EP017

Island of the Giant Pokémon File:TheIslandoftheGiantPokemon.gif.png

EP017   きょだいポケモンのしま!? Island of Giant Pokémon!?

First broadcast Japan July 22, 1997 United States September 30, 1998

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター Ending ひゃくごじゅういち

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 首藤剛志 Takeshi Shudō Storyboard 日高政光 Masamitsu Hidaka Assistant director 岡崎幸男 Yukio Okazaki Animation director 志村泉 Izumi Shimura No additional credits are available at this time.

Island of the Giant Pokémon (Japanese: きょだいポケモンのしま!? Island of Giant Pokémon!?) is episode 17 of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on July 22, 1997 and in USA on September 30, 1998.

Now hit by a Dragon Rage attack, the humans are separated from their Pokémon on an island containing many giant Pokémon...

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

Synopsis

After the attack caused by a group of Gyarados, Ash and his friends end up on an island where they realize that four of Ash's Pokémon, including Pikachu, are missing. On another side of the island, Jessie and James awaken to find their Pokémon, including Meowth, are missing. They find a phone booth and attempt to call their boss for help, but he hangs up on them when they finish their motto. On another part of the island a separated Pikachu finds the Poké Balls of the separated Pokémon and releases Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. They then see a Slowpoke fishing in the sea with its tail. Pikachu and Charmander decide to ask for help but with little result while Bulbasaur and Squirtle relax on the beach.

While trying to find Ash and the others, Ash's Pokémon are found by Team Rocket's Pokémon, Koffing, Ekans and Meowth. Meowth tells Koffing and Ekans to attack Ash's Pokémon, only to find out they won't battle for him because he is not their master. Each side tells the other about their missing trainers and Koffing and Ekans get visibly upset when Bulbasaur mentions that their trainers may have abandoned them. The two sets of Pokémon join together to find their trainers. Meanwhile Meowth is tied up for what he has done to Pikachu and the others in the past. While they are eating, a giant Rhydon attacks them. The Pokémon escape, accidentally leaving Meowth tied up. Pikachu unties Meowth so he can escape. Meowth shows no gratitude for Pikachu's action, instead pushing him and saying that he could have got out himself. At the same time, Ash, Misty and Brock are being chased by a giant Zapdos. They soon elude it and decide to rest for the night. Ash vows to find his Pokémon no matter what. Meanwhile, Jessie and James are being chased by a huge Moltres. They run into a sign and are both knocked out, causing them to escape the Moltres. The next day, Team Rocket runs back to the phone booth and use it to get help by pulling on the wire while inside, hoping it will lead to the phone company. They see a Pikachu and decide to catch it, not realising until it is too late that it is in fact a giant Pikachu. At the same time, Ash and company run behind a rock after being attacked by a giant Charizard. The Pokémon still searching for Ash and Team Rocket see a giant Blastoise. Squirtle is forced to ask it for directions by the other Pokémon, something that it's not too happy to do. Squirtle tries to start up a conversation with the giant Blastoise but it gets attacked by its Hydro Pump. They then see a Venusaur and Squirtle this time asks Bulbasaur to seek help from it as Squirtle thinks it's one of Bulbasaur's relatives. Bulbasaur is too afraid to ask the giant Venusaur and so says that it's an orphan and has no family, to which Squirtle decides to call it a "coward." Team Rocket, still pulling the telephone wire, are now being chased by a huge Kabutops. They decide to jump into a railcart to get away. It starts moving but begins to head backwards toward the Kabutops, rather then away from it. It gets its foot tied in the wire and is dragged after Team Rocket. Then Ash and friends find the giant Pikachu, which is then knocked down because of Team Rocket and the trailing wire on the railcart. Ash and friends fall into the cart with Team Rocket inside. Then they see their Pokémon chased by a giant Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur. The Pokémon manage to jump to their trainers and are at last reunited. Then the cart is sent flying into the air because of a giant loop in the rail tracks causing them to fly and crash into the giant Zapdos which they then discover to be robotic. Soon all the other giant robot Pokémon crash into each other and lay broken in a massive pile on the beach. Then the railcart crashes into the water. A Gyarados shaped boat approaches the island. Inside, a woman introduces what appears to be tourists on the boat to Pokémon Island, however on noticing the damaged Pokémon, apologizes and then makes a call. It is revealed that the Island is an attraction park owned by Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, who isn't too happy with the destruction of his Island.

Ash and his friends continue on, ending up in Porta Vista. Meanwhile, the Slowpoke from earlier in the episode is still sitting on the rocks. It stands up, revealing a Shellder attached to its tail. The newly evolved Slowbro looks forward and says its name proudly.

Major events

• Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket end up in Pokémon Land, an amusement park featuring giant robotic versions of Pokémon.
• Ash and Team Rocket are separated from their Pokémon. Most of the episode focuses on the separated Pokémon.

Debuts

• Slowpoke
• Slowbro
• Moltres
• Venusaur
• Charizard
• Blastoise
• Zapdos
• Kabutops

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Giovanni

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Slowbro

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charmander (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Goldeen (Misty's; flashback)
• Staryu (Misty's; flashback)
• Starmie (Misty's; flashback)
• Ekans (Jessie's)
• Koffing (James's)
• Gyarados (James's; flashback)
• Persian (Giovanni's)
• Venusaur (debut)
• Charizard (debut)
• Blastoise (debut)
• Slowpoke (debut)
• Slowbro (debut)
• Krabby
• Gyarados (flashback)
• Kabutops (debut)
• Zapdos (debut)
• Moltres (debut)

Trivia

• This is the only episode where subtitles were used to translate what the Pokémon were saying. In some non-English dubs, the Pokémon used human language and the English subtitles were kept.
• This is the second episode where we see the head of Team Rocket, Giovanni.
• The robotic Moltres that chased Team Rocket and the robotic Rhydon were the only giant Pokémon that were not seen destroyed.
• Jessie and James reveal that they never caught Jessie's or James's but that they were given to them as Christmas and birthday presents.

In other languages

• European Portuguese: A ilha do Pokémon Gigante
• French: L'île des Pokémon géants
• Italian: L'isola dei Pokémon giganti
• Latin American Spanish: ¡La isla de los Pokémon gigantes!
• Brazillian Portuguese: A ilha dos Pokémons Gigantes
• Russian: Остров гигантских Покемонов
• Spanish: La isla de los Pokémon gigantes

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