Pokémon Season 11: DP Battle Dimension

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

Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension is the eleventh season of the English-language Pokémon anime and the second season of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, known in Japan simply as Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl. It covers Japanese episodes DP053 to DP104, which TV Tokyo broadcast from 8 November 2007 to 4 December 2008, and its 52 episodes ran on Cartoon Network from 12 April 2008 to 2 May 2009. It is the first season dubbed at DuArt Film and Video in New York, which went on to record the English version for more than a decade, and the last in which every episode was made in the 4:3 format.

Ash, Dawn and Brock spend the whole season in Sinnoh. Ash trades his Aipom for Dawn’s Buizel, catches a clumsy Gligar that evolves into Gliscor with Gary’s Razor Fang, sees his Turtwig become Grotle and wins three more Badges: the Cobble Badge from Maylene after a drawn battle, the Fen Badge from Crasher Wake and, after inventing the Counter Shield, the Relic Badge from Fantina. Dawn, shaken by two Contest defeats in a row, loses a Gym battle to Maylene, beats May by half a point to win the Wallace Cup and adds the Celestic Ribbon, while Jessie, as Jessilina, wins her first two Ribbons, releases her Dustox and catches a Yanma. Along the way Paul’s brother Reggie, the Contest Master Wallace, the Elite Four’s Aaron and a hyperactive new rival, Barry, join the cast, Ash protects a kidnapped Riolu with the Pokémon Ranger Kellyn, and Team Galactic step out of the shadows: they steal the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs in Celestic Town, and their leader, Cyrus, is revealed to viewers as the courteous businessman who had praised Ash and his friends for defending the orb.

Battle Dimension is also a season of returns. May comes back for the five-part Wallace Cup arc and her last speaking role in the anime, Gary hands Ash the Razor Fang, Butch and Cassidy make their only Diamond and Pearl appearance, and several of the 4Kids-era voice actors, from Rachael Lillis to Ted Lewis, are heard again in the dub. No episode was banned or skipped, there was still no Who’s That Pokémon?, and 32 Generation IV species make their TV debut, ending with Darkrai and Cresselia in the finale. Our complete episode guide below has a synopsis, both titles and the air dates for all 52 episodes.

• 52episodes — the same count in Japan, in English and on DVD
• 3Gym Badges won — Cobble, Fen and Relic, five in all
• 0.5points — Dawn’s winning margin over May in the Wallace Cup final
• 2official Ribbons for Jessie, as Jessilina — her first
• 32Pokémon species make their TV debut
• 9two-episode, one-hour broadcasts in Japan

Quick Answers

Story Arcs

Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension runs for 52 episodes and follows Ash, Dawn and Brock from Hearthome City to Canalave City. Here is how the season breaks down, with stills from our episode guide below.

Chimchar’s fresh start & the road to SolaceonDP053–DP059

Freed from Paul, Chimchar bursts into tears when Ash’s team praises it for a lost sparring match, and a midnight talk with Meowth gives it the courage to drive off the Zangoose it fears. Gardenia’s return leads James to leave his Cacnea with her to master Drain Punch, and on Zoey’s advice Ash and Dawn trade Aipom for Buizel, the only trade ever made between two main characters. Stand-alone stops follow: Buizel and Aipom topple the Hallowed Tower and free Spiritomb, which a lightning-charged Pikachu defeats in the first episode to mention Aura; Bibarel refuses to cut stone for a bridge built to a faulty blueprint; Alan’s Nosepass evolves into Probopass near Mount Coronet, the anime’s first location-based evolution; and Marble’s Luxray learns to trust its partner.

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Solaceon: the Unown ruins & Dawn’s slumpDP060–DP065

At the Solaceon Ruins Commander Saturn takes a mysterious cube while Kenny reveals a Breloom and Dawn’s Aipom evolves into Ambipom. At the Solaceon Contest Dawn fails the Performance Stage for the second Contest running and Jessie, as Jessilina, wins her first official Ribbon with Dustox; Zoey tells Dawn that her flashy appeal hid her Pokémon. A Miltank café, where Ash puts on a maid’s outfit, and a hot spring run by Dawn’s childhood friend Leona restore everyone’s spirits. In a city of skyscrapers Turtwig finally masters Energy Ball, Paul catches a Gliscor and Ash catches the slow Gligar that keeps landing on him, and Butch and Cassidy make their only Diamond and Pearl appearance in the desert.

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Veilstone: Maylene, Reggie & Team GalacticDP066–DP070

In Veilstone City the group meet Paul’s older brother Reggie, a Breeder who is looking after Paul’s team, and the Gym Leader Maylene, who has lost her confidence after Paul’s win. Ash beats Reggie three-on-three, and Reggie helps Staravia learn Brave Bird. Dawn challenges Maylene first and loses — the only Gym challenge by a main character other than Ash — but the battle restores both girls’ spirit, and when Buizel and Lucario knock each other out Maylene awards Ash the Cobble Badge. Team Galactic then try to steal the Veilstone meteorites with the Spear Key, Saturn’s Toxicroak begins its rivalry with Croagunk, and Pikachu and Paul’s Electabuzz finally team up. A clingy Chingling closes the stay.

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Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped RioluDP071–DP072

A two-part special made for Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. An injured Riolu escapes a research facility, and the Pokémon Ranger Kellyn, the game’s hero, explains that it is destined to be the guardian of the Lucario Kingdom and that Ash’s Aura matches its own. Pokémon Hunter J freezes Riolu and sells it to a wealthy client; Ash sneaks aboard her airship, Kellyn befriends Floatzel, Blastoise, Staraptor, Dodrio and Donphan with his Capture Styler, and Riolu’s Aura Sphere and Pikachu’s Volt Tackle stop the client’s Aggron. It aired in Japan as a one-hour special on the game’s launch day, keeps all of its Japanese music in the dub, and is Solana’s last appearance.

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Lake Valor & the Wallace CupDP073–DP079

Jessie lets her Dustox go with a Shiny Dustox, stepping on its Poké Ball as it leaves, and Pikachu loses to Sho’s Raichu, refuses the Thunder Stone and wins the rematch. At Lake Valor the Hoenn Champion and Contest Master Wallace announces his Cup, whose Aqua Ribbon counts in every region, and persuades Ash to enter with Buizel. May returns with a newly evolved Glaceon, Squirtle now a Wartortle and Bulbasaur a Venusaur. Ash, Dawn, May and Zoey pass the Performance Stage; Ash loses to Kyle’s Lanturn in the quarter-finals, though Buizel perfects its Ice Aqua Jet; Dawn beats Kyle and May beats Zoey; and Piplup beats Glaceon by half a point to give Dawn the Aqua Ribbon. May then leaves for Johto.

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Pastoria & the Fen BadgeDP080–DP085

Jessie catches a Yanma, which Giovanni sends back and which promptly evolves into Yanmega. Ash and Paul battle again: Gliscor knocks out Gligar in one blow with Guillotine, and when Chimchar’s Blaze finally activates, it rampages through the forest until Ash holds it, enduring the heat. In Pastoria City Brock’s Croagunk enters the Croagunk Festival and the group meet the masked Gym Leader Crasher Wake, whom Pikachu and Buizel beat for the Fen Badge without a single faint on Ash’s side. Dawn catches a gluttonous Swinub, and Gary, passing through on an errand for Professor Rowan, gives Ash a Razor Fang: once Gligar has overcome its fear, it evolves into Gliscor in mid-air to catch its falling Trainer.

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Hearthome Collection & the Summer AcademyDP086–DP091

Back in Hearthome City, with Fantina still away, Dawn and Buneary win the Hearthome Collection fashion show and Ash and Pikachu the prize for originality. Three Psyduck block the road to protect their Eggs, and Happiny is knocked out for the only time. At Professor Rowan’s week-long Pokémon Summer Academy near Mount Coronet the friends join the Red Team with Angie, a Day Care girl who becomes Ash’s rival for the week, train borrowed Pokémon, investigate a hypnotising Lumineon, meet a ghost girl and a protective Dusknoir at the Summit Ruins, and finally win the Pokémon Triathlon, Ash crossing the line a hair ahead of Angie to give the Red Team the title.

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Fantina & the Celestic RibbonDP092–DP095

Team Rocket, out of shape after the Summer Academy, go back to basics with their original motto, and a Meowth daydream gives Mew its first TV-series appearance. Ash meets Fantina, the Hearthome Gym Leader and Grand Festival winner, who has been travelling to refine a new style; her Drifloon evolves into Drifblim mid-battle and puts Buizel, Chimchar and Pikachu to sleep with Hypnosis, forcing Ash to forfeit. Brock teaches first aid when Pachirisu develops an electric fever, and at the Celestic Contest Dawn beats Lila, her mother’s old rival and now a famous Stylist, for her third Ribbon — the battle that gives Ash his idea for countering Hypnosis.

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Team Galactic strikes Celestic TownDP096–DP097

Team Galactic steal the Adamant Orb on its way to Celestic Town, then attack the Historical Research Center, where Cynthia’s grandmother, Professor Carolina, guards the Lustrous Orb. Commanders Saturn and Mars, with the new Commander Jupiter, outfight Ash, Dawn and Cynthia, Saturn’s Toxicroak knocks out Croagunk with a single Poison Jab, and Team Rocket’s attempt to grab the orb for themselves only hands it to Jupiter’s Skuntank. The polite businessman Cyrus, who had asked to see the orb, is then revealed to viewers as Team Galactic’s boss, ordering the capture of the lake guardians while Mars reports progress on the Red Chain.

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Grotle, Barry, the Relic Badge & CanalaveDP098–DP104

Angie’s runaway Lickilicky causes a monster scare in Solaceon, and the Elite Four’s Aaron is reunited with the Wurmple he abandoned as a child, now a Beautifly. Cynthia beats Aaron on television; Paul’s Honchkrow beats Ash’s Turtwig, which evolves into Grotle mid-battle and learns from Paul’s Torterra to rely on its defence. In Hearthome the hyperactive Barry, who has just beaten Fantina, loses to Ash, and the next day Buizel’s spinning Counter Shield blocks Hypnosis and Chimchar beats Drifblim for the Relic Badge while Jessilina wins the Majolica Ribbon. In Canalave City Meowth fakes a defection and Barry leaves for Iron Island, and with the Gym Leader away the friends help Cresselia drive off Darkrai’s nightmares as Dawn’s Swinub evolves into Piloswine.

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Episode Guide

All 52 episodes of Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension are listed below in Japanese order, which is also the order of the English dub, apart from one two-parter. The # column is the season number used by VIZ Media and on streaming, and the orange code is the Bulbapedia DP number used by most fan sites. Every episode has its own page with our full synopsis, both titles, air dates, major events, Pokémon debuts, trivia and dub changes — click the title or the screenshot. US dates are the Cartoon Network premieres: the Pokémon Ranger two-parter (DP071–DP072) was held back and aired on 1 and 8 November 2008, between DP081 and DP082. There is no Who’s That Pokémon? this season: the Diamond and Pearl dub has no mid-episode quiz or eyecatch at all, and Japan closed each episode with Professor Oak’s lecture, a movie countdown or a quiz instead.

