Pokémon in South Asia
| Pokémon in South Asia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Language | Hindi, Tamil*, Telugu*, English | |||
| Continent | Asia | |||
| Original anime airdates | ||||
| EP001 | April 1, 2003 | |||
| AG001 | May 9, 2006 | |||
| DP001 | November 9, 2009 November 16, 2009 | |||
| BW001 | June 17, 2013 | |||
| XY001 | ||||
| SM001 | ||||
| JN001 | ||||
| HZ001 | ||||
The Pokémon franchise (Hindi: पोकेमोन Pokémon, Urdu: پوکيمون Pokémon) made its debut in the Indian subcontinent in 2003, with the broadcast of the first episode of the anime in both English as well as in Hindi dub on Cartoon Network India. The respective channel hosted the show for eight years straight (2003-2011) and aired the initial eleven seasons.
The anime in India shifted to Pogo, from March, 2011, which aired Pokémon seasons 10 to 14 including the premiere of 3 new seasons, season 12, 13 and 14. In July 2014, the anime shifted back to Cartoon Network India which airs Season 14 - Black and White. In May 2014, it also started airing on Hungama TV, and currently airs Pokémon: Indigo League.
Pokémon games
As Nintendo has not officially entered the Indian subcontinent, Pokémon video games are not popular as none of the Pokémon games are advertised/promoted in India. However, Nintendo products, including Pokémon games, are available on Indian online retail stores.
Pokémon anime
The Pokémon anime is available in most south Asian countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
| Country | Channels aired |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Cartoon Network Pakistan |
| Bangladesh | |
| Pakistan | |
| Bhutan | Cartoon Network India Pogo Hungama TV* |
| India | |
| Nepal | |
| Sri Lanka |
Cartoon Network & Pogo
Original series
Pokémon: Indigo League premiered on Cartoon Network India on May 12, 2003[1] and concluded in the same year. Initially, the show began airing on the Toonami block, available in both Hindi and English dub. During its peak, it became one of the highly rated show on the respective channel.
Following the first season of the anime, Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands made its Indian debut in late 2003. With The Rivalry Revival, it concluded in mid-2004. After almost a year of re-runs, Cartoon Network aired the new episodes of the anime with its third season, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys.
Affiliated with Cartoon Network India, a separate Cartoon Network feed was launched for its Pakistani viewers in 2004, which is also available in Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Due to mutual affiliation, both channels were in sync in airing the anime. After a few months, Cartoon Network India began to air Pokémon in two additional dub languages, Tamil and Telugu along with the premiere of second last season of the Original series, Pokémon: Johto League Champions.
Cartoon Network aired Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns on India Children's day, November 14, 2006.[2]
In mid-2005, Cartoon Network wrapped up Pokémon: Master Quest thus concluding the Original series of the Pokémon anime.
| Year | Season(s) of Pokémon Original series aired |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Pokémon: Indigo League |
| 2003 - 2004 | Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands |
| 2004 | Pokémon: The Johto Journeys |
| 2004 - 2005 | Pokémon: Johto League Champions |
| 2005 | Pokémon: Master Quest |
Advanced Generation series
The first season of Pokémon Advanced Generation series debuted in 2006, on both channels. The first episode, Get the Show on the Road, premiered on May 9, 2006 on Cartoon Network India as well as on Cartoon Network Pakistan. At that time, Pokémon: Advanced was available in two different languages (English and Hindi) on Cartoon Network Pakistan and it was available in four different languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and English) on Cartoon Network India.
The first season of the Advanced Generation series ended in July 2006, resulting in repeats airing on both Cartoon Network channels. After four months, both Cartoon Network channels began to air new episodes of Pokémon and through this Pokémon: Advanced Challenge debuted on November 6, 2006 as well as trailers of the seventh season appearing in Indian theaters. The seventh season ended on January 4, 2007. After the end of seventh season, Cartoon Network began to air re-runs in a new one-hour block called Dastaan-e-Pokémon.
