Pokemon crossover - Leave your thoughts here!

[ProtrainerEon]

What do you all think about (wait for me to elaborate before you leave) a Bleach and Pokemon crossover? Right now, this is still just an idea. However, I have a lot of the story already outlined in my head.

Basically,

• It is about the characters from the anime Bleach, but focuses on Ichigo Kurosaki. [As if that weren't obvious, huh?]
• Ichigo unlocks his soul reaper powers after meeting the soul reaper Rukia Kuchiki, much like in the original story, but with a twist! In this crossover storyline, when someone attains their shikai state as a soul reaper, they gain an ally in the form of a Pokemon, who is a representation of their zanpakuto's (a zanpakuto is a soul repear's sword, for those who don't know about Bleach) essence.
• In other words, Ichigo will meet a Pokemon that is actually a manifestation of Zangetsu (his sword, for non-Bleach fans). Rukia will tell Ichigo after he has become a substitute soul reaper that soul reapers' Pokemon are the physical representations of their spiritual pressures.

I will try my best to stay true to Bleach's fundamental elements, in that:

• A main component I will try to mirror from Bleach is the individual abilities of those with high spiritual pressures. This will be done using their Pokemon, among other things. Ichigo, for instance, will have an Absol alongside him to represent Zangetsu. The reason I chose Absol is its appearance. Absol's body is designed in a way that makes it ideal for Ichigo's specific abilities - mainly Getsuga Tensho. The black protrusion on top of its head will fire bursts of energy that are almost exactly like getsuga tensho.
• The Soul Society's 13 squads will still exist, and the squad members will own Pokemon that are similar in abilities to their owners. For example, Soifon will have a poison-type with her to reflect her actual zanpakuto's powers.
• All core characters will be included somehow into the story, probably within the same time frame that they were introduced in Bleach.
• I will also try my hardest to pick Pokemon that, while nearly matching their owners' abilities, fit their individual personalities. I am pretty sure at this time (nothing has been set in stone so far) that Ichinose from Zaraki's squad, for example, will have a brightly colored and/or illusion-oriented Pokemon fighting with/for him, that is also a fast-paced fighter.
• PLUS: For those who were wondering, Kon will be in the story!

I appreciate all "constructive" comments, good or bad (please don't go overboard insulting the topic, just share your views on the idea itself).

Any help and/or plot ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read this.

~Pro~

 

[KajiVenator]

Would this mean that strawberry gets a Pikachu like all the original main characters of the Pokemon universe (Manga, Anime, Pokemon Yellow)?

 

[Silawen]

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm not overly fond of crossovers. I know a lot of people love them and I respect that, but they're just not for me. (I like a fandom for that actual fandom and wouldn't want to mess with it by introducing things to it that don't exist in the fandom's world.) So my comments could be slightly biased. ;)

~
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It is about the characters from the anime Bleach, but focuses on Ichigo Kurosaki. [As if that weren't obvious, huh?]

Not really, because Bleach has dozens upon dozens of characters that you could focus on. (Almost all being, to me, a lot more interesting than Ichigo will ever be, but that's beside the point. XD)

Personally this looks like a very difficult idea to realise. Bleach is, even amongst other manga, a story with an incredible amount of characters. There are so many characters that using even the main ones - Karakura Town, the captains and vice-captains from each division, Aizen, Gin, Tousen and the arrancar, the vizard, and whatever other important characters you want to add - would lead to an astounding cast of characters to deal with. This is difficult enough to deal with for Kubo - and his characters certainly aren't as well-developed as some people would like - but you don't even have visuals to aid you.

Basically, my suggestion would be to narrow the cast down to the mere minimum you need. Rukia, Ichigo, Orihime, Zaraki, Byakuya, Renji, Gin, Aizen, Hitsugaya, and the captain commander. You can use the others as bit-characters, but I would focus on this group instead. If you're going to be writing about Ichigo, you wouldn't really need any of the others anyway. Heck, you could even leave Orihime out - unless you plan to include the arrancar arc, in which case she's absolutely necessary - if you wanted to.

Story-wise I don't quite see why you would want to write this. The story is not going to be very different, really. It doesn't matter if you have a pokémon or a zanpakutou, the end-result is going to be the same. Following the basic story-line, therefore, is going to be dull. People who know Bleach won't be interested in it and those that don't won't be very impressed by the limited use of pokémon in the story.

I'd suggest thinking of an entirely new story line. Not only will this make it more creative and exciting, but it means you can limit the amount of characters you have to use. Think of something that could be of interest to Ichigo and the Gotei 13 and then write about that instead of something we already know. Just like following the pokémon games to the letter is dull, following an existing story is too.

