Pokémon (anime)
| Pokémon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
The Sinnoh Saga |
|||
| ポケットモンスター (Pocket Monsters) |
|||
| Genre | Adventure, Fantasy, Shōnen | ||
| TV anime | |||
| Director | Masamitsu Hidaka | ||
| Studio | OLM, Inc. | ||
| Licensor | 4Kids Entertainment (1998–2006) Pokémon USA (2006-present) |
||
| Network | TV Tokyo | ||
| English network | Syndication (September 1998–January 1999) Kids' WB! (February 1999–September 2006) Cartoon Network (September 2006–current) |
||
|
|||
| Original run | April 1, 1997 – present | ||
| Episodes | 584 | ||
| Movies | |||
|
|||
| Specials | |||
|
|||
| Anime and Manga Portal | |||
Pokémon (abbreviated from Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター Poketto Monsutā?) in Japan) is an ongoing Japanese animated series, which has since been adapted for the North American and European television market. It is somewhat based on the Pokémon video game series and a part of the Pokémon franchise. It is unknown when the series will end.
Originally a single series, Pokémon, it has since been made into three series, including Pokémon: Advanced Generation and subsequently Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, which continue the story of Pokémon, while its spin-off Pokémon Chronicles or, as it is known in Japan, Pokémon Sunday (formerly Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku) is a series of stories revolving around some of the recurring characters.
Contents |
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. In the UK, Pokémon first aired on the Saturday morning show SMTV Live and proved to be extraordinarily popular, to the point were segments and sketches of the show itself were based around Pokémon (e.g. the Pokérap).
The show (as of November 8, 2007 in Japan and April 12, 2008 in the United States) started its second season of Diamond And Pearl, subtitled "Pokémon:Diamond And Pearl Battle Dimension" in the English dub. 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 and in Brazil. 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 now-defunct Kids' WB! cartoon block on Saturdays, but in April 2006, Kids WB, which continued on the CW Network until 2008, 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,[1][2] 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. In addition, the series is also seen as such on the International Satellite Network.
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. Pokémon 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 and Misty's statuses are still unknown (Though the latter's Seiyuu dihint at one point in her blog that Misty might be appearing in D/P). Dawn is taking their place, while a new rival for Ash, Paul, is also featured along with new villains such as the Pokémon Hunter J and Team Galactic.
In the UK the Kanto region episodes aired randomly on different channels, and most fans saw the Johto and Hoenn regions on Sky1 every weekend. Battle Frontier aired on Cartoon Network, and currently Pokémon Diamond and Pearl is airing in the UK following Battle Frontier. The CITV channel and ITV4 are currently showing Battle Frontier episodes for the first time on free TV, everyday as part of Action Stations!. Battle Dimension started airing in the UK on September 6, 2008, on Jetix. This is the new home for Pokémon in the UK.
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), his friends, and his quest to become a Pokémon Master, as well as their quests. 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, Misty, Brock, May, Max, Tracey, Dawn and the various Pokémon and Trainers along the way. Joining Ash on his adventures are Brock (known as Takeshi in Japan) who wants to become the world's best Pokémon breeder and Misty (Kasumi in Japan) who wants to be a water Pokémon trainer (Brock and Misty were gym leaders in the original Pokémon game, and were in the anime too but were able to travel with Ash due to different circumstances).
The other two series continue to follow the adventures of Ash and his friends. However, starting with the Advanced Generation series a new main character named May (Haruka in Japan) travels with Ash, Brock and also her little brother Max (Masato in Japan) through the Hoenn region replacing Misty, and competes in Pokémon Contests, which are set up in a similar manner to Pokémon 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: The Original Series, Pokémon: Advanced Generation Series And Pokémon: Diamond And Pearl Series 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. In certain places, the different series are considered different shows altogether, although they involve the same storylines and characters. To date there are 11 total series completed, ten of such have aired in the United States. One is currently being aired.
