Pokémon DP Galactic Battles (Season 12)


Season	Season 12 of the English dub · the third season of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, advertised by Cartoon Network as Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles · the first season with widescreen episodes and the last with 4:3 ones
Series	Diamond & Pearl series (ポケットモンスターダイヤモンド＆パール Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl)
Region	Sinnoh — from Canalave City and Iron Island by way of Chocovine Town, Sandalstraw Town, Snowpoint City and Lake Acuity, then south through Twinleaf Town, Lilypad Town and Spear Pillar towards Daybreak Town
Episodes	53 in Japan (DP105–DP157) · 52 dubbed, on TV and on video — the Japan-only clip show DP120 was never dubbed
First episode	Get Your Rotom Running! (DP105) · Japan 4 December 2008 · US 9 May 2009
Last episode	Gotta Get a Gible! (DP157) · Japan 24 December 2009 · US 15 May 2010
Japanese opening themes	Hai Tatchi! (ハイタッチ！ High Touch!) – Satoshi (Rica Matsumoto) & Hikari (Megumi Toyoguchi) (DP105–DP133) · its remix High Touch! 2009 (DP134–DP157)
Japanese ending themes	Ashita wa Kitto (Surely Tomorrow) – Kanako (DP105–DP120) · Moeyo Gizamimi Pichū! (Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu!) – Shōko Nakagawa (DP121–DP144) · Dotchi~nyo? (Which One ~ Is It?) – Moomoo Milk and Araki-san (DP145–DP157)
English opening theme	Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) – Erin Bowman (all 52 episodes; a new widescreen Version 2 from DP121; its instrumental plays under the end credits)
Travelling companions	Ash Ketchum & Pikachu, Dawn and Brock (the whole season), with Lyra and Khoury from the Johto Festival to Lilypad Town (DP143–DP147)
Badges won	Mine Badge (Canalave Gym, DP108), Icicle Badge (Snowpoint Gym, DP127) — seven Sinnoh Badges by the end of the season
Contests	Dawn: Chocovine Ribbon, her fourth (DP114); runner-up to Kenny at Sandalstraw (DP123); out in the Lilypad semi-final (DP146) · Jessie: Lilypad Ribbon, won for her by James disguised as Jessilina (DP146) · Zoey: Brussel Ribbon, her fifth (DP155)
Related movies	Arceus and the Jewel of Life (Japan 18 July 2009, between DP135 and DP136 · US TV 20 November 2009) · Giratina and the Sky Warrior (US DVD 31 March 2009)
Previous season	Season 11: Battle Dimension
Following season	Season 13: Sinnoh League Victors

Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles is the twelfth season of the English-language Pokémon anime and the third season of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, known in Japan simply as Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl. It covers Japanese episodes DP105 to DP157, which TV Tokyo broadcast from 4 December 2008 to 24 December 2009, and 52 of its 53 episodes ran on Cartoon Network from 9 May 2009 to 15 May 2010: the Japan-only clip show DP120 was never dubbed. It is the second season recorded at DuArt Film and Video and the first with widescreen episodes — Japan switched to high definition with The Lonely Snover! (DP121) and the US broadcasts with Classroom Training! (DP126) — as well as the last with episodes in 4:3.

Ash, Dawn and Brock spend the season in northern and western Sinnoh. Ash wins the Mine Badge from Byron, who turns out to be Roark’s father, and the Icicle Badge from Candice, taking him to seven; his Staravia evolves into Staraptor to beat Paul for the first time in an aerial race, but in the six-on-six Full Battle at Lake Acuity, even after Chimchar evolves into Monferno, Paul wins with four Pokémon still standing. Ash later leaves Gliscor to train with the Air Battle Master McCann and, in the finale, catches a Gible, his first new Pokémon in 93 episodes. Dawn’s disobedient Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine, she wins her fourth Ribbon in Chocovine Town and loses Contests to Kenny and to James, disguised as Jessilina, while her Ambipom leaves to play ping pong and an Egg from the Johto Festival hatches into Cyndaquil. Team Galactic’s plans, meanwhile, reach their climax: after operations on Iron Island, on Mount Coronet and at the Fuego Ironworks, where the Red Chain is forged, Cyrus hires Pokémon Hunter J to capture the lake guardians, and at Spear Pillar he summons Dialga and Palkia, vanishes through his own portal and leaves his Commanders to be arrested.

Galactic Battles also brings a crowd of new and returning faces: the Aura user Riley, the bumbling International Police agent Looker, Pyramid King Brandon and the awakened Regigigas, Dawn’s scornful new rival Ursula, the Tower Tycoon Palmer at Dawn’s home-town festival, and Lyra, the heroine of HeartGold and SoulSilver, who arrives from Johto with her friend Khoury for a five-episode visit. James’s old Growlithe and his fiancée Jessebelle return after 571 episodes, Team Rocket are launched into space by an evil Togepi, eighteen species make their TV debut, and there is still no Who’s That Pokémon?. Our complete episode guide below has a synopsis, both titles and the air dates for all 53 episodes.

53episodes in Japan — 52 dubbed, without the clip show DP120
7Sinnoh Badges for Ash by the finale — Mine and Icicle won this season
4Pokémon Paul still had standing when he won the Lake Acuity Full Battle
5Legendary Pokémon in The Battle Finale of Legend! — then a record
93episodes between Ash’s Gligar and his next capture, Gible
18Pokémon species make their TV debut

As the menace of Team Galactic continues to loom over the Sinnoh region, Ash and Dawn keep getting caught up in the schemes of this mysterious group of villains—as well as facing some other unexpected challenges! Dawn’s got her hands full dealing with the many problems of her Pokémon, while Ash’s ongoing rivalry with Paul finally comes to a head in a full 6-on-6 battle! It might be the ultimate test of training styles—will our heroes come out on top?

— Official description

Quick Answers

How many episodes are in Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles?

53 in Japan and 52 in English. TV Tokyo aired DP105 to DP157 from 4 December 2008 to 24 December 2009, but the clip show DP120 — a look back at Ash and Dawn’s journey so far, shown in a one-hour slot with DP119 — was never dubbed, so Cartoon Network, the VIZ Media DVDs, the Australian sets and Pokémon TV all have 52 episodes and the English numbering jumps from Trials and Adulations! (15) to The Lonely Snover! (16). Cartoon Network showed the rest in order, one a week, from 9 May 2009 to 15 May 2010.

Which Badges does Ash win in Galactic Battles?

Two, taking him to seven Sinnoh Badges. At the Canalave Gym his Chimchar beats Byron’s Bronzor and Steelix and Gliscor, in its first Gym battle, finishes Bastiodon with a close-range Fire Fang for the Mine Badge (DP108). At the Snowpoint Gym Candice’s Abomasnow knocks out Staraptor and Grotle before Chimchar, snowboarding on a chunk of ice, wins the Icicle Badge with Flamethrower and Flame Wheel (DP127). Palmer then points him to Sunyshore City (DP141), but the battle with Volkner has to wait for Sinnoh League Victors.

Scene from Dealing With Defensive Types! (DP108) — *Dealing With Defensive Types!* (DP108).Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP108 “Dealing With Defensive Types!” · via Bulbapedia

Does Ash beat Paul in Galactic Battles?

Once, then he loses the battle that matters. In the Squallville PokéRinger (DP118) Staravia evolves into Staraptor, learns Close Combat and drops the ring on the goal ahead of Paul’s Honchkrow — Ash’s first win over his rival. But in the six-on-six Full Battle that Reggie arranges at Lake Acuity (DP131–DP132), after twelve substitutions and Chimchar’s evolution into Monferno, Paul wins with four of his Pokémon still able to battle; by DP155 he has all eight Badges.

Scene from Pursuing a Lofty Goal! (DP118) — *Pursuing a Lofty Goal!* (DP118).Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP118 “Pursuing a Lofty Goal!” · via Bulbapedia

How does Dawn do in her Contests this season?

She wins one Ribbon in three tries. Pachirisu, with its new Super Fang, beats her new rival Ursula’s Gabite for the Chocovine Ribbon, her fourth (DP114); Kenny’s Prinplup beats Ambipom in the Sandalstraw final (DP123), her first loss to him; and at Lilypad Town James, disguised as Jessilina for a sick Jessie, knocks out Mamoswine in the semi-final and wins (DP146). She ends the season one Ribbon short of the Grand Festival, also losing a Contest Battle to her mother, Johanna (DP138), and a Double Battle to Zoey (DP155).

What Pokémon does Ash catch in Galactic Battles?

Only Gible, in the finale, Gotta Get a Gible! (DP157), after it has learned Draco Meteor with his help and eaten his first Poké Ball — his first new Pokémon since Gligar, 93 episodes earlier, and the first Dragon type owned by a main character. Staravia evolves into Staraptor (DP118) and Chimchar into Monferno (DP132), and Gliscor stays behind to train with the Air Battle Master McCann (DP154), so his team at the end is Pikachu, Staraptor, Grotle, Monferno, Buizel and Gible.

What happens to Team Galactic in Galactic Battles?

Their plan comes to a head. Commander Mars uses the Spear Key on the Iron Ruins to scan Mount Coronet (DP110–DP111), Saturn and Charon search the mountain for the gateway (DP136), and the Red Chain is forged from the Veilstone meteorites at the Fuego Ironworks (DP150). Pokémon Hunter J captures Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie before her ship sinks into Lake Valor (DP151), and at Spear Pillar Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia to create a new world; when Ash, Dawn and Brock free the lake guardians, Cyrus vanishes into his own portal and Saturn, Mars and Jupiter are arrested (DP152).

Story Arcs

Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles runs for 53 episodes and follows Ash, Dawn and Brock from Canalave City to the road to Daybreak Town. Here is how the season breaks down, with stills from our episode guide below.

Canalave & the Mine BadgeDP105–DP109

While they wait for the Gym Leader to return, Ash, Dawn and Brock visit the Old Chateau for its famous Old Gateau and meet a Rotom that possesses a microwave, a fridge, a washing machine, a fan and a lawn mower in turn. Dawn’s Piloswine, disobedient since it evolved, glows under Yanmega’s Silver Wind and becomes an even more headstrong Mamoswine, while Gliscor learns Fire Fang. The Canalave Gym Leader, Byron, turns out to be Roark’s father, and their feud over Rampardos and Bastiodon ends with a fossil leaf Roark gave him as a child. Next day Chimchar beats Bronzor and Steelix and Gliscor, in its first Gym battle, finishes Bastiodon for the Mine Badge; the friends then guide a stranded Wailmer back to its pod through the city’s sewers.

Iron Island & the Spear KeyDP110–DP111

A call from Barry, whose Empoleon has turned on him, takes the group to Iron Island, where Steel-type Pokémon have gone berserk. With the Aura user Riley and his Lucario they find Commander Mars using the Spear Key on the ancient Iron Ruins to beam data to Mount Coronet; the energy drives Lucario out of control until Riley calms it with his own Aura. Pikachu wrecks the machine, Riley and Lucario contain the bombs Mars leaves behind, and James’s Carnivine learns Vine Whip to pull everyone out of a pit. Professor Carolina learns that the ruins can locate Spear Pillar, and Cyrus puts Saturn in charge of the search.

Chocovine & Dawn’s fourth RibbonDP112–DP117

On the ferry, Pikachu and Piplup are marooned on an island where some Mantyke and a Corphish are reviving a fallen Deoxys, and in Chocovine Town a lovestruck Phione challenges Pikachu for Buneary, who beats it herself. At the Chocovine Contest Dawn meets Ursula, a sneering Coordinator who lost in the first round of the Wallace Cup, and Pachirisu’s new spinning Super Fang beats Ursula’s Gabite for Dawn’s fourth Ribbon. On the road north the group meet a bowling-ball-wielding Officer Jenny and her Chatot and help a Froslass rescue her Snorunt from a poacher, and Team Rocket briefly break up when Meowth is offered a job making noodles, before a Shiny Metagross brings the trio back together.

The snowbound road northDP118–DP125

In the Squallville PokéRinger Staravia evolves into Staraptor in the final and beats Paul’s Honchkrow — Ash’s first win over his rival. An injured Mamoswine finally learns to trust Dawn after she nurses it through the night; Japan then airs the clip show DP120 and switches to high definition with DP121, in which Grotle learns Rock Climb to rescue a lonely Snover. In Sandalstraw Town Piplup keeps stopping its own evolution and Nurse Joy gives Dawn an Everstone, Kenny’s Prinplup beats Ambipom in the Contest final, and after the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament Ambipom chooses to leave Dawn and train with the champion, O. A parcel from Johanna brings winter clothes for the last stretch to Snowpoint.

Snowpoint CityDP126–DP129

Zoey shows the group her home town and its Gym Leader, Candice, who teaches at the Trainers’ School and helped her raise Glameow; on Cartoon Network this was the first episode broadcast in widescreen and HD. Ash’s four-on-four Gym battle ends with Chimchar snowboarding to victory over Abomasnow for the Icicle Badge, his seventh, and Paul arrives just as it finishes. Brandon’s Battle Pyramid lands nearby, and the Pyramid King’s Regirock, Registeel and Regice sweep Paul six to none, after which Reggie arranges a Full Battle between Ash and Paul at Lake Acuity. Pokémon Hunter J then breaks the pillars of the Snowpoint Temple and awakens Regigigas; Brandon is turned to stone protecting it, restored by its Hidden Power, and stays to rebuild the temple.

Lake Acuity: the Full BattleDP130–DP133

On an Ampharos-powered train to Lake Acuity the friends meet Looker, a clumsy passenger quietly investigating Team Galactic, and Brock’s Sudowoodo learns Hammer Arm. The six-on-six Full Battle with free substitutions goes Paul’s way: Staraptor beats Weavile, but Honchkrow beats Grotle, Paul’s Magmar is now a Magmortar, Ursaring knocks out Buizel, Staraptor and Pikachu, and Torterra’s Frenzy Plant beats Gliscor in one blow. Chimchar defeats Ursaring and evolves into Monferno, learning Mach Punch, but goes down with Electabuzz, and Paul wins with four Pokémon left. A crushed Ash is lifted by his team’s group hug and Dawn’s Pokémon circus, while Brock glimpses the spirit of Uxie at the lake.