	#	Episode	First aired	In short
	1DP053	Tears For Fears!ヒコザルの涙！	Japan 8 Nov 2007 US 12 Apr 2008	On the road to Veilstone City, Ash, Dawn and Brock stop for lunch and let all their Pokémon out to eat. · Dub season premiere Episode guide →
	2DP054	Once There Were Greenfieldsナタネとサボネア！さよならは誰のため！？	Japan 15 Nov 2007 US 19 Apr 2008	In Emeragrove Town, Ash, Dawn and Brock run into Eterna Gym Leader Gardenia, who is touring Sinnoh holding battles for local children to promote the… · James leaves Cacnea Episode guide →
	3DP055	Throwing the Track Switchエイパムとブイゼル！それぞれの道！！	Japan 22 Nov 2007 US 26 Apr 2008	At a Pokémon Center, James is still moping over Cacnea, and not even his favourite mangoes can cheer him up. · Aipom & Buizel traded Episode guide →
	4DP056	The Keystone Pops!ミカルゲの要石！	Japan 29 Nov 2007 US 10 May 2008	Eager to get to know their newly traded partners, Ash and Dawn hold a practice battle, but when Aipom deflects Buizel’s SonicBoom with Focus… · Spiritomb debuts Episode guide →
	5DP057	Bibarel Gnaws Best!ビーダルは知っていた！	Japan 29 Nov 2007 US 17 May 2008	On the way to Solaceon Town the group find a crowd held up at an unfinished bridge. · Bibarel the stonecutter Episode guide →
	6DP058	Nosing ‘Round the Mountain!ダイノーズ！熱き魂！！	Japan 6 Dec 2007 US 24 May 2008	On a rocky trail near Solaceon Town, Ash’s Turtwig battles a Trainer named Alan and his Nosepass, dodging a barrage of Zap Cannons until one… · Nosepass evolves into Probopass Episode guide →
	7DP059	Luxray Vision!レントラーの瞳！	Japan 13 Dec 2007 US 31 May 2008	Hoping to find a place to stay, Ash and his friends approach a large manor and are suddenly blinded by spotlights. · Marble’s Luxray Episode guide →
	8DP060	Journey to the Unown!ズイの遺跡のアンノーン！	Japan 20 Dec 2007 US 7 Jun 2008	Training for the Solaceon Contest, Dawn has Aipom perform a move that makes it look as though it has two tails, and Brock explains that it is Double… · Aipom evolves into Ambipom Episode guide →
	9DP061	Team Shocker!ポケモンコンテスト！ズイ大会！！	Japan 20 Dec 2007 US 14 Jun 2008	The day before the Solaceon Town Contest, Ash tries to teach Turtwig Energy Ball under Kenny’s eye, but the attempt backfires and sends Turtwig… · Solaceon Ribbon for Jessilina Episode guide →
	10DP062	Tanks for the Memories!メイドカフェのミルタンク！	Japan 10 Jan 2008 US 21 Jun 2008	Brock eagerly leads Ash and Dawn to the Mountain Hut Maid Café, run by three sisters named Autumn, Spring and Summer, and flirts with the two… · Ash dresses as a maid Episode guide →
	11DP063	Hot Springing a Leak!ウリムートリオと湯けむりバトル！！	Japan 17 Jan 2008 US 28 Jun 2008	Turtwig’s Energy Ball fizzles again, but Ash keeps encouraging it. · Dawn’s friend Leona Episode guide →
	12DP064	Riding the Winds of Change!グライオンとグライガー！風の迷路をぬけて！	Japan 24 Jan 2008 US 5 Jul 2008	Picnicking in a city on the way to Veilstone, Ash and Turtwig keep practising Energy Ball, still without much accuracy, until a flock of Gligar led… · Ash catches Gligar Episode guide →
	13DP065	Sleight of Sand!パチリスはカバルドンの口の中！？	Japan 31 Jan 2008 US 12 Jul 2008	Crossing a desert on the way to Veilstone City, the group let their Pokémon out to play in the sand, until a Hippowdon erupts from the ground… · Butch & Cassidy return Episode guide →
	14DP066	Lost Leader Strategy!ルカリオ！怒りのはどうだん！！	Japan 7 Feb 2008 US 19 Jul 2008	Arriving in Veilstone City, Ash, Dawn and Brock see glowing blue spheres streaking overhead, and Ash recognises them as Aura Spheres. · Maylene & Reggie debut Episode guide →
	15DP067	Crossing the Battle Line!ヒカリはじめてのジムバトル！！	Japan 14 Feb 2008 US 26 Jul 2008	Maylene asks Dawn to postpone their Gym battle by a day so that she can prepare, and Dawn uses the time to train Piplup against Ash’s Buizel. · Dawn’s Gym battle Episode guide →
	16DP068	A Triple Fighting Chance!トバリジム！ルカリオ対ブイゼル！！	Japan 28 Feb 2008 US 2 Aug 2008	Her confidence restored by her battle with Dawn, Maylene accepts Ash’s challenge. · Cobble Badge Episode guide →
	17DP069	Enter Galactic!ステキファッション！その名はギンガ団！！	Japan 6 Mar 2008 US 9 Aug 2008	As the group prepare to leave Veilstone City, Reggie takes them to see the city’s famous meteorites. · Team Galactic battle Episode guide →
	18DP070	The Bells Are Singing!シャンとしてリーシャン！	Japan 13 Mar 2008 US 16 Aug 2008	Ash trains Gligar to turn in mid-air, but it keeps turning the wrong way and crashing. · Francesca’s Chingling Episode guide →
	19DP071	Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part 1ポケモンレンジャー！波導のリオル！！(前編)	Japan 20 Mar 2008 US 1 Nov 2008	Amid explosions, a Riolu that its captors call “RX1” breaks out of a research facility, and the kidnappers’ Golem fires Hyper Beam… · Ranger special, part 1 Episode guide →
	20DP072	Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part 2ポケモンレンジャー！波導のリオル！！(後編)	Japan 20 Mar 2008 US 8 Nov 2008	Trapped by the forest fire, Ash has Buizel’s Water Gun clear a path, and he and Riolu escape the flames, only for J to freeze Riolu with her… · Riolu rescued Episode guide →
	21DP073	Crossing Pathsさよならドクケイル！	Japan 3 Apr 2008 US 23 Aug 2008	Pikachu and Piplup are singing along the road when Piplup’s hunger sends everyone hurrying towards a Pokémon Center beside a lake. · Jessie releases Dustox Episode guide →
	22DP074	Pika and Goliath!ピカチュウ！ライチュウ！進化への道！！	Japan 3 Apr 2008 US 30 Aug 2008	Over lunch, Dawn’s flailing arms knock the food out of Pikachu’s paws, and as Pikachu chases it, a Pichu gobbles it up. · Pikachu refuses to evolve again Episode guide →
	23DP075	Our Cup Runneth Over!コンテストマスター・ミクリ登場！	Japan 17 Apr 2008 US 6 Sep 2008	Rhonda of Sinnoh Now reports that Contest Master Wallace, a former Sootopolis Gym Leader and the reigning Hoenn Champion, will host the Wallace Cup… · Wallace debuts Episode guide →
	24DP076	A Full Course Tag Battle!レストラン七つ星！タッグバトルでフルコース！！	Japan 24 Apr 2008 US 13 Sep 2008	At Port Valor on the shore of Lake Valor, Ash, Dawn and Brock wait for May’s ferry, and a Beautifly lands on Ash’s head just before May… · May returns Episode guide →
	25DP077	Staging A Heroes’ Welcome!みんなライバル！ミクリカップ！！	Japan 8 May 2008 US 20 Sep 2008	The day before the Wallace Cup, the group stroll around Valor Lakefront, where Brock flirts with a crêpe vendor until Croagunk jabs him and May… · Wallace Cup Performance Stage Episode guide →
	26DP078	Pruning a Passel of Pals!激闘！それぞれのバトル！！	Japan 8 May 2008 US 27 Sep 2008	In their room at the Lakeside Resort, May, Dawn and Zoey talk Contests: Dawn explains that her mother’s Top Coordinator title inspired her, and… · Ash loses to Kyle Episode guide →
	27DP079	Strategy With a Smile!決戦！ヒカリ対ハルカ！！	Japan 15 May 2008 US 11 Oct 2008	The first semi-final pits Dawn’s Piplup against Kyle’s Crawdaunt over the water. · Aqua Ribbon – Dawn wins the Wallace Cup Episode guide →
	28DP080	The Thief That Keeps on Thieving!ヤンヤンマ！ゲット作戦！！	Japan 22 May 2008 US 18 Oct 2008	Walking beside a lake, Dawn shows off her new Ribbon and Ash looks forward to the Pastoria Gym when a Yanma lands briefly on Dawn’s head. · Jessie catches Yanma Episode guide →
	29DP081	Chim – Charred!灼熱のヒコザル！	Japan 29 May 2008 US 25 Oct 2008	Ash and Dawn hold a training match in Triple Battle style, three Pokémon to a side, while Brock looks on. · Chimchar’s Blaze Episode guide →
	30DP082	Cream of the Croagunk Crop!ノモセ大湿原のグレッグル祭り！？	Japan 5 Jun 2008 US 15 Nov 2008	Arriving in Pastoria City, Ash and his friends meet the masked Gym Leader Crasher Wake, who is on his way to the Great Marsh. · Crasher Wake debuts Episode guide →
	31DP083	A Crasher Course in Power!ノモセジム！ＶＳマキシマム仮面！！	Japan 19 Jun 2008 US 22 Nov 2008	In the Great Marsh, James and Carnivine pull a reluctant Meowth face-first into the mud. · Fen Badge Episode guide →
	32DP084	Hungry for the Good Life!ウラヤマさんちの大食いウリムー！	Japan 3 Jul 2008 US 6 Dec 2008	Walking through a forest, the group spot a Cleffa hiding in the bushes, and a housekeeper named Monica emerges, relieved to have found it; it belongs… · Dawn catches Swinub Episode guide →
	33DP085	Fighting Fear with Fear!グライガー！友情の翼！	Japan 3 Jul 2008 US 13 Dec 2008	During lunch Ash’s Gligar wanders off and comes back to show him an X-Scissor that is still a work in progress. · Gligar evolves into Gliscor Episode guide →
	34DP086	Arriving in Style!ヨスガコレクション！ポケモンスタイリストへの道！！	Japan 10 Jul 2008 US 20 Dec 2008	Back in Hearthome City for Ash’s Gym battle, the group learn that Gym Leader Fantina is still away. · Hearthome Collection Episode guide →
	35DP087	The Psyduck Stops Here!コダックの通せんぼ！	Japan 24 Jul 2008 US 27 Dec 2008	On the road through a valley towards Celestic Town, where Dawn’s next Contest awaits, the group find their path blocked by three Psyduck. · Psyduck roadblock Episode guide →
	36DP088	Camping It Up!ポケモンサマースクール開講！！	Japan 7 Aug 2008 US 3 Jan 2009	Ash, Dawn and Brock hurry to the Pokémon Summer Academy near Mount Coronet, a week-long training camp to which Professor Rowan has invited… · Summer Academy, part 1 Episode guide →
	37DP089	Up Close and Personable!研究発表「湖の伝説」！	Japan 14 Aug 2008 US 10 Jan 2009	On the third day of the Summer Academy, Professor Rowan and Yuzo send the students to study a Water-type Pokémon at the lake, with two rules:… · Summer Academy, part 2 Episode guide →
	38DP090	Ghoul Daze!放課後はゴーストタイム	Japan 21 Aug 2008 US 17 Jan 2009	The Summer Academy’s next lesson teaches the students how to approach Ghost-type Pokémon, and that night they will work in pairs to find… · Summer Academy, part 3 Episode guide →
	39DP091	One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!最後の大勝負！ポケモントライアスロン！！	Japan 28 Aug 2008 US 24 Jan 2009	Professor Rowan announces the Summer Academy’s final event, a Pokémon Triathlon, and Ash and Angie each boast that they will win. · Summer Academy, part 4 Episode guide →
	40DP092	A Lean Mean Team Rocket Machine!原点回帰だロケット団！？	Japan 4 Sep 2008 US 31 Jan 2009	Dawn trains Piplup hard for her next Contest, and after proudly performing its Bubble Beam routine, Piplup collapses from exhaustion; at a… · Team Rocket back to basics Episode guide →
	41DP093	Playing The Leveling Field!踊るジムリーダー！メリッサ登場！！	Japan 11 Sep 2008 US 7 Feb 2009	Passing through a small town, the group stop to watch Zoey battling an unfamiliar Trainer, who turns out to be Fantina, the Hearthome Gym Leader. · Fantina debuts Episode guide →
	42DP094	Doc Brock!パチリスお熱です！２人でお留守番！？	Japan 25 Sep 2008 US 14 Feb 2009	While Dawn practises Contest moves, Ash worries about how to beat Drifblim’s Hypnosis and falls asleep thinking about it. · Brock’s first aid Episode guide →
	43DP095	Battling The Generation Gap!ポケモンコンテスト！カンナギ大会！！	Japan 25 Sep 2008 US 21 Feb 2009	Johanna tells Dawn, Ash and Brock by video call about her old rival Lila: long ago, Lila’s Delcatty vanished as a decoy when Johanna’s… · Celestic Ribbon Episode guide →
	44DP096	Losing Its Lustrous!ギンガ団襲撃！！ -前編-	Japan 2 Oct 2008 US 28 Feb 2009	A police plane carrying the Adamant Orb from Eterna City to Celestic Town is attacked by a flock of Golbat and Saturn’s Toxicroak, and Saturn… · Adamant Orb stolen Episode guide →
	45DP097	Double Team Turnover!ギンガ団襲撃！！ -後編-	Japan 2 Oct 2008 US 7 Mar 2009	Inside the Research Center, Ash, Dawn and Cynthia face Commanders Saturn and Mars. · Lustrous Orb stolen Episode guide →
	46DP098	If the Scarf Fits, Wear It!浮かぶ未確認怪物！？	Japan 16 Oct 2008 US 21 Mar 2009	Back in Solaceon Town, Ash and his friends read a Sinnoh Star article about a “Scarf Monster” said to roam the area, which Brock… · Angie’s Lickilicky Episode guide →
	47DP099	A Trainer and Child Reunion!四天王リョウ！出会いと別れの森！	Japan 23 Oct 2008 US 28 Mar 2009	Reaching a town, the group find a crowd gathered for a public training session by Aaron, a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four, whom Dawn recognises from… · Aaron debuts Episode guide →
	48DP100	Aiding the Enemy!ナエトル、ハヤシガメ…そしてドダイトス！	Japan 30 Oct 2008 US 4 Apr 2009	At a Pokémon Center, Trainers including Paul watch a televised League battle between Champion Cynthia and Elite Four member Aaron, and Ash and… · Turtwig evolves into Grotle Episode guide →
	49DP101	Barry’s Busting Out All Over!ライバルトレーナー・ジュン登場！！	Japan 6 Nov 2008 US 11 Apr 2009	Back in Hearthome City for Ash’s fifth Gym battle, Ash rushes up to the Hearthome Gym, but a Trainer inside flings the door open, knocking Ash… · Barry debuts Episode guide →
	50DP102	Shield with a Twist!ヨスガジム戦！ＶＳメリッサ！！	Japan 13 Nov 2008 US 18 Apr 2009	Ash stands ready in the Hearthome Gym for his fifth Sinnoh Gym battle, and Fantina makes a dramatic entrance, vowing to keep the Relic Badge, while… · Relic Badge Episode guide →
	51DP103	Jumping Rocket Ship!混戦混乱ミオシティ！	Japan 20 Nov 2008 US 25 Apr 2009	Ash, Dawn, Brock and Barry fly into Canalave City by blimp, where Jessie and James, disguised as an air hostess and a photographer, offer the group a… · Canalave City Episode guide →
	52DP104	Sleepless In Pre-Battle!クレセリアＶＳダークライ！	Japan 4 Dec 2008 US 2 May 2009	Arriving at the Canalave Gym, Ash learns from a distressed referee that the Gym Leader is away training on Iron Island and that everyone in town is… · Season finale Episode guide →

