I get you love HZ (You're pretty much the only person who writes for it on here). But, frankly, I can't really agree with this list. Some of your points may be true, like it being a new beginning and having a bigger cast, but none of these I would call reason for people to rush and watch. And unless you've never really seen another anime besides Pokemon or you're just to use to a modern-day formula, I wouldn't hold my breath for HZ

Definetly wouldn't call Liko or Roy "more interesting" than Ash (Never been a fan of Liko, mainly because of her fans and lack of real aspirations to make me root for her in anything and tend to remain neutral to Roy becausehe gets more hate than deserved), or that the explorers are "excellent" villains since every move they make you can see a mile away (If you couldn't see Spinel taking over and Amethio siding with the RTV's upon their introductions, I don't know what to tell you. Plus, the fact that playing typical villain tropes is all they're good for is unimpressive, really), or the story captivating (Especially when more often than not, the heroes just luck out by ing "tests" than truly KOing opponents and you do really care for the "mystery" aspect)

This series may do it's own thing compared to past series. But, it's definitely not original and just plays to tropes popular among mainstream anime, and that's just a letdown for those who enjoy what Pokemon is best known for

See, the problem with this is that with Lucius, he capped out the moment he was sealed in Lakua. And after being awoken, he beasically did nothing. His team may have gotten stronger after 100 years, but that wasn't really his doing (And maybe partially due to carrying part of Terapagos' power for so long)

Plus, just because someone owns a Legendary, Mythical, or more, it doesn't instantly make them the strongest. His starter is presumed to be Rayquaza and he most likely obtained it by simply befriending it, not by battling it. And, due to the flashbacks presented, it's presumed that the rest of his team were the same (Befriended. No battles). Plus, they have no real feats under their belt. For all we know, his team were more Adventures than true Battlers, which isn't that impressive in itself

With Ash, we've seen him not only connect, befriend, and own a Legendary, Mythical, and such, but his greatest strength as a Trainer is his unbreakable drive, ability to bring out a Pokemon's greatest potential, and be extremely creative and unpredictable in battle. He didn't become the World Champion for nothing. Unlike Liko, Roy, and their team, Ash has actually defeated Pokemon of Legendary or equal staus (And, on his own). Not to mention the fact that he's made many sacrifices that equal, if not sured, Lucius' And all of that was just him at 10yo or so. So, imagine by the time he's Lucius' age?

So, with all of that in mind, calling Lucius "The Anime's Most Powerful Trainer" with no real combative feat under his belt is pushing it. Unless he's done a fraction of what Ash within his short time as a Trainer, I'll still consider Ash to be "The Most Powerful"

Aquarius = Pikachu

Can't say I wouldn't have liked to be represented by Ash. But, even though at my core I'm like him, there's still parts of him and me that don't sync. But, hey, being represented by his free-spirited and independent best friend, Pikachu, is the bext best thing and I'd say that's more where my place would be: Always loyal and by his side, even while he's gone

....Plus, even though it was too close, while I don't outright hate her, to not be represented by Liko is an added bonus

Decent list. Well-written and not really biased, which is something that can be appreciated

#8 I can't really agree with on a personal level because while there may have been moments where I could facepalm myself or say "....Dude? Seriously", the fact that I was always eager to catch his adventures every week (If not everyday when the series was still dubbed by 4Kids) means that I could never grow tired of him. His adventures were one of the reasons I continued on for so long, even when life started to get to me. New faces work, but at the very least, they didn't have to do away with him entirely

And #6 is a complicated one because while this series has made it clear that these two are meant to be co-protagonists, while Liko is the source of obsession for so many fans, Roy is often hated and seen as the "discount Ash". It's to the point that even though Roy could be seen as the one taking the central role for the 5th arc, most are immediately rejecting the idea in favor of Liko remaining most important. ....It's honestly very annoying and sometimes smells of misandry for certain individuals (Part of the reason why I don't really like Liko despite growing to respect her enough)

But, #1? Fans of this series may not want to acknowledge it, but the ratings don't exactly point to it being a success (....And their gatekeeping of anything critcal makes people wanting to give it a try even more difficult). In Japan alone, it doesn't really go beyond 1% of household and individual views, it fell off the weekly Top 10 list far earlier than really any other series, and the popularity polls where Liko ranks in mainly stems from....well, a variety of fans who like her for "certain reasons". Certain fans may be deadset on HZ completely being it's own thing, but Ash returning would definitely bring those views up. If they decided to bring Ash back, while I already watch due to habit, I'd be watching out of happiness

Nice list overall! Real good mix of his most memorable battles!

One thing, though. The fact that the battle between Ash and Paul at Lake Acuity is on here, and at #2 no less, but neither of his first two battles against Trip are is kind of crazy. Sure, he lost at Lake Acuity, but that battle was a great motivator for him going forward. ....And heaven knows certain fans constantly want to bring up the first Ash v. Trip battle when they want to argue that "Ash was a failure", even though Pikachu was weakened by a Legendary and Snivy was clearly above Lv5 strength (It knew Leaf Tornado for crying out loud)

Other than that, good job!

Really nice write-up. And thank you for going in-depth about how the two share a subtle, but meaningful connection

Nearly every place that discusses the anime, when someone brings up the hat/hair pin symbolism, HZ stans try to shut it down because they hate the idea of Ash returning or the two series' being in the same universe (One person even tried reasoning that it was just the antenna of Orbeetle. If that was the case, shouldn't the Pokemon have some significant impact on the series? And even if it was, why would they change it to that specific color?). It's like most HZ fans are haunted by the past and are scared of something from it resurfacing

I wouldn't exactly call this new arc "fresh" or "new" seeing as it still revolves around the 6 Heroes, Rakuium, and the explores. The only key difference is that Lucius and Gibeon are no longer involved and the mystery aspect revolving around family lineage most likely won't be central, or possibly even present, to the story going forward

But, I can at least say that compared to the first half, I actually am more interested to what will take place as it will be far less predictable compared to the first. ....Though, I am keeping my expectations low as to just be satisfied with what will be given

Thank you!!!

I really wish people would stop acting as though Ash held his Pokemon back by not evolving them. He never pushed to evolve some of them because for a good amount of them, Pikachu especially, they did not want to evolve, and Ash never forced them to because he respected their wishes and knew they could reach their true potential without needing to

HZ may let the Pokemon of it's series evolve and it's nice that Florgato evolved before the final episode of the current, but that's mainly because no Pokemon in it has an issue with doing so. Heck, most of them have little to no personality or character arc for any to have an issue with evolving, which is why some still feel the instances where Quaxly, Wattrel, and especially Hatenna's received a boost in strength and early evolutions with very little battling or motivation for it to feel less impactful, if not really satisfyingly earned at all, compared to past series'