South through Twinleaf TownDP134–DP142

Mamoswine learns Hidden Power while helping a Tangrowth save a thousand-year-old tree, Team Rocket stage a fake Pokémon Hustle audition that two thieves hijack, and on Mount Coronet the masked Grunt beside Saturn and Charon unmasks as Looker of the International Police. After Piplup loses a Marill to an Elekid, the four-part Twinleaf Festival arc takes Dawn home: she loses a Contest Battle to her mother, Johanna, meets Professor Oak in person while James impersonates him on stage, and relives her first day in a Xatu’s illusion with Ash and Barry. Barry’s father, Palmer, the Tower Tycoon, beats Ash’s Grotle with Rhyperior after Ash wins the festival tournament, and points him to Sunyshore City. An evil Togepi then launches Team Rocket’s new tower into orbit.

Lyra & KhouryDP143–DP147

At a Johto Festival the friends meet Lyra, the heroine of HeartGold and SoulSilver, which had just come out in Japan, and her friend Khoury; Piplup beats Lyra’s Chikorita, and the Egg Dawn wins as a prize hatches into Cyndaquil. The pair travel with the group through a lockdown at the Valley Windworks and a hunt on Mt. Shady, where Khoury’s Totodile beats the wild Gible Ash also wanted and Khoury catches it. With Jessie ill, James enters the Lilypad Contest as Jessilina and wins, knocking out Dawn’s Mamoswine in its first Contest. Ash and Dawn then beat Khoury and Lyra in a Tag Battle at the Lilypad Colosseum, where Totodile evolves into Croconaw, and the Johto pair fly home.

Team Galactic’s endgameDP148–DP152

After a Murkrow’s illusions and a machine that glues Pikachu and Piplup together, the group find an injured Meowth and rescue Looker, Jessie and James from the Fuego Ironworks, where the Red Chain has been forged from the stolen Veilstone meteorites; Saturn finds the gateway to Spear Pillar, and Cyrus hires Pokémon Hunter J. J captures Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie, but their Future Sight sinks her ship in Lake Valor, and the lake guardians teleport Ash, Dawn and Brock into Team Galactic’s headquarters. At Spear Pillar Cyrus uses the Red Chain to summon Dialga and Palkia; Croagunk finally beats Saturn’s Toxicroak, the friends free the lake guardians, and Cyrus steps alone into his shrinking portal. Saturn, Mars and Jupiter are arrested, and Team Galactic is finished.

DP150 Unlocking the Red Chain of Events!

Towards Daybreak TownDP153–DP157

Monferno digs up a treasure chest James buried as a child, leading to his family’s mansion, his old Growlithe, Growlie, and his dreaded fiancée Jessebelle. Gliscor learns Giga Impact while training with the retired Air Battle Master McCann and chooses to stay with him. In Brussel Town Zoey wins her fifth Ribbon, Paul is shown on TV with all eight Badges, and Dawn invents the “Flame Ice” combination but loses a Double Battle to Zoey’s new Kirlia and Leafeon. Finally a wild Gible learns Draco Meteor with Ash’s help, follows him, eats his first Poké Ball and his rival Barry’s new bicycle, and becomes Ash’s first capture in 93 episodes.

Episode Guide

All 53 episodes of Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles are listed below in Japanese order, which is also the order of the English dub and the DVDs. The # column is the season number used by Cartoon Network, VIZ Media and streaming services, and the orange code is the Bulbapedia DP number used by most fan sites; the Japan-only clip show DP120 has no English number because it was never dubbed, so The Lonely Snover! (DP121) is episode 16 in English. 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, one a week on Saturday mornings from 9 May 2009 to 15 May 2010, with no new episode on 19 September and 28 November 2009. 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 most episodes with Professor Oak’s Big Pokémon Examination instead.

#	Episode	First aired	In short
1DP105	Get Your Rotom Running!羊羹とロトム！	Japan 4 Dec 2008 US 9 May 2009	Waiting in Canalave City for Gym Leader Byron, Ash, Dawn and Brock visit the Old Chateau for its famous Old Gateau, only to find the storm-darkened… · Dub season premiere Episode guide →
2DP106	A Breed Stampede!ポケモンと仲良くなる方法！？	Japan 11 Dec 2008 US 16 May 2009	Dawn’s newly evolved Piloswine refuses to obey her, and in the middle of a Team Rocket trap it evolves again into a powerful but still unruly… · Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine Episode guide →
3DP107	Ancient Family Matters!ラムパルドＶＳトリデプス！！	Japan 18 Dec 2008 US 23 May 2009	At the Canalave Gym, Ash discovers that Gym Leader Byron is Roark’s father, and the two Leaders are too busy arguing over fossils to accept a… · Byron debuts Episode guide →
4DP108	Dealing With Defensive Types!ミオジム戦！はがねのバトル！！	Japan 25 Dec 2008 US 30 May 2009	Ash battles Byron for the Mine Badge, and Gliscor’s first Gym battle ends in victory with a close-range Fire Fang against Bastiodon. · Mine Badge Episode guide →
5DP109	Leading a Stray!迷子のホエルコ！	Japan 8 Jan 2009 US 6 Jun 2009	A stranded Wailmer needs help getting back to its family in Canalave’s harbour, and Ash leads it through the city’s sewers with the help… · Wailmer evolves into Wailord Episode guide →
6DP110	Steeling Peace of Mind!ゲンとルカリオ！	Japan 15 Jan 2009 US 13 Jun 2009	Ash and his friends travel to Iron Island to investigate why Steel-type Pokémon have turned violent, and meet Riley and his Lucario, who can… · Riley debuts Episode guide →
7DP111	Saving the World from Ruins!鋼鉄島の遺跡！	Japan 22 Jan 2009 US 20 Jun 2009	Ash, Riley and their friends stop Team Galactic’s operation on Iron Island, but Commander Mars escapes with the Spear Key and the location of… · Carnivine learns Vine Whip Episode guide →
8DP112	Cheers on Castaways Isle!ピカチュウ・ポッチャマ漂流記！	Japan 29 Jan 2009 US 27 Jun 2009	Pikachu and Piplup are stranded on an uncharted island, where they help a Corphish and some Mantyke gather rocks to revive a fallen Deoxys. · Pikachu & Piplup castaways Episode guide →
9DP113	Hold the Phione!いたずらフィオネ！	Japan 5 Feb 2009 US 4 Jul 2009	In Chocovine Town, a Phione falls for Dawn’s Buneary and challenges Pikachu for her affection, only for Buneary to battle it herself. · Phione’s only appearance Episode guide →
10DP114	Another One Gabites the Dust!ポケモンコンテスト！アケビ大会！！	Japan 12 Feb 2009 US 11 Jul 2009	Dawn wins her fourth Ribbon at the Chocovine Town Contest, defeating her new rival Ursula’s Gabite with Pachirisu’s newly learned Super… · Chocovine Ribbon Episode guide →
11DP115	Stealing the Conversation!ワイルドジュンサーと相棒ペラップ！	Japan 19 Feb 2009 US 18 Jul 2009	A reckless Officer Jenny newly transferred from Kanto drafts Ash into her hunt for Team Rocket, and her talkative Chatot ends up captured by the trio. · Officer Jenny’s Chatot Episode guide →
12DP116	The Drifting Snorunt!吹雪の中のユキメノコ！	Japan 26 Feb 2009 US 25 Jul 2009	Caught in a blizzard, Ash and his friends meet a Froslass who holds Piplup and Meowth hostage until they find her missing Snorunt. · Froslass searches for Snorunt Episode guide →
13DP117	Noodles! Roamin’ Off!ロケット団解散！？	Japan 5 Mar 2009 US 1 Aug 2009	Team Rocket break up after Meowth is offered a job making noodles by Christopher, a former Team Rocket Academy junior who now runs a successful ramen… · Team Rocket break up Episode guide →
14DP118	Pursuing a Lofty Goal!ポケリンガ！天空大決戦！！	Japan 12 Mar 2009 US 8 Aug 2009	Ash beats Paul for the first time when Staravia evolves into Staraptor in the final of the Squallville PokéRinger competition. · Staravia evolves into Staraptor Episode guide →
15DP119	Trials and Adulations!激突！マンムーＶＳボスゴドラ！！	Japan 26 Mar 2009 US 15 Aug 2009	Separated from her friends and trapped with an injured Mamoswine, Dawn nurses it back to health, and the Pokémon finally begins to obey her. · Mamoswine obeys Dawn Episode guide →
–DP120	The Mysterious Creatures, Pocket Monsters!ふしぎないきものポケットモンスター！	Japan 26 Mar 2009 US never aired	In this Japan-only clip show, Ash, Dawn and Brock look back on their Sinnoh journey so far while travelling towards Snowpoint City. · Clip show Episode guide →
16DP121	The Lonely Snover!さびしがりやのユキカブリ！	Japan 2 Apr 2009 US 22 Aug 2009	A lonely Snover plays pranks on Ash’s group to get their attention, and when Team Rocket kidnap it, Grotle learns Rock Climb to come to the… · Grotle learns Rock Climb Episode guide →
17DP122	Stopped in the Name of Love!進化！その時ポッチャマは！？	Japan 2 Apr 2009 US 29 Aug 2009	Dawn’s Piplup begins to evolve into Prinplup but stops itself, and after a misunderstanding with Dawn it is given an Everstone so it can stay… · Piplup refuses to evolve Episode guide →
18DP123	Old Rivals, New Tricks!ポケモンコンテスト！タツナミ大会！！	Japan 16 Apr 2009 US 5 Sep 2009	Kenny defeats Dawn in the final of the Sandalstraw Town Contest, winning his fourth Ribbon in Ambipom’s last Contest. · Kenny wins the Sandalstraw Ribbon Episode guide →
19DP124	To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!ポケモンピンポン大会！エテボースがんばる！！	Japan 23 Apr 2009 US 12 Sep 2009	Dawn’s Ambipom shows a talent for ping pong at a Pokémon tournament and chooses to leave Dawn to train with the champion, O. · Ambipom leaves Dawn Episode guide →
20DP125	Battling a Cute Drama!チェリンボ！けなげなバトル！？	Japan 30 Apr 2009 US 26 Sep 2009	Dawn and Brock clash with Marilyn, a Trainer obsessed with cute Pokémon, before the group change into winter clothes sent by Dawn’s… · Winter outfits Episode guide →
21DP126	Classroom Training!トレーナーズスクールのスズナ先生！	Japan 7 May 2009 US 3 Oct 2009	In Snowpoint City, Ash and his friends reunite with Zoey and meet Gym Leader Candice, who teaches at the local Trainers’ School. · Candice debuts Episode guide →
22DP127	Sliding Into Seventh!キッサキジム！氷のバトル！！	Japan 14 May 2009 US 10 Oct 2009	Ash wins the Icicle Badge from Candice in a four-on-four Gym battle, with Chimchar snowboarding to victory over her Abomasnow. · Icicle Badge Episode guide →
23DP128	A Pyramiding Rage!バトルピラミッド！シンジVSジンダイ！！	Japan 21 May 2009 US 17 Oct 2009	Paul challenges Pyramid King Brandon to a Full Battle and is swept six to none, after which Reggie arranges a Full Battle between Paul and Ash. · Brandon beats Paul 6–0 Episode guide →
24DP129	Pillars of Friendship!復活のレジギガス！Ｊ再び！！	Japan 28 May 2009 US 24 Oct 2009	Pokémon Hunter J awakens the legendary Regigigas at Snowpoint Temple, and Brandon is turned to stone protecting it. · Regigigas awakens Episode guide →
25DP130	Frozen on Their Tracks!デンリュウ列車！ハンサム登場！！	Japan 4 Jun 2009 US 31 Oct 2009	On a train to Lake Acuity, Ash and his friends meet Looker, a clumsy but kind passenger who is secretly investigating Team Galactic. · Looker debuts Episode guide →
26DP131	Pedal to the Mettle!フルバトル！シンジＶＳサトシ！！-前編-	Japan 11 Jun 2009 US 7 Nov 2009	Ash and Paul begin their six-on-six Full Battle at Lake Acuity, trading knockouts as Staraptor defeats Weavile and Honchkrow defeats Grotle. · Full Battle, part 1 Episode guide →
27DP132	Evolving Strategies!フルバトル！シンジＶＳサトシ！！-後編-	Japan 18 Jun 2009 US 14 Nov 2009	Paul wins the Full Battle at Lake Acuity, but not before Ash’s Chimchar evolves into Monferno and learns Mach Punch. · Chimchar evolves into Monferno Episode guide →
28DP133	Uncrushing Defeat!ユクシーの影！	Japan 25 Jun 2009 US 21 Nov 2009	Ash struggles to recover from his loss to Paul until his Pokémon lift his spirits, while Brock glimpses the spirit of Uxie at Lake Acuity. · Brock sees Uxie Episode guide →
29DP134	Promoting Healthy Tangrowth!森の王者！モジャンボ！！	Japan 2 Jul 2009 US 5 Dec 2009	Dawn’s humiliated Mamoswine runs into a forest and learns Hidden Power while helping a Tangrowth save an ancient tree. · Mamoswine learns Hidden Power Episode guide →
30DP135	Beating the Bustle and Hustle!全員参戦！ポケモンハッスル！！	Japan 9 Jul 2009 US 12 Dec 2009	Ash and his friends enter a fake Pokémon Hustle audition run by Team Rocket, only for a pair of thieves to steal every contestant’s… · Fake Pokémon Hustle audition Episode guide →
31DP136	Gateway to Ruin!テンガン山の遺跡！ギンガ団の陰謀！！	Japan 23 Jul 2009 US 19 Dec 2009	Returning a lost Shellos to its home on Mount Coronet, Ash and his friends stumble upon Team Galactic searching for the gateway to Spear Pillar, and… · Looker revealed Episode guide →
32DP137	Three Sides to Every Story!マリル・ポッチャマ・エレキッド！！	Japan 6 Aug 2009 US 26 Dec 2009	Dawn’s Piplup falls for a Marill at a Berry orchard and battles a rival Elekid for its affection, only for Marill to prefer the Electric… · Piplup’s heartbreak Episode guide →
33DP138	Strategy Begins at Home!ヒカリVSママ！親子対決！！	Japan 13 Aug 2009 US 2 Jan 2010	Back in her home of Twinleaf Town, Dawn challenges her mother Johanna to a Contest Battle and loses to her Glameow and Umbreon. · Dawn vs Johanna Episode guide →
34DP139	A Faux Oak Finish!オーキド博士を救出せよ！ニョロトノＶＳグレッグル！！	Japan 20 Aug 2009 US 9 Jan 2010	Professor Oak goes missing on his way to the Twinleaf Festival, and while Ash’s group search for him, James takes his place on stage in… · Dawn meets Professor Oak Episode guide →
35DP140	Historical Mystery Tour!ネイティ、ネイティオ。。。不思議な森！	Japan 27 Aug 2009 US 16 Jan 2010	At the Twinleaf Festival, Ash, Dawn and Barry enter a mysterious tent and relive the first days of their journeys in a Xatu’s illusion, then… · Palmer debuts Episode guide →
36DP141	Challenging a Towering Figure!タワータイクーン！その男、クロツグ！！	Japan 3 Sep 2009 US 23 Jan 2010	Ash wins the Twinleaf Festival Battle Challenge but loses an exhibition match to Palmer, the Tower Tycoon of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. · Ash loses to Palmer Episode guide →
37DP142	Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!史上最悪のトゲピー！	Japan 10 Sep 2009 US 30 Jan 2010	A mischievous Togepi takes over Team Rocket’s new tower, traps Ash and his friends, and launches the building into outer space. · Evil Togepi Episode guide →
38DP143	An Egg Scramble!ジョウトフェスタ！チコリータとワニノコ登場！！	Japan 17 Sep 2009 US 6 Feb 2010	At a Johto Festival, Ash and his friends meet the Johto Trainers Lyra and Khoury, and Dawn wins a Pokémon Egg that hatches into a Cyndaquil. · Lyra & Khoury debut Episode guide →
39DP144	Gone With the Windworks!ダンジョン攻略！？谷間の発電所！	Japan 17 Sep 2009 US 13 Feb 2010	Dawn’s new Cyndaquil has its first battle and clashes with a jealous Piplup, and the group are locked inside the Valley Windworks after Team… · Valley Windworks Episode guide →
40DP145	A Rivalry to Gible On!フカマル…ゲットだぜ！	Japan 1 Oct 2009 US 20 Feb 2010	Ash and Khoury compete to catch a rowdy wild Gible on Mt. · Khoury catches Gible Episode guide →
41DP146	Dressed for Jess Success!ポケモンコンテスト！スイレン大会！！	Japan 1 Oct 2009 US 27 Feb 2010	With Jessie too ill to compete, James disguises himself as Jessilina and wins the Lilypad Town Contest, knocking Dawn out in the semi-final. · James wins as Jessilina Episode guide →
42DP147	Bagged Then Tagged!サトシとヒカリ！タッグバトル！！	Japan 15 Oct 2009 US 6 Mar 2010	Ash and Dawn defeat Khoury and Lyra in a Tag Battle at the Lilypad Colosseum, where Khoury’s Totodile evolves into Croconaw, before the Johto… · Totodile evolves into Croconaw Episode guide →
43DP148	Try for the Family Stone!ムウマとヤミカラスとやみのいし！	Japan 22 Oct 2009 US 13 Mar 2010	Ash and his friends help Rhyanna search for a Dusk Stone to evolve her Misdreavus, hoping it will reconcile her with her estranged brother Mitchell. · Rhyanna’s Dusk Stone Episode guide →
44DP149	Sticking With Who You Know!ピカチュウポッチャマくっつかないで！！	Japan 29 Oct 2009 US 20 Mar 2010	Pikachu and Piplup become inseparably infatuated with each other because of Professor Kodama’s experimental machine, which affects Water- and… · Pikachu & Piplup stuck together Episode guide →
45DP150	Unlocking the Red Chain of Events!赤い鎖！ギンガ団始動！！	Japan 5 Nov 2009 US 27 Mar 2010	Ash and his friends rescue Looker and Team Rocket from Fuego Ironworks, where Team Galactic have forged the Red Chain from the stolen Veilstone… · The Red Chain Episode guide →
46DP151	The Needs of the Three!アグノム・ユクシー・エムリット！	Japan 12 Nov 2009 US 3 Apr 2010	Pokémon Hunter J captures Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie for Team Galactic, but her ship is struck down into Lake Valor, and the Lake Guardians… · J captures the lake guardians Episode guide →
47DP152	The Battle Finale of Legend!ディアルガとパルキア！最後の戦い！！	Japan 12 Nov 2009 US 10 Apr 2010	At Spear Pillar, Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia to create a new world, but Ash, Dawn and Brock free the Lake Guardians and stop him, and Team… · Spear Pillar Episode guide →
48DP153	The Treasure Is All Mine!危険がいっぱい！コジロウの宝箱！！	Japan 26 Nov 2009 US 17 Apr 2010	James is forced to confront his past when Ash’s group dig up a treasure chest he buried as a child, leading to his family mansion, his old… · Growlie returns Episode guide →
49DP154	Mastering Current Events!エアバトルマスター登場！グライオンＶＳハッサム！！	Japan 3 Dec 2009 US 24 Apr 2010	Ash’s Gliscor learns Giga Impact while training with the retired Air Battle Master McCann, then chooses to stay behind with him. · Gliscor stays with McCann Episode guide →
50DP155	Double-Time Battle Training!ダブルバトル！マンムーとヒノアラシ！！	Japan 10 Dec 2009 US 1 May 2010	Zoey wins her fifth Ribbon at Brussel Town, then helps Dawn develop new combinations for the Daybreak Contest; along the way Dawn creates… · Zoey’s fifth Ribbon Episode guide →
51DP156	A Meteoric Rise to Excellence!フカマルとりゅうせいぐん！	Japan 17 Dec 2009 US 8 May 2010	A wild Gible determined to learn Draco Meteor latches onto Ash and his friends, and it masters the move while helping them rescue a Trainer’s… · Gible learns Draco Meteor Episode guide →
52DP157	Gotta Get a Gible!フカマル！ゲットだぜ！！	Japan 24 Dec 2009 US 15 May 2010	Ash catches the Gible that has been following him, his first new Pokémon since Gligar, in the season finale. · Ash catches Gible Episode guide →

