to a T, complete with shotgun damage that has a clear vulnerability when its assault is over, but that assumes you live long enough to take advantage of it and gain the upper hand. Don’t judge a dragon type trainer by her cover!

With our fan favorite(?) partner for Ash out of the way, let’s move onto who Japan considers to be the second most attractive Pokémon boy

Character 10: N, Zoroark, and Kyurem

N is hot, N is cool, N is important to the plot. He was guaranteed to be one of our Gen 5 reps. Natural Hamonia Gropius, as it were. That green haired champion of peace to Pokémon everywhere (not a literal champion mind you. He’s just a beast of a trainer. What other antagonist-turned-ally has control of 

 No one could do it like him. Whether it’s hearing N’s Harry Potter like battle theme or being terrorized by his card in the trading card game, the man is going to leave an impression on you. His perfect sync with his Pokémon moving in tandem would be a sign to behold in this game, with grace in mind when designing his moveset. 

Naturally (see what I did there?) his Pokémon of choice would be his Zoroark, raised from a Zorua throughout all of a young Harmonia’s life. This is more than a Pokémon and trainer relationship. It’s a coexisting bond, so simply put the two moves as a single unit. Where N moves in the Black and White holding his cards close to his chest, Zoroark’s moves would also be a manner of trickery and tactics that would gain the two the upper hand. For example, the weak attack, a claw swipe that extends multiple directions, covers a surprising amount of ground for what is really only a common move. 

The first of the heavy combos, knock off, is a powerful dark strike that in the games rids the foe of their held item. Here that could translate to knocking their special bar slightly down in order to stall a mighty enemy. Second is night daze, an attack that creates a shroud around Zoroark and lowers the accuracy of the surrounding foes while inflicting damage. Third is low sweep, which while being a fighting type move, allows the pokemon a manner of trickery in knocking a crowd of enemies flat in order to strike. 

Fourth heavy combo is payback, a move that scales in damage depending on if the foe attacked first. Here it would act as a damaging counter, so it acts as set up to a huge payoff of damage. Last, throat chop delivers a nasty swing to the throat of the foe, in an attack that limits sound-based moves (furthering Zoroark’s deceitful playstyle). 

For a special skill, Zoroark can use hone claws to raise their attack stat, speed and musou bar for an even faster and deadlier assault.

-Musou: Illusion

For a decisive musou, Zoroark would use the full power of illusions to masquerade as multiple enemies at a time, then strike at once in a single blow. Imagine your whole army being turned against you in one felled swoop! Illusion or not, the fright alone makes the pokemon a terrifying thing to face. 

You’re probably wondering why I went for Kyurem instead of Reshiram or Zekrom. The answer there is simple, I wanted to keep everyone to having only two Pokémon, but I needed to include both of those Pokemon for N and I wasn’t willing to throw away Zoroark. So, we’ll be having N summon Kyurem for his attack skills as it fuses with those Pokémon.

As a first skill attack N will summon just a normal Kyurem. This attack won’t be anything too special as Kyurem will spread dragon breath on the enemies in a wide effective range. The second attack is where it begins to spice up more. Summoning Black Kyurem, N will command a freeze shock attack to both blow enemies away and have a chance to paralyze them. With White Kyurem and their ice burn, the battlefield will be filled with a freezing blaze, and it also has a chance to inflict a lingering burn condition. 

Where Zoroark is focused on special traits of their moves to overpower the enemy, the Kyurems come in with titanic strength as they raze the ground in a draconic, freezing, or ablaze state. N may be a pacifist at heart, but the Pokémon he brings to the battlefield prove to be ready to administer destruction at a moment’s notice. Good thing he’s with us!

That’s Generation 5 done! My co-writer Victiny actually fell to tears thinking about his nostalgia for this generation. So why don’t we follow it up with one we don’t have such fond thoughts for?

