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| Season | Season 14 of the English dub · the first season of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, covering the first 48 episodes of Japan’s Best Wishes! |
| Series | Best Wishes! series (ポケットモンスター ベストウイッシュ Pocket Monsters Best Wishes!) |
| Region | Unova — from Nuvema Town, where Ash arrives from Kanto, through Accumula Town, Striaton City, Nacrene City, Pinwheel Forest, Castelia City and the Skyarrow Bridge to Nimbasa Town and Nimbasa City |
| Episodes | 50 produced · 48 aired in Japan (BW001–BW048) · 48 dubbed, on TV and on video — the two-part Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! was never broadcast anywhere |
| First episode | In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001) · Japan 23 September 2010 · US 12 February 2011 |
| Last episode | Battle for the Underground! (BW048) · Japan 15 September 2011 · US 7 January 2012 |
| Japanese opening theme | Besuto Uisshu! (ベストウイッシュ！ Best Wishes!) – Rica Matsumoto (all 48 episodes) |
| Japanese ending themes | none on the original broadcast of BW001–BW002 · Kokoro no Fanfāre (Fanfare of the Heart) – Aki Okui (BW003–BW025) · Pokémon Ieru kana? BW (Can You Name All the Pokémon? BW) – Takeshi Tsuruno (BW026–BW048) |
| English opening theme | Black and White – Erin Bowman & Joe Philips (all 48 episodes; its instrumental plays under the end credits) |
| Travelling companions | Ash Ketchum & Pikachu, Iris (from BW002) and Cilan (from BW006), with Bianca for two episodes (BW024–BW025) and a falsely defecting Meowth (BW043–BW047) |
| Badges won | Trio Badge (Striaton Gym, BW006), Basic Badge (Nacrene Gym, BW016, after a loss in BW015), Insect Badge (Castelia Gym, BW023) — three Unova Badges by the end of the season |
| Tournament | Don George’s Club Battle, Nimbasa Town (BW039–BW042): won by Iris, with Ash runner-up |
| Related movies | White—Victini and Zekrom and Black—Victini and Reshiram (Japan 16 July 2011, between BW039 and BW040 · US cinemas 3–4 December 2011 and TV 10 December 2011) · Zoroark: Master of Illusions (US TV 5 February 2011, a week before the premiere) |
| Previous season | Season 13: Sinnoh League Victors |
| Following season | Season 15: Rival Destinies |
Pokémon: Black & White is the fourteenth season of the English-language Pokémon anime and the first season of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters Best Wishes!. It covers Japanese episodes BW001 to BW048, which TV Tokyo broadcast from 23 September 2010 to 15 September 2011, and all 48 ran on Cartoon Network, in the same order, from 12 February 2011 to 7 January 2012. Two more episodes were made: the two-part Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!, which would have introduced Team Plasma, was due to air on 17 and 24 March 2011 but was postponed indefinitely after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 11 March, and it has never been shown anywhere. The season is the series’ biggest reset yet — a new region, a redesigned Ash, two new companions, a Team Rocket in black uniforms and nothing but Generation V Pokémon — and it brought Who’s That Pokémon? back to the English dub after 344 episodes.
Ash arrives in Unova with his mother and Professor Oak, where Zekrom’s storm leaves Pikachu powerless and a brash new Trainer, Trip, beats him with a Snivy he has only just chosen. Leaving his Sinnoh team with Oak, Ash starts afresh: he catches Pidove, Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, Sewaddle, Palpitoad and Roggenrola and hatches a Scraggy from an Egg, and Pidove evolves into Tranquill and Sewaddle into Swadloon in the middle of a Gym battle. He wins the Trio Badge from Cilan and his brothers in Striaton City, loses to Lenora in Nacrene City before beating her in a rematch for the Basic Badge, takes the Insect Badge from Burgh in Castelia City and finishes runner-up to Iris in Don George’s Club Battle in Nimbasa. His companions are Iris, a wild girl from the Village of Dragons who carries an Axew in her hair and dreams of becoming a Dragon Master, and Cilan, a Striaton Gym Leader and Pokémon Connoisseur who leaves his Gym to travel with them.
Team Rocket arrive on a secret mission for Giovanni, allowed only Unova Pokémon and working with the agent Pierce and Dr. Zager to steal a mysterious Meteonite — a story meant to climax at the Desert Resort in the unaired two-parter and dropped after the earthquake, so that the trio are back in white uniforms and chasing Pikachu by BW023. The rivals Bianca, Burgundy, Stephan, Georgia and Luke, Professor Juniper and the Subway Bosses Ingo and Emmet join a cast in which 92 species make their TV debut, before Meowth’s fake defection leads to a Battle Subway chase in the two-part finale. Our complete episode guide below has a synopsis, both titles and the air dates for all 50 episodes, including the two that never aired.
- 50episodes produced — 48 aired and dubbed, two never broadcast
- 3Unova Badges for Ash — Trio, Basic and Insect
- 8new Pokémon for Ash, from Pidove (BW002) to Roggenrola (BW034)
- 92Pokémon species make their TV debut, all from Generation V
- 344episodes between the dub’s last Who’s That Pokémon? (AG040) and its return in BW001
- 47seconds the dub cut from the end of BW022 to hide the cancelled two-parter
A new land, new rivals, new challenges, and all-new Pokémon make the 14th season of the Pokémon animated series one of the most exciting ones yet! When Ash and his mother accompany Professor Oak to the distant Unova region, Ash discovers Pokémon that he’s never seen before… and that he can’t wait to catch! He may have Pikachu at his side together with new friends Iris and Cilan, but he’ll still need plenty of new Pokémon on his team if he wants to challenge Unova’s expert Gym Leaders. His quest to become a Pokémon Master just got even tougher!
— Official description
Quick Answers
How many episodes are in Pokémon: Black & White?
48 aired, out of 50 made. TV Tokyo broadcast BW001 to BW048 from 23 September 2010 to 15 September 2011, and Cartoon Network showed all 48 in the same order from 12 February 2011 to 7 January 2012, as do the VIZ Media DVDs and streaming services. The two-part Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!, planned for 17 and 24 March 2011, was pulled after the Tōhoku earthquake and has never aired anywhere, so it has no English number; English Wikipedia counts the season as 50 Japanese and 48 English episodes.
Why were two Black & White episodes never aired?
The Team Rocket vs Team Plasma two-parter was scheduled for 17 and 24 March 2011, days after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 11 March and the Fukushima nuclear disaster. TV Tokyo postponed it indefinitely, officially “for [our] convenience” — some reports said it contained scenes recalling the nuclear accident — and moved later episodes up to fill the slots. It would have debuted Team Plasma and Ghetsis, brought back Looker and ended the Meteonite story at the Desert Resort; The Pokémon Company International received the episodes but never dubbed them, TV Tokyo’s promise to air them “someday” disappeared in 2018, and Bulbapedia treats them as non-canon.
Which Badges does Ash win in Black & White?
Three. At the Striaton Gym he battles all three Leaders and wins two rounds to one, Oshawott learning Razor Shell to beat Cilan’s Pansage for the Trio Badge (BW005–BW006). Lenora’s Lillipup and Watchog beat him at the Nacrene Gym, his only official Gym loss in Unova (BW015), before Tepig’s new Flame Charge wins the rematch and the Basic Badge (BW016). At the Castelia Gym Sewaddle evolves into Swadloon mid-battle and Pikachu beats Burgh’s Leavanny for the Insect Badge (BW023). Elesa’s Nimbasa Gym waits for Rival Destinies.
What Pokémon does Ash catch in Black & White?
Eight new ones, after leaving his Sinnoh team with Professor Oak (BW002): Pidove (BW002), Juniper’s runaway Oshawott (BW003), the abandoned Tepig (BW004), a proud female Snivy (BW007), Scraggy, hatched from an Egg he received in BW012 (BW017), Sewaddle (BW018), Palpitoad (BW032) and Roggenrola (BW034). Pidove evolves into Tranquill (BW022) and Sewaddle into Swadloon (BW023). With Pikachu he ends the season with nine Pokémon, six carried at a time and the rest at Professor Juniper’s lab — his earliest-ever team rotation came when he caught Sewaddle.
Does Who’s That Pokémon? return in Black & White?
Yes — in English only. The dub revived the quiz in In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001, answer: Pidove), its first since AG040, 344 episodes earlier, as The Pokémon Company International’s first eyecatch: the silhouette appears at the mid-episode break and the answer just before the end credits, with the Pokémon’s cry from BW005. The Japanese version had no quiz this season — only generic eyecatches, until Dare da? returned in BW061 — and closed each episode with Professor Oak’s Pokémon Live Caster instead.
Who wins Don George’s Club Battle?
Iris. In the Nimbasa Town tournament (BW039–BW042) Ash beats Burgundy, Georgia and Dino with Palpitoad, Snivy and Palpitoad again; Cilan beats Trip but loses to Luke’s Larvesta; Iris’s Emolga finally obeys her to beat Stephan’s Sawk and her Axew learns Outrage to beat Luke. In the final Iris’s Excadrill outlasts Pikachu’s Iron Tail and Electro Ball and wins with Focus Blast, taking the prize of seven Driftveil wings (BW042).
Story Arcs
Pokémon: Black & White runs for 48 aired episodes, plus two that never aired, and follows Ash, Iris and Cilan from Nuvema Town to Nimbasa City. Here is how the season breaks down, with stills from our episode guide below.
A new region, a new startBW001–BW004
Ash flies to Unova with his mother and Professor Oak, and a storm cloud hiding Zekrom overloads Pikachu, who loses his electricity — and Ash his first battle, against the brash new Trainer Trip and the Snivy he has only just chosen — before a second strike restores him. Ash decides to stay for the Unova League, leaves his Sinnoh team with Oak and receives a Pokédex from Professor Juniper; he meets Iris, who carries an Axew in her hair, catches a Pidove and becomes the owner of Juniper’s runaway Oshawott after it follows him from the lab. At the Accumula Town Battle Club he meets Don George and catches an abandoned Tepig, while Team Rocket, in black uniforms and allowed only Unova Pokémon, begin secret missions for Giovanni and Jessie catches a Woobat.
Striaton City & the DreamyardBW005–BW007
The waiters at Striaton City’s restaurant, Cilan, Chili and Cress, turn out to be its Gym Leaders, and Ash takes on all three: Tepig beats Chili’s Pansear and Cress’s Panpour beats Pikachu, but Oshawott learns Razor Shell to beat Cilan’s Pansage and win the Trio Badge. At the Dreamyard the researcher Fennel and her Musharna stop Team Rocket stealing its “Future Energy”, and Cilan, a Pokémon Connoisseur, leaves the Gym to his brothers to travel with Ash and Iris. On the road to Nacrene City Ash completes his set of Unova first partners by catching a proud female Snivy, while Giovanni warns his agents that Team Plasma have become active.
The road to NacreneBW008–BW013
Standalone stops — a Zen Mode Darmanitan holding up a clock-tower bell, and Iris’s half-trained Axew and disobedient Excadrill — alternate with progress. Trip, already with two Badges, beats Ash five-on-five at the Luxuria Town Battle Club; Cilan catches a shell-less Dwebble; Karena, the grandmother of the Trubbish Squad’s teacher, gives Ash an Egg; and the scatterbrained Bianca delivers his Badge case, catches a Minccino and loses to Pikachu. Behind the scenes the agent Pierce steers Team Rocket towards a mysterious Meteonite, beginning with a raid on the Antimony Research Lab.
Nacrene City & the MeteoniteBW014–BW017
A spooky night in the Nacrene Museum, where a Yamask is searching for its mask, introduces the Gym Leader Lenora and her husband Hawes. Lenora’s Lillipup and Watchog hand Ash his only official Gym defeat in Unova, and after training with Don George he wins the Basic Badge as Oshawott learns Aqua Jet and Tepig masters Flame Charge against Herdier. Meanwhile Team Rocket swap the museum’s meteorite for a fake and deliver it to Dr. Zager, who declares it “not of this world”, and Ash’s Egg hatches into a headstrong Scraggy that he catches after it fights Axew to a draw.
Pinwheel Forest to Castelia CityBW018–BW023
In Pinwheel Forest Ash meets the artist and Gym Leader Burgh and catches a Sewaddle, sending Pidove to Juniper in his first team rotation. In Castelia City Cilan beats the vengeful Connaisseuse Burgundy, Pikachu learns Electro Ball as the sunglasses-wearing Sandile evolves into Krokorok, and a lonely Gothitelle traps the group in a loop on the Skyarrow Bridge. A Venipede stampede brings Trip back and evolves Pidove into Tranquill, while Team Rocket, Pierce and Dr. Zager find a far larger Meteonite under the Desert Resort and Giovanni flies in. The planned climax, Team Rocket against Team Plasma for the Meteonite, was cancelled after the Tōhoku earthquake; instead Sewaddle evolves into Swadloon in Burgh’s Gym for the Insect Badge, and Team Rocket, cut loose by Matori, return to white uniforms and chasing Pikachu as James catches a Yamask.
