>>48037629>>48037777>>48037921>>48038745A lot of the tension at the time that battle aired was based on wether Ash would finally win a league, and Greninja possibly being the next big thing.
All that tension has already long dissipated. Ash did finally win a league the following arc. Greninja losing at the most vital moment imaginable and then dissapearing didn't stop it from remaining one of the most popular pokemon ever. Alain and his Mega Charizard are an awkard relic of the past, the former already forgotten.
Literally the only ones that care are troll-wannabes, still latching to what's become water under the bridge.
I feel the result of the Greninja vs. Charizard battle at the time was a sign of the company favoring older fans over new ones: kids love Greninja, older fans are perceived to gravitate towards Charizard. Charizard won even tough it wasn't narratively satisfying because they tought it was what the older fans wanted (but they probably wanted Ash to win at last more).
Cincerace is their current shot at a new Greninja: a new shonen-anime-like best friend aimed at little kids. Leon's Gigantamax Charizard is the new Alain's Mega Charizard, and is a stand-in for adults. I suspect Cincerace is going to defeat Charizard like they now probably wish Greninja had defeated Charizard to show support to new fans.
Greninja meanwhile can keep appearing just like any other popular pokemon, like Lucario and Mewtwo. It's already been proven that it doesn't need to defeat Charizard to be popular.