Characters & Travelling Companions

Ash wins his sixth and seventh Sinnoh Badges: the Mine Badge from Byron, with Gliscor fighting its first Gym battle (DP108), and the Icicle Badge from Candice, with a snowboarding Chimchar (DP127). His Staravia evolves into Staraptor and learns Close Combat in the final of the Squallville PokéRinger, giving him his first win over Paul (DP118), but in the six-on-six Full Battle at Lake Acuity his Chimchar evolves into Monferno and learns Mach Punch only for Paul to win with four Pokémon standing (DP131–DP132); it takes his whole team to lift his spirits afterwards (DP133). Grotle learns Rock Climb (DP121) and discovers that swallowing its own Energy Ball powers it up against Palmer’s Rhyperior, although Ash loses that exhibition after winning the Twinleaf Festival tournament (DP141). Gliscor learns Fire Fang (DP106) and Giga Impact, then chooses to stay with the Air Battle Master McCann (DP154), and in the finale Ash catches Gible, his first new Pokémon in 93 episodes (DP157). Pikachu restores the Old Chateau’s power (DP105), is marooned with Piplup (DP112), stuck to it by a professor’s machine (DP149) and helps destroy Charon’s Red Chain cannon at Spear Pillar (DP152).

Dawn begins the season with three Ribbons and a Piloswine that will not listen. It evolves into an even more stubborn Mamoswine (DP106) and starts to obey her only after she nurses its injured leg through a night in the wild (DP119); it learns Hidden Power (DP134) and makes its Contest debut at Lilypad Town (DP146). Pachirisu’s new Super Fang wins her the Chocovine Ribbon, her fourth (DP114), but she loses the Sandalstraw final to Kenny (DP123) and the Lilypad semi-final to James in disguise (DP146), so she ends the season one Ribbon short of the Grand Festival. Piplup keeps stopping its own evolution until Nurse Joy gives her an Everstone (DP122), Ambipom leaves to play ping pong with the champion, O (DP124), and the Egg she wins at the Johto Festival hatches into Cyndaquil (DP143). At home in Twinleaf Town she loses a Contest Battle to her mother, Johanna (DP138), and meets Professor Oak in person for the first time (DP139); she wears a winter outfit from DP125 to DP129 and invents the “Flame Ice” combination while training with Zoey (DP155).

Brock keeps Sudowoodo, Croagunk and Happiny all season. Sudowoodo learns Hammer Arm on the way to Lake Acuity (DP130), Croagunk finally beats Saturn’s Toxicroak with Brick Break at Spear Pillar, ending their rivalry (DP152), and Happiny’s Pound blasts Team Rocket away after Brock’s three-on-three battle with Marilyn (DP125). He is the first to glimpse the spirit of Uxie, the lake guardian of wisdom, at Lake Acuity (DP133), receives a Pokégear from Khoury’s father (DP147), and spends the Twinleaf Festival at a booth that attracts no customers (DP140). 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.

Team Rocket

Jessie, James and Meowth neither catch nor release a Pokémon this season, but they briefly split up when Meowth is offered a job making noodles by Christopher, an old Team Rocket Academy junior, and Jessie leaves to concentrate on Contests (DP117). As Jessilina, Jessie shows off Yanmega’s Speed Boost at Chocovine (DP114), borrows Mime Jr., whose Teeter Dance sets the whole Sandalstraw stadium dancing (DP123), is disqualified from the ping pong tournament when Meowth’s Fury Swipes slice the ball (DP124) and becomes “Jessirilyn” for a cute-Pokémon fan (DP125); when she falls ill on the day of the Lilypad Contest, James disguises himself as Jessilina, enters in her place and wins, the first main character to win a Contest at the first attempt, and gives her the Ribbon, her third (DP146). James also enters the PokéRinger in disguise with Jessie’s Yanmega (DP118), passes himself off as Professor Oak at the Twinleaf Festival (DP139) and wins a Goldeen-scooping duel (DP140), and Carnivine learns Vine Whip to haul everyone out of a pit on Iron Island (DP111).

The trio’s festival earnings buy a tower that an evil Togepi turns into a rocket and launches into orbit, where Rayquaza knocks it back to Earth (DP142). Jessie and James are captured with Looker at the Fuego Ironworks, and an injured Meowth has to ask the twerps for help (DP150); the trio then infiltrate Team Galactic alongside Looker during the Spear Pillar finale (DP151–DP152). Monferno’s digging then leads them to James’s family mansion, where his old Growlithe, Growlie, is waiting after 571 episodes and his fiancée Jessebelle is blasted off with him and Meowth (DP153). Jessie is voiced by Michele Knotz and James and Meowth by James Carter Cathcart; Kayzie Rogers voices Wobbuffet, which sits out many episodes, and Mime Jr., and Giovanni appears only in the trio’s daydreams.

Rivals, Gym Leaders, Team Galactic & recurring characters

Paul loses the PokéRinger to Ash (DP118), arrives in Snowpoint as Ash wins his Badge (DP127) and is swept six to none by Pyramid King Brandon, revealing a Hariyama, a Nidoking and a Lairon (DP128). His brother Reggie then arranges the Lake Acuity Full Battle, which Paul wins with a newly evolved Magmortar in his team (DP131–DP132), and by DP155 he is shown on TV with his eighth Badge. The hyperactive Barry calls the group to Iron Island and reveals a Heracross (DP110–DP111), plays in the Sandalstraw ping pong tournament (DP122–DP124), loses the Twinleaf Festival final to Ash (DP141) and turns up with six Badges for the finale, where his Empoleon beats Ash’s new Gible (DP157). Zoey shows the group her home town, Snowpoint City (DP126–DP128), and wins her fifth Ribbon at Brussel Town with a new Kirlia and Leafeon in her team (DP155); Kenny wins two more Ribbons, the Gerbera Ribbon on TV (DP106) and the Sandalstraw Ribbon against Dawn (DP123); and the sneering Ursula, with her Gabite and Sandy Cloak Wormadam, becomes Dawn’s newest rival (DP114). From Johto come Lyra, with her Marill, Chikorita and Girafarig, and her friend Khoury, who catches a Gible and sees his Totodile evolve into Croconaw (DP143–DP147).

Two Gym Leaders debut: Byron (DP107–DP108), the Steel-type Leader of Canalave City and a passionate fossil digger, who turns out to be Roark’s father, and Candice (DP126–DP128, DP155), the Ice-type Leader of Snowpoint City, a teacher at its Trainers’ School and Zoey’s mentor; Roark referees his father’s Gym battle. The Aura user Riley and his Lucario help on Iron Island (DP110–DP111), Brandon makes his last appearance defending Regigigas (DP129), and Palmer, Barry’s father and the Tower Tycoon of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, debuts at the Twinleaf Festival (DP140–DP141), where Dawn’s mother Johanna is in charge and Professor Oak is guest of honour. The Sunyshore Gym Leader, Volkner, is only mentioned, by Palmer (DP141). The Champion Cynthia drives the group to Lake Valor and helps at Spear Pillar with Garchomp, and Gary tries to stop the Galactic Bomb (DP151–DP152); the retired Air Battle Master McCann takes over Gliscor’s training (DP154).

Team Galactic reach the end of the line. Commander Mars runs the Iron Island operation (DP110–DP111); Saturn and the scientist Charon, first glimpsed in DP111, search Mount Coronet for the gateway to Spear Pillar (DP136); and Jupiter guards the Fuego Ironworks, where the Red Chain is made (DP150). Their boss, Cyrus, hires Pokémon Hunter J, who had awakened Regigigas at the Snowpoint Temple (DP129), to capture the lake guardians; her ship sinks into Lake Valor with her fate unknown, her last appearance (DP151). At Spear Pillar Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia, betrays his Commanders and disappears into his own portal, and Saturn, Mars and Jupiter are arrested, while Charon apparently escapes (DP152). Throughout, the International Police agent Looker, introduced as a clumsy train passenger (DP130), shadows the organisation, revealing his identity in DP136; Professor Carolina studies the Iron Ruins (DP111) and receives the recovered orbs, and Professor Rowan watches the Spear Pillar disturbances from Sandgem Town (DP152).

