
Given that Ash is still the usual NiceGuy he's always been for the most part in ''SM'' and rarely deserves such punishment, treating him like a punching bag feels undeserved for a part of the audience.
DAMMIT MOON MOON MEME SERIES
While past series did give him some ButtMonkey qualities, the comedic and slapstick tone of Alola Alola, as well as Ash's FishOutOfWater status, means that he ends up receiving far more comedic abuse than even his co-protagonists, such as in episodes like "Treasure Hunt, Akala Style" (where his Stoutland ate his pants while the others were all serious) or "Real Life.Inquire Within" (where Ash is forced to crossdress while Kiawe and Sophocles are not for seemingly no reason other than humor). * DesignatedMonkey: Ash in this series is seen as this by some people. Some of their Pokemon such as Charjabug and Charizard even subvert the trend outright and become s that never appear again, ''Sun and Moon's'' lack of ongoing travelling allows for a recurrent supporting cast to develop and more characters intrinsically tied to the main group to appear more regularly.


Kiawe in particular maintains the balance of the usual comic relief and exposition role with actual battling and training the entire series, while Sophocles gets a palpable amount of development in the later half of the series. * AuthorsSavingThrow: While ''Sun and Moon's'' changes largely make it a ContestedSequel at best, there were several amendments from the previous series that were well approved: ** The series to some level averts the usual OutOfFocus curse for the male companions, with Kiawe and Sophocles getting a reasonable amount of limelight and chemistry with Ash.
