Pokémon (TV series)
| Pokémon (TV series) | |
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| Genre | Action Adventure, Fantasy |
|---|---|
| Created by | Satoshi Tajiri |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama (chief) Masamitsu Hidaka |
| Studio | OLM, Inc. (Formerly known as Oriental Light and Magic) |
| Movies | |
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| Specials | |
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Pokémon (abbreviated from Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā) in Japan) is a Japanese anime series, which has since been adapted for the North American television market. It is somewhat based on the Pokémon video game series and a part of the Pokémon franchise.
In the United States, Pokémon is the fifth longest running animated TV show time wise, only beaten by The Simpsons, Arthur, King of the Hill, and South Park.[1] Pokémon, however, has more episodes than any of these shows and is the longest running and most successful television show based on a video game series.[2] However, one factor in this multiple episode record is due to the fact that the Japan television season has a longer duration than the American television season, and Pokemon has aired many episodes throughout their ten seasons as well.[3]
Originally a single series, Pokémon, it has since been spun off to three: Pokémon: Advanced Generation, and subsequently Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, continue the story of Pokémon, while Pokémon Chronicles or known in Japan, Pokémon Sunday (formerly Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku) is a series of stories revolving around some of the recurring characters.
Airing and production
The English adaptation of the series was produced by 4Kids Entertainment and video distribution of the series was handled by Viz Media for the TV series for the younger generation as well as the eighth movie forward, Warner Bros. and Nintendo for the first three movies and the first special, Miramax Films, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment for the fourth movie through the seventh. The series and all feature films are directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, with English adaptations originally written by Norman J. Grossfeld and Michael Haigney for the first eight seasons. However, starting with the ninth season, the American branch of The Pokémon Company, Pokémon USA, and TAJ Productions, who worked with 4Kids on the show before taking leave after Season 5, replaced 4Kids as the show's non-Japanese producers and distributors. Most of the original voice cast was also replaced, causing controversy among fans who admired the original voice actors. TAJ was replaced by DuArt Film and Video for the tenth movie and Season 11 of the anime series.
The show (as of September 28, 2006 in Japan and June 4, 2007 in the United States) started its first season of Diamond and Pearl. An English version of Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku has now been made, titled Pokémon Chronicles which premiered in the UK on Toonami on May 11, 2005 at 4:30 p.m. ET, and is currently airing the 10th season on YTV in Canada. Each season also brings forth a Pokémon feature-length film, and each film up until the seventh is preceded by a Pokémon animated short. Pokémon CD's have been released in conjunction with the anime. The tracks feature songs that have been shown in the English dubbed version of the anime. However, some CDs have been released to promote and profit the anime.
In Japan, both series are shown on TV Tokyo, with Diamond and Pearl airing on Thursday nights (previously Monday) and Pokémon Sunday on Sunday mornings. In the United States, Advanced Generation could previously be seen on the air on the Kids’ WB! cartoon block on Saturdays, but in April 2006, Kids WB!, which continues on the CW Network, announced the fall schedule and Pokémon was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the WB-created series Legion of Super-Heroes. The rights for Battle Frontier were picked up by TimeWarner’s corporate sibling Cartoon Network instead,[4][5] and aired on CN starting September 9, 2006 at 9 a.m. US ET/PT, with a special prime-time episode having been aired the night before (September 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, following the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon special. The fourth season of the Advanced Generation series, titled Battle Frontier has been airing in the United Kingdom from February 5, 2007, the show also airs in Canada.
Cartoon Network’s India service, along with their Toonami UK service, also carries Pokémon episodes. As of October 9, 2006, Cartoon Network’s online service, Toonami Jetstream, featured Pokémon episodes starting at the Orange League episode “The Pokémon Water War”.