Byron, the Canalave Gym Leader and Roark’s father, in Ancient Family Matters! (DP107)

Riley, the Aura user who helps on Iron Island (DP110–DP111)

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	Yūji Ueda
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
Ursula	Melissa Schoenberg	Ayako Kawasumi
Lyra	Eileen Stevens	Megumi Nakajima
Khoury	Christopher Niosi (his first professional role)	Kenji Nojima
Byron	Dan Green	Kazuki Yao
Candice	Kether Donohue	Noriko Shitaya
Riley	Marc Diraison	Yū Mizushima
Brandon	Craig Blair	Masayuki Omoro
Palmer	Carmen Borgia	Nobuyuki Hiyama
Cynthia	Emily Jenness	Tomo Sakurai
Looker	Jason Griffith	Masaki Terasoma
Cyrus	Sean Schemmel	Kenta Miyake
Saturn	Marc Thompson	Akemi Okamura
Mars	Lisa Ortiz	Rie Tanaka
Jupiter	Eileen Stevens	Chinami Nishimura
Charon	Mike Pollock (credited as Herb Lawrence)	Ken’ichi Ogata
Pokémon Hunter J	Sonny Dey	Takako Honda
Narrator	Rodger Parsons	Unshō Ishizuka

Pokémon: Captures, Changes, Encounters & Evolutions

In brief:

Ash’s Staravia evolves into Staraptor (DP118) and his Chimchar into Monferno (DP132); Gliscor stays behind with the Air Battle Master McCann (DP154), and Gible becomes his only capture (DP157), so he ends the season with Pikachu, Staraptor, Grotle, Monferno, Buizel and Gible.
Gliscor learns Fire Fang (DP106) and Giga Impact (DP154), Staraptor Close Combat (DP118), Grotle Rock Climb (DP121), Monferno Mach Punch (DP132) and Gible Draco Meteor (DP156); Buizel shows an improved Ice Aqua Jet (DP126), and Grotle’s trick of swallowing its own Energy Ball gives it a temporary power boost (DP141).
Dawn’s Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine (DP106), obeys her from DP119 and learns Hidden Power (DP134); Pachirisu learns Super Fang (DP114), Piplup is given an Everstone (DP122), Ambipom leaves with O (DP124) and a Cyndaquil hatches from the Johto Festival Egg (DP143).
Brock’s team does not change: Sudowoodo learns Hammer Arm (DP130), and Croagunk ends its rivalry with Saturn’s Toxicroak (DP152).
Team Rocket neither catch nor release anything: James’s Carnivine learns Vine Whip (DP111), Jessie’s Yanmega reveals its Speed Boost (DP114) and turns out to be female (DP142), and James’s old Growlithe stays at his family’s mansion (DP153).
Elsewhere, Paul’s Magmar has become a Magmortar by the Full Battle (DP131), and he reveals a Hariyama, a Nidoking and a Lairon (DP128); Khoury catches a Gible (DP145) and his Totodile evolves into Croconaw (DP147); Zoey has a new Kirlia and Leafeon (DP155), Kenny a Machoke (DP123), Barry a Heracross (DP110) and Lyra a Girafarig (DP144); and a wild Wailmer evolves into Wailord (DP109) and a Lombre into Ludicolo with a piece of Professor Oak’s Water Stone (DP139). By the finale the whole Gible line belongs to main or recurring characters.

New Pokémon captured or hatched

Cyndaquil#0155 · Dawn · hatched from the Egg she won from Lyra at the Johto Festival · DP143
Gible#0443 · Khoury · the rowdy wild Gible of Mt. Shady · DP145
Gible#0443 · Ash · the Gible that learned Draco Meteor with him · DP157

Evolutions

Piloswine → Mamoswine#0473 · Dawn · under Yanmega’s Silver Wind · DP106
Wailmer → Wailord#0321 · wild · in Canalave City’s sewers, too big to pass the drawbridge · DP109
Staravia → Staraptor#0398 · Ash · in the PokéRinger final against Paul · DP118
Magmar → Magmortar#0467 · Paul · evolved off screen, revealed in the Full Battle · DP131
Chimchar → Monferno#0391 · Ash · after beating Paul’s Ursaring in the Full Battle · DP132
Lombre → Ludicolo#0272 · wild · with a piece of Professor Oak’s Water Stone · DP139
Totodile → Croconaw#0159 · Khoury · in the Tag Battle at the Lilypad Colosseum · DP147

Releases, departures and returns

Two Pokémon leave the main characters’ teams, both by choice rather than by release. After the Sandalstraw Ping Pong Tournament the champion, O, offers to train Dawn’s Ambipom; offered a ping-pong ball or its Poké Ball, Ambipom picks the ball and leaves with O for his training centre in Vermilion City, in its final appearance (DP124). Ash’s Gliscor, beaten twice in the air by McCann’s Scizor, learns Giga Impact and decides to stay with the retired Air Battle Master, so Ash hands McCann its Poké Ball (DP154) — the first time one of Ash’s Pokémon has left his party in the middle of a region since Bulbasaur… the Ambassador!, 395 episodes earlier, and exactly 100 episodes after James left his Cacnea with Gardenia. Bulbapedia’s season summary files both under releases; neither Pokémon was let go into the wild.

Among the guests, James’s old Growlithe, Growlie, stays at his family’s mansion after their reunion (DP153), a lonely Snover is adopted by a teacher and her pupils (DP121), a Phione rejoins its friends promising Buneary a rematch (DP113), the stranded Wailmer, now a Wailord, rejoins its pod (DP109), and Lulu’s Marill chooses the wild Elekid over Piplup (DP137). Regigigas returns to its slumber in the rebuilt Snowpoint Temple (DP129), and at Spear Pillar Dialga, Palkia and the lake guardians all go home once Team Galactic are beaten (DP152).

Teams at the end of the season (DP157)

Trainer	Pokémon	Changes this season
Ash	Pikachu, Staraptor, Grotle, Monferno, Buizel, Gible	Staravia evolved into Staraptor (DP118); Chimchar evolved into Monferno (DP132); left Gliscor with McCann (DP154); caught Gible (DP157)
Dawn	Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Cyndaquil	Piloswine evolved into Mamoswine (DP106); Ambipom left with O (DP124); Cyndaquil hatched from an Egg (DP143)
Brock	Sudowoodo, Croagunk, Happiny	No changes; Sudowoodo learned Hammer Arm (DP130)
Jessie	Wobbuffet, Seviper, Yanmega	No changes; Yanmega’s Speed Boost revealed (DP114)
James	Carnivine, Mime Jr.	No changes; Carnivine learned Vine Whip (DP111); reunited with Growlie, who stays at home (DP153)

Ribbons won this season

Coordinator	Ribbon	Final	Episode
Kenny	Gerbera Ribbon — his third	Seen on TV	DP106
Nando	Beach Rose Ribbon — his fourth	Seen on TV	DP106
Dawn	Chocovine Ribbon — her fourth	Pachirisu beats Ursula’s Gabite on points with a spinning Super Fang	DP114
Kenny	Sandalstraw Ribbon — his fourth	Prinplup’s Drill Peck beats Dawn’s Ambipom	DP123
James, as Jessilina, for Jessie	Lilypad Ribbon — Jessie’s third	Carnivine knocks out Dawn’s Mamoswine in the semi-final, and James goes on to win	DP146
Zoey	Brussel Ribbon — her fifth, qualifying her for the Grand Festival	Glameow beats Rebecca’s Shuckle	DP155

Pokémon making their anime debut this season

Eighteen species make their first appearance in the TV series during Galactic Battles, seventeen of them from Generation IV — the exception is Rayquaza, which knocks Team Rocket’s rocket back to Earth (DP142). Fourteen had been seen before: Mamoswine, Froslass, Abomasnow, Regigigas, Magmortar, Rhyperior and Leafeon in Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Luxio, Tangrowth, East Sea Shellos and Gible in The Rise of Darkrai, Rayquaza in Destiny Deoxys, Gabite in the Mystery Dungeon special and Snover in the short Pikachu’s Exploration Club. The other four were new to the anime: Rotom, in all six of its forms (DP105), Bastiodon (DP107), Phione, in its only appearance (DP113), and Uxie, glimpsed as a spirit at Lake Acuity (DP133) before the lake guardians’ first physical appearance in DP151. Giratina’s brief illusion in DP148 is not counted by Bulbapedia’s debut list, and Arceus and Heatran, which debuted in the twelfth movie, did not reach the TV series until later.

Rotom#0479 · DP105 · all six forms; TV debut
Mamoswine#0473 · DP106 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Bastiodon#0411 · DP107 · TV debut
Luxio#0404 · DP109 · after The Rise of Darkrai
Phione#0489 · DP113 · TV debut
Gabite#0444 · DP114 · after the Mystery Dungeon special
Froslass#0478 · DP116 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Snover#0459 · DP121 · after Pikachu’s Exploration Club
Abomasnow#0460 · DP126 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Regigigas#0486 · DP129 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Magmortar#0467 · DP131 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Uxie#0480 · DP133 · as a spirit at Lake Acuity
Tangrowth#0465 · DP134 · after The Rise of Darkrai
Shellos#0422 · DP136 · East Sea form; after The Rise of Darkrai
Rhyperior#0464 · DP141 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Rayquaza#0384 · DP142 · after Destiny Deoxys
Gible#0443 · DP145 · after The Rise of Darkrai
Leafeon#0470 · DP155 · after Giratina and the Sky Warrior

Key Events, Gym Battles & Tournaments

Events of note

The dub’s new opening, Battle Cry – (Stand Up!), and a Rotom that possesses five appliances (DP105 – Get Your Rotom Running!)
Dawn’s Piloswine evolves into Mamoswine, and Gliscor learns Fire Fang (DP106 – A Breed Stampede!)
Byron is revealed as Roark’s father (DP107 – Ancient Family Matters!)
Ash wins the Mine Badge from Byron (DP108 – Dealing With Defensive Types!)
Riley and his Lucario help fight Team Galactic on Iron Island (DP110 – Steeling Peace of Mind!)
James’s Carnivine learns Vine Whip, and Mars escapes with the Spear Key (DP111 – Saving the World from Ruins!)
Dawn wins the Chocovine Ribbon, her fourth, beating Ursula (DP114 – Another One Gabites the Dust!)
Staravia evolves into Staraptor, and Ash beats Paul for the first time (DP118 – Pursuing a Lofty Goal!)
Mamoswine begins to obey Dawn (DP119 – Trials and Adulations!)
The Japan-only clip show, the last episode broadcast in 4:3 in Japan (DP120 – The Mysterious Creatures, Pocket Monsters!)
Grotle learns Rock Climb; Japan switches to HD (DP121 – The Lonely Snover!)
Piplup refuses to evolve, and Dawn is given an Everstone (DP122 – Stopped in the Name of Love!)
Kenny beats Dawn for the Sandalstraw Ribbon (DP123 – Old Rivals, New Tricks!)
Ambipom leaves Dawn to train with O (DP124 – To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!)
Candice debuts in the first US episode broadcast in HD (DP126 – Classroom Training!)
Ash wins the Icicle Badge from Candice, his seventh (DP127 – Sliding Into Seventh!)
Brandon sweeps Paul six to none, and the Full Battle is arranged (DP128 – A Pyramiding Rage!)
Hunter J awakens Regigigas, and Brandon makes his last appearance (DP129 – Pillars of Friendship!)
Looker debuts, and Sudowoodo learns Hammer Arm (DP130 – Frozen on Their Tracks!)
Chimchar evolves into Monferno, but Paul wins the Full Battle (DP132 – Evolving Strategies!)
Looker reveals that he is an International Police agent (DP136 – Gateway to Ruin!)
Dawn loses a Contest Battle to her mother, Johanna (DP138 – Strategy Begins at Home!)
Dawn meets Professor Oak in person for the first time (DP139 – A Faux Oak Finish!)
Ash wins the Twinleaf Festival tournament and loses to Palmer (DP141 – Challenging a Towering Figure!)
Lyra and Khoury debut, and Dawn’s Egg hatches into Cyndaquil (DP143 – An Egg Scramble!)
Khoury catches Gible (DP145 – A Rivalry to Gible On!)
James, disguised as Jessilina, wins the Lilypad Contest (DP146 – Dressed for Jess Success!)
Ash and Dawn win a Tag Battle as Khoury’s Totodile evolves into Croconaw (DP147 – Bagged Then Tagged!)
The Red Chain is completed, and Cyrus hires Hunter J (DP150 – Unlocking the Red Chain of Events!)
J captures the lake guardians, and her ship sinks into Lake Valor (DP151 – The Needs of the Three!)
Cyrus summons Dialga and Palkia at Spear Pillar and vanishes; his Commanders are arrested (DP152 – The Battle Finale of Legend!)
Gliscor stays with the Air Battle Master McCann (DP154 – Mastering Current Events!)
Zoey wins her fifth Ribbon, and Paul has all eight Badges (DP155 – Double-Time Battle Training!)
Ash catches Gible (DP157 – Gotta Get a Gible!)