If you do want to continue the way you had planned, I have a few comments.

Ichigo unlocks his soul reaper powers after meeting the soul reaper Rukia Kuchiki, much like in the original story, but with a twist! In this crossover storyline, when someone attains their shikai state as a soul reaper, they gain an ally in the form of a Pokemon, who is a representation of their zanpakuto's (a zanpakuto is a soul repear's sword, for those who don't know about Bleach) essence.

So, someone gets a zanpakutou and when it reaches shikai they get a pokémon as well? Or does the zanpakutou disappear until the owner 'returns' his or her pokémon?

PLUS: For those who were wondering, Kon will be in the story!

Kon is an incredibly unnecessary character. While I'm sure he's fun to write, he's not going to add much apart from comedic value. Like I said, you'd be best off limiting yourself to a much smaller amount. Introducing countless characters isn't as easy in fanfiction as it is in a visual media such as manga.

That's basically all I have to say. XD

 

[ProtrainerEon]

@ KajiVenator: What? I didn't understand your comment. Please elaborate.

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I'm not overly fond of crossovers. I know a lot of people love them and I respect that, but they're just not for me. (I like a fandom for that actual fandom and wouldn't want to mess with it by introducing things to it that don't exist in the fandom's world.) So my comments could be slightly biased. ;)

I knew someone would react the way that you did, Silawen. I very much appreciate your input - this is exactly what I wanted people to give me - hard facts and reasonable opinions. Although, like you said in your post, your "comments could be slightly biased."

You don't have to like crossovers. All I was looking for were tips on how I should go about this, which you provided. Thanks!

So, Silawen, I am going to try to address everything you've said point by point. Here goes...

It is about the characters from the anime Bleach, but focuses on Ichigo Kurosaki. [As if that weren't obvious, huh?]

Not really, because Bleach has dozens upon dozens of characters that you could focus on. (Almost all being, to me, a lot more interesting than Ichigo will ever be, but that's beside the point. XD)

Yeah, it is beside the point. I see what you're saying though. However, main characters normally aren't the most awesome characters. The cool folks are the ones that usually only show up, or do cool things, on occasion and then take a backseat to the main characters. (Byakuya, Sesshomaru, Sasuke [Shippuden], etc.)

I said it was obvious because I will be following the main storyline of Bleach. That includes focusing on Ichigo's growth as a soul reaper.

Personally this looks like a very difficult idea to realise. Bleach is, even amongst other manga, a story with an incredible amount of characters. There are so many characters that using even the main ones - Karakura Town, the captains and vice-captains from each division, Aizen, Gin, Tousen and the arrancar, the vizard, and whatever other important characters you want to add - would lead to an astounding cast of characters to deal with. This is difficult enough to deal with for Kubo - and his characters certainly aren't as well-developed as some people would like - but you don't even have visuals to aid you.

The reason that I am not worried about what you've said here is that fanfiction can last for however long you want it to. So I have a lot of time to develop the characters. Yes, I will be including almost all of the characters like Aizen, Gin, Tousen, etc. I really would like to just skip to the arrancar arc but I know I can't do that. :( Stupid Bleach... XD

Basically, my suggestion would be to narrow the cast down to the mere minimum you need. Rukia, Ichigo, Orihime, Zaraki, Byakuya, Renji, Gin, Aizen, Hitsugaya, and the captain commander. You can use the others as bit-characters, but I would focus on this group instead. If you're going to be writing about Ichigo, you wouldn't really need any of the others anyway. Heck, you could even leave Orihime out - unless you plan to include the arrancar arc, in which case she's absolutely necessary - if you wanted to.

LOL leave Orihime out? That is hilarious! I know she's rather useless, but even so I couldn't allow myself to just disregard her like that.

Story-wise I don't quite see why you would want to write this. The story is not going to be very different, really. It doesn't matter if you have a pokémon or a zanpakutou, the end-result is going to be the same. Following the basic story-line, therefore, is going to be dull. People who know Bleach won't be interested in it and those that don't won't be very impressed by the limited use of pokémon in the story.

I knew somebody was going to assume it would be virtually the same. No, it won't. I'm following the same story but I am going to change some scenes and add more Pokemon-related elements to the crossover. Trust me, it will be different.

I'd suggest thinking of an entirely new story line. Not only will this make it more creative and exciting, but it means you can limit the amount of characters you have to use. Think of something that could be of interest to Ichigo and the Gotei 13 and then write about that instead of something we already know. Just like following the pokémon games to the letter is dull, following an existing story is too.