Dastaan-e-Pokémon was a one-hour block, especially dedicated exclusively to Pokémon, on both of the sub-continent Cartoon Network feeds. Available in 3 different dubs, the block premiered on January 8, 2007 with the first episode of the anime, replacing Pokémon: Advanced Challenge. The block featured all of the old episodes, from the first season up to the seventh. Almost a year later, it included a brand new season to its line-up, Pokémon: Advanced Battle, and marked the first time when a season premiered with two back-to-back episodes on Cartoon Network in the Indian sub-continent. The block ended in the end of 2008, replaced by Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
The final season of the Advanced Generation series. Pokémon: Battle Frontier debuted in the month of November in 2008. Initially, it only aired on Cartoon Network India, but began to air on Cartoon Network Pakistan two weeks after its Indian debut. After the completion of the Advanced Generation series, both Cartoon Network channels began the repeat telecast of old Pokémon episodes. These reruns lasted for ten months, and ended with the debut of Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl.
| Year | Season(s) of Pokémon Advanced Generation series aired |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Pokémon: Advanced |
| 2006 - 2007 | Pokémon: Advanced Challenge |
| 2008 | Pokémon: Advanced Battle |
| 2008 - 2009 | Pokémon: Battle Frontier |
Diamond & Pearl series
The first season of the Diamond & Pearl series first aired in Pakistan on November 9, 2009 and in India on November 16, 2009. It was supposed to end on January 18, 2010 on Cartoon Network Pakistan but they ended the entire season within 35 days by skipping almost 23 episodes, from O'er the Rampardos We Watched! to A Stand-Up Sit-Down! due to unknown reasons. However, this problem was fixed in the re-runs of the season.
In early 2011, the anime switched to Pogo, a sister channel of Cartoon Network in India, which also aired the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles in April. Even though the anime switched to another channel in India, Cartoon Network Pakistan continued to air the show which led to the premiere of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles on August 1. The finale of the twelfth season premiered on October 11, 2011 while the repeats of the same season took over the anime slot from the following day.
The last season of Diamond & Pearl series and thirteenth season overall, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors premiered on October 3, 2011 in India. During its airing, Pogo skipped two episodes instead of following the actual production order, from The Fleeing Tower Of Sunyshore! and Teaching the Student Teacher!, due to some unknown reasons. This problem was fixed in the re-runs of the season. The last episode of Diamond & Pearl series, that is Memories are Made of Bliss! aired on October 25, 2011 in India. Meanwhile it premiered on Cartoon Network Pakistan on February 1, 2012 and concluded its run with the season finale on March 19, 2012.
| Year | Season(s) of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl series aired |
|---|---|
| 2009 - 2010 | Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl |
| 2010 | Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension |
| 2011 | Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors* |
| 2012 | Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors* |
Best Wishes series
Pogo premiered the fourteenth season of the anime on June 17, 2013 after almost a year and eight months gap. Also a new time slot was allotted, during 9:30 pm - 10:00 pm every Monday to Thursday. Many things were changed in the new season including the voice of the narrator and Delia Ketchum. Instead of the original production Pogo skipped the episodes The Dragon Master's Path! which was going to air on Wednesday, 31st July 2013 and Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! which was going to air on Thursday, 22th August, due to some unknown reasons. The channel completed the run of the season with the season finale, Battle for the Underground, on Thursday, 5th September. The re-runs of the season began from 9th September, continuing at the same time slot. Later on during the re-runs, these episodes of The Dragon Master's Path! and Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! were broadcasted.
On June 27, 2014, after more than 3 years since Pokémon shifted to Pogo, Cartoon Network India said through its official Facebook page that Pokémon would soon be returning to Cartoon Network India, and in its post included a image from the Best Wishes series. Cartoon Network will begin airing the fourteenth season of Pokémon from July 2, 2014 at 12:30 PM and 8 PM, airing 2 new episodes every weekday. Additionally, many fans sent messages to Cartoon Network India's Facebook page requesting them to air Pokémon Black and White: Rival Destinies after Pokémon: Black and White finished airing.
On the other hand Cartoon Network Pakistan is yet to announce the premier of season 14.
| Year | Season(s) of Pokémon Best Wishes series aired |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Pokémon: Black & White* |
| 2014 | Pokémon: Black & White* |
On some days, Cartoon Network did not air an episode at 12-30 pm at all, on some other days it aired two back-to-back episodes from 8 to 9 pm or from 12-30 to 1-30 pm. Hence there was confusion among viewers whether Cartoon Network would even air an episode or air two episodes back-to-back. In addition, Cartoon Network India official facebook page sometimes provided wrong information as happened on July 29, 2014 . It had written that an episode of Pokemon BW would air at 12-30 pm, while none were show at that time slot, instead 2 episodes were shown on that day from 8 pm to 9 pm. Many episodes were not shown in order by Cartoon Network India, which created confusion among viewers who were viewing them for the first time. Here is the list of those episodes.
