Editorial: Top 10 Moments of the Pokémon Anime
This editorial was originally written on November 25th, 2006. "Pokémon"
is the property of Nintendo, 4Kids Entertainment, and Pokémon USA.
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the "Pokémon" franchise, I took the
excruciating time to dig through nearly 460 episodes in order to pick out
the ten most memorable moments of the anime series to date! This turned
out to be harder to accomplish than I originally thought. There are so
many great moments that made the show what it was today. From the great
beginnings in the Kanto Region, to the wonderment in the Battle Frontier,
compiling this list is probably the hardest thing I've ever done.
Before we get to the list itself, two quick notes...
The list only counts scenes that happened in the dub. Kinda sad,
really, since that eliminated a big candidate for the top spot, the
infamous scene where James was in a body suit, with a rack that was even
bigger than Jessie's (cut out of the dub version of Episode #18, "Beauty
and the Beach"). I figured the list had to keep with what everyone was
familiar with.
Every episode did not have a moment worthy of nomination, and quite a
few had more than one. The former especially holds true since there
were so many stinkers among the Johto League episodes. A few episodes
did have multiple moments nominated, but by the time I got down to the
final group of 25, there were no episodes left in the mix that had more
than one moment still in the running for the final list.
Now, with all that being said... here are my picks for the Top 10 Moments
of the "Pokémon" anime to date!
10. May and Squirtle's Stunning Appeal
(Season 9, Episode #437, "Harley Rides Again!")
Let's start with the most recent moment of note, and only one of the two
from Pokémon USA's first dubbed season to make the Top 25. Most people
remember this episode as the first appearance of her hated rival Harley
this season. But May unmistakably shined in the Appeals stage with her
Squirtle, in a spectacular and aesthetic display of water and ice unlike
one we'd ever seen in the series to date. May and Squirtle easily got
the best score in the preliminaries.
May would later lose in the finals, as her Munchlax fell to Harley and
his Octillery.
9. Team Rocket Blasts Off... for the First Time!
(Season 1, Episode #2, "Pokémon Emergency")
How's that for a jump? All the way back to one of the oldest moments in
the series! Anyway, as you might expect, Team Rocket has a reputation
for being an evil organization bent on ruling the world and using Pokémon
to get what they want. Jessie, James, and Meowth were among the top, if
not the best overall, agents Team Rocket had. They were actually very
menacing and dangerous for anyone to come in contact with.
That is, until they met Ash and Pikachu in Viridian City.
After being sent running after a massive explosion sparked mostly by
Pikachu, Jessie, James, and Meowth decide that this particular Pikachu,
rare in the fact that they're usually not this strong, needed to be
captured for their great organization. Nine seasons and hundreds of
episodes later, they still haven't captured Pikachu, and they're the
laughingstocks of Team Rocket.
8. Ash's Biggest Forfeit
(Season 2, Episode #81, "Friend or Foe Alike")
Undeniably the greatest battle in the Kanto League Championships was
the battle between Ash and his newest-at-the-time best friend, Richie.
But it will be remembered mostly for the one battle that didn't happen.
After Ash's Charizard defeated Richie's Charmander, Zippo, pretty easily,
that brought both trainers to their last Pokémon. Richie called out
Chuchino, his Pikachu. Though arguably Chuchino was as strong as Zippo,
which comparatively meant he stood no chance against Charizard, Ash's
most powerful Pokémon decided by himself that battling an insignificant
little Pikachu wasn't worth the effort. Charizard decided to take a nap
right there and then, not caring anymore about what was happening. As a
result, Ash forfeited the round and the match, giving Richie the win.
7. Charizard's Bid for the Charisific Valley
(Season 3, Episode #136, "Charizard's Burning Ambition")
Speaking of Charizard, by this point, Ash finally won the fire-type's
respect. But in this episode, Charizard himself now fought for some of
his own. He wanted admittance into the Charisific Valley, which was
full of Charizard that were all stronger than him. Charizard's always
up for a challenge, but at first he seemed to be unworthy of being with
them.
