EP008

The Path to the Pokémon League File:Pikachu.JPG.png

EP008   ポケモンリーグへのみち Road to the Pokémon League

First broadcast Japan May 20, 1997 United States September 17, 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 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Assistant director 鈴木敏明 Toshiaki Suzuki Animation director 志村隆行 Takayuki Shimura No additional credits are available at this time.

The Path to the Pokémon League (Japanese: ポケモンリーグへのみち Road to the Pokémon League) is the eighth episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 20, 1997 and in USA on September 17, 1998.

Ash battles a seemingly barbaric Pokémon trainer who runs an unofficial Pokémon Gym.

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

Characters

Humans

• Ash Ketchum
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• A.J.

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Sandshrew

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Pidgeotto (Ash's)
• Ekans (Jessie's)
• Koffing (James's)
• Sandshrew (A.J.'s)
• Butterfree (A.J.'s)
• Beedrill (A.J.'s)
• Rattata (A.J.'s; three)
• Rattata (unnamed trainer's)

Trivia

• he Straight jacket used on Sandshrew may be the basis for the item Matcho Brace

Dub edits

• The sign over the Gym is heavily edited:
  • The text is translated.
  • The background changes from plain white to a grey that fades into white.
  • The numbers are made to look digital.
  • The number of losses (0) is added.
• A sign inside the tent saying "Fight! Work Harder!" is changed to a picture of a Pokéball being hit with a whip.
• Team Rocket experiment with a different motto:
  • Japanese:
    • Jessie: "We are the pretty thieves"
    • James: "Target: Pikachu!"
  • Dub:
    • Jessie: "Team Rocket will do what it has to do"
    • James: "To snatch that little Pikachu"
• At the end, a five second panning of the battle field is cut by three seconds and replaced by a three second clip from earlier in the episode.

In other languages

• French: Le chemin qui mène à la Ligue Pokémon
• Portuguese (Brazil): O Caminho para a Liga Pokémon
• Spanish: El camino a la Liga Pokémon

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