Pokémon (anime)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pokémon | |||
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| Genre | Shōnen, Action Adventure, Comedy | ||
| TV anime | |||
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama | ||
| Studio | Oriental Light and Magic, Shogakukan | ||
| Licensor | 4Kids Entertainment/TAJ Productions (1998-2003), 4Kids Entertainment (1998-2006), The Pokémon Company/TAJ Productions (2006-present) | ||
| Network |  TV Tokyo |
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| Original run | Original Series: April 1, 1997 – November 14, 2002 September 8, 1998 – October 25, 2003Advanced Generation: November 21, 2002 – September 14, 2006 November 1, 2003 – March 3, 2007Diamond & Pearl: September 28, 2006 – April 20, 2007 - |
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| No. of episodes | 276 (Original Series), 191 (Advanced Generation), 5 (banned), 499 (In All) | ||
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| Specials | |||
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The Pokémon anime metaseries, based on the video game series, was created in Japan and was then adapted for the North American television market. The series, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター Poketto Monsutā?), is a part of the Pokémon franchise.
The metaseries appeared outside Japan before the video games did, and has since spawned several movies. It is aimed at younger viewers but many other devoted fans of all ages enjoy the anime as well. Originally a single series, Pocket Monsters, it has since been spun off to three: Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation, and subsequently Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl, continue the story of Pocket Monsters, while Pokémon Sunday (formerly Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku) is a series of stories revolving around some of the recurring characters.
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[edit] Airing and production of the series
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, Kids WB! 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 Grossfeld and Michael Haigney for the last 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. The voice cast was also replaced, causing much controversy among the fans.
The show recently started its fourth season of Advanced Generation, titled Pokémon: Battle Frontier. 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 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.
In Japan, both series are shown on TV Tokyo, with Advanced Generation 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 continue on the newly-merged 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 have been picked up by TimeWarner’s corporate sibling Cartoon Network instead,[1][2] and have aired on CN since 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. Battle Frontier has been airing in the United Kingdom from February 5, 2007.
Recently the second and third Advance series, “Advanced Challenge” and “Advanced Battle” started airing as part of the Miguzi block on the US version of CN at 5:00 p.m. US ET/PT, and earlier editions of the series aired on CN’s American sibling service, Boomerang, from July 31, 2006 to October 20, 2006. 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, features 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) and is set to air sometime this summer. According to the official website and many others (including Cartoon Network), the new series will have a sneak preview on April 20 akin to the 90-minute preview done in Japan. It is currently unknown how many episodes they will show. The new series is taken place in the Sinnoh region, based on the new Diamond and Pearl games. The games are currently released in Japan and will be released in the USA on April 22. Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Team Rocket have all returned, Misty, will be returning soon in a later episode of the new series, as confirmed by her Japanese actress, while May and Max did not return as main characters, and might return as guest characters more later in the season. In their place is a new character, Dawn, based on the female playable character from the games. A new rival for Ash, Paul, is also featured.
In the United States it is the fifth longest running animated TV show time wise, only beaten by The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Arthur, and South Park. Pokémon has more episodes than any of these shows, with 467 episodes aired in the U.S. and over 490 episodes aired in Japan.
Pokémon CD's have been released in conjunction with the Pokémon anime. The tracks feature songs that have been shown in the English dubbed version of the anime. However, some CD's have been released to promote and profit the anime.
[edit] Series names
Like many anime metaseries, Pokémon and Pokémon: Advanced Generation 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. They are subdivided as follows:
- Pokémon - Covering the Kanto/Indigo, Orange Islands, and Johto adventures.
- Pokémon - the original English series, covering the Kanto/Indigo story and the Orange Islands story. (Note: The Orange Islands adventure actually has a different intro from the Kanto adventure)
- Pokémon: The Johto Journeys - covers the start of the Johto adventures, and ends as the protagonists reach Goldenrod City.
- Pokémon: Johto League Champions - continues the Johto adventures, and ends as the protagonists leave Cianwood City.
- Pokémon: Master Quest - concludes the Johto adventures.
- Pokémon: Advanced Generation - Covers the Hoenn and Battle Frontier adventures from where Pokémon leaves off.
- Pokémon: Advanced - Continuing from Master Quest, Advanced covers the Hoenn adventures until the protagonists leave Mauville City for the first time.
- Pokémon: Advanced Challenge - covers the next three Hoenn gyms and the next four contests.