Gym battles & the League

Roark v Byron, Rampardos v Bastiodon (interrupted) — DP107
Ash v Byron, Canalave Gym (Mine Badge) — DP108
Dawn v Ursula, Chocovine Contest final (Dawn wins the Chocovine Ribbon) — DP114
Ash v Paul, Squallville PokéRinger final (Ash wins) — DP118
Dawn v Kenny, Sandalstraw Contest final (Dawn loses) — DP123
Brock v Marilyn, three-on-three (one tie, one win, then interrupted) — DP125
Ash v Candice, Snowpoint Gym (Icicle Badge) — DP127
Paul v Brandon, Full Battle (Paul loses six to none) — DP128
Ash v Paul, Full Battle at Lake Acuity (Ash loses) — DP131–DP132
Dawn v Johanna, two-on-two Contest Battle (Dawn loses) — DP138
Ash v Barry, Twinleaf Festival final (Ash wins the Gold Trophy) — DP141
Ash v Palmer, one-on-one exhibition (Ash loses) — DP141
Dawn v Lyra (Dawn wins an Egg) — DP143
Dawn v James as Jessilina, Lilypad Contest semi-final (Dawn loses) — DP146
Ash & Dawn v Khoury & Lyra, Tag Battle (win) — DP147
Ash v McCann, aerial battles (Gliscor loses twice) — DP154
Dawn v Zoey, Double Battle (Dawn loses) — DP155
Ash v Barry (Gible loses to Empoleon) — DP157

Gym Badges won this season

Badge	Gym & Leader	Leader’s Pokémon	Ash’s Pokémon	Result	Episode
Mine Badge	Canalave Gym · Byron	Bronzor, Steelix, Bastiodon	Chimchar, Buizel, Gliscor	Win — with Roark refereeing, Bronzor’s Heatproof Ability and Rain Dance blunt Chimchar’s fire until a Flame Wheel collides with Gyro Ball and Bronzor faints. Steelix’s Screech, Bind and Iron Tail knock out Buizel, but the tired Chimchar returns, digs until the huge Steelix collapses the ground under itself and wins with Flame Wheel; Bastiodon’s Iron Defense and Metal Burst then stop Chimchar. Gliscor, in its first Gym battle, trips Bastiodon with its tail, covers the field with Sand Attack and wins with a point-blank Fire Fang — six episodes after the Relic Badge, the shortest gap between Ash’s Sinnoh Gym battles	DP108
Icicle Badge	Snowpoint Gym · Candice	Sneasel, Medicham, Snover, Abomasnow	Grotle, Staraptor, Gliscor, Chimchar	Win — four-on-four, with only the challenger allowed to substitute: Grotle climbs to high ground with Rock Climb and rams Sneasel into the ice, and Staraptor shakes off Medicham’s Confusion to win with Close Combat and Brave Bird. Snover’s Ice Beam, Bullet Seed and Icy Wind knock out Gliscor, but Chimchar listens for it through a cloud of steam and wins with Flamethrower. Abomasnow overpowers Chimchar with Blizzard and knocks out Staraptor with one Ice Punch and Grotle with Wood Hammer, until Chimchar returns, rides a chunk of ice like a snowboard and wins with Flamethrower and a direct Flame Wheel — the third Gym battle in a row in which Chimchar beats two of the Leader’s Pokémon	DP127

Dawn’s Contests

Dawn reaches Chocovine Town with three Ribbons. At the Chocovine Contest (DP114) Buneary slides along an Ice Beam track and finishes with Dizzy Punch, Jessilina’s Yanmega shows off Speed Boost with Silver Wind and Sonic Boom, and Ursula’s Sandy Cloak Wormadam builds and destroys a sand sculpture with Confusion, Rock Blast, Sandstorm and Captivate. In the battles Pachirisu beats a Weavile, while Ursula’s Gabite beats a Hariyama and then Jessilina’s Carnivine; in the final Pachirisu dodges Dragon Claw, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge and Dragon Rage, counters with Discharge and Spark and clamps on with its new spinning Super Fang, and Dawn is ahead when time runs out: the Chocovine Ribbon, her fourth. At Sandalstraw Town (DP123) she uses Ambipom in both rounds, with Double Team, Focus Punch, Swift and Double Hit in the Performance Stage and a semi-final win over Jessilina’s Seviper, but in the final Kenny’s Prinplup turns the battle into a ping-pong rally of Bubble Beam, Focus Punch and Metal Claw — a first, according to Marian — and wins with Drill Peck, Dawn’s first loss to Kenny and Ambipom’s last Contest.

At Lilypad Town (DP146) Piplup combines Whirlpool and Bide, and Mamoswine, in its first Contest, swallows an Ice Shard to grow ice spikes and beats Mario’s Granbull with Hidden Power and Take Down; but in the semi-final “Jessilina” — James, standing in for a sick Jessie, after a Fury Swipes noodle-slicing appeal by Meowth — has Carnivine steal Mamoswine’s Ice Shard with Vine Whip and hurl it into the judges’ table, and James goes on to win the Ribbon for Jessie. Dawn also loses a two-on-two Contest Battle to her mother, Johanna, whose Glameow and Umbreon break up an electrified Whirlpool with Shadow Ball and finish with Attract and Swift (DP138). In Brussel Town (DP155) Zoey’s Glameow beats Rebecca’s Shuckle for her fifth Ribbon, and with the next Contest at Daybreak Town using Double Performances, Zoey helps Dawn develop combinations; Dawn invents “Flame Ice”, Cyndaquil spinning inside Mamoswine’s Ice Shard, but Zoey’s Kirlia and Leafeon win their Double Battle with a Psychic-steered Magical Leaf. Dawn ends the season one Ribbon short of the Grand Festival.

Paul: the PokéRinger, Brandon & the Full Battle

In the Squallville PokéRinger (DP118), an aerial race to carry a ring onto a goal, Staravia beats Taylor’s Skarmory with an Aerial Ace timed to a gust, Paul’s Honchkrow knocks out the four-time champion Provo’s Dragonite with a single critical hit, and Steveland’s Skiploom beats James’s borrowed Yanmega. In the final Staravia evolves into Staraptor, learns Close Combat and drops the ring onto the goal with its wing: Ash’s first win over Paul, rewarded with a plaque and a mountain of Pokémon food that Mamoswine eats at once. In Snowpoint City Paul challenges Pyramid King Brandon to a Full Battle, wanting to succeed where Reggie had failed, and Regirock, Registeel and Regice beat Hariyama, Electabuzz, Nidoking, Lairon, Ursaring and Magmar without losing a Pokémon (DP128). Reggie then proposes that Paul battle Ash at Lake Acuity in ten days’ time.

The Full Battle at Lake Acuity (DP131–DP132), six-on-six with free substitutions and refereed by Olivier, starts well: Gliscor dodges Torterra’s Frenzy Plant and Staraptor beats Weavile with Brave Bird. Then Honchkrow knocks out Grotle as it tries to heal with Synthesis, Magmortar burns Pikachu with Flame Body and poisons Buizel with Smog, Ursaring’s Focus Blast and Hammer Arm knock out Buizel and Staraptor, Torterra’s Frenzy Plant beats Gliscor in one blow and Ursaring’s Guts-powered Hammer Arm sends Pikachu into the lake. Chimchar defeats Ursaring with Flame Wheel, Flamethrower and Dig and evolves into Monferno, learning Mach Punch, but its clash with Electabuzz’s Thunder Punch leaves it fainted and Paul with four Pokémon still standing. It is the first Full Battle in which a Pokémon evolves, and its twelve substitutions are the most in any anime battle.

Festivals & tournaments

In the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament at Sandalstraw Town (DP124), where each Trainer plays with one Pokémon, Jessie and Meowth are disqualified when Fury Swipes slices the ball, Ash and Pikachu lose to Wilkinson and his Farfetch’d and Barry loses to the defending champion, O; Dawn and Ambipom beat a scientist and his Alakazam and Halverson’s Marowak and almost beat O even after Dawn’s paddle breaks, before O and Shiftry beat Theodore and Gliscor in the final. In Greenstation Town (DP135) Ash, Dawn and Brock enter a Pokémon Hustle audition that turns out to be Team Rocket’s recruitment drive, until the thieves Azure and Crimson steal every contestant’s Poké Balls and an undercover Officer Jenny arrests them.

The Twinleaf Festival (DP138–DP141), chaired by Johanna, brings Professor Oak to Dawn’s home town, a mysterious tent in which Ash, Dawn and Barry relive their first days as Trainers, and a Battle Challenge tournament that Ash wins, beating Barry’s Empoleon with Pikachu in the final for the Gold Trophy; in the exhibition match that follows, Palmer’s Rhyperior shrugs off Grotle’s Energy Ball with Solid Rock and wins with a point-blank Rock Wrecker. At the Johto Festival (DP143) Dawn’s Piplup beats Lyra’s Chikorita with Bubble Beam and a Peck through Light Screen to win an Egg, and at the Lilypad Colosseum (DP147) Ash’s Monferno and Dawn’s Cyndaquil beat Khoury’s Totodile, which evolves into Croconaw mid-battle, and Lyra’s Chikorita in a Tag Battle.

Rivals & other battles

Roark’s Rampardos and his father Byron’s Bastiodon clash with Zen Headbutt, Head Smash, Iron Defense and Flash Cannon until Team Rocket steal Byron’s fossils (DP107) — only the second battle between two official Gym Leaders in the anime, and again between parent and child. Dawn and Mamoswine beat a wild Aggron together once it begins to obey her (DP119); Brock’s Sudowoodo ties with Marilyn’s dramatic Cherubi and his Croagunk beats her Chingling (DP125); and Croagunk also beats the Politoed that kidnapped Professor Oak (DP139) and, at Spear Pillar, Saturn’s Toxicroak with Brick Break (DP152). Grotle’s battle with Dawn’s newly hatched Cyndaquil is called off (DP144).

McCann’s Scizor beats Gliscor twice in the air, dodging with Double Team and finishing with Hyper Beam and Double Hit, even after Gliscor learns Giga Impact in the rematch (DP154). In the finale Barry arrives with six Badges, and his Empoleon’s Hydro Cannon beats Ash’s newly caught Gible, which loses its first battle but wins praise for its spirit (DP157). Ash’s eighth Gym battle, against Volkner in Sunyshore City, is left for Sinnoh League Victors.

Movies & Specials Released During the Season

The twelfth movie, Arceus and the Jewel of Life (アルセウス超克の時空へ, “Arceus: To a Conquering Spacetime”), opened in Japanese cinemas on 18 July 2009, between Beating the Bustle and Hustle! (DP135) and Gateway to Ruin! (DP136), and was second at the box office on its opening weekend. The last part of the Diamond and Pearl trilogy begun by The Rise of Darkrai and Giratina and the Sky Warrior, it introduced Arceus, Heatran and the Spiky-eared Pichu, sent Ash himself back in time for the first time and gave Palmer a cameo, battling Cynthia, before his TV debut. Its Japanese opening was High Touch! 2009 and its ending Shōko Nakagawa’s Antenna of the Heart; the series promoted it with a trailer after DP117, Nakagawa’s Spiky-eared Pichu ending (DP121–DP144) and a Pichu on the Japanese title screen, and Arceus was given away in Japanese cinemas. The Japanese DVD and Blu-ray followed on 18 December 2009. In the US the film premiered on Cartoon Network on Friday 20 November 2009 at 5:30 p.m., the day before Uncrushing Defeat! (DP133), with an extended version of Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) as its opening, after Cartoon Network Australia (6 November) and before YTV in Canada (28 November); Toys “R” Us gave away Arceus from 7 to 15 November, but the US DVD and Blu-ray arrived only on 1 February 2011.

Arceus and the Jewel of LifeMovie 12 · Japan 18 July 2009 · US TV 20 November 2009

Giratina and the Sky WarriorMovie 11 · US TV 13 February 2009 · US DVD 31 March 2009

The eleventh movie, Giratina and the Sky Warrior, came out on DVD in Japan on 19 December 2008, as the season’s first episodes were airing there, and in the US it premiered on Cartoon Network on 13 February 2009 and reached DVD on 31 March 2009, five weeks before Get Your Rotom Running!; Australia had the DVD on 3 June 2009. TV Tokyo showed it in the anime’s Thursday slot on 16 July 2009, two days before the twelfth film opened, with The Rise of Darkrai the evening before, and had broadcast Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea on 31 December 2008. Seven of the season’s TV debuts — Mamoswine, Froslass, Abomasnow, Regigigas, Magmortar, Rhyperior and Leafeon — first appeared in the eleventh film, Giratina returns as an illusion in Try for the Family Stone! (DP148), and Historical Mystery Tour! (DP140) is the first episode to use its music.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky – Beyond Time & Darkness, a TV special made for the new game, was shown on Pokémon Sunday on 12 April 2009, between DP122 and DP123, and premiered on Cartoon Network on Friday 9 October 2009, with an English DVD given to GameStop customers who pre-ordered the game — the only Mystery Dungeon animation to air before its game came out in both Japan and the US. The never-dubbed Pikachu short Pikachu’s Ice Adventure (PK19) reached Japanese DVD on 19 June 2009 with Cheers on Castaways Isle! (DP112) as a bonus episode, and its successor, Pikachu’s Sparkle Search! (PK20), was shown on ANA flights from 1 August 2009; neither has been released in English.

Side Stories, Specials & Crossovers

Side-story tie-ins

Scene from Noodles! Roamin' Off! (DP117) — *Noodles! Roamin’ Off!* (DP117).Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP117 “Noodles! Roamin’ Off!” · via Bulbapedia

Japan’s end segment. The Japanese version closed most episodes with Professor Oak’s Big Pokémon Examination, a quiz on a subject Pokémon at an Easy, Normal or Hard level that had begun in DP098 and ran until DP191; it was never dubbed. This season it gave way to a trailer for Arceus and the Jewel of Life after DP117, a lecture-style Pokémon Sunday preview announcing a major new game after DP126 and a preview of the Team Galactic finale after DP146, took a ten-episode break from DP130 (returning with Castform in DP140) paused again from DP143, and was dropped altogether from the extended clip show DP120. Two questions stand out: DP109’s calls Finneon a Bug type, possibly a translation error, and the answer to DP156’s, on Oddish, puns Archimedes on aruki me desu, “it’s a walking bud”.
Pokémon Sunday, TV Tokyo’s Sunday companion show, presented by Shōko Nakagawa, who also sang the season’s second ending, reran Diamond and Pearl episodes as Diamond & Pearl Returns and premiered the Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky special on 12 April 2009; TV Tokyo also aired a HeartGold and SoulSilver special on 6 September 2009, the week before the games came out, and Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs specials followed on Pokémon Sunday from March 2010, after the Japanese run.
The Mystery Dungeon special, Explorers of Sky – Beyond Time & Darkness, sequel to the 2007 Explorers of Time & Darkness special, reached Cartoon Network on 9 October 2009, ahead of the North American release of Explorers of Sky — see Movies & Specials.
Pikachu shorts. Pikachu’s Ice Adventure (PK19) came out on Japanese DVD on 19 June 2009 with Cheers on Castaways Isle! (DP112) as a bonus, which is why that episode is missing from the regular Diamond & Pearl 2009 rental volume, and Pikachu’s Sparkle Search! (PK20) premiered on ANA flights on 1 August 2009; neither short has been dubbed.