Emolga, Bianca & Iris’s dragonsBW024–BW033
Iris catches a con-artist Emolga, whose Volt Switch drags other Trainers’ Pokémon into its battles and starts a rivalry with Snivy, and Bianca travels with the group until she sees Ash’s three Badges and leaves to win her own. A haunted Litwick mansion, Emmy’s Druddigon — as Iris reveals her dream of becoming a Dragon Master and Axew finally masters Dragon Rage — Oshawott’s lost scalchop and a win over the new rival Stephan, a lovesick Cottonee and Area 28’s Elgyem lead to a three-on-three draw with Trip. Oshawott perfects Aqua Jet as Ash catches Palpitoad and Cilan Stunfisk, and the “Dragon Buster” Georgia forces Iris to win back her Excadrill, which lost faith in her after a defeat by Drayden.
Rocks, fossils, fish & filmBW034–BW038
Ash catches a Roggenrola, his first official Rock type, while foiling a Team Rocket cannon built for Dr. Zager; Cilan turns detective to find a town’s missing Audino; and Juniper and Fennel revive an Archen that evolves into Archeops and flies off with its flock while Team Rocket steal their data. In the fishing episode that the earthquake delayed, Cilan the Fishing Connoisseur exposes Team Rocket’s rigged contest and Bianca returns, and the aspiring director Luke casts Ash, Iris and Cilan in a film starring his Zorua as a princess before pointing everyone to a tournament in Nimbasa.
Don George’s Club BattleBW039–BW042
In Nimbasa Town Don George’s Club Battle reunites Trip, Bianca, Burgundy, Georgia, Stephan and Luke. Ash’s Palpitoad beats Burgundy’s Stoutland and Snivy beats Georgia’s Pawniard; Cilan’s Dwebble beats Trip’s Gurdurr, after which Trip leaves, but Stunfisk loses to Luke’s Larvesta; Emolga finally obeys Iris to beat Stephan’s Sawk, and Axew learns Outrage to beat Luke. In the final Iris’s Excadrill outlasts Pikachu, and Iris takes the seven Driftveil wings.
Meowth’s defection & the Battle SubwayBW043–BW048
Meowth turns up claiming that Team Rocket have fired him and joins the heroes as a “Nyagotiator”, talking a Scrafty into teaching Scraggy High Jump Kick, competing with Oshawott for a charming Purrloin, sleeping through a Dream Thief’s layered illusions and ending a feud between two groups of Beartic, while Jessie, James and Dr. Zager prepare a plot in Anville Town and the Subway Bosses Ingo and Emmet investigate a Ghost Train. In Nimbasa City Meowth’s betrayal is revealed as Team Rocket empty the Pokémon Center and flee on the Ghost Train; in a high-speed chase with Ingo and Emmet the captive Pokémon break free, Tepig learns Flamethrower and everything is recovered, and Ash turns towards the Nimbasa Gym.
Episode Guide
All 50 episodes of Pokémon: Black & White are listed below in Japanese broadcast order, which is also the order of the English dub and the DVDs; the two episodes that never aired sit in their planned slot after A Venipede Stampede! (BW022). The # column is the season number used by Cartoon Network, VIZ Media and streaming services, and the orange code is the Bulbapedia BW number used by most fan sites — Bulbapedia files the unaired pair as “BW023 (unaired)” and “BW024 (unaired)”, and they have no English number. 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 on Saturday mornings, from a one-hour premiere of BW001 and BW002 on 12 February 2011 to 7 January 2012, with no new episode on 24 December 2011.
Who’s That Pokémon? is back. With In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001) the English dub revived the mid-episode quiz for the first time since AG040, 344 episodes earlier: each episode’s silhouette appears at the break and is revealed before the end credits, and every answer is listed with its episode below. The Japanese version had no quiz this season — it used plain eyecatches until Dare da? returned in BW061 — and closed each episode with Professor Oak’s Pokémon Live Caster instead.
| # | Episode | First aired | In short | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1BW001 | In the Shadow of Zekrom!イッシュ地方へ！ゼクロムの影！！ | Japan 23 Sep 2010 US 12 Feb 2011 |
Ash flies to the Unova region with Pikachu, his mother and Professor Oak, and a mysterious thundercloud over the sea leaves Pikachu unable to use its… · Season premiere Episode guide → |
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2BW002 | Enter Iris and Axew!アイリスとキバゴ！ | Japan 23 Sep 2010 US 12 Feb 2011 |
When Zekrom’s storm returns over Nuvema Town, Ash grabs the overcharged Pikachu, the cloud disperses and Pikachu’s electricity is… · Ash catches Pidove Episode guide → |
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3BW003 | A Sandile Gusher of Change!ミジュマル！メグロコ！危機一髪！！ | Japan 30 Sep 2010 US 19 Feb 2011 |
Professor Juniper’s runaway Oshawott officially becomes Ash’s Pokémon on the road to Striaton City, just before a herd of Sandile… · Oshawott joins Ash Episode guide → |
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4BW004 | The Battle Club and Tepig’s Choice!バトルクラブ！謎のポケモン現る！！ | Japan 7 Oct 2010 US 26 Feb 2011 |
In Accumula Town Ash discovers the Pokémon Battle Club and its manager Don George, and ends the day by catching an abandoned Tepig. · Ash catches Tepig Episode guide → |
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5BW005 | Triple Leaders, Team Threats!サンヨウジム！ＶＳ バオップ、ヒヤップ、ヤナップ！！ | Japan 14 Oct 2010 US 5 Mar 2011 |
In Striaton City Ash learns that the restaurant’s three waiters, Cilan, Chili and Cress, are the city’s Gym Leaders, and he challenges… · Cilan, Chili & Cress debut Episode guide → |
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6BW006 | Dreams by the Yard Full!夢の跡地！ムンナとムシャーナ！！ | Japan 21 Oct 2010 US 12 Mar 2011 |
Oshawott’s newly learned Razor Shell beats Cilan’s Pansage to win Ash the Trio Badge, and the group then help the researcher Fennel stop… · Trio Badge Episode guide → |
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7BW007 | Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!ツタージャ・ゲットでメロメロ！？ | Japan 28 Oct 2010 US 19 Mar 2011 |
On the road to Nacrene City a proud wild Snivy runs rings around Ash before finally joining his team. · Ash catches Snivy Episode guide → |
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8BW008 | Saving Darmanitan from the Bell!ダルマッカとヒヒダルマ！時計塔の秘密！！ | Japan 4 Nov 2010 US 26 Mar 2011 |
Two Darumaka stealing food in a riverside town lead Ash’s group to a Darmanitan trapped holding up the bell of an old clock tower. · Zen Mode Darmanitan Episode guide → |
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9BW009 | The Bloom Is On Axew!ペンドラー暴走！キバゴを救え！！ | Japan 11 Nov 2010 US 2 Apr 2011 |
When Iris’s inexperienced Axew wakes a furious Scolipede, Iris is forced to send out her powerful but disobedient Excadrill. · Iris’s Excadrill debuts Episode guide → |
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10BW010 | A Rival Battle for Club Champ!ライバルバトル！強敵プルリル！ | Japan 18 Nov 2010 US 9 Apr 2011 |
At the Luxuria Town Battle Club Ash meets Trip again and loses a five-on-five rematch to his rival’s growing team. · Trip beats Ash five-on-five Episode guide → |
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11BW011 | A Home for Dwebble!イシズマイ！自分の家をとりもどせ！！ | Japan 2 Dec 2010 US 16 Apr 2011 |
Cilan wins the trust of a shell-less Dwebble and catches it after the group help it reclaim its home from three bullies. · Cilan catches Dwebble Episode guide → |
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12BW012 | Here Comes the Trubbish Squad!ヤブクロン戦隊と秘密基地！？ | Japan 9 Dec 2010 US 23 Apr 2011 |
Ash helps a band of kindergartners keep the Trubbish they have adopted, and their teacher’s grandmother rewards him with a Pokémon Egg. · Ash receives an Egg Episode guide → |
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13BW013 | Minccino—Neat and Tidy!チラーミィはきれいずき！？ | Japan 16 Dec 2010 US 30 Apr 2011 |
Ash meets the scatterbrained new Trainer Bianca, who is delivering his Badge case from Professor Juniper, and helps her catch the Minccino that… · Bianca debuts Episode guide → |
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14BW014 | A Night in the Nacrene City Museum!シッポウシティ！博物館で大冒険！！ | Japan 23 Dec 2010 US 7 May 2011 |
Ash’s group spend a spooky night inside the Nacrene Museum, home of the city’s Gym, and uncover a Yamask searching for its lost mask. · Lenora debuts Episode guide → |
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15BW015 | The Battle According to Lenora!シッポウジム戦！VSジムリーダー・アロエ！！ | Japan 6 Jan 2011 US 14 May 2011 |
Ash challenges Nacrene Gym Leader Lenora and loses, his only official Gym defeat in Unova. · Ash loses to Lenora Episode guide → |
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16BW016 | Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!再戦シッポウジム！新技炸裂！！ | Japan 13 Jan 2011 US 21 May 2011 |
After a gruelling day of training at the Battle Club, Ash defeats Lenora in a rematch and wins the Basic Badge. · Basic Badge Episode guide → |
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17BW017 | Scraggy—Hatched to be Wild!タマゴからかえったあばれん坊！ | Japan 20 Jan 2011 US 28 May 2011 |
Ash’s Egg hatches into a Scraggy that headbutts everything in sight, and Ash catches it after it battles Axew to a draw. · Egg hatches into Scraggy Episode guide → |
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18BW018 | Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest!ヤグルマの森！クルミルとアーティ！！ | Japan 27 Jan 2011 US 4 Jun 2011 |
In Pinwheel Forest Ash meets the artist and Castelia Gym Leader Burgh and catches a feisty Sewaddle that has rejected him all day. · Ash catches Sewaddle Episode guide → |
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19BW019 | A Connoisseur’s Revenge!ソムリエ対決！イシズマイVSフタチマル！！ | Japan 17 Feb 2011 US 11 Jun 2011 |
In Castelia City Cilan defends Ash’s team against Burgundy, a vengeful Pokémon Connaisseuse who once lost to him at the Striaton Gym. · Burgundy debuts Episode guide → |
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20BW020 | Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!ピカチュウVSメグロコVSコアルヒー！！ | Japan 24 Feb 2011 US 18 Jun 2011 |
The sunglasses Sandile returns for a rematch with Pikachu, while a thieving trio of Ducklett runs the group ragged, and by the end Pikachu has a new… · Pikachu learns Electro Ball Episode guide → |
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21BW021 | The Lost World of Gothitelle!スカイアローブリッジとゴチルゼル！ | Japan 3 Mar 2011 US 25 Jun 2011 |
Crossing the fog-bound Skyarrow Bridge, Ash’s group are trapped in a time loop by a lonely Gothitelle that misses its old friend. · Skyarrow Bridge time loop Episode guide → |
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22BW022 | A Venipede Stampede!ヒウンシティ！フシデパニック！！ | Japan 10 Mar 2011 US 2 Jul 2011 |
A swarm of panicked Venipede invades Castelia City, and Ash helps Burgh lead them to safety while Pidove evolves into Tranquill. · Pidove evolves into Tranquill Episode guide → |
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–BW023 unaired | Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1)ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！（前編） | Japan never aired US never aired |
The first half of the cancelled Team Rocket vs Team Plasma two-parter was due to air on 17 March 2011, but after the Tōhoku earthquake and… · Unaired – never broadcast Episode guide → |
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–BW024 unaired | Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 2)ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！（後編） | Japan never aired US never aired |
The conclusion of the cancelled two-parter, scheduled for 24 March 2011, was postponed with Part 1 and has never aired anywhere. · Unaired – never broadcast Episode guide → |
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23BW023 | Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!ヒウンジム戦！純情ハートの虫ポケモンバトル！！ | Japan 17 Mar 2011 US 9 Jul 2011 |
Ash wins the Insect Badge at the Castelia Gym, and his Sewaddle evolves into Swadloon in the middle of the battle. · Insect Badge Episode guide → |
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24BW024 | Emolga the Irresistible!かわいい顔に要注意！エモンガでシビレビレ！！ | Japan 24 Mar 2011 US 16 Jul 2011 |
A crafty wild Emolga charms and swindles its way into the group’s food, and after a day of trouble it glides straight into Iris’s arms… · Iris catches Emolga Episode guide → |
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25BW025 | Emolga and the New Volt Switch!エモンガＶＳツタージャ！ボルトチェンジで大混乱！！ | Japan 31 Mar 2011 US 23 Jul 2011 |
Iris’s new Emolga turns a battle with Bianca into chaos by using Volt Switch to pull other Trainers’ Pokémon into the fight. · Emolga’s Volt Switch Episode guide → |
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26BW026 | Scare at the Litwick Mansion!ヒトモシ屋敷のこわ～いお話！ | Japan 7 Apr 2011 US 30 Jul 2011 |
Sheltering from a storm in an empty mansion, Ash’s group are haunted by Litwick that drain life energy and open a portal to the Ghost World. · Litwick haunting Episode guide → |
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27BW027 | The Dragon Master’s Path!ドラゴンマスターへの道！キバゴVSクリムガン！！ | Japan 14 Apr 2011 US 6 Aug 2011 |
