Pokémon Season 5: Master Quest

Quick answers · Story Arcs · Episode Guide · Characters · Pokémon · Gyms & Tournaments · Movies & Specials · Side Stories & Crossovers · Music · TV Broadcasts · Dub Edits & Banned Episode · DVD & Streaming · Where to Watch · Trading Cards · Firsts & Lasts · Trivia · Reception

Pokémon: Master Quest is the fifth season of the English-language Pokémon anime and the last chapter of the original series, bringing Ash Ketchum’s three-year Johto journey — and his five-year partnership with Misty and Brock — to a close. Dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment, it premiered on Kids’ WB on 14 September 2002 and covers Japanese episodes 210 to 274, which TV Tokyo broadcast between 9 August 2001 and 14 November 2002 as part of Pocket Monsters.

The season opens in the whirlpool-ringed Whirl Islands, where Ash and Misty enter the Water-type-only Whirl Cup and the group becomes entangled with Team Rocket’s hunt for a parent Lugia and its chick. Back on the mainland Ash earns his final three Johto badges — the Mineral Badge from Jasmine, the Glacier Badge from Pryce and the Rising Badge from Clair — hatches a Phanpy and a traumatised Larvitar, meets Champion Lance at the Lake of Rage, and finally reaches the Johto League Silver Conference on Mt. Silver, where he beats his rival Gary Oak in a full six-on-six battle before falling to Hoenn newcomer Harrison. The two farewell episodes send Misty home to run the Cerulean Gym, Brock back to Pewter City and Ash, with only Pikachu for company, on a boat to the new Hoenn region.

Master Quest is also a turning point behind the scenes: it contains the last script by original head writer Takeshi Shudō, the switch from hand-painted cels to digital animation (EP261), the only Johto episode never dubbed outside East Asia (The Ice Cave!), the first appearances of Generation III Pokémon, and the debut of the Believe in Me theme that would open Pokémon Heroes as “I Believe”. Our complete episode guide below preserves the original synopses written for Pokémon Dungeon, now with Japanese titles, air dates and the Who’s That Pokémon? answers for every episode.

• 65episodes in Japan (64 dubbed, 52 on US TV)
• 3Gym badges — Ash completes all eight
• 43Pokémon species make their series debut
• Top 8Ash’s Silver Conference finish — his best yet
• 1episode never dubbed: The Ice Cave!

Quick Answers

Story Arcs

Master Quest runs for 65 Japanese episodes, and — filler aside — it tells a surprisingly tight story. Here is how the season breaks down, with stills from our episode guide below.

The Whirl Islands & the Whirl CupEP210–EP218

With the Olivine Gym closed while Jasmine nurses the lighthouse Ampharos, the group ferries out to the Whirl Islands and is promptly dragged through the whirlpools, glimpsing a huge shadow in the deep before Professor Elm and his Corsola fish them out. The island-hopping that follows gives Misty the season’s first new capture — a hyperactive Corsola caught with a Lure Ball on Yellow Rock Isle — and Ash a chance to flex in the Water-type-only Whirl Cup. Totodile beats Christopher’s Kingdra, Misty’s Corsola sees off a Qwilfish belonging to a certain Harrison, and in the round that fans still talk about Misty beats Ash for the first time ever thanks to Psyduck’s surprise Confusion. She bows out to Trinity; Ash settles for the top 32.

• 
• 
• 

The Silver Wing & the LugiaEP219–EP222

Diver Luka’s Silver Wing leads the group to Ogi Isle and a reunion with Ritchie, Ash’s old Indigo League friend, who is protecting a baby Lugia nicknamed Silver alongside a boy called Oliver. Butch and Cassidy, working for Team Rocket scientist Dr. Namba, snatch the chick with power-boosting “Rage Crown” headgear and then trap the enraged parent Lugia, our heroes included, inside an underwater base. Only a grudging alliance with Jessie and James gets everyone out: Namba’s base collapses, both Lugia return to the deep and Ritchie heads off on his own again.

• 
• 
• 

Back to Olivine: the Mineral BadgeEP223–EP225

Wings Alexander’s Hoothoot Express flies the party through a storm back to Olivine City, where Jasmine is finally ready to battle. Pikachu knocks out Magnemite, Steelix flattens Pikachu, and Cyndaquil’s Flamethrower turns the Gym into a firestorm that brings the Iron Snake down for Ash’s sixth Johto badge. Straight afterwards Ash sends Bulbasaur to Professor Oak’s lab as a peacemaker between the squabbling Grass- and Water-types — it does the job so well that it stays there for good.

• 
• 
• 

Ecruteak, the Egg & the Lake of RageEP226–EP236

A return to Ecruteak reunites the group with Sakura, whose Eevee has become an Espeon, and introduces Eusine, the Suicune-obsessed showman who will pop up again in The Legend of Thunder!. Ash beats Gary for the very first time in the Extreme Pokémon Race and wins an Egg that hatches — after an Officer Jenny whodunnit — into Phanpy. Team Rocket are thrown out of the organisation for unpaid dues and come back with a Delibird debt collector in tow, and the road to Mahogany Town is lined with a 200-year-old Ninetales, Kiyo’s Tyrogue and the prophetic Xatu. At the Lake of Rage the party meets Champion Lance, working undercover for the Pokémon G-Men, and helps him stop Professor Sebastian’s evolution-inducement ray and calm the rampaging Red Gyarados it created.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Mahogany Gym: the Glacier BadgeEP237–EP238

Pryce, the embittered Ice-type veteran of Mahogany Town, beats Ash in an unofficial match before the group helps him thaw out — literally — the Piloswine he lost decades earlier. In the official Gym battle Cyndaquil melts Dewgong, Piloswine outlasts Cyndaquil, and Pryce forfeits the Pikachu–Piloswine decider rather than let his partner be hurt again. It remains the only Gym Ash has ever won by forfeit, and badge number seven goes in the case.

• 
• 

The road to BlackthornEP239–EP250

A new opening, Ready Go!, kicks off the season’s most filler-rich stretch: a Bellossom and Vileplume feud, Misty’s rivalry with Fire-type trainer Egan, Lily the apprentice witch accidentally turning Ash into a Pikachu, Zapdos and the crystal lake that turns him back, Brittany’s singing Igglybuff, the Slowpoke temple of Enlighten Up! (Takeshi Shudō’s farewell script), James impersonating Professor Oak, a Clefairy spaceship and the Battle Park. The one plot beat is a big one — Misty’s Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed with the help of Ash’s King’s Rock — and the stretch ends with The Ice Cave!, the Jynx-centred episode that 4Kids never dubbed.

• 
• 
• 

Blackthorn City: the Rising BadgeEP251–EP255

Clair’s Dratini evolves into Dragonair just as the group arrives, and Ash’s first Gym attempt is abandoned when Team Rocket steal the sacred Dragon Fang. Charizard flies in from the Charicific Valley to help calm the Dragon Holy Land’s grieving Dragonite after the Prayer Flame is toppled, then sticks around for the rematch: Snorlax beats Kingdra, Gyarados beats Snorlax, Pikachu beats Gyarados, Dragonair beats Pikachu and Charizard’s flaming Seismic Toss finishes Dragonair for the Rising Badge — Ash’s eighth. A Wynaut, the first Generation III Pokémon seen since Kecleon’s EP205 cameo, swipes the badge case from Team Rocket before the trio learn that the Silver Conference is three months away.

• 
• 
• 
• 

New Bark Town, Larvitar & Mt. SilverEP256–EP264

Misty gets her own Gym challenge against Dorian of the Coastline Gym, Ash is reunited with the Lapras he released in the Orange Islands — now leading its own herd — and Professor Elm asks him to carry an Egg to the Pokémon Preserve on Mt. Silver. It hatches in a storm into a terrified Larvitar that has to be coaxed out of its shell over several episodes. Along the way Brock’s Pineco evolves into Forretress as Entei looks on, Casey returns with a Meganium and a new Elekid, James loses his beloved Victreebel, and Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid becomes the first digitally animated episode. Larvitar’s Hidden Power and a lost Unown finally reveal the poachers who traumatised it, and Ash returns it to its mother Tyranitar.