| Season | Description | # of Eps. |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Indigo League | Covers the entire Kanto saga. Ash sets out on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer and receives his Pikachu in the first episode. Ash catches a Caterpie that evolves to Metapod and then to Butterfree (it was the first Pokémon Ash ever caught). Ash also catches a Pidgeotto, a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, a Squirtle and a Krabby. (Ash trades Butterfree for a Raticate, but trades it back again). Then he releases it. Ash gets unofficial a Haunter for a short time. He also catches a Primeape (he later gave it to a Fighting-type Pokémon Trainer), a Muk and 30 Tauros. Charmander evolves into Charmeleon and then into Charizard. Ash's Krabby evolves into Kingler in its first battle. Misty has Goldeen Staryu and Starmie when she meets Ash. She catch a Horsea and a Psyduck. She gets a Togepi. She leaves Starmie and Horsea at Cerulian Gym. Brock has Onix and Geodude while he meets Ash. He then caught a Zubat and gets a Vulpix. Ash collects the eight regional gym badges and competes in the Pokémon League, finishing in the top sixteen. | 83 |
| Pokémon: The Adventures In The Orange Islands | 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. Ash catches a Lapras and a Snorlax, but releases Lapras later. Misty catches a Poliwag. Tracey has Venonat and Marill when he meets Ash, and he caught a Schyther. | 35 |
| Pokémon: The Johto Journeys | Covers from New Bark Town to Goldenrod City. Brock returns with Ash and Misty and travel to Johto to deliver the GS Ball to Kurt. Ash collects the first two gym badges to compete in the Silver Conference. Ash catches a Heracross, and a Chikorita. Ash gives his Charizard to Liza because he felt it could grow stronger in her care. Ash catches a Cyndaquil. Ash gives his Squirtle to Jenny and the rest of the Squirtle Squad. Ash catches a Totodile and a Noctowl. Misy's Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl. Brock caught Pineco. | 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. Ash catches a Beedril in a contest but gives it to Casey. In another contest Ash catches a Seaking but releases it during contest rules. Ash's Chikorita evolves into Bayleef. Brock's Zubat evolves into Golbat. Brock gives Vulpix back to Suzy. Then his Golbat evolves into Crobat. | 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 on their respective journeys, 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's second longest human friend throughout the anime so far). 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. Misty visits the group in Episode 44. May catches a Skitty and Torchic evolves to Combusken. May also gets a Bulbasaur. Ash's Taillow and Treeko evolve to Swellow and Grovyle. | 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. Misty temporarily accompanies them to Mt. Moon. | 54 |
| 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. May and Max return to Petalburg Gym. May travels to Johto, but Max remains in Hoenn. 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 & Dawn meets their rivals: Paul, Nando, Zoey and Kenny. Ash and Co. meet Hunter J twice, and tries to thwart her attempts at stealing and poaching Pokémon. Ash wins the first two badges needed to compete in the Sinnoh League and Dawn wins one ribbon. Ash catches a Turtwig, a Starly which evolves into a Staravia, and a Chimchar which Paul releases. Dawn chooses Piplup as her starter Pokémon, and catches a Buneary, Pachirisu and a Buizel. Brock's Bonsly evolves into a Sudowoodo, he catches a Croagunk, and the egg won in the Pokémon dress contest hatches into a Happiny. | 52 |
| Pokémon: Diamond And Pearl Battle Dimension | Covers from Hearthome City onwards. Ash collects the next 4 badges to compete in the Sinnoh League. Dawn wins 2 Ribbons for the Sinnoh Grand Festival. James gives his Cacnea to Gardenia. Ash & Dawn trade their Buizel And Aipom with each other and later, Dawn's Aipom evolves into Ambipom. Jessie wins her first ribbon at the Solaceon Contest. Ash catches a Gligar. Ash & Co. meet Team Galactic. Jessie releases her Dustox so that it can mate with a shiny Dustox. May returns and competes with the group in the Wallace Cup. Dawn beats May in the Wallace Cup, and wins her 2nd Ribbon. Jessie catches a Yanma which evolves into Yanmega in the same episode. Dawn catches a Swinub, and Ash's Gligar evolves into Gliscor. Dawn earns her 3rd Ribbon in the Celestic Contest, beating her mom's old rival. The gang meets Team Galactic again, who steal the Legendary Orbs at the Celestic Museum. Ash's Turtwig evolves into Grotle during a battle against Paul's Honchkrow. Ash meets his new rival, Jun. Jessie wins her 2nd Ribbon. Dawn's Swinub evoles to Piloswine, but refuses to Dawn's requests but when they were at the summer school, Piloswine obeyed. Dawn's Piloswine to Mamoswine. | 64 (as of October 28, 2009, 33 episodes have aired in the US) More are being aired at their dates on Cartoon Network. |
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 spin-off 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.