Character 11: Clemont, Dedenne, and Heliolisk

Though some may be admittedly bitter on Clemont’s inclusion rather than some other Kalos reps, he does hold anime precedent to his name (which is more than someone like Ramos could say). Dollar store Brock here also has the virtue of being the second electric user beyond Pikachu, meaning the speedy hit and run type holds more variety to its name. At least his off-brand Doc Ock grips are kind of cool? Or maybe his gym theme? As with a lot of Kalos, the trainer’s most interesting asset lies more in the games setting (they turned the Eiffel Tower into a gym) than their personality, or lack thereof. Maybe the reheated amalgamate of every companion thus far could actually be OP in this game. It’s happened before.

Clemont himself is very analytical, though sometimes youthful and energetic as well. This pairs well with the zappy nature of Dedenne. The Electric/fairy Pikaclone of Gen 6 brings a surprising amount of raw strength to the table (as fairies themselves are hilariously busted, but that’s a discussion for another article). In their weakest attacks, the round rat still uses that energetic charm to roll into a ball of electricity right into the foes. 

The first weak to heavy combo here is nuzzle, an electric move with low base power but works by incapacitating the foe with paralysis for a period, setting up even further combos. After that is electroweb, a trap-based move that sets a reactive net of electricity on the ground that shocks incoming hoards. The third, dazzling gleam, is a fairy move that creates a bright AOE blast of light that would blind even the manliest of pokemon in a light pink, sugary glow. 

Fourth is parabolic charge, an electric move with a surprising vampiric healing aspect to it. When it strikes in an arc, the foe’s hit will send a portion of their health back to Dedenne, allowing it to continue its assault. The fifth, play rough, is a physical fairy move where the mouse uses its mascot potential cuteness to unleash a deadly strike on the foe. 

The special skill, charge, doubles Dedennes special attacking capabilities, so opening with this skill as soon as possible is a must to take on the waves of enemies before you. 

-Musou: Rising Voltage

By harnessing all the might of electricity, Dedenne’s musou attack summons enormous bolts from the very earth’s electrical current to rise up and destory all the enemies in an incredibly flashy manner. This attack would even inflict paralysis on those unlucky enough to be caught on the fringes of the moves already incredible scope. 

Heliolisk acts as the second of Kalos’ electric representatives. Based on a sunbathing lizard that was involved in a horrible power plant accident, the pokemon attacks by emitting wide electronic charges wildly rather than judiciously like Dedenne would. It’s first attack, discharge (which sends out a dome of electricity around the pokemon) reflects exactly this. 

With thunder as the second move, at least here the strike is slightly more controlled, striking directly in front in a move that is bent on causing the most destruction as possible. Finally, the third is wild charge, an intense move where Helolisk coats itself in electricity and dashes towards the foes like mad. Though it damages itself in the process, the sheer destructive capabilities of this move make it worth it in the end. 

Clemont, though the dorkiest on this list among the likes of Steven Stone and Natural Harmonia Gropius, can still hold his own by harnessing his own youth. Which is to say, a wave of charged static electricity incoming from Dedenne and Heliolisk right into the poor enemy lines. They would never know what hit them.

And that’s Clemont! He sure does exist, so why don’t we speed along to the next character in this loser’s bracket of Gen 6 reps?

Character 12: Diantha, Gardevoir, and Goodra

Now here’s a Gen 6 character worth fleshing out into a full rep. Diantha was meant to usher in the newly introduced fairy type to a champion setting, and her design and personality reflect this. A movie star in-game (though we never see this in XY which feels like a wasted opportunity), Diantha moves with all the grace that a dress with cartoonishly sewn on wings would allow, and her kind but firm personality packs a punch when applied to her gameplay. 

Coming in grace and fairy type fervor is her partner Pokémon of choice, Gardevoir. By employing small psychic beams from its hands, Gardy’s weak attack would tear through a crowd with purple saucer-like rays shot at a deadly pace. It’s an attack that shows off the Pokémon’s powerful potential without a need to get its hands dirty. 

For the first of the heavy combos, Diantha commands disarming voice,a sound based fairy type move that uses their weaponized singing voice to send shockwaves into the crowd. The second, draining kiss, uses a vampiric healing effect as a large pair of phantom lips are planted on the foe, sapping their HP. For the third, the move psybeam fires three rays of psychic energy at the target in question. 

