EP263
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Address Unown!
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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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Address Unown! (Japanese: ふしぎのくにのアンノーン！ Unknown of the Country of Mystery!) is the 263rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on August 29, 2002 and in the United States on September 13, 2003.
Blurb
A strange energy is emitted from the sky and an Unown pops out, landing right on Misty's head. The Unown appears to be sick and missing its friends. Misty confirms this, as for a moment when their heads knock together, Misty reads its mind! She sees a wonderland filled with Unown, and is amazed by what it looks like. Brock heard a legend that Unown can telepathically connect with human minds, leading Ash to try to reunite the Unown with its friends.
That task proves difficult, as scientists believe Unown live in an entirely different dimension! When Unown awakens, Ash reassures the Unown he will get it back home, no matter what.
The next day, Unown seems better, due to the help Larvitar gave it; Larvitar understands what it's like to be without family and friends, so it bonds easily with the lonely Unown. Suddenly, Team Rocket step in to try and take Unown! Larvitar's tries to use its Hidden Power to stop them, only to have Wobbuffet Counter the attack.
To keep everyone safe, Unown teleports Ash and crew to the Unown Dimension! Togepi and Pikachu appear much larger than normal, or Ash, Misty and Brock are smaller, depending on your point of view. Suddenly, the Electabuzz theme song begins, followed by a trip to Magby and Slowpoke, leading Misty to believe the Unown are creating a dimension off Ash, Misty, and Brock's most recent adventures. When they get to a shot of Ash in color and Brock and Misty in black and white, they discover that this world is taken specifically from Larvitar's memory! The Counter attack accidentally led the Unown to merge with Larvitar's mind.
Ash gets sucked into a different part of the mind along with the others, who have all returned to their normal size now. Here, a voice in the background keeps repeating how scared it is, and images of the poachers who originally stole Larvitar's egg show up. They are blown away by Larvitar's mother Tyranitar, who was badly hurt in the process. This explains fully why Larvitar is so afraid of humans. Larvitar then appears amongst a tower of thorns, which represent the pain it went through as an egg.
Ash, Brock, and Misty try to get Larvitar out of there along with Pikachu, but the thorns turn into ice encasing it. Ash is able to break the ice, freeing Larvitar from its troubles once and for all.
They return to the real world, where Larvitar has finally learned to trust Brock and Misty. Unown is thanked by Ash for the help, just in time for the other Unown to return it to their world!
Plot
The group is still on their way to return Larvitar back to its home at Mt. Silver before the start of the Johto League Silver Conference, with Larvitar riding in Ash's backpack. As they are walking up a hillside, Larvitar, Togepi, and Pikachu notice something above them in the sky. Ash, Brock, and Misty quickly turn to look upwards as well, where they see something quite odd: a dark, hole-like shape in the air. As they look at it, a Pokémon falls from it and hits Misty on the head. Brock recognizes the Pokémon as an Unown, which Ash then quickly scans with his Pokédex. Ash wonders where did it come from, but when he and Brock turn to look up at the sky, the hole-like gateway suddenly disappears. Ash picks up the Unown and feels that it is hot, indicating that it is sick. Surprisingly, Misty says that not only is Unown sick, it is also upset for getting separated from its friends. Brock asks how Misty could know about this, to which Misty replies that when the Unown hit her head, for a split second, she felt as if she could read its thoughts, seeing a place that is hard to describe. Misty tries to use words and gestures to explain herself, but her description of what she saw is so vague and unclear that both Ash and Brock think that she was "hit hard". Misty angrily protests that she wasn't hallucinating, but that she actually got a glimpse of the place where the Unown come from.
