Ash-Greninja (SM)

This guy can't get a win over Mega Charizard X.

Location: Transferred from the special Sun and Moon demo.

Stats, Evolutions
You can get it from the beginning of the game, and it's already fully evolved. Screw pathetic early fully evolved Pokémon like Butterfree or Beedrill, Greninja can mop the floor with those two. It gets better: you get it at level 36. Pokémon won't even reach level 10 at the point you get it. But see, it gets even better, if it defeats an opponent in battle, it transforms into Ash-Greninja, the closest you'll ever get to mega evolution before the postgame. It becomes faster and stronger (no Daft Punk reference intended), it will outstrength and outspeed ALMOST anything, even at the end of the game. The only problem is that Greninja is too overleveled to obey, but that's not a problem when it can one-shot the whole early-game. If they are hit by Greninja, they'll get so much damage they will never get up again, and the name "Greninja" will make them shudder wildly when they hear it. If they are hit by Ash-Greninja, they won't faint, they will DIE.

Movepool, Abilities, Typing
At level 42: Substitute. The user makes a substitute of themselves to sponge out damage for them. Not bad, considering that Greninja becomes more frail as the game goes on. Extrasensory at 49 gives Greninja Psychic-type coverage, and it's the only move you get before the post-game. (Greninja already has Double Team, which it can learn at level 56.). Then it gets Hydro Pump, Haze and Night Slash (a move it already has) at levels 68, 70 and 77. Greninja's moves are Water Shuriken, Aerial Ace, Double Team and Night Slash.

It gets TM moves, but when you're nuking half the game, why would you need them? Later on, it needs better moves though, so teach it moves like Scald or Dark Pulse at the very least. Like most other Kalos Pokémon, it has lots of coverage, and you can teach it Rock Slide, Grass Knot, Acrobatics...

Its ability is Battle Bond, it allows Greninja to transform into Ash-Greninja. The stats section already summed this ability up. It also makes Water Shuriken stronger at the cost of always hitting thrice.

It's a Water/Dark type, so it has five weaknesses, but enemies in the early game will struggle to scratch Greninja and it has one immunity and six resistances.

Important Battles
For the first half of the game, Greninja can absolutely slaughter most things that look at him in a slightly wrong way. That's why I only would have covered the battles in which the rest of your mons have finally, completely caught up with Greninja... Why "would have"? You ask? Greninja is OP even in the endgame. If he gets even ONE chance to morph into Ash-Greninja... There would be splatters of blood, but good thing this is an E-rated game.

Conclusion
Greninja is overkill, but you should only use it as a last resort, when you think you're gonna lose if you keep this up. Even if your early-game team is weak, you should win every last battle if Greninja is by your side. Late-game Greninja is not much worse. There are late game Pokémon that can overpower Greninja, of course, but Ash-Greninja is still absurdly strong and fast as lightning. The few faults it has are far outweighed by all of its virtues. If you say that this review doesn't explain how game-breaking it is that well, then I ask you, "what is there to say about Ash-Greninja that hasn't already been said?"

Rating: 96%