Characters & Travelling Companions

Ash spends the season chasing his third, fourth and fifth Sinnoh Badges. He trades Aipom to Dawn for Buizel on Zoey’s advice (DP055), catches a clumsy Gligar (DP064) that evolves into Gliscor in mid-air with Gary’s Razor Fang (DP085), and sees his Turtwig evolve into Grotle during a defeat by Paul (DP100). He beats Paul’s brother Reggie (DP066), draws with Maylene for the Cobble Badge (DP068), beats Crasher Wake for the Fen Badge without a single faint (DP083) and, after forfeiting an unofficial battle to Fantina (DP093), invents the Counter Shield to win the Relic Badge (DP102). On Wallace’s advice he enters his second and last official Contest, reaching the Top 8 of the Wallace Cup (DP077–DP078), wins the Summer Academy Triathlon (DP091) and holds his Chimchar through the rampage of its newly awakened Blaze (DP081). His Aura links him to a kidnapped Riolu (DP071–DP072), and Pikachu is recharged by lightning to beat Spiritomb (DP056), teams up with Paul’s Electabuzz (DP069) and refuses a Thunder Stone for the second time before beating Sho’s Raichu (DP074).

Dawn starts the season with a single Ribbon and two Contest defeats behind her. She receives Aipom in the trade (DP055) and sees it evolve into Ambipom (DP060), but her rainbow Swift appeal hides it from the judges and she fails the Solaceon Performance Stage (DP061); she even challenges Maylene for a Badge, losing a three-on-three battle that gives both girls their confidence back (DP067). At the Wallace Cup she beats Kyle and then May by half a point for the Aqua Ribbon (DP079), she wins the Hearthome Collection fashion show with Buneary (DP086) and beats her mother’s old rival Lila for the Celestic Ribbon (DP095), taking her to three Ribbons. She catches a gluttonous Swinub (DP084), which evolves into Piloswine in the finale (DP104), and her childhood nickname, “Dee Dee”, is used by Kenny and her friend Leona (DP060, DP063).

Brock keeps Sudowoodo, Croagunk and Happiny all season. Happiny learns Secret Power at a Miltank café (DP062) and is knocked out for the only time by a Psyduck (DP087); Croagunk enters the Pastoria Croagunk Festival and reaches the final (DP082), begins a rivalry with Saturn’s Toxicroak (DP069) and senses it coming with its newly revealed Ability, Anticipation, only to be knocked out with a single Poison Jab (DP096) — the first episode in which it lets Brock’s flirting with Nurse Joy go unpunished. Brock also teaches Ash and Dawn first aid when Pachirisu develops an electric fever (DP094) and trains a Magnemite, an Onix and a Feraligatr at the Summer Academy (DP088–DP091). In English Ash is voiced by Sarah Natochenny, Dawn by Emily Jenness and Brock by Bill Rogers, while Ikue Ōtani remains Pikachu in both languages.

• Ash KetchumChasing the Sinnoh League
• DawnTwinleaf Town’s rookie Coordinator
• BrockAsh’s companion, studying to be a Pokémon Doctor later in Sinnoh

Team Rocket

Jessie, James and Meowth change their team twice this season. James realises he cannot draw out Cacnea’s potential and leaves it with Gardenia to master Drain Punch (DP054) — it has, Barry later tells him (DP101) — and in Pastoria he remembers rescuing Carnivine from the Great Marsh as a boy (DP082). Jessie, in her Coordinator disguise as Jessilina, wins her first official Ribbon with Dustox in Solaceon Town (DP061), then lets Dustox fly away with a Shiny Dustox, stepping on its Poké Ball as it goes (DP073); she catches a Yanma from under a young Trainer’s nose, sends it to Giovanni, who sends it back, and watches it evolve into Yanmega the next day (DP080), and with Yanmega she wins the Majolica Ribbon in Majolica Town, away from the main group, while Ash battles Fantina (DP102). She also reports on the Wallace Cup as “Jessadia” (DP078–DP079) and is pampered as “Jessilinda” at the Summer Academy (DP088–DP091).

Meowth gives Chimchar the pep talk that helps it leave Paul behind (DP053) and fakes a defection to the twerps in Canalave City before deciding that he belongs with Team Rocket after all (DP103); out of shape after the Summer Academy, the trio go “back to basics” with their original motto and James’s rose (DP092). Butch and Cassidy make their only physical Diamond and Pearl appearance, and their last as Team Rocket members, in a fight over a Hippowdon (DP065). From the premiere Kayzie Rogers is back as the English voice of Wobbuffet and Mime Jr., and from DP080 Giovanni is again voiced by Ted Lewis, credited as “Ed Paul” — the first 4Kids-era main-cast voice to return to his old role. Jessie is voiced by Michele Knotz and James and Meowth by James Carter Cathcart; from this season Meowth scowls rather than smiles in almost every motto.

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

Rivals, Gym Leaders, Team Galactic & recurring characters

Paul catches the Gliscor that led a flock of Gligar (DP064), now has a Honchkrow and the Magmar he caught to replace Chimchar, and wins the Cobble Badge before Ash (DP066) and the Relic Badge before him too (DP100); their battle in DP081 is called off when Chimchar’s Blaze erupts, and in DP100 his Honchkrow beats Ash’s Grotle one-on-one. His older brother Reggie (DP066), a Breeder with six of the seven Kanto Frontier Symbols, looks after Paul’s team, loses to Ash and helps Staravia learn Brave Bird. The hyperactive Barry (DP101–DP103), a boy from Twinleaf Town with three Badges and an Empoleon, loses to Ash and leaves to train on Iron Island. Dawn’s rival Zoey suggests the Aipom–Buizel trade (DP055), advises Dawn after Solaceon (DP061) and reaches the Wallace Cup semi-finals (DP077–DP079); Kenny wins the Sage Ribbon and is beaten by Jessilina in the Solaceon final (DP061); Kyle knocks Ash out of the Wallace Cup (DP078); and May returns for the Wallace Cup arc, finishing as runner-up in her last speaking role in the anime (DP076–DP079). Gary, on an errand for Professor Rowan, gives Ash a Razor Fang (DP085).

Three Gym Leaders debut: Maylene (DP066–DP069), the Fighting-type expert of Veilstone City, who has lost her confidence to Paul and regains it battling Dawn and Ash; Crasher Wake (DP082–DP083), the masked Water-type Leader of Pastoria City and referee of its Croagunk Festival; and Fantina (DP093, DP101–DP102), Hearthome City’s Ghost-type Leader and a Grand Festival winner, who has been travelling to blend Contest beauty with the ferocity of a Gym battle. Gardenia returns to take on Cacnea (DP054). Wallace (DP075–DP079), the Hoenn Champion and Contest Master, is the first Gym Leader to debut outside his own generation; the Champion Cynthia helps defend the Lustrous Orb (DP096–DP097) and beats the Elite Four’s Aaron (DP099–DP100) in a televised title match, after Aaron has been reunited with the Wurmple he drove away as a child.

Team Galactic come out into the open. Commander Saturn takes the Spear Key from the Solaceon Ruins (DP060), tries to steal the Veilstone meteorites (DP069) and, with the new Commanders Mars (DP096) and Jupiter (DP097), steals the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs; their boss, Cyrus, poses as a businessman before viewers see him take charge (DP096–DP097). Pokémon Hunter J sells a kidnapped Riolu to a wealthy client and is thwarted by the Pokémon Rangers Kellyn, the hero of Shadows of Almia, and Solana, in her last appearance (DP071–DP072). Professor Rowan runs the Pokémon Summer Academy (DP088–DP091), where Ash meets Angie, a Day Care girl from Solaceon Town who returns in DP098, and Conway; Cynthia’s grandmother, Professor Carolina, heads the Celestic Town Historical Research Center (DP096–DP097); and Dawn’s mother Johanna, her childhood friend Leona (DP063) and Johanna’s old rival Lila (DP095) fill in her past.

