Talk:Flash Cannon (move)

Why isn't Flash Cannon a ball or bomb move?

Flash Cannon is not one of the moves that can be blocked by Bulletproof, which blocks moves that, in general, have the term "bomb", "ball", or "cannon" in their Japanese names (e.g. Octazooka (a.k.a. Octank/Octillery Cannon), Aura Sphere (a.k.a. Wave Bomb), Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, etc.). Usually, disparity between the English and Japanese names explains why moves are included or excluded from lists that their English names would logically indicate exclusion or inclusion from, respectively; the connection implied by the English name does not exist in the original Japanese (or the connection not implied by the English name does exist in the original Japanese), which is a more accurate description of how the move actually works. For instance, Sucker Punch is not considered a punching move and boosted by Iron Fist because it's only the English localization that calls it a punch; its Japanese name, Surprise Attack, indicates a more generalized ambush or sudden strike (similar to Feint Attack in that it works by catching the foe off-guard, except the goal of Sucker Punch is to ensure striking first rather than to ensure that the strike lands), and an unexpected attack can be delivered with any body part; it does not necessarily have anything to do with the fists. A Pokémon that primarily uses its fists to attack may indeed execute Sucker Punch as, well, an actual punch, but the move itself does not have to be a punch and can involve whatever body part its user prefers or finds most immediately convenient to strike with, so it is unaffected by Iron Fist. (I'd cite Hitmonchan as a Pokémon that prefers to attack by punching, but it, unlike its counterparts Hitmonlee and Hitmontop, cannot learn Sucker Punch - a decision which I suspect did not account for what Surprise Attack's English name ended up being (as the Japanese name was probably chosen long before Game Freak decided how to translate it into English), and so Hitmonchan's inability to learn Sucker Punch has nothing to do with preventing English-speakers from being confused as to why their Iron Fist Hitmonchan's Sucker Punch is weaker than its Fire Punch. As for Hitmonlee, it may specialize in kicks, but it may be driven to use its arms to attack if, say, the opponent is right above Hitmonlee's head and Hitmonlee has insufficient time to respond with a leg-based attack such as a flipkick. Plus, a Hitmonlee using its fists to attack actually would fit the move Sucker Punch quite well because it defies Hitmonlee's usual preference of attacks, and such an active defiance of a well-established-as-fact species-wide stereotype would surely surprise the opponent.)

However, this logic does not work with Flash Cannon; its Japanese name is "Luster Cannon", which fits the naming scheme of the moves that Bulletproof blocks. So why is it excluded from Bulletproof when stuff like Octazooka, Rock Wrecker (a.k.a. Rock Cannon), and Searing Shot (a.k.a. Flame Bomb) are considered ball/bomb moves? My best guess as to why Flash Cannon is not considered a ball or bomb move is that its description describes it as "the user gathers its light energy, then releases it all at once". This description says nothing about a controlled release of energy that takes the form of a condensed projectile, which could be neatly blocked by something like a bulletproof vest; indeed, the description of the energy being released all at once implies that the energy release is not controlled in such a fashion, but rather that it is haphazard and erratic. Also, the name "Luster Cannon" is similar to Luster Purge, Latios's signature move, which is not blocked by Bulletproof, while its counterpart — Mist Ball, the signature move of Latias — is among the moves which Bulletproof blocks. Luster Purge, Mist Ball, and Flash Cannon all involve the use of light energy to attack, so I'm guessing that the reasoning here is that Mist Ball is a highly-controlled release of energy which is neatly packaged into projectile form, which the incredibly tough armor of Chesnaught or Kommo-o (or their prior evolutions) could stop in its tracks without any harm to the Pokémon; Luster Purge, on the other hand, is less controlled and is more like a wave that washes over the target (which does admittedly beg the question of why it's ineligible for Mega Launcher, but Luster Purge has no mention of Hado/aura or waves in its name, so it wouldn't be boosted by Mega Launcher for the same reason that Surf isn't) or a sudden pulse that suddenly erupts into the target's position instead of traveling from the user to the target. Flash Cannon is probably not quite like Luster Purge, and is more like Psybeam in that it's a semi-coherent stream of energy that travels from the user to the target, but is not so condensed that built-in ballistic armor of the sort possessed by Chesnaught or Kommo-o can easily block it. However, this is all pure speculation on my part and I suspect that I'm wildly off the mark. I've also rambled on for far too long (which is a bad habit of mine), so I'll just jump to my main point of contention: could somebody who knows more about how Pokémon moves work clarify why Flash Cannon is not treated like an actual cannon and cannot be blocked by Bulletproof? --Luigifan 20:44, 24 July 2018 (UTC)

1. Yes, that was a LOT of text just to ask a simple question. 2. You need to sign your posts properly by using four tildes, just like it says whenever you edit a talk page. 3. I think you nailed the reasoning just fine; Flash/Luster Cannon is a "stream", while Bulletproof-blocked attacks are discrete energy packets or "objects". It's the difference between, say, a Hadouken (a ball) vs Shinku Hadouken (a stream). Starscream (talk) 20:50, 24 July 2018 (UTC)

This is not a problem Bulbapedia can solve...

Your complaint would be better addressed to GameFreak directly, or else aired on the forums instead where such speculation is more appropriate. Tiddlywinks (talk) 22:45, 24 July 2018 (UTC)