• 
• 
• 
• 

The Johto League Silver ConferenceEP265–EP272

Harrison of Littleroot Town, the first trainer from Hoenn, debuts alongside his Blaziken by catching a Sneasel guarding the Ho-Oh Shrine flame. Ash, Gary and Harrison clear the screening rounds, Ash beats Macy and draws with Jackson’s Meganium to reach the Victory Tournament, and then comes the battle the whole original series had been building towards: a full six-on-six against Gary that ends with Charizard heating the stadium rocks and Seismic Tossing Blastoise. The rivals finally shake hands. In the quarter-final Harrison’s Blaziken edges Charizard with the first Blaze Kick ever seen, and the Conference is eventually won by Jon Dickson. Gary leaves to become a Pokémon researcher.

• 
• 
• 
• 

FarewellEP273–EP274

Misty’s sisters summon her home to run the Cerulean Gym — and return her long-wrecked bike — while Brock is called back to Pewter City. After one last Team Rocket scheme the three friends part at Viridian City, Ash sees Ho-Oh flying toward Hoenn and leaves every Pokémon but Pikachu at Oak’s lab, picking up new clothes and a new Pokédex from his mother. On the ferry to Littleroot Town Team Rocket make off with Pikachu, who wanders the port with Meowth before a tearful reunion, and the episode signs off with “Next time… a new beginning!” in place of the usual “To be continued”.

• 
• 

Episode Guide

All 65 Johto episodes that make up Master Quest are listed below in Japanese broadcast order. Every episode has its own page with our full synopsis, both titles, air dates, major events, Pokémon debuts, trivia, dub changes and the Who’s That Pokémon? answers — click the title or the screenshot. The # column is the episode’s number in the English dub (which skips the never-dubbed The Ice Cave!) and the orange code is the Bulbapedia EP number used by most fan sites. Kids’ WB counted episodes 53–64 as the start of Season 6, so if you grew up with the TV run your season ended with You’re a Star, Larvitar!.