Iris reveals her dream of becoming a Dragon Master while helping a new Trainer, Emmy, bond with her runaway Druddigon, and Axew finally masters… · Axew masters Dragon Rage Episode guide → |
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28BW028 | Oshawott’s Lost Scalchop!消えたホタチ！ミジュマル最大の危機！！ | Japan 21 Apr 2011 US 13 Aug 2011 |
When a battle knocks Oshawott’s scalchop into the forest, Ash trains it to win a rematch against Trainer Stephan and his Blitzle without it. · Stephan debuts Episode guide → |
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29BW029 | Cottonee in Love!恋するモンメンは風に乗って！ | Japan 28 Apr 2011 US 20 Aug 2011 |
Ash’s group coach a lovesick male Cottonee so he can win the female he loves before the Cottonee depart from Rainbow Valley on the Diamond… · Cottonee’s courtship Episode guide → |
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30BW030 | A UFO for Elgyem!リグレーと未確認飛行物体！ | Japan 5 May 2011 US 27 Aug 2011 |
In Area 28, a town famous for UFO sightings, Ash’s group help the eccentric researcher Professor Icarus protect a shy Elgyem from Team Rocket. · Area 28 UFOs Episode guide → |
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31BW031 | Ash and Trip’s Third Battle!ライバルバトル！バニプッチ、ドッコラー参戦！！ | Japan 12 May 2011 US 3 Sep 2011 |
Ash and Trip meet again on the road to Nimbasa City and fight their third battle, which ends in a draw. · Ash and Trip draw Episode guide → |
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32BW032 | Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open!ガマガル、マッギョ！水辺の戦い！！ | Japan 19 May 2011 US 10 Sep 2011 |
Oshawott finally learns to open its eyes underwater and masters Aqua Jet, and both Ash and Cilan make catches at a lakeside camp. · Ash catches Palpitoad Episode guide → |
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33BW033 | Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster!ドラゴンバスター登場！アイリスとドリュウズ！！ | Japan 26 May 2011 US 17 Sep 2011 |
A self-styled “Dragon Buster” named Georgia challenges Iris, and the defeat leads Iris to win back the trust of her disobedient Excadrill. · Georgia debuts Episode guide → |
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34BW034 | Gotta Catch A Roggenrola!ダンゴロ！ラスターカノン発射せよ！！ | Japan 2 Jun 2011 US 24 Sep 2011 |
A Roggenrola wearing a strange device leads Ash’s group to Team Rocket’s latest scheme in a cave, and Ash catches it at the end of the… · Ash catches Roggenrola Episode guide → |
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35BW035 | Where Did You Go, Audino?ソムリエ探偵デント！タブンネ失踪事件！！ | Japan 9 Jun 2011 US 1 Oct 2011 |
Cilan turns detective to solve a string of Audino disappearances, which turn out to be the work of Team Rocket. · Detective Cilan Episode guide → |
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36BW036 | Archeops In The Modern World!化石復活！古代怪鳥アーケオス！！ | Japan 16 Jun 2011 US 8 Oct 2011 |
Professor Juniper and Fennel bring an ancient Archen back to life from a fossil, and the group help the confused Pokémon learn to fly. · Archen evolves into Archeops Episode guide → |
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37BW037 | A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!釣りソムリエ・デント登場！ | Japan 23 Jun 2011 US 15 Oct 2011 |
Cilan reveals himself as a Fishing Connoisseur at a fishing contest secretly run by Team Rocket, and the group reunite with Bianca. · Delayed after the earthquake Episode guide → |
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38BW038 | Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!ゾロア・ザ・ムービー！ポケモンナイトの伝説！！ | Japan 30 Jun 2011 US 22 Oct 2011 |
Ash, Iris and Cilan star in a film by Luke, an aspiring director whose Zorua refuses to act in any role but the princess. · Luke debuts Episode guide → |
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39BW039 | Reunion Battles In Nimbasa!全員集合！ドンバトル！！ | Japan 7 Jul 2011 US 29 Oct 2011 |
Don George’s Club Battle tournament begins in Nimbasa Town, reuniting Ash with Trip, Bianca, Burgundy, Georgia, Stephan and Luke, and Ash wins… · Club Battle, part 1 Episode guide → |
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40BW040 | Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia!熱闘ドンバトル！ツタージャVSコマタナ！！ | Japan 21 Jul 2011 US 5 Nov 2011 |
The Club Battle’s first round ends with wins for Cilan, Stephan, Luke and Iris, and Ash begins his second-round match against Georgia. · Club Battle, part 2 Episode guide → |
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41BW041 | The Club Battle Hearts of Fury: Emolga Versus Sawk!白熱ドンバトル！エモンガVSダゲキ！！ | Japan 4 Aug 2011 US 12 Nov 2011 |
Ash and Iris both reach the Club Battle semi-finals, while Cilan is knocked out by Luke’s Larvesta. · Club Battle, part 3 Episode guide → |
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42BW042 | Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome!決戦ドンバトル！！サトシVSアイリス！！ | Japan 11 Aug 2011 US 19 Nov 2011 |
Iris defeats Ash in the final of the Club Battle tournament and wins the set of Driftveil wings. · Iris wins the Club Battle Episode guide → |
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43BW043 | Meowth’s Scrafty Tactics!ニャゴシエーター・ニャース！ズルズキン説得作戦！！ | Japan 18 Aug 2011 US 26 Nov 2011 |
Meowth turns up claiming that Team Rocket have fired him and joins Ash’s group, using his talent for negotiation to settle a dispute with a… · Meowth joins the heroes Episode guide → |
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44BW044 | Purrloin: Sweet or Sneaky?チョロネコに御用心！ニャースとミジュマル！！ | Japan 25 Aug 2011 US 3 Dec 2011 |
A charming Purrloin wraps Meowth, Oshawott and Iris around its paw while stealing the group’s food, until its Trainer Misha reveals who it… · Purrloin’s tricks Episode guide → |
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45BW045 | Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!オーベムとダブランと夢泥棒！ | Japan 1 Sep 2011 US 10 Dec 2011 |
A Beheeyem that seems to grant wishes traps Ash’s group in layers of dreams for its master, the Dream Thief Leon. · Ingo & Emmet debut Episode guide → |
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46BW046 | The Beartic Mountain Feud!ニャゴシエーター・ニャース！ツンベアーの森を突破せよ！！ | Japan 8 Sep 2011 US 17 Dec 2011 |
Ash’s group help return a lost Cubchoo to its family and bring peace between two feuding groups of Beartic on a stormy mountain. · Beartic feud Episode guide → |
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47BW047 | Crisis From the Underground Up!激走！バトルサブウェイ！！（前編） | Japan 15 Sep 2011 US 31 Dec 2011 |
Meowth reveals that his defection was a trick when Team Rocket steal every Pokémon from the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center, including… · Meowth’s betrayal Episode guide → |
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48BW048 | Battle for the Underground!激走！バトルサブウェイ！！（後編） | Japan 15 Sep 2011 US 7 Jan 2012 |
Ash and his friends join Ingo and Emmet in a high-speed chase to recover the stolen Pokémon from Team Rocket’s Ghost Train, and Tepig… · Tepig learns Flamethrower Episode guide → |
Characters & Travelling Companions
Ash arrives in Unova redesigned, with larger eyes after Ken Sugimori’s artwork, and accompanied by his mother and Professor Oak. After Zekrom’s storm leaves Pikachu powerless and Trip beats him (BW001), he decides to stay for the Unova League and leaves his Sinnoh Pokémon with Oak (BW002). He catches Pidove (BW002), inherits Professor Juniper’s runaway Oshawott (BW003), catches the abandoned Tepig (BW004) and a proud female Snivy (BW007), completing his third set of a region’s first partners, and is given an Egg by Karena (BW012) that hatches into Scraggy, his first Dark type (BW017). Catching Sewaddle with a full party forces his earliest-ever team rotation, Pidove going to Juniper (BW018); the two swap back (BW021) before Pidove evolves into Tranquill (BW022) and Sewaddle into Swadloon in the middle of the Castelia Gym battle (BW023). Later he catches Palpitoad (BW032) and Roggenrola, his first official Rock type (BW034). He wins the Trio, Basic and Insect Badges, loses to Trip again (BW010) and draws with him (BW031), and finishes runner-up to Iris in the Club Battle (BW042); Pikachu learns Electro Ball, its first new move in 253 episodes (BW020).
Iris, who watches Ash arrive from a tree (BW001) and is hit by his Poké Ball the next day (BW002), is a wild, vine-swinging girl from the Village of Dragons who carries her Axew in her hair and wants to become a Dragon Master (BW027); she teases Ash for acting like a little kid, brews herbal medicines (BW011, BW017, BW032) and turns out to be afraid of Ice types (BW031). Axew finally masters Dragon Rage (BW027) and learns Outrage (BW042), while her powerful Excadrill refuses to obey her (BW009) until the “Dragon Buster” Georgia’s challenge brings out the story of its defeat by Drayden’s Haxorus; they reconcile and it learns Focus Blast (BW033). She catches the con-artist Emolga, her first on-screen capture (BW024), and wins Don George’s Club Battle with Excadrill (BW042). She is voiced by Eileen Stevens in English and Aoi Yūki in Japanese.
Cilan is one of the three brothers who run Striaton City’s restaurant Gym; he battles Ash with Pansage, then leaves the Gym to Chili and Cress to travel with Ash and Iris (BW005–BW006). An A-class Pokémon Connoisseur (a “Pokémon Sommelier” in Japanese, renamed in the dub to avoid the wine association), he cooks for the group, catches Dwebble (BW011) and Stunfisk (BW032), beats the vengeful Connaisseuse Burgundy (BW019) and Trip in the Club Battle (BW040), and turns detective (BW035) and Fishing Connoisseur (BW037), when he briefly catches a Blue-Striped Basculin. He is voiced by Jason Griffith in English and Mamoru Miyano in Japanese; Ash is voiced by Sarah Natochenny, and Ikue Ōtani remains Pikachu in both languages.
Ash KetchumStarting afresh in Unova
IrisDragon Master in training, with Axew
CilanStriaton Gym Leader and Pokémon Connoisseur
IrisIris after catching Emolga, her first on-screen capture, in Emolga the Irresistible! (BW024)
CilanStriaton Gym Leader and A-class Pokémon Connoisseur, in Dreams by the Yard Full! (BW006)
Team Rocket
Jessie, James and Meowth follow Ash to Unova on a covert mission for Giovanni, in black uniforms with a stylised “R” and at first without their motto, and are allowed to use only Unova Pokémon, so Jessie’s Wobbuffet, Seviper and Yanmega and James’s Carnivine and Mime Jr. stay at headquarters (BW002). Jessie catches a Woobat the same day; James has no Pokémon at all for 23 episodes until he feeds and catches a wandering Yamask, his first catch in 259 episodes and the first Ghost type caught by a main character (BW023). Under the Elite Officer Pierce (BW010–BW022) and the scientist Dr. Zager they steal data on the mysterious Meteonite from the Antimony Research Lab (BW011), swap the Nacrene Museum’s meteorite for a fake (BW015) and track a far larger one to the Desert Resort, where Giovanni himself flies in (BW022); Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! (BW016) is the first episode without the trio since EP002, the clip show AG120 aside.
The story was to climax in the unaired two-parter, with Team Rocket fighting the newly introduced Team Plasma for the Meteonite until Pikachu destroys it. Instead, Giovanni’s secretary Matori dismisses the trio in BW023 — her name is spoken only in the Japanese version — and they return to white uniforms and chasing Pikachu. Dr. Zager keeps them busy with a Roggenrola-powered cannon (BW034), an Audino-powered radar (BW035) and stolen fossil data (BW036), and in the last stretch Meowth pretends to have been fired and joins the heroes as a “Nyagotiator” (BW043–BW046), entering a Poké Ball for the first time when Iris tries to catch him, before helping Jessie and James empty the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center and flee on a Ghost Train (BW047–BW048). Jessie is voiced by Michele Knotz and James and Meowth by James Carter Cathcart; Wobbuffet, Kayzie Rogers’s role, leaves the main cast.
JessieTeam Rocket, in their darker Unova look
JamesTeam Rocket, in their darker Unova look
MeowthTeam Rocket’s talking Meowth
Rivals, Gym Leaders, professors & recurring characters
Trip, a camera-carrying new Trainer from Nuvema Town who chooses Snivy in BW001 and sneers at Ash’s Kanto roots, beats him again five-on-five at the Luxuria Battle Club (BW010), draws with him three-on-three (BW031) — by then with four Badges and the Champion, Alder, as his inspiration — and leaves Nimbasa after losing to Cilan (BW040). The scatterbrained Bianca delivers Ash’s Badge case, catches Minccino (BW013), travels with the group for two episodes (BW024–BW025) and keeps knocking Ash into rivers; Burgundy, a C-class Connaisseuse, holds a grudge against Cilan (BW019); Stephan, whose name nobody can pronounce, battles Ash with Blitzle (BW028); and Georgia, the self-styled “Dragon Buster”, targets Iris (BW033). All of them, with the aspiring film director Luke and his Zorua (BW038), meet again at Don George’s Club Battle (BW039–BW042).