Same as what I said above.

If you do want to continue the way you had planned, I have a few comments.

So, someone gets a zanpakutou and when it reaches shikai they get a pokémon as well? Or does the zanpakutou disappear until the owner 'returns' his or her pokémon?

I don't want to give too much of this aspect away yet, but yes, the zanpakuto does disappear when the Pokemon show up. Like in the show, Ichigo will be different from other soul reapers (remember what makes Zangetsu unique, hint hint...)

Kon is an incredibly unnecessary character. While I'm sure he's fun to write, he's not going to add much apart from comedic value. Like I said, you'd be best off limiting yourself to a much smaller amount. Introducing countless characters isn't as easy in fanfiction as it is in a visual media such as manga.

That's basically all I have to say. XD
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Yes, Kon will be fun to write for me. He makes me laugh very often with his random rants that throw off the mood of the show. However, I will try to keep his comedic ranting episodes to a minimum in the story because they can get very annoying in excess.

That is all, and I hope anyone reading this post will leave their comments and consider reading the story when I release chapter 1. Thanks!

P.S. - If anyone has suggestions for the title of the story I would be grateful if you shared them. Even if I change the title a little but base it on a suggested one, the contributor will receive credit.

 

[Silawen]

I knew someone would react the way that you did, Silawen. I very much appreciate your input - this is exactly what I wanted people to give me - hard facts and reasonable opinions. Although, like you said in your post, your "comments could be slightly biased."

Indeed, though I don't think my comments were biased. :)

Yeah, it is beside the point. I see what you're saying though. However, main characters normally aren't the most awesome characters. The cool folks are the ones that usually only show up, or do cool things, on occasion and then take a backseat to the main characters. (Byakuya, Sesshomaru, Sasuke [Shippuden], etc.)

I said it was obvious because I will be following the main storyline of Bleach. That includes focusing on Ichigo's growth as a soul reaper.

I have to disagree with your first point. That's mere opinion. There are plenty of people who think Ichigo is awesome and that those guys you mentioned are useless. (For example, I think Sasuke is incredibly annoying.) 'Cool' is a definition that's not really definable anyway.

Secondly, following the main storyline does include Ichigo's growth, but you easily have chosen to follow his journey through someone else's eyes. A lot of people enjoy writing fanfiction from the perspective of side-characters, or watch the hero's journey through someone else's eyes. It would also give a different twist to your story, instead of just going with Ichigo.

The reason that I am not worried about what you've said here is that fanfiction can last for however long you want it to. So I have a lot of time to develop the characters. Yes, I will be including almost all of the characters like Aizen, Gin, Tousen, etc. I really would like to just skip to the arrancar arc but I know I can't do that. :( Stupid Bleach... XD

But why would you do that? You're going to have to spend so much time on fleshing out these characters - characters that need a lot more fleshing out than you would expect from a manga, because this is a story - and it's going to be a waste of space. Why not focus on those characters that are pivotal to the story and use others as side-characters.

Especially because, like you said, you're going to focus on Ichigo's part of this. Kubo can easily switch focus and jump to what Ishida and Orihime are doing, but you can't do the same quite as easily. First of all, scene jumps are a lot more jarring in fanfiction and second of all, you said your focus is going to be on Ichigo. He wouldn't know about Shunsui, or Kurotsuchi, or Ukitake, or half of the vice-captains. Heck, he didn't know about Aizen until he turned evil, nor would he know about Hinamori and her deal with Gin and Hitsugaya.

You can omit a lot of characters because Ichigo won't know about them and so they're not necessary to the story you're trying to tell. It'll not only make things easier for you, but it result in a lot less filler chapters. Readers don't like filler chapters. They don't want entire chapters spent on filling us in about Kon's misadventures, or the history between Gin and Matsumoto, or what Kira is doing.

I honestly think you'd be better off sticking to a smaller cast of characters.

LOL leave Orihime out? That is hilarious! I know she's rather useless, but even so I couldn't allow myself to just disregard her like that.

I actually really like Orihime, myself, but unless you're going to focus on the Arrancar arc, she's not quite as pivotal to the story. So if you're going to include that arc, then keep her, but if not then she's not quite necessary. Same goes for plenty of characters - Shunsui, Ukitake, Matsumoto, Tousen, Komamoru, Soifon, Nanao, the list goes on and on - who would make for good side-characters, but shouldn't get a lot of screen time. You'd be spending way too much time on educating the readers about characters than you're spending on telling us a story.

I knew somebody was going to assume it would be virtually the same. No, it won't. I'm following the same story but I am going to change some scenes and add more Pokemon-related elements to the crossover. Trust me, it will be different.

