EP174

← EP173 : Wobbu-Palooza!

Original series

EP175 : The Trouble With Snubbull →

Imitation Confrontation

EP174   めざせメタモンマスター！イミテふたたび!! Aim to Be a Metamon Master! Imite, Once Again!!

First broadcast Japan November 23, 2000 United States October 27, 2001

English themes Opening Born to Be a Winner Ending

Japanese themes Opening OK! Ending ぼくのベストフレンドへ

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 冨岡淳広 Atsuhiro Tomioka Storyboard 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Assistant director 浅田裕二 Yūji Asada Animation director 岩根雅明 Masaaki Iwane No additional credits are available at this time.

Imitation Confrontation (Japanese: めざせメタモンマスター！イミテふたたび!! Aim to Be a Metamon Master! Imite, Once Again!!) is the 174th episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 23, 2000 and in the United States on October 27, 2001.

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

Synopsis

Continuing on their Pokémon journey, Ash and co. arrive at a Pokémon Center. They are curious as to why it appears nobody is there, until a Chansey and an unusual-looking Nurse Joy appear. She tells them that she was doing a Pokémon examination. Brock, however, is suspicious, and calls out Nurse Joy as being an impostor. Congratulating him on seeing through the disguise, both Nurse Joy and Chansey reveal themselves to be Duplica and her Ditto. She explains that she is participating in a Pokémon acting competition, and will enter with her new Ditto, Mini-Dit. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, spying on the trainers from afar, recognize Duplica. They being formulating their plan to snatch her Ditto.

After completing its examination, everyone is outside playing. Brock asks Duplica why Mini-Dit was being examined. She decides to show visually why it was at the center. After Transforming perfectly into Pikachu and Togepi, Mini-Dit then Transforms into Brock's Onix. However, its size is nowhere near that of an actual Onix; rather, it is closer to being the size of Pikachu and Togepi. Noticing this, Team Rocket decides to steal Mini-Dit as well. Ash then challenges Mini-Dit to a battle.

Ash sends Totodile up against Mini-Dit. It successfully Transforms into the Template:Type2 and uses Scary Face. However, it ends up entertaining Totodile, who starts laughing at the move. It then uses Water Gun and hits Mini-Dit. Unfazed, Duplica commands Mini-Dit to use Hydro Pump. Unfortunately, as Totodile doesn't know that move, it didn't work. Out of nowhere, an explosion occurs in the Pokémon Center. Looking up, they see Jessie and James in the guise of Duplica and Ash on the Center's roof. While explaining their goal of stealing all the Center's Pokémon, Meowth sneaks up and grabs Mini-Dit. The trio takes off into the Center, when suddenly Duplica realizes Mini-Dit is gone. After inspecting the Pokémon Center, they discover that Team Rocket's only goal was stealing Mini-Dit, as all the other Pokémon are safe.

After a successful escape, Team Rocket celebrates their successful capture. But before long, they're formulating their next scheme; Meowth decides to have Mini-Dit transform into a mini Arbok. He believes they'll trick somebody into trading them a rare Pokémon like Dragonite. They also decide to steal Mini-Dit back, and continue the scheme over and over again. While they plot, Ash and the others are having no luck in finding Mini-Dit and Team Rocket. Even Noctowl and Ditto Transformed into Noctowl have helped. Just then, Nurse Joy appears and tells them a trainer told her about some suspicious-looking characters trying to sell a Mini-Arbok. When Ash and the others check it out, they find the trio trying to auction off Mini-Dit. Thanks to Meowth, the gang reveals themselves, and Mini-Dit is rescued.