- Pokémon: Advanced Battle - covers the final two gyms, the final two contests and Grand Festival, the Hoenn League, and the beginning of the Battle Frontier.
- Pokémon: Battle Frontier - covers the rest of the Battle Frontier, the Pokémon contests in Kanto, and the Kanto Grand Festival.
- Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl - covers the Sinnoh adventures from up where Advanced Generation leaves off.
[edit] The Pokémon series
The main series tells the story of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi) 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.
Throughout the run of the show the subject matter changes. In the early episodes, 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). As the show progresses and as Ash becomes more of a mature and leader-type character, the main course of the show becomes more or less serious, and its previous comical nature (for the most part) changes into comic relief, attributed mostly to Team Rocket.
English-language episode titles tend to be a play on common words or phrases in pop culture (e.g. “I Feel Skitty”, “Where’s Armaldo?”) rather than phrases or short sentences from other anime (e.g “Tetsusaiga, the Phantom Sword” from Inuyasha, “Byakugan vs. Shadow Clone Jutsu!” from Naruto) although early episode names were mostly translations of their Japanese counterparts.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Pokémon films
During each season of the main series, a Pokémon feature film, starring the main characters from the TV series has been released. As of 2006, there have been nine movies and one feature length TV broadcast (released outside Japan as a direct-to-video movie titled “Mewtwo Returns”), the tenth is scheduled to be released on July 15, 2007 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.
In North America, the first three films were distributed by Kids WB! (through Warner Bros. Family Entertainment) and Nintendo, the fourth through seventh were distributed by Miramax Films (through Buena Vista Distribution in the US and Alliance Atlantis - with Universal Studios Home Entertainment distributing the DVDs under its distribution deal with Alliance Atlantis - in Canada), the eighth and beyond are being distributed by VIZ Media.
In the United Kingdom, the sixth film was distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.
In Japan, all nine films and beyond are distributed by Toho (Toho Co. Ltd).
Each movie until the seventh is preceded by an animated short, featuring Pikachu and other Pokémon owned by the main characters and Team Rocket. Much of the dialogue in the short is done in the Pokémon language, which consists of grunting (for larger Pokémon) or stating the name of the Pokémon, and most of the intelligible dialogue (monologue?) excluding the narration is performed by Meowth.
On March 9, 2007, Jirachi Wishmaker became the first Pokémon film to air on Toon Disney (a corporate sibling of Miramax).
[edit] Pokémon
- Pikachu’s Summer Vacation
- Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back
- Distributed by: Kids’ WB! and Nintendo
- Features the legendary Pokémon Mew and Mewtwo. Highest grossing of all Pokémon films and of all anime films in the US. Followed up by the special Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns.
- Pikachu’s Rescue Adventure
- Pokémon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One
- Distributed by: Kids’ WB! and Nintendo
- Features the legendary Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Lugia.
- Pikachu and Pichu
- Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown
- Distributed by: Kids’ WB! and Nintendo
- Features the legendary Pokémon Entei and the Unown.
- Pikachu’s Pikaboo
- Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: Voice of the Forest
- Distributed by: Miramax Films and Buena Vista Distribution
- Features the legendary Pokémon Celebi and Suicune. First film to be released by Miramax outside Japan.
- Camp Pikachu
- Pokémon Heroes - Latios and Latias
- Distributed by: Miramax Films and Buena Vista Distribution
- Features the legendary Pokémon Latios and Latias. Last movie to be seen in theaters outside Japan.
[edit] Pokémon: Advanced Generation
- Gotta Dance
- Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker
- Distributed by: Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment in the United States, Alliance Atlantis/Universal Studios Home Entertainment in Canada, and Paramount Home Entertainment in the United Kingdom.
- Features the legendary Pokémon Jirachi and Groudon. First film to have a direct to video release outside Japan.
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
- Distributed by: Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment
- Features the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, and the alien virus Pokémon Deoxys. The first fourth-generation Pokémon, Munchlax, makes its debut in this film, which was also the first without a short.
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
- Distributed by: Viz Media
- Features the legendary Pokémon Mew, Regirock, Registeel, Regice, and four of the new 4th generation Pokémon, Lucario, Bonsly, Weavile and Mime Jr. First film to feature a legendary Pokémon from a previous movie.