A night full of temper tantrums and unrelenting to let the issue go
later, Charizard was finally accepted by the valley members. This made
him very happy, and apparently, it had the same effect on Ash. Ash told
Charizard that he should enjoy this time to get even stronger... and
then Ash, to everyone's surprise, turned about and ran off, leaving him
behind! It was one of the most abrupt endings to an episode of the
series, ever... which meant that maybe there was hope that Charizard
would return someday.
That ended up being true... Charizard has made several reappearances
since then to help Ash in some of his toughest battles.
6. May Learns What's Really Important...
(Season 8, Episode #391, "Date Expectations")
The gang gets temporarily stranded on their way to Pacifidlog Town on an
island full of Donphan during their mating season. The gang's in a rush,
with the contest there being the last one before the Grand Festival, and
May still needed one more ribbon to qualify to compete in it. During the
melee of avoiding all of the rushing Donphan, the gang got separated. Ash
and May got to the docks just in time to hear the last ferry for the day to
Pacifidlog was preparing to depart. But, thanks to a series of flashbacks,
we learn that May promised her parents that she'd look after her brother,
Max, while on her journey.
So May was left with a huge decision... get to Pacifidlog to try and win
that fifth ribbon and hope that Ash finds her brother okay... or go
looking for Max, in the process eliminating any chance she'd get into the
Grand Festival this year. She made what was ultimately the right call.
Which, naturally, was to go searching for Max.
May was later rewarded when she and Ash not only found Max (and Brock), but
the sailboat captain who had originally given them a ride had managed to
fix his boat in time! That meant that May could still get to Pacifidlog
in time to register to compete in a one-and-done shot at getting her fifth
Hoenn Ribbon.
5. When it All Looked Bleak...
(Season 1, Episode #1, "Pokémon! I Choose You!")
The first defining moment of this series came in the closing stages of the
very first episode, where all hope seemed lost...
After meeting Misty, and subsequently 'borrowing' her bicycle, a nasty
thunderstorm developed overhead as Ash and Pikachu raced to escape from the
flock of angry Spearow chasing them. In a quick series of events, the
bicycle was struck by a bolt of lightning, Pikachu got injured in the fall,
and the duo was quickly surrounded by the Spearow. All eyes were set on
Pikachu, with the Spearow ready to go in for the kill... but Ash stood in
front of Pikachu, putting himself in harm's way. As the Spearow dived
down, it seemed that this really was the end for Ash... that his first day
as a Pokémon trainer proved that he wasn't up to the task.
But then the unthinkable happened. Finally seeing how much Ash cared for
him despite the way Pikachu had treated his new 'master,' Pikachu got to
his feet, leaped up, and unleashed a huge thunder attack that not only
gets rid of the Spearow, but fried the 'borrowed' bike in the process!
From that point, Ash and Pikachu were inseparable. Apparently, Ash and
Misty were in the same boat, given that she wouldn't stop following him
until he paid to have her bike fixed.
4. I Guess You Don't Have to Follow Me Anymore
(Season 6, Episode #275, "Gotta Catch Ya Later!")
274 episodes later, it seemed that both Ash and Misty had long forgotten
about the destroyed bike. That all changed upon a stopover in Viridian
City, on their way to Pallet Town as Ash headed home following the Johto
League Championships.
After getting a call from her sisters saying they wanted her to come home
to run the gym full-time, Misty got another surprise. Nurse Joy rolled
out Misty's old bike, fixed and good as new! Ash was relieved that it's
fixed and stated that now Misty had no reason to follow him anymore.
Problem is... she was no longer following Ash for the bike. She wanted
to be with Ash because she wanted to stay with her friends.
Misty naturally got upset and ran off. Later, upon getting jumped by
three trainers, Ash and Brock came to her 'rescue' and showed that they
did care about her. Misty apologized for getting angry, and the three
spent a few more minutes together before they eventually ended up parting
ways.