Professor Juniper of Nuvema Town gives Trip his Snivy and Ash his Pokédex, transfers Oshawott, stores Ash’s spare Pokémon, investigates the energy at the Desert Resort (BW022) and revives an Archen with the dream researcher Fennel (BW036). Cilan’s brothers Chili and Cress share the Striaton Gym (BW005–BW006); Lenora, the Normal-type Leader who runs the Nacrene Museum with her husband Hawes, inflicts Ash’s only official Gym defeat in Unova (BW014–BW016); and the artist Burgh, who lives in a cocoon in Pinwheel Forest while looking for inspiration (BW018), leads Castelia’s Venipede to safety with a bug flute (BW022) and loses the Insect Badge to Ash (BW023). Don George, whose relatives manage Battle Clubs all over Unova, trains Ash for his Lenora rematch and hosts the Club Battle with the commentator Freddy O’Martian, and the Subway Bosses Ingo and Emmet investigate a Ghost Train (BW045–BW046) and help recover the stolen Pokémon (BW047–BW048). Nurse Joy, now with Audino as assistants, and Officer Jenny get new Unova designs.
TripAsh’s first Unova rival, at the Luxuria Town Battle Club (BW010)
Professor Juniper of Nuvema Town in In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001)
BiancaThe scatterbrained new Trainer who catches Minccino in her first appearance (BW013)
LenoraNacrene City’s Gym Leader and museum director, in A Night in the Nacrene City Museum! (BW014)
BurghThe Castelia Gym Leader and artist, in Battling For The Love of Bug-Types! (BW023)
GeorgiaThe self-styled “Dragon Buster”, and Iris, the rival she picks in BW033
EmmetOne of the Nimbasa Subway Bosses who help recover the stolen Pokémon (BW047–BW048)
Voice cast
| Character | English voice actor | Japanese voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Ash Ketchum | Sarah Natochenny | Rica Matsumoto |
| Pikachu | Ikue Ōtani | Ikue Ōtani |
| Iris | Eileen Stevens | Aoi Yūki |
| Cilan | Jason Griffith | Mamoru Miyano |
| Jessie | Michele Knotz | Megumi Hayashibara |
| James | James Carter Cathcart | Shin-ichiro Miki |
| Meowth | James Carter Cathcart | Inuko Inuyama |
| Wobbuffet | Kayzie Rogers | Yūji Ueda |
| Trip | Jamie McGonnigal | Akeno Watanabe |
| Bianca | Erica Schroeder | Shizuka Itō |
| Professor Juniper | Khristine Hvam | Naomi Shindō |
| Don George | Marc Thompson | Hisao Egawa |
| Chili | Lucien Dodge | Masakazu Morita |
| Cress | Tom Wayland | Makoto Ishii |
| Fennel | Therese Plummer | Maria Kawamura |
| Lenora | Norma Nongauza | Atsuko Tanaka |
| Burgh | Billy Bob Thompson | Tōru Furuya |
| Burgundy | Suzy Myers | Ikumi Hayama |
| Stephan | Darren Dunstan | Tomohiro Waki |
| Georgia | Brittney Lee Hamilton | Misato Fukuen |
| Luke | Billy Bob Thompson | Minami Takayama |
| Freddy O’Martian | Tom Wayland | Mitsuaki Madono |
| Ingo | Marc Diraison | Kensuke Satō |
| Emmet | Wayne Grayson | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Pierce | Dan Green | Jin Yamanoi |
| Dr. Zager | Marc Thompson | Masayuki Omoro |
| Matori | Emily Jenness | Kiyomi Asai |
| Giovanni | Ted Lewis | Kenta Miyake |
| Narrator | Rodger Parsons | Unshō Ishizuka |
Pokémon: Captures, Changes, Encounters & Evolutions
In brief:
- Ash starts from scratch: his Sinnoh team — Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor and Gible — stays with Professor Oak (BW002), and he obtains eight new Pokémon, Pidove, Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, Scraggy, Sewaddle, Palpitoad and Roggenrola, so he ends the season with nine, carrying six at a time and keeping the rest at Professor Juniper’s lab.
- Pidove evolves into Tranquill (BW022) and Sewaddle into Swadloon in the middle of a Gym battle (BW023). Oshawott learns Razor Shell (BW006) and Aqua Jet (BW016, perfected in BW032), Tepig Flame Charge (BW016) and Flamethrower (BW048), Pikachu Electro Ball (BW020), Swadloon Energy Ball (BW023) and Scraggy High Jump Kick, taught by a wild Scrafty (BW043).
- Iris catches Emolga (BW024); her Axew masters Dragon Rage (BW027) and learns Outrage (BW042), and Excadrill learns Focus Blast (BW033). Cilan catches Dwebble (BW011) and Stunfisk (BW032), and briefly a Blue-Striped Basculin (BW037).
- Jessie catches Woobat (BW002) and James Yamask (BW023); the trio’s older Pokémon stay at Team Rocket headquarters, as the Unova mission allows only Unova Pokémon.
- Elsewhere, Trip’s Snivy has evolved into Servine by BW010 and his Timburr into Gurdurr by BW040, and Stephan’s Blitzle into Zebstrika by BW039; the sunglasses-wearing Sandile evolves into Krokorok on screen (BW020), the first on-screen evolution of the Black & White series, and a revived Archen into Archeops (BW036); and only the dub says that Lenora’s Herdier (BW016) is the Lillipup Ash faced in BW015. Darmanitan’s Zen Mode is the anime’s first Hidden Ability (BW008).
New Pokémon captured or hatched
Pidove#0519 · Ash · caught after battling its flock · BW002
Woobat#0527 · Jessie · her first Unova catch, the same day · BW002
Oshawott#0501 · Ash · Professor Juniper’s runaway, its Poké Ball transferred to him · BW003
Tepig#0498 · Ash · abandoned by its Trainer, it chooses Ash over Iris · BW004
Snivy#0495 · Ash · the proud female Snivy, his third full set of first partners · BW007
Dwebble#0557 · Cilan · after helping it reclaim its home · BW011
Minccino#0572 · Bianca · lured by a dusty Poké Ball · BW013
Scraggy#0559 · Ash · hatched from Karena’s Egg, his first Dark type · BW017
Sewaddle#0540 · Ash · caught with a full party, so Pidove goes to Juniper · BW018
Yamask#0562 · James · his first catch in 259 episodes · BW023
Emolga#0587 · Iris · her first on-screen capture · BW024
Palpitoad#0536 · Ash · beaten by Oshawott’s first true Aqua Jet · BW032
Stunfisk#0618 · Cilan · spun until it was dizzy · BW032
Roggenrola#0524 · Ash · his first official Rock-type catch · BW034
Basculin#0550 · Cilan · a Blue-Striped Basculin, freed again by a Frillish · BW037
Evolutions
Snivy → Servine#0496 · Trip · evolved off screen, revealed at the Luxuria Battle Club · BW010
Lillipup → Herdier#0507 · Lenora · off screen, and only the dub says so · BW016
Sandile → Krokorok#0552 · wild · the sunglasses Sandile, in a rematch with Pikachu · BW020
Pidove → Tranquill#0520 · Ash · while herding the Venipede · BW022
Sewaddle → Swadloon#0541 · Ash · mid-battle against Burgh’s Whirlipede · BW023
Archen → Archeops#0567 · wild · revived from a Plume Fossil · BW036
Blitzle → Zebstrika#0523 · Stephan · off screen, revealed in Nimbasa · BW039
Timburr → Gurdurr#0533 · Trip · off screen, revealed in the Club Battle · BW040
Releases, departures and returns
No Pokémon is released or traded by a main character this season; instead, Pokémon change places through the storage system. Ash leaves Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, Buizel, Gliscor and Gible with Professor Oak before setting out (BW002), and when he catches Sewaddle with six Pokémon already in his party its Poké Ball seals itself, so he sends Pidove to Professor Juniper (BW018) — his first team rotation, earlier in a region than ever before — then swaps the two back before crossing the Skyarrow Bridge (BW021). Which party members made way for Palpitoad and Roggenrola is never shown. Team Rocket’s Wobbuffet, Seviper, Yanmega, Carnivine and Mime Jr. stay at headquarters for the whole season (BW002).
Among the guests, the Blue-Striped Basculin Cilan catches is freed by a Frillish with every other catch from Team Rocket’s rigged fishing contest (BW037), the revived Archeops flies off with a flock of its kind (BW036), Elgyem stays with Professor Icarus (BW030), the lovesick Cottonee leaves Rainbow Valley with his mate on the Diamond Breeze (BW029), Emmy sets off with her Druddigon (BW027), and the lost Cubchoo is returned to its family (BW046).
Teams at the end of the season (BW048)
| Trainer | Pokémon | Changes this season |
|---|---|---|
| Ash | Pikachu, Tranquill, Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, Scraggy, Swadloon, Palpitoad, Roggenrola (six carried at a time) | Sinnoh team left with Oak (BW002); caught Pidove (BW002), Oshawott (BW003), Tepig (BW004), Snivy (BW007), Sewaddle (BW018), Palpitoad (BW032) and Roggenrola (BW034); hatched Scraggy (BW017); Pidove evolved into Tranquill (BW022) and Sewaddle into Swadloon (BW023) |
| Iris | Axew, Excadrill, Emolga | Caught Emolga (BW024); Excadrill obeys her again (BW033) |
| Cilan | Pansage, Dwebble, Stunfisk | Caught Dwebble (BW011) and Stunfisk (BW032) |
| Jessie | Woobat | Caught Woobat (BW002); Wobbuffet, Seviper and Yanmega left at headquarters |
| James | Yamask | Caught Yamask (BW023); Carnivine and Mime Jr. left at headquarters |
Rivals’ Pokémon this season
| Rival | Pokémon | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| Trip | Snivy → Servine, Tranquill, Frillish, Lampent, Vanillite, Timburr → Gurdurr | BW001, BW010, BW022, BW031, BW039–BW040 |
| Bianca | Pignite, Minccino | BW013, BW024–BW025, BW037, BW039–BW042 |
| Burgundy | Dewott, Sawsbuck, Stoutland | BW019, BW039, BW042 |
| Stephan | Blitzle → Zebstrika, Sawk | BW028, BW039–BW042 |
| Georgia | Beartic, Pawniard | BW033, BW039–BW042 |
| Luke | Zorua, Golett, Larvesta | BW038–BW042 |
Pokémon making their anime debut this season
Ninety-two species make their first appearance in the TV series during Black & White, every one of them from Generation V: the season shows hardly any older Pokémon apart from Pikachu, and In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001) is the first episode since the start of Diamond and Pearl without a single Generation IV Pokémon. Most were new to the anime altogether. Zorua had already appeared in Zoroark: Master of Illusions, and Sawk, Duosion, Purrloin and Mandibuzz in the fourteenth movie, which opened in Japan between BW039 and BW040; Reshiram is counted from BW001’s introduction, Fraxure and Haxorus from Axew’s dream in BW006, Drilbur and Bouffalant from flashbacks and Escavalier from the film-within-the-episode in BW038. Victini, the Unova first partners’ final forms and most of the movie’s other new species reached the TV series only later.