- Pikachu's Island Adventure
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
- Distributed by: Viz Media
- Features the legendary Pokémon Kyogre and the 4th generation Manaphy, and other 4th generation Pokémon Chatot, Buizel, Mantyke, and elements from the Pokémon Ranger game. First film including a short since the sixth film.
[edit] Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl
- Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai
- Will feature the legendary Pokémon Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai.
[edit] Pokémon specials
Once in a while there would be other animated material that does not fit in with the main series or the movies.
- The Birth of Mewtwo/The Origin of Mewtwo
- An animated adaptation of the “Birth of Mewtwo” radio drama, which was later attached to the beginning of the first movie for the Japanese video release. A small 3 minute heavily edited version was released on the US version DVDs, while the full uncut version was made available on the Mewtwo Returns DVD
- Slowking’s Day
- A short featuring Slowking. It was never released outside of Japan, most likely due to it only being a few minutes long.
- Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns
- A made for television special that followed up on Mewtwo after the events of the first movie.
- Raikou: Legend of Thunder
- A made for television special that showcased the legendary Raikou, as well as brand new trainers. It became the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles. This was based on the release of Pokémon Crystal and is called as such in the Japanese title.
- Pikachu’s Winter Vacation
- A series of winter theme Pikachu-centered shorts that went directly to video.
- Pikachu’s Summer Festival
- A short that premiered on ANA flights.
- Pikachu’s Ghost Carnival
- The second short premiered on ANA flights.
- Pikachu’s Mischievous Island (a/k/a "Pikachu's Island Adventure")
- The third short premiered on ANA flights, and will be released in the Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea DVD in the USA.
- Pokémon 3D Adventure: Find Mew!
- A Pokémon 3D short that was shown as the PokéPark in Japan in 2005.
- Pokémon 3D Adventure: Pikachu’s Big Undersea Adventure
- The second Pokémon 3D short, shown when PokéPark was in Taiwan in 2006.
- The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon
- An hour-long TV special commemorating the tenth-anniversary of Pokémon in the United States. It features a variety of Pokémon as artificial and stronger “mirages”, including a supposedly “most powerful” Pokémon creation. Pokémon shown to be mirages were Mew, Kabutops, Omastar, Armaldo, Aggron, Aerodactyl, Houndoom, Absol, Mightyena, Machoke, Machamp, Ursaring, Magnemite, Entei, Articuno, Zapdos, and Mewtwo.
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out Of The Gate!
- A special cartoon based on the new video games which was shown on Cartoon Network in the USA September 8, 2006. The main characters in this special are a boy who was turned into a Squirtle, who formed a team with a naturally born Charmander and Chikorita.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Current Main Characters
- Ash Ketchum (Satoshi): The main character, or protagonist, of the series, Ash dreams of being the greatest Pokémon master in the world.
- Pikachu: Ash’s very first Pokémon and best friend.
- Dawn (Hikari): New heroine of the series when Ash comes to Sinnoh, dreams of being a great coordinator like her mother.
- Brock (Takeshi): Former Pewter Gym leader, he dreams of being the world’s best Pokémon breeder. He also falls in love with most girls he sees.
[edit] Former Main Characters
- Misty (Kasumi): One of Ash’s travelling friends through Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto. Misty loves water Pokémon and is currently the Cerulean City gym leader. She was the first female protagonist on the show.
- Tracey Sketchit (Kenji): One of Ash’s travelling friends through the Orange Islands, Tracey is a Pokémon watcher, and is currently Professor Oak’s assistant.
- May (Haruka): One of Ash’s travelling friends through Hoenn and the Kanto Battle Frontier, is currently in Johto competing in the contests there.
- Max (Masato): May’s little brother, Max is a very smart (and often annoying) little boy, and is now back with his parents in Petalburg City, where he will soon begin his own journey.
[edit] Villains
- Team Rocket (Rokketo-Dan): an evil organization led by the evil Giovanni. Team Rocket has operations in Kanto and Johto, and it is unknown if Giovanni considered seriously starting operations in Hoenn. Currently, it is also unknown if Team Rocket will also have operations in Sinnoh, where they would compete with Team Galactic. Team Rocket also starts saying a new motto in the Diamond & Pearl series of the anime, however, it is unknown if the English translation will change along with the Japanese version.
- Giovanni (Sakaki): The evil mastermind behind Team Rocket, is never without his Persian by his side.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jessie and James (Musashi and Kojiro): A duo of Team Rocket, they try to capture Pikachu but always lose.