• MayleneThe Veilstone Gym Leader, during her battle with Dawn (DP067)
• The Aura-using Riolu at the heart of the Pokémon Ranger special (DP071)
• MayBack in Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup (DP076)
• WallaceHoenn Champion and Contest Master, at his Cup (DP077)
• FloatzelCrasher Wake’s ace at the Pastoria Gym (DP083)
• Fantina’s DrifblimWhose Hypnosis forced Ash to forfeit (DP093)
• Cyrus at the Celestic Town Historical Research Center (DP096)
• ReggiePaul’s older brother and a Pokémon Breeder, first seen in DP066
• BarryAsh’s hyperactive new rival from Twinleaf Town, first seen in DP101

Voice cast

Character	English voice actor	Japanese voice actor
Ash Ketchum	Sarah Natochenny	Rica Matsumoto
Pikachu	Ikue Ōtani	Ikue Ōtani
Dawn	Emily Jenness	Megumi Toyoguchi
Brock	Bill Rogers	Yūji Ueda
Jessie	Michele Knotz	Megumi Hayashibara
James	James Carter Cathcart	Shin-ichiro Miki
Meowth	James Carter Cathcart	Inuko Inuyama
Wobbuffet	Kayzie Rogers (back from DP053)	Yūji Ueda
Giovanni	Ted Lewis (credited as Ed Paul; from DP080)	Kenta Miyake
Paul	Julián Rebolledo	Kiyotaka Furushima
Reggie	Tom Wayland	Tetsuya Kakihara
Barry	Jamie McGonnigal	Tatsuhisa Suzuki
Zoey	Emily Williams	Risa Hayamizu
Kenny	Rhonda Krempa	Yuko Mita
May	Michele Knotz	KAORI. (credited as Kaori Suzuki)
Kyle	Jamie McGonnigal	Hirofumi Nojima
Maylene	Rachael Lillis	Aya Endō
Crasher Wake	David Brimmer (credited as Michael Alston Baley)	Tetsu Inada
Fantina	Erica Schroeder (credited as Bella Hudson)	Kikuko Inoue
Wallace	Sean Reyes	Toshiyuki Morikawa
Aaron	Christopher C. Adams	Kenshō Ono
Cyrus	Sean Schemmel	Kenta Miyake
Saturn	Marc Thompson	Akemi Okamura
Mars	Lisa Ortiz	Rie Tanaka
Jupiter	Eileen Stevens	Chinami Nishimura
Pokémon Hunter J	Sonny Dey	Takako Honda
Kellyn	Sean Reyes	Daisuke Sakaguchi
Professor Rowan	Sean Reyes	Iemasa Kayumi
Narrator	Rodger Parsons	Unshō Ishizuka

Pokémon: Captures, Changes, Encounters & Evolutions

In brief:

• Ash trades Aipom for Buizel (DP055), catches Gligar (DP064), which evolves into Gliscor with Gary’s Razor Fang (DP085) — the only item-based evolution of one of his Pokémon — and sees Turtwig evolve into Grotle (DP100); he ends the season with Pikachu, Staravia, Grotle, Chimchar, Buizel and Gliscor.
• Turtwig masters Energy Ball (DP064), Staravia learns Brave Bird (DP067–DP068), Buizel learns Water Pulse (DP068) and improvises an Ice Aqua Jet (DP078), Gligar masters X-Scissor (DP085), and Chimchar’s Blaze activates for the first time, in an uncontrolled rampage (DP081).
• Dawn’s new Aipom evolves into Ambipom (DP060), and she catches Swinub (DP084), her first capture in 50 episodes, which evolves into Piloswine in the finale (DP104).
• Brock’s team does not change: Happiny learns Secret Power (DP062), and Croagunk’s Ability, Anticipation, is revealed (DP096).
• James leaves Cacnea with Gardenia (DP054); Jessie releases Dustox (DP073) and catches a Yanma that evolves into Yanmega (DP080), leaving Seviper as Team Rocket’s only Pokémon from Hoenn.
• Elsewhere, Paul catches Gliscor (DP064) and shows off a Honchkrow and a Magmar (DP066); May’s Eevee, Squirtle and Bulbasaur turn out to have become Glaceon, Wartortle and Venusaur (DP076–DP078); Alan’s Nosepass evolves into Probopass (DP058), Fantina’s Drifloon into Drifblim (DP093), Angie’s Day Care Lickitung into Lickilicky (DP098), and Aaron’s long-lost Wurmple returns as a Beautifly (DP099).

New Pokémon captured or hatched

• Gligar#0207 · Ash · the slow Gligar that keeps landing on him · DP064
• Gliscor#0472 · Paul · the leader of the Gligar flock · DP064
• Yanma#0193 · Jessie · snatched from under Tyler’s nose · DP080
• Swinub#0220 · Dawn · the gluttonous wild Swinub of Mr. Backlot’s estate · DP084

Evolutions

• Nosepass → Probopass#0476 · Alan · in Mount Coronet’s magnetic field · DP058
• Aipom → Ambipom#0424 · Dawn · using Double Hit in the Solaceon Ruins · DP060
• Murkrow → Honchkrow#0430 · Paul · evolved off screen · DP066
• Eevee → Glaceon#0471 · May · evolved off screen at Snowpoint City · DP076
• Squirtle → Wartortle#0008 · May · evolved off screen in Johto · DP077
• Bulbasaur → Venusaur#0003 · May · evolved twice off screen in Johto · DP078
• Yanma → Yanmega#0469 · Jessie · the day after she caught it · DP080
• Gligar → Gliscor#0472 · Ash · with Gary’s Razor Fang, in mid-air · DP085
• Drifloon → Drifblim#0426 · Fantina · in mid-battle against Pikachu · DP093
• Lickitung → Lickilicky#0463 · Angie’s Day Care · evolved off screen after learning Rollout · DP098
• Wurmple → Beautifly#0267 · Aaron · evolved in the wild after he drove it away · DP099
• Turtwig → Grotle#0388 · Ash · in mid-battle against Paul’s Honchkrow · DP100
• Swinub → Piloswine#0221 · Dawn · charging Team Rocket’s net to free Cresselia · DP104

Releases, departures and returns

Two Pokémon leave Team Rocket for good. James hands Cacnea over to Gardenia, tearfully, so that she can teach it Drain Punch (DP054), and Jessie lets Dustox fly away with Austin’s Shiny Dustox over the full-moon Dustox Crossing, stepping on its Poké Ball in the first permanent change to her team since her Cascoon evolved in Hoenn — the only time in Diamond and Pearl that a main character permanently releases a Pokémon (DP073). Jessie’s new Yanma is sent to Giovanni by Delibird and returned the next morning, because Team Rocket already have plenty of Yanma (DP080).

Ash’s and Dawn’s teams change only by trade: Aipom goes to Dawn and Buizel to Ash with Nurse Joy’s trading machine (DP055), the first trade in the anime since the original series. The Summer Academy lends Ash a Raichu, a Spoink, a Mantyke and a Shinx, Dawn a Grimer, a Dodrio and a Sharpedo, and Brock a Magnemite, an Onix and a Feraligatr, all handed back at the end of the week (DP088–DP091); after Kellyn’s mission Riolu goes home to the man who raised it (DP072). Among the guests, Angie’s Lickilicky is returned to its delighted Trainer (DP098), Aaron’s Beautifly rejoins him after years apart (DP099), and Cresselia flies off into the night once Darkrai has gone (DP104).

Teams at the end of the season (DP104)

Trainer	Pokémon	Changes this season
Ash	Pikachu, Staravia, Grotle, Chimchar, Buizel, Gliscor	Traded Aipom for Buizel (DP055); caught Gligar (DP064), which evolved into Gliscor (DP085); Turtwig evolved into Grotle (DP100)
Dawn	Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, Piloswine	Received Aipom (DP055), which evolved into Ambipom (DP060); caught Swinub (DP084), which evolved into Piloswine (DP104)
Brock	Sudowoodo, Croagunk, Happiny	No changes; Happiny learned Secret Power (DP062)
Jessie	Wobbuffet, Seviper, Yanmega	Released Dustox (DP073); caught Yanma, which evolved into Yanmega (DP080)
James	Carnivine, Mime Jr.	Left Cacnea with Gardenia (DP054)

Ribbons won this season

Coordinator	Ribbon	Final	Episode
Jessie (as Jessilina)	Solaceon Ribbon — her first official Ribbon	Dustox beats Kenny’s Prinplup on points	DP061
Dawn	Aqua Ribbon (Wallace Cup), valid in every region	Piplup beats May’s Glaceon by half a point	DP079
Dawn	Celestic Ribbon — her third	Ambipom beats Lila’s Delcatty	DP095
Jessie (as Jessilina)	Majolica Ribbon — her second	Not shown — only Yanmega’s Silver Wind appeal is seen	DP102

Pokémon making their anime debut this season

Thirty-two species make their first appearance in the TV series during Battle Dimension, every one of them from Generation IV. Fifteen had already been seen on the big screen — thirteen of them, among them Luxray, Honchkrow, Drifblim, Empoleon and Darkrai, in The Rise of Darkrai, Lucario in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Cresselia in Giratina and the Sky Warrior — while the other seventeen, from Spiritomb (DP056) to Grotle (DP100), were brand new to the anime. With Grotle every Sinnoh first partner and evolution has appeared, Azelf is seen only as a glowing projection over Lake Valor (DP078), and the finale debuts Darkrai and Cresselia on TV. The main characters’ new evolutions make their debuts as well: Dawn’s Ambipom, Ash’s Gliscor and Grotle, and May’s Glaceon.

• Spiritomb#0442 · DP056 · TV debut
• Probopass#0476 · DP058 · TV debut
• Luxray#0405 · DP059 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Ambipom#0424 · DP060 · TV debut
• Bronzor#0436 · DP060 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Gliscor#0472 · DP064 · TV debut
• Hippowdon#0450 · DP065 · TV debut
• Lucario#0448 · DP066 · after Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
• Honchkrow#0430 · DP066 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Toxicroak#0454 · DP069 · TV debut
• Chingling#0433 · DP070 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Riolu#0447 · DP071 · TV debut
• Floatzel#0419 · DP071 · TV debut
• Glaceon#0471 · DP076 · TV debut
• Finneon#0456 · DP077 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Azelf#0482 · DP078 · as a projection over Lake Valor
• Yanmega#0469 · DP080 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Lopunny#0428 · DP086 · TV debut
• Monferno#0391 · DP088 · TV debut
• Lumineon#0457 · DP089 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Dusknoir#0477 · DP090 · TV debut
• Drifblim#0426 · DP093 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Cherrim#0421 · DP095 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Gastrodon#0423 · DP097 · West Sea; TV debut
• Purugly#0432 · DP097 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Skuntank#0435 · DP097 · TV debut
• Lickilicky#0463 · DP098 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Skorupi#0451 · DP099 · TV debut
• Grotle#0388 · DP100 · TV debut
• Empoleon#0395 · DP101 · after The Rise of Darkrai
• Cresselia#0488 · DP104 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
• Darkrai#0491 · DP104 · after The Rise of Darkrai

Key Events, Gym Battles & Tournaments

Gym Badges won this season

Badge	Gym & Leader	Leader’s Pokémon	Ash’s Pokémon	Result	Episode
Cobble Badge	Veilstone Gym · Maylene	Machoke, Meditite, Lucario	Staravia, Chimchar, Buizel	Draw — Staravia’s Quick Attack and Aerial Ace beat Machoke; Meditite’s Detect fails from overuse against Chimchar, and Staravia returns to beat it with its new Brave Bird; Lucario’s Metal Claw knocks out Staravia, and Force Palm, Bone Rush, Aura Sphere and Metal Claw beat Chimchar. Buizel learns Water Pulse, rain through the broken roof triggers Swift Swim, and its Water Pulse-charged Aqua Jet meets Lucario’s Force Palm head-on: both faint, and Maylene, calling it the best battle of her life, awards the Badge	DP068
Fen Badge	Pastoria Gym · Crasher Wake	Gyarados, Quagsire, Floatzel	Pikachu, Turtwig, Buizel	Win — Pikachu vaults over Gyarados on an Iron Tail and wins with Volt Tackle; Quagsire’s Mud Bomb drives Turtwig back, and Buizel’s Ice Aqua Jet beats it. Floatzel’s flotation sac, Bulk Up and Ice Fang leave Buizel confused, so Pikachu tags in, and Buizel returns to win with a point-blank Water Pulse — Ash’s only Sinnoh Gym battle in which none of his Pokémon faints	DP083
Relic Badge	Hearthome Gym · Fantina	Gengar, Mismagius, Drifblim	Buizel, Chimchar, Pikachu	Win at the second attempt — after Drifloon’s Hypnosis forced Ash to forfeit an unofficial battle (DP093), Buizel spins on its back firing Water Gun, a “Counter Shield” that blocks Gengar’s Hypnosis, and Water Pulse wins; Chimchar’s fiery Counter Shield and Flame Wheel beat Mismagius. Drifblim’s Will-O-Wisp “Counter Counter Shield”, Hypnosis and Ominous Wind beat Pikachu and Buizel, but Chimchar’s Flamethrower absorbs the fiery shield, Dig slams Drifblim into the ground, and a point-blank Flamethrower wins as it tries Hypnosis once more	DP102

Dawn’s Contests & Gym challenge

Dawn arrives in Solaceon Town with one Ribbon, from Floaroma (DP027), and the memory of two Contest defeats. At the Solaceon Contest (DP061) Ambipom smothers the stage in a rainbow of stars with Swift, the judges lose sight of the Pokémon behind it, and she fails the Performance Stage for the second Contest running; Kenny’s Breloom and Jessilina’s Dustox reach the final, which Dustox’s Psybeam wins on points for Jessie’s first official Ribbon. Zoey’s Glameow then breaks through the same rainbow with Iron Tail to show Dawn that an appeal should show off a Pokémon, not hide it. In Veilstone City Dawn challenges Maylene to a Gym battle (DP067): Buneary’s Bounce and Ice Beam fall to Meditite, Ambipom’s ring of Swift and Double Hit beat Meditite before Lucario’s Bone Rush knocks it out, and Piplup’s Whirlpool, Peck and Bubble Beam cannot stop Aura Sphere and Force Palm. It is the only time a main character other than Ash challenges for a Badge.

