They are at it again!🤦♂️(Partial analysis, constructive criticism welcome)
As the title says, r/pokemonanime is at it again—this time hating on the snowball scene. (Well, it’s like three people actively fighting and a bunch of others either agreeing or simply saying it could be better, and of course the Serena hate, I promise you if Dawn did this a lot of people would have had no problem.)
So, I figured there was no better time than to give a partial analysis (which will eventually be part of a larger one) to see what you guys think and how I can improve. Also, I would just like to point out that I liked u/NickCharlesYT’s analysis of the scene.
For those interested, here is a link to it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemonanime/comments/1t9zblb/am_i_the_only_one_who_hates_this_scene/
And here is my analysis:
First, I would like to point out that Serena said what she said and threw snowballs at Ash AFTER she tried what everyone else is saying she should have done, and AFTER he snapped at her for trying. Now, I would like to point out that a lot of the criticism regarding this scene is mainly due to Western culture (and of course hate, but let's not get into that), but what was done here was actually extremely well thought out. I would like to firstly bring up the scene from scratch: we have Ash losing a match against a Gym Leader (Wulfric), which is essentially the tipping point for him, so he’s understandably upset. However, he goes off into the woods alone to try and get away from everyone, including his Pokémon. This is not normal behavior for Ash and would bring up major red flags, so Serena does what any normal person would do—and if you think otherwise, that is slightly concerning—and goes to try and comfort him. I would also like to bring up that in past losses, his Pokémon were always there to comfort him, but this time he isolated himself from them too.
We have her first ask if he is okay, to which he is unresponsive. We then have her try and sympathize with him. Now, say what you want about this, but regardless of what you think, the core of this is extremely important, and if you are going with the "her loss was nothing compared to Ash’s" argument, you are missing a key concept of the scene. See (and this is why I find Western culture so annoying), to Serena, the contests were not just a dream to be Kalos Queen; it was also a way to prove to herself and her mother that she could make her own path. Family is a very big thing in Eastern culture, and the pressure they put on you—many times out of love, but still—is very real. So, she had a lot of weight on her shoulders placed by herself, and when she lost, she broke very similarly to how Ash broke. However, unlike Ash, she had her Pokémon to help her get better (something I will address later). The weight of this scene is brought into focus when you realize that the cutting of her hair is symbolic of changing oneself from their past in Japanese culture.
We see a parallel in this with Ash: he had a lot of weight on his shoulders, not only from himself but more from everyone else. And I don't mean just the fact that everyone sees him as an idol (which, let's be honest, he is); he had the legacy of the Bond Phenomenon on his shoulders from the Ninja Village and the prophecy from the Psychic Gym Leader, Olympia. This makes this loss not a physical one, but like Serena's, an emotional one—one born from the weight he put on himself to try and, ironically, NOT be himself, but be the person everyone ELSE thinks he is. The best part of all of this is the fact that in this scene, it is Serena who calls him out on who he actually is. Say what you want about how it was done, but it was done the best way I can think of without completely pushing the age restrictions. The fact that people keep bringing up that “she loved an idea” makes me so confused; no, she knows the real him, and we know that this was him acting weird. I would like to point out that in almost all the times he loses, he loses due to something out of his control; to him, this time it felt like his own fault (and it was).
Also, trying to say he should have been left alone is really, really, REALLY stupid, but again, that is Western culture, so I will put it up to ignorance. Additionally, the idea of her projecting her ideal version on him is so stupid; she literally lists the things that make Ash, Ash—regardless of what series we talk about. Sometimes what a person needs is a reminder of who they are because, at low points in their life, they often "can't see the forest for the trees." Now, I haven't watched Pokémon in a while, but from what I remember, in almost all his losses, his Pokémon were there. Unlike the Diamond and Pearl series, this was again not a lack of strength; this was Ash worrying about his bond with his Pokémon—hell, one of them even ran away! So instead, the writers replaced them with the only other person who knows him well enough: Serena. Say what you want, but Serena did nothing wrong. Could they have had her do something better? Maybe. Would that other thing fit their demographic? No, no it would not.
Ultimately, I will leave you with this: this scene on its own could use some work. However, this is not a standalone scene; and when taken in proper context and not as a single ten-minute clip, you realize it has a lot more weight than what some people would like to give it credit for. Ash straight-up admits later that she was right, and in literally every loss he has ever taken, the exact same thing happens, except it’s usually catalyzed by his Pokémon rather than a human friend.
I would like to point out that this was originally going to be a comment before I figured doing that was dumb, so I edited it to fit a post.
Also, if anyone has anything more to add or points I missed, I would very much appreciate constructive criticism.
EDIT 5/11/2026: apoun scrolling the post linked it seems that there are 3 people who are mainly making a big deal 2 of which are anit amour one of which I cant tell, also worth noting there's a guy who is trying to back up Serena, the a bunch of the haters seem dumb and the people with good arguments are not being replyed to.
EDIT 5/12/2026: I just went and watch the sub of it and WTF THE OP LEFT OUT SO MANY THINGS, A) This happened after HE RAN INTO THE WOOD OVERNIGHT B) There was ZERO mention of the fennekin event in the sub she literally said "back when I lost at my tripokalon I wondered why" and then Ash snapped MIND YOU THE FIRST THING SHE DID WAS TRY AND GET AS TO TALK ABOUT IT She literally said "Satoshi if there is anything troubling you talk to me about it, it can be anything if I can be of any use to you, no matter how little" ONLY THEN when Ash doesn't say anything does she try and sympathize. which, as far as I am aware is literally text book way of trying to get someone to talk to you, again could have been better but still. THEN Ash snaps at her to which SHE AGAIN ASK'S HIM TO TELL HER. It is only after Ash still doesn't open up that she snaps at him to NOT BE THE SATOSHI SHE WANTS but rather true to HIMSELF, and the best way to do so is to tell him he is not, ASH ADMITTED TO HER BEING RIGHT AND SERENA ADMITTED SHE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER. I CAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE ARE GETTING ALL UPSET OVER THIS SCENE WHEN THEY DONT KNOW SHIT, OP LITERALLY IS LIKE 'she doesn't know the pressure' or 'she brought up a rookie mistake' and that 'Ash needs some space' HE HAD 12 HOURS AT NIGHT IN THE WOODS IT DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING AND UNTIL SERENA THAT PRESSURE DIDN'T KEPT BUILDING because like I said above, HE WAS PUTTING THAT PRESSURE ON HIMSELF AND THE ONLY ONE WHO COULD SEE IT WAS SERENA.