Illusion Confusion! – Pokémon Season 3, Episode 5

Plot episodeGary returnsHoothoot debut

Illusion Confusion! is the 5th episode of Pokémon: The Johto Journeys, the third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 121st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 123, Bulbapedia code EP121). It first aired in Japan on 11 November 1999 and in the United States on 4 November 2000. It falls within the season’s Arrival in Johto stretch (EP117–EP121).

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

Synopsis

Our heroes find themselves lost deep in the forest once more, they continue wandering about lost when all of a sudden they start seeing some strange, scary illusions; the trees appear to have faces and make scary noises. As the group runs in terror they stumble upon Gary who is accompanied by a Hoothoot. Gary explains that everything they saw and heard was an illusion, he then adds that they’re unprepared as usual and that no one can get through this forest without a Hoothoot, as it’s the only Pokémon that can see through the forests illusions (caused by Ghosts).

Gary and Hoothoot disappear off into the forest. Brock suggests that they get a Hoothoot of their own to try and guide them through the forest, they set off in search of a Hoothoot…. Eventually managing to find one but it runs off into the forest – the group give chase and discover a giant stone building… which was just an illusion set by the Hoothoot in order to try and escape. The group continue to chase Hoothoot, Ash tells Pikachu to hit it with thundershock but the Hoothoot takes offence, turns around, attaches itself to Ash’s head and attacks him.

It then hops down and runs behind a scary looking old lady who Ash and co suspect is an illusion, but unfortunately for them; shes not. The woman identifies herself as Hagatha and states that they’re going to need her help if they want to get out of the woods. Hagatha explains that she runs a business renting out her Hoothoot to allow travellers to cross the forest. Ash asks if they can borrow a Hoothoot and Hagatha replies that they can but there’s a problem… she only has one available and it’s not a very good one. It once took a trainer into the woods and he returned three days later starving and going crazy. Ash wants to take it anyway.

Meanwhile Team Rocket are lost in the same woods when they spot Ash, Misty, Brock and their new companion; Hoothoot. Ash and co reach a point in the forest where they saw lots of illusions previously, and Hoothoot visibly begins to shake. The group begin being tormented by frightening illusions and Hoothoot tries to help after various pleas from Misty, but itself ends up running in fear, closely followed by Ash and co.

Team Rocket had been watching the whole time from the bushes, but they couldn’t see the illusions that Ash and co could, so they think they’ve just gone crazy when they see them running off screaming. Misty convinces Hoothoot to try and face down the illusions once more, but just then Team Rocket appear and steal Pikachu, making their escape into the forest briefly before befalling disaster and Ash getting his Pikachu back. A confrontation ensues as Team Rocket have designs on stealing both Pikachu and Hoothoot. As the battle is about to begin an illusion of a Dragonite appears and Team Rocket give chase deep into the forest, Ash and co couldn’t see that but then they get their own illusion, lots of fake Ash, Misty and Brocks appear and no one can tell the real ones from the fakes! The multitude of Ash copies all plead to Pikachu that they are the real one, but it stresses Pikachu out so it zaps all of them, including the real Ash. Misty then gets surrounded by a bug Pokémon and collapses in fear, Hoot Hoot tries to run and Ash convinces Hoot Hoot to help her, it manages to see right through the illusions and get rid of them. A big group of Gengar and Haunter are then revealed as the perpetrators of these illusions, Hoot Hoot stuns them with an attack before Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip and Pikachu’s thunderbolt send them packing.

Shortly after the group arrive at a strange stone structure just like the one they found earlier and assume themselves to be lost once more. Just then they are approached by a very ugly woman they assume to be Hagatha, but it’s not… it’s her beautiful sister (who looks basically exactly the same) – Agatha! The group have reached the forest exit and call Hagatha from Agatha’s place to thank her.

Team Rocket meanwhile are enjoying an illusion of sunbathing on a beautiful beach… but are infact stuck in the forest being tormented by Gengar and Haunter’s illusions

Major Events

• Hoothoot debut (prior PK04)
• Hagatha & Nagatha
• Parodied in the US season commercial

Pokémon making their anime debut

• Hoothoot#0163 · EP121

Trivia

• The English title plays on a rhyming jingle for an episode of forest illusions.
• The screenplay is by Shinzō Fujita.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Hoothoot in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Bellossom in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Gary’s lines made more boastful; Meowth “couldn’t afford better rope” becomes “roped in”.
• Pokémon Karaokémon: “Two Perfect Girls” (Eric Stuart as Brock).

Part of our Pokémon: The Johto Journeys guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.