Snubbull enjoyed a lot of screen presence during the Johto Saga, which Jigglypuff didn’t, hinting towards a possible replacement.
Jigglypuff is a common Pokémon for Ash, and the others to encounter in the original series. Jigglypuff’s appearances decreased after the Indigo Liga. She wasn’t the only wild Pokemon to appear in anime.
Ash and co. finally made it to Johto. Snubbull, another Pokemon began following them wherever they went. Snubbull was, in fact, following Team Rocket. Ash was also following her. Snubbull, in any event, may have been meant for regular appearances throughout the Johto area the same way Jigglypuff frequently appeared throughout Kanto.
Is Snubbull a Jigglypuff for the Johto Region
Jigglypuff’s gimmick worked well. It would travel around the region searching for a stage to perform on, and an audience in which to sing. It would often perform right in front of Ash and his buddies, no matter what time it was. Its songs would always make everyone sleepy, so it would sometimes get angry and then draw on their faces to storm off. It may sound tedious, but this anime got a lot of mileage.
It was evident that Jigglypuff’s gimmick was losing importance. Although it made seven notable appearances throughout Indigo League’s Indigo League, there were only two major appearances in Orange League and four in Johto League. Only one more appearance was made in the Hoenn before it left the show. It took some time before the anime could completely exterminate the BalloonPokemon.
Snubbull was a snubbull. She looked just like she was meant to become the Jigglypuff for the Hoeen region. Snubbull Snobbery, Episode 124 was her first episode. She became obsessed with Meowth’s tail and started chewing on it daily. To have the opportunity to bite Meowth again, she spent the next 50 episodes following his scent.
Snubbull seemed to have no problem with Jigglypuff being phased out as the recurring Pokemon in the anime. Episode 149 was titled Tunnel Vision., the Fairy Pokemon, even stole the marker for the Balloon Pokemon. It was almost like the marker was a metaphor for Jigglypuff’s screen time.
Subbull didn’t stay relevant for long, though. Episode 175, “The Trouble with Snubbull,” was the episode in which the Fairy Pokemon became Granbull. This, along with Jigglypuff’s decreasing significance, could indicate that the era was over for recurring, pink Pokemon.
Snubbull: How could things have gone better?
Snubbull or Jigglypuff would have been more common, and it could have sparked a new trend of seeing a recurring Pokemon in every area. Skitty and Munna would be the Jigglypuff from their respective regions. This potential remains untapped despite where the anime chose to go.
Snubbull, at most, was Jigglypuff’s Johto counterpart. She might not have been able to replace Jigglypuff entirely, but she had a notable on-screen presence which made them similar. The Fairy Pokemon could have done just as well as the Balloon Pokemon, with a bit more attention.