XY127

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Pokémon the Series: XY

XY128 : A Riveting Rivalry! →

Analysis Versus Passion!

XY127   EP926 準決勝フルバトル！サトシ対ショータ！！ The Semifinal Full Battle! Satoshi VS Shōta!!

First broadcast Japan July 21, 2016 United States October 8, 2016

English themes Opening Stand Tall Ending

Japanese themes Opening XY&Z Ending プニちゃんのうた

Credits Animation Team Kato Screenplay 面出明美 Akemi Omode Storyboard 飯島正勝 Masakatsu Iijima Assistant director 前園文夫 Fumio Maezono Animation director 篠原隆 Takashi Shinohara Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de Preview thread on BMGf Closed Original review thread on BMGf Dub review thread on BMGf

Analysis Versus Passion! (Japanese: 準決勝フルバトル！サトシ対ショータ！！ The Semifinal Full Battle! Satoshi VS Shōta!!) is the 127th episode of Pokémon the Series: XY, and the 926th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on July 21, 2016 and in the United States on October 8, 2016.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Blurb

Alain and Remo are battling in the semifinals of the Kalos League, and it’s clear these two Trainers have a heated rivalry—but Remo’s Mega Garchomp is no match for Alain’s Mega Charizard, and Alain moves on to the final round!

Next, Ash and Sawyer meet for the Full Battle they’ve been waiting for! Sawyer brings his cool-headed, analytical style, while Ash is all fired up as usual. The two Trainers seem pretty evenly matched—Sawyer’s Slaking beats Ash’s Hawlucha, Talonflame beats Slaking, Clawitzer beats Talonflame, and Pikachu defeats Clawitzer! Then, Sawyer calls forth Aegislash, and things are tense as the Royal Sword Pokémon chases Pikachu through the forest battlefield...

Plot

Remo and Alain are in the middle of a Full Battle, and eventually, Alain's Charizard finishes off Remo's Rhyperior with a blow from a Dragon Claw. The scoreboard reveals that Alain has managed to defeat five of Remo's Pokémon while losing only his own Metagross. Sitting in the gallery, Ash is spellbound by the match. Clemont reveals that Alain has only used two of his Pokémon in the Conference so far: Charizard and Metagross. Back on the battlefield, Alain looks forward to advancing to the finals after beating Remo's final Pokémon, while Remo sends out the trump card of his team, his Garchomp Garchoo. Remo recalls the fierce training he's undergone since losing to Alain, and vows to beat him.

Remo opens the fight by Mega Evolving Garchoo, after which Mega Garchomp fires a Draco Meteor. Alain commands his Charizard to dodge the barrage of meteors, but one manages to strike it. Without any further ado, Alain too Mega Evolves his Charizard into Mega Charizard X. Remo has his Mega Garchomp use Dragon Rush, but Mega Charizard X intercepts it in midair with a Dragon Claw. To Remo's astonishment, with both Pokémon still in the air, Alain commands Mega Charizard X to hurl its opponent through the air behind it and use Flamethrower. Both Trainers then, in unison, command their Pokémon to use Dragon Claw, but when the dust clears, Mega Garchomp is sprawled on the ground, knocked out, making Alain the first finalist. As he leaves the arena, Professor Sycamore looks worriedly after his former assistant from his VIP seat.

Meanwhile, Ash gives a brief speech to his team before his battle with Sawyer, telling them that after all they've been through together, he believes in them. Sawyer, too, is briefly seen reviewing his notes before the battle, just as eager in his own way.

In the stands, Ash's friends are anxious about Ash and Sawyer's match, too. Clemont acknowledges Sawyer as a potent threat to Ash, since he has already defeated Ash once. Having battled Sawyer himself, Tierno claims that Sawyer and Ash are similar in a way, though they battle differently. Clemont suggests that what Tierno felt was the result of Sawyer's close investigation and scrutinization of Ash's fighting style. Elsewhere, together in the VIP seats, Professor Sycamore and Champion Diantha are eager to witness the battle between a pair with such different styles.

The stadium announcer then introduces Ash and Sawyer, who enter the battlefield. Alain is seen taking up a position to watch Ash's match, while Malva is seen ordering Team Rocket around again. Jessie is frustrated, certain that a beauty like her would be a much better subject than Ash any day of the week. James and Meowth tell her to hang in there just a little longer.

