 |
|
| Season | Pokémon: Master Quest (Season 5) · The Johto League Silver Conference arc (EP265–EP272) |
| Episode | Season 5, episode 61 · English episode 270 · Japanese episode 273 · Bulbapedia code EP271 |
| English title | Playing with Fire |
| Japanese title | バシャーモふたたび! ハヅキとのたたかい!! Bashāmo Futatabi! Hazuki to no Tatakai!! — “Bursyamo Returns! Battle Against Hazuki!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 24 October 2002 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 4 October 2003 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Ready Go! – Naomi Tamura · Pokettāri Monsutāri – Kana |
| English opening | Believe in Me – David Rolfe |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Ariados (US) · Snorlax (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Can’t Beat the Heat! (EP270) |
| Next episode | Johto Photo Finish (EP272) |
Plot episodeAsh vs Harrison, part 1
Playing with Fire is the 61st episode of Pokémon: Master Quest, the fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 270th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 273, Bulbapedia code EP271). It first aired in Japan on 24 October 2002 and in the United States on 4 October 2003. It falls within the season’s The Johto League Silver Conference stretch (EP265–EP272).
Although it carries the Master Quest title card and theme, Kids’ WB counted this episode as part of Season 6; VIZ’s DVDs and streaming services include it in Master Quest.
Synopsis
Round two of the finals, and Ash now faces Harrison, who has his pokémon from Hoenn with him. Half the pokémon on his team are completely unfamiliar to Ash. Fortunately Prof Oak updated his PokéDex to include Hoenn pokémon. Ash starts out well, but the tide turns against him when the referees call for a break. This gives Harrison time to make corrections to his strategy. They are reduced to one pokémon each, Hamilton with his blaziken, and Ash with Charizard.
Major Events
- Quarter-final
- GBA Video Vol. 2
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Snorlax in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Ariados in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- Team Rocket motto variations and dub-only fourth-wall jokes (“Meowth has been dropped from the rest of the season”, EP265). Move-name errors: Headbutt → “Skull Bash” (EP216–217), Take Down (EP220), Outrage → “Attack Rage” (EP253), Bind → “Wrap”, Scary Face → “Leer” (EP271), Ice Beam → “Cold Beam” (EP257). The announcer repeatedly calls Harrison “from Silver Town” instead of Littleroot (EP270, EP272).
- Notable exceptions kept in the dub include the “OK!” instrumental in EP270’s final round and most of EP271’s score
Part of our Pokémon: Master Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.