Zekrom#0644 · BW001 · its storm overloads Pikachu
Reshiram#0643 · BW001 · in the introduction only- Snivy#0495 · BW001 · Trip’s first partner
- Tepig#0498 · BW001 · at Professor Juniper’s lab
- Oshawott#0501 · BW001 · at Professor Juniper’s lab
Patrat#0504 · BW001- Pidove#0519 · BW001
- Minccino#0572 · BW001
Swanna#0581 · BW001
Deerling#0585 · BW001 · Spring Form
Alomomola#0594 · BW001
Axew#0610 · BW001 · Iris’s, in her hair- Woobat#0527 · BW002 · caught by Jessie
Sandile#0551 · BW003 · the sunglasses Sandile- Servine#0496 · BW004 · its English name revealed early
Dewott#0502 · BW004 · its English name revealed early
Pansage#0511 · BW005 · Cilan’s
Pansear#0513 · BW005 · Chili’s
Panpour#0515 · BW005 · Cress’s
Munna#0517 · BW006 · Fennel’s
Musharna#0518 · BW006 · Fennel’s
Audino#0531 · BW006 · Nurse Joy’s assistant
Fraxure#0611 · BW006 · in Axew’s dream
Haxorus#0612 · BW006 · in Axew’s dream
Darumaka#0554 · BW008
Darmanitan#0555 · BW008 · Standard and Zen Mode
Excadrill#0530 · BW009 · Iris’s
Scolipede#0545 · BW009- Tranquill#0520 · BW010 · Trip’s
Frillish#0592 · BW010 · Trip’s- Dwebble#0557 · BW011 · caught by Cilan
Trubbish#0568 · BW012
Pignite#0499 · BW013 · Bianca’s
Watchog#0505 · BW014 · Lenora’s- Yamask#0562 · BW014 · in the Nacrene Museum
Lillipup#0506 · BW015 · Lenora’s- Herdier#0507 · BW016 · Lenora’s
- Scraggy#0559 · BW017 · hatched from Ash’s Egg
Galvantula#0596 · BW017- Sewaddle#0540 · BW018 · caught by Ash
Leavanny#0542 · BW018 · Burgh’s
Sawsbuck#0586 · BW019 · Spring Form; Burgundy’s- Krokorok#0552 · BW020 · the sunglasses Sandile, evolved
Ducklett#0580 · BW020
Gothitelle#0576 · BW021
Venipede#0543 · BW022
Lampent#0608 · BW022 · Trip’s- Swadloon#0541 · BW023 · Ash’s Sewaddle, evolved
Whirlipede#0544 · BW023 · Burgh’s- Emolga#0587 · BW024 · caught by Iris
Swoobat#0528 · BW024
Simisear#0514 · BW025
Litwick#0607 · BW026
Druddigon#0621 · BW027 · Emmy’s
Blitzle#0522 · BW028 · Stephan’s
Joltik#0595 · BW028
Cottonee#0546 · BW029
Elgyem#0605 · BW030- Palpitoad#0536 · BW031 · the wild one Trip tries to catch
Vanillite#0582 · BW031 · Trip’s
Timburr#0532 · BW031 · Trip’s
Bouffalant#0626 · BW031 · in a flashback
Tympole#0535 · BW032
Foongus#0590 · BW032- Stunfisk#0618 · BW032 · caught by Cilan
Drilbur#0529 · BW033 · in a flashback to Iris’s Excadrill
Beartic#0614 · BW033 · Georgia’s- Roggenrola#0524 · BW034 · caught by Ash
Gothita#0574 · BW035 · Christie’s
Solosis#0577 · BW035 · Doyle’s
Archen#0566 · BW036 · revived from a Plume Fossil- Archeops#0567 · BW036
- Basculin#0550 · BW037 · Red- and Blue-Striped Forms
Zorua#0570 · BW038 · after Zoroark: Master of Illusions
Golett#0622 · BW038 · Luke’s
Golurk#0623 · BW038
Escavalier#0589 · BW038 · in Luke’s film
Stoutland#0508 · BW039 · Burgundy’s- Zebstrika#0523 · BW039 · Stephan’s
- Gurdurr#0533 · BW040 · Trip’s
Pawniard#0624 · BW040 · Georgia’s
Sawk#0539 · BW041 · after the fourteenth movie; Stephan’s
Larvesta#0636 · BW041 · Luke’s
Scrafty#0560 · BW043
Mandibuzz#0630 · BW043 · after the fourteenth movie
Purrloin#0509 · BW044 · after the fourteenth movie
Duosion#0578 · BW045 · after the fourteenth movie; Officer Jenny’s
Beheeyem#0606 · BW045
Cubchoo#0613 · BW046
Mienfoo#0619 · BW046 · Cliff’s
Eelektross#0604 · BW048 · Emmet’s
Chandelure#0609 · BW048 · Ingo’s
Key Events, Gym Battles & Tournaments
Events of note
- Ash arrives in Unova; Zekrom’s storm drains Pikachu, and Trip beats Ash (BW001 – In the Shadow of Zekrom!)
- Ash leaves his Sinnoh team with Oak and catches Pidove; Jessie catches Woobat (BW002 – Enter Iris and Axew!)
- Oshawott officially becomes Ash’s (BW003 – A Sandile Gusher of Change!)
- Ash catches Tepig (BW004 – The Battle Club and Tepig’s Choice!)
- Ash wins the Trio Badge, and Cilan joins the group (BW006 – Dreams by the Yard Full!)
- Ash catches Snivy (BW007 – Snivy Plays Hard to Catch!)
- Trip beats Ash five-on-five (BW010 – A Rival Battle for Club Champ!)
- Cilan catches Dwebble (BW011 – A Home for Dwebble!)
- Ash receives an Egg from Karena (BW012 – Here Comes the Trubbish Squad!)
- Bianca debuts and catches Minccino (BW013 – Minccino—Neat and Tidy!)
- Ash loses to Lenora, and Team Rocket steal the Meteonite (BW015 – The Battle According to Lenora!)
- Ash wins the Basic Badge (BW016 – Rematch at the Nacrene Gym!)
- Ash’s Egg hatches into Scraggy (BW017 – Scraggy—Hatched to be Wild!)
- Ash catches Sewaddle and sends Pidove to Professor Juniper (BW018 – Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest!)
- Pikachu learns Electro Ball, and the sunglasses Sandile evolves into Krokorok (BW020 – Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!)
- Pidove evolves into Tranquill, and Giovanni arrives in Unova (BW022 – A Venipede Stampede!)
- The Team Rocket vs Team Plasma two-parter is postponed after the Tōhoku earthquake and never airs (Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!)
- Sewaddle evolves into Swadloon, Ash wins the Insect Badge and James catches Yamask (BW023 – Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!)
- Iris catches Emolga (BW024 – Emolga the Irresistible!)
- Bianca leaves the group (BW025 – Emolga and the New Volt Switch!)
- Axew masters Dragon Rage (BW027 – The Dragon Master’s Path!)
- Ash and Trip draw their third battle (BW031 – Ash and Trip’s Third Battle!)
- Ash catches Palpitoad and Cilan catches Stunfisk (BW032 – Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open!)
- Excadrill trusts Iris again and learns Focus Blast (BW033 – Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster!)
- Ash catches Roggenrola (BW034 – Gotta Catch A Roggenrola!)
- Archen evolves into Archeops (BW036 – Archeops In The Modern World!)
- Iris wins the Club Battle, and Axew learns Outrage (BW042 – Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome!)
- Meowth joins the heroes, and Scraggy learns High Jump Kick (BW043 – Meowth’s Scrafty Tactics!)
- Meowth’s betrayal: Team Rocket empty the Nimbasa Pokémon Center (BW047 – Crisis From the Underground Up!)
- Tepig learns Flamethrower as the stolen Pokémon are recovered (BW048 – Battle for the Underground!)
Gym battles & the League
- Ash v Trip (Ash loses) — BW001
- Ash v Chili, Cress & Cilan, Striaton Gym (Trio Badge, two rounds to one) — BW005–BW006
- Ash v Trip, five-on-five at the Luxuria Battle Club (Ash loses) — BW010
- Ash v Bianca (Ash wins) — BW013
- Ash v Lenora, Nacrene Gym (Ash loses) — BW015
- Ash v Lenora, Nacrene Gym rematch (Basic Badge) — BW016
- Scraggy v Axew (draw) — BW017
- Cilan v Burgundy, two-on-two (Cilan wins) — BW019
- Ash v Burgh, Castelia Gym (Insect Badge) — BW023
- Ash v Stephan (Ash wins the rematch) — BW028
- Ash v Trip, three-on-three (draw) — BW031
- Iris v Georgia (Iris loses, then draws the rematch) — BW033
- Club Battle, first round: Ash v Burgundy, Cilan v Trip, Iris v Jimmy Ray (all three win) — BW039–BW040
- Club Battle, quarter-finals: Ash v Georgia and Iris v Stephan (both win), Cilan v Luke (Cilan loses) — BW040–BW041
- Club Battle, semi-finals: Ash v Dino and Iris v Luke (both win) — BW042
- Club Battle, final: Ash v Iris (Iris wins) — BW042
Gym Badges won this season
| Badge | Gym & Leader | Leader’s Pokémon | Ash’s Pokémon | Result | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Trio Badge |
Striaton Gym · Chili, Cress & Cilan | Pansear (Chili), Panpour (Cress), Pansage (Cilan) | Tepig, Pikachu, Oshawott | Win, two rounds to one — three one-on-one battles, one against each brother. Tepig survives Pansear’s Fire Punch, Flamethrower and Dig, bites its tail, swings it round and wins with Ember and Tackle; Cress’s Panpour beats Pikachu with Double Team, Scratch, Water Gun and Mud Sport; and in the deciding round (BW006) Oshawott blocks Pansage’s Solar Beam with its scalchop, retrieves it with a ricocheting Water Gun and wins with its newly learned Razor Shell — the first time Ash battles three Gym Leaders in one challenge, and a lost round he never needs to avenge | BW006 |
 Basic Badge |
Nacrene Gym · Lenora | Lillipup, then Herdier; Watchog | Tepig, Oshawott | Loss, then win — in the museum basement’s two-on-two with substitutions, Lillipup’s Roar drags out Oshawott, Watchog’s Mean Look traps it and Low Kick and Thunderbolt knock it out, and Lillipup beats Tepig with Shadow Ball and Take Down: Ash’s only official Gym loss in Unova (BW015). After training with Don George he returns: Herdier’s Protect stops Ember and Roar again pulls in Oshawott, Watchog and Oshawott’s erratic new Aqua Jet knock each other out, and Tepig’s new Flame Charge meets Herdier’s Giga Impact until Herdier falls | BW016 |
 Insect Badge |
Castelia Gym · Burgh | Dwebble, Whirlipede, Leavanny | Tepig, Sewaddle (Swadloon), Pikachu | Win — three-on-three in a greenhouse planted with trees from Pinwheel Forest. Dwebble, carrying a lightweight shell, beats Tepig with Rock Wrecker; Sewaddle knocks off its shell and wins, then evolves into Swadloon under Whirlipede’s Steamroller and Solar Beam and wins with Energy Ball before Leavanny’s Leaf Storm and Hyper Beam knock it out; Pikachu spins free of String Shot, cancels Leaf Storm with Thunderbolt and wins with Iron Tail and Electro Ball — the first Gym battle in which one of Ash’s Pokémon evolves | BW023 |
Don George’s Club Battle
Don George’s Club Battle (Japanese: Don Battle), at the Nimbasa Town Battle Club (BW039–BW042), is a tournament of sixteen Trainers in one-on-one battles, called by Freddy O’Martian, for a display case of seven Driftveil wings. In the first round Ash’s Palpitoad breaks out of Stoutland’s Ice Fang with Supersonic, fires Mud Shot into its mouth and beats Burgundy with Hydro Pump; Cilan’s Dwebble buries Trip’s newly evolved Gurdurr under Shell Smash-powered Rock Slide and finishes it with Slash, and Trip leaves Nimbasa; Stephan’s Zebstrika beats Bianca’s Minccino, Luke’s Golett beats Scooter’s Darmanitan with Shadow Punch and Iris’s Emolga beats Jimmy Ray’s Watchog with Attract and Hidden Power. In the quarter-finals Snivy’s Leaf Blade cancels Georgia’s Pawniard’s Guillotine and Leaf Storm wins, Dino’s Tranquill beats Antonio’s Cottonee, Luke’s Larvesta beats Cilan’s flying Stunfisk with Flamethrower, and Emolga, finally obeying Iris, paralyses Stephan’s Sawk with Static and wins with Volt Switch.
In the semi-finals Palpitoad beats Dino’s Darumaka with Hydro Pump, and Iris’s Axew, struggling against Luke’s Ghost-type Golett, learns Outrage and wins. In the final Pikachu’s Iron Tail and Electro Ball keep pace with Excadrill’s Drill Run and Metal Claw, but Excadrill outlasts it and wins with Focus Blast: Iris takes the Driftveil wings, Ash finishes runner-up, and Luke and Dino are the losing semi-finalists. Dogasu’s Backpack was “not that bothered by Iris winning the whole tournament”, but felt the writers had “basically rigged the whole thing so that Iris would be handed a victory on a silver platter” (BW042).
Rivals & other battles
Ash’s record against Trip this season is two losses and a draw: a powerless Pikachu falls to Snivy’s Leaf Tornado (BW001); in a five-on-five at the Luxuria Battle Club Tranquill beats Oshawott and Tepig, Pikachu beats Tranquill with Volt Tackle, Servine beats Pikachu, Snivy beats Servine and Frillish beats Pidove and Snivy (BW010); and in their three-on-three Servine beats Snivy, Oshawott beats Timburr with Razor Shell and Tepig and Vanillite knock each other out (BW031). Ash beats Bianca’s Pignite with Volt Tackle (BW013) and Stephan’s Blitzle with an Oshawott trained to fight without its scalchop (BW028), and Scraggy and Iris’s Axew battle to a draw (BW017).
Cilan beats Burgundy two-on-two, Dwebble’s Sturdy and Shell Smash outlasting Dewott and Pansage’s Dig and Solar Beam beating Sawsbuck (BW019). Iris loses to Georgia’s Beartic when Excadrill ignores her, then draws the rematch once Excadrill has learned Focus Blast (BW033), and Emmy’s Druddigon beats Tepig in a practice battle (BW027). The season’s last set piece is the Battle Subway chase, in which Ingo’s Chandelure and Emmet’s Eelektross help Ash’s Pokémon wreck Team Rocket’s Ghost Train (BW048). Elesa’s Nimbasa Gym, Ash’s next challenge, waits for Rival Destinies.
Movies & Specials Released During the Season
The fourteenth movie came in two versions, White—Victini and Zekrom and Black—Victini and Reshiram (ビクティニと黒き英雄 ゼクロム / ビクティニと白き英雄 レシラム, “Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom” and “… the White Hero: Reshiram” — the English titles swap the colour words to match the game in which each dragon is caught). Both opened in Japanese cinemas on Saturday 16 July 2011, between Reunion Battles In Nimbasa! (BW039) and Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! (BW040), came second at the weekend box office, sold three million tickets by mid-August and earned ¥4.33 billion, the fifth-highest-grossing film in Japan in 2011. The films introduced 34 species, among them Victini, the Unova first partners’ final forms, Hydreigon, Volcarona and the Forces of Nature, and four of them — Sawk, Duosion, Purrloin and Mandibuzz — reached the TV series this season; the Japanese episodes promoted them with trailers in the Live Caster slot after BW011 and BW021 and clips after BW039. In the US White had a limited release in digital cinemas on 3–4 December 2011, the weekend of Purrloin: Sweet or Sneaky? (BW044), and Black premiered on Cartoon Network on 10 December, the day of Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief! (BW045); both open with the full-length “Black and White Theme”, and they reached US DVD on 3 April 2012.