| Episode Number | Episode Name | India airdate (Cartoon Network India) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BW006 | Dreams by the Yard Full! | July 3, 2014 | This episode features Ash winning his first Unova Gym Badge, at the Striaton Gym. However, initial battles against the Gym Leaders were aired on the following day, July 4, 2014, in episode BW005. |
| BW004 | The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice! | July 4, 2014 | |
| BW005 | Triple Leaders, Team Threats! | July 4, 2014 | This episode was supposed to be aired on July 3, 2014 but was mistakenly aired the next day, and features Ash battling the 3 gym leaders. However the episode BW006 featuring Ash winning the Gym badge was shown on the previous day itself. |
| BW035 | Where Did You Go, Audino? | July 28, 2014 | |
| BW039 | Reunion Battles In Nimbasa! | July 28, 2014 | This episode features the beginning of the Pokemon Club Battle Tournament in which all our heroes as well as their rivals participate. |
| BW042 | Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome! | July 29, 2014 | This episode features the finals of the Pokemon Club Battle Tournament between Ash and Iris. However the previous two episodes, BW040 & BW041 featuring the first round , quarter-finals, and semi-finals of the Tournament, air on the upcoming two days on Cartoon Network |
| BW043 | Meowth's Scrafty Tactics! | July 29, 2014 | |
| BW040 | Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! | July 30, 2014 | This episode features the first round , quarter-finals, and semi-finals of the Pokemon Club Battle Tournament, however the finals of the Tournament in the episode BW042 was aired on Cartoon Network on the previous day itself. |
| BW041 | The Club Battle Hearts of Fury: Emolga Versus Sawk! | July 31, 2014 | This episode features the semi-finals of the Pokemon Club Battle Tournament, however the finals of the Tournament in the episode BW042 was aired on Cartoon Network 2 days back itself. |
| BW037 | A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition! | July 31, 2014 | |
| BW036 | Archeops In The Modern World! | August 1, 2014 | |
| BW023_(unaired) | Team Rocket vs Team Plasma (Part 1) | Unaired | This episode and the following one BW024_(unaired) are internationally postponed due to the 2011 Tsunami in Japan, and have so far not been aired. |
| BW024_(unaired) | Team Rocket vs Team Plasma (Part 2) | Unaired | This episode and the previous one BW023_(unaired) are internationally postponed due to the 2011 Tsunami in Japan, and have so far not been aired. |
| BW038 | Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"! | Unaired |
Hungama TV
Around the beginning of 2014, Disney Inc. bought the airings rights for Pokémon. However, the respective company did not acquire the rights for the anime's previous Hindi dub. While the exact reasons for re-dubbing are not known, there is a good possibility that such decisions were made because of Disney India and UTV's policy, implemented in 2010-2011, that all the dubs of Disney channel properties will be carried out in-house.
Original Series
The anime made its Hungama TV debut on May 19, 2014 with its first season, which is currently on-going. Pokéthon, a special weekly block dedicated to Pokémon reruns, was recently added to the lineup. The respective block features four back-to-back episodes.
The episode Ditto's Mysterious Mansion was not shown in order by Hungama for unknown reasons. It was shown after Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden. The Bridge Bike Gang was directly followed by Pikachu's Goodbye, as EP038 was banned globally. The episodes Beauty and the Beach and EP035 were also skipped, as they were also banned. After airing Ditto's Mysterious Mansion after Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden, Hungama directly aired The Case of the K-9 Caper according to the dub airing order. According to the dub airing order, Princess vs. Princess and The Purr-Fect Hero were shown after The Breeding Center Secret, so it is presumed that Hungama will show them then.
Pokémon movies
| Year | Movie(s)/special(s) aired* |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Mewtwo Returns |
| 2009 | Pokémon Chronicles Lucario and the Mystery of Mew Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea* |
| 2010 | Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea* |
| 2011 | The Rise of Darkrai Giratina and the Sky Warrior* Arceus and the Jewel of Life* |
| 2012 | Zoroark Master of illusions* |
Cast and Crew
Hindi dub
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Ash | Rahul Sharma (Cartoon Network dub) Nachiket Dighe (Hungama dub)[3] |
| Misty | Rucha Dighe (Hungama dub)[4] |
| Brock | Abhishek Singh (Cartoon Network dub) Uplaksh Kochhar (Hungama dub)[5] |
| Tracey | Nachiket Dighe (Cartoon Network dub) |
| Jessie | Shagufta Baig (Hungama dub)[6] |
| James | Kishore Bhatt (Cartoon Network dub) Rajesh Shukla (Hungama dub)[7] |
| Meowth | Saumya Daan (Hungama dub)[8] |
| Unknown Character | Pawan Kalra[9] (Cartoon Network dub) |
| Unknown Character | Prasad Barve[10] (Cartoon Network dub) |
Tamil dub
| Character | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Unknown Character | Karthik [11] |
Pokémon manga
English-translated Pokémon manga was distributed in India by Chuang Yi.