At the Hearthome Collection (DP086), a fashion show judged by the Stylist Paris and Poké Chic’s editor Hermione, Dawn and Buneary win the overall prize in simple matching white dresses, Ash and Pikachu, dressed as the gods of wind and thunder, the award for originality; Dawn turns down the offer of a Poké Chic collection because she is a Coordinator at heart. At the Celestic Contest (DP095) Buneary’s Ice Beam slide and Dizzy Punch take her through, and in the final Lila, her mother’s old rival, returns after more than twenty years with a Delcatty that dodges with Substitute, infatuates Ambipom with Cute Charm and puts it to sleep with Sing; Ambipom’s giant Swift breaks through at the buzzer, and Dawn wins with about a tenth of her points left to Lila’s twentieth. Jessilina, eliminated there and at the Wallace Cup, wins her second Ribbon at Majolica Town with Yanmega’s Silver Wind while Ash battles Fantina (DP102) — the first episode to show a Gym battle and a Contest together.

The Wallace Cup (DP075–DP079)

The Hoenn Champion and Contest Master Wallace holds his Cup at Valor Lakefront on Lake Valor, judging it himself with Raoul Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy, and its prize, the Aqua Ribbon, counts as an official Ribbon in every region. Before it starts he shows Dawn what playing with her Pokémon can achieve with a display by his Milotic — Safeguard, Aqua Ring, Dragon Pulse and a Twister of wind and water (DP075) — and persuades Ash to enter with Buizel. In the Performance Stage (DP077) May’s Wartortle, newly evolved, skates out of a Foamy Seal with Rapid Spin and Aqua Tail, Zoey’s new Finneon climbs its own Waterfall, Buizel punches through an Ele-Seal and stops dead on the water with its flotation sac, and Dawn’s Ambipom finishes its Double Hit and Swift with a Focus Punch fountain; all four reach the Top 16, while Jessilina’s Wobbuffet trips out of its Poké Ball and she is eliminated, as is Ursula, who later reveals that she entered too (DP114). For Ash it is his second and last official Contest.

In the Battle Stage (DP078) Dawn’s Buneary beats a Wailmer and Pachirisu a Pelipper, May’s Skitty wins with Blizzard and Zoey’s Shellos and Misdreavus win their rounds, but in the quarter-finals Kyle’s Lanturn paralyses Buizel with a charged Thunderbolt, and although Buizel improvises an Ice Aqua Jet that impresses Wallace, Hydro Pump puts Kyle ahead when time runs out. In the semi-finals (DP079) Piplup’s Bide beats Kyle’s Crawdaunt and May’s Beautifly beats Zoey’s Glameow with Silver Wind, Psychic and Morning Sun. The final pits Piplup against May’s Glaceon, in its first Contest since evolving: Secret Power, Mirror Coat, Shadow Ball and Ice Shard against Whirlpool, Bubble Beam and Peck, until a last Whirlpool meets Mirror Coat and hits both. Dawn wins by half a point — her first Ribbon in 52 episodes — and May, the runner-up, heads back to Johto. Jessie covers the battles as the reporter “Jessadia”.

The Pokémon Summer Academy (DP088–DP091)

Professor Rowan invites Ash, Dawn and Brock to his week-long Pokémon Summer Academy near Mount Coronet, where the students are split into Red, Blue and Green teams and score points for how well they bond with Pokémon drawn at random: Ash gets a jumpy Raichu, Dawn a timid Grimer and Brock a Magnemite, while their teammate Angie draws a Monferno, the Blue Team’s Conway a Venonat and Jessie, disguised as “Jessilinda” on the Green Team, a Smoochum. The opening bond battles end in draws for Ash and Dawn, and Dawn wins an award for the strongest bond, but Ash and Angie’s squabbling leaves the Red Team last (DP088). A report on a cave-dwelling Lumineon that hypnotises Pokémon with its fins earns ten points, minus four for leaving the lake (DP089), and a night-time hunt for a medal at the Summit Ruins, where a protective Dusknoir saves Ash and Angie from a ghost girl, brings 30 points for every team (DP090).

The week ends with a Pokémon Triathlon (DP091), raced on borrowed Pokémon over land, water and a final cave run — Spoink, Mantyke and Shinx for Ash, Ariados, Lapras and Shinx for Angie, a surprisingly fast Hippowdon and Magikarp for Jessie. After Ash pulls Angie out of a pit, he beats her to the line by a hair, and his win gives the Red Team the overall title. Every student receives a plaque, Angie blushes when Ash says he helped her because they are friends, and Tracey narrates the next-episode preview. Angie returns once more in Solaceon Town, hiding a Lickilicky that evolved against the rules of her family’s Day Care (DP098).

Rivals & other battles

Ash and Dawn beat Gardenia and James in a Tag Battle for the children of Emeragrove Town (DP054), Dawn’s first battle against a Gym Leader, and Ash’s rematch with Kenny at the Solaceon Ruins is broken off by the Unown (DP060). Reggie tests his brother’s rival three-on-three in Veilstone (DP066): Turtwig’s Energy Ball beats Bibarel, Swalot’s Stockpile and Spit Up beat Staravia, and Pikachu’s Volt Tackle beats Staraptor. Pikachu loses to Sho’s Raichu, is revived with a defibrillator, refuses the Thunder Stone from Vermilion City and wins the rematch with a new spinning Iron Tail (DP074), and at the Seven Stars Restaurant Ash and Brock, then May and Dawn, win Tag Battles against Roman and Kylie (DP076).

Paul remains the season’s yardstick. His Gliscor knocks out Gligar with a single Guillotine and his Ursaring buries Chimchar under rubble until its Blaze erupts and a Flame Wheel smashes through Focus Blast to beat it, before Chimchar’s rampage ends the battle (DP081); in DP100 his Honchkrow beats Ash’s Turtwig one-on-one with Night Slash, Aerial Ace, Sky Attack and Dark Pulse even after it evolves into Grotle. Fantina’s Drifloon puts all three of Ash’s Pokémon to sleep in an unofficial battle, evolving into Drifblim in the process (DP093), and Barry, fresh from beating Fantina, loses to Ash three-on-three when Pikachu’s Volt Tackle beats his Empoleon (DP101). On television, the Champion Cynthia keeps her title against the Elite Four’s Aaron when Gastrodon’s Stone Edge knocks out Beautifly (DP100), and in Pastoria Nurse Joy’s Croagunk, Chrissy, is crowned Champion of the Great Marsh after Team Rocket break up the Croagunk Festival’s final between Brock’s Croagunk and Hamilton’s Craig (DP082).

Movies & Specials Released During the Season

The eleventh movie, Giratina and the Sky Warrior (ギラティナと氷空の花束 シェイミ), opened in Japanese cinemas on 19 July 2008, between Arriving in Style! (DP086) and The Psyduck Stops Here! (DP087), and was second at the box office on its opening weekend, behind Ponyo, with 982,000 admissions and ¥1.019 billion. It introduced Giratina and Shaymin in both of their Formes, Magnezone, Regigigas, Mamoswine and Froslass, with cameos from Cresselia, Togekiss and Leafeon among others, and Crystal Kay sang its Japanese ending, ONE. The Japanese episodes counted down to it: from DP075 to DP083 the end segment became Pikachu the Movie Memorial, one earlier film a week, and trailers closed DP084 and DP085. The Japanese DVD followed on 19 December 2008. In the US the film premiered on Cartoon Network on Friday 13 February 2009, the weekend of Doc Brock! (DP094), whose bath, pancakes and fever echo the film’s opening scenes, and reached DVD on 31 March 2009.

The tenth movie, The Rise of Darkrai (ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ), had opened in Japan in July 2007, before the season, and came out on Japanese DVD on 21 December 2007; TV Tokyo showed it in the anime’s Thursday slot on 17 July 2008, two days before the eleventh film opened. Its English version, recorded at DuArt, the studio that took over the TV series with DP053, premiered on Cartoon Network on 24 February 2008, seven weeks before the season, drawing 1.435 million viewers, and opened with We Will Be Heroes — the first time an anime opening was heard in a movie before its season aired. The US DVD followed on 27 May 2008, inside the US run (the UK had it on 29 September and Australia on 5 November 2008). Thirteen of the season’s TV debuts first appeared in it, and Sleepless In Pre-Battle! (DP104) brings back the Lunar Wing Dawn bought in the film, making it canon.

Television specials filled in around the films. Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (DP071–DP072) went out in Japan as a one-hour special on 20 March 2008, the day Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia launched, and came out on DVD as Pokémon Ranger: Riolu of the Aura on 20 June 2008. The special Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness, shown on Pokémon Sunday in September 2007, reached the US on DVD in August 2008 and on Cartoon Network on Labor Day, 1 September 2008, in the middle of a Battle Dimension marathon. In Japan the short Pikachu’s Exploration Club (PK18) came out on DVD on 25 April 2008 with Bibarel Gnaws Best! (DP057) as a bonus episode, and the never-dubbed Pikachu’s Ice Adventure (PK19) was shown on ANA flights from 1 August 2008; TV Tokyo also broadcast Lucario and the Mystery of Mew on 31 December 2007 and Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea on 31 December 2008.

Side Stories, Specials & Crossovers

Side-story tie-ins

• Japan’s end segments. The Japanese version closed each episode with a short feature that was never dubbed: Professor Oak’s Big Pokémon Encyclopedia, a lecture on a Pokémon finished off with a senryū, from DP053 to DP074 (its subjects ran from Garchomp to Paul’s Electabuzz, and Dawn’s Ambipom in DP073 was the first Pokémon lectured on twice, after Ash’s Aipom in DP014) and again from DP091 to DP095; Pikachu the Movie Memorial, a countdown to the eleventh movie with one earlier film a week, from DP075 to DP083; trailers for Giratina and the Sky Warrior on DP084–DP085; and, from DP098, Professor Oak’s Big Pokémon Examination, a quiz that would run until DP191.
• Pokémon Sunday, TV Tokyo’s Sunday companion show, reran Advanced Generation episodes in its Pokémon Revival segment through mid-2008 and, from 14 September 2008, Diamond and Pearl episodes as Diamond & Pearl Returns, alongside TCG lessons and reports on Pokémon Platinum; it premiered the special Explorers of Sky – Beyond Time & Darkness on 12 April 2009, inside the US run.
• The Ranger special and the Mystery Dungeon special. Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (DP071–DP072) adapts the Shadows of Almia Ranger Net mission “Rescue Kidnapped Riolu!” and was later retold in the book The Lost Riolu; Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness came to Cartoon Network in the Labor Day marathon of 1 September 2008 — see Movies & Specials.
• Pikachu shorts. Pikachu’s Exploration Club (PK18) reached Japanese DVD on 25 April 2008 with DP057, which is missing from the regular rental volume, as a bonus; Pikachu’s Ice Adventure (PK19) premiered on ANA flights on 1 August 2008 and has never been dubbed; and the 3D short Pikachu’s Ocean Adventure (PK16) got its English release on 1 July 2008.