White—Victini and Zekrom & Black—Victini and ReshiramMovie 14 · Japan 16 July 2011 · US cinemas 3 December 2011 · US TV 10 December 2011
Zoroark: Master of IllusionsMovie 13 · US TV 5 February 2011 · US DVD 20 September 2011The thirteenth movie, Zoroark: Master of Illusions, had opened in Japan on 10 July 2010, before the series began, came out on Japanese DVD on 17 December 2010 and was shown in the anime’s TV Tokyo slot on 14 July 2011, two days before the fourteenth films opened. In the US it premiered on Cartoon Network at 7 p.m. on Saturday 5 February 2011, a week before In the Shadow of Zekrom! — the first airing cut several scenes and replaced the credits, to The Pokémon Company International’s objection — played select theatres on the Black & White mall tour until 20 March and reached US DVD on 20 September 2011. Its Zorua and Zoroark were the only animated Generation V Pokémon before Best Wishes!; Zorua makes its TV debut in Movie Time! Zorua in “The Legend of the Pokémon Knight”! (BW038), and the invented Unova script first seen in the film is used consistently from BW001.
No new Pikachu short reached English audiences: Pikachu’s Strange Wonder Adventure (PK21), on ANA flights since August 2010, came out on Japanese DVD on 16 July 2011, and Pikachu’s Summer Bridge Story (PK22) premiered on ANA flights on 1 August 2011. On 3 February 2011 the Best Wishes! slot carried a one-hour, two-part Diamond & Pearl special (see Side Stories), and the cancelled two-parter Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!, which TV Tokyo had promoted heavily, is covered under Dub Edits.
Side Stories, Specials & Crossovers
Side-story tie-ins
- Japan’s end segment. The Japanese version closed most episodes with Professor Oak’s Pokémon Live Caster (オーキド博士のポケモンライブキャスター), in which Professor Oak lectures on a Pokémon or a topic — Poké Balls, Battle Clubs, Gym Leaders, the new first partners — and ends with a Pokémon senryū; it ran from BW001 to BW142 and was never dubbed. Its first lecture, on the Unova first partners, was held over from BW001 to BW003 on the first broadcast; trailers for the fourteenth movie replaced it after BW011 and BW021 and clips after BW039; several episodes (BW017, BW027, BW032, BW038, BW042) have it only on DVD; and BW030’s segment includes a shot of the sunglasses Krokorok from the unaired BW023, while BW033’s showed clips from BW037 weeks before that episode aired.
- Pokémon Smash! replaced Pokémon Sunday as TV Tokyo’s weekend companion show on 3 October 2010, a week and a half after the series began, rerunning older episodes — among them the Pokémon Ranger two-parter in July 2011 — alongside its own segments; on 10 and 17 April 2011 it reran BW023 and BW024, whose premieres had been rushed into the slots of the cancelled two-parter. TV Tokyo also aired a special the week before the series began (16 September 2010), a day-long “Pokémon Festival! Best Wishes” around the premiere (23 September 2010), a four-hour New Year special (3 January 2011) and movie specials in July and August 2011.
- The Diamond & Pearl special. On 3 February 2011, between BW018 and BW019, the Best Wishes! slot carried a one-hour Diamond & Pearl special in two parts (Bulbapedia’s DPS01 and DPS02): Hikari Sets Off Anew! (ヒカリ・新たなる旅立ち！) and Nibi Gym – The Greatest Danger! (ニビジム・史上最大の危機！), set at Brock’s Pewter Gym. They are Diamond and Pearl episodes rather than part of this season, so they are not in the episode guide below.
- Pikachu shorts. Pikachu’s Strange Wonder Adventure (PK21) came out on Japanese DVD on 16 July 2011, the day the fourteenth films opened, and Pikachu’s Summer Bridge Story (PK22) premiered on ANA flights on 1 August 2011, narrated, like the shorts since PK13, by Kenyu Horiuchi; neither has been dubbed.
Characters from the games, manga and specials
- Pokémon Black and White came out in Japan on 18 September 2010, so BW001 and BW002 were the first episodes broadcast after its release; in North America the games followed on 6 March 2011, the day after Triple Leaders, Team Threats! (BW005) premiered on Cartoon Network, and sold a million copies on their first day. The Battle Club and Tepig’s Choice! (BW004), aired on 26 February 2011, was the only episode to reveal Generation V English names early, confirming Servine and Dewott. The anime follows the games’ Unova from Nuvema Town to Nimbasa City, and Professor Juniper, Bianca, Fennel, Cilan and his brothers, Lenora, Burgh, Ingo, Emmet and Alder all come from them, while Trip, Burgundy, Stephan, Georgia and Luke were created for the anime.
- Game events that mirror the anime. Japan’s Mystery Egg Campaign (Axew, Pidove or Pansage Eggs, 17 December 2010 – 11 January 2011) was announced alongside Ash’s Egg in BW012; a Wi-Fi distribution of “Satoshi’s Zuruggu”, Ash’s Scraggy, ran from 27 January to 10 February 2011, a week after it hatched in BW017; and the fourteenth movie came with Satoshi’s Zekrom and Reshiram and a V-create Victini. In North America the Liberty Pass Victini was distributed from 4 March 2011, and Toys “R” Us gave away Ash’s Pikachu in January and February 2011.
- The Team Plasma that never was. The cancelled two-parter would have introduced Team Plasma, its leader Ghetsis and a Liepard, and its Grunts in the games’ Black and White uniforms; after it was shelved, the anime’s Team Plasma did not appear until BW112, in Black 2 and White 2-style outfits. Elements of the lost episodes were reused in BW096, BW097, BW106 and BW120 and in the 2013 Japanese opening Be an Arrow!.
- Movie links. Zorua (BW038) carries over from Zoroark: Master of Illusions, and music from that film is heard from BW040 onwards; Trip’s first win over Ash (BW001) is scored with the series’ first cue from Arceus and the Jewel of Life; and BW038 is the anime’s third movie-making episode, after EP069 and AG086, and the only one not based on Lights, Camera, Action!, sharing its writer, Shōji Yonemura, with EP069.
- Pop-culture nods. Area 28, where UFOs are sighted (BW030), nods to Area 51; Leon the Dream Thief traps the heroes in layered dreams in the manner of Inception (BW045); and the English BW038 gains “Yamask of the Opera” and a “Dirty Herdier” in place of the Japanese references to Glass Mask.
Opening & Ending Themes
Black & White kept one Japanese opening and one English opening all season and changed its Japanese ending once. Rica Matsumoto sang the new Japanese opening, Best Wishes!, over all 48 episodes — a fully CGI sequence with no human characters in which every Pokémon but Pikachu began as a silhouette, revealed in the episode after its debut until all were shown by BW014. The one-hour premiere had no ending song at all; Aki Okui’s Fanfare of the Heart followed from BW003 to BW025 and Takeshi Tsuruno’s Generation V Pokérap, Can You Name All the Pokémon? BW, from BW026. The English dub opened every episode with Erin Bowman and Joe Philips’s Black and White, the first dub opening sung as a duet, built from the Japanese opening’s footage but with every Pokémon in full colour, and played its instrumental under the end credits. As usual, the Japanese openings and endings were never dubbed.
Japan’s background music mixes the new and the old: an instrumental Best Wishes! (BW020, BW023, BW025, BW028, BW039, BW042); four themes from the Black and White games — the title theme, the rival battle, the Battle Subway and “Emotion” — introduced in BW020 with a new title-card jingle, and the games’ Surfing theme in BW006; the series’ first cues from Arceus and the Jewel of Life (BW001, BW002, BW021, BW048) and, from BW040, the score of Zoroark: Master of Illusions (BW046–BW048); “As I’m Lost ~By Your Side~” in BW045; the original series’ title-card music at the end of BW024; and the BW001–BW019 title-card jingle again in BW038. The English dub, made by The Pokémon Company International at DuArt, kept much of this score for the first time: BW006 is the first dubbed Black & White episode not to keep all of its Japanese background music and BW042 the last regular episode that does, the Best Wishes! instrumental gives way to a Black and White remix in BW028 and BW039, and BW048’s ending to an instrumental of the English theme. Dogasu’s Backpack noted that the dub still “replaces music” (BW008) and adds filler music that drowns out sound effects (BW048).
Black and White — Erin Bowman and Joe Philips’s English opening, used for all 48 episodes, is the first of the Unova-era themes in this compilation. Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel.
TV Broadcasts & Original Airing Dates
Japan. TV Tokyo broadcast the season on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., two weeks after the last Diamond & Pearl episode: In the Shadow of Zekrom! and Enter Iris and Axew! premiered on 23 September 2010 as a one-hour special — without an ending song — at the centre of a day-long “Pokémon Festival! Best Wishes” on the network, and BW001 drew a 9.3% rating in the Kantō region, according to Japanese Wikipedia. The season ended with another one-hour special, the Battle Subway two-parter BW047–BW048, on 15 September 2011. There was no new episode on 25 November and 30 December 2010; on 3 February 2011, when the slot carried a one-hour Diamond & Pearl special; on 10 February 2011; on 14 July 2011, when it showed Zoroark: Master of Illusions two days before the fourteenth films opened; and on 28 July 2011. Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! (BW040, 21 July 2011) was the last episode broadcast in analog, three days before most of Japan switched off analog television. Japan has no “season 14”: these are the first 48 of the 84 episodes of the first Best Wishes! season.
The earthquake. The Great East Japan (Tōhoku) earthquake struck on Friday 11 March 2011, the day after A Venipede Stampede! (BW022) aired. Its closing scene had set up a heavily promoted two-part showdown between Team Rocket and Team Plasma at the Desert Resort, Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!, scheduled for 17 and 24 March; TV Tokyo postponed it indefinitely “for [our] convenience”, and the 17 March broadcast opened with an apology for the change. Battling For The Love of Bug-Types! was moved up two weeks (from 31 March) and Emolga the Irresistible! three weeks (from 14 April) to fill the gap, so both aired as episodes 23 and 24, and the original episode 26, Cilan’s fishing story, was held back until 23 June, retitled and rewritten as BW037 with its Castelia City references removed and Bianca leaving the group instead of joining it. The Japanese numbering follows the order of broadcast, but pocketmonsters.net and some listings still use the production numbers, in which Battle for the Underground! is episode 50. See Dub Edits for the unaired episodes themselves.
The US run. Pokémon: Black & White, a title announced on 19 January 2011, premiered on Cartoon Network at 9 a.m. on Saturday 12 February 2011 with BW001 and BW002 as a one-hour special — the first time two new episodes had premiered on the same day since 1 February 2008 — a week after the channel showed the Sinnoh League Victors finale and premiered Zoroark: Master of Illusions. The Pokémon Company International billed 2011 as a “blockbuster year”, and Triple Leaders, Team Threats! (BW005) aired on 5 March, the day before Pokémon Black and White launched in North America. The season then ran one episode a week, in Japanese order and with nothing skipped, until Battle for the Underground! on 7 January 2012; the only Saturday without a new episode was Christmas Eve 2011. BW041 to BW046 premiered closer to their Japanese broadcasts than any English episodes since DP052, and Rival Destinies followed in February 2012.
Premiere slips. The first airing of A Sandile Gusher of Change! (BW003) dropped its Who’s That Pokémon? for unknown reasons; Minccino—Neat and Tidy! (BW013) premiered with “Mincinno” on its title card and quiz; Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! (BW016) lost the Black and White logo from the first half of its quiz; BW038 premiered with “Pokemon” unaccented on its title card; and in BW045 the logo sat beside Beheeyem rather than below it. Cartoon Network’s website listed BW019 as “A Connoisseurer’s Revenge” and, like TV Guide, called BW030’s Pokémon “Elgyum”.
Elsewhere. In the UK, CITV became the first-run broadcaster with this season, with a sneak preview on 27 February 2011 and the season premiere on 4 June 2011; it premiered the Battle Subway finale, BW047 and BW048, on 27 and 28 December 2011, ahead of the US, and showed BW045 out of order the next day. Disney XD also carried the series, and BBC iPlayer added the season on 3 December 2021. Canada’s YTV began a weekday run on 5 August 2011, and in Australia the season aired on Network Ten’s Toasted TV, switching to daily episodes when the block moved to Eleven on 27 February 2012. Italy’s Disney XD showed BW001 and BW002 on 13 February 2011, the day after the US, and even aired BW021 three days before Cartoon Network, while K2 showed the finale on 23 and 24 December 2011; France and the Netherlands premiered the season within two weeks of the US. It is the only Black & White season broadcast in Croatia and Serbia, and India originally skipped BW027 and BW040, restoring them in reruns.