On the field, Ash and Sawyer are both determined to win. The referee explains the rules. Most notably, when half the party of either Trainer is knocked out, they will take a brief break to change the battlefield. Ash chooses Hawlucha as his first Pokémon, who emerges wearing a strange outfit. Serena reveals that she designed it after Hawlucha approached her wanting a cape, saying it's only fitting for the forest champion's appearance on such a grand stage. In response, Sawyer sends out his Slaking.

Ash takes the initiative with a Karate Chop from Hawlucha, which directly hits Slaking, but Slaking doesn't even flinch. Next, Ash tries a High Jump Kick, followed by an X-Scissor, again to little apparent effect. In the stands, Clemont notes that Hawlucha's battle style usually involves building his own momentum by taking attacks from his opponent, making a battle against an unmoving Slaking tough for him. Ash continues by ordering a barrage of Karate Chops, but while Slaking appears to be taking damage, it's still not reacting like it's being hurt by any of Hawlucha's attacks.

Sawyer then has his Slaking use Slack Off, restoring its health. Wary of whatever strategy Sawyer comes up with, Ash resolves to push through before he can pull it off. He commands a High Jump Kick followed by an X-Scissor, and when they still appear to be having little effect, he orders Hawlucha to use Flying Press. Upon seeing this, however, Sawyer yells out to Slaking to use Counter. With a hard-hitting punch, Slaking's fist intercepts Hawlucha in the middle of his descent out of the air and sends him flying back. Hawlucha hits a tree and falls to the ground, unconscious and out of the battle.

Ash compliments Sawyer on his superb strategy and sends out Talonflame. Talonflame uses Steel Wing, but Slaking once again heals up with Slack Off. Nevertheless, Ash remains undaunted, confident that Hawlucha's attacks have had an effect, and orders a Flame Charge. Sawyer tries to counter this with a Hammer Arm, but as Slaking stands to deliver its blow, all of the damage Hawlucha inflicted on it finally kicks in and it suddenly falters onto one knee, thus enabling Talonflame to push past Slaking's attack to connect with its own. As Slaking reels, Ash quickly commands Talonflame to follow up with Brave Bird, and it hits Slaking and knocks it out.

Sawyer then summons his second Pokémon, Clawitzer. Clawitzer starts chasing Talonflame through the air using Aqua Jet, a strategy inspired by Ash, but Talonflame evades its attacks. When Ash orders Talonflame to close in, Sawyer counters with an Ice Beam that freezes part of Talonflame's wing. Ash responds by using Flame Charge to melt away the ice, and Sawyer quickly orders an Aqua Jet to intercept the incoming Talonflame. When the steam from their collision clears, Talonflame is seen lying inert on the ground, giving the victory to Clawitzer. Outside the battlefield, Team Rocket observe that Ash seems to be having trouble, and Ash's friends worry that the battle is proceeding exactly as Sawyer has planned it.

Ash's next choice is Pikachu, who he sends straight into the forest for cover. Jumping quickly from tree to tree, Pikachu emerges to attack with Thunderbolt, but Clawitzer quickly dodges. Pikachu follows up with a Quick Attack, but Clawitzer dodges again. From midair, Clawitzer retaliates with an Ice Beam, but Pikachu manages to jump out of the way. Now sailing through the air itself, Pikachu uses Electro Ball and Clawitzer quickly counters with Dragon Pulse, and the two attacks cancel each other out. Both Pokémon come crashing down to the ground, but both remain on their feet when the dust clears. When Sawyer orders Clawitzer to use Aqua Jet next, Ash sends Pikachu back into the forest, where Clawitzer loses track of it. Pikachu jumps out of a tree with Iron Tail, but to Ash's surprise, Clawitzer clamps down on Pikachu's tail with its pincer. Sawyer directs Clawitzer to use Water Pulse, but before it can unleash its attack, Ash commands an Electro Ball which forms directly inside Clawitzer's pincer, setting Pikachu free with the blast. Before Clawitzer can recover, Pikachu blasts it with a Thunderbolt, finishing it off.