Ash and his friends set up a camp, and, with the lack of a Pokémon Center, decide to give Unown a good, long rest to recover from its fever. When the moist towel slips off Unown, Larvitar puts it back, showing that the two Pokémon are getting along well. As night falls, the group sets up a campfire. While sitting around it, Brock explains that a legend has it that Unown are said to be able to communicate with humans by using telepathy, which is what must have happened when Misty got hit. Ash wants to help the Unown get back home, but Brock explains that it could prove hard, as no one exactly knows where they come from, although some scientists say that they live in the Unown Dimension. Just then, Unown shows a sign of recovery, as it wakes up and rises up from its blanket. Ash assures it that they will help it get back to its friends, no matter what. Misty tells Ash that he shouldn't make promises he couldn't keep, but Ash ignores her, assuring Unown that he will take it back home. Unown then falls back into its blanket, still not feeling completely okay. As Larvitar tucks Unown in, Misty says that Larvitar must know what Unown feels like, being separated from its family. Meanwhile, Ash and company are, once again, being observed by Team Rocket. Jessie notices Unown, and although there is a little confusion within the trio whether they are talking about "an unknown" or "the Unown" Pokémon, they all agree that it is most definitely worth stealing and decide to grab it.
The sun rises to mark the beginning of a new day. Larvitar wakes Ash up to show him that Unown is now completely recovered, happily dancing in the air around them. Larvitar is happy with Unown getting better, but as Misty tries to congratulate Larvitar for helping Unown, it Hardens itself once again, and is pushed away by Pikachu. Brock points out that Larvitar must still be a bit shy towards most humans. Larvitar quickly relaxes and is thanked by Unown. Brock comments that as a return, Unown is now wanting to take care of Larvitar. However, the sweet moment is then cut short when Meowth greets them, with a still sleepy Jessie and James on his side. While Meowth urges them to snap out of it, the group is more surprised by Team Rocket's sleepiness than their unannounced arrival. Team Rocket starts their motto, which slowly goes from slow motion to full speed as they do their morning duties and exercise while reciting it. With the motto completed, the trio turns their attention to Unown. Ash refuses to hand it over, to which Team Rocket responds to by pulling out their Poké Balls, preparing for a battle. Ash tells Larvitar to use Hidden Power, but Jessie cleverly calls her Wobbuffet to reflect the attack with a Counter. As the reflected and double-powered Hidden Power is blasting towards Ash and the others, Unown suddenly starts glowing brightly, creating a glowing energy field around itself. When the reflected attack hits it, a tremendous explosion occurs, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. However, when the smoke clears, Ash and his friends, their Pokémon, and the Unown are no longer at the campsite.
Ash slowly regains his consciousness, noticing that he is not where he just was, but instead sitting on what looks like the top of a giant, green Egg shell, which is floating in a green void, full of other floating fragments of green Egg shells. He looks around and calls for Pikachu and Larvitar. Brock and Misty quickly join him, also floating on Egg shell fragments. They wonder where they are, and Brock thinks that they must be in another dimension. He explains that right before Wobbuffet's Counter attack hit them, Unown had started glowing, which might have been a defense mechanism, which threw them into a different dimension. Misty is slightly confused, as this wasn't at all what she had seen in Unown's mind the previous day. Suddenly, they hear loud, ground-shaking footsteps, which seem to be getting closer. Misty points out into the distance, where a huge figure is walking towards them. Ash and the others are stunned as the figure reaches them, revealing itself to be Pikachu, now many times bigger than normal, towering above the trio. Togepi then also shows up, being giant as well. It is about to crush them with a giant hug, but luckily, Pikachu catches Togepi with his tail, saving the group. Now that Pikachu and Togepi have been found, the trio decides to go search for Larvitar.
Ash and the others take a ride on their giant Pokémon and start wandering around the extraordinary landscape, calling for Larvitar. Suddenly, without warning, two pairs of yellow horns stick out of the ground, raising them high into the air. Then a familiar song starts playing, which Misty recognizes as the Electabuzz baseball team theme song. They also see that multiple tops of Elekid's head floating around them, making the scene even weirder. Suddenly, spiralling flame swirls around them. At first, Ash and Brock flail in pain, before realizing that there is no pain, as the fire doesn't seem to burn at all. The flames then form a ring of fire before them, out of which a Magby looks at them and then shoots another flame at them, changing the scene yet again, this time making them float through a swarm of Shellder, which look like the spiral shells atop of the heads of Slowking. Ash and his friends realize that they have been seeing Pokémon that they've encountered recently, meaning that they aren't just in any dimension. A giant Slowking then appears before them and opens its big mouth wide open, swallowing everybody as they float into it.
