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| Season | Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Season 10) · Route 202: Nando, Turtwig & a first defeat arc (DP004–DP009) |
| Episode | Season 10, episode 9 · English episode 473 · Japanese episode 476 · Bulbapedia code DP009 |
| English title | Setting The World On Its Buneary! |
| Japanese title | ミミロルとあそぼう！？ Mimiroru to Asobō!? — “Let’s Play with Mimirol!?” |
| First aired (Japan) | 16 November 2006 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 18 June 2007 · Cartoon Network |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Together – Fumie Akiyoshi · Kimi no Soba de ~Hikari no Tēma~ (By Your Side ~Hikari’s Theme~) – Grin |
| English opening | Diamond and Pearl – Chris “Breeze” Barczynski |
| Previous episode | Gymbaliar! (DP008) |
| Next episode | Not on MY Watch Ya Don’t! (DP010) |
Plot episodeDawn catches BunearyHer first capture
Setting The World On Its Buneary! is the 9th episode of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, the tenth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 473rd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 476, Bulbapedia code DP009). It first aired in Japan on 16 November 2006 and in the United States on 18 June 2007. It falls within the season’s Route 202: Nando, Turtwig & a first defeat stretch (EP4–EP9).
Synopsis
Morning at the campsite starts with a scream: Dawn’s hair is a mess, and she refuses to let Ash see her until Piplup’s Bubble Beam turns out to be the perfect styling tool. A wild Buneary watches the camp and is impressed when Pikachu snatches a potato out of the air. Later Aipom steals Ash’s cap, and Pikachu wins it back with Quick Attack but lands blinded in the road, where Officer Jenny nearly runs it over until the Buneary pulls it to safety. Shy, the rabbit hides behind its ears and bounces off into a tree. Jenny shows the group a photograph of three disguised thieves who have been stealing machine parts, but nobody recognises Team Rocket, and Croagunk stops Brock’s flirting with a Poison Jab. At lunch Ash and Dawn quarrel over who gets to catch Buneary, until it reappears and leads them on a chase.
Dawn battles first, and Buneary dominates: Ice Beam freezes Piplup’s Bubble Beam in mid-air, Dizzy Punch leaves it confused, and Bounce knocks it out. When Pikachu steps up, Buneary refuses to fight, and the friends realise it has a crush on Pikachu. As Ash throws a Poké Ball, Buneary freezes everyone except Starly with Ice Beam and whisks Pikachu away. Pikachu scolds it for freezing his friends and Buneary bursts into tears, but before he can make amends, Team Rocket’s mecha traps Buneary in a glass capsule and redirects Pikachu’s Thunderbolt onto it. Croagunk breaks the ice with Poison Jab and Starly guides the group to the scene, while Pikachu lets itself be captured in the hope of freeing Buneary.
Buneary’s Dizzy Punch cannot break the glass, but Pikachu smashes out with Iron Tail and frees it. Officer Jenny arrives and recognises Team Rocket as the factory thieves, and as they rocket away in a detached part of the mecha, Buneary’s Ice Beam and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt combine to send it plunging, with Ash and Dawn catching the two Pokémon as they jump clear. The villains escape with Jenny in pursuit. Buneary now wants to travel with Dawn, but Dawn insists on catching it properly. In a rematch, Bubble Beam and Ice Beam cancel out and Peck misses, until Piplup dodges a Dizzy Punch and lands its Peck. Dawn’s Poké Ball wobbles and clicks shut, and Buneary becomes the first Pokémon she has caught on her journey, ready to join Piplup on the Jubilife Contest stage.
Major Events
- Dawn catches Buneary, her first capture
- Buneary has a crush on Pikachu
- The series’ first cold open
- Storyboarded by chief director Kunihiko Yuyama
Captures and evolutions
Buneary#0427 · Dawn · her first capture
Trivia
- The English title plays on to "set the world on its ear".
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Sinnoh storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- The first US airing’s title card read “it’s” for “its”
- Croagunk added to the Together lyric screen; Buneary added to the ending
- By Your Side as background music
Part of our Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.