Fixing Tobias & the Sinnoh Anime Finale
Y'all remember Pokemon Diamond and Pearl anime, the episode Semi-Final Frontier?
Tobias is the final opponent in the Pokemon Sinnoh League in the anime, who comes to the Pokemon League with a Darkrai and Latios (+ other Legendaries, presumably). He one shots basically everything with his Darkrai and only has to use his Latios against Ash.
Just look at this edgelord, he’s hot, I love him:
Why do people hate him?
- Tobias comes basically out of literally nowhere and is never spoken of again
- He’s basically representation for kids using Action Replays to cheat
- It feels cheap, like an excuse for Ash not to win for another 10 years
- How the hell does he have a Darkrai and Latios? This is never explained
Specifically this last point I want to highlight. Look. I'm biased as fuck. I LOVE Darkrai. Anyone who knows me knows this! I love seeing Darkrai! I hope Darkrai is in the anime again! Tobias has a super cool design too, inspired by Darkrai but not excessively to the point of bad OC design.
So I am going to take that bias and put it, just for now, in this box: ☐
-inhales-
WHY and HOW the FUCK does he have Darkrai?! Darkrai showed up in the anime earlier as a wild Pokemon, and as a mythical there's only one of Darkrai, and Darkrai SHOWS UP in later seasons of the anime too, let alone its own movie! As a wild Darkrai! Is it just Tobias's Darkrai taking a stroll? Is Tobias just hiding in the shadows whenever Darkrai shows up?! Did Tobias bribe Darkrai with Pecha berries or some shit to fight for him?! What about Latios?! Latios died in the 5th movie! What about -- why?! None of it makes sense!!!!!
...Alright, I'm going to grab my bias now. I love Darkrai and I love seeing them in the anime, even if it's because of poor writing choices.
My Argument for Tobias
Tobias is a good character who had lots of potential for plot relevance and development for both himself and the main cast.
And the writers did him so dirty.
Shitty Writing
Tropes that are used and hated:
- Impossible Odds (Ash can’t win against two Mythicals, no matter how much progress he’s made)
- Poor establishment of his character & story and terrible continuation
- Basically a deus ex machina, but the opposite
How to fix this:
- Introduce him earlier in the series (at minimum earlier in the tournament) besides mysterious screenshots
- Establish his story, motivations, journey to the league, etc.
- Have the league step in and restrict his use of Legendaries and/or have an investigation into him (potentially giving the audience a chance to sympathize)
Interpretations I Like
What this does well:
- Gives him a personality
- Makes him likeable
Unfortunately, good fics of Tobias are few and far between. Understandably. He's pretty largely hated. And again, understandably.
Some headcanons I’ve seen that I like:
- Tobias is a trans guy
- Tobias & Cynthia is a ship
Ash, what the fuck are you doing?
- Ash has been at this journey for like 15 years by this point so he should know his shit right?
- So this fucker sees Darkrai has Ice Beam and proceeds to send out fucking Gible and Sceptile
- Like are you surprised you lost??? Writers why did you take away his poor brain cells, did you lobotomize him or something
How to fix this:
- Have Ash have time to develop an actual strategy/pick better Pokemon
- give Ash a legendary
Lost Potential
- No proper introduction as a character
- No backstory
- He shows up, ends Ash’s entire Sinnoh career, and disappears
How to fix this:
- Introduce him earlier in the season, potentially as a recurring character
- Show why he has a Darkrai (let alone Latios) & additionally why Darkrai obeys this random fucker
- Give him a more distinct personality and something else to remember him by
- Have him return in the series finale
Tidbits That Amused Me
Key Takeaways
- Pokemon Company should hire me so I can fix him
- I don't blame everyone for hating him, he's basically a cheater who has zero plot significance past "let's shuffle Ash to the Unova region now"
- Bad writing can destroy a good character, and that's honestly so tragic
(This post was adapted from a PowerPoint done for a PowerPoint party I hosted for my birthday in 2025.)