The 5th generation of Pokémon games were some of the most controversial in the franchise’s over 20-year history. Despite fans of the series always hoping that new games will release as many new Pokémon as possible, Pokémon: Black and White versions were still disliked by a vocal internet group claiming that the whopping 151 new Pokémon couldn’t compare to the original gen 1 designs.
The ensuing meme war was a dark time for Pokémon on the internet, but true fans remember all of the comedy gold that came out of it. From derpy ice cream cones to a lusted for eco-activist, gen 5 proved itself as a front for quality content.
10 The War For Gen 5
The war over gen 5 was largely one-sided, and unfortunately, its vocal majority were haters of two poor and unfortunate Pokémon; Vanilluxe and Garbador. No matter the arguments fans of the games made, they were quickly overrun by angry players with memes of the giant ice cream cone and a smelly trash Pokémon. This meme shows Ash Ketchum and friends watching the two sides of the war in the place of a Pokémon battle, with the anti-gen 5 fans as the powerful Ursaring and Conkledur overpowering the smaller Hawlucha. Ironically, Conkledur was a Gen 5 Pokémon itself.
9 The Most Hated Dessert In Pokémon
For everyone who hated the 5th generation of Pokémon, Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe were three of the worst Pokémon ever designed. Just the sight of their cheerful smirk stabbed rage and pain into the hearts of gen 1 fans. This led to a multitude of memes detailing the Pokémon’s failure and isolation.
The forever alone meme fits this ice cream cone perfectly, with a couple scoops of lonely flavored ice cream and a dash of frozen tears sprinkled on top. To many, Vanillish will always be “forever a cone.”
8 Alakazam Knows What It’s Doing
Since the times of Pokémon Yellow, Red, Green, and Blue versions, Alakazam has stalwartly clutched two spoons, bending and unbending them as a display of its psychic strength. Now, a spoon is not a particularly threatening weapon, but once gen 5 released and fans started to despise the ice cream cone with a double scoop of cheer, Alakazam became a hero. With two spoons and Abra only available in the dream world, fans would really struggle to try and bring Alakazam into their games in order to defeat the true villain of gen 5, a delicious ice cream treat.
7 Gen 5’s Animation
A lot of the hate Gen 5 received was undeserved. With huge leaps in graphics quality and the most new Pokémon of any Generation since Gen 1, the biggest change was how Pokémon in battle finally moved and felt alive. This is a strong defense for why Gen 5 had good games and how many fans overlooked its many strengths, preferring to see only an ugly ice cream cone and a trash abomination. The work Game Freak put into gen 5 and fans' poor reception might be why they’ve been less willing to take risks with new games and generations, like Alola and Galar. Think about that!
6 N Is A Real Cutie… Too Bad
Many fans of Gen 5 tout that N was the best rival of any Pokémon game. And they have some solid arguments! N is the first rival to have actual motivations outside of “being the best” and “helping the professor”. Further, to many fans, N was a real cutie (to put it mildly). This meme plays on many fans’ lust for the green-haired mystery boy and the game’s reveal of his role in the evil Team Plasma. In any Pokémon game, this is as close as the player can get to going on a date, and unfortunately, it’s ruined by N’s evil “family”. Luckily for many, this sexy rival gets his redemption later in the game.
5 The Infinity Gauntlet
For true Pokémon fans, there’s more to a generation than Pokémon designs. And this meme brings the rest of Unova’s great qualities to the forefront. With great music, an actually good story, a strong region with actually interesting and dynamic locations, and the change TMs always needed, it's hard to argue that an ugly ice cream cone and a scary trash monster make gen 5 “bad”. This meme plays on how comparatively, gen 5 has power unmatched in the universe, ultimately acting as a reset for the Pokémon franchise. With 151 new Pokémon, it might as well be.
4 Fighting N Can Be Scary
The player’s final fight with N has its scary moments, and starting off the fight against the generations other legendary Pokémon is never fun. Knowing the powerful moves Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt, Reshiram and Zekrom were powerful enough to one-shot most Pokémon that players might be using. N’s solid strategy and powerful team are two reasons why he stands out as a high-quality rival throughout the franchise and why many fans find him so... electrifying? Or maybe why they find him so… hot? Either way, N’s team is no joke at all.
3 Welcome To The Salty Spitoon
The vast majority of Pokémon fans during the 5th generation complained about the designs of Vanillish and Garbodor. For the gen 5 defenders who patrolled the internet during this time, it was a dangerous place to have a loud opinion. Now that the world has moved on and many have moved past the war of the generations, those who defended gen 5 can stand with honor, as the games now stand out as some of the most thoughtful, creative, and content filled games of the franchise. Too bad there are ice cream cones and trash monsters that override all of that quality content...
2 Back In The Day
The war over Pokémon: Black and White divided into two sides; fans of the newer gens, and the genwunners. Genwunners argued that the designs of later games had gotten worse and worse, and culminated in gen 5 with a smelly trash monster and a stupid ice cream cone. This logic is ultimately flawed.
Fans of gen 5 turned the gen 1 argument on its head, critiquing the creativity of the original 151, saying that there’s no difference between the Pokémon at all, as both generations have snakes, turtles, and dragons. Not to mention the rocks with arms or the piles of sludge… Overall, critiquing Pokémon designs to disparage a generation isn’t a very substantiated argument.
1 N’s Eco-Activism
Fans who watched the Pokémon anime or played through both Black and White and Black 2 and White 2 know that N loves Pokémon. Like, really loves them. He’s the franchise’s only Pokémon activist and unfortunately finds himself as the Pokémon King of the evil Team Plasma. Some fans found his heartfelt approach to Pokémon to be preachy and annoying, and they loved to bash the silly and stupid designs of the 5th gen. Ultimately, fighting N is a joke in itself and players chose to forget the good that N strove for.