EP043

← EP042 : Showdown at Dark City

Original series

EP044 : The Problem with Paras →

The March of the Exeggutor Squad

EP043   ナッシーぐんだんだいこうしん！ Nassy Squad Big March!

First broadcast Japan May 7, 1998 United States October 30, 1998

English themes Opening Pokémon Theme Ending

Japanese themes Opening めざせポケモンマスター Ending ポケットにファンタジー

Credits Animation Team Ota Screenplay 園田英樹 Hideki Sonoda Storyboard 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani Assistant director 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani Animation director 山本郷 Gō Yamamoto Additional credits

The March of the Exeggutor Squad (Japanese: ナッシーぐんだんだいこうしん！ Nassy Squad Big March!) is the 43rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on May 7, 1998, and in the United States on October 30, 1998.

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

Synopsis

The gang now find them in town on the same day that the carnival has arrived. Brock blushes and notes about the girls. Brock and Ash throw off their coats and join everyone in a dance. Misty and Pikachu don't want to and walk away slowly. They go on some rides and eat ice cream, but notices a woman shouting at a man with some Exeggcute. The woman hits the man and says goodbye. Misty goes up to the man and asks if everything is alright. The man asks if Misty will help him. He says its for his magic show. The man reveals his name, Melvin, and hands Misty a flower with flags on it with some Pokémon pictures on them. Misty says she will help Melvin, but just this once. Next, Misty and Melvin are on a stage with a crowd of four. Then Ash and Brock walk in and Ash comments on Misty's outfit. Then some Exeggcute jump onto a small table on the stage. Ash uses his Pokédex to check out the Exeggcute. Melvin then starts to juggle with the Exeggcute and the people there (even Misty) think that it is boring. Then Melvin pulls out a wand and a tiny flame comes out. The crowd then falls back and say things like "That was pathetic!" He tries again, and another sort of flame comes out. Misty tells him to be careful, but the sprinklers go off and Melvin gets fired. He wants to give up all his dreams, but Ash and co. give him some tips. He pulls out a wand and flowers come out. The flowers are dead, and his act was also dead (Brock said this when the flowers fell off). Ash then does his own "trick" but it was really just Ash's Pokémon. Ash next says that Melvin's Exeggcute don't do much. The Exeggcute start to use Hypnosis on Ash. Melvin tells the Exeggcute to stop, but Ash says ok. Brock and Misty wonder what is wrong, and Melvin realizes what it was. After that Melvin commands Ash to pull him into the Leaf Forest. They didn't notice a sign warning them that Exeggcute evolve in the Leaf Forest. Team Rocket see Melvin and start to follow them. Misty then realizes what happened and tells Brock. Brock agrees. Melvin next makes Ash weaken loads of Exeggutor so he can catch them. Team Rocket make an entry and say their motto. Then they tie Melvin up. Melvin's Exeggcute starts to evolve, and uses Hypnosis on Team Rocket and the other Exeggutor. They go off on a rampage towards the town. Pikachu wakes up Ash, and they follow the Exeggutor. After a long battle, Charmander evolves into Charmeleon, and the Exeggutor are stopped. The gang leave the town to head towards the next city.

Major events

• Ash's Charmander evolves into a Charmeleon.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

• Charmeleon (Ash's)

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Brock
• Jessie
• James
• Melvin

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Exeggcute

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charmander (Ash's; evolves)
• Charmeleon (Ash's; newly evolved, debut)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Exeggcute (Melvin's; evolves)
• Exeggutor (Melvin's; newly evolved)
• Exeggutor (Melvin's; multiple)

Pokémon seen at the carnival:

• Venusaur (living debut)
• Butterfree
• Oddish
• Machoke
• Bellsprout
• Ponyta
• Dodrio
• Chansey

Trivia

• This is the last episode to air in syndication in the U.S.A.. Due to this, there was a near four month gap between this episode and The Problem with Paras as a result of Pokémon being moved to the Kids' WB! lineup.
• Early in the episode, Ash and Brock don party outfits. Brock's outfit, which has pink frills for the sleeves and the cuffs of the pants, has large similarities to his future Takeshi's Paradise outfit, including the maracas he holds. The outfit from this episode thus may have served as inspiration for the later outfit.
• This is the last episode until Pokémon Ranger - Deoxys Crisis! where the English title is a direct translation of the Japanese title.
• The reason for the Exeggcute's evolution could be a reaction to the forest. It is named Leaf Forest, and there is a sign that has a picture of an Exeggcute with an arrow pointing towards an Exeggutor. This could mean that the forest can make an Exeggcute evolve. It should also be noted that it explained in Kanji that the forest is filled with radiation from Leaf Stones buried underground.
• This is the first episode in which one of Ash's Pokémon evolves in the same episode as another character's Pokémon.
• This episode is featured on the Volume 9: Charmander copy of Pokémon All Stars.

In other languages

• Finnish: Exeggutorit vauhkona
• French: Un Pokémon tout n'oeuf
• German: Angriff der Kokowei
• Hebrew: שעטת האקזקיוטורים she'atat haExeggutorim
• Italian: Il mago Melvin
• Mandarin: 椰蛋树军团大前进
• Portuguese (Brazilian and European): A Marcha dos Exeggutors
• Spanish:
  • Iberian Spanish: ¡La marcha del escuadrón Exeggutor!
  • Latin American Spanish: ¡La marcha del escuadrón Exeggutor!
• Swedish: Trollkarlen Melvin

← EP042 : Showdown at Dark City

Original series

EP044 : The Problem with Paras →

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