EP247

← EP246 : Wish Upon a Star Shape

Original series

EP248 : One Trick Phony! →

Outrageous Fortunes

EP247   ニョロゾのしんか！ Nyorozo's Evolution!

First broadcast Japan May 9, 2002 United States May 10, 2003

English themes Opening Believe in Me Ending

Japanese themes Opening Ready Go! Ending ポケッターリ・モンスターリ

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 大橋志吉 Yukiyoshi Ōhashi Storyboard 中野頼道 Yorimichi Nakano Assistant director 大町繁 Shigeru Ōmachi Animation director 小菅和久 Kazuhisa Kosuge Additional credits

Outrageous Fortunes (Japanese: ニョロゾのしんか！ Nyorozo's Evolution!) is the 247th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 9, 2002 and in the United States on May 10, 2003.

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

Synopsis

Template:Incomplete synopsis On meeting up with a proud Pokémon Trainer who dares all comers to face his Poliwrath, Misty and Ash quickly rise to the challenge. Misty, in particular, encourages her Poliwhirl to watch closely as it may someday evolve into a Poliwrath. As is often the case, the battle isn’t long over before this challenger and Ash and Misty have become fast friends.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket, having furtively observed this battle and been convinced that the Poliwrath is a match even for Pikachu, decide to first capture it and then use it to capture Pikachu. Unfortunately, this logic does not hold as they find capturing a Pokémon stronger than Pikachu even more difficult than simply capturing Pikachu. A surprise is in store for Misty, as her Poliwhirl evolves not into a Poliwrath, but into another Pokémon altogether.

Major events

• Misty's Poliwhirl evolves into Politoed and learns Swagger.

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

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Politoed (Misty's)

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Brock
• Misty
• Jessie
• James
• Nurse Joy
• Delaney
• Mason
• Farmer
• Crowd

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Pinsir (US and international), Poliwhirl (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Bayleef (Ash's)
• Phanpy (Ash's)
• Poliwhirl (Misty's; evolves)
• Politoed (Misty's; newly evolved; debut)
• Corsola (Misty's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Victreebel (James's)
• Poliwrath (Delaney's)
• Hitmontop (Mason's)
• Ursaring
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's)

Trivia

• This episode aired in the U.S. exactly one year and one day from its Japanese airing.
• The group transfers their Pokémon between Pokémon Centers. This presumably has the same physical effect as trading, which is required for Poliwhirl to evolve into Politoed.
• The device used by Team Rocket for this episode bears an uncanny resemblance to the Strength Intensifiers A.J. used on his Pokémon.
  • Its purpose is also similar to the device Dr. Namba used on Electabuzz and hoped to use on Lugia.
• Instead of the regular Team Rocket theme, during the motto it is instead a variation.
• Not for the first or last time, Jessie battles without the aid of a Pokémon.
• This is the third time an overly-confident trainer is well-known for his "unbeatable" Poliwrath. The other times were in Charizard Chills and Hook, Line, and Stinker.
• The English title is most likely a reference to "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (Hamlet 3. 1. 68), part of Hamlet's To be, or not to be soliloquy from the tragedy by William Shakespeare.
  • It may also be based on either the game show or movie "Outrageous Fortune."
• When Poliwhirl evolves, Jessie says, "Shazam!" This may be a reference to Captain Marvel, the comic book figure who transforms from a young man into an adult superhero at the mention of the name of the wizard who gave him his abilities, Shazam.

Errors

• Ash questions why Poliwrath is able to use Submission when only Fighting Pokémon should be able to know this move. Misty explains that Poliwrath acquired Submission from evolving from a Poliwhirl, implying that simply evolving is what allowed the move to be known, not the process of becoming a dual Water-Fighting type.
• When Poliwrath is fighting Ash's Bayleef, it is the ninth battle that day. Brock says it is Poliwrath's eighth battle.
• The middle aged man who informs Ash and co. of Poliwrath's whereabouts mentions that there are three people with Poliwrath. However Team Rocket only has two people, and a Meowth.
• When Misty calls on Corsola to battle Poliwrath, she sends it out of a regular Poké Ball instead of the Lure Ball it was contained in.

Dub edits

• There are a lot of slapping shots in this episode, and two of those shots were deemed "too violent" for the English dub. There are two separate shots of Poliwrath violently slapping Jessie; in one of those shots, she has red spots on her cheeks from Poliwrath's intense slapping. Both of these shots were cut from the dub and replaced with an alternate animation. The same thing happened with the first and third episodes, where Misty slapped Ash for letting his Pokémon get hurt.

Deleted Slapping Shots

• 

  Shot 1 of 2

• 

  Shot 2 of 2

In other languages

Language		Title
Mandarin Chinese		蚊香蛙的進化
Dutch		Ga Uit Je Dak
European French		Prédictions
German		Böse Zukunft
Hebrew		מזל ביש mazal bish
Italian		Un nuovo piano
Portuguese	Brazil	Fortunas Ultrajantes
	Portugal	Um Futuro Violento
Spanish	Latin America	¡Adivinos y ladrones!
	Spain	Adivinos extravagantes

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← EP246 : Wish Upon a Star Shape

Original series

EP248 : One Trick Phony! →

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