- 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 Giovani's favorite, but his constant failure caused him to be replaced by the Persian.
- Team Magma (Magma-Dan): 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.
- Maxie (Matsuba): Maxie was the head of Team Magma
- Tabitha (Homura): Maxie’s second-in-command. Like many members of Team Magma, he has a Mightyena at his side. Was known as Harlan in his 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 (Aqua-Dan): 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.
- Archie (Aogiri): Archie was the head of Team Aqua.
- Shelly (Izumi): Archie’s second-in-comand. She had a Carvanha by her side at one time. Was known as Isabel in her first English appearance, due to a dub error.
[edit] Recurring characters
- Professor Samuel Oak (Professor Yukinari Okido): 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. 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. (see Ash Ketchum article)
- Professor Felina Ivy (Dr. Uchikido): Professor Ivy is first heard of in the second season of the Pokémon Animé. 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 (Professor Utsugi): 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 (Professor Odamaki): 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 (Professor Nanakamado): a Pokémon researcher. 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.
- 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”.
- 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”.
- 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.
- Drew (Shū): One of May's rivals.
- Harley: Another of May's rivals.
- 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.
- Delia Ketchum (Hanako): Said 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.
- Ayako: Dawn’s mother, who was once a great 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.
- Todd/Snap: Todd is a photographer boy that once tried to take a picture of Pikachu, but failed. He then joins the group for three episodes, and rejoins them for the Articuno miniseries for Johto League Champions.
[edit] Voice cast
- See also: List of Pokémon cast members
| Character | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Satoshi/Ash Ketchum | Rica Matsumoto | Veronica Taylor (Seasons 1-8) Sarah Natochenny (Season 9+) |
| Kasumi/Misty | Mayumi Iizuka | Rachael Lillis (Seasons 1-8) Michelle Knotz (Season 9+) |
| Takeshi/Brock | Yuji Ueda | Eric Stuart (Episode 5 - Season 8) Bill Rogers (Season 9+) |
| Kenji/Tracey Sketchit | Tomokazu Seki | Ted Lewis (Episode 84 - Season 8) Craig Blair (Season 9+)[3] |
| Haruka/May | KAORI (Midori Kawana) | Veronica Taylor (Seasons 6-8) Michelle Knotz (Season 9) |
| Masato/Max | Fushigi Yamada | Amy Birnbaum (AG3 - Season 8) Kayzie Rogers (alias Jamie Peacock, Season 9) |
| Hikari/Dawn | Megumi Toyoguchi | Sarah Natochenny |
| Pikachu | Ikue Otani | Rachel Lillis (Pokémon, I Choose You!) Ikue Otani (all other episodes) |
| Togepi | Satomi Koorogi | Satomi Koorogi |
| Yukinari Ōkido/Professor Oak | Unshou Ishizuka | Stan Hart (Seasons 1-8) Jimmy Zoppi (aka Billy Beach, Season 9+) |
| Hanako/Delia Ketchum | Masami Toyoshima | Veronica Taylor (Seasons 1-8) Michelle Knotz (Season 9+) |
| Joi/Nurse Joy | Ayako Shiraishi | Megan Hollingshead (Seasons 1-6) Bella Hudson (Seasons 7-8) Michelle Knotz (Season 9+)[4] |
| Junsa/Officer Jenny | Chinami Nishimura | Megan Hollingshead (Seasons 1-6) Jamie Davyous Owens (Seasons 7-8) Various (Season 9+)[5] |
| Shigeru/Gary Oak | Yuko Kobayashi | Jimmy Zoppi |
| Shū/Drew | Mitsuki Saiga | Pete Zarustica (Seasons 6-8) Bill Rogers (Season 9) |
| Haarii/Harley | Junichi Kanemaru | Andrew Rannells (Season 8) Bill Timoney (Season 9) |
| Musashi/Jessie | Megumi Hayashibara Akiko Hiramatsu (平松 晶子) (AG 85-92) |
Rachael Lillis (Episode 2 - Season 8) Michelle Knotz (Season 9+) |
| Kojirō/James | Shinichiro Miki | Ted Lewis (Episodes 2 - 12) Eric Stuart (Episode 13 - Season 8) Jimmy Zoppi (Season 9+) |
| Nyarth/Meowth | Inuko Inuyama | Nathan Price (Episodes 2-28) Maddie Blaustein (Episode 29 - Season 8) Jimmy Zoppi (Season 9+) |
| Narrator | Unshou Ishizuka | Ken Gates (Season 1 - AG20; Season 9+) Mike Pollock (AG21 - Season 8) |
| Sōnansu/Wobbuffet | Yūji Ueda | Kayzie Rogers |
[edit] Banned episodes
The Pokémon Anime has had several episodes banned from Japan, the Western World (referring to U.S. and Europe), or the entire world. One episode in particular falls into the latter category: “Dennō Senshi Porigon” (sometimes translated “Electric Soldier Porygon”, lit. “Computer Soldier Porygon”). Before the Pokémon series even debuted outside of Japan, 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. The scene has been toned down with the strobe effects removed, but unfortunately the episode has still not been re-aired or translated.
