>>57976330>I'll never understand the appeal of this battle>Ash dominates him for the whole fight up until Dragonite just to have his whole team That's the point, that's why it was exciting. Up until that point, Dragonite was built through indirect references like the lighthouse shadow, the legendary sea Pokémon for Misty, or the legend of Safari zone, so expectations for him were high. Even before the fight, we get a glimpse of his power as he flies like a jet over the sea. Dragonite had all the makings of a final boss from a 90s arcade.
And the best part is that he delivered. Seeing how Ash's mastery was just an illusion, as well as seeing him sacrifice every single one of his Pokémon, even Charizard, a Pokémon that rarely showed its full power, all for one last lucky blow felt like a genuine achievement, exactly how many shonen series tend to build, like Goku vs. Pikolo fight or Luffy landing the final blow.
I'm not saying it's the fight of the century or that it's in the top ten anime, just that for the standards of the time and for the audience it was aimed at, it performed perfectly.