The newest series of Pokémon began airing in Japan on September 28, 2006 with a three-episode arc introducing the new series' main female character Dawn (known as Hikari in Japan), based on the playable female player in the games. The new series aired with a sneak preview on April 20, 2007 in the USA. The sneak preview aired on May 5 in Canada. A dubbed version of the 90-minute preview done in Japan, takes place in the Sinnoh region, based on the new Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games. The new series aired in prime time on Cartoon Network starting June 4 at 7:30 PM ET/PT as part of the Cartoon Network Summer 2007 programming promotion. Currently, it airs on Saturday mornings with newer episodes airing at 9:30 AM ET/PT. The summer run was confirmed in the Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea DVD released on April 2 of 2007. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl has also been airing on YTV in Canada since September 8, 2007.May will appear in the 76th episode for Wallace's contest. Max's status is still unknown. Dawn is taking their place, while a new rival for Ash, Paul, is also featured along with new villains such as Hunter J and Team Galactic.
The Pokémon series
The first series tells the story of Ash Ketchum (Known as Satoshi in the Japanese version, he is named after Pokémon's creator, Satoshi Tajiri) and his quest to become a Pokémon Master. However, unlike in the video games, he is given a Pikachu as his first Pokémon under unusual circumstances. Much of the series focuses on the friendship between Ash, Pikachu, and the various Pokémon and Trainers along the way.
The other two series continues to follow the adventures of Ash. However, starting with the Advanced Generation series, he is no longer a main character, but rather a co-star. He shares his starring role with a female protagonist, May. This character travels with Ash, Max, and Brock through the Hoenn region, and competes in Pokemon Contests, which are set up in a similar manner to Pokemon Gyms (many throughout the region, and ending with a large tournament), although immensely different.
Throughout the run of the show the subject matter changes. In the original series, the show is more comical and whimsical (light and airy). It uses “goofy” humor (or “cute” humor when it comes to Pikachu, who does wacky things in between important scenes). In the Advanced Generation series as Ash becomes more of a mature and leader-type character, the main course of the show becomes more serious, as it deals with love and death, and its previous comical nature (for the most part) changes into comic relief, attributed mostly to Team Rocket and Brock's love of girls, though the Diamond and Pearl series seems to have returned to using the original comical nature (mostly Ash being the straight man to his Pokémon's antics and Dawn taking the role of the naive beginner).
Series names
Like many anime metaseries, Pokémon, Pokémon: Advanced Generation and Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl episodes are split up into smaller series for the English release, usually to denote the areas and adventures going on. Because of this, series are identified by the opening animation used for the episode, rather than a run of a fixed number of episodes.
| Season | Description | # of Eps. |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Covers the entire Kanto saga. Ash collects the eight regional gym badges and competes in the Pokémon League, finishing in the top sixteen. | 83 |
| Pokémon: The Orange Island League | Covers the Orange Archipelago saga. Tracey replaces Brock as a main character. Ash collects the four regional gym badges and competes in the Orange League, which he wins. | 35 |
| Pokémon: The Johto Journeys | Covers from New Bark Town to Goldenrod City. Ash, Misty, and Brock travel to Johto to deliver the GS Ball to Kurt. Ash decides to compete in the Silver Conference and collects the first two regional gym badges. | 41 |
| Pokémon: Johto League Champions | Covers from Goldenrod City to Cianwood City. Ash collects the next three gym badges needed to compete in the Silver Conference. | 52 |
| Pokémon: Master Quest | Covers from Cianwood City to Pallet Town. Ash collects the final three gym badges and competes in the Silver Conference, finishing in the top eight. Misty and Brock leave, and Ash heads to Hoenn with only Pikachu. | 65 |
| Season | Description | # of Eps. |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Advanced | Covers from Littleroot Town to Mauville City. Ash is joined by May, a new trainer who wishes to compete in Pokémon Contests in order to enter the Grand Festival. They are also joined by May's brother Max, and Brock. Ash collects the first three gym badges needed for the Hoenn League. | 40 |