Characters from the games, manga and specials

• Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia supplies the Riolu two-parter (DP071–DP072): its hero, the Ranger Kellyn, makes his anime debut alongside Pokémon Ranger’s Solana, who wears an outfit based on the new game, and the story adapts one of its Ranger Net missions. The special aired on the game’s Japanese launch day, and Cartoon Network held it back for the North American release.
• Pokémon Platinum arrived in the middle of the season: in Japan on 13 September 2008, between Playing The Leveling Field! (DP093) and Doc Brock! (DP094), whose Zapdos cameo may nod to the game’s roaming legendary birds, and in North America on 22 March 2009, between DP098 and DP099. In Platinum the Cobble, Fen and Relic Badges are the fourth, fifth and third Badges rather than the third, fourth and fifth.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with Lucario as a playable fighter, was released in Japan a week before Lost Leader Strategy! (DP066) introduced Maylene’s Lucario; the US airing came four months after the game.
• The games’ map. The Psyduck blocking Route 210 (DP087) come straight from Diamond and Pearl, as does the location-based evolution of Probopass near Mount Coronet (DP058); the Mountain Hut Maid Café (DP062) is the games’ Café Cabin, a link the dub’s name obscures; and Wallace, Sootopolis City’s Gym Leader in Ruby and Sapphire and the Hoenn Champion in Emerald, comes to Sinnoh as the anime’s Contest Master to hold his Cup (DP075).
• The movies. The Keystone Pops! (DP056) brings the Aura of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew into the TV series, along with Ash’s sensitivity to it, which the Riolu special builds on; Sleepless In Pre-Battle! (DP104) brings back the Lunar Wing from The Rise of Darkrai, and Ash’s nightmare in it closely resembles one from the film; and the Summit Ruins’ Dusknoir, misjudged as a menace while it protects Ash and Angie, is scored with Darkrai’s music (DP090).
• A parody too close for comfort. In Cream of the Croagunk Crop! (DP082) Hamilton and his Croagunk, Craig, parodied the frog of the manga Dokonjō Gaeru; after the first Japanese broadcast both were redesigned, some scenes re-animated and their lines re-recorded, probably to avoid legal trouble.

Opening & Ending Themes

Battle Dimension keeps one English opening for its whole run and changes the Japanese songs four times. In Japan Fumie Akiyoshi’s Together, carried over from Diamond and Pearl, gave way at DP079 to a remix, Together2008, and then at DP096 to High Touch!, sung as a duet by Ash’s and Dawn’s voice actresses; the ending moved from the Winter Version of GRIN’s By Your Side ~Hikari’s Theme~ to Mai Mizuhashi’s Message of the Wind at DP062, with a gentler PokaPoka-VERSION. from DP073 to DP083, and to Kanako’s Surely Tomorrow at DP096. The English dub opened every episode with Kirsten Price’s We Will Be Heroes, which audiences had first heard at the start of The Rise of Darkrai, and played its instrumental under the end credits. As usual, the Japanese openings and endings were never dubbed.

Japan’s background music draws on the whole series: Type: Wild as Staravia battles Meditite (DP068), Challenger!! as it learns Brave Bird (DP067), the Japanese Battle Frontier in DP070, DP077 and DP078, May’s theme I Won’t Lose! (DP076–DP077), the Pokémon Ondo for the Bon Odori in Pastoria (DP082), Takeshi’s Paradise (DP087), Oración (DP095) and the Pokémon Symphonic Medley in nine episodes, with the scores of the first ten movies and game music — the Generation II battle with Red (DP081), the Ruby and Sapphire ruins theme (DP090) and the Team Magma and Aqua grunt theme (DP101) — reused throughout. The DuArt dub kept far more of the Japanese score than before: all of the Japanese music survives in the Ranger two-parter (DP071–DP072), I Won’t Lose! ~Haruka’s Theme~ is kept for the first time in DP076 and Pocket-ering Monster-ing in DP087, and By Your Side scores Dawn’s Solaceon performance in both versions (DP061). Vocal cues were still replaced: Hello! Thank You! becomes an instrumental (DP055), Takeshi’s Paradise is removed (DP087) and Face Forward Team Rocket! becomes Double Trouble (DP092), the only Pokémon 2.B.A. Master track ever used in a Pokémon USA dub.

We Will Be Heroes — Kirsten Price’s English opening, used for all 52 episodes. Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel.

TV Broadcasts & Original Airing Dates

Japan. TV Tokyo broadcast the season on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. from 8 November 2007 (Tears For Fears!) — a week later than planned, as baseball coverage took the 1 November slot — to 4 December 2008 (Sleepless In Pre-Battle!), which went out in a one-hour slot with the first episode of the next season. It was the ninth two-episode broadcast of the run, after 29 November 2007 (DP056–DP057), 20 December 2007 (DP060–DP061), 20 March 2008 (the Pokémon Ranger special, DP071–DP072, on Shadows of Almia’s launch day), 3 April 2008 (DP073–DP074), 8 May 2008 (DP077–DP078), 3 July 2008 (DP084–DP085), 25 September 2008 (DP094–DP095) and 2 October 2008 (DP096–DP097). There was no new episode over New Year, on 17 July 2008, when the slot showed The Rise of Darkrai two days before the eleventh film opened, or on several other Thursdays for which no reason is recorded. Japan has no “season 11”: these are episodes 53 to 104 of the 191-episode Diamond and Pearl series.

The US run. Battle Dimension premiered on Cartoon Network on Saturday 12 April 2008, in the channel’s Saturday-morning line-up, and normally ran one new episode a week. The Keystone Pops! (DP056) was pulled from its 3 May slot for unstated reasons — leading some fans to think it had been skipped — and aired a week later; there were also no new episodes on 4 October and 29 November 2008 or on 14 March 2009. The season ended with Sleepless In Pre-Battle! on 2 May 2009, and Galactic Battles followed a week later. Cartoon Network also ran two all-day marathons: on Labor Day, 1 September 2008, with the US TV premiere of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness, and on Presidents’ Day, 16 February 2009, when 32 episodes, from Hot Springing a Leak! to Doc Brock!, ran from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern.

The Ranger two-parter. Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (DP071–DP072) was held back until the North American release of Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, as Nintendo Power revealed, and aired on 1 and 8 November 2008, after Chim – Charred! (DP081) — so US viewers went straight from The Bells Are Singing! (DP070) to Crossing Paths (DP073) in August. Bulbapedia calls Cartoon Network’s order “the more logical order”, but Pokémon.com’s official list and later repeats put Cream of the Croagunk Crop! (DP082) before the special, the VIZ boxes put it at the very end, and the 2020 Complete Season and the Australian sets after DP082.

Premiere slips and game launches. The first airing of DP060 had a title card reading “Journey to the Unknown!”, corrected later; the first English broadcast of DP061 started the end credits in mid-episode; and from DP094 the English end credits wrongly carried the old 4Kids logo, an error that continued into the next season (the Cartoon Network Video versions were unaffected). A Full Course Tag Battle! (DP076) aired on 13 September 2008, the day Pokémon Platinum launched in Japan, and If the Scarf Fits, Wear It! (DP098) was the last US episode before the game’s North American release on 22 March 2009.

The numbering. There are 52 episodes in every count: all 52 aired in Japan, all were dubbed and shown on Cartoon Network, and the same 52 are on every English DVD release, so the only difference between the versions is the placing of DP071–DP072. Bulbapedia’s alternate overall numbers are EP519–EP570, and English Wikipedia counts the season as episodes 521–572 in Japan and 516–567 in English. Our dates follow Bulbapedia, cross-checked against pocketmonsters.net’s calendars; its 5 January 2009 for Camping It Up! (DP088) is two days after every other source’s Saturday premiere, and its US listings for DP102–DP104 in mid-April 2009 are the British premieres.

Elsewhere. In Canada YTV began the season on 2 March 2009. In the UK it premiered on Jetix in late 2008, under a deal between Jetix Europe and Pokémon USA — Tears For Fears! was given away on DVD with issue 59 of Jetix Magazine — and the last three episodes were shown there ahead of the US: DP102 and DP103 on 16 April and DP104 on 17 April 2009; Jetix became Disney XD in August 2009, and CITV followed. BBC iPlayer added the season on 2 August 2021 and CBBC showed it from 14 February 2022. In Australia it aired in Network Ten’s Toasted TV block and ABC iview added it in 2025; Cartoon Network India mistakenly played the English opening instead of the Hindi one on DP075–DP082; and the Pokémon Asia YouTube channel began streaming the English version on 10 November 2021.

Dub Edits & Censorship

Changes in the English version

A new studio, familiar voices. From Tears For Fears! (DP053) the English version was recorded at DuArt Film and Video in New York, which had dubbed The Rise of Darkrai and went on to dub the series until its twenty-second season, replacing TAJ Productions. The main cast stayed — Sarah Natochenny (Ash), Emily Jenness (Dawn), Bill Rogers (Brock), Michele Knotz (Jessie) and James Carter Cathcart (James and Meowth), with Rodger Parsons narrating — and Kayzie Rogers came back as Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. The season also brought back a string of 4Kids-era actors: Dan Green as Spiritomb (DP056), Mike Pollock as Matthew under the name “Herb Lawrence” (DP059), Amy Palant (DP062), Rachael Lillis, the former Misty and Jessie, as Maylene (DP066), Ted Lewis as “Ed Paul” (DP076) and as Giovanni from DP080, David Brimmer and Jason Griffith (DP082) and Lisa Ortiz (DP084, then Mars from DP096), while Bill Rogers took over Lucario from Sean Schemmel (DP066). Maddie Blaustein, the 4Kids-era Meowth, died in December 2008, during the US run.

No quiz, no eyecatch — and no banned episodes. All 52 episodes aired, with nothing skipped or withdrawn. Diamond and Pearl is the only series without Who’s That Pokémon? or any other game in the middle of an episode, and its dub episodes are the only ones with no eyecatch at all; the quiz returned only with Black & White (BW001). Japan kept a generic eyecatch, and its end segments — Professor Oak’s lectures, the movie countdown and the Big Pokémon Examination — were never dubbed. The dub kept a single opening for the whole season, so James’s Cacnea, removed from the Japanese credits after DP054, stays in We Will Be Heroes to the end; the title-card music changes in DP103, and in DP098 the narrator reads the “To Be Continued” card aloud for the first time.

Very few visual edits. The Japanese magazine PokéCan becomes Poké Chic, with the text in one shot altered (DP070), and the most notable change in the season was made in Japan itself, when Hamilton and his Croagunk were redesigned after DP082’s first broadcast. Some later prints trim more: BBC iPlayer’s copies cut Nurse Joy’s defibrillator scene from Pika and Goliath! (DP074) and the line “I think May’s turned into a Fire type” from DP076, and the Hindi MarvelHQ dub cuts Jessie’s bikini close-ups and the first blast-off from DP058.