Not wanting to lose Mini-Dit, Jessie sends out Arbok in an attempt to regain it. However, Wobbuffet appears instead. Duplica sends out both her Ditto. Ditto becomes Arbok, while Mini-Dit becomes Wobbuffet. Ditto attacks, but Jessie's Wobbuffet uses Counter. Likewise, Jessie's Arbok's Poison Sting is countered by Mini-Dit. While the battle rages, Meowth and James decide to steal Pikachu. James sends out Weezing, but Duplica notices and has Ditto use Wrap. Ash then has Pikachu use Thunderbolt, which is countered by Wobbuffet. Having an idea, Duplica mocks Team Rocket for not attacking her stronger Mini-Dit. Jessie commands Arbok to Tackle it, but it is countered by Mini-Dit. James has Weezing use Sludge, but Mini-Dit counters with Mirror Coat. Duplica then explains to the trio that Mirror Coat counters special attacks. Now angrier than ever, Jessie commands Meowth to use Fury Swipes, but it is once again countered by Mini-Dit. Then both Ditto transform into Pikachu, and all three use Thunder, sending Team Rocket blasting off again.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Duplica puts on a show by having Mini-Dit transform into a miniature Ursaring. The gang tells Duplica that even though Mini-Dit doesn't grow bigger, it's still the same Pokémon only a bit special. Duplica tells Ash and the others that she plans to become the greatest performing, and names herself and her Pokémon Team Ditto. After Ash comments that Duplica can become a Ditto master, she reminds him that they never finished their battle. They both head outside, where it continues.

Elsewhere, Team Rocket is stuck in a tree. Jessie criticizes Wobbuffet for losing to a mini Pokémon.

Major events

• Duplica returns with a new Ditto named Mini-Dit.
• Jessie's Wobbuffet is confirmed to know Mirror Coat.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Duplica
• Nurse Joy
• Crowd

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Ninetales

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Totodile (Ash's)
• Noctowl (Ash's)
• Onix (Brock's)
• Arbok (Jessie's)
• Weezing (James's)
• Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
• Ditto (Duplica's)
• Ditto (Duplica's, Mini-Dit)
• Spinarak (Unnamed Trainer's)
• Mareep (Unnamed Trainer's)
• Ursaring (Unnamed Trainer's)

Pokémon that appear via fantasy or poster

• Scizor (fantasy)
• Clefairy (fantasy)
• Omastar (fantasy)
• Dragonair (fantasy)
• Dragonite (fantasy)
• Bellsprout (poster)
• Wooper (poster)
• Teddiursa (poster)
• Shuckle (poster)

Trivia

• In this episode, Duplica enters in a double battle with Jessie, using her Ditto and Mini-Dit against Jessie's Arbok and Wobbuffet.
• This episode marks the first time in the anime that a trainer commands a Pokémon to use Mirror Coat.
  • However, Jessie's Wobbuffet has always used the appropriate counter for a given situation even though she only ever commanded it to use Counter.
• The Japanese title is a reference to the opening song Aim to Be a Pokémon Master.

Errors

• When James's Weezing uses Sludge, Mini-Dit uses Mirror Coat and is able to reflect it. This is incorrect as Sludge is a Template:Type2 move (which relies on a Pokémon's Attack prior to Generation IV). The correct counter would be Counter since Counter is used against physical attacks and Mirror Coat is used against special attacks. In Generation IV and beyond, however, since Sludge is itself a special attack, Mirror Coat would reflect it.
• After Meowth jumps on both Jessie's and James's heads the former's glasses disappear for a short while.
• When Mini-Dit transforms into Totodile it uses Tackle, implying that Totodile knows Tackle - a move it cannot learn in the games.
• When Duplica's ditto Transforms into Ash's Noctowl it becomes shiny, however in the games it would become a normally colored Noctowl. Also, in the games, if a shiny Ditto uses transform on a non-shiny Pokemon it will become a shiny variation of that Pokemon.

In other languages

• Dutch: Imitatie, Confrontatie
• French: Imitation, Confrontation
• German. Imitation Konfrontation
• Hebrew: תחרות התחפושות takharut hatakhposot
• Italian: Imitazioni
• Portuguese (Brazilian): Confronto entre Imitações
• Spanish:
  • Iberian Spanish: Combate de imitaciones
  • Latin American Spanish: ¡Duelo de imitación!

← EP173 : Wobbu-palooza

Original series

EP175 : Trouble With Snubbull →

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