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| Season | Pokémon: Black & White (Season 14) · Pinwheel Forest to Castelia City arc (BW018–BW023) |
| Episode | Never broadcast · produced for the fourteenth season · Bulbapedia code BW023 (unaired) |
| English title | Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1) |
| Japanese title | ロケット団ＶＳプラズマ団！（前編） Roketto-dan Tai Purazuma-dan! (Zenpen) — “Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1)” |
| First aired (Japan) | Never aired |
| First aired (US) | Never aired |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Besuto Uisshu! (Best Wishes!) – Rica Matsumoto · Kokoro no Fanfāre (Fanfare of the Heart) – Aki Okui |
| Previous episode | A Venipede Stampede! (BW022) |
| Next episode | Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 2) (BW024U) |
Plot episodeUnaired – never broadcastPostponed after the Tōhoku earthquake
Rocket-dan VS Plasma-dan! (Part 1) is an episode produced for Pokémon: Black & White, the fourteenth season of the Pokémon anime, that was never broadcast anywhere (Bulbapedia code BW023 (unaired)). It falls within the season’s Pinwheel Forest to Castelia City stretch (EP18–EP23).
Never aired anywhere: postponed indefinitely in Japan after the Tōhoku earthquake of 11 March 2011 and never dubbed, although The Pokémon Company International received it. Read more about the unaired two-parter.
Synopsis
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 tsunami of 11 March TV Tokyo postponed it indefinitely, and it has never been broadcast, released or dubbed. Written by the series composer Atsuhiro Tomioka, it would have picked up from the end of A Venipede Stampede!: according to Bulbapedia’s summary of its previews and of the scripts that surfaced in May 2023, Giovanni arrives in Unova to recover the Meteonite from 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, Ash is captured aboard Dr. Zager’s helicopter, and a masquerade party in Castelia City sets up Team Plasma’s plan to steal the Meteonite. It would have debuted Team Plasma, Liepard and James’s Yamask; Bulbapedia treats it as non-canon, and its slot was filled by Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!, moved up two weeks.
Major Events
- Postponed after the Tōhoku earthquake. Scheduled for 17 March 2011 and postponed indefinitely
- Giovanni and the Relic Castle Meteonite
- Team Plasma’s Liepard downs the heroes’ helicopter
- Looker returns
- Ash captured on Dr. Zager’s helicopter
- A masquerade party in Castelia City
- Would have debuted Team Plasma, Liepard and James’s Yamask
- Never broadcast, released or dubbed, though The Pokémon Company International received it
- Scripts surfaced in May 2023
- Non-canon
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Unova storyline.
Part of our Pokémon: Black & White guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.