EP034

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The Kangaskhan Kid

EP034   ガルーラのこもりうた Garura's Lullaby

First broadcast Japan November 18, 1997 United States October 22, 1998

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター Ending ニャースのうた

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami Storyboard 井上修 Osamu Inoue Assistant director 井上修 Osamu Inoue Animation director 平岡正幸 Masayuki Hiraoka Additional credits

The Kangaskhan Kid (Japanese: ガルーラのこもりうた Garura's Lullaby) is the 34th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 18, 1997 and in the United States on October 22, 1998.

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

Ash and his friends reach the Kanto Safari Zone, where they meet a young boy named Tommy who lives amongst the Kangaskhan. At the same time, his parents appear, saying they want him to come home with them.

Synopsis

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Ash says, "Look at all the different Pokémon! This has to be the Safari Zone!" Suddenly, Ash sees a Chansey stick its head up and he gets ready to throw a Poké Ball; however, an Officer Jenny pops up with a gun and arrests Ash for Pokémon poaching. She takes them back to the station and explains about the Pokémon Preservation Area where it's illegal to catch Pokémon.

Ash says he didn't know, so Jenny lets them off with a warning and shes sees a red dot on her radar, saying that there are more poachers; Ash offers to help. They drive up to find Team Rocket trying to capture all the Kangaskhan. Ash looks at his Pokédex, which says the Kangaskhan charge until they feel their young are out of danger. Team Rocket fires a rocket and scares all the Kangaskhan, making them charge towards the jeep. The group manages to escape, but Team Rocket puts all the Kangaskhan in a net.

Jessie throws a Poké Ball and it is hit by a boomerang; suddenly, a kid begins to yell, cutting the net and setting them free. The Kangaskhan attack Team Rocket, sending them blasting off.

The kid jumps into the pouch of the biggest Kangaskhan. A helicopter soon lands and two parents come out, saying they heard a report of their missing kid in the area. They all go back to the station and they hear that Tommy, or Tommo, is living in the area. Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu leave the jeep and go to look around and find the infant Kangaskhan that was supposed to be where Tommo went; they give it a Super Potion.

The kid thinks they are hurting it, so he jumps down. He asks Misty. "You people or Pokémon?" Misty punches him and says that they are people. The parents run over and talk to Tommy, and his father smacks Tommy with a piece of wood hoping it knocks the memory of Tommy's parents back into his head. He remembers his mom; his father opens his shirt and Misty smacks the father with a piece of wood, saying, "One memory at a time!" Jenny rushes back because of poachers, so Tommy runs to the Kangaskhan.

They find a giant Kangaskhan, which is actually a machine built by Team Rocket. It pretends to be injured; the other Kangaskhan go to help, but are stopped by the leader. However, they go anyway, and all are hit by tranquilizers; the leader goes to hurt Team Rocket but is hit as well.

Ash then brings out his Pokémon: Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip and Squirtle tries Skull Bash, which does not work. Then Team Rocket powers up, but the Kangaskhan break free. Pikachu and Charmander come out while Tommy throws his boomerang, knocking the gasoline out, and Charmander's fire sets it ablaze. The Kangaskhan robot is set on fire, though it still works.

Suddenly, the helicopter comes in and crashes into the mechanical Kangaskhan; it explodes, and Team Rocket blasts off again. Tommy thinks his parents are dead, but they get up. They are revealed to be wearing similar things as Tommy and they say they will join Tommy.

The episode ends with Tommy, his parents, and an infant Kangaskhan in the leader's pouch, with Ash and his friends leaving.

Major events

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Kangaskhan

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Officer Jenny
• Tommy
• Tommy's parents

Pokémon

Who’s That Pokémon?: Kangaskhan

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charmander (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Weedle
• Oddish
• Vileplume
• Venonat
• Venomoth
• Mankey
• Bellsprout
• Victreebel
• Tangela
• Kangaskhan (debut)

Trivia

• The theme of this episode may based off the stories of Tarzan and Mowgli.
• The events of this episode are later referenced in the beginning of Pikachu's Goodbye.
• This is the second straight episode where the narrator says that Ash and his friends are in the Safari Zone, while they are really in a Pokémon preservation area (though it is implied that this is an area of the Safari Zone).
  • In Japan, there was an episode after this where Ash does enter the Safari Zone, and catches some Tauros (who are seen in later episodes), however that episode was banned due to gun use. Thus, the Safari Zone has never been witnessed in the English anime (or at least the area in which one can capture Pokémon).
• The explosion sends Team Rocket "blasting off again", but Tommy's parents are supposedly killed in the blast. Though they do survive, they do not "blast off" like Team Rocket does.
• This is the second time Jessie is hit in the face with a Poké Ball, the first being in The Tower of Terror, where Ash, mistaking Team Rocket for Template:Type2 Pokémon, throws a Poké Ball at them.

Dub edits

• When Ash, Misty and Brock first encounter Tommy, the gag of Misty telling Tommy to apologize was changed for the dubbed English version. In the original Japanese version, Tommy spaces out and stares at Misty's breasts, and she asks (rough translation) "What's up?" Tommy responds "What are those things on your chest?" She gets very angry, and hits him, and says "How do you know such things?" For the dubbed English version, the shot of Misty's breasts was cut, and he asks "You people or Pokémon?" She gets very angry, hits him and says "I'm a person, you creep!"

In other languages

• European Portuguese: O Rapaz Kangaskhan
• Brazilian Portuguese: O Filho de Kangaskhan
• Dutch: Het kangaskhan kind
• Finnish: Kangaskhanin poika
• French: L'enfant sauvage
• German: Kangama Kid
• Italian: Il bambino della giungla
• Latin American Spanish: ¡El chico Kangaskhan!
• Iberian Spanish: El niño Kangaskhan
• Swedish: Djungelpojken Tommy
• Mandarin: 袋龙的摇篮曲

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Original series

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