For a fourth, Gardevoir’s teleport will whisk the player back to an area of their choice, while also dealing start-up damage to foes as a parting gift. Finally, the fifth is moonblast, where a concentrated ball of fairy energy slowly travels and gains in size until it eventually explodes on the crowd. 

Safeguard, Gardevoir’s special skill, prevents the player from being afflicted by special conditions for a period of time so long as the skill remains active. With no paralysis or freezing to worry about, Gardy can fully realize it’s psychic reign. 

-Musou: Mega Gardevoir

Gardevoir is another Pokémon with a Mega Evolution which means we have another easy Musou attack! When activating your Musou, Gardevoir will Mega Evolve and launch a volley of psychic attacks at enemies before turning back to normal, simple but effective. These also have a delayed future sight effect, whereas the damage takes a minute to gain power before exploding on the foe. Incredible for strategizing!

Going from a fairy ‘mon to a dragon one is ironic considering the relationship between the two types, but Goodra is a great fit as a Kalos rep and a valuable ally to Diantha. For the first attack, the poison dragon’s acid spray corrodes even the more hardened foes in a deeply toxic cloud. The second, poison tail, whips the Pokémon’s gigantic tail dripping in acid into enemy lines in one felled swing. Last is breaking swipe, a dragon move that covers a wide radius in draconic fury and can deal massive damage. 

Diantha, with her Kalos native team and representative of mega evolution, moves with all the style and grace that an actress of her caliber can command. By using Gardevoir’s concentrated blasts of energy and Goodra’s meltingly hot poison, the two work in tandem to put on a show that earns the trainer of the generation 6 champion.

Some generations were hard to pick characters for because there were so many great ones, Generation 6 was so hard to pick characters for because there were so few great ones. So, let’s wash that taste out of our mouth with some better Generations

Character 13: Kukui, Incineroar, and Lycanroc

I’ll be completely honest, Kukui was the first person we put on the roster. He’s just so perfect for a hypothetical Musou game. Just picture this in your mind. The Masked Royal is wreaking havoc on a map Lu Bu style, and you keep defeating him only for him to get back up. Then after the final time you beat him another enemy force appears and suddenly Kukui reappears with a blue name as an ally, and everyone is like “Who is this guy?!” The introduction stage practically writes itself!

What Pokémon will he be using? For his main Pokémon we needed to go with Incineroar. Not only does Incineroar have fame from Super Smash Bros, but Kukui also has his own. We’d be dumb not to include him

Incenroar’s playstyle will involve a lot of running forward at enemies and slashing at them for his light attacks while his heavy attacks will all involve grabbing as he is a wrestler.

As a first heavy combo, Incineroar will toss whatever enemy is in front of him up in the air and jump after them, if the player then proceeds to hit the heavy combo button again Incineroar will suplex them down and hit all enemies below.

For a third heavy combo Inceroar will grab a nearby enemy by the legs and spin them around, harming anything unlucky enough to be near him.

The fourth heavy combo of Incineroar’s moveset will hope ropes appear behind him that launch him forward toward a pack of enemies, allowing him to get right back into combos.

Musou: Malicious Moonsault

Generation 7 is another Gen that makes deciding Musou attacks easy for us, as this generation introduced Z Moves! We couldn’t have Incineroar’s Musou be anything other than his Z Move Malicious Moonsault. When activating the Musou a giant wrestling ring will form in front if incineroar before he jumps into the air and body slams onto all enemies in the ring in a literal blaze of glory before the ring disappears. A devastating move to close off our wrestler’s moveset.

Incienroar’s special skill will be relatively simple, when pressing R1 he will engulf himself in flames for a short period of time, giving his attacks a flame effect that eats away at enemy health

For a secondary Pokémon professor Kukui shall be using a Lycanroc! Why? Because it kinda looks like it has fists and we wanted to keep him with a close-range fighting style.