	#	Episode	First aired	In short
	1EP210	Around the Whirlpoolうずまきれっとう! あらたなるちょうせん!!	Japan 9 Aug 2001 US 14 Sep 2002	Ash and company are aboard a luxury liner passing through a field of whirlpools. · Season premiere Episode guide →
	2EP211	Fly Me to the Moonポッポとデカポッポ! まだみぬそらへ!!	Japan 16 Aug 2001 US 21 Sep 2002	On their way to Blue Finland, Ash and company, well, actually Misty spots some corsola on their way to Pudgy Pidgy Isle. Episode guide →
	3EP212	Takin’ It on the Chinchouたびだてうみへ! チョンチーぎょうれつ!!	Japan 23 Aug 2001 US 28 Sep 2002	On their way to Blue Finland, Ash winds up getting himself, Brock, and Misty lost. · Chinchou debut Episode guide →
	4EP213	A Corsola Caper!サニーゴでアミーゴ! おうがんとうのたいけつ!!	Japan 30 Aug 2001 US 5 Oct 2002	Ash and company arrive at Yellow Rock Isle a visit a local shop displaying art created from shed corsola horns. · Misty catches Corsola Episode guide →
	5EP214	Mantine Overboard!マンタインとちんぼつせん!! なぞのポケモンのひみつ!	Japan 6 Sep 2001 US 12 Oct 2002	Once again Ash and company miss the boat. · Mantine debut Episode guide →
	6EP215	Octillery the Outcastオクタンとテッポウオ! うずまきカップよせん!!	Japan 13 Sep 2001 US 19 Oct 2002	After Ash and Misty register for the World Cup. · Whirl Cup begins Episode guide →
	7EP216	Dueling Heroesうずまきカップ! みずのコロシアムでだいバトル!!	Japan 20 Sep 2001 US 26 Oct 2002	The big day has arrived. The opening ceremonies involve the Sea Priestess Mia releasing the power of the Sea Spirit, a gem at the head of a scepter… · Whirl Cup Episode guide →
	8EP217	The Perfect Match!サトシVSカスミ! うずまきカップさいごのたたかい!!	Japan 27 Sep 2001 US 2 Nov 2002	As it turns out, Ash and Misty will be facing each other sooner than expected. · Misty beats Ash Episode guide →
	9EP218	Plant It Now… Diglett Laterディグダのむらをまもれ! おとしあなだいさくせん!?	Japan 4 Oct 2001 US 9 Nov 2002	Ash and company are on their way to Transit Town in order to return to Olivine City. Episode guide →
	10EP219	Hi Ho Silver… Away!ぎんいろのはねのでんせつ! ぎんがんとうのたたかい!!	Japan 11 Oct 2001 US 16 Nov 2002	Ash and company arrive on Silver Rock Isle which is literally covered with the symbol from the badge. · Lugia arc Episode guide →
	11EP220	The Mystery Is HistoryなぞのポケモンX!!	Japan 18 Oct 2001 US 23 Nov 2002	Ash and company arrive on Oki Island and are reunited with Richie and Sparkie who are also looking for the mysterious pokémon. · Ritchie returns Episode guide →
	12EP221	A Parent Trapped!とらわれのルギア	Japan 25 Oct 2001 US 30 Nov 2002	Prof Namba gloats over the capture of Silver and plots to use it as bait to catch its parent. · Lugia arc Episode guide →
	13EP222	A Promise is a Promiseルギアとのやくそく!	Japan 1 Nov 2001 US 7 Dec 2002	Oliver rushes off to rescue Ash and his crew. · Lugia arc ends Episode guide →
	14EP223	Throwing in the Noctowlとべホーホーごう! アサギをめざし!!	Japan 8 Nov 2001 US 14 Dec 2002	Having rescheduled a gym battle with the gym in Olivine City, Ash and company make plans to catch the next ferry from Transit Town. Episode guide →
	15EP224	Nerves of Steelix!アサギジム! VSハガネール!!	Japan 15 Nov 2001 US 21 Dec 2002	Ash is training at the beach in Olivine City. · Mineral Badge Episode guide →
	16EP225	Bulbasaur… the Ambassador!さよならフシギダネ! オーキドていのぼうけん	Japan 22 Nov 2001 US 23 Sep 2002	Ash and company, and Team Rocket are on their way to Ecruteak City, but the real story centers on Bulbasaur helping to handle territorial disputes… · Bulbasaur stays at Oak’s lab Episode guide →
	17EP226	Espeon, Not Includedエーフィとサクラ! エンジュシティふたたび!!	Japan 29 Nov 2001 US 24 Sep 2002	Ash and company arrive at Ecruteak City, and are greeted by Sakura and her newly evolved espeon. · Espeon debut Episode guide →
	18EP227	For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!スイクンとミナキ! ホウオウのでんせつ!!	Japan 6 Dec 2001 US 25 Sep 2002	Ash and company prepare to leave Ecruteak City for Mahogany Town, but the ringing of the bells of Tin Tower begin to ring. · Eusine debuts Episode guide →
	19EP228	Extreme Pokémon!ポケモンライドでつっぱしれ!!	Japan 13 Dec 2001 US 4 Jan 2003	On their way to Mahogany Town Ash and company make a stop at Exeter where trainers from all over are preparing for the Extreme Pokémon Race. · Ash beats Gary (race) Episode guide →
	20EP229	An EGG-sighting Adventure!めいたんていジュンサー! きえたタマゴのなぞ!!	Japan 20 Dec 2001 US 11 Jan 2003	So now the Ash has the egg of an unknown pokémon he is excited to see what it will hatch into. Episode guide →
	21EP230	Hatching a Planタマゴ、かえる	Japan 27 Dec 2001 US 18 Jan 2003	The unknown egg is about to hatch, and Team Rocket is as interested in what might be inside the egg as anyone. · Phanpy hatches Episode guide →
	22EP231	Dues and Don’tsロケットだんとデリバード!	Japan 10 Jan 2002 US 25 Jan 2003	Jessie and James learn they are no longer members of Team Rocket. · Delibird debut Episode guide →
	23EP232	Just Waiting On a Friendきりのなかのキュウコン!	Japan 17 Jan 2002 US 26 Sep 2002	On there way to Mahogany Town, Ash and company come to a thick fog and are invited to stay at a castle by a beautiful, but strange, young woman with… · Aired early in the US Episode guide →
	24EP233	A Tyrogue Full of Troubleバルキーとからておうノブヒコ!	Japan 24 Jan 2002 US 1 Feb 2003	Taking a shortcut through a mountain tunnel, Ash and company come to a lone tyrogue with a bitter attitude. · Tyrogue debut Episode guide →
	25EP234	Xatu the Futureネイティオのだいよげん!	Japan 31 Jan 2002 US 8 Feb 2003	Ash and company along with Team Rocket fall into a pit and land in a man-made hallway. · Xatu debut Episode guide →
	26EP235	Talkin’ ‘Bout an Evolutionワタルとあかいギャラドス!	Japan 7 Feb 2002 US 15 Feb 2003	While lost in the forest near Lake Gyarados, Ash and company stumble upon a Team Rocket plan to create the ultimate pokémon army with an evolution… · Lance debuts Episode guide →
	27EP236	Rage of Innocenceあかいギャラドスのいかり!	Japan 14 Feb 2002 US 22 Feb 2003	Team Rocket is now set to send the red gyarados to their main headquarters. · Pryce debuts Episode guide →
	28EP237	As Cold as Pryceイノムーとふゆのヤナギ!	Japan 21 Feb 2002 US 1 Mar 2003	Ash arrives at the gates to the Mahogany Town Gym only to learn the gym leader, Pryce, is meditating in the mountains. · Piloswine Episode guide →
	29EP238	Nice Pryce, Baby!チョウジジム! こおりのたたかい!	Japan 28 Feb 2002 US 8 Mar 2003	The opening of this episode is a much better synopsis of the last episode than the one I wrote. · Glacier Badge Episode guide →
	30EP239	Whichever Way the Wind Blowsキレイハナとラフレ シア! そうげんのへいわ!	Japan 7 Mar 2002 US 22 Mar 2003	On their way to Blackthorn City, Ash and company get involved in a war between vileplumes and bellossoms, caused by territorial disputes. · New opening: Ready Go! Episode guide →
	31EP240	Some Like It Hot!マグカルゴ! あついこころでゲットだぜ!!	Japan 14 Mar 2002 US 29 Mar 2003	On their way to Blackthorn City, Ash and company pass through a valley full of volcanic activity and fire pokémon. · Magcargo debut Episode guide →
	32EP241	Hocus Pokémonポケモンまほうでだいへんしん!?	Japan 21 Mar 2002 US 5 Apr 2003	Walking toward their destination in a forest, Ash and company meet Lilly, a pokémon magician. · Ash becomes a Pikachu Episode guide →
	33EP242	As Clear as Crystalサンダーとクリスタル! みずうみのひみつ!	Japan 28 Mar 2002 US 12 Apr 2003	Team Rocket appears again and inexplicably is able to grab Pikachu and place him in a trap that siphons off the energy of his electric attacks. · Zapdos Episode guide →
	34EP243	Same Old Song and DanceふたごのププリンVSプリン! うたうポケモンコンサート!	Japan 11 Apr 2002 US 19 Apr 2003	Ash and company meet Brittany, the star of a television show and her twin igglybuffs, Gigglybiff and Gigglybuff. · Igglybuff debut Episode guide →
	35EP244	Enlighten Up!ヤドンのさとり! サトシのさとり!	Japan 18 Apr 2002 US 26 Apr 2003	Ash and company arrive at Slowpoke Lake aka the Lake of Enlightenment. · Takeshi Shudō’s last script Episode guide →
	36EP245	Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?にせオーキド!? ポケモンせんりゅうたいけつ!!	Japan 25 Apr 2002 US 27 Sep 2002	Prof Oak is scheduled to make a public appearance in Maroon Town which just happens to be the next stop on the way to Blackthorn City for Ash and… · James as Professor Oak Episode guide →
	37EP246	Wish Upon a Star Shapeピィとピッピとながれぼし!	Japan 2 May 2002 US 3 May 2003	Having stopped for the night and admiring the stars, Ash and company watch as a mysterious object cuts an erratic path. · Cleffa debut Episode guide →
	38EP247	Outrageous Fortunesニョロゾのしんか!	Japan 9 May 2002 US 10 May 2003	Ash and company come to the next town and find Delaney, a trainer with a poliwrath taking on all comers. · Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed Episode guide →
	39EP248	One Trick Phony!バトルパーク! VSカメックス・リザードン・フシギバナ!	Japan 16 May 2002 US 17 May 2003	Ash battles a trainer who has a smoochum. Episode guide →
	40EP249	I Politoed Ya So!ニョロトノのチア リーディング!	Japan 23 May 2002 US 24 May 2003	Ash and company stop for a picnic. After a nap they break camp, and Misty notices Politoad is missing. Episode guide →
	–EP250	The Ice Cave!こおりのどうくつ!	Japan 30 May 2002 US never aired	Ash and company take a shortcut through the ice caves on their way to Blackthorn City, they run into Team Rocket and in the scuffle, Brock catches a… · Never dubbed Episode guide →
	41EP251	Beauty Is Skin Deepイブキとミニリュウ!	Japan 6 Jun 2002 US 31 May 2003	Ash and company wind up helping Claire, the Blackthorn City gym leader, protect a dratini who is about to shed its skin. · Clair debuts Episode guide →
	42EP252	Fangs for Nothin’フスベジムのりゅうのきば!	Japan 13 Jun 2002 US 7 Jun 2003	The gym battle between Claire and Ash begins. · Wynaut debut – Gen III preview Episode guide →
	43EP253	Great Bowls of Fire!カイリュー! げきりんはつどう!	Japan 20 Jun 2002 US 14 Jun 2003	It’s Charizard!! and he brought Liza with him. · Charizard returns Episode guide →
	44EP254	Better Eight Than Neverフスベジム! さいごのバッジ!!	Japan 27 Jun 2002 US 21 Jun 2003	The battle begins again. Team Rocket are now tunneling to get the ancient dragon fang. · Rising Badge – eighth badge Episode guide →
	45EP255	Why? Wynaut!ソーナノ!? ジムバッジとソーナンス!!	Japan 4 Jul 2002 US 28 Jun 2003	While having breakfast with Claire on the terrace of a hotel, Ash and company are being spied on by Team Rocket who are so impressed with Ash’s… · Silver Conference announced Episode guide →
	46EP256	Just Add Waterリュウグウジム! みずのなかでバトルだぜ!	Japan 11 Jul 2002 US 12 Jul 2003	Ash and company make it to the coast and start traveling to New Bark Town. · Misty challenges a Gym Episode guide →
	47EP257	Lapras of Luxuryラプラスのうた!	Japan 18 Jul 2002 US 26 Jul 2003	Ash and company stop in at a PokéCenter and call Prof Birch. · Lapras returns Episode guide →
	48EP258	Hatch Me If You Canタマゴをまもれ! あらしのなかでうまれたいのち!	Japan 25 Jul 2002 US 9 Aug 2003	Ash and company didn’t get very far before the egg started hatching. · Larvitar hatches Episode guide →
	49EP259	Entei at Your Own Riskエンテイとおんせんのなかまたち!	Japan 1 Aug 2002 US 16 Aug 2003	Ash and company happen on some hot springs and a trainer named Nelson who is trying to capture an entei. · Pineco evolves into Forretress Episode guide →
	50EP260	A Crowning Achievementヤドキング! おうじゃのしるし!	Japan 8 Aug 2002 US 23 Aug 2003	Ash and company hear a waterfall on the path ahead of them and decide to have a picnic there. · Slowking Episode guide →
	51EP261	Here’s Lookin’ at You Elekid!ナナコとエレキッド!	Japan 15 Aug 2002 US 30 Aug 2003	While on a picnic, Ash and company are surprised by an elekid. · First digitally animated episode Episode guide →
	52EP262	You’re a Star, Larvitar!ヨーギラスがんばる!	Japan 22 Aug 2002 US 6 Sep 2003	Stopping off at a PokéCenter at the base of Mount Silver, Ash is challenged by Satchel, a trainer with a magby. · US TV season finale Episode guide →
	53EP263	Address Unown!ふしぎのくにのアンノーン	Japan 29 Aug 2002 US 13 Sep 2003	On their way to the Pokémon Preservation Center, Ash and company see a dimensional rift in the sky. · Unown & Tyranitar Episode guide →
	54EP264	Mother of All Battlesバンギラスとヨーギラス!	Japan 5 Sep 2002 US 15 Sep 2003	Ash and company finally reach the home of the larvitar and are immediately attacked by a tyranitar. · Larvitar goes home Episode guide →
	55EP265	Pop Goes the Sneaselニューラとせいなる ほのお!	Japan 12 Sep 2002 US 16 Sep 2003	As Ash and company approach the conference they stop to see the start of the lighting of the torch ceremony at the Ho-oh Shrine. · Harrison debuts Episode guide →
	56EP266	A Claim to Flame!シロガネリーグかいまく! シゲルふたたび!	Japan 19 Sep 2002 US 17 Sep 2003	Having completed the paperwork for entering the Silver Conference, Ash meets Gary who is also competing. · Silver Conference opens Episode guide →
	57EP267	Love, Pokémon Styleよせんリーグ! マグマラシほのおのバトル!!	Japan 26 Sep 2002 US 18 Sep 2003	Ash checks the boards to see who he will be battling against in the semi-finals. · Ash beats Macy Episode guide →
	58EP268	Tie One On!メガニウムVSフシギダネ! くさタイプのいじ!	Japan 3 Oct 2002 US 19 Sep 2003	Macy battles Jackson next and wins. Next it is Ash against Jackson. · Ash draws with Jackson Episode guide →
	59EP269	The Ties That Bindけっしょうリーグ! フルバトル6VS6!!	Japan 10 Oct 2002 US 20 Sep 2003	Harrison defeats his opponent in the first match of the first round of the finals. · Ash vs Gary, part 1 Episode guide →
	60EP270	Can’t Beat the Heat!ライバルたいけつ! カメックスVSリザードン!!	Japan 17 Oct 2002 US 27 Sep 2003	The epic battle continues Gary still feels he can out maneuver Ash no matter how creative his rival is. · Ash beats Gary Episode guide →
	61EP271	Playing with Fireバシャーモふたたび! ハヅキとのたたかい!!	Japan 24 Oct 2002 US 4 Oct 2003	Round two of the finals, and Ash now faces Harrison, who has his pokémon from Hoenn with him. · Ash vs Harrison, part 1 Episode guide →
	62EP272	Johto Photo Finishフルバトルのはてに! それぞれのみち!!	Japan 31 Oct 2002 US 11 Oct 2003	Ash and Harrison are now at the end of their battle to see who will be going to the next round of the finals. · Ash loses to Harrison – Top 8 Episode guide →
	63EP273	Gotta Catch Ya Later!サヨナラ…そして、たびだち!	Japan 7 Nov 2002 US 18 Oct 2003	Ash and company have had a lot of fun and adventures together, but sadly it looks like destiny will break them up. · Misty & Brock leave Episode guide →
	64EP274	Hoenn Alone!ピカチュウとのわかれ!	Japan 14 Nov 2002 US 25 Oct 2003	Ash and Pikachu are on their way to Hoenn. · Series finale Episode guide →