Anime 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 2008[update], there have been ten movies and one feature length TV broadcast (released outside Japan as a direct-to-video movie titled "Mewtwo Returns"), the twelfth is scheduled to be released in July 2009 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 appear in new versions of the game.
The Pokémon movies are also coupled with a short movie starring Ash and Co. and their 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.
| Movie | Japanese Title | English Title | Release Date (JP/US) | Legendary Pokémon | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mewtwo Strikes Back ミュウツーの逆襲 |
Mewtwo Strikes Back | July 18, 1998 November 10, 1999 |
Mew Mewtwo |
[3] |
| 2 | Revelation - Lugia 幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕 |
The Power of One | July 17, 1999 July 21, 2000 |
Articuno Zapdos Moltres Lugia |
[4] |
| 3 | Lord of the 'UNKNOWN' Tower: Entei 結晶塔の帝王 ENTEI |
Spell of the Unown | July 08, 2000 April 06, 2001 |
Entei | [5] |
| 4 | Celebi: A Timeless Encounter セレビィ 時を超えた遭遇 |
Celebi: Voice of the Forest | July 07, 2001 October 11, 2002 |
Celebi Suicune |
[6] |
| 5 | Guardians of the Water Capital: Latias and Latios 水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス |
Heroes: Latios and Latias | July 13, 2002 May 16, 2003 |
Latios Latias |
[7] |
| 6 | Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi 七夜の願い星 ジラーチ |
Jirachi Wishmaker | July 19, 2003 June 01, 2004 |
Jirachi Groudon |
[8] |
| 7 | Visitor from a Fissure in the Sky: Deoxys 裂空の訪問者 デオキシス |
Destiny Deoxys | July 22, 2004 January 22, 2005 |
Rayquaza Deoxys |
[9] |
| 8 | Mew and the Wave Guiding Hero: Lucario ミュウと波導の勇者 ルカリオ |
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew | July 16, 2005 September 19, 2006 |
Mew Ho-Oh Regirock Registeel Regice |
[10] |
| 9 | Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海の王子 マナフィ |
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea | July 15, 2006 March 23, 2007 |
Kyogre Manaphy |
[11] |
| 10 | Dialga VS. Palkia VS. Darkrai ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ |
The Rise of Darkrai | July 14, 2007 February 24, 2008 |
Dialga Palkia Darkrai |
[12] |
| 11 | Giratina and the Sky Bouquet: Shaymin ギラティナと氷空の花束 シェイミ |
Giratina and the Sky Warrior | July 19, 2008 February 27 2009 |
Giratina Regigigas Shaymin Dialga Palkia |
[13][14] |
| 12 | Towards the Outcome of Time-Space 超克の時空へ |
July 18, 2009 | Dialga Palkia Giratina Notched-ear Pichu Arceus? |
List of Pokémon in Pikachu shorts
Pokémon Specials
| Name | 1st Short | 2nd Short | 3rd Short | 4th Short | 5th Short |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azurill | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Bayleef | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Bulbasaur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Charizard | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Chikorita | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Corsola | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cubone | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Cyndaquil | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Donphan | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Elekid | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Geodude | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Goldeen | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Granbull | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Kecleon | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Larvitar | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Meowth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Noctowl | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Oddish | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Phanpy | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Pichu | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pidgeotto | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Pikachu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pineco | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Poliwhirl | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Psyduck | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Raichu | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Sandshrew | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Snorlax | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Snubbull | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Squirtle | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Staryu | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Sunflora | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Togepi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Totodile | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Venonat | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Volbeat | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Vulpix | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Wailmer | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Wobbuffet | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Wynaut | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Zubat | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
- 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 themed Pikachu-centered shorts that went directly to video. The first two were part of the Pokémon Chronicles series. This was the only Pokémon DVD not released by Viz Video but rather 4Kids' normal way of releasing DVDs, being released by 4Kids and FUNimation.