The trio and their Pokémon find themselves right in the place where they started. Pikachu notices something and leads everybody to a big, green Egg standing in the middle of the landscape. Pikachu lands on all fours, allowing Ash and Brock to climb off his head, while Misty hops off Togepi. The Egg is full of small, glowing cracks, and Ash peers into one of them, only to see himself inside of it. Misty and Brock peer into other cracks and see themselves as well. However, Ash is the only one in color, while Brock and Misty appear in black and white. When the picture of Misty leans closer to the crack, it suddenly freezes in its place. Brock suddenly understands that they are in the middle of Larvitar's memories, having seen things that they've encountered together, and now seeing how Larvitar sees them. Ash understands that this must be the reason why they cannot find Larvitar, and Brock explains that Unown is absent as well because its mind must have merged with Larvitar's, creating the place they are now inside of. With all this explained, Ash wonders about the big black crystal spike that is sticking out of the Egg, but when he goes closer to examine it, it suddenly starts sucking him inside. Misty and Brock grab him, but they’re also pulled inside the crystal. Pikachu and Togepi try to help but are also sucked into the crystal, despite their size.
Pikachu and Togepi fall through a dark space, finally landing on a hard surface. Ash, Brock, and Misty are in there too, but now Pikachu and Togepi have returned back to their actual sizes. This happy moment is cut very short, as the group witnesses a huge shape of a giant, mecha-like machine coming closer. The mecha sticks out its robotic hands, and its fingers extend into branches of black crystal, surrounding Ash and the others. As they wonder what is going on, they hear a familiar voice whispering that it is scared. The mecha in front of them grabs an Egg, and then images of three men appear behind it, one of them holding an Egg that is unmistakably Larvitar's. Brock understands that they are now witnessing the moment in which Larvitar was stolen from its mother as an Egg, and those three men are the poachers who stole it. A loud and desperate roar then rips through the air, and the pictures of the poachers vanish, only to be replaced by another figure. The voice in the darkness, undoubtedly Larvitar's, starts desperately calling for its mother. The figure turns out to be a Tyranitar, which, as Misty realizes, must be Larvitar's mother. The mecha fires multiple missiles at Tyranitar, which roars in great pain. Ash and his friends are outraged by this, but are forced to only watch as the missiles tear a scar into Tyranitar's heavy armor, clearly wounding her. Both Tyranitar and the black crystal branches then slowly disappear, with Larvitar's calls for its mother getting weaker and weaker, until they finally disappear as well. Brock realizes that the cruel way Larvitar was separated from its mother is the reason why it fears humans so much.
The group then notices something in the distance. They get closer and notice that it is Larvitar, apparently sleeping in mid-air. But when Ash tries to reach it, numerous black crystal branches rise from the ground, pushing him aside and trapping Larvitar. Ash tries to run closer, but more crystal branches rise on his way, stopping him. Brock explains that this represents how Larvitar is trapped inside of its horrible memories. The black spike they saw on the Egg represents Larvitar's awful memories, and they are now in the thick of them. Larvitar is totally petrified by its bad memories, making it unable to trust humans. They then notice that Larvitar is actually trying to push the branches away, wanting to free itself of its sadness and hurt. Ash, Brock, and Misty rush in to help. The crystal branches try to stop them, but Pikachu breaks them with Thunderbolt. Slowly but surely they scale the branches, but just when they're about to reach Larvitar, the black branches engulf it completely. A few seconds later, they give way, revealing that Larvitar is now trapped inside of an ice-cold block of clear crystal. Ash refuses to give up and pounds the crystal with his fist, trying to make Larvitar remember all the happy and fun times they have had together. Brock and Misty are also trying to convince Larvitar that not all humans are bad and that it should give them a chance too. Pikachu helps Ash out by firing Thunderbolt at the same spot he's pounding, and finally, Larvitar's eyes start to open and the crystal begins to crack. Ash serves the final blow, finally shattering the crystal and releasing Larvitar, who happily leaps into Ash's lap.