Characters & Travelling Companions

The travelling party is unchanged for the whole season: Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, Misty with Togepi in her arms, and Brock. It is the last season in which Brock and Misty travel together with Ash — Misty leaves in EP273 to become the Cerulean Gym Leader (she would not travel with Ash again until Pokémon Journeys, 950 episodes later) and Brock heads home to Pewter City, though he rejoins Ash three episodes into the Hoenn saga.

Ash wins his final three Johto badges, hatches two Eggs (Phanpy and Larvitar), scores his first-ever victories over Gary — in the Extreme Pokémon Race and then in a full six-on-six battle — and finishes in the top eight of the Silver Conference, his best League result to date. Misty catches Corsola, sees her Poliwhirl evolve into Politoed, beats Ash in the Whirl Cup and becomes the first main character other than Ash to challenge a Gym Leader. Brock’s Pineco evolves into Forretress while shielding him from a waterspout.

• Ash KetchumThe would-be Pokémon Master from Pallet Town
• MistyCerulean City Gym Leader, travelling with Ash
• BrockPewter City Gym Leader and would-be Pokémon Breeder

Team Rocket

Jessie, James and Meowth are expelled from Team Rocket for unpaid dues in Dues and Don’ts and reinstated with a Delibird debt collector who shadows them until the Silver Conference. James trades away his Victreebel in EP261 — the Weepinbell he gets in return evolves into a second Victreebel that Jessie promptly blasts off, and the two Victreebel leave together. Butch and Cassidy return for the Lugia arc, working for the eccentric scientist Dr. Namba; EP222 is Megan Hollingshead’s last episode as Cassidy. At the Lake of Rage the trio run into Professor Sebastian and the executive Tyson, who are running the evolution-ray “Project R” that created the Red Gyarados.

• JessieTeam Rocket
• JamesTeam Rocket
• MeowthTeam Rocket’s talking Meowth

Rivals, Gym Leaders & recurring characters

Gary Oak appears in the Extreme Pokémon Race and throughout the Silver Conference before announcing that he will become a Pokémon researcher. Harrison, the Littleroot Town trainer with a Blaziken, is the first character from Hoenn and the one who knocks Ash out of the tournament. Ritchie (with Sparky, Zippo — now a Charmeleon — Happy and a new Pupitar, Cruise) returns for the Lugia arc, Casey shows off a fully evolved Meganium and catches an Elekid, and Lance, the Indigo Champion and Pokémon G-Men agent, becomes the first Champion to appear in the anime. The Gym Leaders are Jasmine (Olivine), Pryce (Mahogany) and Clair (Blackthorn), and Professor Elm bookends the season, rescuing the group in EP210 and handing Ash the Larvitar Egg in EP257. Professor Oak, Tracey and Delia are all on hand for the League and the farewell, and Silver Conference opponents Macy, Jackson (the “Vincent” of The Legend of Thunder!) and eventual champion Jon Dickson round out the cast.

• Lance and the Red Gyarados(EP236)
• ClairBlackthorn City Gym Leader (EP251)
• PryceMahogany Town Gym Leader (EP238)
• Harrison and Blaziken(EP265)
• Casey and Meganium(EP261)
• SilverThe baby Lugia (EP220)
• Dr. Namba(EP220)
• Butch(EP220)
• Cassidy(EP220)
• Professor Elm(EP210)
• Lance and Ash at the Lake of Rage (EP235)
• The Egg that hatches into Larvitar(EP258)

Voice cast

Character	English voice actor	Japanese voice actor
Ash Ketchum	Veronica Taylor	Rica Matsumoto
Pikachu	Ikue Ōtani	Ikue Ōtani
Misty	Rachael Lillis	Mayumi Iizuka
Brock	Eric Stuart	Yūji Ueda
Togepi	Satomi Kōrogi	Satomi Kōrogi
Jessie	Rachael Lillis	Megumi Hayashibara
James	Eric Stuart	Shin-ichiro Miki
Meowth	Maddie Blaustein	Inuko Inuyama
Gary Oak	Carter Cathcart (as Jimmy Zoppi)	Yūko Kobayashi
Harrison	Wayne Grayson	Katsumi Toriumi
Lance	Wayne Grayson	Susumu Chiba
Clair	Megan Hollingshead	Yūko Mita
Pryce	Carter Cathcart (as Jimmy Zoppi)	Motomu Kiyokawa
Jasmine	Tara Sands (as Tara Jayne)	Yumi Kakazu
Ritchie	Tara Sands (as Tara Jayne)	Minami Takayama
Professor Oak	Stuart Zagnit	Unshō Ishizuka
Professor Elm	Paul Frank	Kazuhiko Inoue
Butch	Eric Stuart	Takehito Koyasu
Cassidy	Megan Hollingshead	Masako Katsuki
Narrator	Rodger Parsons (credited as Ken Gates)	Unshō Ishizuka

Pokémon: Captures, Changes, Encounters & Evolutions

In brief:

• At Lake Gyarados, they find a red gyarados.
• Bulbasaur is sent home to help Professor Oak with maintaining peace and order in his gardens.
• Ash hatches a phanpy.
• Misty catches a corsola.
• Ash delivered the larvitar (technically he never owned it) safe and sound to the Pokemon Nature Preserve on Mount Silver. They even found the larvitar’s mother.
• We see Poliwhirl evolve into Politoed this season.