| Pokémon: Advanced Challenge | Covers from Mauville City to Lilycove City. Ash collects the next three gym badges needed to compete in the Hoenn League. May wins three contests. | 52 |
| Pokémon: Advanced Battle | Covers from Lilycove City to Saffron City. Ash collects the final two gym badges and competes in the Hoenn League, finishing in the top eight. May wins her final two contests and competes in the Grand Festival, finishing in the top eight. Ash decides to challenge the Battle Frontier, located in Kanto, while May decides to compete in the Kanto Pokémon Contests. Ash collects one Frontier Symbol and May wins one Kanto contest. | 53 |
| Pokémon: Battle Frontier | Covers from Saffron City to Pallet Town. Ash collects the final six Frontier Symbols and defeats the Battle Frontier. May wins her final four contests and competes in the Kanto Grand Festival, finishing in the top four. Ash goes to Sinnoh with just Pikachu and Aipom, while May goes to Johto. Max returns to Petalburg City and Brock returns to Pewter City. | 49 |
| Season | Description | # of Eps. |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Diamond And Pearl | Covers from Twinleaf Town to Hearthome City. Ash is joined by Dawn, a new trainer who wants to compete in Pokémon Super-Contests and enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Brock also returns to the group. Ash wins the first two badges needed to compete in the Sinnoh League. Dawn wins one ribbon. | 51 |
| Pokemon: Diamond And Pearl Battle Dimension | Covers from Hearthome City onwards. Ash, Dawn, and Brock continue on their journeys. Ash earns the next badge to compete in the Sinnoh League, and Jessie earns 1 ribbon. Ash captures Chimchar and Gligar, and trades his Aipom for Dawn's Buizel, and Aipom evolves into Ampipom later in the series. | 23+ |
Pokémon Chronicles
Pokémon Chronicles, known in Japan as Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku (週間ポケモン放送局 “Weekly Pokémon broadcast”), is a closely related spinoff series that airs concurrently with the beginning part of Pokémon: Advanced Generation. The main episodes are stories that star various recurring characters that appeared in Pokémon, some of which account for discontinuities of the plot of Pokémon: Advanced Generation. However, instead of new episodes each week, as is the case with Pokémon: Advanced Generation, other things may air during Pokémon Chronicles, such as reruns of Pokémon episodes, television airings of the Pokémon movies, cast interviews, and live action footage.
Pokémon Sunday
Pokémon Sunday (Japanese: ポケモン☆サンデー) debuted on TV Tokyo on October 3, 2004. The show is the successor to the Pocket Monsters Encore and the Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station. Like the shows before it, Pokémon Sunday is a sort of variety show featuring reruns of old episodes as well as a number of 'Research' episodes involving live-action elements.
Pokémon films
During each season of the main series, a Pokémon feature film (劇場版ポケットモンスター, Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā, Pocket Monsters the Movie), starring the main characters from the TV series has been released. As of 2007, there have been ten movies and one feature length TV broadcast (released outside Japan as a direct-to-video movie titled “Mewtwo Returns”), the eleventh is scheduled to be released in July, 2008 in Japan. The plot of every movie has involved an encounter with a Legendary Pokémon, although some may not conform to a strict definition of the word. The movies are also used to promote brand new Pokémon that are supposed to be in new versions of the game.
The Pokémon movies are also coupled with a short movie starring Ash and Co. pokémon. Each movie until the seventh is preceded by the animated shorts. The shorts are: Pikachu’s Summer Vacation, Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure, Pikachu and Pichu, Pikachu’s Pikaboo, Camp Pikachu, and Gotta Dance.
Pokémon specials
Once in a while there would be other animated material that does not fit in with the main series or the movies.
Characters
English names are given before the Japanese names in Western order (given name before surname), when possible. All Japanese names, unless otherwise noted, are romanized from katakana. For the sake of simplicity, English language names will be used in this and other articles in Wikipedia about Pokémon, unless explicitly referring to the Japanese version.