Sawyer chooses Aegislash as his next Pokémon. Ash reprises his strategy of using the forest for cover and Pikachu again darts among the trees. In response, however, Sawyer calls out for Aegislash to use Sacred Sword, and Aegislash starts chopping through whole trees. As Pikachu returns to the ground, Aegislash continues slashing through trees, which are now toppling over everywhere. Everyone is wary of what Sawyer's new strategy will turn out to be.

Major events

Ash facing Sawyer

• Alain's Metang is revealed to have evolved into Metagross.
• Alain defeats Remo in a Full Battle in the semifinals, advancing to the finals.
• Ash begins his semifinal Full Battle against Sawyer.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Humans

Pokémon Quiz

• Ash
• Serena
• Clemont
• Bonnie
• Jessie
• James
• Nurse Joy (flashback)
• Professor Sycamore
• Alain
• Tierno
• Trevor
• Shauna
• Sawyer
• Malva
• Diantha
• Remo

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?

Who's That Pokémon?: Slaking (US and international)
Pokémon Quiz: Slaking (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Dedenne (Clemont's)
• Greninja (Ash's)
• Talonflame (Ash's)
• Hawlucha (Ash's)
• Goodra (Ash's)
• Noivern (Ash's)
• Chespin (Clemont's)
• Charizard (Alain's; Mega Charizard X)
• Metagross (Alain's; image)
• Aegislash (Sawyer's)
• Clawitzer (Sawyer's)
• Slaking (Sawyer's)
• Garchomp (Remo's; Mega Garchomp; Garchoo)
• Granbull (Remo's; image)
• Bouffalant (Remo's; image)
• Pelipper (Remo's; image)
• Gurdurr (Remo's; image)
• Rhyperior (Remo's; Rhypo)
• Audino (Trainer's)
• Swablu (Trainer's)
• Marill (Trainer's)
• Furret (Trainer's)

Trivia

The title card segment focuses on Ash for this episode

• Poké TV: "Burn! Pokémon Challenge!!" focusing on Garchomp.
• Ash and Sawyer narrate the preview for the next episode.
• The regular opening sequence is entirely replaced with clips from the third Pokémon the Series: XY movie.
  • On a similar note, this episode was the first to air in Japan after the theatrical release of M19.
• This episode and the following one are the first to feature a proper Full Battle since Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.
• Despite Slack Off having existed since Generation III, this is the first time it's seen being used in the anime.
• This is the first time since The Semi-Final Frontier!, 271 episodes ago, that Ash has participated in a Full Battle.

Errors

• When Charizard is hit by Garchomp's Draco Meteor, the scoreboard shows Remo's old design. This also occurs when Mega Garchomp uses Dragon Rush.
• Once Alain defeats Remo, in the split-second that it is shown, the scoreboard is missing his Metagross, only showing a Poké Ball in its place, when it was shown on the scoreboard the last time it was shown.
• When Chespin escapes from its Poké Ball, it is shown coming from Bonnie's side, when in fact it should have come from Clemont's.
• When Ash sends out Hawlucha and the crowd stares at him, the Swablu's beak is yellow instead of white.
• Before Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Clawitzer, the scoreboard shows Ash's Talonflame and Hawlucha on the right-hand side of Ash's team, whereas they were shown on the left in a previous shot of the scoreboard and in the following shot when Sawyer's Aegislash is added.

• 

  Remo in his old design

• 

  Swablu's miscolored beak

In other languages

Language		Title
Czech		Analýza versus vášeň!
Danish		Analyse mod passion!
Dutch		Analyse versus passie!
Finnish		Tieto vastaan into!
European French		La raison contre la passion !
German		Analyse gegen Leidenschaft!
Italian		Analisi contro passione!
Korean		준결승 풀배틀! 지우 대 승태!!
Norwegian		Analyse møter lidenskap!
Polish		Analiza kontra pasja!
Portuguese	Brazil	Análise Versus Paixão!
	Portugal	Análise contra paixão!
Russian		Анализ против страсти!
Spanish	Latin America	¡Análisis contra pasión!
	Spain	¡Análisis versus pasión!
Swedish		Analys mot passion!
Thai		ฟูลแบทเทิลรอบรองชนะเลิศ! ซาโตชิ ปะทะ โชตะ!!
Turkish		Analiz mi, tutku mu?

← XY126 : Valuable Experience for All!

Pokémon the Series: XY

XY128 : A Riveting Rivalry! →

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.