EP053
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The Purr-fect Hero
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First broadcast
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English themes
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Japanese themes
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Credits
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The Purr-fect Hero (Japanese: こどものひだよ！ぜんいんしゅうごう！ It's Children's Day! Everyone Gather!) is the 53rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on July 9, 1998 and in the United States on September 11, 1999.
Synopsis
The episode begins with Ash and his friends walking along a dirt path. They come across a few Pokémon banners and immediately recognize that it's Kids' Day. Suddenly, someone mistakes the trio for the Pokémon Trainers they've been looking for. Once she receives a phone call, she realizes that Ash and company are not the Pokémon Trainers she was searching for. However, after hearing how she wanted to do something special for the children she taught at the pre-school, the trio decides to let the children play with their Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket reminisces about Kids' Day. James always had a great Kids' Day, whereas Jessie did not.
The episode goes back to Ash and his friends inside the school. The children rush over to play with Pikachu, who has to be taken away by Ash before it electrocuted the children. Misty and Brock also let out their Pokémon, who all began playing with the kids. However, there was one child who was off on his own. This child, Timmy had no interest in playing with any Pokémon besides Meowth. He further explains that this is due to a wild Meowth saving him from a Beedrill. However, the children are in total disbelief and mock him.
Suddenly, a bright van pulls up to the school where Jessie, disguised a magician, convinces the teacher to let her, James, and Meowth do a magic show for the children. She agrees and Team Rocket sets up. They show the children, the gang, and the teacher an empty box, and claim that they need a volunteer. Pikachu is swept up by James who places it into the box. Both Jessie and James chant before tapping the box with a wand. Meowth flies from the box and completes the trick, much to the kid's enjoyment.
The trio try to make their getaway, but are stopped by Ash who demands his Pikachu back. Team Rocket reveals themselves, but are attacked by the overly excited children. They begin to bounce around Weezing before the teacher yells at them to quiet down and leave Team Rocket alone. Getting back down to business, James tells Weezing to use SmokeScreen which was able to blind the gang.
Timmy, upon seeing Meowth's distress, rushes over to help, but knocks down the box Meowth was standing on. This also knocks Pikachu out of the box, unbeknownst to everyone else. Team Rocket picks up the box and rushes off to escape. Ash worriedly calls out to Pikachu, but Pikachu is safe and sound inside the school. However, the teacher says that Timmy has gone missing. Misty do a Meowth impression.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket rejoice their capture and open the box, hoping to pull out Pikachu. Instead, they pull Timmy from the box, who proceeds to cry. The tears stop when he sees Meowth. He runs over to Meowth, thanking him for saving his life from the wild Beedrill. Meowth was about to tell him he had the wrong Pokémon, but Jessie and James convince Meowth to go along with the kid to avoid crushing his feelings.
Putting on act, Jessie and James act like they wanted to do harm to Timmy. Meowth jumps in front of him and uses Fury Swipes to knock Jessie and James down. Meowth grabs Timmy's hand and makes a run for it. They come running back to the school, surprising everyone. The children see Meowth and apologize for not believing Timmy's story in the first place and Timmy accepts their apologies and allows them to play with Meowth, who relishes in the attention.
Meowth accidentally lets some human speech slip from his mouth, getting Misty to call him out. In desperation, he made a run for it, much to the dismay of Timmy and his classmates. Timmy chases after Meowth, followed by everyone else. Meowth is able to make it back to Team Rocket, but he is followed by everyone. Team Rocket recites their motto once more and challenges Ash to a battle. Jessie sends out Arbok while James sends out his Weezing. Ash calls his Pidgeotto out and Brock helps by using Onix.
Weezing uses Smog, which is easily blown away by Pidgeotto's Gust, along with Weezing itself. Arbok, however, escapes by using Dig. Arbok popped up in front of the gang, but was tackled by Onix. This tackle causes part of the rock on the cliff Arbok slammed into to crumble and roll. Everyone was able to escape with the exception of Ash and Timmy. However, a wild Meowth came out of nowhere, kicking the boulder in two and saving their lives. Timmy immediately recognizes this Meowth as the one that had saved him before.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is running atop a second boulder, disappearing from sight while chasing their Meowth, unable to stop rolling.
Once back at the school, the teacher thanks Ash and his friends for all their help. Timmy proclaims he's going to become a Pokémon Trainer as well, hinting that the wild Meowth was now his. Finally, our heroes say goodbye to their new friends.
Major events
- Misty's Horsea is revealed to know Bubble.
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: Wartortle (US and international), Meowth (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Pidgeotto (Ash's)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's)
- Squirtle (Ash's)
- Goldeen (Misty's)
- Staryu (Misty's)
- Starmie (Misty's)
- Horsea (Misty's)
- Psyduck (Misty's)
- Geodude (Brock's)
- Onix (Brock's)
- Zubat (Brock's)
- Vulpix (Brock's)
- Arbok (Jessie's)
- Weezing (James's)
- Beedrill (flashback)
- Meowth
Trivia
- The correct placement of this episode in chronology is somewhat a mystery because of the episodes airing out of order due to the EP038 seizure incident. The events of this episode take place sometime after Who Gets to Keep Togepi?, because Togepi is present in this episode; it is estimated to take place either before or after the Todd Snap arc.
- This episode was originally scheduled to air on Children's Day itself, on May 5, 1998, but was rescheduled in the aftermath of EP038.
- This episode and the preceding air after The Breeding Center Secret in the dub. It aired between The Breeding Center Secret and Riddle Me This on Pocket Monsters Encore.
- The events of Princess vs Princess were referenced by Ash in this episode.
- This episode seems to have a legitimate four-Trainer Double Battle, consisting of Ash and Brock vs. Jessie and James towards the end, though Double Battles didn't exist until Generation III.
- This episode is featured on the Volume 11: Meowth copy of Pokémon All-Stars.
Errors
- In a scene where the kids throw Weezing around, Weezing's eyes are missing.
Dub edits
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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| Mandarin Chinese | 兒童節全員大集合 | |
 Czech
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Odvážný hrdina | |
 Danish
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Kattens til Helt | |
 Dutch
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De Purr-fecte Held | |
 Finnish
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Kattisankari | |
 European French
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Un héros au poil | |
 German
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Katzenjammer und Heldengeschichten | |
 Hebrew
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יום הילדים yom hayeladim | |
 Hungarian
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Meowth, a hős | |
 Italian
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Impevedibile eroe alla riscossa | |
 Polish
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Miauczący bohater | |
| Portuguese |  Brazil
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O Herói Perfeito |
 Portugal
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O Herói Purrfeito | |
 Romanian
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Eroul Perfect | |
 Russian
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Герой-мурлыка | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡El héroe perfecto! |
 Spain
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El perrfecto héroe | |
 Swedish
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Meowth blir hjälte | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