Current Main characters
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Ash Ketchum (Satoshi) | He is the main character in the first series, but with the introduction of Pokemon Contests and the female co-star in Advanced Generation, he becomes one of two co-stars. Ash dreams of being the greatest Pokémon Master in the world. |
| Pikachu | Ash’s very first Pokémon and best friend. It has always stuck by Ash through thick and thin. |
| Dawn (Hikari) | New heroine and co-star of the series when Ash comes to Sinnoh, she dreams of being a great coordinator like her mother. Has a habit of saying "no need to worry" ("daijōbu" in the Japanese version) constantly, which has the reverse effect on her mother. She is based on the playable character in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. |
| Brock (Takeshi) | Former Pewter Gym leader, he dreams of being the world’s best Pokémon breeder, and is Ash's longest lasting traveling partner, having only been absent from Season 2. He also falls in love with most women he sees, and in the Diamond and Pearl generation, his Croagunk would occasionally snap him out of it using Poison Jab and drag him away. |
Former Main characters
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Misty (Kasumi) | Ash’s first traveling friend, who journeyed with him throughout the first five seasons. Misty loves water Pokémon and is currently the Cerulean City gym leader. She was the first female protagonist on the show. Her dream is to be the world's greatest "Water Pokémon Master." On the first episode, Ash borrowed Misty's bicycle, which got damaged by one of Pikachu's powerful attacks involving a thunder bolt during a storm, and Misty followed Ash until her bicycle was repaired by Nurse Joy. |
| Tracey Sketchit (Kenji) | One of Ash’s traveling friends through the Orange Islands, Tracey is a Pokémon watcher, and is currently Professor Oak’s assistant. |
| May (Haruka) | A traveling friend of Ash and sister of Max. May started her journey hoping to participate in gym battles with Ash but soon found she liked Pokémon Contests better. She left after Battle Frontier to compete in contests in Johto with her three rivals: Drew, Soladad, and Harley. |
| Max (Masato) | May’s little brother, Max is an intelligent little boy, and is now back with his parents in Petalburg City, where he will begin his own journey. |
Villains
Team Rocket
Team Rocket (Roketto-Dan) is an evil organization led by Giovanni. They have operations in Kanto and Johto. However, they have not set up permanent operations in Hoenn and Sinnoh, meaning Jessie, James and Meowth are the only operatives there.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Giovanni (Sakaki) | The evil mastermind behind Team Rocket, is never without his Persian by his side, though it never seems to fight.. Was also the 8th Gym Leader of Kanto, as the Gym Leader of the Viridian City Gym. |
| Jessie and James (Musashi and Kojiro) | A duo of Team Rocket, they try to capture Pikachu but always lose. They and Meowth have appeared in every episode except the first one. Team Rocket also starts saying a new motto in the Diamond & Pearl series of the anime; the English translation changed along with the Japanese version. Their characters have changed significantly since the beginning of the series, as they are more of a comic relief now instead of the prominent villains they were in the beginning of the series. |
| Meowth (Nyarth) | The main Pokémon of Jessie and James. He has the ability to talk and walk like humans and thinks for himself, rather than following orders like other Pokémon. He used to be Giovanni's favorite, but his constant failure caused him to be replaced by the Persian. |
| Cassidy and Butch (Yamato and Kosaburō) | Jessie & James’ rivals in Team Rocket, Cassidy and Butch are much more cunning when it comes to stealing Pokémon. |
| Professor Namba | One of Team Rocket’s scientists, Cassidy and Butch usually do work for, and report to, him. A running gag with Namba is that his name, like Butch’s, is often misremembered or mispronounced, and he shows up on screen to make the correction angrily, even when not present at the story location. |