- 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 was 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 anime 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.
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Time and Darkness Exposition
- A sequel to the anime special based on the new video games prior to the Japanese release. The English version was shown on Action Stations! in the UK on July 18, 2008. The USA airing was on September 1, 2008 (Labor Day in the U.S.) on Cartoon Network.
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 one of the main characters in the series. Ash dreams of being the greatest Pokémon Master in the world. His surname is a pun on catch'em. When he was starting his journey, he saw a Ho-oh. Ash's current Pokémon that are with him are Pikachu, Staravia, Grotle, Chimchar, Buizel, and Gliscor. With Oak he has Bulbasaur, Kingler, Muk, Tauros x30, Snorlax, Heracross, Bayleef, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Noctowl, Donphan, Swellow, Sceptile, Corpfish, Torkoal and Glalie. He is a trainer from Pallet Town. When we first see him, he is watching a battle between Gengar and Onix from some of the Pokémon trainers battling in the Pokémon League. His mother comes in and tells him it's bed time, but he ignores her and continues to watch, so she changes the channel telling him he should at least watch Prof.Oak's lecture on the three basic Pokémon you can get from him, Bulbasaur, Chamander, and Squirtle. Watching that gave him a dream on which Pokémon he should get, leading to the point when he threw his alarm clock, leaving it broken. Because of that he was very late to choose his Pokémon. Leaving to the lab to get his Pokémon without changing his clothes, he runs into Gary Oak and his cheerleaders in front of the lab surrounded by most of the people of Pallet cheering for him, so Gary decides to bug him. When he eventually gets to Prof. Oak it turns out there are no more Pokémon left. He begs Prof. Oak to give him another Pokémon, Prof. Oak gives up. He gets Pikachu from Prof.Oak. Originally he wanted a Squirtle, but Gary got it before him. Ash still owes May and Dawn a bike. He is based on the playable character from Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow and Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen. |
| Pikachu | Ash's very first Pokémon and best friend. It has always stuck by Ash through thick and thin. Pikachu unintentionally destroyed Misty, May and Dawn's bikes. It destroyed Misty's bike while stopping a swarm of Spearow and May's bike while overloading Team Rocket's robot and also it burnt Dawn's bike when she had mistaken it for a wild Pokémon. |
| Dawn (Hikari) | Based on the female playable character from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Platinum. She has an ambition to be a top co-ordinater like her mother (Johanna) and has a habit of saying "no need to worry" then a bad situation happens. She has started of with a Piplup. Like Ash at the beginning of the journey, she had seen a legendary Pokémon Mesprit. She traded her Buizel for Ash's Aipom because Buizel was interested in Ash's gym battles and Aipom was interested with Dawn's contest's. Her current Pokémon are Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, and Mamoswine. Dawn's Bike was also destroyed by Pikachu, but unlike Misty and May who kept hounding Ash about it, Dawn said in the episode where Brock's Happiny hatched that she forgave him because she understood Team Rocket was after Pikachu. |
| Brock (Takeshi) | The former Pewter Gym leader, he dreams of being the world's best Pokémon breeder, and is Ash's longest lasting human traveling partner, having only been absent from most of Season 2. He also falls in love with most women he sees, mostly Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and in the Diamond and Pearl generation, his Croagunk would occasionally snap him out of it using Poison Jab and drag him away taking over for Misty and Max. He currently owns a Sudowoodo, Croagunk and Happiny. The Pike Queen Lucy is also seen to blush when he hits her. |
Former Main characters
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Misty (Kasumi) | Ash's first traveling friend, who journeyed with him throughout the first five seasons. In the series she had Togepi, Goldeen, Staryu, Politoed, Psyduck and Corsola. 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." During the second episode, Ash borrowed Misty's bicycle, which was subsequently damaged by one of Pikachu's powerful electric attacks. Misty followed Ash on his journey, frequently commenting that her reason for doing so was that she wanted her bike back. After the first season ends, it appears that she forgets about her bike and becomes a genuine friend and traveling companion to Ash. Through the course of the first two seasons and the second movie, it becomes clear after several hints that she has a crush on Ash. In a later season, she rejoins Ash temporarily in the Hoenn region for a Togepi Festival where her Togepi evolves into Togetic. She then leaves Togetic to help protect the other Togepi. She waits for Ash at his house after the Hoenn League and travels with his group to Mount Moon, where she returns to the Cerulean Gym. When Ash, Brock and Misty's adventures together ended Ash finally paid her back with a new bike. |