Lycanroc’s first attack skill will appear in its Midday form and run in a circle around Incineroar, clearing away enemies that are too close.

As a second attack skill Lycanroc will appear in its Midnight form and punch at enemies with its lanky arms.

Finally, as a third attack skill Lycanroc will appear in its Dusk form and smash its paws on the ground, causing rock spires to appear in front of Incenroar and send enemies into the air.

Kukui was a pure joy to put on the roster and our next character is just as great

Character 14: Lillie, Clefairy, and Cosmog

If I were to be less realistic with my roster picks, I would have had Acerola as a Gen 7 rep, but Lillie is undeniably a better pick as she’s more important to the games and lets us have a fairy type on the roster. Lillie’s control over legendries is similar to ol’ Natural Harmonia Gropius, since both reign in the two cover legendries, albeit in different ways. Plus, her beef with worst mother of the year nominee Lusamine (seriously, who dressed their kid like a space jellyfish like that?) make for a strong backbone to Alola and set Lillie as a prime rep for the region as a whole. 

Lillie commands a Clefairy as her Pokémon of choice in early Sun and Moon, so here the lunar-based Pokémon is present as well. In the weak attack, the Pokémon will fire moon beams from its hands towards the enemy in a high arc, in an attack that acts as a projectile onto unsuspecting enemy lines. 

The first of the heavy combos, sweet kiss, is a baffling move. Literally. Clefairy kisses the enemy in an attack so oddly sincere, it causes a confused condition on them and does damage at the same time. The second, stored power, is a move which has damage that scales based on how much damage you’ve received, so it’s perfect for late game to really let the enemy have it. Coming is as the third heavy combo is gravity, where Clefairy either inverts the foe to slam them on the ground again, or places such a strong field of gravity on the enemy that it incapacitates them. 

Cosmic Power, the fourth heavy combo, draws enemies into Clefairy and then unleashes a blow onto them, raising its own special defense in the process. Finally, the hilariously strong meteor mash is fitting for the lunar and space themed Pokémon, as it lunges forward with fists coated in metal in a decisive blow. 

As a special ability, moonlight is a skill that heals Clefairy based on the weather condition of the battlefield. For example, on a clear day it’s a huge heal, but in an overcast setting its effectiveness is dulled. 

-Musou: Z Twinkle Tackle

With all the great power a cute tackle can entail, Clefairy harnesses the equivalent of your local Claires to unleash glittery fury on the foes, hilarious Z move animation from Sun and Moon intact.

We already made comparisons between Lillie and N earlier, so it shouldn’t surprise you we’re going to use a similar gimmick for her attack skills as Cosmog is able to evolve into either legendary

For her first attack skill, Lillie will throw Cosmog and her bag at enemies. The meme of “Nebby” never getting in the bag is too good not to reference in some form.

As a second attack skill one of the two legendries that Cosmog evolves into; Lunala, will appear and flap its wings in a way that causes wind to damage enemies before disappearing.

Finally, as third skill Cosmog’s other legendary form, Solgaleo will appear and surround itself in fire before exploding, damaging enemies and conveniently disappearing until the skill recharges.

Generation 7 was a pure joy, and the hype train doesn’t need there, everyone else in our roster was just as fun to write! 

Character 15: Marnie, Grimmsnarl, Morpeko

Gen 8 had plenty of characters to pick from (Sonia, Hop, Opal) but in the end we decided to go with the rival who stood out to us the most, Marnie. Marnie has been the Sword and Shield darling ever since the game’s reveal; with her design screaming rebellious punk rival in a similar vein to Silver or Blue, fans were excited for the opportunity to meet another love to hate antagonist on their journey. What they got though flipped the script for the better, the somewhat moody looking goth teen is surprisingly helpful in your endeavors across Galar, while the pink and magenta toned fairy trainer, Bede, turned out to be the truly antagonistic one. Marnie is actually incredibly driven in her quest to overtake her brother Piers (rabid fan group aside) as the premier trainer of the family, and by using her honest tactics (again, proving dark or “evil” type is truly a misnomer) and sheer skill she becomes a force to be reckoned with on your journey. 

