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It's time to set the record straight.
Pokemon fans have completely missed the entire point of Hugh and his "obsession" with Purrloin. In a world where all pokemon, even shitmons, are treated as family members and have strong bonds and value to their trainers, how is Hugh going out of his way to save what he considers to be a family member ridiculous? We've seen Ash done the same for Pikachu all the time in the anime for over 20 years, and Pikachu is not even a rare pokemon at this rate. The story tells you straight up the reason why Hugh is adamant about saving that particular Purrloin, with him even rebutting the very criticism he constantly gets by fans in this very image.
>B-but why Purrloin? Why not a cooler pokemon like Riolu or something?
I personally believe that the message is stronger when it's a unremarkable pokemon like Purrloin. If it was a rare or even highly popular pokemon, then you would get the message that Hugh only cares about it for superficial reasons and wants it for his own gain. But going out of his way for a easily replaceable, low valued pokemon gives you the idea that he's not going after it for superficial reasons but rather that he truly cares for that particular pokemon regardless because it means something to him. I know it's a superficial way to look at it, but considering that pokemon fans are superficial enough to have little sympathy for a character because they don't care for the pokemon he's trying to save, this POV needs to be said.
Every time I see Hugh being discussed, I always see these braindead takes because fans don't have the brainpower to actually read and understand a character, his motivations and how it relates to the overall theme of the series. Now, I'm not saying that Hugh is masterfully written but god damn is he truly misunderstood.