New Pokémon captured or hatched

• Corsola#0222 · Misty · Lure Ball · EP213
• Phanpy#0231 · Ash · hatched from the race Egg · EP230
• Larvitar#0246 · Ash (carried, never owned) · hatched EP258
• Elekid#0239 · Casey · EP261
• Sneasel#0215 · Harrison · EP265
• Red Gyarados#0130 · Lance · EP236

Evolutions

• Poliwhirl → Politoed#0186 · Misty · King’s Rock · EP247
• Pineco → Forretress#0205 · Brock · EP259
• Weepinbell → Victreebel#0071 · James · EP261
• Dratini → Dragonair#0148 · Clair · EP251
• Eevee → Espeon#0196 · Sakura · off-screen · EP226
• Bayleef → Meganium#0154 · Casey · off-screen · EP261
• Slowpoke → Slowking#0199 · Arthur · EP260

Releases, departures and returns

Bulbasaur is left at Professor Oak’s laboratory in EP225 to keep the peace between the Grass- and Water-types, where it learns Dig and stays permanently. Larvitar is returned to its mother Tyranitar at Ranger Mason’s Mt. Silver preserve in EP264 — the last time Ash parts with a Pokémon until the XY series. Charizard makes two trips back from the Charicific Valley (for the Clair rematch and the Silver Conference) and Snorlax is twice recalled from the lab, where it had learned Ice Punch; Squirtle rejoins from the Squirtle Squad for the League and returns to it afterwards, and the released Lapras, now leading its own herd, reappears in EP257.

On the Team Rocket side, James’s Victreebel is traded to the Magikarp salesman for a Weepinbell in EP261; it evolves into a second Victreebel, Jessie knocks it into the distance, and the salesman releases the original so the pair can leave together. In the farewell episode Ash leaves Phanpy, Bayleef, Noctowl, Totodile and Cyndaquil at Oak’s lab and sets off for Hoenn with Pikachu alone, Misty takes Togepi, Staryu, Goldeen, Psyduck, Politoed and Corsola home to Cerulean, and Brock heads for Pewter with Onix, Geodude, Crobat and Forretress.

Pokémon making their anime debut this season

Forty-three species make their first appearance in the main TV series during Master Quest (several had already appeared in a movie or Pikachu short). Wynaut (EP252) and Blaziken (EP265) are the first Generation III Pokémon shown since Kecleon’s one-off cameo in EP205, months before Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released, and the final episode introduces Wingull, Pelipper, Sharpedo and Wailmer a week before the games launched in Japan. By EP242 every Generation I Pokémon except Mew had appeared in the series.

• Corsola#0222 · EP210
• Lugia#0249 · EP210 / EP220
• Chinchou#0170 · EP212
• Mantine#0226 · EP214
• Octillery#0224 · EP215
• Kingdra#0230 · EP216
• Qwilfish#0211 · EP216
• Lanturn#0171 · EP220
• Pupitar#0247 · EP220
• Steelix#0208 · EP224
• Jumpluff#0189 · EP225
• Espeon#0196 · EP226
• Phanpy#0231 · EP230
• Delibird#0225 · EP231
• Tyrogue#0236 · EP233
• Xatu#0178 · EP234
• Piloswine#0221 · EP237
• Magcargo#0219 · EP240
• Zapdos#0145 · EP242
• Igglybuff#0174 · EP243
• Cleffa#0173 · EP246
• Politoed#0186 · EP247
• Furret#0162 · EP250 (dub: EP252)
• Wynaut#0360 · EP252 · Gen III
• Larvitar#0246 · EP258
• Misdreavus#0200 · EP259
• Forretress#0205 · EP259
• Entei#0244 · EP259
• Slowking#0199 · EP260
• Meganium#0154 · EP261
• Elekid#0239 · EP261
• Quilava#0156 · EP262
• Magby#0240 · EP262
• Unown#0201 · EP263
• Tyranitar#0248 · EP263
• Croconaw#0159 · EP264
• Sneasel#0215 · EP265
• Blaziken#0257 · EP265 · Gen III
• Slugma#0218 · EP267
• Wingull#0278 · EP274 · Gen III
• Pelipper#0279 · EP274 · Gen III
• Sharpedo#0319 · EP274 · Gen III
• Wailmer#0320 · EP274 · Gen III

Key Events, Gym Battles & Tournaments

Badges won this season

Badge	Gym & Leader	Leader’s Pokémon	Ash’s Pokémon	Result	Episode
Mineral Badge	Olivine Gym · Jasmine	Magnemite, Steelix	Pikachu, Cyndaquil	Win — Pikachu KOs Magnemite, Steelix KOs Pikachu, Cyndaquil’s Flamethrower firestorm KOs Steelix	EP224
Glacier Badge	Mahogany Gym · Pryce	Dewgong, Piloswine	Cyndaquil, Pikachu	Win by forfeit — Cyndaquil KOs Dewgong, Piloswine KOs Cyndaquil, Pryce concedes the Pikachu–Piloswine decider	EP238
Rising Badge	Blackthorn Gym · Clair	Kingdra, Gyarados, Dragonair	Snorlax, Pikachu, Charizard	Win (rematch; the first attempt in EP252 was interrupted) — Charizard’s flaming Seismic Toss beats Dragonair	EP254

The Whirl Cup

The Whirl Cup (EP215–EP217) is a Water-type-only tournament held in Scarlet City on Red Rock Isle. After two one-on-one preliminary rounds, Ash’s Totodile beats Christopher’s Kingdra and Misty’s Corsola beats Harrison’s Qwilfish — a different Harrison from the Silver Conference finalist. Misty then knocks Ash out in the second round when Psyduck’s surprise Confusion finishes Kingler, the first time she has ever beaten him, before losing to Trinity, who in turn loses the final. Misty’s own Gym challenge comes later in the season: in Just Add Water (EP256) she takes on Dorian of the unofficial Coastline Gym, the first time a main character other than Ash has challenged a Gym Leader.

The Extreme Pokémon Race

The Extreme Pokémon Race (EP228) in Eggseter has trainers towed on skateboards by their Pokémon. Ash, pulled by Bayleef, beats Gary and his Arcanine in a photo finish — his first victory over his rival in any contest — and the prize is the Egg that hatches into Phanpy two episodes later.

The Johto League Silver Conference

The Johto League Silver Conference (EP265–EP272) takes place in Silver Town at the foot of Mt. Silver. Its Sacred Flame is carried from the Ho-Oh Shrine, and Ash ends up lighting the stadium torch himself after Team Rocket injure the runner. Three one-on-one screening battles whittle the field down; Ash wins all three (Pikachu beats Salvador’s Furret, then Phanpy and Cyndaquil take the other two) and Gary and Harrison also qualify.

In the three-on-three preliminary round robin Ash beats Macy (Totodile, Phanpy and Squirtle against Slugma, Electabuzz and Quilava, with Squirtle’s new Hydro Pump finishing Quilava) and then draws with Jackson when Bulbasaur and Meganium knock each other out — the only tied League battle of Ash’s career — which is enough to reach the Victory Tournament.