Once again, the group discovers themselves by the giant Egg. As they watch, the black spike embedded in the Egg suddenly vanishes, showing that Larvitar has finally gotten over its bad memories and mistrust. The entire Egg starts glowing brightly, and when the glow fades, everybody finds themselves back in the real world and at their campsite. Unown also reappears, and Larvitar apparently thanks it for everything. Ash promises Larvitar that nobody will ever hurt it again, and Brock and Misty offer their assurances as well. Larvitar looks at them, unsure, and for a moment they fear that it is going to use Harden again. However, Larvitar instead smiles, showing that everything is all right. Brock declares that Larvitar can now understand their feelings, and Misty offers a handshake to Larvitar, which it gladly accepts. Ash and his friends thank Unown for its help, and it floats into the sky. The same gateway it fell out of appears again, this time revealing the world beyond it, which is just what Misty saw before: a dimension full of Unown. Unown rejoins its friends, and the portal closes behind it with a flash of light. And now, with Larvitar freed of its bad memories, all thanks to Unown, Ash and his friends continue their journey towards Larvitar's home on Mt. Silver.
Major events
- An Unown shows Ash and his friends Larvitar's memories.
- Larvitar finally gets over its shyness towards Brock and Misty.
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
TV episode debuts
Characters
Humans
Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: Moltres (US and international), Unown (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
- Elekid (Casey's; image; forehead only)
- Magby (Satchel's; image)
- Slowking (formerly Alice Telesu's; nicknamed Arthur; image)
- Larvitar (anime)
- Tyranitar (Larvitar's mother; image)
- Unown (multiple)
- Shellder (multiple; image; as Slowking crown)
Trivia
- In broadcast order, this episode is the season premiere of Pokémon: Advanced. However, the Pokémon: Master Quest title remains for this and the remaining eleven episodes of the Johto saga.
- Because this is the first episode of the sixth dub season, Dexter's voice is in a lower quality than it was from the second to fifth dub seasons.
- This is also the first episode of the English dub which TAJ Productions was not involved in dubbing.
- This was also the first episode of Pokémon: Master Quest to air in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden), and the first Johto saga episode to air in Denmark and Norway.
- The depiction of the Unown Dimension is the same as in Spell of the Unown: Entei.
- The Latin American dub title is the same as the one given to the Twilight Zone series and movies.
- The Brazilian Portuguese dub title is a reference to the eyecatch Who's That Pokémon?.
- When Ash and his friends are seeing Larvitar's bad memories, its voice can be heard using human language.
- An instrumental version of the Bulbaby is used as background music.
- Music from The Power of One and Spell of the Unown: Entei can be heard in this episode.
- This episode is featured on the Volume 7: Psychic copy of Pokémon Elements.
- The Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish dubs mistook Unown for a misspelling of Unknown and subsequently translated it even though it's a Pokémon's name.
- The Japanese title (Fushigi no kuni no an'nōn!) is similar to Alice in Wonderland (Fushigino kuni no arisu).
Errors
- Ash claims that they had seen an Elekid, Electabuzz, Magby, and Slowking when they actually had not seen an Electabuzz in the Unown Dimension or recently in the real world, but instead saw an Elekid and heard the Electabuzz song.
Dub edits
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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| Mandarin Chinese | 不可思議之國的未知圖騰 | |
 Danish
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Adresse Ukendt | |
 Dutch
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Adres Unown! | |
 Finnish
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Unownin jäljillä | |
 European French
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Souvenirs, souvenirs | |
 German
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Geheimnisvolles Icognito | |
 Hebrew
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כתובת לא ידועהktovet lo yedua | |
 Hindi
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कहा से आया Unown? Kaha se aaya Unown? * | |
 Italian
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L'altra dimensione | |
 Norwegian
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Adresse Ukjent! * | |
 Polish
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Unown przemówił | |
| Portuguese |  Brazil
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Quem é esse Unown? |
 Portugal
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Morada Incerta | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡Dimensión desconocida! |
 Spain
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¡El mundo de Unown! | |
 Swedish
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En okänd Pokémon | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
