 |
|
| Season | Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends (Season 22) · The Manalo Conference arc (SM128–SM139) |
| Episode | Season 22, episode 45 · English episode 1071 · Japanese episode 1077 · Bulbapedia code SM137 |
| English title | The Wisdom Not to Run! |
| Japanese title | 無敗の帝王グズマ！ Muhai no Teiō Guzuma! — “Undefeated Emperor Guzma!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 1 September 2019 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 4 January 2020 · Disney XD |
| Screenplay | Akemi Omode |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Kimi no Bōken (Your Adventure) – Taiiku Okazaki · Taipu: Wairudo (Type: Wild, 2019 version) – Shōko Nakagawa |
| English opening | The Challenge of Life – Dani Marcus and The Sad Truth |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Slowbro (US) |
| Previous episode | Getting Down to the Ire! (SM136) |
| Next episode | Final Rivals! (SM138) |
Plot episodeAsh beats Guzma
The Wisdom Not to Run! is the 45th episode of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends, the twenty-second season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1071st episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1077, Bulbapedia code SM137). It first aired in Japan on 1 September 2019 and in the United States on 4 January 2020. It falls within the season’s The Manalo Conference stretch (EP128–EP139).
Premiered on 4 January 2020, a day after the UK (3 January).
Synopsis
Ash defeats Guzma to reach the Manalo Conference final as Pikachu outlasts Golisopod, and the defeated Guzma learns that Team Skull will stand by him regardless. Guzma insists that his win is still assured. Golisopod’s Poison Jab poisons Torracat, which dodges Throat Chop and sets Golisopod’s arm alight with Fire Fang before a kick knocks it out. Ash sends out Pikachu, and Guzma laughs, recalling how easily Golisopod beat it before. Pikachu slips between Golisopod’s legs to avoid Poison Jab, but Liquidation counters Iron Tail and Throat Chop slams Pikachu down. Watching from the stands, Hala and Kukui see that Guzma has not changed, while Plumeria hopes that he will win for the sake of the Grunts, who felt like outcasts before they joined Team Skull.
Pikachu gets back up and refuses to quit. It blocks Pin Missile with Electroweb, and when Golisopod deflects Thunderbolt with its claws as Ash anticipated, Pikachu sweeps its legs with Iron Tail and electrocutes it in midair. Guzma remembers losing practice battles to Kukui, and Plumeria realises that his supposed undefeated record is a shield, just as Golisopod hides behind its armour and runs from pain. Pikachu’s Gigavolt Havoc hits, but Golisopod withstands the Z-Move and, for once, does not run away. Reinvigorated, Guzma fights on: Pikachu dodges Pin Missile and Poison Jab, Golisopod shreds an Electroweb, and finally Pikachu’s Iron Tail collides with Liquidation and Golisopod falls. Nanu declares Ash the winner, and as Guzma leaves, Kukui tells him he will be waiting at the next League.
Backstage, Guzma announces that the era of the “undefeated” Guzma is over and tells the Grunts to go their separate ways. They burst into tears, and Plumeria explains that they were inspired by his battle and still want to follow him; she, too, remains at his side. That evening, Ash’s friends wish him luck in the final against Gladion, while Gladion and his Pokémon watch the sunset from the docks and Kukui wonders how the final will turn out. Elsewhere, a crowd of wild Meltan marches along the seabed towards Manalo Stadium. The win sets up the final that Ash has dreamed of throughout his time in Alola: a showdown with the rival he has never yet managed to beat, this time for the title of Alola’s first Champion.
Major Events
- Manalo Conference, part 10. Pikachu beats Guzma’s Golisopod after Torracat falls, and Ash reaches the final
- Team Skull refuse to leave Guzma
- The first time Ash beats a villainous team’s leader on his own
- A teaser for the next series
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Akemi Omode.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Alola storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- The Japanese on-screen caption naming the Z-Move is removed
- Instrumentals of Notebook of the Heart and “Aim to Be a Pokémon Master -20th Anniversary-“
Part of our Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.