The first round of the Victory Tournament is the long-awaited full six-on-six battle with Gary Oak: Gary’s Nidoqueen, Magmar, Blastoise, Arcanine, Scizor and Golem against Ash’s Tauros, Heracross, Muk, Bayleef, Snorlax and Charizard, with Pikachu sitting out for the only time in a Full Battle. Snorlax’s new Ice Punch accounts for Arcanine and Nidoqueen, Scizor takes down Snorlax and Muk, and Charizard finishes Scizor, Golem and finally Blastoise by heating the rock field with Flamethrower before a Seismic Toss. The rivals part as friends.

In the quarter-final Harrison’s Kecleon, Sneasel, Hypno, Steelix, Houndoom and Blaziken edge out Ash’s Pikachu, Totodile, Snorlax, Noctowl, Bayleef and Charizard, Blaziken’s Blaze Kick (the first Generation III move ever shown) deciding the final round. It is Ash’s first Full Battle loss and his best League placing to date: Top 8. Harrison rests Blaziken for his semi-final and loses to Jon Dickson, who goes on to win the Silver Conference off-screen.

Movies & Specials Released During the Season

The fifth movie, Pokémon Heroes: Latias & Latios, opened in Japanese cinemas on 13 July 2002 between Just Add Water (EP256) and Lapras of Luxury (EP257), paired with the Pikachu short Camp Pikachu, and Miramax gave it a limited US release on 16 May 2003 while Master Quest was still on Kids’ WB. Its English theme, “I Believe”, is the full-length version of the season’s opening Believe in Me. The fourth movie, Pokémon 4Ever, had opened in Japan a month before the season began (7 July 2001, with Pikachu’s PikaBoo), but its US theatrical run in October 2002 and home video release in March 2003 both landed inside Master Quest’s American run.

Two television specials fall inside the Japanese window too. Pocket Monsters Crystal: Raikou – Legend of Thunder aired on 30 December 2001 between EP230 and EP231 and introduced Jimmy, Marina and Vincent — the trainer we meet as Jackson in EP268 — along with Professor Sebastian and Eusine, both of whom turn up in this season; English viewers got it years later as the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles. And on 15 October 2002, a month before the Johto finale, TV Tokyo launched the Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station, hosted by Misty and Brock; its first side stories pick up their lives immediately after they leave Ash in EP273.

Side Stories, Specials & Crossovers

Side-story tie-ins

• Pocket Monsters Crystal: Raikou – Legend of Thunder (TV special, 30 December 2001) aired between EP230 and EP231 and follows Jimmy, Marina and Vincent — the trainer Ash draws with as Jackson in EP268. Its villains’ employer, Professor Sebastian, returns at the Lake of Rage (EP235–EP236), and Eusine appears in both. English viewers saw it in 2005–06 as the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles.
• Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station launched on TV Tokyo on 15 October 2002, hosted by Misty and Brock, and its first side stories (Takeshi! Save Nibi Gym! and Hanada Gym Revenge Match, December 2002) pick up their lives directly after they leave Ash in EP273 — dubbed later as Pokémon Chronicles.
• Camp Pikachu (PK11), the short paired with Pokémon Heroes, shares its ending theme with the season’s final ending, Pokettāri Monsutāri; the Japanese DVD of the short bundles Same Old Song and Dance (EP243).
• Mewtwo Returns, the Johto-set TV special from the previous season, reached US home video on 4 December 2001 and was re-run in three parts by the Broadcasting Station in October–November 2002.

Characters from the games, manga and specials

• Lance is the Champion of the Indigo League from Pokémon Red, Blue, Gold and Silver; the anime adds his Pokémon G-Men job. Readers of the Pokémon Adventures manga will know a very different Lance — there he leads the Elite Four as the antagonist of the Yellow arc.
• The Red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage recreates the Shiny Gyarados encounter every player of Gold, Silver and Crystal remembers, including the Team Rocket radio signal forcing the evolution.
• Eusine (EP227) is the Suicune-chasing character added by Pokémon Crystal; Sakura and the Kimono Girls (EP226) come from Ecruteak’s Dance Theater in the games, and Clair’s Dragon Fang story draws on the Dragon’s Den test from Crystal.
• Harrison, Blaziken, Wynaut and the final episode’s Wingull, Pelipper, Sharpedo and Wailmer are all previews of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, which launched in Japan a week after EP274.
• Jackson (EP268) is Vincent from The Legend of Thunder! under his dub name, and Professor Elm and the Egg he gives Ash echo the opening of the Johto games.
• Ritchie and Casey are anime originals, but both would go on to further appearances in Pokémon Chronicles; Ritchie’s next main-series appearance is in Pokémon Journeys, 979 episodes later.

Opening & Ending Themes

Master Quest changes its Japanese theme songs at EP239, so the season has two openings and two endings in Japan but a single English opening throughout. Believe in Me, performed by David Rolfe and written by John Siegler and Rolfe, replaced Born to Be a Winner for all 64 dubbed episodes; a shortened edit of it plays over the dub’s end credits, and the full-length version opens Pokémon Heroes as “I Believe”. Its animation stitches together shots from Ready Go!, from the Whiteberry opening and from Face Forward Team Rocket!.

Notable insert songs include Takeshi’s Paradise and Team Rocket’s Team Rocket Forever in the concert episode Same Old Song and Dance (EP243), the original 1997 Mezase Pokémon Master under Dragonair versus Charizard in EP254, and the instrumental OK! that scores the final round of Ash versus Gary in EP270 — one of the few Japanese cues 4Kids kept. The dub added its own vocal, Misty Most of All, for the farewell montage in EP273.

Believe in Me — the English opening used for every dubbed Master Quest episode. Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel.

TV Broadcasts & Original Airing Dates

Japan. TV Tokyo broadcast the 65 episodes weekly in the series’ regular Thursday-evening slot from 9 August 2001 (Around the Whirlpool) to 14 November 2002 (Hoenn Alone!), with the usual holiday breaks around New Year and early April. Japan has no concept of a “season 5”: these episodes are simply the final stretch of Pocket Monsters, and Advanced Generation took over the slot the following week, on 21 November 2002 — the same day Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire went on sale.

United States. Kids’ WB ordered “52 all-new episodes of Pokémon: Master Quest” in February 2002 and premiered the season on Saturday 14 September 2002. A week later, from Monday 23 to Friday 27 September, the network ran a weekday premiere week of five episodes pulled from much later in the story — Bulbasaur… the Ambassador!, Espeon, Not Included, For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!, Just Waiting On a Friend and Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up? — which is why dub viewers saw Bulbasaur left at Oak’s lab months before it reappeared at the Olivine Gym. The regular Saturday run then continued through to You’re a Star, Larvitar! on 6 September 2003, skipping the never-dubbed The Ice Cave! in May.

How many episodes is Master Quest? It depends who is counting. Japan has 65 episodes (EP210–EP274). The dub has 64, because EP250 was never adapted. Kids’ WB’s television season was 52 episodes, ending with EP262, and the remaining twelve Johto episodes — still carrying the Master Quest title card and Believe in Me — aired from 13 September to 25 October 2003 (with a second weekday week on 15–19 September) as the opening episodes of “Season 6”; Pokémon.com, the Australian DVDs and most episode databases follow that 52-episode definition. VIZ Media’s DVDs and later streaming services instead group seasons by their opening theme, which gives the 64-episode “home video” season — the longest complete season of the dub. Pokémon: Advanced followed on 1 November 2003.

Elsewhere. In the United Kingdom Sky One held first-run rights to the early seasons, so Master Quest premiered on pay TV before Toonami and later channels picked it up. In Australia the series aired in Network Ten’s Cheez TV block. Espeon, Not Included and For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll! are banned in South Korea for their Japanese cultural content, and the Silver Conference episodes did not air there until 2024. Later US airings include Cartoon Network and Boomerang reruns from 2006, the Toonami Jetstream stream of 2008–09, Pokémon TV (until the service closed in March 2024) and DisneyNOW.