Team Magma
Team Magma (Magma-Dan) is an evil organization reoccurring within the Pokémon: Advance generation series, led by the evil Maxie. Seemingly the goal of Team Magma is to release the beast of the earth, Groudon onto the world, creating new lands and eliminating water as it did millions of years ago. The Pokémon they used were fire-type, usually Houndoom and Mightyena, even some Golbat. The goals and ambitions are the same as their counteracting rivals Team Aqua, however the two teams despise each other. The two teams have been reported to be no more.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Maxie (Matsuba) | Maxie was the head of Team Magma |
| Tabitha (Homura) | Maxie’s second-in-command. Like many members of Team Magma, she has a Mightyena at her side. Was known as Harlan in her first English appearance due to a dub error. |
| Brody (Bannai) | Brody is another member. He is a master of disguise (along with his personal Ditto) and is known as “a man with a thousand faces”. When Team Magma disbanded, Brody began to operate independently as “The Phantom Thief”. |
Team Aqua
Team Aqua (Aqua-Dan) is an evil organization reoccurring within the Pokémon: Advance generation series, led by the evil Archie. Seemingly the goal of Team Aqua is to release the beast of the sea, Kyogre onto the world, flooding it with ocean as it did millions of years ago. The Pokémon they used were water-type, usually Crawdaunt and Walrein. The goals and ambitions are the same as their counteracting rivals Team Magma, however the two teams despise each other. The two teams have been reported to be no more.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Archie (Aogiri) | Archie was the head of Team Aqua. |
| Shelly (Izumi) | Archie’s second-in-command. She had a Carvanha by her side at one time. Was known as Isabel in her first English appearance, due to a dub error. |
Team Galactic
Team Galactic (Ginga-Dan) is an evil organization reoccurring within the Diamond & Pearl series, their true plot within the series is currently unknown at this time.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Saturn | A male Commander for Team Galactic, he made a cameo appearance in the episode "A Secret Sphere of Influence", along with two Galactic grunts. He, along with the two grunts commented that Jessie and James did a lousy job at stealing the Adamant Orb for them. |
Other
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Hunter J | An evil Pokemon hunter who captures and sells Pokemon for money. She uses a Drapion, an Ariados, and a Salamence. |
Recurring characters
 |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Professor Samuel Oak (Yukinari Okido-hakase) | A Pokémon researcher. He is often considered the leading Pokémon expert, often giving lectures to Pokémon academies and hosting a radio show in Goldenrod City. It is also stated that he reads Pokémon poetry on his TV show. Alongside his research, he is also authorized by the Pokémon League to give new trainers one of the three Kanto starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. It was a special condition in which Ash obtained Pikachu from Professor Oak. He also was Celebi's rescuer, and became a friend of Ash, in Pokémon: 4 Ever, after being pulled to the future with Celebi (he was a kid at the time, and Ash never found out that it was Oak). |
| Professor Felina Ivy (Dr. Uchikido) | A Pokémon researcher. Professor Ivy is first heard of in the second season of the Pokémon anime. Just after Ash Ketchum has competed in the Pokémon League, Professor Oak asks him to travel to the Orange Archipelago region and retrieve a strange Pokéball from local Pokémon expert Professor Ivy. Ash and his friends Misty and Brock make their way to Valencia Island and meet the Professor and her triplet assistants. |
| Professor Elm (Utsugi-hakase) | A Pokémon researcher and was one of Professor Oak’s students. He is authorized by the Pokémon League to give new trainers one of the three Johto starter Pokémon: Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile. Professor Elm often gets so caught up in his work he forgets to do many things. He also tends to run his mouth off when talking about his work. |
