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| Season | Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) · Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center arc (EP52–EP57) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 53 · English episode 53 · Japanese episode 55 · Bulbapedia code EP053 |
| English title | The Purr-fect Hero |
| Japanese title | こどものひだよ! ぜんいんしゅうごう! Kodomo no Hi da yo! Zen’in Shūgō! — “It’s Children’s Day! Everyone Come Together!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 9 July 1998 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 11 September 1999 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) – Rica Matsumoto · Poketto ni Fantajī (Fantasy in My Pocket) – Sachi & Juri |
| English opening | Pokémon Theme – Jason Paige |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Wartortle (US) · Meowth (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Princess vs. Princess (EP052) |
| Next episode | The Case of the K-9 Caper! (EP054) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeFillerMeowth’s spotlight
The Purr-fect Hero is the 53rd episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 53rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 55, Bulbapedia code EP053). It first aired in Japan on 9 July 1998 and in the United States on 11 September 1999. It falls within the season’s Festivals, photographs & the Breeding Center stretch (EP52–EP57).
Synopsis
Our heroes are continuing on their journey to Cinnibar Island where Ash hopes to earn his 7th badge on the path to the Pokemon League. They spot some Pokemon banners in the distance and head over to investigate, turns out it’s Ash’s favourite day of the year; Kids day.
After some persuasion from Misty its decided that they will play all day, just then they are approached by a teacher who says they must be the Pokémon trainers and that she’s been waiting for them, she then gets a call from the trainers she’s actually been waiting for and they say they can’t make it, she says the kids will be really disappointed that they don’t get to play with any Pokémon. Brock volunteers Ash, Misty, Brock and their Pokemon to go and play with the kids. Team Rocket are watching in the bushes and scheming, except James who is reminiscing about his kids days eating Ice Cream sandwiches and swimming in his Olympic size pool, Jessie who never experienced such good fortune looks disgusted.
Meanwhile the play has begun, with the kids pulling and grabbing at Pikachu until it wants to shock them, The Teacher shouts at the kids to get them back into control and Ash sends out his Pokemon, Misty and then Brock do the same and the kids all enjoy playing with the Pokemon, the Pokemon even seem to be having fun. One kid however is stood on his own looking sad, Little Timmy just wants to meet Meowth, because one day he was playing in the woods and a Beedrill attacked him but a Meowth saved him.
The other kids tell Timmy he is a liar and dismiss the story. Some mysterious entertainers arrive advertising the worlds greatest pokemon Magic show, saying that its free. The kids all rush to watch the magic show, The magicians say they’re going to make a Pokemon disappear, a Pikachu! They place Pikachu into the box, perform some magic, and a Meowth pops out instead, they then finish their show and reveal their true identities as Team Rocket but are promptly swarmed by the kids who grab all their stuff and their Pokemon. Weezing drops a smokescreen, Timmy dives on Meowth to save him from the smoke, and the box is knocked over, letting Pikachu out. Team Rocket escape with the box, thinking Pikachu to be still inside, but find Timmy there instead. Timmy is initially upset, but then sees Meowth and mistakes him for the heroic Meowth who saved him that day. Jessie and James convince Meowth to play along, and tell him not to speak, as he’ll give away his true identity, Jessie and James advance on Timmy in a staged attack and Meowth “saves” Timmy.
Just as Ash and co are about to go in search of Timmy he returns to the school with Meowth in tow, stating that Meowth came back to save him again. Timmy’s friends apologise to him for calling him a liar and all the kids begin playing with Meowth. Meowth says “thats right” and Misty hears it, suspecting it to be Team Rocket’s Meowth, Meowth is about to run off and the kids beg him to stay, Meowth still runs off, with Timmy, Ash and Co, and the kids in pursuit until they find a dead-end, which is a trap set by Team Rocket. Jessie and James attack with Arbok and Weezing, Ash sends out Pidgeotto and Brock joins in with Onix. Pidgeotto gets rid of Weezing’s Smokescreen and Onix saves Pidgeotto from Arbok, but a giant boulder rolls down the hill on a path for everyone, just as it’s about to hit Ash and Timmy, the wild Meowth appears and kicks the big boulder, breaking it into bits! Team Rocket roll away into the distance atop a boulder. Timmy adopts the wild Meowth and tells Ash he wants to become a Pokemon Trainer when he grows up. The teacher says goodbye, and our heroes continue on their journey.
Major Events
- Horsea’s Bubble. All-Stars Vol. 11.
Trivia
- The English title plays on “perfect”.
- The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Kanto story.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Meowth in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Wartortle in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- Kanji on Ash’s gi, truck text → clip art, “Pokémon Magic” banner
- Children’s Day becomes a generic “Kids Day”; koinobori become “Pokémon Banners”; kashiwa-mochi become ice-cream sandwiches
- Dub ending: Pikachu’s Jukebox — My Best Friends (DVD) / Double Trouble (Pokémon TV)
Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.