Grimmsnarl may look big and bulky but that isn’t the aspect of them we’ll be centering the moveset on. Instead, we’ll focus the moveset on the fact that Grimmsnarl’s arms are tentacles! We’ll be taking influence from Sengoku Basara’s Kyōgoku Maria and have Grimmsnarl stretch its arms around to sweep at enemies. To give some examples of how I imagine this working.

First as a second heavy combo we will have Grimmsnarl spin its arms in place which will knock away enemies on the left and right.

For a third heavy combo Grimmsnarl will spin its arms in a circle and sweep enemies at a long range.

Then as a fourth heavy combo Grimmsnarl will stretch its arms forward and pull itself toward enemies in front of him.

The special skill, bulk up, raises Grimmsnarl’s attack up a stage to increase its maximum firepower and incredibly varied range. 

-Musou: Grimmsnarl-tamax

Generation eight introduced Gigantamax Pokémon so we need at least one character on our roster to use that as their Musou and that honor goes to Grimmsnarl. When activating the Musou Grimmsnarl will grow to gigantic size before launching out two lasers of dark energy which combine into a huge explosion, damaging all nearby enemies before the Pokémon turns back to normal size.

For Marnie’s secondary Pokémon she’ll be using Morpeko. Yes, this is our third electric rat Pokemon on the roster, but this is a Pokémon associated with Marnie, so it just makes sense to put it on here.

For her first attack skill Morpeko will let out a spark that damages a few nearby enemies, but not doing a whole lot of damage.

As a second attack skill Morpeko will dig some food out of the ground before tossing it at Grimmsnarl, recovering a small amount of health.

Finally, as a third attack skill Morpeko will stomp in anger because her hungry and this anger will cause it to discharge a large amount of electricity, damaging a large number of enemies in the area before returning to her Pokeball.

Like we said before, Marine stuck out to us as a unique and interesting rival so why don’t we follow that up with a unique and interesting champion?

Character 16: Leon, Charizard, and Dragapult

There’s an iconic Pokémon who most of you are probably shocked I didn’t give to Red. Hell; I fully expect a lot of you to have already commented saying the list sucks because Charizard wasn’t in the Gen 1 section. However, rest assured that the original box art Pokémon is here, he’s just going to be the main Pokémon of our Galarian champion. Leon’s “ace” Pokémon is the classic fire/flying lizard, though this time with a shiny new gigantamax to attempt to justify using Lizardon for the 4th game in a row. Leon himself is basically the Pokémon equivalent to Messi or Christiano Ronaldo; an adored player/trainer that inspires millions into the world of organized sports, most of all his little brother Hop (kicking a soccer ball vs setting an entire stadium filled with psychic energy aside, they’re basically the same thing.) All of his confidence and larger than life attitude would be reflected here. 

Charizard is a Pokémon that has been done to death in a fighting game setting, though here we hope to take a new approach to its moveset. Here, the weak attack, being a scratch that covers a short radius in front, is useful in tackling enemies one at a time as the lizard challenges its foes. For the first of the heavy attacks, Zard will use ember to sow flames on the battlefield, littering pockets of fire to burn incoming foes and alite flammable areas to turn the tide in batte. Roar, the second weak-to-heavy combo, works by inflicting knockback on a crowd in a move that would disarm any combatant in the area. 

The third heavy move is air slash. By using a powerful flap of its wings (it is part flying type after all), a sharp air current is created that has a chance to stun goes on contact. This pairs well with the fourth combo, being flare blitz, which rams directly into an area after the enemy has been stunned, inflicting damage so massive, it hurts Charizard and has spread damage to the other enemies caught in the frey. Finally, blast burn as the last combo is a move that has a cooldown to it and will leave you vulnerable after the wide inferno it inflicts.

For the special skill, ‘zard can use a momentary reprieve in roost to heal itself while temporarily losing the ability to fly. Though now only bound to the land, the destructive power is not lessened in the slightest. 