The numbering. There are 48 aired episodes in Japan and 48 in English, numbered 1 to 48 on TV, DVD and streaming; the two unaired episodes have no number in either. Bulbapedia files them as “BW023 (unaired)” and “BW024 (unaired)” — its plain BW023 and BW024 are the aired Burgh and Emolga episodes — and its alternate overall codes run from EP658 to EP705, the unaired pair reusing EP680 and EP681. English Wikipedia counts 50 Japanese and 48 English episodes and numbers the season 660–707 in Japan (including two 1998 specials) and 654–701 in English, the English count this site uses.
Dub Edits & the Unaired Two-Parter
The unaired Team Rocket vs Team Plasma two-parter
The lost episodes. Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！, Roketto-dan Tai Purazuma-dan! — “Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma!” on English Wikipedia), a two-part story by the series composer Atsuhiro Tomioka, was to have aired on 17 and 24 March 2011 as episodes 23 and 24. It was the climax of the season’s Meteonite plot: Giovanni arrives in Unova to claim the meteorite under the Relic Castle at the Desert Resort, Team Plasma’s Liepard shoots down the helicopter carrying Ash’s group, Professor Juniper and Officer Jenny, Looker returns, and at a masquerade party in Castelia City Team Plasma steal the Meteonite; the two teams fight over it at an abandoned airfield as it overheats, Ghetsis is glimpsed in shadow, and Pikachu destroys it with a giant Electro Ball before Giovanni, Dr. Zager and Pierce return to Kanto, leaving Jessie, James and Meowth on their own. It would have introduced Team Plasma, Ghetsis, Liepard and James’s Yamask. After the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011 and the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed, TV Tokyo postponed both parts indefinitely, officially “for [its] convenience”; some reports said they contained scenes recalling the nuclear accident.
Never shown, never dubbed. TV Tokyo’s promise that the episodes would air “someday” was never kept and disappeared from its website in late 2018. They have never been broadcast, released on video or streamed anywhere; The Pokémon Company International received them but never dubbed them, according to the voice director Tom Wayland, and their scripts surfaced only in May 2023. With the story abandoned, Team Plasma first appeared in BW112, in Black 2 and White 2-style uniforms, the episodes from BW112 on treat the pair as non-canon — leaving Juniper’s research, the Meteonite, Pierce and Giovanni’s Unova plans unresolved — and parts of the story were recycled in BW096, BW097, BW106, BW120 and the 2013 opening Be an Arrow!. Like the Whiscash episode of Advanced Battle, cancelled after the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake, they are listed in our episode guide in their planned slot, after BW022.
The reshuffle. To fill the slots, BW023 and BW024 aired two and three weeks early — which is why BW023’s Japanese broadcast ends without a next-episode preview — BW024’s narration explains that Bianca, who was to have joined the group in the delayed fishing episode, is already travelling with them, and the original episode 26 was rewritten as BW037 (see TV Broadcasts). A Venipede Stampede! was left as it was in Japan: its last scene, in which Ash asks to go with Professor Juniper and Officer Jenny to the Desert Resort, now leads nowhere, and Japanese reruns still attach the cancelled episode’s preview to it (the first printing of the rental DVD swapped in BW023’s preview instead; later printings restored the original). Pokémon Smash! reran the rushed BW023 and BW024 on 10 and 17 April 2011.
The dub’s cut. For the English version The Pokémon Company International cut 47 seconds from the end of A Venipede Stampede! (BW022) — Ash asking to go with Juniper and Jenny, his flashback to the Venipede, Juniper agreeing and a last shot of Ash and Iris at the helicopter window — and rewrote the closing narration to point towards Ash’s next Gym battle instead of the Desert Resort, so English viewers never see the lead-in. All 48 aired episodes were dubbed and shown in order, and nothing else in the season was banned. Dogasu’s Backpack, which gives the pair a page of its own, wrote of BW022, “I will always associate this episode with the tragedy”, and of the lost episodes, “It’s unfortunate that these episodes were skipped, but what’s done is done.”
Changes in the English version
Who’s That Pokémon? returns. In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001) brought the quiz back to the English dub for the first time since AG040, 344 episodes earlier, and made it The Pokémon Company International’s first eyecatch: the silhouette appears at the mid-episode break with music written for the dub, and the answer comes just before the end credits (some countries moved it to the end), with the revealed Pokémon’s cry from BW005. “What an odd time to decide to bring this back,” wrote Dogasu’s Backpack. The Japanese version had no quiz this season — only generic eyecatches, updated with Iris and Cilan from BW007 — and Dare da? returned there only in BW061, so every answer this season is the dub’s own. BW003’s quiz was cut from its first airing, BW013’s premiere spelled “Mincinno”, Netflix swapped the BW014 and BW015 images (Lillipup shown with Yamask’s audio and vice versa) and digital releases spell BW031’s answer “Vanilite”; on India’s Pogo, BW024 and BW041 ran the question and answer without a break between them.
Lenora’s apron. In BW014 to BW016 the dub paints out Lenora’s apron entirely, retouching her hair and headband in a few shots — Dogasu’s Backpack counts 13 edited scenes in BW014 alone — “likely because of concerns about the mammy archetype”, as Bulbapedia puts it; the edit leaves her headband colours swapped and her sleeves matching the background in places in BW016, and her later appearances were drawn without the apron. It is the season’s only significant visual edit (“Quite frankly, I don’t really care one way or the other,” wrote Dogasu).
Sommeliers, gods and devils. Cilan’s Japanese title, “Pokémon Sommelier”, became “Pokémon Connoisseur” (Connaisseuse for women), “likely to avoid the alcohol association”, and his wine, cheese, soufflé and decanter talk in BW037 was rewritten, with the contest’s “Fishing Balls” renamed “Fishing Poké Balls”. Juniper’s “eyes of God” and “judgements from God” for Zekrom’s storm became a protector and a “judgment from up above” (BW001); Nimbasa’s “Pokémon battle holy land” became “battle central” (BW047–BW048); Georgia’s “devil’s luck” became “a lucky break” (BW041) and Purrloin’s “devil’s tail” a “pitchfork” (BW044); and Giovanni’s line calling Unova a step towards world conquest was cut (BW001).
Names and dialogue. Isshu became Unova; Dent, Pod and Corn became Cilan, Chili and Cress, Shooty became Trip, Bel Bianca, Araragi Juniper, Aroe Lenora, Kidachi Hawes, Arti Burgh, Makomo Fennel, Kenyan Stephan, Langley Georgia, Cabernet Burgundy, Takemitsu Freddy O’Martian, Nobori and Kudari Ingo and Emmet, Flint Pierce and Dr. Seger Dr. Zager; Matori’s name, spoken in BW023, was cut, leaving her unnamed in English until SM088. The dub has Delia ask whether Ash has clean underwear (BW002), loses Pod’s boastful ore-sama and Corn’s polite speech and converts temperatures to Fahrenheit (BW005), moves a train from 7 p.m. to “9 o’clock”, each version’s own airtime (BW012), turns the Kabuto Fossil into a Dome Fossil (BW014) and says that Lenora’s Herdier evolved from the Lillipup of BW015 (BW016). Undercover Meowth calls the heroes “twerps” where the Japanese avoids names to keep his cover (BW043–BW046), BW038 gains “Yamask of the Opera” and “Dirty Herdier” in place of a Glass Mask joke, and Emmet calls Cilan his “favorite Metro Connoisseur” (BW047).
Slips. The Pokédex voice lacks its digital effect in BW004, the Dreamyard is called the “Dream Site” in BW005, Sludge Bomb is “Sludge” (BW012), Cilan says “Watchdog” (BW014), Razor Shell goes by its Japanese name, “Shell Blade” (BW028), Low Sweep becomes “Low Kick” (BW031), Juniper says “Emonga” (BW036) and a “Flame” type turns up in BW041; some airings, in Australia among them, titled BW042 “Battle Club Finale: A Hero’s Outcome!”. Abroad, the Polish dub showed the English title cards from BW023 to BW039, the Hindi dubs drop the references to God in BW001, and the Latin American Spanish BW043 jokes about “the ones from Digimon”.
Episode titles explained
Bulbapedia notes that this season’s English titles lean on the Japanese titles and plots more than on puns, and Movie Time! Zorua in “The Legend of the Pokémon Knight”! is the first to follow the usual Japanese format. A few still need decoding:
- Triple Leaders, Team Threats! — “team leaders” and a “triple threat”, for a Gym run by three brothers
- Snivy Plays Hard to Catch! — “playing hard to get”
- Saving Darmanitan from the Bell! — “saved by the bell” — also behind Saved by the Beldum (AG126) — for a Darmanitan holding up a clock-tower bell
- The Bloom Is On Axew! — possibly “the blame is on you”, for an Axew whose Dragon Rage keeps blowing up in everyone’s faces
- Here Comes the Trubbish Squad! — Here Comes the Squirtle Squad (EP012) — both are twelfth episodes in which Ash gains a Pokémon, here as an Egg
- A Night in the Nacrene City Museum! — the film Night at the Museum
- Scraggy—Hatched to be Wild! — Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”, for a newborn Scraggy that headbutts everything
- Battling For The Love of Bug-Types! — the exclamation “for the love of…”, for Burgh’s devotion to Bug types
- The Lost World of Gothitelle! — The Lost World, for a Gothitelle trapped in a past that no longer exists
- Cottonee in Love! — the film Shakespeare in Love
- Gotta Catch A Roggenrola! — the slogan “Gotta catch ’em all!”
- Movie Time! Zorua in “The Legend of the Pokémon Knight”! — no pun at all, but at 56 characters the longest English episode title
- Meowth’s Scrafty Tactics! — “crafty tactics”, for a negotiating Meowth and a scheming Scrafty
- Purrloin: Sweet or Sneaky? — an either/or in the spirit of “trick or treat”, for a Purrloin that is both
- Crisis From the Underground Up! — “from the ground up”, for a crisis on the Nimbasa subway
DVD & Blu-ray / Streaming
Black & White came out in North America from VIZ Media, distributed by Warner Home Video, as four two-disc sets in 2012 and 2013, followed by an eight-disc Complete Season in 2021; all of them hold the same 48 episodes, and none includes the unaired two-parter. Australia and New Zealand got two Collections, a six-disc DigiPack and later repackagings. No UK DVD release of the season has been found.
North America (Region 1)
| Release | Date | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Black & White Set 1 (VIZ Media, 2 discs) | 20 November 2012 | BW001–BW006 and BW007–BW012 |
| Set 2 (2 discs) | 22 January 2013 | BW013–BW018 and BW019–BW024 |
| Set 3 (2 discs) | 19 March 2013 | BW025–BW030 and BW031–BW036 |
| Set 4 (2 discs) | 14 May 2013 | BW037–BW042 and BW043–BW048 |
| Pokémon the Series: Black and White – The Complete Season (8 DVDs in one case with a slipcover, 3000086028) | 27 July 2021 | All 48 episodes, six per disc, reissuing the 2012–2013 discs |
Australia & New Zealand (Region 4)
| Release | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pokémon: Black & White – Collection 1 (3 discs, DBX13913) | 15 February 2012 (Australia and New Zealand) | BW001–BW024 on discs 14.1 Oshawott, 14.2 Snivy and 14.3 Tepig; no English captions |
| Collection 2 (3 discs, DBX13914) | 6 June 2012 (NZ 25 May 2012) | BW025–BW048 |
| Pokémon Season 14 DigiPack (6 discs, BHE4192) | 3 December 2012 (NZ 5 December 2012) | Discs 14.1–14.6 themed on Oshawott, Snivy, Tepig, Emolga, Zorua and Axew; JB Hi-Fi 20th-anniversary reissue on 14 July (online) and 21 September 2016 |
| Slimline reissue (Beyond Home Entertainment, BHE5398) | 2 April 2014 | The six-disc set repackaged |
| Multi-season sets | — | The season is also in the Pokémon Unova Collection, the Heritage Collection II and the Seasons 1–19 Deluxe, 1–20 Ultra and 1–21 Mega box sets |
Japan
In Japan the series went out on DVD volumes of Pocket Monsters Best Wishes!: Vol. 1 on 27 April 2011, Vols. 2–3 on 25 May, 4–5 on 22 June, 6–7 on 24 August, 8–9 on 21 September, 10–11 on 26 October and 12–13 on 25 November 2011, and Vols. 14–15 on 25 January 2012; their contents have not been confirmed. The first printing of the rental volume with A Venipede Stampede! carried BW023’s preview in place of the cancelled episode’s, which later printings restored. Two eight-disc Pokémon BW TV Anime Collection sets followed on 2 August 2011 and 18 January 2012, and Zoroark: Master of Illusions (17 December 2010), the fourteenth films (16 December 2011) and the short Pikachu’s Strange Wonder Adventure (16 July 2011) came out on DVD in the same window.
Streaming
Netflix added the season, with both fourteenth films, on 1 March 2014 in every territory it then served, as Hulu took the Diamond and Pearl seasons. Pokémon TV added it on 3 April 2020, later rotated it out, stopped new viewing on 8 January 2024 and closed on 28 March 2024; DisneyNOW and Watch Disney XD carried the Black & White episodes until those apps closed on 23 September 2024. In the UK BBC iPlayer has carried the season, with Zoroark and both fourteenth films, since 3 December 2021. The Pokémon TV channel on YouTube, launched in December 2024, carries only Seasons 1 to 11 so far (as of October 2026), so Black & White is not on it. Check your local service, as availability changes often.
