Pokémon Horizons "Stellar Finale": Japanese Fans React to Spinel's Ending — "Being Dumped by a Friendship-Evolved Pokémon Is the Heaviest Punishment in the Pokémon World"
アニポケ136話「ステラ・フィナーレ」スピネルの末路、日本のファンの反応
“Getting written off and walked out on by an Umbreon — basically the poster child for Friendship Evolution — has to be the single heaviest punishment in the Pokémon world, right? It's like being told, "nobody will ever trust you."”
なつき進化の象徴みたいな立ち位置のブイズ(ブラッキー)に愛想つかされて逃げられるのポケモンの世界じゃ一番重い罰なんじゃないか? 「お前の事なんか誰も信頼しない」と言われてるようで
Pokémon Horizons: The Series wrapped its "Rising Again" arc with episode 136, "Stellar Finale" — the grand conclusion of Liko and Roy's journey — and Japan's most-liked reactions zeroed in not on the Mega Rayquaza spectacle but on the quiet gut-punch of the villain's ending. After Spinel is defeated and jailed, his lifelong partner Umbreon flicks his thrown Poké Ball aside and walks away. Japanese fans immediately read this through the franchise's own mechanics: this is an Umbreon, a Pokémon that only exists because an Eevee evolved through high Friendship — so being rejected by it is, as the top comment puts it, the single heaviest punishment the Pokémon world can hand down. From there the thread becomes a close reading of the staff's cruelty: the deliberate contrast with the lovable, never-truly-evil Team Rocket; the careful foreshadowing that Spinel's power-up item, Laquium, corrodes the very bonds Mega Evolution requires; and an unsettled debate over the final shot — when Umbreon glances at Spinel's prison cell, was it pity, lingering attachment, or pure coincidence from a Pokémon who'd already forgotten him? The argument over that one ambiguous glance is where the comment section truly lives, before someone lands the only verdict a Pokémon fan could.
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Japanese fan reactions (excerpted from 224)
- @assabu3127👍 338
Being abandoned by a Friendship-evolved Pokémon hit way harder than I expected. He's a piece of garbage and it STILL manages to look genuinely tragic. That's some skill.
なつき進化に見放されるというのが予想したよりキツイ描写だったな クズでもすごく悲惨に見えるの凄い
- @高部輝👍 135
Losing the trust of a Friendship-evolved Pokémon — the literal symbol of a Pokémon being deeply attached to its trainer — is the kind of dignity-destroying ending that feels obvious in hindsight but the franchise had somehow never actually done before.
なつき進化というトレーナーに良く懐いているということの象徴であるポケモンとの信頼を失うというありそうで今まで無かったポケモン界きっての尊厳破壊な末路。
- @カイリュー無双👍 66
Looking back at Spinel's ending, it's genuinely clever that his main Pokémon is an Umbreon. The other two executives carry Pokémon that can Mega Evolve — and Mega Evolution requires a bond, so using it confirms one exists. Umbreon's evolution involves a bond too, but it can't Mega Evolve, so while the bond clearly used to be there, there's now no clear way to prove it still is.
スピネルの最後見るとメインポケモンがブラッキーなのがかなり秀逸 幹部3人の手持ちにメガシンカできるポケモンが揃っている=メガシンカには絆が必須なので使用する地点で認識する一方、ブラッキーは進化条件に絆が関係するもののメガシンカ出来ないので当時は十分な絆があっただろうけど現在ははっきりと証明する手段がない
- @リザイア健康法-Fenrir_hygiene👍 74
A side character's Dachsbun was abandoned after its trainer used the item just a little — so the fact that it took THIS much abuse before Umbreon finally gave up on Spinel means their bond was no ordinary bond. Which is exactly what makes it so brutal.
バウッツェルのトレーナーが少し使っただけで見放されてたのに対して、あれだけ使いまくってようやくスッピーを見放したブラッキーの絆は並大抵のもんじゃなかったってことよな それ故に悲惨
- @minamago9247👍 22
The second they laid out what Laquium does, and given that Spinel's partner was a Friendship-evolved Umbreon, I kind of saw it coming… and yep, here we are. And the staff even circled back to give that random trainer whose bond Laquium broke a proper follow-up. Love how competent this writing is.
ラクリュウムの性質がお出しされた時点でスッピーの手持ちがなつき進化のブラッキーで何となく察してたけどやっぱりこうなったかぁ… ラクリュウムで絆壊れた演出してたモブとれもしっかり後日談突っ込んできた制作陣の有能さがいいなぁー
- @猫置き場-i4f👍 79
They pay off the carefully planted foreshadowing — that overusing the Strong Sphere destroys bonds — and cap it with total dignity annihilation. Even a kid can take one look and instantly get that Spinel got exactly what he had coming. A great way to land that payoff.
