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| Season | Pokémon: Johto League Champions (Season 4) · A new look in Japan: Wobbuffet, sumo & Crobat arc (EP192–EP196) |
| Episode | Season 4, episode 35 · English episode 192 · Japanese episode 194 · Bulbapedia code EP192 |
| English title | The Wayward Wobbuffet |
| Japanese title | ソーナンス! そうなんす? Sōnansu! Sō nan su? — “Sonans! Is That So?” |
| First aired (Japan) | 5 April 2001 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 2 March 2002 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Shōji Yonemura |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Whiteberry version) – Whiteberry · Maemuki Rocket-dan! (Face Forward Team Rocket!) – Team Rocket |
| English opening | Born to Be a Winner – David Rolfe |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Teddiursa (US) · Wobbuffet (Japan) |
| Previous episode | The Dunsparce Deception (EP191) |
| Next episode | Sick Daze (EP193) |
Filler / stand-alone episodeNew Japanese opening & ending
The Wayward Wobbuffet is the 35th episode of Pokémon: Johto League Champions, the fourth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 192nd episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 194, Bulbapedia code EP192). It first aired in Japan on 5 April 2001 and in the United States on 2 March 2002. It falls within the season’s A new look in Japan: Wobbuffet, sumo & Crobat stretch (EP192–EP196).
Synopsis
Jessie’s Wobbuffet drifts into a city-wide police chase holding the only key to a pod with Pikachu locked inside. Disguised as inventors, Team Rocket persuade Ash to test the “PokéPod” and seal Pikachu in, but when Ash charges, Wobbuffet trips into a river and both key and Pokémon go over a waterfall, the pod landing with Ash and the key with Wobbuffet. Everyone races to find the Pokémon first.
Wobbuffet bumps into a Quagsire, swings through the trees and lands on a speeding truck driven by Goneff, a vault-cracking thief whose Golem Officer Jenny is pursuing. Smashing through roadblocks, Goneff escapes in a Golem-shaped balloon, tries to throw Wobbuffet out and is bounced into the police by Counter; Team Rocket’s rescue attempt only deflates their own balloon. Chikorita’s Vine Whip nearly snags Wobbuffet off a drawbridge before it crashes into a speedboat, which Ash and Jessie both board and Totodile’s Water Gun eventually slows.
Goneff barricades himself in a building with Wobbuffet, demanding a helicopter. Golem’s Tackle overpowers Totodile, but Wobbuffet’s Counter sends Golem flying into Goneff and out into Jenny’s handcuffs. Team Rocket escape in a Wobbuffet balloon until Noctowl pops it; Ash snatches the falling key, frees Pikachu and the Thunderbolt follows. The trio end up dangling from a bridge while Wobbuffet lounges on top.
Major Events
- New Japanese opening Mezase Pokémon Master (Whiteberry version) and ending Face Forward Team Rocket!
- The Pocket Monster TV eyecatch and badge-counting title card debut in Japan
- Jessie’s Wobbuffet takes centre stage
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Shōji Yonemura.
- This is a stand-alone episode: it can be skipped without losing the thread of the Johto story.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Wobbuffet in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Teddiursa in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Part of our Pokémon: Johto League Champions guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.