Pikachu’s Goodbye – Pokémon Season 1, Episode 39

Plot episodeComeback episodePikachu’s near-release

Pikachu’s Goodbye is the 39th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 39th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 41, Bulbapedia code EP039). It first aired in Japan on 16 April 1998 and in the United States on 20 November 1998. It falls within the season’s The comeback, Charizard & the Egg stretch (EP39–EP51).

Synopsis · Major Events · Trivia · Dub Changes · All episodes

Synopsis

Our hero Ash along with his friends Misty and Brock are tired from their adventures and decide to take a break in a quiet forest. Well Misty and Brock do, Ash uses the time to imitiate Tommy the Kangaskhan kid and swing from trees, as Ash is collapsed on the floor Pikachu see’s another Chu and runs after it into the bushes; Ash and friends give chase.

Eventually they all arrive at a clearing, which is completely full of Pikachu’s. Pikachu greets them but the other Pikachu aren’t friendly toward him, except one little one which approaches him, as the other Pikachu watch on in horror, the two shake tails and the other chu’s are then happy to approach and start to become friends. Ash runs over because he too wants to be friends, but it scares off all the wild Pikachu, much to his own Pikachu’s dismay.

As Ash, Misty and Brock are discussing what happened, the little Pikachu who first befriended Ash’s falls out of the tree it was using to hide in to eavesdrop and lands in the water. Ash’s Pikachu jumps in to save it, and both he and the small Pikachu are rescued right at the last minute by the Chu gang. After regaining consciousness Ash’s Pikachu is given an apple and celebrated as a hero, now truly accepted as part of the group. Unfortunately during this wonderful moment Team Rocket are watching and rubbing their hands together at the thought of Catchin em’ all.

Ash and friends continue to watch the Pikachu’ interact, Brock drops the line “I think it’s the best thing in the world for Pikachu to be here with its own kind” with a rye smile, this sets Ash’s mind racing and he’s clearly deep in thought. That night Ash stays awake while Brock and Misty sleep, still troubled by what Brock said and how happy Pikachu looked with it’s new friends. Ash hears something, and with Brock and Misty goes to investigate, finding all the Chu’s trapped in a net. It becomes quickly apparent that Team Rocket are behind it. Pikachu tries to shock his way out of the net but it doesn’t work, James announces that its their new Pikachu “seizure” net (really, after episode 38 Lol). Team Rocket also capture Ash and friends in the net, then Pikachu starts to gnaw through the net and all the others do the same. The Pikachu can now leave the net but are still quite high in the air, Ash, Misty and Brock hold out a net to break their falls and they all jump out to safety, Ash’s Pikachu stays aboard the balloon to send Team Rocket blasting off by biting through the balloon. Ash and Pikachu celebrate briefly then Pikachu runs back to the Pikachu group to celebrate with them instead. Ash looks as though he decides something and begins to walk away, telling his friends that he is leaving Pikachu and his mind is made up. Pikachu arrives at their camp and Ash tells him to stay there and that he’ll be much happier with the others of his kind, Ash runs off alone crying, remembering his time with Pikachu.

Ash finally stops running and Misty/Brock eventually catch up to ask him why he’s doing this, Ash explains he thinks that Pikachu will be happier this way. Just then Pikachu appears on the horizon, with the whole gang of Pikachu, Ash’s Pikachu shakes tails with the small Pikachu that he befriended and all of the other Pikachu cheer…. for Ash and Pikachu. The audience continues to taste their own salty tears, Ash and Pikachu are reunited and our heroes continue on.

Major Events

• Ash tries to release Pikachu, who returns. Written for the comeback
• Fewest species of any episode (Pikachu, Meowth)
• Dub song “The Time Has Come”. All-Stars Vol. 1.

Trivia

• The screenplay is by Shinzō Fujita.
• This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
• The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Pikachu (Ash’s) in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Pikachu in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.

Changes in the English Dub

• Montage re-cut with different, shorter, re-ordered clips
• Eyecatch swapped
• James thanks “395 million fans” in Japan; the dub line is generic
• Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Thursday segment)
• The Japanese insert Goodnight, My Pikachu is replaced by the dub song “The Time Has Come (Pikachu’s Goodbye)”, sung by Marti Lebow
• The dub adds music over the campfire scene

Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.