Summary An odd Naruto -inspired ninja village story arc in Pokemon XYZ introduces a coup plot, showcasing ninja tricks and power struggles.
Ash and friends aid in battling against a rogue ninja trying to overthrow the village leader, leading to Frogadier’s evolution.
Unusual for Pokémon , this storyline has a different tone, akin to a classic shonen series, providing an entertaining Naruto vibe.
The Pokémon anime has had some odd story arcs over the years, but one ninja-based storyline feels so out of place that it’s almost as if it came straight out of Naruto. While some of the ninja characters had been introduced in the past, the ninja village story arc featured a coup plot that’s unlike anything else in Pokémon.
In the Pokémon XYZ episodes “The Legend of the Ninja Hero!” and “A Festival of Decisions,” Ash and his friends make contact with a friend they’ve met before, a ninja by the name of Sanpei who has a Greninja, and who helped Ash train his own Frogadier. Sanpei invites Ash and co. to come back to his village with him, as it’s not far away. There, Ash meets the village elder, Hanzo, and Sanpei’s older brothers, Ippei and Nihei, with Ippei next in line to run the village.
However, the cold open has already revealed at this point that another ninja out there is already plotting to overthrow Hanzo and take control of the village for himself.
A Secret Ninja Village’s Coup Dominates Pokémon
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The ninja in the village are shown to practice ninja tricks, like using illusions to appear younger, or the famous log-switch trick, abilities which are commonly seen in Naruto. Their manner of dress also feels very similar to that of Naruto characters, as is the secretive nature of their village. Of course, this is still Pokémon, so there are plenty of Pokémon in the village as well, particularly those with ninja-like attributes such as Greninja and Weavile.
The plot dealing with the succession of the village leadership is a particularly unusual storyline for Pokémon, which doesn’t usually see these kinds of power struggles occurring. Soon, Hanzo is kidnapped by the mastermind of this scheme, a rogue ninja from the village by the name of Kagetomo. Ash and friends lend their aid to Sanpei and his brothers, battling against Kagetomo and his followers even though it doesn’t really concern them. Ash’s Frogadier actually evolves into Greninja in the battle, and enters the mysterious Ash-Greninja bond state for the first time.
While the stakes are suitably high to make it a very cool moment, one still can’t help but feel like it’s out of a completely different anime. Ippei manages to defeat Kagetomo in a Pokémon battle and brings the conflict to an end, and surprisingly Kagetomo isn’t punished for his coup attempt. He instead goes into self-imposed exile, intending to learn more about the world and find out how Ippei draws his strength from what he cares about. The episode ends with a mysterious tease of a mural depicting Ash-Greninja, which is never followed up on.
The episodes are noteworthy for Greninja’s evolution already, but they do have quite a different tone to them than most of the series. Pokémon XYZ is famously more like a classic shonen series than most of Pokémon, so perhaps that combined with the unusual setting creates a different feel for these two episodes. Pokémon’s take on Naruto is entertaining, at least, and worth a look for fans who wonder what a crossover between the two might look like.
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