Dub Edits, Censorship & the Banned Episode

The banned episode

The Ice Cave! (EP250, こおりのどうくつ！) aired in Japan on 30 May 2002 and has never been dubbed into English or any other language outside East Asia. Its plot is harmless — Brock catches a cold in the Ice Path on the way to Blackthorn City and is nursed by Nurse Joy’s Jynx while Team Rocket sabotage the cave’s cooling system — but Jynx, in its original black-faced design, is central to the episode and could not be edited around. After Holiday Hi-Jynx was pulled from US rotation and children’s author Carole Boston Weatherford argued in 2000 that the design resembled blackface caricature, 4Kids simply skipped it. It is the only Johto episode banned internationally and the last English-dub ban for 753 episodes. In Japan a recoloured version with a purple-skinned Jynx now streams on Prime Video. Our episode guide includes it as the season’s 41st Japanese episode, with no dub number.

Other changes in the English version

Airing order. The five weekday-premiere episodes of September 2002 were shown far ahead of their place in the story (see TV Broadcasts); two of them, Just Waiting On a Friend and Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?, were re-run in their correct slots in 2003. Misty’s line about reaching the Whirl Cup’s top eight in Espeon, Not Included therefore aired before the Whirl Cup itself.

Title cards and eyecatches. The dub introduced a title card that adds a badge each time Ash earns one, while Japan revamped its Who’s That Pokémon? eyecatch from EP211 with a computer voice and National Dex number. In the dub the featured Pokémon had been random since Season 4, whereas the Japanese segment almost always matched the episode; the Japanese version of Why? Wynaut! is the only one ever to show a future-generation Pokémon, listing Wynaut’s number as “???”. The Japanese segment ended with EP274 (Pikachu, mirroring episode one) and did not return until Best Wishes.

Cuts. Most edits are small: a Snorlax pencil case repainted into a balloon in EP224, a close-up of Officer Jenny’s legs removed in EP229, a car crash trimmed in EP236, the Jynx picture in Lily’s spell book replaced by a flower in EP241, and Clair’s skirt lengthened in EP251. The confrontation with the real DJ Mary in Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up? and two shots of Poliwrath slapping Jessie in Outrageous Fortunes were cut from the broadcasts and the 2004–05 DVDs but restored for the 2016 Complete Collection. Hoenn Alone! lost about a minute — mostly establishing shots of the ferry and the approach to Littleroot Town — and its post-credits epilogue was moved before the credits for Kids’ WB’s format.

Music and dialogue. 4Kids replaced most of the Japanese score, though the OK! instrumental survives under the final round of Ash versus Gary. The Japanese flashback in Gotta Catch Ya Later!, built around Misty’s past and a Power of One cue, was replaced shot-for-shot with a montage of Ash and Misty set to the new song Misty Most of All. Food was localised as usual (dango became kebabs, onigiri became sandwiches and doughnuts), Lugia’s title changed from “God of the Sea” to “Titan of the Sea”, Jackson’s references to Jimmy and Marina were rewritten because The Legend of Thunder! had not yet been dubbed, and the Silver Conference announcer repeatedly introduces Harrison as being from Silver Town rather than Littleroot. Several moves were misnamed — Totodile’s Headbutt became “Skull Bash” and Dragonite’s Outrage became “Attack Rage”.

Episode titles explained

Almost every English title is a pun. A few worth decoding:

• Takin’ It on the Chinchou — taking it on the chin
• Plant It Now… Diglett Later — “plant you now, dig you later”
• Hi Ho Silver… Away! — the Lone Ranger’s catchphrase
• A Parent Trapped! — The Parent Trap
• Throwing in the Noctowl — throwing in the towel
• For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll! — Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls
• Xatu the Future — Back to the Future
• Talkin’ ’Bout an Evolution — Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ ’Bout a Revolution”
• As Cold as Pryce and Nice Pryce, Baby! — “as cold as ice” and “Ice Ice Baby”
• Same Old Song and Dance — Aerosmith
• Outrageous Fortunes — Hamlet’s “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
• Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid — Casablanca
• Why? Wynaut! — in Japanese, Wynaut’s name Sohnano means “Really?” and Wobbuffet’s Sonans means “That’s right!”; some airings mistitled the episode Why? Why Not!
• Gotta Catch Ya Later! — the “Gotta catch ’em all!” slogan, which was retired after this episode
• Hoenn Alone! — Home Alone

DVD & Blu-ray / Streaming

Master Quest has had two very different lives on disc. North American releases use the 64-episode “home video” season, while the Australian sets follow the 52-episode television season — so if you are hunting down the Silver Conference on DVD, check which numbering you are buying.

North America (Region 1)

Release	Date	Contents
Pokémon: Master Quest – Quest 1 box set (3 discs, VIZ Media)	26 October 2004	32 episodes, EP210–EP241; now out of print
Pokémon: Master Quest – Quest 2 box set (3 discs, VIZ Media)	15 February 2005	32 episodes, EP242–EP274 (no EP250); keeps the broadcast cuts to EP245 and EP247; out of print
Pokémon – Master Quest: The Complete Collection (7 discs, VIZ Media / Warner Home Video)	11 October 2016	All 64 dubbed episodes with EP245 and EP247 uncut; fifth set in VIZ’s Complete Collection line
Game Boy Advance Video Pokémon Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Nintendo)	21 June 2004	Vol. 1 includes EP227; Vol. 2 is EP271 and EP272 — three of only eight episodes ever released on GBA Video

Australia & New Zealand (Region 4)

Release	Date	Notes
Pokémon Season 5 Super Wallet (13 discs + bonus disc, Magna Pacific)	10 October 2007	52 TV episodes, four per Net-Ball-themed disc, plus four Pokémon Chronicles episodes
Season 5 DigiPack disc set (6 discs, Magna Pacific / Beyond)	8 September 2010 (NZ 13 January 2011)	Discs themed around Kingdra, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Piloswine, Politoed and Elekid; re-issued 2016
MetalPak limited edition (Beyond Home Entertainment)	5 June 2013	Steelbook-style re-release of the 52-episode set
Slimline and alternate-cover re-releases (Beyond)	2 April 2014 · 5 February 2020	Also included in the Johto Collection, Heritage Collection and the multi-season Deluxe/Ultra/Mega box sets

Japan

In Japan the episodes went out on Shogakukan’s rental-only VHS series Pocket Monsters 2002: Gold & Silver Chapter (three episodes per tape from 30 August 2002) with DVD volumes in parallel, and the Camp Pikachu DVD of 22 November 2002 bundles Same Old Song and Dance. Prime Video Japan streams the run as Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver, including the recoloured-Jynx Ice Cave!.

Streaming

Toonami Jetstream streamed the 52-episode season from June 2008 to January 2009; Pokémon TV rotated the 64-episode version in and out of its library from 2010 until the service shut down on 28 March 2024, after which The Official Pokémon YouTube channel began uploading seasons 1–10. Prime Video sells the season as Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver, and DisneyNOW carried the 64-episode season in the US. Availability changes frequently, so check your local service.

Covers

• Quest 1 box set (Region 1, 2004)
• Quest 2 box set (Region 1, 2005)
• The Complete Collection (Region 1, 2016)
• Season 5 Super Wallet (Region 4, 2007)
• Season 5 DigiPack (Region 4, 2010)
• MetalPak limited edition (Region 4, 2013)
• Alternate-cover re-release (Region 4, 2020)

Where to Watch & Buy

Availability changes constantly, so treat this as a snapshot (October 2026) and check your local service. Links will be added here once we have settled on referral partners.

• Prime VideoSells and streams the run as Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver in many territories (the Japanese store carries the recoloured-Jynx edits).
• The Official Pokémon YouTube channelHas been uploading seasons 1–10 since December 2024 (not available in the UK).
• DVD – North AmericaPokémon – Master Quest: The Complete Collection (VIZ Media, 7 discs, 2016) is the one to buy: all 64 dubbed episodes with the two cut scenes restored.
• DVD – Australia & New ZealandBeyond Home Entertainment’s Season 5 sets (52 TV episodes) are regularly re-issued and included in the multi-season box sets.
• Not currently onPokémon TV closed in March 2024; Netflix and Hulu rotate Pokémon seasons but have not carried Master Quest recently.