| Tracey Sketchit (Kenji) | One of Ash's traveling friends throughout the Orange Islands, Tracey is a Pokémon watcher, and is currently Professor Oak's assistant. His surname is a pun on sketch it. When he is first seen he is actually doing a sketch of the Pokémon in Ash's serious battle with three trainers at once to save a baby Lapras from torture. He makes bad pointers (not realising it) to the trainers about their Beedrill, Hitmochan, and Hitmonlee while giving Pikachu good comments, like his shiny coat, which leads to the point where the other trainers attack him! He currently has Marill, Venonat and Scyther. |
| May (Haruka) | A traveling friend of Ash and older sister of Max. She originally hated Pokémon and gradually liked them. She started with a Torchic and eventually got it to its final evolving from Combusken into Blaziken on an episode named "once more with reeling". Also, she is now Dawn's new rival. 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, Soledad, and Harley, although she meets Ash and Brock again in Sinnoh sometime later and rejoins the team temporarily. Like Misty and Dawn her bike was also unintentionally destroyed by Pikachu. Through unlike Misty who started following Ash until he paid her back, May got enraged at Pikachu. May is based on one of the playable characters in the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games. In the Diamond and Pearl series she has been seen with Blaziken, Munchlax, Beautifly, Glaceon, Venusaur, Wartortle and Skitty. |
| 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 soon begin his own journey. |
Villains
Team Rocket
Team Rocket (Roketto-Dan) is an evil organisation 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. These characters were created for the show and did not appear in the original games (though they were inserted into the Yellow version, which incorporated a few elements from the show). Jessie currently has Seviper, Wobbuffet and Yanmega. She used to have a Dustox but released it so it could mate with a shiny Dustox. James has Mime Jr. and Carnivine. He used to have a Cacnea but gave it to Gardenia (the Grass-type Gym Leader) so that she could train it to be stronger. |
| Meowth (Nyāsu) | 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 favourite, but his constant failure caused him to be replaced by the Persian. Now Meowth is wanting to quit from Team Rocket and join Ash and Company in the latest episode "Chaotic Melee in Canalave City". |
| 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. As a running gag, Butch's name is often mispronounced as Botch, causing him to correct the mistake angrily. |
| 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 as Professor Nambla, and he shows up on screen to make the correction angrily, even when not present at the story location. |
Team Magma
Team Magma (Maguma-Dan) is an evil organization recurring 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, 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
Team Aqua (Akua-Dan) is an evil organization recurring 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 recurring within the Diamond & Pearl series; their plot is to rule the galaxy and capture the legendary Pokémon in Sinnoh.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Boss Cyrus | The boss of Team Galactic. Although the name "Boss Cyrus" was never used, Saturn referred to him as "Boss". |
| Saturn | A male Commander for Team Galactic, he makes 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. His Pokémon include Bronzor and Toxicroak. |
| Mars | A female commander for Team Galactic, she first appeared in DP096. Her Pokémon include Bronzor and Purugly. |
| Jupiter | Another female commander, Jupiter appears in the same episode as Mars, with her Skuntank. |
Other
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Hunter J | An evil Pokémon hunter who captures and sells Pokémon for money. She uses a Drapion, an Ariados, and a Salamence. In one episode, she and the other Pokémon hunters try to steal Gardevoir, Pikachu and Meowth. In another episode she tried to steal four Shieldon, but failed because of Ash, his old rival Gary Oak, and his other friends. In the latest episode she tried to steal a Riolu. |
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 from the past with Celebi (Oak was a kid at the time, and Ash never found out that it was him). |
| 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. In the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games, the character that you don't choose to play as is Professor Birch's child who at times helps him with his research. Since May was a main character in the Pokémon Advanced series, that should mean that the professor had a son who would be Branden. However, there has been no mentioning or evidence made in the series that Professor Birch had a child, or a family of his own. |