3. Pikachu Says Farewell... or Does He?
(Season 1, Episode #39, "Pikachu's Good-Bye")
Speaking of saying good-bye and being inseparable, there was one point at
which Ash almost left Pikachu behind for good.
In this episode, Ash and the gang had befriended a group of Pikachu, of
which Ash's Pikachu quickly became part of. Pikachu was so happy living
the life of freedom with his fellow Pikachu that he didn't know that his
best friend, Ash, was realizing too. Surely but slowly, Ash realized that
Pikachu was getting too attached to living there... and that it would be
a shame now to pull him away from it.
Ash made his move after Pikachu had staved off a Team Rocket kidnapping
attempt. Instead of celebrating with Ash, Pikachu instead went over to
his fellow Pikachu and whooped it up with them. Feeling no longer needed,
Ash walked off. Misty and Brock follow, surprised when Ash declared that
Pikachu was happy in the forest and that he's decided to leave him behind.
Just as Ash was hoping to get away before being noticed, who should
happen to pop into his path but Pikachu himself!
Pikachu, naturally, wondered where Ash was going. Ash, scared to tell him
the truth, started to run away. Pikachu gave chase, but Ash yelled that
he doesn't want him anymore, hoping that would convince him to give up.
It seemingly worked, and Brock and Misty wondered if Ash had made the
right decision. Fans wondered, too.
Then, out of the blue, Pikachu reappeared, this time with the rest of his
'new' clan. Pikachu bid the group farewell, apparently having already
told them what had happened, and then he walked back over to Ash. As
much as Pikachu enjoyed being back with his own kind, he couldn't bear to
be without the young trainer that has done so much for him already. To
the applause of the group, including Misty and Brock, Ash and Pikachu
shared a hug and swore never to leave each other ever again.
A very powerful episode that was even more poignant for Japanese fans, as
this was the first episode of the show to air following the seizure
incident from the previous episode that off-lined the series for four
months! What a way to draw fans back to the show.
2. Don't Worry About Us... Save Yourselves!
(Season 6, Episode #282, "A Poached Ego!")
How can there be anything more emotional than the star of the show almost
leaving? How about this situation, in which two Pokémon that had been
around since the beginning leave, and they actually don't come back?
In this early Hoenn League episode, Ash and the gang are on the trail of
an evil man who was poaching Pokémon for profit! Team Rocket also got
involved in the chase, especially after he caged a group of Ekans and a
group of Koffing.
Looking to come to the rescue of their fellow brethren, Jessie's Arbok
and James' Weezing took to the battlefield! With Team Rocket's help,
the Ekans and Koffing escaped from the cages. But they weren't out of
the woods yet, with the poacher still refusing to give up.
Seeing how dedicated Arbok and Weezing were to protecting the Ekans and
Koffing, Jessie and James made a gut-wrenching decision. They decided
to try and hold off the poacher while allowing the Pokémon escape. In
other words, they were ordering their Pokémon to run away in order to
save their friends.
Arbok and Weezing, though, refused at first, saying that they'd been
with Jessie and James for far too long. But as the Rockets got beaten
up by the poacher and his Tyranitar, they implored them to leave, for
all their sakes. Seeing their masters (and Meowth) risk their lives
for such a noble cause, Arbok and Weezing did turn tail and ran off with
the Ekans and the Koffing.
It was a sad yet gripping farewell, as the Rockets gave Arbok and
Weezing enough time to escape. Many fans were surprised when the two
were written out that way. Most expected Jessie and James to get new
Hoenn Pokémon with Ash and Brock set to get a few of their own. But I
bet nobody saw this selfless act of loyalty coming.
Arbok and Weezing will be sorely missed.
1. Ash Ketchum, Dead at the Age of 10?
(Season 1, Episode #23, "The Tower of Terror")
Being a children's show, "Pokémon" had not addressed death all that much
over the long run of the series. But most of the cast's near-death
experiences came during the first season, before the show was drastically
tamed down to be safer for viewing for audiences across the world. In
fact, one case wasn't near death... two characters had actually died!
