 |
|
| Season | Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (Season 25) · The Masters Eight: semifinals arc (JN121–JN128) |
| Episode | Season 25, episode 30 · English episode 1200 · Japanese episode 1208 · Bulbapedia code JN122 |
| English title | It’s… Champion Time! |
| Japanese title | セミファイナルⅠ 「圧勝」 Semifainaru I "Asshō" — “The Semifinals I: "Overwhelming Victory"” |
| First aired (Japan) | 26 August 2022 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 23 June 2023 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Wan, Tsū, Surī (One, Two, Three) – Satoshi & Go (Rica Matsumoto and Daiki Yamashita) · Batsugun Taipu (Supereffective Type) – Pokémon Music Club |
| English opening | With You – Echosmith |
| Previous episode | The Climax Begins! Satoshi’s Masters Tournament Experience!! (JN121) |
| Next episode | Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! (JN123) |
Plot episodeLeon vs DianthaSemifinal
It’s… Champion Time! is the 30th episode of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, the twenty-fifth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1200th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1208, Bulbapedia code JN122). It first aired in Japan on 26 August 2022 and in the United States on 23 June 2023. It falls within the season’s The Masters Eight: semifinals stretch (EP121–EP128).
Released on Netflix in the US on 23 June 2023 with the third part (JN118–JN136, without the clip shows); Teletoon had premiered it in Canada on 28 January 2023. Netflix went straight from JN120 to this episode, skipping the clip show JN121.
Synopsis
Leon crushes Diantha in the first semifinal of the Masters Eight Tournament, a six-on-six Full Battle, while Ash, Goh and Cynthia miss most of it helping a young fan find his runaway sister. In Wyndon, Ash wakes at the Rose of the Rondelands hotel to find Goh up all night studying data from Project Mew. During a last training session, Dragonite hugs Ash so enthusiastically that they roll through the bushes and land beside Cynthia and Garchomp, who are going through her pre-battle routine of a flight, a back massage and a second, faster flight. A boy named Vic and his little sister Toria, huge fans of Ash, Cynthia and Leon, approach them. Vic dreams of a move as powerful as Pikachu’s 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and plans to raise a Grookey into a Gigantamax Rillaboom like Leon’s. Cynthia tells him that her first Pokémon was Garchomp, raised from a Gible hatched from an Egg she received as a child, and Ash recalls how Lucario’s Egg would not hatch until he sensed its Aura calling to him; Cynthia believes fate led it to him.
As Vic thanks them, Toria runs off after a passing Gossifleur, and Vic loses her. Ash, Goh and Cynthia are heading to Wyndon Stadium for the semifinal, which is already starting on a giant screen, but they agree to help search. Following the Gossifleur’s song, they find Toria watching it from a bush as it evolves into an Eldegoss and flies off, scattering its seeds across Galar. Rushing back to the stadium, the group learns that Diantha has already lost four Pokémon to Leon’s one, and they arrive just as her Goodra engulfs Leon’s Rillaboom in a super-effective Fire Blast. Rillaboom drums the flames away and knocks out Goodra with Acrobatics, leaving Diantha with only her ace against Leon’s five, a sight Ash has never seen. The commentators note that Rillaboom alone has defeated four of her Pokémon, and Jessie has lost interest since Gourgeist fell.
Gardevoir dodges Knock Off, lifts Rillaboom with Psychic and slams it down for the knockout. Leon sends out Charizard, and as Diantha Mega Evolves Gardevoir, Leon Gigantamaxes his partner. Mega Gardevoir’s Thunderbolt makes the giant stagger, and when G-Max Wildfire engulfs it, Gardevoir redirects the flaming vortex with Psychic, while Charizard answers with Max Airstream. Refusing to give up, Mega Gardevoir merges G-Max Wildfire, Max Airstream and its own Psychic into a single devastating attack, but a second G-Max Wildfire tears through it and strikes Gardevoir directly. When the flames clear, Gardevoir has fainted, and Leon advances to the final. In the stands, Vic and Toria ask Ash and Cynthia to battle them like this once they become Trainers, and both agree. As Leon and Diantha shake hands, Cynthia looks across at Ash and Pikachu, who are ready for their own semifinal.
Major Events
- Leon vs Diantha. Semifinal: Leon beats Diantha in a Full Battle, partly off screen, his Rillaboom knocking out four of her Pokémon and Gigantamax Charizard beating Mega Gardevoir
- Diantha’s first defeat on screen and the only Masters Eight battle not shown in full
- Debuts of Vic and Toria
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto, Galar & beyond storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Music from Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice
Part of our Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.