Dialogue changes. A boy’s “Kosanji” for James becomes “old man” (DP054). In DP055 Kenny’s Contest happened “a few days ago” rather than yesterday, Brock’s herbal remedy for people and Pokémon alike becomes medicine made just for Ash and Pikachu, Ash calls him “Brocko”, and Jessie’s request, which quotes the 1998 song “Trade Please”, Meowth’s -chan suffixes and a kabuki pun on Zui Town are all lost. The mecha’s chant parodying The Drifters’ hot-spring song is Japanese only (DP063), the cold-open song is very different in English (DP073), May’s joke that Croagunk has taken over Max’s job replaces one about Brock never changing, and James’s “We didn’t do a bloody thing!” became “a single thing” on some prints (DP077). The Gureggru-yaki becomes “Croagunk pie”, Team Rocket’s blast-off puns are reduced to a single “Cro-junk” and Crasher Wake loses his boastful ore-sama (DP082); dango become a “fried cakeball skewer” (DP090); Team Rocket’s guess that the creature is a kappa, the Lickitung Trainer’s English phrases (an Italian accent in the dub) and a “Purple People Eater” joke all change in DP098; Meowth’s reason for entering the Majolica Contest is cut (DP102); and Jessie breaks the fourth wall in English (DP104).

Slips. The narrator calls the next Contest the “Eterna City Contest” (DP053) and places the Wallace Cup in Pastoria (DP075), Zoey calls May “he” in the first broadcast (DP079), Piplup says “Pochama” and Mud Bomb is called “Sludge Bomb” (DP083), and Jessie calls Paul’s Torterra “Grotle” (DP100). Pokémon.com listed DP091 as “Go Team Go!”, the title also printed on its DVD case, and DP097 as “A Double Team Turnover”, while the DVD prints DP103 as “Jumping Rock Ship!”. Japanese voices can still be heard under the English ones in several episodes (DP054, DP057, DP058, DP062, DP063, DP096, DP097, DP103), and Aaron’s autograph still reads “Ryou” (DP099).

Episode titles explained

Almost every English title is a pun or a pop-culture reference. A few worth decoding:

• Tears For Fears! — the band Tears for Fears, for a Chimchar crying over its fears — the second title to borrow the name, after Hocus Pokémon
• Once There Were Greenfields — “Greenfields”, the Brothers Four song that begins “Once there were green fields”, for James’s farewell to a Grass type
• Throwing the Track Switch — a railway switch, which sends a train down a different track, for the trade that sends Aipom and Buizel down new paths
• The Keystone Pops! — the Keystone Kops of silent comedy, for the Odd Keystone that pops out of the toppled tower
• Bibarel Gnaws Best! — the sitcom Father Knows Best (or Hogan Knows Best)
• Nosing ’Round the Mountain! — “She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain”, for a Nosepass evolving near Mount Coronet
• Luxray Vision! — the idea of X-ray vision, for Luxray’s piercing eyes
• Journey to the Unown! — “journey to the unknown” — which is what the first English title card actually said
• Team Shocker! — a shock win, for Jessie’s first Ribbon
• Tanks for the Memories! — “Thanks for the Memory”, for a café full of Miltank and their milk tanks
• Hot Springing a Leak! — a hot spring that has sprung a leak
• Riding the Winds of Change! — the Scorpions’ “Wind of Change”, for Gligar, the FlyScorpion Pokémon, riding the wind
• Sleight of Sand! — sleight of hand, for a Pachirisu that vanishes inside a sand-spouting Hippowdon
• Lost Leader Strategy! — a loss-leader strategy, for a Gym Leader who has lost her confidence
• Crossing the Battle Line! — “crossing the line”, for a Coordinator stepping into a Gym battle
• A Triple Fighting Chance! — “a fighting chance”, for a three-on-three battle at a Fighting-type Gym
• Enter Galactic! — “intergalactic”
• The Bells Are Singing! — the sound of bells ringing, for a Chingling learning to sing in harmony
• Crossing Paths — the Dustox Crossing, where Jessie’s and Dustox’s paths part
• Pika and Goliath! — the story of David and Goliath, for Pikachu against a bigger Raichu
• Our Cup Runneth Over! — Psalm 23’s “my cup runneth over”, for the Wallace Cup
• Staging A Heroes’ Welcome! — “a hero’s welcome”, for the Wallace Cup’s Performance Stage
• Pruning a Passel of Pals! — a group of friends cut down one by one in the Battle Stage
• Strategy With a Smile! — “service with a smile”
• The Thief That Keeps on Thieving! — “the gift that keeps on giving”
• Chim – Charred! — the name Chimchar, for a Chimchar charred by its own Blaze
• Cream of the Croagunk Crop! — “the cream of the crop”
• A Crasher Course in Power! — “a crash course”, for Crasher Wake
• Fighting Fear with Fear! — “fighting fire with fire”
• The Psyduck Stops Here! — “the buck stops here”
• Camping It Up! — a summer camp — or, as Bulbapedia suggests, “ramping it up”
• Up Close and Personable! — “up close and personal”
• Ghoul Daze! — “school days”, with ghouls — in the line of Sick Daze and Training Daze
• One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team! — Dr. Seuss’s One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
• A Lean Mean Team Rocket Machine! — “a lean, mean fighting machine”
• Playing The Leveling Field! — “a level playing field”
• Doc Brock! — probably Spider-Man’s Doctor Octopus, “Doc Ock”
• Battling The Generation Gap! — “bridging the generation gap”, for Dawn against her mother’s old rival
• Losing Its Lustrous! — “losing its lustre”, for the stolen Lustrous Orb
• Double Team Turnover! — the basketball terms “double team” and “turnover”
• If the Scarf Fits, Wear It! — “if the shoe fits, wear it”, for the “Scarf Monster”
• A Trainer and Child Reunion! — Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion”
• Aiding the Enemy! — “aiding and abetting the enemy”, for Paul’s Torterra coaching Grotle
• Barry’s Busting Out All Over! — “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” from Carousel — Barry’s Japanese name is Jun
• Shield with a Twist! — “a tale with a twist”, for the spinning Counter Shield
• Jumping Rocket Ship! — “jumping ship”, for Meowth’s fake defection
• Sleepless In Pre-Battle! — the film Sleepless in Seattle

DVD & Blu-ray / Streaming

Battle Dimension came out in North America in 2009 from VIZ Media, distributed by Warner Home Video, on six discs sold separately and in three two-disc box sets, followed by a seven-disc Complete Season in 2020; all of them hold the same 52 episodes as the TV run, though the 2009 sets save the Ranger two-parter for the very end. Australia and New Zealand got two Collections, a six-disc DigiPack and several repackagings. No UK DVD release of the season is known, apart from the premiere given away with Jetix Magazine.

North America (Region 1)

Release	Date	Contents
Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension Box Set 1 — Episodes 1–17 (VIZ Media, 2 discs, DPMDPBDBS01; discs also sold singly as DPMDPBD01–02)	23 June 2009	DP053–DP060 and DP061–DP069, with optional English captions
Box Set 2 — Episodes 18–34 (DPMDPBDBS02; discs DPMDPBD03–04)	25 August 2009	DP070, DP073–DP079 and DP080–DP088 — the Ranger two-parter is held back
Box Set 3 — Episodes 35–52 (DPMDPBDBS03; discs DPMDPBD05–06)	27 October 2009	DP089–DP097 and DP098–DP104, then DP071–DP072 at the end of the last disc; the case prints DP091 as “Go Team Go!” and DP103 as “Jumping Rock Ship”
Pokémon the Series Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension – The Complete Season (7 DVDs in one case with a slipcover, 3000081796)	7 January 2020	All 52 episodes, with DP071–DP072 on disc 4 after DP082

Australia & New Zealand (Region 4)

Release	Date	Notes
Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension – Collection 1 (3 discs, Magna Pacific, DBX13127)	2 September 2009 (NZ 4 September 2009)	26 episodes: DP053–DP070 and DP073–DP080; no captions on any Region 4 set
Collection 2 (3 discs, DBX13128)	2 December 2009 (NZ 4 December 2009)	26 episodes: DP081, DP082, DP071, DP072 and DP083–DP104
Pokémon Season 11 DigiPack (6 discs, DBX13707)	1 June 2011 (NZ 16 June 2011)	Discs 11.1–11.6 themed on Chimchar, Hippopotas, Buizel, Riolu, Pachirisu and Lickilicky, with DP071–DP072 on disc 11.4; JB Hi-Fi 20th-anniversary reissues on 14 July (online) and 21 September 2016
Slimline reissue (Beyond Home Entertainment, BHE5395)	2 April 2014	The six-disc set repackaged
Multi-season sets	—	The season is also in the Pokémon Sinnoh Collection, the Diamond and Pearl – Limited Edition Collection, the Heritage Collection II and the Seasons 1–19 Deluxe, 1–20 Ultra and 1–21 Mega box sets

Japan

In Japan the episodes went out on rental DVDs from Media Factory and Shogakukan, mostly three episodes per disc. The first Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl line ended on 25 March 2008 with Vol. 18 (ZMBS-988R, DP053–DP055) and Vol. 19 (ZMBS-989R), which holds DP056, DP058 and DP059: Bibarel Gnaws Best! (DP057) was left out and appeared instead as a bonus on the DVD of the short Pikachu’s Exploration Club (25 April 2008). The next line, Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl 2008, began with Vol. 1 (ZMBS-6001R) on 23 May 2008 and reached Vol. 15 (ZMBS-6015R, DP103–DP105) on 25 March 2009; the contents of the volumes in between have not been confirmed. The Ranger two-parter had DVDs of its own, Pokémon Ranger: Riolu of the Aura (20 June 2008), and four Diamond & Pearl Special Selection DVDs followed on 25 September 2008; The Rise of Darkrai came out on DVD on 21 December 2007 and Giratina and the Sky Warrior on 19 December 2008.

Streaming

Pokémon TV added the whole season on 7 June 2021 and later rotated it with the other seasons until the service stopped new viewing on 8 January 2024 and closed on 28 March 2024. The Pokémon TV channel on YouTube, launched in December 2024, carries Season 11 (as of October 2026) in English and more than a dozen other languages, among them Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish, though Diamond and Pearl is not available there in the UK, where BBC iPlayer has carried the season since 2 August 2021. In Australia ABC iview added it in 2025, and the Pokémon Asia YouTube channel has streamed the English version since November 2021. In the US, Hulu Plus announced the season as a planned addition in 2014 and Hoopla and Xfinity Stream have listed it, but JustWatch reported it as not available to stream in October 2026. Check your local service, as availability changes often.

Covers

• Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension Box Set 1 (Region 1, 2009)
• Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension Box Set 2 (Region 1, 2009)
• Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension Box Set 3 (Region 1, 2009)
• The Complete Season (Region 1, 2020)
• Battle Dimension Collection 1 (Region 4, 2009)
• Battle Dimension Collection 2 (Region 4, 2009)
• Season 11 DigiPack (Region 4, 2011)

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.

• The Pokémon TV channel on YouTubeCarries Season 11 in English and more than a dozen other dub languages (as of October 2026), though not in the UK.
• BBC iPlayer (UK)Has carried the season since August 2021; its copies trim a scene from DP074 and a line from DP076.
• DVD – North AmericaPokémon the Series Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension – The Complete Season (VIZ Media, 7 discs, 2020) has all 52 episodes in one case.
• DVD – Australia & New ZealandThe Season 11 DigiPack and its reissues, and the season is part of several multi-season box sets; ABC iview added it in 2025.
• Not confirmedSeason 11 on Netflix, Hulu and the digital stores has not been confirmed for this page; JustWatch listed it as not streaming in the US in October 2026, and Pokémon TV closed in March 2024.