Pokémon merchandise
- Pokémon became an instant hit in India and almost always used to be the number one kids show on TV. Due to its huge popularity, many pirated Pokémon products began to be sold in India.[12]
- Pokémon Rakhis were available in India, with Pikachu and the starter Pokémon of Unova region.
- Pokémon merchandise is available in India from Reliance Home video and games.
- Pokémon collectibles were available for free in every Cheetos snack pack.
- On the Toonami block where Pokémon once aired, Cartoon Network in 2006 hosted a contest titled "Toonami-Game On Video Game Championship", with Pokémon merchandise given out as prizes.[13]
Trivia
- Instead of following the usual tradition of literally translating the moves' names in Hindi, several of them have been kept the same as in English starting season 14.
- Pokémon aired only in English and Hindi until the 5th Season, where it began to air it in Tamil and Telugu as well.
- Hungama airs Pokémon season 1 only, and also only in Hindi.
- Cartoon Network, from the 14th season, airs Pokémon only in English and Hindi.
- Although the Pokémon merchandise and the anime have achieved great success in India, the manga and Video Games have very little popularity.
- For the Hungama TV airing of Pokémon: Indigo League, the Who's that Pokémon segment was skipped, most likely due to the episodes being shown without a commercial break.
- However, Pokémon: Black and White episodes that air on Cartoon Network and Pogo TV used to air this segment, even though they were also usually shown without commercial breaks (They usually aired commercials after the Pokemon episode ends, before the credits (ending theme) of Pokemon.)
- On a related note, Hungama doesn't even air the Theme Song and Credits.
Errors
- A commercial for Sinnoh League Victors that aired on Pogo showed some clips from the Advanced Generation series instead of the Diamond and Pearl series[14].
- When this video was uploaded by Pogo's official website, it named the video as "Pokeman Sinnoh League Victors".
Related articles
External links
- Cartoon Network India official site
- Cartoon Network India official Facebook page
- Pogo TV official site
- Pokémon merchandise
References
- ↑ http://www.indiantelevision.com/node/6848
- ↑ http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/broadcasting/tv-channels/kids/cartoon-network-to-join-barbie-and-pok%C3%A9mon-on-childrens-day
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachiket_Dighe#Anime
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagufta_Baig#Dubbing_career
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagufta_Baig#Dubbing_career
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagufta_Baig#Anime
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagufta_Baig#Dubbing_career
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saumya_Daan#Anime
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawan_Kalra#Anime
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prasad_Barve#Dubbing_career
- ↑ http://www.afaqs.com/news/company_briefs/index.html?id=14017_Karthik-singing-sensation-of-South-India-lends-his-voice-to-Pokemon%27s-title-track-on-Cartoon-Network
- ↑ http://www.indiantelevision.org.in/mam/headlines/y2k3/dec/decmam4.htm
- ↑ http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/broadcasting/tv-channels/kids/cartoon-network-to-host-toonami-game-on-video-gaming
- ↑ http://www.pogo.tv/webtv/pokemon-sinnoh-league-victors/pokeman-sinnoh-league-victors?video=447
| The Pokémon franchise around the world | |
|---|---|
| Africa: | South Africa |
| The Americas: | Brazil • Canada • Latin America • United States |
| Asia: | Greater China • Indonesia • Japan • Malaysia • Philippines • Singapore • South Asia • South Korea • Thailand • Vietnam |
| Europe: | Albania • Belgium • Bulgaria • Croatia • Czech Republic • Denmark • Finland • France • Germany • Greece Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Lithuania • Netherlands • North Macedonia • Norway • Poland Portugal • Romania • Russia • Serbia • Slovakia • Spain • Sweden • Ukraine • United Kingdom |
| Middle East: | Arab world • Israel • Turkey |
| Oceania: | Australia • New Zealand |
|
This article is part of Project Globe, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon franchise around the world. |