Characters from the games, manga and specials

Pokémon Platinum was current throughout the season (Japan 13 September 2008, North America 22 March 2009, Europe 22 May 2009). The winter clothes Johanna sends in Battling a Cute Drama! (DP125) copy the Platinum player designs, the Iron Ruins (DP110–DP111) and the Fuego Ironworks (DP150) are Platinum locations, Charon is the game’s new Galactic scientist, J’s Galactic Bomb at Lake Valor (DP151) mirrors Saturn’s in the games, and in High Touch! Saturn’s Toxicroak strikes the pose of its Platinum battle animation.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver were announced on 7 May 2009 and released in Japan on 12 September 2009, between Where No Togepi Has Gone Before! (DP142) and An Egg Scramble! (DP143), which began the Lyra and Khoury arc: Lyra carries the games’ female Pokédex and pink Pokégear, Khoury’s stall sells their Apricorns, Apricorn Box, Berry Pots, Rage Candy Bars and Apriblender, the Johto first partners are shown off, Clair appears on TV in her Generation IV outfit, and DP144’s battle music is the remakes’ Champion theme. In the US To Thine Own Pokémon Be True! (DP124) aired on the games’ Japanese launch day, and their North American release (14 March 2010) fell between DP148 and DP149.
Rotom and the Secret Key. Get Your Rotom Running! (DP105), in which Rotom possesses a microwave, a fridge, a washing machine, a fan and a lawn mower, first aired in Japan a month after the Secret Key that unlocks those forms in Platinum was distributed, and its US premiere on 9 May 2009 fell inside the North American Secret Key Wi-Fi event (20 April – 12 May 2009).
The Battle Frontier. Palmer, Barry’s father, is the Tower Tycoon of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier from Platinum, and Challenging a Towering Figure! (DP141) is the only time the anime mentions that Frontier; Brandon, the Pyramid King of the anime’s Kanto Battle Frontier (Emerald’s Hoenn Frontier in the games), lands his Battle Pyramid in Snowpoint, where Paul learns that Ash once conquered it (DP128), and defends the Regigigas of Platinum’s Snowpoint Temple with his own Regirock, Regice and Registeel (DP129).
The movies. Palmer’s cameo in Arceus and the Jewel of Life came before his TV debut (DP140); Brandon, turned to stone by J, is only the second human petrified in the anime, after Ash in Mewtwo Strikes Back (DP129); the regenerating Deoxys of Cheers on Castaways Isle! (DP112) and the Rayquaza of DP142 recall Destiny Deoxys; and the Mantyke caring for a helpless Pokémon in DP112 echo the Manaphy Egg of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
Game nods. Riley’s Lucario, its Aura darkened by Team Galactic’s beam, may recall the Shadow Pokémon of Colosseum and XD (DP110); Jeremiah’s Skuntank releases Stench through a small opening as in Shadows of Almia (DP127); a pod of Wailord blocks Canalave’s harbour as they block Lilycove in Ruby and Sapphire (DP109); DP108 uses a remix of the Team Magma and Team Aqua battle theme; and from A Rivalry to Gible On! (DP145) a games-style sparkle marks every successful capture.

Opening & Ending Themes

Galactic Battles keeps one English opening, in two versions, and changes its Japanese songs three times. In Japan Ash’s and Dawn’s voice actresses, Rica Matsumoto and Megumi Toyoguchi, sang the opening High Touch! all season, in a remix, High Touch! 2009, from DP134 — also the opening of the twelfth movie. The ending moved from Kanako’s Surely Tomorrow to Shōko Nakagawa’s Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu!, which promoted the movie’s new Pichu, with the first HD episode, DP121, and to Moomoo Milk and Araki-san’s Which One ~ Is It?, whose final shot changes from week to week, at DP145. The English dub opened every episode with Erin Bowman’s Battle Cry – (Stand Up!), rebuilt from scratch in widescreen for DP121, and played its instrumental under the end credits. As usual, the Japanese openings and endings were never dubbed.

Opening 12 · Hai Tatchi! (ハイタッチ！ High Touch!) / High Touch! 2009 — Opening 12 · *Hai Tatchi!* (ハイタッチ！ High Touch!) / *High Touch! 2009*Satoshi (Rica Matsumoto) & Hikari (Megumi Toyoguchi) · DP105–DP133 / DP134–DP157Lyrics by Akihito Toda, music and arrangement by Hirokazu Tanaka; carried over from *Battle Dimension*, where it began in DP096, and the first opening to air in HDTV. The animation kept pace with the story: Piloswine replaces Swinub in DP105–DP106 and Mamoswine follows from DP107, Staraptor replaces Staravia from DP119, when the sequence was re-rendered for 16:9, and Monferno replaces Chimchar from DP133, but Ambipom and Gliscor stay in after leaving their teams and Dawn’s Cyndaquil is never added; Saturn’s Toxicroak strikes the pose of its *Platinum* battle animation. The remix *High Touch! 2009*, with unchanged animation, began in DP134 and also opened the twelfth movie. Singles ZMCP-4370 (*High Touch!*, with *Surely Tomorrow*) and ZMCP-4911 (*High Touch! 2009*, with *Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu!*).

Ending · Ashita wa Kitto (Surely Tomorrow) — **Ending · *Ashita wa Kitto* (Surely Tomorrow)**Kanako · DP105–DP120Lyrics by Mayumi Sudō, music and arrangement by Kazumi Mitome; carried over from DP096. Piplup walks alone under the night sky after a quarrel with Pikachu, then makes up with it; people appear only as sculptures, and the sequence was never updated for new captures or evolutions — Ambipom is even missing from the run towards Piplup. Single ZMCP-4370; a version by Megumi Toyoguchi is on the CD *Which One ~ Is It?*.

Ending · Moeyo Gizamimi Pichū! (もえよギザみみピチュー！ Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu!) — **Ending · *Moeyo Gizamimi Pichū!* (もえよギザみみピチュー！ Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu!)**Shōko Nakagawa (Shokotan) · DP121–DP144Lyrics by Akihito Toda, music and arrangement by Hirokazu Tanaka. Written to promote the twelfth movie’s Spiky-eared Pichu, it shows a kung-fu Pichu silhouette, the two Pichu racing to climb a tree and eat Grepa Berries, the Spiky-eared Pichu lost in the mountains and Buneary fixing its ear; from DP124 the Pikachu-coloured Pichu appears in a ring of sparkles, like a Shiny Pokémon in the games. The first Japanese ending aired in HD, it uses Nakagawa’s “Shokotanese” slang (“giza”) and, like *Surely Tomorrow*, was never updated for changes to the main characters’ teams. Single ZMCP-4911; also on the “Pichu edition” of Nakagawa’s movie-ending single *Antenna of the Heart* (15 July 2009).

Ending · Dotchi~nyo? (ドッチ～ニョ？ Which One ~ Is It?) — **Ending · *Dotchi~nyo?* (ドッチ～ニョ？ Which One ~ Is It?)**Moomoo Milk and Araki-san · DP145–DP157Lyrics by Chōji Yoshikawa and Asakusa Kids, music and arrangement by Keiroku Araki. Four Pokémon stand on a curtained stage, and one of four arrows picks the final shot each week: Pikachu (DP145, DP150, DP152, DP155), Buneary (DP146, DP147, DP153, DP154), Croagunk (DP148, DP151, DP157) or Piplup (DP149, DP156); Gliscor was removed from Pikachu’s shot in DP155, after it left Ash’s team. It ran until DP182. Single ZMCP-5337, released on 16 December 2009.

English opening · Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) — English opening · *Battle Cry – (Stand Up!)*Erin Bowman · all 52 episodesLyrics by John Loeffler and David Wolfert, music by John Loeffler and Manny Corallo, arranged by Corallo. Version 1 (DP105–DP119) was the first English opening built entirely from episode clips — from DP105, DP106, DP108–DP111 and DP114 — with no Japanese opening or ending footage; Version 2, from DP121 on 22 August 2009, was remade in widescreen from *High Touch!* and a DP129 clip, making it the first English opening in which every scene was updated and the first English theme with two very distinct versions. An extended version opened *Arceus and the Jewel of Life*. Until *My Favorite Pokémon*, sixteen years later, it was the only post-4Kids English opening longer than 30 seconds on TV, and it was the first Pokémon theme dubbed into Turkish (*Haydi!*); in German it became *Komm, steh fürs Gute ein* and in French *Oui, fonce!*.

Japan’s background music draws on the whole series: the Pokémon Symphonic Medley (DP106, DP108, DP114, DP120), A Small Thing (DP116, DP124, DP126), instrumentals of Advance Adventure (DP118, DP127) and of By Your Side for Dawn’s performances (DP114, DP123, DP146), To My Best Friend (DP119), Face Forward Team Rocket! (DP117) and Team Rocket Forever (DP135, DP142), an Oración remix as Snover’s Grass Whistle (DP121), the Japanese Battle Frontier song (DP114, DP141), Pocket-ering Monster-ing (DP112), the original 1997 Aim to Be a Pokémon Master in the clip show (DP120) and the movie song Together With the Wind in Gliscor’s farewell (DP154), alongside the scores of the first eleven movies — DP140 is the first episode to use music from Giratina and the Sky Warrior — and game music such as the Gold and Silver Champion battle theme (DP144), a Team Magma and Team Aqua battle remix (DP108) and the Lilycove City theme (DP155). The DuArt dub still swapped much of this for its own score — DP128 keeps only three Japanese tracks — and replaced vocals: Together2008 becomes an instrumental in DP121, the Japanese Battle Frontier and Barry’s Pokémon Ondo give way in DP141 to an instrumental and a new song, “Come On!”, and a remix of I’ll Always Remember You replaces Together With the Wind in DP154; in DP114 the English Battle Frontier theme accompanies a montage, with one line changed to “Let the battle begin”. But an unusual number of episodes keep the Japanese score: DP136 (all but the title-screen music), DP142 and DP146 (every cue, title card included) and DP151 and DP152 (about 99 per cent).

Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) — Erin Bowman’s English opening, used for all 52 episodes, starts at 1:03 in this compilation of the Sinnoh-era themes. Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel.

TV Broadcasts & Original Airing Dates

Scene from Get Your Rotom Running! (DP105) — *Get Your Rotom Running!* (DP105).Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP105 “Get Your Rotom Running!” · via Bulbapedia

Japan. TV Tokyo broadcast the season on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. from 4 December 2008, when Get Your Rotom Running! (DP105) followed the last episode of the previous season in a one-hour slot, to 24 December 2009 (Gotta Get a Gible!). There were six two-episode broadcasts in all: 4 December 2008 (DP104–DP105), 26 March 2009 (DP119 and the clip show DP120, billed as a “Pocket Monsters 1 Hour Special”), 2 April 2009 (DP121–DP122, the first in high definition), 17 September 2009 (DP143–DP144, the first episodes after HeartGold and SoulSilver came out), 1 October 2009 (DP145–DP146) and 12 November 2009 (DP151–DP152, the Spear Pillar finale). There was no new episode on eight Thursdays: 1 January 2009, after the New Year’s Eve broadcast of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea; 16 July 2009, when the slot showed Giratina and the Sky Warrior two days before the twelfth film opened; and 19 March, 9 April, 30 July, 24 September, 8 October and 19 November 2009, for reasons no source records. Japan has no “season 12”: these are episodes 105 to 157 of the 191-episode Diamond & Pearl series.

The US run. Galactic Battles followed straight on from Battle Dimension in Cartoon Network’s Saturday-morning line-up, premiering on 9 May 2009 — the channel’s schedule first listed it as “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battle” — and ran one new episode a week, in Japanese order, until Gotta Get a Gible! on 15 May 2010. Only the clip show DP120 was skipped, and the only schedule change, moving Stopped in the Name of Love! (DP122) forward from 5 September to 29 August 2009, kept the episodes in sequence; there were no new episodes on 19 September and 28 November 2009. Cartoon Network also ran a mini-marathon of DP105–DP115 on the afternoon of 18 July 2009 and premiered the Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky special on 9 October and Arceus and the Jewel of Life on 20 November 2009. New episodes went up on Cartoon Network Video the Monday after their broadcast, from 15 May 2009 to 17 May 2010.

Widescreen, in stages. TV Tokyo switched to high-definition 16:9 with The Lonely Snover! (DP121) on 2 April 2009, announcing the change with a new ending; DP120 was the last episode broadcast in Japan in 4:3, and the standard-definition feed was cropped until DP145, when it switched to letterbox. In the US the opening switched to its widescreen Version 2 with DP121 on 22 August 2009, but the episodes stayed in 4:3 until Classroom Training! (DP126) on 3 October 2009, the first English episode shown in 16:9 and HD (“Pokémon airs in HD and online”, as pocketmonsters.net reported). Cartoon Network’s standard-definition feed then alternated — DP131 and DP132 were zoomed to 4:3, DP133 shown in 16:9 and DP135 onwards cropped again for about fourteen weeks — until the channel stopped cropping shortly before Sticking With Who You Know! (DP149), which aired letterboxed; on the HD feed the cold opens of DP131–DP136 appeared in 3:2. The cropping cut Cyndaquil’s Egg out of the standard-definition broadcast of DP143, while Canada’s YTV showed DP121 uncropped.

Premiere slips. The first airing of Leading a Stray! (DP109) played the end credits twice, the original broadcast of Gone With the Windworks! (DP144) blacked out briefly during the title screen, and pocketmonsters.net reported a faulty video transition on Cartoon Network on the weekend of Evolving Strategies! (DP132). Game launches fell neatly around the run: Get Your Rotom Running! premiered during the North American Secret Key distribution, To Thine Own Pokémon Be True! (DP124) on the day HeartGold and SoulSilver came out in Japan, and Try for the Family Stone! (DP148) and Sticking With Who You Know! (DP149) either side of their North American release on 14 March 2010.

The numbering. There are 53 episodes in Japan and 52 in English: the clip show DP120 was never dubbed, so the English season numbers DP105–DP119 as 1–15 and DP121–DP157 as 16–52, on TV, on every English DVD and on streaming. Bulbapedia’s alternate overall numbers are EP571–EP623, and English Wikipedia counts the season as episodes 573–625 in Japan (including two 1998 specials) and 568–619 in English. Counting those specials, Evolving Strategies! (DP132) is the anime’s 600th episode, while Promoting Healthy Tangrowth! (DP134) carries the code EP600; Shogakukan’s own count differed again, which is why Rica Matsumoto’s script for DP116 was labelled episode 114.

Elsewhere. In the UK the season presumably aired on Disney XD, which Jetix became in August 2009, though its premiere date has not been found; BBC iPlayer added it on 22 October 2021, the day before CBBC showed Arceus and the Jewel of Life. In Canada YTV carried the season and premiered the twelfth movie on 28 November 2009, and in Australia Network Ten’s Toasted TV had begun showing it by December 2010, nearly a year after the US finale; ABC iview added it in 2025. Galactic Battles was the last season to air in Bulgaria, the last on Hungarian television until Pokémon Journeys and the last Diamond and Pearl season on Israel’s PTS before XY and in Romania before Sun & Moon; in India it premiered a month after Sinnoh League Victors, and only its first 35 episodes aired before a year-long break. Finland’s MTV3 used an instrumental Battle Cry on DP112, and the Pokémon Asia YouTube channel began streaming the English version on 11 May 2022.