| Professor Birch (Odamaki-hakase) | A Pokémon researcher, known for his field work. He is authorized by the Pokémon League to give new trainers one of the three Hoenn starter Pokémon: Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip. |
| Professor Rowan (Nanakamado-hakase) | A Pokémon researcher. He worked along with Prof. Oak teaching Prof. Elm, and often has to remind Oak to stop making poetry. He is authorized by the Pokémon League to give new trainers one of the three Sinnoh starter Pokémon: Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup. |
| Paul (Shinji) | Ash's new rival in Diamond & Pearl. He is a considerably strong trainer who has traveled through Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn and is quite arrogant and unfriendly. He respects only trainers he considers stronger than himself and has little tolerance for capturing and raising Pokemon he deems weak. |
| Officer Jenny (Junsā): | A family of police officers (all of whom are named Jenny) Like the various Nurse Joys, it is difficult to tell one Officer Jenny from another. Also like the Joys, Brock has no difficulty telling them apart. By freeze-framing scenes in the anime with the various Officer Jennys, one will notice that each Jenny in a different town/city has a different gold badge on her hat. Exceptions to this occur in areas with very warm or cold climates, such as the Orange Islands. The Japanese name, junsā, means “police officer”. Most Officer Jenny's own a Growlithe. Thought they've been seen with other Pokemon such as Wobbufett. |
| Nurse Joy (Jōi) | A family of Pokémon nurses (all of which are named Joy, like Jenny.) Because of their identical appearance, it is often difficult to tell one Nurse Joy from another, (with the exception of one tanned, muscular Joy in the Orange Islands) except those that live in areas that require unique outfits, such as very warm or cold climates. Brock, however, has no difficulty telling them apart. This is most likely a homage to the games which used the same nurse sprite for each Pokémon Center the player visited. In Pokémon Red and Blue, the nurse sprite is a generic long-haired woman, but later games after that feature a sprite that looks very similar to Nurse Joy. There is one Joy who is not only a nurse, but also an agent of the Pokémon Inspection Agency (responsible for certifying Gyms); she appears in an episode of Pokémon Chronicles and in Episode 042: Showdown! Pokémon Gym!. Also there is a Joy who is a doctor who wears glasses. They also act as Judges at Pokémon Contests and at the Grand Festival. The Japanese name, jōi, is from joi which means “female doctor”. Nurse Joy are usually the owners of Chansey and Blissey. |
| Gary Oak (Shigeru) | Longtime rival with the series main hero, Ash Ketchum. Stubborn, brash, and certainly anything but humble, Gary’s goal and ambition was to be number one at whatever he set his goal on. However, due to his brash and arrogant attitude, Gary Oak would often be met with failure in such big tournaments such as the Indigo Pokémon League, and The Johto Silver Conference. After losing to said rival Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak decided to pursue an active career in the footsteps of his grandfather, a Pokémon Professor. In Pokemon Chronicles, Gary revived an Aerodactyl. Later, in the last episode of Pokemon Battle Frontier, he challenged Ash to a battle with his new Pokemon. |
| Drew (Shuu (シュウ, Shū)) | One of May's rivals. He initially belittles May, though compliments her Pokemon, and comes across as arrogant and confidant. Drew is a skilled coordinator, notably possessing a Roselia and a Masquerain as his contest Pokemon. He eventually comes to respect May as a worthy rival and eventually invites to her join him and travel to the contests in the Johto region. |