SSの過剰使用が絆を壊すという丁寧な伏線を回収する際に徹底的な尊厳破壊で〆る、 子供でもパッと見てスピネルの因果応報が理解できるいい回収の仕方だった。
- @フォード-i1w👍 43
Somewhere deep down he probably had this arrogance — or maybe pride — that Umbreon would follow him no matter what he did. He'd talk down bonds with his mouth, but he clung to Laquium to the very end, forcing it to fight while only ever barking "Attack!" The battle made the gap in class — as trainers AND as people — between him and Liko, who gave precise commands, painfully obvious.
心のどっかでブラッキーは自分が何しようとも付いてきてくれるみたいな驕りとも自負ともいえる感情あったんかな。口では絆なんかと言ってたけど 最後までラクリウムに縋って無理やり戦わせて「アタック」しか指示しなくなったスピネルと的確に指示を出すリコとはトレーナーとしても人としての格の差が際立ったバトルだった
- @あや-c1o4l👍 106
When the ball was pointed at Umbreon, its ears and tail dropped like a wary cat — I only caught it on a rewatch. Being cast aside by an Umbreon that had been with him since childhood AND evolved through friendship is the ultimate punishment in a world where bonds with Pokémon are THE thing.
ボールを向けられた時のブラッキーがまるで警戒する猫みたいに耳と尻尾下がってたのに見返した後気づいた。 子供の頃から一緒かつなつき進化のブラッキーから見捨てられるのポケモンとの絆がピックアップあれるあの世界では最大の罰だよなぁ。
- @idorz851👍 8
The last thing he lost was his bond with Umbreon — but the last thing left to him was also his bond with Umbreon, huh……
最後に失ったのがブラッキーとの絆だったけど、最後に残ったのもブラッキーとの絆だったなあ……
- @nicejio👍 131
That final Umbreon shot strikes a perfect balance — you can read it as "it drops by to check on him now and then" OR as "it took one last look and then returned to the wild."
最後のブラッキーはちょくちょく様子を見に来てるとも最後に一目見て野生に帰ったとも取れるいい塩梅だと思う。
- @龍忌👍 193
I figured Umbreon showing up wasn't so much "it hasn't given up on him" as more of a "let's see if this guy's actually reflecting on what he did" kind of visit.
ブラッキーが見に来たのは見限ってないと言うよりちゃんと反省してんのかなあいつみたいな感じで見に来たんかなと思った
- @iwanuts👍 9
It also felt like Umbreon smacked the ball away in a burst of pure rage, and then came to check on him once it had cooled off.
ボール叩いたのは怒りが爆発してやって、ほとぼりが冷めた頃に様子見に来た感もあった
- @戸棚の奥のダイフク👍 0
My read: Laquium temporarily wrecks Umbreon's memory → it tilts its head at Spinel because it literally forgot who he was, "who's this guy?" → later it remembers, follows his scent to the cell to check on him → decides "eh, I can leave him be now," fully gives up on him, and goes back to the wild.
ブラッキーはラクリウムの影響で一時的に記憶障害になる→スピネル見て首を傾げたのも「誰こいつ？」ってスピネルのことを忘れていた。 後に記憶を思い出して彼の匂いを頼りに独房へと様子を見に来る→もうこいつほっといてもいいか、と完全にスピネルを見捨て野生に帰る
- @KANGAENAI-ashi6678👍 24
The fact it still drops by the prison gives it that same distance as that one Floette — I can totally picture Umbreon casually waiting at the exit with a brand-new Poké Ball on his release day.
ムショまで様子は見に来るあたりそれこそフラエッテ姐さんみたいな距離感だよね 出所日にしれっと新品のモンボ持って出口で待ってそう
- @ヲワタろう👍 69
I was all "haha Spinel got REKT, give him more lol" — and then I see Umbreon, this absolute queen, going all the way to the prison to check on him, and I'm like… man, what a small person I am.
スピネルざまぁwwwwもっとやれと思ってたのに、刑務所にまで見に行くブラッキーの姐さんを見て、俺はなんて小さい人間だったんだってなったよね
- @とっとこハス太郎-t7n👍 96
Liko was being a total saint, I never thought Pokémon anime could pull off something this heavy. My family was writhing and losing it over Umbreon and Amethio.
リコがめっちゃ聖女してた、アニポケでここまでの出きるとは思わなかったな 身内がブラッキーとアメジオで悶絶しながら発狂してた
- @フォード-i1w👍 43
Ash's villains across that whole mega-long run — Team Rocket and co. — were lovable bad guys, but once you drop that consideration, turns out they can write a villain THIS vile, and an ending this pathetic and mentally brutal…
超長編ものだったサトシの敵役（ムサコジら）は愛嬌ある悪者だったけどそういう配慮もいらないとなったらあそこまで極悪な悪役に、そして哀れで精神的にキツい末路描けるんだなって…
- @みのかさご-k3k👍 0
They changed the tone so drastically from the old anime (the Ash era, and even early Liko & Roy) that honestly I was anxious the whole time about how it'd land — but a clean, satisfying ending for both the heroes AND the villain. I'm so relieved, it was great… Also, the way they let loose on Liko's animation was insane.