-Musou: Gigantamax

For his Musou attack Charizard will go Gigantamax, growing to an enormous size before unleashing a volley of fire in G-Max Wildfire on all enemies in front of him. After the Musou attack, he will shrink to normal size.

Dragapult, the actual dragon rep of the team, comes in at supersonic speed where the overrated lizard could not. The first attack, astonish, uses a surprising assault of pure terror on the enemy. The second is phantom force, where the dragon sneaks over to an enemy under a veil of darkness to pop out and crush the enemies. Last is Dragapult’s signature move, dragon dart, where it fires the two baby Dreepy from its jet-like ears into the crowd. 

Leon and his Pokémon are a thing of admiration. Both are Pokémon with workable stats that can make for an absolute terror in their home games. They’re obnoxiously popular to boot. Truly, a charismatic team to go with a charismatic champion. 

And that’s two characters from every generation of Pokémon! So, we’re done right? Well, no, I told you our roster would have 18 characters and there are two people who my co-writer Victiny demanded be included, so let’s introduce them!

Character 17: Professor Oak, Mew, and Nidorino

It’s a well-known easter egg in the original games that at the end of your journey, there was meant to be an encounter with the professor himself, Samuel Oak, as the post-game superboss. Here that sort of battle can finally be realized, though instead of cowing at Oak’s hilariously overleveled Tauros, the player-controlled Mew as our only mythical on the list would be fitting as an ode to Kanto as a whole. Oak, being the only professor on this list (kukui notwithstanding) could employ pokedex tactics to the game, knowing the exact weak point of the enemy which would make him an incredibly powerful post game unlockable. And he gets Ash’s mom in the end. What a king. 

Mew, as its pacifistic nature would suggest (polar opposite to the younger brother Mewtwo), is more of an agile strategist than a full-on attacker. By whisking through the battlefield and occasionally whipping its tail in the weak attack, Mew can be adept at finding weak points in the enemy lines and planning the next move for the team. 

Heavy combo wise, Mew has a number of powerful tools at its disposal. For example, the grass type energy ball sends an orb of pure nature into the crowd, acting at the first combo. Brine, the second combo, is a water move that strikes with physical strength on a single foe. The third is flamethrower, which roots Mew to one spot as it shoots flames from their mouth onto the crowd. Fourth, charge beam, sends an electric current directly ahead that also holds a chance to raise Mew’s own special attack a stage. Finally, the powerful psycho cut takes advantage of the natural psychic typing to materialize slices in the air and cut through foes like butter. Hey, Mew is a pacifist, but it’s no slouch in battle. 

For a special skill, Mew will put a defensive wall around himself in reflect type. This changes the type of Mew into that of the opponent, making it so it gains a self-resistance and can be used to strategize further in exploiting weaknesses in the enemy lines. 

–Musou attack: Bubble 

In a move invented in this game, Mew’s musou attack involves rounding up a group of enemies into a psychically charged bubble, then bursting said bubble and wiping out any foe unfortunate enough to be caught within it. 

Next to the mighty mythical, Oak commands is a lowly Nidorino. Why a common, middle stage ‘mon you ask? Well, this Pokémon has history in being the first creature Oak sends out when telling you about the wonders of the Pokémon world. With its first attack, poison jab, Nidorino’s horn glows purple as it rams headlong into the enemies, inflicting a poison chip damage on them as well. 

The second attack is double kick, a multi-pronged sweep of Nidorino’s legs as it wails into the swaths of foes multiple times. Last is horn drill which, similar to poison jab, uses the horn on its head to inflict massive damage that pierces right through the enemy. 

Oak is the nostalgia based secret character of the crowd, and the versatility of Mew (and Nidorino) prove that he’s one not to be missed. Plus seeing such a blasé old man on a bloodthirsty battlefield is always funny. 

Only one character left. Who is so important to Pokémon that they had to be included but isn’t part of any particular generation? I think you all know the answer to that question.