| Harley | Another of May's rivals, who dresses to resemble a Cacturne. Unlike Drew, Harley is quick to take offence and is exceedingly arrogant (a flaw that ends up causing him to slip up when he is ahead thus the cause of his undoing); he is also seen as somewhat creepy by a combination of his stuck up attitude and weird manerisms. However, instead of openly voicing his offence, he resorts to cruel trickery and underhanded tactics in order to sabotage May as revenge for what he sees as insults on her part under a guise of friendliness and kindness. While May usually falls for his plots because of her forgiving nature each time he tells her he has reformed, her luck and determination to beat him allow her to pull through.Harley is also very qiuck to hold a grudge as his rivalry with may was apparentally caused by may sarcastically complementing his cookies. |
| Delia Ketchum (Hanako) | Mother to said hero of said series. Delia Ketchum seems to more often than not play an active role in teaming with Professor Oak to make sure things are ok. Delia is a kind gentle woman, however she often scolds Ash for his reckless behavior when he often puts himself in dangerous situations. Delia herself has a Pokémon/house keeper in the form of Mr. Mime. One of the running gags of the series (in the early episodes of the English dub only) involves Delia reminding Ash to change his undergarments every time they speak. |
| Johanna (Ayako) | Dawn’s mother, who was once a top coordinator but then decided to start a family. She is also based on the protagonist's mother in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, who actually appears in the game's Pokémon Contests opposing the player's Pokémon. She owns a Glameow. |
| Zoey (Nozomi) | One of Dawn's rivals. She is a skilled coordinator and is friendly towards Dawn and her friends. She shows dislike to people who take part in both Contests and Gym Battles and has shown her annoyance to both Ash and Nando. One of her Pokemon is a Glameow. |
| Kenny (Kengo) | Another of Dawn's rivals. He is an old childhood friend who left home on his journey soon before Dawn. Like Dawn, he chose Piplup as his starter, and has evolved it into Prinplup. |
| Nando (Naoshi) | One of Dawn's rivals. Nando chooses to take part in both Contests and Gym Battles. He is a bard and is usually found carrying a harp with a Mew on. |
| Richie (Hiroshi) | After meeting in the Indigo Pokémon League tournament Ash and Richie soon became friends. With similarities glaringly obvious to Ash in appearance, Richie’s humble attitude and responsible demeanor set him aside from Ash. After a close, but heated match between the two at Indigo Stadium, Ash and Richie vowed to both become Pokémon Masters. The two cross paths again, and a couple of shows even focus on Richie himself as he too journeys to keep his promise to Ash of becoming a Pokémon Master. |
| Todd/Snap (Tōru) | Todd is a young photographer who once tried to take a picture of Pikachu, but failed due to the others mistaking his camera's extension for a gun. He then joins the group for three episodes, and rejoins them for the Articuno miniseries for Johto League Champions. He is most likely based on the character from the game Pokémon Snap, whose main character shares the same name. |
| Jigglypuff (Purin) | A pink balloon-like Pokemon who loves to sing its lullaby. Ash and friends meet this Pokemon on the 1st season episode "The Song of Jigglypuff". They helped Jigglypuff bring back its confidence and ability to sing, but when that happened, whenever this Pokemon sang its lullaby everyone would fall asleep, which makes this Pokemon very mad. Jigglypuff took the microphone pen in Ash's bag, and used it on Pokemon and people who fell asleep while she's singing, as she drew funny scribbles on their faces. This Pokemon decided to have its own journey to find someone who will not fall asleep from her lullaby. This Pokemon had appeared in some episodes from Season 2-9, but hasn't yet been seen in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. The only Pokemon who doesn't fall asleep from her song is Whismur and its evolutions, because of its Soundproof ability. Jigglypuff's movie appearances were quite short, it's seen on Pikachu's Vacation with Chansey riding in a balloon. In the 4th and 5th Pokemon movie openings, which were narrated by Brock, she's singing alongside a Porygon and Voltorb (It was her because she's the only Jigglypuff carrying Ash's microphone pen) She has not been seen since the episode "A PokeBlock Party" in Advanced. |
