Princess vs. Princess – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 52

Plot episodeJessie catches LickitungKids’ WB! Season 2 premiere

Princess vs. Princess is the 52nd episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 52nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 54, Bulbapedia code EP052). It first aired in Japan on 9 July 1998 and in the United States on 4 September 1999. It falls within the season’s Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center stretch (EP52–EP57).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

The Princess Festival, Misty and Jessies favourite festival has begun and Ash, Brock and James find themselves carrying lots of bags and being dragged around lots of sales. All women and girls during this festival even get to eat for free, Misty indulges in a feast of desserts while Ash and Brock (who have to pay) just have an orange juice!

Jessie buys lots of gifts for herself, but also buys some for the boss so he doesn’t sack them for a while longer. A Lickitung appears from the bushes and begins eating all the food products that Jessie bought for the boss, it then tries to eat her clothes but spits them back out. Jessie attacks Lickitung with Arbok, but Arbok is quickly defeated. Jessie captures Lickitung in a PokéBall and heads back to the sales where she and Misty both take a liking to the same garment, and decide to battle over who gets to keep it, before a rather large frightening woman takes it off both of them. The Queen of the Princess festival contest is announced, and there is a beautiful one of a kind collection of Pokemon dolls to be won, Jessie and Misty use the festival to decide their dispute.

The contestants are all dressed up and preparing to compete with both Jessie and Misty looking very nice, it’s then announced that they’ll have to battle to win. Misty begs Ash and Brock to use their Pokemon in the competition, Pikachu agrees to help, she explains that she never had her own dolls when she was a kid, she just got her sisters broken old handmedowns, and she never truly had anything of her own, thats why she wants to win so badly. Misty uses Ash’s Bulbasaur and Pikachu alongside Brocks Vulpix plus her own Pokemon to enter the competition. Misty kicks off using Ash’s Bulbasaur against a competitors Kingler, quickly beating it and all the Pokemon that follow. Meanwhile in the other division Jessie is starting her own campaign to win the dolls, utilising Meowth against Primeape, who is quickly beaten. Arbok then poisons the Primeape and she claims victory. Misty continues her success in the other division and has won a place in the finals, Jessie also reaches the finals and it’s time for a showdown to see who can win the dolls. Jessie reminisces about why she hated the Princess Festivals so much, because she was the only girl who never had a Princess Doll and that the Princess Festival just reminds her of things she never had.

The final battle begins, Jessie’s Arbok vs. Pikachu, who quickly defeats Pikachu, Arbok and Weezing…. it looks like it’s over but Meowth reminds Jessie she has the Lickitung she caught earlier and she sends it out to battle, it paralyzes Pikachu with a lick attack and knocks him out. Ash advises Misty to use Bulbasaur next as it’s vinewhip can stop the tongue attack, Bulbasaur however is defeated too, she then sends in Vulpix which is also knocked out before it can attack, Misty sends out her final Pokemon; intended to be Staryu, but she gets Psyduck, who seems immune to Lickitungs attacks. Psyduck is unable to attack, Jessie orders a tackle attack to finish it but Lickitung doesn’t listen, Lickitung continues to attack Psyduck’s head with the lick attack, giving Psyduck a headache so bad it uses its Psychic powers to win the match and send Team Rocket blasting off. Misty wins the Princess doll set and has the gyms sent back to the Cerulean Gym, stating that she’d like to see the look on her sisters faces. Jessie meanwhile is crying in the woods, Lickitung tries to lick her to console her, but to no avail.

Major Events

• — Jessie catches Lickitung
• Misty wins the Queen of the Princess Festival. Debut: Lickitung. Pikachu’s Jukebox replaces the Pokérap from here
• Last episode with only Gen I Pokémon.

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Lickitung#0108 · EP052

Captures and evolutions

• Lickitung#0108 · Jessie

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Junki Takegami.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Lickitung in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Butterfree in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• 34 paint edits (Takuya billboards → “Fiorella Cappuccino”, balloon erased, brackets, booth signs)
• Hinamatsuri becomes the “Princess Festival”, with no 3 March date
• Idol Takuya becomes Italian film star Fiorella Cappuccino; Odairi-sama becomes “prince”
• Staryu called Starmie
• Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — My Best Friends

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.