Trading Cards Released During the Season

Master Quest ran alongside the switch from Wizards of the Coast’s Neo and e-Card era to the first Nintendo-published sets. If you want to collect the cards that were on shop shelves while these episodes were new, these are the expansions:

• Expedition Base Set — September 2002 — released the day after the season premiere; the first e-Reader set
• Aquapolis — January 2003
• Skyridge — May 2003 — Wizards of the Coast’s final expansion
• EX Ruby & Sapphire — June 2003 — the first Nintendo-published set, as the Silver Conference aired
• EX Sandstorm — September 2003 — current for the final Johto episodes

In Japan the run coincided with the end of the Neo series and the whole e-Card series (Base Expansion Pack, The Town on No Map, Wind from the Sea and Mysterious Mountains, 2001–2002), the first Japanese sets with e-Reader strips.

Our TCG section has a full card list, print variations and the most valuable cards for every one of them.

Cards with a link to the season

Three cards from those sets tie straight into the season:

• Blaziken · EX Ruby & Sapphire 3/109The first Generation III set (18 June 2003) arrived during the US run, a few months before the dub reached Harrison’s Blaziken beating Ash in the Silver Conference (EP272).
• Kingdra · Aquapolis 19/147Aquapolis (15 January 2003) was on sale as the dub approached Blackthorn City, where Clair’s Kingdra guards the Rising Badge (EP253).
• Tyranitar · Expedition 29/165Expedition (15 September 2002) arrived the same week the dub began; Ash’s egg hatches into Larvitar in EP258 — this card is what it would one day become.

Firsts & Lasts

• First Champion to appear in the anime: Lance, in Talkin’ ’Bout an Evolution (EP235).
• First Generation III Pokémon of the season: Wynaut (EP252), following Kecleon’s cameo in EP205; first Generation III starter form: Blaziken (EP265); first Generation III move: Blaze Kick (EP272).
• First digitally animated episode: Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid (EP261) — and the last hand-painted cel episode is the one before it, A Crowning Achievement (EP260).
• First time Misty beats Ash in a battle (EP217), and her only on-screen battle capture (Corsola, EP213).
• First win for Ash over Gary (the Extreme Pokémon Race, EP228) and first victory in battle (EP270); first Full Battle, and the only one fought without Pikachu.
• First trainer from Hoenn: Harrison (EP265).
• First Gym battle won by forfeit (Pryce, EP238).
• Last script by original head writer Takeshi Shudō: Enlighten Up! (EP244).
• Last episode with Misty as a travelling companion and last with Brock until Advanced: EP273.
• Last episode of the original series, last Japanese Who’s That Pokémon? segment (until Best Wishes) and last use of the slogan “Gotta catch ’em all!” in an episode title: Hoenn Alone! (EP274).
• Last 4Kids season recorded at TAJ Productions, and the first with a single voice director (Jason Bergenfeld).
• Only Johto episode banned internationally: The Ice Cave! (EP250) — the last English-dub ban for 753 episodes.

Trivia & Facts

• At 64 dubbed episodes Master Quest is the longest complete season of the English dub; the 52-episode “TV season” only exists because Kids’ WB ordered exactly 52 episodes in February 2002.
• A Crowning Achievement (EP260) is the last hand-painted cel episode of the TV series and Here’s Lookin’ at You, Elekid (EP261) the first digitally animated one — which is why Jessie’s hair suddenly turns from crimson to magenta. The movies stayed on cels until Destiny Deoxys.

  

  

• Enlighten Up! (EP244) is the final script by Takeshi Shudō, the anime’s original head writer and the writer of the first three movies.
• Lance is the first Champion to appear in the anime, and the Red Gyarados is the first Shiny Pokémon used as a plot device.
• After Kecleon’s one-off cameo in EP205, Wynaut (EP252) is only the second Generation III Pokémon in the series and the first of Master Quest, five months before Ruby and Sapphire; Blaziken (EP265) is the earliest-debuting evolved starter of any later generation, and Blaze Kick (EP272) is the first Generation III move. During the Japanese run the current games were Gold, Silver and Crystal; by the end of the US run Ruby and Sapphire were on shelves.
  

  

• The Glacier Badge is the only Gym badge Ash has ever won by forfeit, and the Rising Badge rematch is the only Gym battle in which he used a Pokémon fetched from Oak’s lab — and the only Johto Gym he won without a single Johto-caught Pokémon.
• Misty’s season of firsts: her first win over Ash (EP217), her only on-screen battle capture (Corsola), the first use of an evolution item by a main character (the King’s Rock) and the first Gym challenge by a main character other than Ash (EP256).
• The Ash–Gary Full Battle is the only one Ash has fought without Pikachu; the draw with Jackson is his only tied League battle; and the loss to Harrison is his first Full Battle defeat.
• The Ice Cave! is the only Johto episode banned outside East Asia and the last English-dub ban until Sun & Moon, 753 episodes later.
• Japan’s Who’s That Pokémon? segment ends with EP274 on Pikachu, exactly as it began in episode one, and did not return until Best Wishes.
• Hoenn Alone! replaces “To be continued” with “Next time… a new beginning!” — a tradition every later series finale has followed. It is the first episode since EP001 with Ash as the only hero on screen and the first ever without Misty.
• Gary’s Golem uses Magnitude in EP270 — the only time the move has ever appeared in the anime.
  

  

• Ash first exceeds six Pokémon on hand in this season, carrying Larvitar outside a Poké Ball from EP258.
• It is the first dubbed season with a single voice director (Jason Bergenfeld) and the last recorded at TAJ Productions; Carter Cathcart adapted his first script for EP210, and the scripts for EP211 and EP212 were written by cast members Maddie Blaustein (Meowth) and Stuart Zagnit (Professor Oak).
• Ash and James refer to the Lugia of The Power of One in EP220, confirming the second movie as canon to the series.
• Wish Upon a Star Shape, One Trick Phony!, I Politoed Ya So! and Just Add Water each aired in the US exactly one year and one day after Japan.
• Three Master Quest episodes — EP227, EP271 and EP272 — were among only eight Pokémon episodes ever released on Game Boy Advance Video cartridges.
• The trading card expansions released during the US run were Expedition Base Set (September 2002), Aquapolis, Skyridge, EX Ruby & Sapphire and EX Sandstorm (September 2003) — see our TCG section.

Reception

Ratings. Kids’ WB reported in February 2003 that Pokémon: Master Quest ranked among the top nine broadcast programmes for children aged 2–11 and 6–11, and renewed the show for another 52 episodes. By September 2003, in its Saturday 10 a.m. slot, it was still the third-highest-rated programme of the morning among boys 6–11 (a 7.4 rating and 24 share) — though by then stablemate Yu-Gi-Oh! had overtaken it as the block’s biggest show. Japanese ratings for 2001–02 are not reliably documented in English-language sources.

Fan favourites. On IMDb the farewell episode Gotta Catch Ya Later! is the season’s highest-rated episode (around 8.6/10), followed by the Ash–Gary showdown Can’t Beat the Heat! (8.4) and the Rising Badge battle Better Eight Than Never (8.0); the Lugia two-parter, the Glacier Badge battle and the Harrison match all sit comfortably above seven. The lowest-rated entries are the fillers Hocus Pokémon and Some Like it Hot at around 6.5–6.7.

Critical commentary. Dogasu’s Backpack, the long-running dub-comparison site, regards the six-on-six battle with Gary as one of the best battles in the whole series, with every knockout earned, while finding the quarter-final against Harrison well paced but the tournament’s wrap-up and Gary’s sudden career change rushed. It rates the farewell episode among the biggest in the series, with top-tier animation and a nicely handled goodbye, but considers Hoenn Alone! a filler-weight finale for a three-year saga. The 2016 Complete Collection was welcomed chiefly for finally restoring the two cut scenes and giving the Silver Conference a single, in-print home.

Continue the journey with Season 6: Pokémon Advanced, go back to Season 4: Johto League Champions, or browse every season of the Pokémon anime.