Voice cast
| Character | Voice Actor (Korean & Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Ketchum/Jiwoo Han/Satoshi | Choi Deok hee Rica Matsumoto |
Veronica Taylor (Seasons 1-8) Sarah Natochenny (Present) |
| Misty/Easul/Kasumi | Ji Mi Ae Mayumi Iizuka |
Rachael Lillis (Seasons 1-8) Michele Knotz (Present) |
| Brock/Woong/Takeshi | Goo Ja Hyeong Yūji Ueda |
Eric Stuart (Episode 5 - Season 8) Bill Rogers (Present) |
| Tracey Sketchit/Gwancheol | Tomokazu Seki | Ted Lewis (Episode 84 - Season 8) Craig Blair (Present) |
| May/Haruka | KAORI (Midori Kawana) | Veronica Taylor (Seasons 6-8) Michele Knotz (Seaon 9 only) |
| Max/Masato | Fushigi Yamada | Amy Birnbaum (Seasons 6-8) Kayzie Rogers (a/k/a Jamie Peacock; Season 9 only) |
| Dawn/Hikari | Megumi Toyoguchi | Emily Bauer (a/k/a Emily Jenness) |
| Pikachu | Ikue Ōtani | Ikue Ōtani Rachael Lillis (Episodes 1, 9, 14, and 52) |
| Togepi | Satomi Kōrogi | Satomi Kōrogi |
| Yukinari Ōkido/Professor Oak | Unshō Ishizuka | Stuart Zagnit (a/k/a Stan Hart; Seasons 1-8) Jimmy Zoppi (a/k/a Billy Beach; Present) |
| Hanako/Delia Ketchum | Masami Toyoshima | Veronica Taylor (Seasons 1-8) Michele Knotz (Present) |
| Joi/Nurse Joy | Ayako Shiraishi Yuriko Yamaguchi Kikuko Inoue |
Megan Hollingshead (Seasons 1-6) Bella Hudson (Seasons 7-8) Michele Knotz (Present) |
| Ayako/Johanna | Makoto Tsumura | Kimberly Brooks (a/k/a Hilary Thomas) |
| Junsa/Officer Jenny | Chinami Nishimura | Megan Hollingshead (Seasons 1-6) Jamie Davyous Owens (Seasons 7-8)[6] Diane Stillwell and Kayzie Rogers (The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon) Maya Rosewood (AG155) Elisabeth Morinelli (a/k/a Emily Williams) (AG189+) [7] |
| Shigeru/Gary Oak | Yuko Kobayashi | Jimmy Zoppi |
| Shinij/Paul | Kiyotaka Furushima | Julián Rebolledo |
| Nozomi/Zoey | Risa Hayamizu | Elisabeth Morinelli |
| Musashi/Jessie | Megumi Hayashibara Akiko Hiramatsu (平松 晶子) (AG 85-92) |
Rachael Lillis (Episode 2 - Season 8) Michele Knotz (Present) |
| Kojirō/James | Shinichirō Miki | Ted Lewis (Episodes 2 - 12) Eric Stuart (Episode 13 - Season 8) Jimmy Zoppi (a/k/a Billy Beach; Present) |
| Nyaasu/Meowth | Inuko Inuyama | Nathan Price [8] (Episodes 2 - 31) Maddie Blaustein (Episode 32 - Season 8) Jimmy Zoppi (a/k/a Billy Beach; Present) |
| Narrator | Goo Ja Hyeong Unshō Ishizuka |
Rodger Parsons (a/k/a Ken Gates from Season 1 to AG20; Present) Mike Pollock (AG21 - Season 8) |
| Sōnansu/Wobbuffet | Yūji Ueda | Kayzie Rogers |
Censorship
Pokémon has had several anime episodes removed from the rotation in Japan, the Western World, or the entire world.
The most infamous of these episodes was "Dennō Senshi Porigon" (translates into "Electric Soldier Porygon"). The episode made headlines worldwide when it caused 685 children to experience seizures and seizure-like symptoms caused by a repetitive flash of light. Although the offending sequence was caused by Pikachu’s actions, the episode’s featured Pokémon, Porygon, has never been seen again in the anime except for one brief cameo appearance in the movie, Pokemon Heroes. The scene has been toned down with the strobe effects removed and has been translated for release on VHS and DVD[citation needed], but the episode has still not been re-aired.
DVD Release
Seasons one (Indigo League), two (The Adventures in Orange Islands), five (Pokémon: Master Quest) and six (Pokémon: Advanced) of the series, were released on DVD. The first and second seasons are in three volumes while the fifth and sixth season are in two volumes. Season One has been released on DVD. The second part of the first season was released on November 13, 2007 [9] with the third and final boxset was release only three months later.[10] A 10th Anniversary Pokémon boxed set with thirty episodes from the series was released featuring ten distinct Pokémon. Each Pokémon had three episodes focusing on it; [11] this boxset was an amalgamation of ten previously released Pokémon DVDs. Many episodes have also been released on single discs.
