Battle Frontier (song)

バトルフロンティア
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AG OP 4 Artist 髙屋亜希那 {{{artistname_ro}}} Lyrics Rie Composer Rie Arrangement 高梨康治 {{{arrangername_ro}}}
Pikachu Records Title バトルフロンティア Catalog no. ZMCP-2302
This song debuted in the eighth Pokémon movie the week before its television debut.

Battle Frontier (Japanese: バトルフロンティア Batoru Furontia exact) is the fourth opening theme song of the Japanese Advanced Generation Pokémon anime series and the ninth total opening for the Pokémon television anime.

It debuted in AG135, replacing Pokémon Symphonic Medley. Its singer, 髙屋亜希那 Akina Tayaka, is a relatively unknown artist. It debuted at the same time as a new ending, Pokémon Counting Song. The instruments-only version replaced the instrumental verison of Advance Adventure in episode 135 in the Japanese preview of the next episode.

It was also used as the Pokémon Sunday ending from PS053 onwards.

Opening animation

Characters

Humans

• Ash Ketchum
• Misty
• May
• Brock
• Tracey
• Max
• Drew
• Professor Oak
• Delia Ketchum
• Professor Birch
• Scott
• Harley
• Noland
• Greta
• Tucker
• Lucy
• Spenser
• Anabel (silhouette)
• Brandon(silhouette)

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Chimecho (James's)
• Phanpy (Ash's) → Donphan (Ash's)
• Swellow (Ash's)
• Grovyle (Ash's) → Sceptile (Ash's)
• Corphish (Ash's)
• Azurill (Misty's)
• Combusken (May's)
• Munchlax (May's)
• Squirtle (May's)
• Eevee (May's)
• Forretress (Brock's)
• Mudkip (Brock's) → Marshtomp (Brock's)
• Bonsly (Brock's, new, debut)
• Seviper (Jessie's)
• Dustox {Jessie's)
• Cacnea (James's)
• Manene (James's, new, debut)
• Mr. Mime (Delia's)
• Mew
• Manyula
• Lucario

Dungeon of Mystery

• Gengar
• Alakazam
• Tyranitar
• Murkrow
• Magnemite
• Charmander
• Cyndaquil
• Torchic
• Medicham
• Ekans
• Charizard

Variants

There are 11 variants of the opening animation:

1. AG135 - AG145: The original animation.
2. AG146 - AG148: The two paragraphs of text introducing Pocket Monsters is re-added.
3. AG149: Animation updated to include Brock's Marshtomp.
4. AG150 - AG151: Animation updated to include Greta.
5. AG152: Animation updated to include Jessie's Dustox. Manyula is removed, as is the Mew & Lucario scene, and is replaced by a scene based on Pokémon: Dungeon of Mystery, which was released on the same day.
6. AG153 - AG154: Animation updated to include Tucker.
7. AG155 - AG157: Animation updated to include Ash's Donphan.
8. AG158: Animation updated to include May's Eevee.
9. AG159 - AG161: Animation updated to include Lucy; director 日高正光 Masamitsu Hidaka is removed.
10. AG162 - AG163: Animation updated to include Ash's Sceptile.
11. AG164 - AG165: Animation updated to include Spenser.

Pokémon Sunday ending animation

The first animation sequence in this version is Ash, May, and Brock calling out their Pokémon to attack. Those Pokémon are May's Combusken, Ash's Grovyle, and Brock's Mudkip.

The next group of animations are the same as in the main opening (Ash and Pikachu running through the field, through the pan shot of Ash and all of his Pokémon). However, the differences in these animations are that ending credits replace the ones used in the opening. Also, the scene of Scott waving while driving past is replaced by a pan shot of all of the Frontier Brains. The animation sequence following this include portions of the first Frontier Brain battle between Ash and Noland, which involved Ash's Charizard and Noland's Articuno. After this, the normal animations resume, starting from the sequence involving Brock chopping up lettuce and cooking rice, and May throwing a Pokéball. The Team Rocket sequence prior to AG152 (with Manyula) remains intact. This is followed by the Mew and Lucario flyby animation, as was the case in the first version of this opening. Unlike the original ending though, the group silhouette is replaced with the Frontier Brain reveal.