Dub Edits & the Clip Show

The Japan-only clip show

The Japan-only clip show. The Mysterious Creatures, Pocket Monsters! (ふしぎないきものポケットモンスター！, Fushigi na Ikimono Poketto Monsutā!, DP120 — also translated “Mysterious Creatures: Pocket Monsters!”, and by English Wikipedia “Mysterious Creatures, Pokémon!”) aired on 26 March 2009 as the second half of a one-hour special with Trials and Adulations! (DP119). Framed as Ash, Dawn and Brock looking back on their journey on the way to Snowpoint City, it explains what Pokémon are and how they evolve, then recaps Ash’s Gym battles and his rivalry with Paul, Breeders and Stylists, Dawn’s Contests and her rivalry with Zoey, and Team Galactic and the legend of time and space, before previewing the Sandalstraw Contest, the Snowpoint Gym, Brandon’s return and Regigigas. It has no credited staff and no end segment, which makes it the shortest episode since EP060, more than ten years earlier, and it was the last episode TV Tokyo broadcast in 4:3.

The anime’s third clip show, after Advanced Battle’s AG120 and Diamond and Pearl’s DP048, and the last to feature Ash and Pikachu in person, it was never dubbed into any language or aired outside Japan; in Japan it is on the Diamond & Pearl 2009 Vol. 5 rental DVD. That is why the English numbering jumps from Trials and Adulations! (15) to The Lonely Snover! (16), why every English DVD has 52 episodes, and why DP119 became the last English episode available only in 4:3. Nothing in the season was banned: apart from DP120, every episode aired on Cartoon Network, in order.

Changes in the English version

A new look. Get Your Rotom Running! (DP105) brought a new English opening and the first dub title cards written entirely in capitals, and from DP121 the opening was remade in widescreen, though the episodes themselves stayed 4:3 on Cartoon Network until DP126. The new Japanese title card from DP121 shows Ash’s Badges, Dawn’s Ribbons and the silhouettes of Dialga and Palkia; the English version leaves out its Spiky-eared Pichu, as TPCi was not running the movie promotion, and, as Dogasu’s Backpack noted, never updates the Badge count. Some title cards are read by more voices in Japanese than in English: three in DP151 (Ash alone in English) and Ash, Dawn and Johanna in DP138 (one narrator in English).

No quiz, no eyecatch. Diamond and Pearl is the only series without Who’s That Pokémon? or any other mid-episode game, and its dub episodes are the only ones with no eyecatch at all, so the music at the midpoint often stops abruptly (DP146); English viewers missed Japan’s new eyecatches from DP121, with a card for Brock from DP125 and for Team Rocket from DP135, and the quiz about the Spiky-eared Pichu added to DP121. Japan’s Professor Oak’s Big Pokémon Examination was never dubbed; Who’s That Pokémon? returned to the dub only with Black & White (BW001).

“Gods” and other edits. In Japanese, The Needs of the Three! and The Battle Finale of Legend! (DP151–DP152) call the lake guardians, Dialga and Palkia “Pokémon known as gods”, about six times in DP152 alone; the dub never says “god”, using “Legendary”, “the core substance of the universe”, “the original ones” and “original power” instead, and in DP147 Lyra’s prayer at the Dialga and Palkia shrine becomes “paying our respects”. The dub also turns Froslass and Snorunt from mother and child into friends (DP116). Visual edits are few: a moving shot of Piloswine is shortened to a static one with a new line from Dawn (DP106), a frame of a starry-eyed Barry is cut (DP140), a one-second clock wipe is removed (DP145) and a dissolve becomes a fade to commercial (DP154).

Dialogue changes. Team Rocket’s stolen biscuit, rice cracker and chocolate become a “chocolate bar”, a “candy bar” and a “cookie”, and the trio recite a blasting-off rhyme (DP105); the agepan becomes sponge cake (DP106); Chatot’s “Kosanji” for James becomes “Lames” and “Messy” (DP115); Paul is made ruder, Brandon’s criticism softened and Registeel’s “tens of thousands” of years cut to “thousands”, while Paul’s trip to Kanto is moved into his Sinnoh journey (DP128); Reggie’s line that the rivals are “two sides of the same coin” is dropped, creating a continuity error when it is recalled later (DP131); Barry’s “Daddy” becomes “Dad” and Palmer stops being “the strongest Frontier Brain” (DP141); the “Sakaki-sama robot” becomes the “Boss Bot” and James’s parents give him a real rocket for his tenth birthday instead of a toy (DP142); Lyra loses her “koto ne?” verbal tic and calls Dawn “Dane” rather than “Hikarin” (DP143); the L’oiseau bleu references go from the motto and the “Happy Blue Mecha” becomes the “Porta-Pidgey Mach Two” (DP148); Brock’s line about same-gender breeding is rewritten and Kodama’s “Pocket Dan” gag becomes “Team Racket” (DP149); New Year’s money becomes an allowance and the “Hirake Gomazou” password pun an “open password” (DP153); and Ash says he was trying to catch Gible when in Japanese he already has (DP157).

Voices and slips. The DuArt cast was unchanged from Battle Dimension. Christopher Niosi made his professional debut as Khoury, Eileen Stevens voiced both Lyra and Jupiter, and Mike Pollock voiced Charon under the name “Herb Lawrence”; Bulbapedia credits James and the Professor Oak he impersonates in DP139 to “Billy Beach”, another name of James Carter Cathcart. Craig Blair, the voice of Roark, Brandon, Raoul Contesta and Mr. Sukizo, left the anime after DP155, where Rhonda Krempa also voiced the reporter Rhonda for the last time. Japanese voices can still be heard under the English ones in DP115, DP130, DP133 and DP145, Brock claims Ash has battled Torterra several times (DP131) and Daybreak Town becomes “Daybreak City” (DP150); Pokémon.com listed DP130 as “Frozen on the Tracks!”, spelt “Jessiebelle” (DP153) and named Misty instead of Dawn in its DP155 summary, and three titles were announced under other names: The Mother of All Battlers! (DP138, kept in Cartoon Network Video’s listing), Sticking With You Know Who! (DP149) and A Meteoric Experience! (DP156).

Episode titles explained

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

Get Your Rotom Running! — “Get your motor runnin’”, the opening line of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”, for a Rotom that brings motors to life
Ancient Family Matters! — the sitcom Family Matters, for a father and son feuding over ancient Pokémon
Dealing With Defensive Types! — “defensive types” of people, for a Gym of Steel types built on defence
Leading a Stray! — “leading astray”, for a stray Wailmer led through the sewers
Steeling Peace of Mind! — “stealing my peace of mind” — perhaps Rhian Benson’s song of that name — for an island of Steel types driven out of their minds
Saving the World from Ruins! — saving the world from ruin, for a plot hatched in the Iron Ruins
Cheers on Castaways Isle! — the Gilligan’s Island theme, for Pikachu and Piplup marooned on an island
Hold the Phione! — “hold the phone!”
Another One Gabites the Dust! — Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, for Ursula’s beaten Gabite
Stealing the Conversation! — “stealing the show”, for a chatterbox Chatot that mimics every conversation
The Drifting Snorunt! — drifting snow, for a Snorunt lost in a blizzard
Noodles! Roamin’ Off! — the pasta dish noodles Romanoff and “toodles!”, for a Meowth who leaves to make noodles
Pursuing a Lofty Goal! — a lofty goal, for an aerial race whose goal hangs high above the ground
Trials and Adulations! — “trials and tribulations”
The Lonely Snover! — nothing — it is a direct translation of the Japanese title, the first since DP014’s
Stopped in the Name of Love! — the Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love”, for a Piplup that halts its own evolution
Old Rivals, New Tricks! — “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”
To Thine Own Pokémon Be True! — Polonius’s “to thine own self be true” in Hamlet, for an Ambipom that follows its heart
Battling a Cute Drama! — “acute drama”, for a Cherubi whose battles are all theatrics
Sliding Into Seventh! — baseball’s “sliding into second”, for Chimchar’s snowboard slide to Ash’s seventh Badge
A Pyramiding Rage! — the Battle Pyramid and Paul’s mounting rage
Pillars of Friendship! — the three pillars of the Snowpoint Temple, Regigigas’s guardians
Frozen on Their Tracks! — “frozen in their tracks”, for a train halted at a red signal
Pedal to the Mettle! — “pedal to the metal”, with the mettle of a Full Battle
Uncrushing Defeat! — a crushing defeat, turned round as Ash recovers from one
Promoting Healthy Tangrowth! — “promoting healthy growth”, for a Tangrowth using Growth to save a tree
Beating the Bustle and Hustle! — “hustle and bustle”, reversed for a Pokémon Hustle audition
Gateway to Ruin! — the road to ruin, for a gateway to Spear Pillar searched for in Mount Coronet’s ruins
Three Sides to Every Story! — “two sides to every story” — also an Extreme album — for a love triangle of Piplup, Marill and Elekid
Strategy Begins at Home! — “charity begins at home”, for Dawn’s battle with her mother
A Faux Oak Finish! — a photo finish and faux-oak panelling, for James posing as Professor Oak
Historical Mystery Tour! — the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour
Challenging a Towering Figure! — a towering figure, for the Tower Tycoon
Where No Togepi Has Gone Before! — Star Trek’s “where no man has gone before”, for a Togepi that launches a rocket into space
An Egg Scramble! — scrambled eggs — and Robert McKimson’s 1950 Merrie Melodies cartoon of the same name — for the scramble over Dawn’s prize Egg
Gone With the Windworks! — Gone with the Wind, at the Valley Windworks
A Rivalry to Gible On! — something to nibble on, for a Gible that bites everything in sight
Dressed for Jess Success! — “dressed for success”, for James in Jessie’s Contest disguise
Bagged Then Tagged! — the military “bag and tag”, for a Tag Battle after Pikachu and Piplup are bagged by Team Rocket
Try for the Family Stone! — the band Sly and the Family Stone, for a Dusk Stone that reunites a brother and sister
Sticking With Who You Know! — “sticking with what you know”, for Pikachu and Piplup stuck together
Unlocking the Red Chain of Events! — “a chain of events”, for the Red Chain
The Needs of the Three! — Star Trek II’s “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”, for the three lake guardians
The Treasure Is All Mine! — “the pleasure is all mine”, for James’s buried treasure
Mastering Current Events! — “current events”, for the air currents an Air Battle Master reads
Double-Time Battle Training! — “double time”, for Dawn’s Double Battle training
A Meteoric Rise to Excellence! — “a meteoric rise”, for a Gible mastering Draco Meteor
Gotta Get a Gible! — the slogan “Gotta catch ’em all!”

DVD & Blu-ray / Streaming

Galactic Battles came out in North America in 2011 from VIZ Media, distributed by Warner Home Video, as four two-disc box sets, with each disc also sold on its own, followed by a seven-disc Complete Season in 2020; all of them hold the same 52 dubbed episodes, without the clip show DP120. Australia and New Zealand got two Collections, a six-disc DigiPack and several repackagings, all in 4:3. No UK DVD release of the season is known.

North America (Region 1)

Release	Date	Contents
Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles Box Set 1 — Episodes 1–15 (VIZ Media, 2 discs; also sold as single volumes)	15 March 2011	DP105–DP111 and DP112–DP119, with optional English captions; announced at US$21.95
Box Set 2 — Episodes 16–27 (DPMDPBGBS02)	10 May 2011	DP121–DP126 and DP127–DP132 — Ambipom’s farewell, the Candice Gym battle, Paul against Brandon and the Lake Acuity Full Battle
Box Set 3 — Episodes 28–39	30 August 2011	DP133–DP138 and DP139–DP144
Box Set 4 — Episodes 40–52	22 November 2011	DP145–DP150 and DP151–DP157
Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles – The Complete Season (7 DVDs in one case with a slipcover, 3000083356)	18 August 2020	All 52 episodes, in 4:3 and 16:9: DP105–DP112, DP113–DP119, DP121–DP128, DP129–DP136, DP137–DP143, DP144–DP150 and DP151–DP157

Australia & New Zealand (Region 4)

Release	Date	Notes
Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles – Collection 1 (3 discs, Magna Pacific, DBX13642)	2 March 2011 (NZ 19 February 2011)	26 episodes: DP105–DP119 and DP121–DP131; every Region 4 set is in 4:3, without captions
Collection 2 (3 discs, DBX13780)	5 October 2011	26 episodes: DP132–DP157
Pokémon Season 12 DigiPack (6 discs, DBX13643)	1 June 2011 (NZ 16 June 2011)	Discs 12.1–12.6 themed on Grotle, Froslass, Staravia, Monferno, Mismagius and Gible, in packaging designed like a Dusk Ball; JB Hi-Fi reissues on 14 July (online) and 21 September 2016
Slimline reissue (Beyond Home Entertainment, BHE5396)	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; DP147 is also on Magna Pacific’s Pokémon All-Stars: Totodile disc

Japan

In Japan the episodes went out on rental DVDs from Media Factory and Shogakukan, usually three per disc. Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl 2008 Vol. 15 (ZMBS-6015R, 25 March 2009) holds DP103–DP105, and the Diamond & Pearl 2009 line began with Vol. 1 on 24 April 2009, presumably DP106–DP107. Vol. 2 (ZMBS-6022R, 22 May 2009) holds DP108–DP110 and Vol. 3 (ZMBS-6023R, the same day) DP111, DP113 and DP114: Cheers on Castaways Isle! (DP112) was left out and issued instead as a bonus on the DVD of the short Pikachu’s Ice Adventure (19 June 2009), as DP057 had been the season before. Vol. 4 (ZMBS-6024R, 24 July 2009) has DP115–DP117 and Vol. 5 (ZMBS-6025R, the same day) DP118–DP120, clip show included; Vols. 6 to 15 followed between August 2009 and 25 March 2010, though their contents have not been confirmed, and Diamond & Pearl 2010 Vol. 1 on 23 April 2010. Giratina and the Sky Warrior came out on DVD on 19 December 2008 and Arceus and the Jewel of Life on DVD and Blu-ray on 18 December 2009.