Trading Cards Released During the Season

Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension aired in the US during the trading card game’s Diamond & Pearl era, and four expansions came out while it was on Cartoon Network:

• Diamond & Pearl—Majestic Dawn — 21 May 2008 — between Bibarel Gnaws Best! (DP057) and Nosing ’Round the Mountain! (DP058) on Cartoon Network, with Glaceon, Leafeon, Ambipom, Monferno and Toxicroak
• Diamond & Pearl—Legends Awakened — 20 August 2008 — between The Bells Are Singing! (DP070) and Crossing Paths (DP073), with Gliscor, Probopass, Spiritomb, Yanmega, Riolu, Lucario, the lake guardians and the Supporter Cynthia’s Feelings
• Diamond & Pearl—Stormfront — 5 November 2008 — between the two halves of the Ranger special (DP071–DP072), with Drifblim, Dusknoir, Gengar, Mismagius, Cherrim and Skuntank
• Platinum — 11 February 2009 — between Playing The Leveling Field! (DP093) and Doc Brock! (DP094), introducing Team Galactic’s SP Pokémon, Galactic HQ and Cyrus’s Conspiracy, with Giratina and Shaymin from the eleventh movie

In Japan most of these cards had come out months earlier: Legends Awakened combines Cry from the Mysterious and Temple of Anger (14 March 2008), Stormfront is built on Intense Fight in the Destroyed Sky and the Giratina vs Dialga deck kit, and Platinum is the English version of Galactic’s Conquest (10 October 2008). Great Encounters came out just before the season (13 February 2008) and Rising Rivals just after it (20 May 2009), and promos in the window included a Darkrai (DP24) in the Darkrai Premium Box, Regigigas LV.X (DP30) in the 2008 holiday tins and Giratina LV.X and Shaymin LV.X (DP38–DP39) in the 2009 spring tins.

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:

• Gliscor · Legends Awakened 5/146Legends Awakened went on sale on 20 August 2008, six weeks after Paul caught the leader of a Gligar flock in the US broadcast of Riding the Winds of Change! (DP064, 5 July 2008) and almost four months before Ash’s own Gligar evolved into Gliscor with Gary’s Razor Fang in Fighting Fear with Fear! (DP085, 13 December 2008).
• Drifblim · Stormfront 16/100Stormfront (5 November 2008) brought a Drifblim with an Ominous Wind attack three months before Fantina’s Drifloon evolved into Drifblim in the US broadcast of Playing The Leveling Field! (DP093, 7 February 2009); in Shield with a Twist! (DP102, 18 April 2009) its Ominous Wind knocks out Pikachu before Chimchar wins the Relic Badge.
• Toxicroak G · Platinum 40/127One of Team Galactic’s SP Pokémon, released in Platinum on 11 February 2009, 17 days before Saturn’s Toxicroak knocked out Brock’s Croagunk with a single Poison Jab in the US broadcast of Losing Its Lustrous! (DP096, 28 February 2009); in the games, too, Saturn has a Toxicroak in every one he appears in.

Firsts & Lasts

• First season dubbed at DuArt Film and Video, from Tears For Fears! (DP053), and the last made entirely in 4:3.
• First anime opening heard in a movie before its season aired: We Will Be Heroes, at the start of The Rise of Darkrai (February 2008).
• Only trade between two main characters: Ash’s Aipom for Dawn’s Buizel (DP055).
• First mention of Aura in the TV series (DP056) and the first location-based evolution in the anime, Alan’s Probopass (DP058).
• Only Gym challenge by a main character other than Ash, Dawn’s against Maylene (DP067), and Ash’s only official Gym battle to end in a draw (DP068).
• First official Ribbon for Jessie, as Jessilina, in Solaceon (DP061) — and her second in Majolica (DP102), in the first episode to show a Gym battle and a Contest together.
• First Shiny Pokémon of Diamond and Pearl, Austin’s Dustox, and the first time a main character deliberately damages one of their own Poké Balls (DP073).
• First Gym Leader to debut outside his own generation: Wallace (DP075).
• Only item-based evolution of one of Ash’s Pokémon: Gligar into Gliscor with the Razor Fang (DP085), in the last battle between Ash and Gary.
• First TV-series appearance of Mew, in a Meowth daydream (DP092), completing the Generation I roster.
• First Japanese opening sung as a duet, High Touch!, and the first Diamond and Pearl ending with no human characters, Surely Tomorrow (both from DP096).
• First English episode in which the narrator reads the “To Be Continued” card aloud (DP098), and the first TV reference to The Rise of Darkrai, the Lunar Wing (DP104).
• Last appearances of Butch and Cassidy as Team Rocket members (DP065), of Ranger Solana (DP072) and of Angie (DP098).
• Last speaking role for May in the anime: Strategy With a Smile! (DP079).

Trivia & Facts

• A new studio. Tears For Fears! (DP053) is the first episode dubbed at DuArt Film and Video, which went on to record the English version up to the twenty-second season, and the episode in which Kayzie Rogers returns as Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. Battle Dimension is also the last season with every episode in 4:3, and from now on Meowth scowls rather than smiles in almost every motto.
• Baseball and a shared finale. The Japanese premiere was pushed back from 1 to 8 November 2007 by baseball coverage, and the finale, DP104, aired in Japan in a one-hour slot with the first episode of the next season, the last of nine two-episode broadcasts during the run.
• The only trade between main characters. Ash’s Aipom for Dawn’s Buizel (DP055) is the first trade in the anime since the original series. Both Pokémon soon proved the swap right: Ambipom battled Maylene for Dawn (DP067) and Buizel entered the Wallace Cup for Ash (DP077).
• Two movies made canon. The Keystone Pops! (DP056) is the first episode to mention Aura and Ash’s sensitivity to it, tying the series to Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, and the Lunar Wing in Sleepless In Pre-Battle! (DP104) is the TV series’ first reference to The Rise of Darkrai.
• Gym oddities. Dawn’s loss to Maylene (DP067) is the only time a main character other than Ash challenges for a Badge; Ash’s Cobble Badge (DP068) is his only official Gym battle to end in a draw and established that the Leader decides what happens after a tie; and the Pastoria battle (DP083) is his only Sinnoh Gym battle in which none of his Pokémon faint. At Hearthome Fantina gives the Counter Shield its name (DP102).
• Jessie’s best season. As Jessilina she wins her first two official Ribbons, in Solaceon (DP061) and Majolica (DP102); she releases Dustox in the only Diamond and Pearl episode in which a main character permanently lets a Pokémon go, and the first in which one deliberately damages their own Poké Ball (DP073); and she catches a Yanma that Giovanni sends straight back (DP080).
• May’s farewell. May returns for the five-part Wallace Cup arc and loses the final to Dawn by half a point (DP079): it is her last speaking role and, with Max, her last physical appearance until Pokémon Journeys, some 670 episodes later. A Full Course Tag Battle! (DP076) is her Blaziken’s last physical appearance, and DP078 the last for her Skitty, Wartortle, Munchlax and Venusaur.
  

  

• Wallace’s debut (DP075) is the first time a Gym Leader has debuted in the anime outside his own generation, and his Cup is Ash’s second and final official Contest, for which he wears a Contest outfit for the first time (DP077).
• Thirty-two debuts. Every species to debut this season is from Generation IV, from Spiritomb (DP056) to Darkrai and Cresselia in the finale (DP104). With Grotle (DP100) every Sinnoh first partner and evolution has appeared, and Mew’s first TV-series appearance, in a Meowth daydream (DP092), means that every Generation I species has now been seen in the animated series.
• Team Galactic step out of the shadows. Their first face-to-face battle with the heroes comes in Enter Galactic! (DP069), with the Spear Key taken from the Solaceon Ruins (DP060); both orbs are stolen and Cyrus is revealed to viewers as the boss in DP096–DP097, which set up the Red Chain and the hunt for the lake guardians.
• Last of the old guard. Sleight of Sand! (DP065) is Butch and Cassidy’s only physical appearance in Diamond and Pearl, their last as members of Team Rocket and Dr. Namba’s last appearance; DP072 is Ranger Solana’s last, and DP098 Angie’s.
• Game-release timing. The Ranger special aired on Shadows of Almia’s Japanese launch day and was held back in the US for its North American release; Platinum’s Japanese launch (13 September 2008) falls between DP093 and DP094, which has a Zapdos cameo, and coincided with DP076’s US airing; its North American launch falls between DP098 and DP099; and Maylene’s Lucario (DP066) aired in Japan a week after the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Countdown to Giratina. From DP075 to DP083 the Japanese end segment became Pikachu the Movie Memorial, one earlier film a week, before the eleventh movie opened between DP086 and DP087; the senryū lectures returned in DP091 after fifteen episodes away.
• 4Kids-era voices return. Rachael Lillis (Maylene, DP066) is the first former main-cast member to return, followed by Ted Lewis as “Ed Paul” (DP076) and as Giovanni (from DP080); Mike Pollock (as “Herb Lawrence”, DP059), Dan Green (DP056), Amy Palant (DP062), David Brimmer and Jason Griffith (DP082) and Lisa Ortiz (DP084, DP096) are heard too.
• Mechanics firsts. The season brings the anime’s first location-based evolution (DP058), the first protection move to fail from overuse (Meditite’s Detect, DP068), the only item-based evolution of one of Ash’s Pokémon (the Razor Fang, DP085), the anime debuts of Bone Rush (DP066), Waterfall (DP077), Ancient Power (DP080) and Substitute (DP095), and the first acknowledgement of what a one-hit KO move does (Guillotine, DP081).
• A record opening. Together and its remix Together2008 ran for 94 consecutive episodes (DP002–DP095), the record until One, Two, Three; its successor, High Touch! (DP096), was the first Japanese opening sung as a duet.
• Pikachu says no again. Pika and Goliath! (DP074) deliberately echoes Electric Shock Showdown (EP014): Pikachu loses to a Raichu, is offered the Thunder Stone Ash was given in Vermilion City, refuses to evolve and wins the rematch. The heart monitor in the Pokémon Center shows Chansey’s National Pokédex number, 113, a nod to the animators’ in-joke A113.
  

  

• Home-video quirks. Bibarel Gnaws Best! (DP057) is missing from Japan’s regular rental volume and was released as a bonus on a Pikachu short’s DVD instead, while VIZ’s Box Set 3 puts DP071–DP072 after the finale and misprints two titles.
• Games and cards. The trading card expansions released during the US run were Majestic Dawn, Legends Awakened, Stormfront and Platinum, whose Team Galactic SP Pokémon, from Saturn’s Toxicroak G to Jupiter’s Skuntank G, and the Supporter Cyrus’s Conspiracy arrived just as the Celestic Town raid reached Cartoon Network — see our TCG section.

Reception

Ratings. No viewing figures for the season itself have been found. For context, The Rise of Darkrai, which introduced its English opening, drew 1.435 million viewers on its Cartoon Network premiere seven weeks before the season, “easily topp[ing] the offerings on Nickelodeon and Disney” according to ICv2, and the channel later built two all-day Battle Dimension marathons into its schedule. In Japan only series-wide figures are documented: Diamond and Pearl peaked at 9.3% with the two-hour special of its first three episodes and averaged 6.4%, according to Japanese Wikipedia. MyAnimeList rates the whole 191-episode series 7.34, from around 100,000 users, with no separate score for this season, and IMDb’s episode ratings could not be checked for this page.

Fan commentary. Dogasu’s Backpack, which compared only two episodes of the season with their dubs, thought the trade in Throwing the Track Switch (DP055) corrected an obvious mismatch, though “it sucks how Buoysel never got to compete in a Pokémon Contest during its time with Hikari”, and complained that it was “more upset by how bad the artwork in this episode is more than anything else”, while “the Rocket trio really helped make this one so much better”. Of Cream of the Croagunk Crop! (DP082) it wrote “I really, really liked this episode”, found the dub “pretty standard, really” — though “it kind of sucks that Gureggru’s awesome Japanese voice is dubbed over” — and was “really happy to see it make its way over the Pacific intact”.

Context. The season’s films did well in Japan: Giratina and the Sky Warrior opened second behind Ponyo and tracked at about 90% of The Rise of Darkrai, which had been the top-grossing anime film of 2007 in Japan with ¥5.02 billion, and in March 2008 the chief director, Kunihiko Yuyama, received a lifetime achievement award at the 17th Japan Film Review Grand-Prix. No reviews of the VIZ DVDs or the 2020 Complete Season have been found, and the season won no known awards.

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