[edit] DVD Release
Seasons one, two, five (Pokémon: Master Quest) and six (Pokémon: Advanced) of the series, were released on DVD. The second season is in three volumes while the first, fifth and sixth season are in two volumes.
| Season | # of Episodes | Release Date (R1) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26[6] | November 21, 2006 |
| 2 | 36 | November 12, 2002 (Volume 1)[7] September 23, 2003 (Volume 2)[8] November 18, 2003 (Volume 3)[9] |
| 5 | 63 | October 26, 2004 (Volume 1)[10] February 22, 2005 (Volume 2)[11] |
| 6 | 40 | October 26, 2005 (Volume 1)[12] August 22, 2006 (Volume 2)[13] |
[edit] Broadcasters
[edit] References
- ^ "Pokémon: Battle Frontier" Coming to Cartoon Network This Fall, Toon Zone. URL last accessed March 4, 2007.
- ^ Mailbag: A Very Special Episode!, Pokémon.com. URL last accessed March 4, 2007.
- ^ Source: http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?t=161576&highlight=Cast+Credits
- ^ Nurse Joy was voiced by Diane Stillwell in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, but in Season 9 Michelle Knotz took over as her voice.
- ^ While Originally voiced by Kayzie Rogers in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, Officer Jenny has been voiced by different voice actors every time she appears.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Season-Box-Set-League/dp/B000I0QLF0/ref=dp_return_1/103-9810760-6782258?ie=UTF8&n=130&s=dvd
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Adventures-Islands-Rica-Matsumoto/dp/B00005QAQC/sr=1-1/qid=1163882781/ref=sr_1_1/104-6797896-8003937?ie=UTF8&s=dvd
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Adventures-Orange-Islands-Vol/dp/B0000ADXDM/ref=pd_sim_d_1/104-6797896-8003937
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000C52HI/ref=pd_cp_d_title/104-6797896-8003937
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Master-Quest-DVD-Collectors/dp/B0002YLDQO/ref=cm_lm_fullview_prod_1/103-4487880-5266247
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Master-Quest-Collectors-Box/dp/B0002IQD2Y/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/103-4487880-5266247
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AM6OB2/ref=pd_cp_d_title/103-4487880-5266247
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Pokemon-Advanced-Box-Set-Vol/dp/B000FJI4EK/ref=pd_bxgy_d_text_b/103-4487880-5266247
[edit] See also
- Banned episodes of Pokémon
- Pokémon Media and Release Information
- List of Pokémon episodes
- List of Pokémon special episodes
- List of Pokémon characters
- List of Pokémon theme songs
- Pokémon Chronicles
- List of television shows based on video games
[edit] External links
[edit] United States
- Official Pokémon USA website
- Pokémon: Battle Frontier on Cartoon Network
- Pokémon at TV.com
- Pokémon anime from Serebii.net
- Pokémon anime from Psypoke
[edit] Japan
- Pokémon Japanese website
- TV Tokyo Pokémon anime webpage
- TV Tokyo Diamond and Pearl website
- TV Tokyo Pokémon AG anime webpage
- TV Tokyo Pokémon Diamond & Pearl anime webpage
| Pokémon Media |
|---|
| Video games | Anime | Manga | TCG |
Categories: Anime series | Wikipedia articles needing clarification | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Anime of the 1990s | Pokémon anime | Shōnen | Creature anime | 1997 television program debuts | 1990s American television series | 2000s American television series | Kids WB shows | First-run syndicated television programs | Cartoon Network shows