For real! And in the same episode!
Let me set the scene up for you. After being defeated by Sabrina in
Saffron City, Ash got a tip that the only way to beat her was to use a
ghost Pokémon. The best place to catch one was in nearby Lavender Town,
in a spooky old tower. Throughout the course of this episode, the three
residents of the tower, Haunter, Gastly, and Gengar, went to great lengths
to scare the pants off of our heroes... and of Team Rocket, whom were
also on the property. Okay, the ghosts were actually just having fun...
scaring others was fun to them.
Ash eventually figured out their scheme, but he was having trouble
attacking them, much less identifying them with his Pokédex. Ash, along
with Pikachu, ended up at one point diving at the floor, trying to catch
one of the ghost Pokémon, who disappeared through it. Unfortunately,
the shock of the landing shook the room, and broke the rope of the
chandelier hanging above them. It fell, and landed on Ash and Pikachu.
Ash was instantly knocked out, and Pikachu made one attempt to get the
chandelier off... but he only succeeded in lighting up and then blowing
up the chandelier's light bulbs before he, too, conked out.
Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar laughed heartily, thinking it was all a
joke. That is, until they went to ask for an encore and discovered...
gasp, they weren't moving! Yes, believe it or not, Ash and Pikachu had
died!
Not to let that deter them from their fun, Haunter pulled Ash and Pikachu's
spirits out of their bodies. The duo wondered why they were out of their
bodies, for some reason not completely understanding what had happened.
The ghosts showed them that it's fun to be a ghost, as Ash decided to pull
his own prank and lift Misty up into the air. Maybe it's highly
inappropriate for Ash to be having fun since he just bit the big one, but
it's likely he didn't understand what it meant to be dead.
It's only several minutes later, after the ghost Pokémon showed off their
playroom and their desire for wanting someone to play with made known, did
Ash and Pikachu return to the room where they 'passed on.' Misty and
Brock, particularly Misty, were distraught over their condition. They
were already fearing the worst, unaware that Ash and Pikachu were floating
above, preparing to jump back into the world of the living.
You know the rest of the story. Ash and Pikachu woke up, to the delight
of Misty and Brock, Haunter decided to accompany Ash to the Saffron City
Gym, and eventually, Ash would win the Marsh Badge in a hard-fought
rematch with Sabrina. But for a brief few minutes, Ash and Pikachu had
actually died! It wasn't just Misty and Brock worried about if they
would come back to life... oh, the fans were just as afraid. Between
the enthusiastic boy who wanted to be the best that ever was and the
most popular Pokémon of all-time, wouldn't it be fun to wonder if Ash
and Pikachu really didn't come back on that day? Would the show have
lasted through the entire season, much less still be on the air this
long without them?
Despite all of the other trainers and Pokémon that we've seen over the
course of the show, this series would be nothing without Ash, Pikachu,
and the strong bond of friendship they still share to this very day.
And that one moment when they died... had it been allowed to stand, it
would've doomed the show to an early cancellation. That in itself is
more than enough reason for my pick for the most memorable moment of the
"Pokémon" anime to date to be the 'death and return of Ash and Pikachu.'
- Freedom Fighter
The preceding list was compiled by me, after tons of research looking
up episode summaries and picking out moments I thought were memorable or
noteworthy. Then, using criteria including relevance to the overall
storyline, emotional impact, and buzz regarding remembrance of the moments
by the series' fan base, I pared the list down many times until I got it
down to the Top 25. It was from that grouping that I decided upon the Top
10.
All episodes of the TV series (up to #440, "Cutting the Ties That Bind")
and the 4Kids' dubbed "Chronicles" series were eligible to have moments
nominated. Any moment from an episode that did not air in the United
States were not included. The movies and the pre-film Pikachu shorts were
also disallowed from the survey. Also ineligible were any scenes whose
meaning was changed during dubbing for whatever reason.
Disagree with the rankings? Think something I didn't mention deserved to
be on the list? Drop me a line and let me know!
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