Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon: Aim to Be a Master, episode 8The Pokémon anime took a little time out of Ash's final journey to explore a Pokémon with one of the more twisted Pokédex entries in the series, offering a tragic take on its origin.
In the episode, a Ghost-type Pokémon has been causing trouble for Officer Jenny, so Ash, Misty and Brock volunteer to help, as they often do. A little investigation reveals that the culprit is in fact a Banette, and that it has been stealing heart-shaped objects. It turns out that this Banette was, as the Pokédex claims, an abandoned doll brought to life after being left behind when its owner moved to a new house. However, rather than seeking vengeance against its former master, this Banette wishes nothing more than to be reunited.
Banette is a Creepy Pokémon Turned Tragic
Many Ghost-type Pokémon have scary, vaguely malicious Pokédex entries, but these entries have often been quite different from their presentation in the anime. Banette's entry in Emerald states that "An abandoned plush doll became this Pokémon. They are said to live in garbage dumps and wander about in search of the children that threw them away." While this Banette lives in a ruined home rather than a dump, it's more or less accurate to what's seen in the episode. Other such entries state that it has a "grudge," suggesting that it seeks the child not to be reunited, but for vengeance.
Perhaps because this Banette wasn't discarded deliberately, it doesn't seem to have a grudge against its former owner. Banette was once a doll that recognize Pokémon's Nurse Joy as the little girl that once owned Banette, and are able to finally reunite them. At the episode's end, Banette even gets a little nurse cap to honor its new role at Nurse Joy's side once again.
It's an interesting choice for the Pokémon anime to take a Pokémon like Banette, which is normally seen as dangerous, and make it sympathetic in this situation. While the story is simple, the episode presents it fairly well, and most people can relate to Banette, having lost some toy like it at some point in their life.