Streaming

Cartoon Network Video carried each new episode for one or two weeks after its broadcast, from 15 May 2009 to 17 May 2010, switching to a widescreen player in October 2009. Pokémon TV added the whole season on 7 February 2020 and again from 2 December 2022, 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 only Seasons 1 to 11 so far (as of October 2026), so Galactic Battles is not on it. In the UK BBC iPlayer has carried the season since 22 October 2021, in Australia ABC iview added the first half on 27 June 2025 and the rest on 8 August 2025, and the Pokémon Asia YouTube channel has streamed the English version since 11 May 2022; library services such as Hoopla list the VIZ discs. Check your local service, as availability changes often.

Covers

Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles Box Set 1 (Region 1, 2011)

Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles Box Set 2 (Region 1, 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.

BBC iPlayer (UK)Has carried the season since 22 October 2021.
ABC iview (Australia)Added the first half of the season on 27 June 2025 and the rest on 8 August 2025.
DVD – North AmericaPokémon: DP Galactic Battles – The Complete Season (VIZ Media, 7 discs, 2020) has all 52 dubbed episodes in one case.
DVD – Australia & New ZealandThe Season 12 DigiPack and its reissues, and the season is part of several multi-season box sets.
Not on Pokémon TVThe Pokémon TV channel on YouTube carries only Seasons 1–11 (as of October 2026) and the Pokémon TV service closed in March 2024; Season 12 on Netflix, Hulu and the digital stores has not been confirmed for this page.

Trading Cards Released During the Season

Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles aired in the US as the trading card game moved from the Platinum era to HeartGold & SoulSilver, and five expansions came out while it was on Cartoon Network:

Platinum—Rising Rivals — 16 May 2009 — the day A Breed Stampede! (DP106) aired, a week into the season, with the five Rotom forms (RT1–RT5), Gym Leader cards such as Byron’s Bastiodon GL and Roark’s Rampardos GL, and Elite Four cards
Platinum—Supreme Victors — 19 August 2009 — between Trials and Adulations! (DP119) and The Lonely Snover! (DP121), with Frontier Brain cards from Regigigas FB to Dragonite FB, Cynthia’s Pokémon, Rhyperior, Magmortar, the Gible line and the Supporters Cyrus’s Initiative and Palmer’s Contribution
Platinum—Arceus — 4 November 2009 — between Frozen on Their Tracks! (DP130) and Pedal to the Mettle! (DP131), sixteen days before Arceus and the Jewel of Life reached Cartoon Network, with nine Arceus cards (AR1–AR9), Arceus LV.X and Tangrowth
HeartGold & SoulSilver — 10 February 2010 — between An Egg Scramble! (DP143) and Gone With the Windworks! (DP144), with Cyndaquil, Totodile, Croconaw, Chikorita, Marill and Girafarig from the Lyra and Khoury arc
HS—Unleashed — 12 May 2010 — three days before the finale, Gotta Get a Gible! (DP157)

In Japan these cards had come out months earlier: Rising Rivals is the English version of Bonds to the End of Time (26 December 2008), Supreme Victors of Beat of the Frontier (6 March 2009), Platinum—Arceus of Advent of Arceus (8 July 2009) and HeartGold & SoulSilver of the HeartGold Collection and SoulSilver Collection (9 October 2009), while HS—Unleashed had no Japanese main-series equivalent. Platinum (11 February 2009) came out just before the season and HS—Undaunted (August 2010) just after it, and promos in the window included Arceus (DP50) and Arceus LV.X (DP53 and DP56) among the Diamond & Pearl Black Star Promos.

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:

Firsts & Lasts

First season with widescreen episodes and the last with 4:3 ones: Japan switched with DP121, the dub with DP126.
First English opening made entirely of episode clips, and the first with two very distinct versions: Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) (DP105, DP121).
First Japanese opening and ending broadcast in HDTV: High Touch! and Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu! (DP121).
First win for Ash over Paul, in the PokéRinger (DP118).
First Full Battle in which a Pokémon evolves, and the first Ash lost with his opponent still having several Pokémon left (DP132).
Only episode to show a Gym battle in its original Japanese broadcast in 2009: Sliding Into Seventh! (DP127).
First human turned to stone by Hunter J’s bracelet: Brandon (DP129).
First use of the term “special attack” in the anime (DP131).
First episode not animated by OLM’s Team Iguchi since All That Glitters Is Not Golden!: Three Sides to Every Story! (DP137).
First trip into outer space for the main characters (DP142).
First Egg a main character received that hatched in the same episode, and the first Fire-type first partner from outside its native region for a main character: Dawn’s Cyndaquil (DP143).
First main character to win a Contest at the first attempt: James, as Jessilina (DP146).
First Dragon type owned by a main character, and Ash’s first new capture in 93 episodes: Gible (DP157).
Last appearances of Brandon (DP129) and Pokémon Hunter J (DP151), and Craig Blair’s last episodes as Mr. Sukizo (DP146) and Raoul Contesta (DP155).

Trivia & Facts

Widescreen arrives. Galactic Battles is the first season with widescreen episodes and the last with 4:3 ones. Japan switched to HD with The Lonely Snover! (DP121), making High Touch! the first opening and Get Fired Up, Spiky-eared Pichu! the first ending broadcast in HDTV, and DP120 the last episode broadcast there in 4:3; the US followed with Classroom Training! (DP126) on 3 October 2009, though Cartoon Network’s standard-definition feed kept cropping until DP149.
The clip show nobody dubbed. DP120 gives Japan 53 episodes to the dub’s 52. It is the anime’s third clip show — as in Advanced Battle, the 120th episode of the series was a clip show — the shortest episode since EP060 because it has no end segment, and the last clip show with Ash and Pikachu in person.
A two-version theme. Battle Cry – (Stand Up!) was the first English opening made entirely of episode clips, and its widescreen Version 2 (from DP121) the first in which every scene was updated, making it the first English theme with two very distinct versions; an extended cut opened Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
Beating Paul, then losing to him. Ash’s first win over Paul comes in the PokéRinger, as Staravia evolves (DP118), but Paul wins the Lake Acuity Full Battle (DP131–DP132) — the first Full Battle Ash loses while his opponent still has several Pokémon left (four), the first in which a Pokémon evolves, and, with twelve substitutions, the anime’s most-substituted battle. Monferno is Ash’s first Fighting type since Heracross, 479 episodes earlier, and the third of his Pokémon to evolve in a battle with Paul.

Ash and Paul’s six-on-six Full Battle at Lake Acuity (DP131–DP132) — Ash’s first Full Battle defeat with his opponent still holding Pokémon in reserve, and the 600th episode of the anime by the Japanese count. Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP132 “Evolving Strategies!” · via Bulbapedia
Team Galactic’s finale. Gateway to Ruin! (DP136) is the 100th episode since Team Galactic’s debut (DP036), Unlocking the Red Chain of Events! (DP150) the halfway point of Diamond and Pearl, and The Battle Finale of Legend! (DP152), with Dialga, Palkia, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, broke DP129’s record of four Legendary Pokémon in one episode. It ends with Cyrus vanishing into his portal, his fate unknown, and Saturn, Mars and Jupiter arrested; Charon, it seems, got away.
Hunter J’s last hunt. J awakens Regigigas and turns Brandon to stone (DP129), making him the first human hit by her bracelet and only the second person petrified in the anime, after Ash in Mewtwo Strikes Back. Hired by Cyrus, she captures the lake guardians, but their Future Sight sinks her ship in Lake Valor, and “it is unknown if J, her Pokémon, or any of her crew died or survived” (DP151) — her final appearance apart from a fantasy in DP191.
Two departures, one capture. Dawn’s Ambipom leaves to play ping pong with O (DP124) and Ash’s Gliscor stays with the Air Battle Master McCann (DP154) — the first of Ash’s Pokémon to leave his party mid-region since Bulbasaur… the Ambassador!, 395 episodes earlier, and exactly 100 episodes after James left Cacnea (DP054). Ash’s only capture, Gible (DP157), ends a 93-episode wait since Gligar, the longest so far, and is the first Dragon type ever owned by a main character.
HeartGold and SoulSilver in the anime. The Lyra and Khoury arc (DP143–DP147) began with the first episodes broadcast after the remakes came out in Japan. Lyra carries the games’ female Pokédex and pink Pokégear, Khoury’s stall sells their key items, and Dawn’s Egg became the first a main character received that hatched in the same episode — making her the first main character with a Fire-type first partner from outside its native region.
James the Coordinator. Standing in for a sick Jessie as Jessilina, James became the first main character to enter a Contest and win at the first attempt (DP146), earning Jessie her third Ribbon — and his first cross-dressing of the Diamond and Pearl series.

James takes the stage as “Jessilina” at the Lilypad Contest (DP146) — the first main character to enter a Contest and win at the first attempt, earning Jessie her third Sinnoh Ribbon. Screenshot: Pokémon anime, DP146 “Dressed for Jess Success!” · via Bulbapedia
Dawn at home. The four-part Twinleaf Festival arc (DP138–DP141) has Dawn lose to her mother and meet Professor Oak in person for the first time (DP139), and introduces Palmer, who debuts exactly 100 episodes after Cynthia (DP040) and battles her in the twelfth movie; Challenging a Towering Figure! (DP141) is the only time the anime mentions the Sinnoh Battle Frontier.
Gym echoes. Dealing With Defensive Types! (DP108) mirrors Nerves of Steelix!: both are a region’s sixth Gym, Steel types with a Steelix, fought in episode 108 of their series against the base-form Fire starter. DP107’s clash between Byron and Roark is the second battle between two official Gym Leaders, after Brock and his mother, Lola, and Sliding Into Seventh! (DP127) is the only episode to show a Gym battle in its original Japanese broadcast in 2009.
To space and back. Where No Togepi Has Gone Before! (DP142) is the first episode to take the main characters into outer space, where Rayquaza, in its TV debut, knocks Team Rocket’s rocket back towards Earth; Dogasu’s Backpack called its evil Togepi “one of the best things to come out of Diamond & Pearl EVER”.
Episode 600. Counting the two 1998 specials, Evolving Strategies! (DP132) is the 600th episode of the anime; in Bulbapedia’s alternate overall numbering, Promoting Healthy Tangrowth! (DP134) is EP600.
Mechanics on screen. Brock’s explanation of Light Screen is the first use of the term “special attack” in the anime (DP131); Absorb and Growth make their only anime appearances and Brock alludes to Power Points (DP134); Water Gun is drawn in CGI from DP143; and from DP145 a games-style sparkle marks a successful capture.
Game timing. Get Your Rotom Running! aired in Japan a month after the Secret Key that unlocks Rotom’s forms was released and in the US during its North American distribution; HeartGold and SoulSilver came out in Japan between DP142 and DP143 and in North America between the US airings of DP148 and DP149.
Behind the scenes. Rica Matsumoto’s script for The Drifting Snorunt! (DP116) was labelled episode 114, because Shogakukan’s internal count skips the DP048 clip show and treats DP071–DP072 as one; and from Three Sides to Every Story! (DP137) the season was animated by a general OLM team instead of Team Iguchi, for the first time since All That Glitters Is Not Golden!.
Long-awaited returns. James’s Growlie reappears in The Treasure Is All Mine! (DP153), 571 episodes after Holy Matrimony!, and Jessebelle’s 571-episode gap between physical appearances was then the longest for any human character, until Steven’s return in XY.
Farewells. Phione makes its only appearance (DP113), Ambipom its last Contest (DP123) and final appearance (DP124), Brandon his last (DP129) and Hunter J hers (DP151); Craig Blair voiced Mr. Sukizo for the last time in DP146 and Raoul Contesta in DP155, his last episode before leaving the anime.
Still no eighth Badge. Ash ends the season with seven Badges, while Paul has all eight by DP155; Sunyshore’s Gym Leader, Volkner, never appears — Palmer only mentions him (DP141) — and Ash’s Beacon Badge battle waits until Sinnoh League Victors.
Games and cards. The trading card expansions released during the US run were Platinum—Rising Rivals, Supreme Victors and Arceus, HeartGold & SoulSilver and HS—Unleashed, from the five Rotom forms and Byron’s Bastiodon GL to a Supporter card for Palmer and a Cyndaquil released four days after Dawn’s hatched on Cartoon Network — see our TCG section.

Reception

Ratings. No viewing figures for the season as a whole have been found. A Bulbagarden forum post of 19 March 2010, quoting the trade newsletter Cynopsis Kids, gave Cartoon Network’s 13 March airing of Try for the Family Stone! (DP148) a 1.7 rating and a 15 share, above the six Orange Islands reruns that followed it (1.2–1.4) and the block’s average, though behind Ben 10: Alien Force (2.4) and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s (1.8). In Japan only series-wide figures are documented: Diamond and Pearl peaked at 9.3% and averaged 6.4%, according to Japanese Wikipedia, and Arceus and the Jewel of Life opened second at the box office. MyAnimeList rates the whole 191-episode series 7.34, with no separate score for this season, Rotten Tomatoes’ season page has no critics’ reviews, and IMDb’s episode ratings could not be checked for this page.

Fan commentary. Dogasu’s Backpack, which compared nineteen of the season’s episodes with their dubs, saw the Team Galactic finale as the high point: of The Needs of the Three! (DP151) it wrote “I was completely engrossed with this thing from start to finish… The episode is that good”, and The Battle Finale of Legend! (DP152) “gets so many things right”, though “Mars’ scream in the dub, however, is pretty awful”. Paul’s defeat by Brandon had “little things” that made it “one of the series’ best” (DP128), the evil Togepi was “one of the best things to come out of Diamond & Pearl EVER”, with the dub’s untouched score earning “Your dub is so much better when you leave things alone” (DP142), and Bagged Then Tagged! drew praise for “how superb the animation is” (DP147).

Mixed notices. The same site found The Lonely Snover! “alright. Nothing special” (DP121), said “that biscuit scene was the biggest waste of time ever” of Gone With the Windworks! (DP144), predicted that Try for the Family Stone! “will not go down as one of the most memorable episodes” (DP148), called Zoey’s coaching in DP155 “hamfisted” and judged the finale “a pretty decent episode” while complaining about “how everyone puts it up on this freakin’ pedestal” (DP157); The Treasure Is All Mine! was “a chore to sit through” in English for its “terrible dialogue and awful voice acting”, yet still “another modern day classic” (DP153). No reviews of the VIZ DVDs or the 2020 Complete Season have been found, and the season won no known awards.

Continue the journey with Season 13: Pokémon DP Sinnoh League Victors, go back to Season 11: Pokémon DP Battle Dimension, or browse every season of the Pokémon anime.