Pokémon in Portugal

Pokémon in Portugal
Flag of Portugal
Language	European Portuguese
Continent	Europe
Original animated series airdates
EP001
AG001
DP001
BW001
XY001
SM001
JN001
HZ001

The Pokémon franchise first reached Portugal around 1999, when the anime started to be broadcast on SIC.

Pokémon anime

SIC's most recent logo, used since 1997

The television station that started broadcasting the Pokémon anime in Portugal is SIC (Sociedade Independente de Comunicação, in English: Independent Society of Comunication), a station based in Lisbon that is owned by Impresa and lead by Francisco Pinto Balsemão. It aired every episode of the anime, except the banned episodes. Ten seasons have been aired, starting from the original series to Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl (including Pokémon Chronicles), having several breaks in the process. The show aired in an irregular pattern, shifting from 6 A.M. to 10 A.M., but always in the same programing block, named SIC Kids.

Currently, on weekends, two episodes of Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl air around 7 A.M. The series is currently being sponsored by the italian toy company Giochi Preziozi.

Another portuguese channel, Panda Biggs, as already stated to be in the process of buying the rights of the anime.

A Portuguese-language translation of the Pokémon 2.B.A. Master soundtrack was released, entitled Pokémon: Vamos Apanhá-Los!.

Cast and crew

Many main characters in the Portuguese dub of the Pokémon anime have switched voice actors several times. Ash Ketchum, for example, had no less than seven different voice actors over the years. The first voice actress to dub Ash was Maria João Luís, who left the cast after Dig Those Diglett!, but returned for the first and the second movies. In addition to Ash, she also dubbed Nastina. Starting from The Ninja Poké-Showdown, Sandra Faleiro took over Ash's role, and stayed until Snack Attack. Another role she had during that time was that of Jessiebelle.

When no new voice actor was available to voice Ash, the part was given to Sandra de Castro, who, at the time, was also the voice of Jessie. Sandra de Castro started voicing Jessie and Officer Jenny since Showdown at Dark City, when Teresa Madruga, who originally voiced these characters (as well as Delia Ketchum and Duplica), left the cast for unknown reasons. Sandra de Castro voiced many other characters throughout the series, including Cassidy (in her first appearance only), Melody, Molly Hale, Sammy, Nurse Joy, Delia Ketchum, Marina, Prima, Johanna, and the Pokédex. She also had a couple of musical appearances in the series, such as Misty's farewell song and the Pokémon Chronicles' opening (along with Sérgio Calvinho).

Sandra remained Ash's voice actress from EP095 to EP131, and again from EP158 to EP209, AG093 to AG177, and finally from DP001 to present. Other voice actors to dub Ash during those vreaks include Cristina Carvalhal, Ana Madureira, and Bárbara Lourenço (who also dubbed Jessie, Nurse Joy, Delia Ketchum, and Hun in Pokémon Chronicles).

Other voice actresses to dub Jessie include Dora Cruz (who also dubbed Officer Jenny), Cármen Santos and Raquel Ferreira (also known as Raquel Silva; also dubbed the main characters Max and Dawn, as well as Ritchie and Luka).

For the first three seasons, Misty was voiced by Helena Montez, who also voiced Nurse Joy and Delia Ketchum. After she left the cast, Misty was dubbed by Paula Pais, as well as other voice actresses.

Two other members of the original cast are brothers Rui Luís Brás as Meowth, Professor Oak, and Giovanni, and Peter Michael as James, Brock, Gary Oak, and, later, Tracey Sketchit. The brothers left the cast after the Orange Islands, but returned for the third and fourth movies. To replace them, voice actors Rui Quintas and Pedro Carneiro were hired. Quintas dubbed James, Brock, and Professor Oak, while Carneiro dubbed Tracey and Meowth. Since the beginning of Master Quest, Quintas began to be the narrator. In Pokémon Chronicles and the Advanced Generation series, the roles of Meowth and Tracey, as well as Vincent and Silver, were given to Luís Barros. In the Diamond & Pearl series, Barros instead became the voice of Brock (taking the role from Rui Quintas) and Professor Rowan. Other roles he had include Yuzo and Tyson's Meowth.

The role of Gary Oak, after Peter Michael's departure, was given to Rui de Sá, who was also the voice of Butch and the narrator. In Pokémon Live he also gave voice to Giovanni. He eventually passed Gary's role to Nuno Pinto.

May's voice was Isabel Ribas, who also had other roles in the series, including Neesha, Officer Jenny, Delia Ketchum, and Cassidy.

Paul's voice actor is Pedro Cardoso, who also dubbed Giovanni and Professor Rowan's assistant in the Diamond & Pearl series.

This article is part of Project Globe, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon franchise around the world.