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| Season | Pokémon: Master Quest (Season 5) · The Whirl Islands & the Whirl Cup arc (EP210–EP218) |
| Episode | Season 5, episode 1 · English episode 210 · Japanese episode 212 · Bulbapedia code EP210 |
| English title | Around the Whirlpool |
| Japanese title | うずまきれっとう! あらたなるちょうせん!! Uzumaki Rettō! Aratanaru Chōsen!! — “The Whirlpool Islands! A New Challenge!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 9 August 2001 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 14 September 2002 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Whiteberry version) – Whiteberry · Maemuki Rocket-dan! (Face Forward Team Rocket!) – Team Rocket |
| English opening | Believe in Me – David Rolfe |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Houndoom (US) · Skarmory (Japan) |
| Next episode | Fly Me to the Moon (EP211) |
Plot episodeSeason premiereCorsola debut
Around the Whirlpool is the 1st episode of Pokémon: Master Quest, the fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 210th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 212, Bulbapedia code EP210). It first aired in Japan on 9 August 2001 and in the United States on 14 September 2002. It falls within the season’s The Whirl Islands & the Whirl Cup stretch (EP210–EP218).
Synopsis
Ash and company are aboard a luxury liner passing through a field of whirlpools. Team Rocket attacks and during the battle both sides are knocked overboard. As Ash and company are struggling in the water, they see a huge shadow of a strange unidentified pokémon. They are rescued by Professor Elm and his corsola, and brought safely on board a ship guided by the tentacruel of Captain Marius. They are brought to Blue Point Island, the nearest of the Whirl Islands to discover that the island is preparing for a World Cup for water pokémon trainers, much to the joy of Misty. Team Rocket also manages to make it safely to shore. While the heroes are discussing the mystery pokémon with Prof Elm and Captain Marius, Team Rocket attack and steal the water pokémon from the pool. They also capture Pikachu. Elm sends out Corsola who is quite a powerhouse and frees both Pikachu and the other kidnapped pokémon. The corsola then sends Team Rocket blasting off again. Misty is now adamant about catching a corsola. Ash and his friends then continue to the next town to prepare for the World Cup which is only a month away.
Major Events
- Season premiere
- Whirl Islands arc begins
- Lugia silhouette
- Corsola debut
- Elm’s Corsola
- New badge-count title card in dub
Pokémon making their anime debut
Corsola#0222 · EP210
Lugia#0249 · EP210
Trivia
- The English title plays on “around the world”.
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Skarmory in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Houndoom in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Part of our Pokémon: Master Quest guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.