I just don't understand why you would want to tell this story again. You have a concept - pokémon instead of zanpakutou - so why not just write an entirely new story? It's already a crossover, you might as well do more. A new storyline is also going to be a lot more exciting for those who already know Bleach through and through. If I can guess what's going to happen next, then the inclusion of a pokémon isn't going to help much in making it a fun read.

I'd really reconsider some things. Too many shinigami is only going to make things confusing and unnecessarily long. Long doesn't equal good. You shouldn't stretch out a story simply because you want to include all the characters. Ichigo hasn't met all of them, anyway.

 

[ProtrainerEon]

When I talked about cool characters, instead of 'cool' I should have used the word 'powerful'. That is what I really meant, Silawen.

I really did not mean for you to misinterpret what I meant by focusing on Ichigo. My story is going to be written in third person, allowing me to cover several characters at one time, like the show does.

I want to stick to having many characters so I can show off more Pokemon, and reflect their owners' personalities (in addition to descriptions of the characters) through them.

About making things confusing and unnecessarily long, that is what I think Bleach is! XD That is why I don't want to limit the cast.

I think I might add some side-stories that did not actually occur, but I stand by my sticking to the story of Bleach idea.

I'm done, and thanks again for contributing.

~Pro~

 

[Silawen]

I'm going to continue commenting, because I don't quite agree with some of the things you're saying. If you don't want to continue this discussion, then please let me know and I'll drop it.

When I talked about cool characters, instead of 'cool' I should have used the word 'powerful'. That is what I really meant, Silawen.

'Awesome' doesn't equal 'powerful'. There are plenty of powerful characters that I don't find awesome. Besides, in Bleach the being powerful is pretty much expected. Almost all main characters are powerful and Byakuya certainly isn't more powerful than, say, the captain commander. So I don't quite understand why you're defining interesting characters as side-characters who are powerful, especially because Ichigo is extremely powerful himself.

I really did not mean for you to misinterpret what I meant by focusing on Ichigo. My story is going to be written in third person, allowing me to cover several characters at one time, like the show does.

Are you also going to jump scenes, like the show does? Because I already explained why that works in a visual medium, but not quite as well in a literary one. Having several characters or groups of characters running around doing different things is going to get confusing if you're doing it in a story. Much more so than in a manga, where we can actually see where we are and with whom.

If you're going to follow the storyline, then that's exactly what's going to happen. Once the group hits Soul Society they split off into groups. Are you honestly going to focus on Ichigo, then switch to Chad, then to Ishida and Orihime, and then to Byukuya? What about the things going on in Seireitei with Hitsugaya, Hinamori, Gin, and all the others? Are the fights between the captains and Ishida and Chad going to be mentioned?

You're going to end up with a huge, ongoing list of storylines that intermingle. I can't look into the future, but I think it would end up being a huge mess. These are not characters everyone knows. You would have to introduce them, you'd have to follow their story, and you'd have to do it in a way that's easy to follow and at the same time tells the story. You don't have the luxury of switching between panels the way Kubo can. He can show Ichigo running through Soul Society in one panel and then Gin threatening Hitsugaya in the next before going to the fight between Ishida and Kurotsuchi. You can't.

I want to stick to having many characters so I can show off more Pokemon, and reflect their owners' personalities (in addition to descriptions of the characters) through them.

But it's not going to make your story any better. Look, if you choose a basic cast then you can really focus on those. They're varied enough that you could show off a varied list of pokémon, so that shouldn't be a problem. And if you really just wanted to describe personalities and which pokémon fit them best, then you wouldn't need to write about Ichigo's adventures in Soul Society.

About making things confusing and unnecessarily long, that is what I think Bleach is! XD That is why I don't want to limit the cast.

So, you're taking something you think is confusing and overly long and instead of fixing that you're going to make it even longer? (Because trust me, writing about these events is going to take a lot longer than being able to show things in a series of panels.)

If you think something is wrong with Bleach, then why not improve on it and just make it shorter and easier to follow?

I think I might add some side-stories that did not actually occur, but I stand by my sticking to the story of Bleach idea.

But there are already so many side-stories going on if you want to include all the characters. My suggestion wasn't to take your idea and then tack some new ideas on. It was to start over entirely and not rely on Kubo's work for plot ideas. Use his world and characters, but don't follow everything he's done. There are a lot of stories you could write that would be just as exciting - probably more so, because we haven't seen it before - and wouldn't pose so much of a problem.

 

[KajiVenator]

What I meant was "will Ichigo ('Strawberry') get a Pikachu?"