色々な意味で昔のアニメ（サトシがいた頃&リコロイ編初期）とガラっと作風変えてきたから内心どうなるかずっと心配だったけど、主人公側も悪役側も納得のいくすっきりしたEDでほんとに安心したし良かった... それにしてもリコの作画解放振りが凄まじかった
- @Yotan-0628👍 43
Made me want to see the Mega Evolution crew in action again. That aside, the Spinel-and-Umbreon story really got me. And like the thumbnail showed — Liko's face at the end is too well-animated, come on!! SO cute!
メガ組の活躍また見たいと思った それはそうとスピ×ブラの物語が刺さった あとサムネにもあったがリコの最後の顔の作画最高過ぎんだろ！ めっさかわえぇ！
- @user-Monster-D👍 40
The good parts: Mega Rayquaza and Mega Zygarde finally make their grand entrance and show off their signature moves; then all 18 Terastals fire off, Tera Terapagos manifests, and the Laquium core gets purified.
・メガレックウザとメガジガルデがようやく満を持して登場、各々専用技をお披露目 ・改めて18テラスタル発動からのテラステラパゴス顕現、ラクリウムコア浄化
- @ABC-i2c👍 12
The second I saw this scene, the tears just came 😭
4:38 このシーンを見た瞬間涙が出てきた😭
- @平崎明日翔👍 10
Not gonna lie, it got me misty-eyed.
普通に目頭が熱くなった
- @嵐ヶ丘ライダー👍 7
No question, a god-tier episode.
間違いなく神回
- @推しがいっぱいいる猫👍 29
There might've been all kinds of opinions out there, but for me, this was an absolute masterpiece‼️
色々な意見があったかもしれないが私にとっては最高な作品だった‼️
- @ダイナモたん👍 7
Spinel finally getting his judgment — I'm satisfied. When Ash retired I honestly worried whether this thing would be okay, but it reached a proper stopping point and I'm glad I stuck with it.
スピネルにようやく裁きがくだって俺は満足だよ サトシ引退して正直大丈夫なのか？って思ったけどちゃんと一区切りついて見てて良かったと思った
- @user-トゲネズミ👍 2
The old anime ended, a new one began… and I'm so glad I kept watching all the way through to here.
旧アニメが終わって新しく始まって…ここまでずっと見続けてきて良かった。
- @チョミ酢飯👍 2
Spinel's team though… he definitely had a Beheeyem and others, right? I get they wanted to focus on the bond, but the fact only Umbreon ever shows up… don't tell me he already burned through the Beheeyem etc. testing the Strong Sphere and lost their bonds too…? I'm overthinking this and it's killing me. Help.
スッピーの手持ちさ… オーベムとかも居たはずなのに…絆を書きたかったんだろうが、ブラッキーしか出てこないのは… もうオーベム達でストロングスフィアを試して絆を失ってるとかじゃないよな…？って深読みしてダメ。助けて
- @ジンアキラ👍 9
And it's a Dark-type Pokémon abandoning him, which makes it worse — no place left for him in the world of good OR evil, nowhere at all. This is what true loneliness really is, being left behind by absolutely everything………….
悪ポケモンに見捨てられるのがまた。もう善どころか悪にも、どこにも居場所が無いって感じで悲惨。 本当の孤独とはこういう何もかもに取り残されるのを言うんだろうねぇ…………。
- @シヨウ-f2m👍 10
Honestly, can't this just be the series finale?
もうこれ最終回で良くない？
- @ヴィトンつくりびと👍 47
So once Spinel gets out, does he get to rekindle things with the Umbreon that waited for him all along — or does he get his brain shattered watching it lovey-dovey with some other trainer, wearing a doting face it never once showed HIM……
これスピネル出所した後にずっと待っててくれたブラッキーとヨリを戻せるのか、はたまた他の男性トレーナーに自分には見せた事の無い顔でデレデレラブラブしてるブラッキーの姿を見て脳破壊されるのか……
- @Bisuto-n4f👍 1
That "because I love Pokémon" line — Ash would totally say it too 👍 Spinel did the things that got him abandoned by his own partner Umbreon; this one's on him, self-inflicted, full stop.
「ポケモンが好きだから」ってセリフ、サトシも言いそう👍スピネル、ブラッキー(相棒)に見捨てられる様な事をした自分が悪い、自業自得。
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