DP077

← DP076 : A Full Course Tag Battle!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP078 : Pruning a Passel of Pals! →

Staging a Heroes' Welcome!

DP077   EP543 みんなライバル！ミクリカップ!! Everyone's A Rival! Mikuri Cup!!

First broadcast Japan May 8, 2008 United States September 20, 2008

English themes Opening We Will Be Heroes Ending

Japanese themes Opening Together Ending 風のメッセージ (PokaPoka Version)

Credits Animation Team Iguchi Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 日高政光 Masamitsu Hidaka Assistant director 古賀一臣 Kazuomi Koga Animation director 田口広一 Kōichi Taguchi Additional credits

Screenshots on Filb.de

Staging a Heroes' Welcome! (Japanese: みんなライバル！ミクリカップ！！ Everyone's A Rival! Mikuri Cup!!) is the 77th episode of Diamond & Pearl series, and the 543rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on May 8, 2008 alongside Pruning a Passel of Pals! as part of a one-hour special, and in the United States on September 20, 2008.

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

Synopsis

Template:Incomplete synopsis Ash and his friends have arrived at the Lake Resort where the Wallace Cup will take place. They reunite with Zoey who has caught a Finneon. Dawn becomes nervous and has trouble keeping her composure. Meanwhile, May decides to enter with Wartortle, and Ash with Buizel...!

Major events

• Ash, Dawn, Zoey, Jessie and May participate in the Wallace Cup.
• May meets Zoey.
• May's Squirtle was revealed to have evolved into a Wartortle during her travels in Johto.
• Zoey was revealed to have caught a Finneon.
• Drew, Harley, and Solidad watch the contest from Ecruteak City.
• Ash, Dawn, Zoey, and May make it through the Appeal Round, while Jessie is eliminated.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• May's Wartortle

Anime debuts

• Finneon

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Brock
• May
• Dawn
• Jessie
• James
• Paul
• Kenny
• Zoey
• Mr. Sukizo
• Marian
• Contesta
• Nurse Joy
• Wallace
• Max
• Drew
• Harley
• Solidad
• Norman
• Caroline
• Rhonda
• Sinnoh Now Staff
• Kyle
• Pokémon Coordinators
• Wallace's fans

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Mime Jr. (James's)
• Buizel (Ash's)
• Munchlax (May's)
• Squirtle (May's, flashback)
• Wartortle (May's)
• Piplup (Dawn's)
• Ambipom (Dawn's)
• Croagunk (Brock's)
• Finneon (Zoey's)
• Milotic (Wallace's)
• Cloyster (Kyle's)

Trivia

File:Temaculook-a-like.PNG

Temacu (top row, third from the left) and Oscar? (bottom row, first from right*)

File:Sakura and Tomoyo DP077.jpg

Sakura and Tomoyo look-a-likes

• Both May and Dawn had most of their rivals appear in the episode either in cameos or throughout the course of the episode: Drew, Solidad, and Harley for May; and Zoey and Kenny for Dawn. It should be noted that Ash's rival, Paul, also had a brief appearance. Nando was the only one of Dawn's main rivals not to appear.
• Two girls near the beginning of the episode look like Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidōji from Cardcaptor Sakura.
• One of the coordinators that are seen in the TV screen has a striking similarity to Temacu, in her fantasy appearance.
• One of the other coordinators had a strong resemblance to Oscar from The Bicker The Better, with the only significant difference being the color of his hair.
• Instead of Professor Oak's Pokémon lecture, the end of the episode featured a memorial to Spell of the Unown. This is part of a countdown to Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
• This is the second time in a row that Dawn's Ambipom's Poké Ball almost slips out of her hand in a contest due to her embarrassment.

Errors

When Croagunk drags Brock away from the woman selling crepes, May's gloves disappear.

Dub edits

← DP076 : A Full Course Tag Battle!

Diamond & Pearl series

DP078 : Pruning a Passel of Pals! →

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