Character 18: Pokemon Center Lady, Chansey, and Audino

Did you know that the name Nurse Joy was invented by the anime and has no use in the games? I sure didn’t before writing this! Pokémon Center Lady is on our roster because if I didn’t include her then fellow Story Arc contributor Victiny wouldn’t have helped me write this. The Pokémon Center Lady has finally had enough of giving free healthcare to the masses with little thanks, so as the games’ final characters her and Chansey are going to finally let loose. On a serious note, though, a more healing oriented playable character could add some welcome variety to the game and seeing something as non-threatening as a Chansey clean a board with rollout would be a sight to behold. 

Chansey is really a menacing Pokémon when you look at them objectively. Huge, round bodies that could flatten you on impact. A constant supply of eggs that have the potential to explode when thrown. Lucky for us they’re happy to be healers, otherwise it could be bad news for trainers. PCL would use this menacing figure to its true potential, as it rolls forward for a weak move to both gain ground and speed to deliver its deliciously hard-boiled assault. 

The first of the heavy combos is pound, with a swing of its stubby though powerful arms, Chansey smacks the foe right side up with little effort. The second is echoed voice, a move similar to disarming voice though normal type instead of fairy type. This move would grow stronger the further it travels into the crowd. Take down is a shoulder bash that rams into an unsuspecting foe, while double edge is the Pokémon’s full weight absolutely smashing the enemy to pieces (these are the third and fourth heavy combos, respectively). Finally, an ultra-powerful hyper beam rounds out the heavys, as Chansey needs a moment to recharge after laying waste to anyone who healed for free and never said thank you. 

What does this Pokémon do best? Healing of course! So, for the special skill Chansey can heal its own HP up to 25% if it’s allowed to find a safe spot to charge. 

-Musou attack: Softboiled

In the musou attack, Chansey will summon an enormous egg, one large enough to fill the entire battlefield. Then, lifting it straight up in the air, the egg explodes and takes down any enemy with it! Much like the game, this attack holds healing properties as well, so the Pokémon will similarly benefit by gaining back a portion of its HP after use. 

The second Pokémon under PCL’s command is Audino, a Pokémon meant to be a stand-in for Chansey in Unova after that generation was meant to only feature newly introduced Pokémon entirely. While now known as the best way to farm EXP in the games, here Audino has a manner of attacks to call its own. The first of which is round, whereby swinging its arms in a circle, the Pokémon breaks apart enemy lines in a cinch. Second is drain punch, which steals HP into its already gigantic HP pool in a physical strike. The third is draining kiss, which while similar to the aforementioned punch, is a special fairy type move that target sp.def rather than physical to potentially sap even more HP. 

Pokemon Center Lady, may she live in infamy, is finally on the battlefield to unleash some health based vengeance. All of her attacks are HP based in some manner, as if she’s finally taking back what she had been owed all these years from selfish players. With this in mind she’d be a real joy to play. 

And that’s our roster! By God that took a long time, but I think in the end it was worth it! We have a wide variety of characters from each generation, one Pokemon of each type (take that, friends who helped me and said there weren’t any good fairy types!), and a mix of fan favorites and more niche trainers! For a roster of only 18 characters this is probably the best roster you can come up with!

Now I know you all have a few complaints and questions to voice. The first of which is probably one glaring trope missing from the roster, where are the villains?! Well, the answer for that is simple, I was being realistic in this roster and designed it the same way Nintendo Musous are designed. Want to play as the villains? Pay for DLC. I won’t design movesets for them though so use your imagination.

The next question you probably have is wondering what the mooks you would be destroying hundreds of would be. Well, they would be other Pokemon of course! Just imagine fields full of non-playable Pokemon being decimated by the playable ones!

I’m sure you all have at least a few of your fan favorite Pokemon or trainers not playable in this roster, so why not leave a comment telling me why I’m wrong for not including them!

I would like to extend a million thanks to Story Arc contributor Victiny, without whom co-writing this I would have never gotten the roster out in time for Pokemon Day and without a doubt the movesets wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting without his expertise!

Come back in two weeks to see me talk about how I would design a Thunderbolt Fantasy Musou roster! In the meantime, though why not visit the Make a Musou homepage and look at my previously created rosters?