| 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 Pokémon he deems weak. He is selfish and insensitive though he is not classified evil; just a nasty trainer so he might be described as an anti-hero. The same attitude is based on the rival in the Gold, Silver and Crystal games, who looks a lot like Paul, but had red hair. He is originally from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. He has currently has been seen with Torterra, Honchkrow, Weavile, Magmar and a Gliscor. He also has Ursaring, Electabuzz and Ninjask which is currently at his brother, Reggie's. |
| 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 aniame 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 or Arcanine. Though they've been seen with other Pokémon such as Wobbuffet or Spinarak. Recently in two diamond and pearl episodes, there has been an Officer Jenny with a Stunky. |
| 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. In Battle Frontier episode "odd Pokémon out" she has also been seen with a Meganium. In a diamond and pearl episode she is seen with a Croagunk |
| Gary Oak (Shigeru) | Longtime rival with one of the series main heroes, 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 Pokémon Chronicles, Gary revived an Aerodactyl. Later, in the last episode of Pokémon Battle Frontier, he challenged Ash to a battle with his new Pokémon. In the Diamond and Pearl series the Pokémon he has are Blastoise, Electivire, Umbreon. |
| Drew (Shuu (シュウ Shū?)) | One of May's rivals. He initially belittles May, though compliments her Pokémon, and comes across as arrogant and confident. Drew is a skilled coordinator, notably possessing a Roserade and a Masquerain as his contest Pokémon. 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, along with Harley. Other Pokémon he has had are Flygon, Butterfree, and Absol. |
| 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 mannerisms. 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 quick to hold a grudge as his rivalry with May was apparently caused by May's compliments towards his cookies that he believed was sarcastic. He has also been seen with Octillery, Banette and Ariados |
| Delia Ketchum (Hanako) | Mother to one of the heroes of said series. Delia Ketchum seems to more often than not play an active role in teaming with Professor Oak to make sure that problems are resolved. 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 Pokémon is a Glameow. She is originally from Snowpoint City, the most northerly city in Sinnoh. She also been seen with Misdreavous, Shellos and Finneon. |
| Kenny (Kengo) | Another of Dawn's rivals. He is an old childhood friend who left home on his journey soon before Dawn. As an instigation, Kenny likes to call Dawn, Dee Dee. Like Dawn, he chose Piplup as his starter, and has evolved it into Prinplup. He has also been seen with Alakazam and Breloom. |
| 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. He has been seen with Roselia, Sunflora and Kricketune. |
| Jun | Another one of Dawn's childhood friends. He has a habit of rushing about and crashing into people then having a battle, much like this game counterpart. He has Empoleon, Staraptor and Roserade. Jun has a brother named Edee. He is from TwinLeaf Town. |
| Edee | Edee is Jun's brother, and is from Twinleaf Town His rivals include Dawn and Kenny. Edee owns a Squirtle, Pachirisu, Charmander, Blastoise, Garchomp, Torterra and a Monferno |
| 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. Ritchie has a knack for catching the same kind of Pokémon that Ash caught, such as Butterfree (that Richie nick named Happy), Taillow (Rose) and Charmeleon (Zippo). Ritchie also has a Pikachu nick named Sparky. 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 Pokémon who loves to sing its lullaby. Ash and friends meet this Pokémon 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 Pokémon sang its lullaby everyone would fall asleep, which makes this Pokémon very mad. Jigglypuff took the microphone pen in Ash's bag, and used it on Pokémon and people who fell asleep while she's singing, as she drew funny scribbles on their faces. This Pokémon decided to have its own journey to find someone who will not fall asleep from her lullaby. This Pokémon had appeared in some episodes from Season 1-6, but hasn't yet been seen in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The only Pokémon 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 Pokémon 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 Poké-Block Party" in Advanced. |
Voice cast
CensorshipPokémon 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 "Dennou 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, Pokémon Heroes. Its evolutions Porygon2 and Porygon-Z have never appeared either. On September 1, 2006, China permanently banned the series, as well as Western animated series such as The Simpsons, to protect its struggling animation studios.[18] See also
References
External linksJapan
United States
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||