Covers
Pokémon: Black & White Set 1 (Region 1, 2012)
Pokémon: Black & White Set 2 (Region 1, 2013)
Pokémon: Black & White Set 3 (Region 1, 2013)
Pokémon: Black & White Set 4 (Region 1, 2013)
The Complete Season (Region 1, 2021)
Black & White Collection 1 (Region 4, 2012)
Black & White Collection 2 (Region 4, 2012)
Season 14 DigiPack (Region 4, 2012)
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, with Zoroark: Master of Illusions and both fourteenth films, since 3 December 2021.
- DVD – North AmericaPokémon the Series: Black and White – The Complete Season (VIZ Media, 8 discs, 2021) has all 48 episodes in one case.
- DVD – Australia & New ZealandThe Season 14 DigiPack and its slimline reissue, and several multi-season box sets.
- NetflixCarried the season from March 2014; current availability varies by country and has not been confirmed for this page.
- 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.
Trading Cards Released During the Season
Pokémon: Black & White aired in the US as the trading card game moved into the Black & White era, and three expansions came out while it was on Cartoon Network:
- Black & White — 25 April 2011 — between Here Comes the Trubbish Squad! (BW012) and Minccino—Neat and Tidy! (BW013), with 115 cards: the Unova first partners, Reshiram and Zekrom, Pansage, Pansear and Panpour, Munna and Musharna, Scraggy, Zorua, Watchog, the Lillipup line, Pidove and Tranquill and the Supporter Professor Juniper
- Emerging Powers — 31 August 2011 — between A UFO for Elgyem! (BW030) and Ash and Trip’s Third Battle! (BW031), with 98 cards including the Sewaddle line, Cottonee, Darumaka, Basculin, Ducklett, Emolga, the Venipede line, Gothitelle, Roggenrola, Drilbur and Excadrill, Sandile and Krokorok, Zorua and Zoroark and Minccino
- Noble Victories — 16 November 2011 — between The Club Battle Hearts of Fury (BW041) and Club Battle Finale (BW042), with 102 cards including four Victini, Larvesta, Zebstrika, Eelektross, Duosion, Elgyem and Beheeyem, the Litwick line, Archen and Archeops, Golett, Pawniard, Escavalier, Axew, Druddigon and N
In Japan the cards had come out months earlier: Black & White is the English version of the Black Collection and White Collection (17 December 2010), Emerging Powers combines the Battle Strength Decks with the rest of those two sets, and Noble Victories draws on the Red Collection and the Battle Theme Deck: Victini. Call of Legends (9 February 2011) came out three days before the US premiere and Next Destinies in 2012, and a Black & White McDonald’s Collection came with Happy Meals from 17 June 2011.
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:
Zekrom · Black & White 47/114The Deep Black Pokémon whose storm leaves Pikachu powerless in In the Shadow of Zekrom! (BW001) and recharges him in Enter Iris and Axew! (BW002), both shown on Cartoon Network on 12 February 2011, became a Rare Holo with Outrage and Bolt Strike in the Black & White set ten weeks later, on 25 April 2011.
Excadrill · Emerging Powers 56/98Released on 31 August 2011 with Metal Claw and Drill Run, this Rare Holo came out two and a half weeks before Iris won back her Excadrill’s trust in the US broadcast of Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! (BW033, 17 September 2011) and eleven weeks before it beat Pikachu with Drill Run, Metal Claw and Focus Blast to win the Club Battle in Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome! (BW042, 19 November 2011).
Victini · Noble Victories 15/101The Victory Pokémon at the heart of the fourteenth movie, with its signature V-create, arrived in Noble Victories on 16 November 2011, two and a half weeks before White—Victini and Zekrom opened in US digital cinemas (3 December 2011) and Cartoon Network premiered Black—Victini and Reshiram (10 December 2011); a jumbo version of the card was handed out at screenings of White.
Firsts & Lasts
- First season of the Black & White series, and the first in which every new species is from Generation V; BW001 is the first episode since the start of Diamond and Pearl without a Generation IV Pokémon.
- First Who’s That Pokémon? in the English dub since AG040, 344 episodes earlier, and The Pokémon Company International’s first eyecatch (BW001).
- First dub opening sung as a duet, and the only one fully in CGI: Black and White.
- First time two new episodes premiered on the same day in the US since 1 February 2008 (BW001–BW002).
- First Hidden Ability shown in the anime: Darmanitan’s Zen Mode (BW008).
- First on-screen evolution of the series, the first with the new evolution sequence and the first by a recurring wild Pokémon: the sunglasses Sandile into Krokorok (BW020).
- First new move for Pikachu since AG150, 253 episodes earlier: Electro Ball (BW020).
- First Gym battle in which one of Ash’s Pokémon evolves: Sewaddle into Swadloon (BW023).
- First catch for James in 259 episodes, and the first Ghost type caught by a main character: Yamask (BW023).
- First episode since EP002 without Jessie, James and Meowth, the clip show AG120 aside: Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! (BW016).
- First time since the first season that Ash catches Pokémon in three consecutive episodes (BW002–BW004), and his earliest team rotation in any region (BW018).
- First time Meowth enters a Poké Ball (BW043).
- Only official Gym loss for Ash in Unova: The Battle According to Lenora! (BW015).
- Last anime episode broadcast in analog in Japan (BW040), and the last regular dub episode to keep all of its original Japanese background music (BW042).
Trivia & Facts
- A season cut short by a disaster. The two-part Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan!, meant to debut Team Plasma, Ghetsis, Liepard and James’s Yamask and to bring back Looker, was pulled after the Tōhoku earthquake of 11 March 2011. They are the only skipped Best Wishes! episodes and, unlike Advanced Battle’s unaired Whiscash episode, central to the main story; Team Plasma’s Grunts consequently never appeared in their Black and White uniforms.
Team Rocket and Team Plasma square off in the unaired Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! two-parter — pulled from the schedule after the Tōhoku earthquake of 11 March 2011 and never broadcast anywhere, leaving the season’s Team Plasma debut to be rebuilt from scratch. Screenshot: Pokémon anime, unaired BW023 “Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1)” · via Bulbapedia - Episodes on the move. BW023 aired two weeks early and BW024 three weeks early, and the original episode 26 (BW037) was held back eleven weeks and rewritten so that Bianca leaves the group rather than joins it; BW030’s Live Caster still shows a shot from the unaired BW023, and BW033’s showed clips from BW037 before it aired.
- Who’s That Pokémon? is back — in English only. The dub revived the segment in BW001 after 344 episodes, as The Pokémon Company International’s first eyecatch, while Japan kept generic eyecatches until BW061; its first answer was Pidove.
- A clean slate. Ash travels with an all-new Unova team after leaving his Sinnoh Pokémon with Oak (BW002), Team Rocket may use only Unova Pokémon, BW001 has no Generation IV Pokémon at all, and Ash himself is redesigned with larger eyes after Ken Sugimori’s artwork.
- Catching spree. Ash catches three Pokémon in three consecutive episodes (BW002–BW004) for the first time since the first season, completes his third set of a region’s first partners with Snivy (BW007), and by BW018 has obtained as many Pokémon as in all of Ruby and Sapphire or Diamond and Pearl — forcing his earliest-ever team rotation.
- Gym quirks. Ash battles three Leaders in one Gym (BW005–BW006) — accepted this time, unlike the Sensational Sisters’ offer in EP007 — and loses one round that he never has to avenge; The Battle According to Lenora! (BW015) is his only official Gym loss in Unova, and Battling For The Love of Bug-Types! (BW023) the first Gym battle in which one of his Pokémon evolves.
- Team Rocket get serious, then don’t. Black uniforms, a stylised “R”, no motto in BW001 and BW005 and covert Meteonite missions under Pierce and Dr. Zager give way, once Matori cuts them loose in BW023, to white uniforms and chasing Pikachu again; Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! (BW016) is the first episode since EP002 without the trio, not counting the clip show AG120.
- James’s drought ends. His Yamask (BW023) is his first catch in 259 episodes, after 23 episodes without a Pokémon of his own, and the first Ghost type caught by a main character.
- Evolution, rebooted. Axew’s dream in BW006 shows the last evolution in the old style; the sunglasses Sandile’s evolution into Krokorok (BW020) is the first on-screen evolution of the Black & White series, the first with the new sequence and the first time a recurring wild Pokémon evolves on screen; and Pikachu’s Electro Ball, in the same episode, is its first new move since AG150, 253 episodes earlier.
- Iris wins the season’s tournament. The Club Battle final went to Iris’s Excadrill over Pikachu (BW042), with Ash runner-up — and the same episode is the last regular dub episode to keep all of its original Japanese background music.
Iris’s Excadrill beats Pikachu in the Club Battle final in Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome! (BW042) — the first tournament of the Unova journey ends with Ash as runner-up to his own travelling companion. Screenshot: Pokémon anime, BW042 “Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome!” · via Bulbapedia - 92 Generation V debuts, from Snivy, Tepig, Oshawott and Zekrom in BW001 to Chandelure and Eelektross in the finale. Darmanitan’s Zen Mode (BW008) is the anime’s first Hidden Ability, and Dwebble’s Sturdy (BW019) the first Ability confirmed without being activated.
- All-CGI openings. Best Wishes! is the only animated-series opening with no human characters and the only Japanese opening named after its series, and ran for 84 episodes without a remix; its dub counterpart, Black and White, is the first dub opening sung as a duet.
- Game timing. BW001 and BW002 were the first episodes to air in Japan after Black and White came out there; in the US Triple Leaders, Team Threats! (BW005) aired the day before the games’ North American launch, and The Battle Club and Tepig’s Choice! (BW004) was the only episode to reveal Generation V English names early, confirming Servine and Dewott.
- Movies in the gaps. Zoroark: Master of Illusions premiered on Cartoon Network a week before the season, and the fourteenth films opened in Japan between BW039 and BW040; in the US, BW044 aired on the day White—Victini and Zekrom reached cinemas and BW045 on the day Black—Victini and Reshiram premiered on TV.
- The end of analog. Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! (BW040, 21 July 2011) was the last Pokémon episode broadcast in analog in Japan.
- A film within the show. BW038 is the anime’s third movie-making episode, after EP069 and AG086, the only one not based on Lights, Camera, Action!, and shares its writer, Shōji Yonemura, with EP069; its 56-character title is the longest in the English dub.
- Local time. In BW012 a train leaving at 7 p.m. in Japanese leaves at “9 o’clock” in English — each version’s own broadcast time — and Tom Wayland’s sons Henry and Ben have speaking roles in the same episode, Ben as the voice of Trubbish.
- Production. Every episode was animated by OLM’s Team Kato and written by one of six writers, led by Shinzō Fujita and Shōji Yonemura with ten episodes each; the series composer, Atsuhiro Tomioka, wrote eight aired episodes and both unaired ones. From this season until XYZ, “To Be Continued” is capitalised and set in a box.
- Games and cards. The trading card expansions released during the US run were Black & White, Emerging Powers and Noble Victories, from the Unova first partners, Zekrom and a Supporter card for Professor Juniper to Iris’s Excadrill and Emolga and the fourteenth film’s Victini — see our TCG section.
Reception
Ratings. No viewing figures for the US run have been found. In Japan, according to Japanese Wikipedia, the one-hour premiere drew a 9.3% rating in the Kantō region and the first Best Wishes! season (BW001–BW084) averaged 5.8%; per-episode figures for these 48 episodes have not been found. The fourteenth films opened second at the Japanese box office and earned ¥4.33 billion in 2011, the year’s fifth-highest-grossing film in Japan, after Zoroark had been tenth for 2010. MyAnimeList rates the 84-episode first Japanese season 6.48, with no separate score for this one, and IMDb’s episode ratings could not be checked for this page.
Fan commentary. Dogasu’s Backpack, which compared 26 of the season’s episodes with their dubs, welcomed the new start: “After thirteen-ish long years, the dub finally appears to have joined the 21st century”, it wrote of BW001, “one of the better first episodes we’ve seen in this franchise”, though “I’m not too thrilled with the way the battle between Satoshi and Shooty panned out”. It defended Ash’s loss to Panpour as “a testament to how good a trainer Corn is” (BW005), called BW008 an episode it “really” liked, with a dub that was “actually really quite good”, praised the dub for “not dumbing down” Cilan’s scientific explanations (BW014) and liked BW022 “a whole lot”: “It’s rare for an episode to have so many characters and have all of them do something.”
Mixed notices. The same site found the delayed fishing episode “ultimately a useless filler, but it’s a fun useless filler” (BW037), thought Axew learning Outrage to win the Club Battle semi-final “a bit much” (BW042), and judged that, for all the finale’s “top-notch” presentation, the Rocket trio had become “a trio of soulless robots”: “It’s a real shame because the season started out so promising” (BW048). In a 2021 retrospective sponsored by VIZ Media, Otaku USA said “you can’t do much better than Pokémon: Black and White” as a starting point and called Iris and Cilan “some of the strongest and most memorable” companions. No reviews of the DVDs have been found, and the season won no known awards.
Continue the journey with Season 15: Pokémon BW Rival Destinies, go back to Season 13: Pokémon DP Sinnoh League Victors, or browse every season of the Pokémon anime.