BW116
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The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!
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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 Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion! (Japanese: 燃えよリザードン！VSカイリュー！ Burn, Lizardon! VS Kairyu!) is the 116th episode of Pokémon the Series: Black & White, and the 773rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on March 7, 2013 and in the United States on June 8, 2013.
Blurb
Continuing their journey to the White Ruins, our heroes (traveling with N) come across the Kanto Fair: a festival celebrating the sights and sounds of the Kanto region! Of course, since Ash is from Kanto originally, this takes him right back to memories of his home. And when our heroes see Professor Oak’s presentation on the three Kanto Pokémon available to beginning Trainers—Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle—memories of Ash’s own early Pokémon journey come flooding back.
Ash tells everyone the story of how he first met Charmander. Just like Tepig, Charmander was abandoned by its original Trainer. Ash rescued it, and soon it became part of his Pokémon family! However, when it evolved into Charmeleon, it stopped taking commands from Ash, doing whatever it wanted. But Ash never gave up on his beloved Pokémon, and soon it evolved into an awesome and fearsome Charizard!
The two of them traveled together for some time, until their journey took them to the Charicific Valley, where many Charizard engage in intensive training against each other, and Ash took the opportunity for his Charizard to become stronger. Although the two have reunited on several occasions, Ash now wants to see his old friend again, and everyone else can’t wait to meet it! So a Pokémon exchange is made with Professor Oak, and Charizard comes for a visit!
When it meets Iris’s Dragonite, sparks fly immediately, and the two of them start trying to pick a fight—and rather than trying to stop them, Ash decides to turn it into a proper battle! It’s clear that Charizard has been training hard in the Charicific Valley, and both Pokémon show just how strong they are! N calls the battle to an end, and observes that the two Pokémon have found real respect for each other.
Ash asks if Charizard would like to rejoin him on his journey, and the answer is an enthusiastic yes! So, it’s off once again to the White Ruins, but now with Charizard along, reunited with our heroes once again!
Plot
Ash and his friends arrive at a Kanto Fair, leaving Ash both nostalgic and excited to see things relating to his home region. As N deduces Ash is from Kanto, an equally excited Iris explores the Fair, followed by Cilan and N. As they make their way through the Kanto Fair, Ash sees a video of Professor Oak presenting the three starter Pokémon of Kanto: Water-type Squirtle, Fire-type Charmander, and Grass-type Bulbasaur. N asks Ash which Pokémon he chose as his starter, to which Iris replies that Pikachu is Ash's starter. N is confused until Ash explains that on the day he was supposed to get his starter, he overslept, and all the other Pokémon were already taken by the time he arrived, so he wound up with Pikachu, which turned out to be great. The video presentation ends and a young lady, the Kanto Fair Host, appears on a small stage to present an actual Charmander. A puff of smoke covers the stage, and when it clears, a Charmander reveals itself. The crowd is excited, and Ash scans Charmander with his Pokédex. The presentation begins with Charmander using Ember, charming the audience and then begins spinning while still using Ember, producing a shower of beautiful flames, but soon becomes dizzy. It accidentally falls over and is hit by a lamp and a section of the stage wall. Charmander's tail rises from the rubble, indicating that it's at least somewhat fine.
Charmander is taken to a Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy treats it with adhesive bandages. She notices Ash and his friends outside of the room and comes out to tell them that Charmander is going to be all right. The group is relieved.
With Charmander recovering, Ash and his friends sit down to drink. Ash tells everyone that this Charmander reminded him of his own Charmander. Cilan is confused by how he could've had a Charmander if Pikachu was his starter. Ash admits that that is the truth, but that he also later encountered an abandoned Charmander, who was originally left behind by his Trainer. After witnessing Charmander learning Flamethrower, said Trainer tried to reclaim it, but Charmander refused to rejoin someone so selfish, and thus chose to go with Ash instead. They went on to go through many experiences together, such as helping Ash catch a Primeape, defeating Koga at the Fuchsia Gym, and warming him up during a snowstorm. Things changed when Charmander evolved into a Charmeleon and started to disobey Ash, much to his frustration. Despite this, Ash kept on using Charmeleon, and he soon evolved again into a Charizard in order to battle an Aerodactyl. Despite the evolution, Charizard was still disobedient, but nevertheless chose to help Ash defeat Blaine's Magmar at the Cinnabar Gym. Charizard's attitude did not change, and his disobedience at the Pokémon League cost Ash his fifth-round battle at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Iris wonders how this could have happened until Cilan reminds her how she had the same kind of problems with her Excadrill and Dragonite. N asks Ash if his relationship with Charizard ever improved, and Ash confirms it did when they went to the Orange Islands. Charizard battled against a powerful Poliwrath and suffered his first loss since evolving. A powerful Ice Beam encased Charizard in ice and nearly put out his tail flame, severely weakening him. Ash stayed by Charizard's side all night trying to help it recover. After seeing how unselfishly Ash was taking care of it, Charizard decided that he deserved his trust and started obeying him, even defeating Poliwrath in a rematch.
Iris asks what Charizard is up to now, and Cilan wonders why Charizard isn't still on Ash's team, even though he was a powerful ally. Ash explains that everything changed when he traveled to the Johto region, where he and his friends met Liza and found out about the Charicific Valley, where lots of Charizard were training to become stronger. Ash's Charizard tried to test his power with the Charizard in the Valley but was proven to be much weaker compared to them, showing him the hard way that there were many tougher opponents out there. Making one of the hardest decisions of his life, Ash decided to leave Charizard at the Valley so that he could train there and get stronger. Since then, Charizard has rejoined Ash in several important battles, such as his Gym battle against Clair, his Silver Conference battle against Gary, and his Battle Frontier match against Noland's Articuno, proving that his training at the Charicific Valley had been effective.
The Kanto Fair Host and her Charmander appear, apologizing for all the trouble they caused. Ash tells Charmander to be more careful from now on, and the host and her Pokémon leave together. Reminiscing has left Ash wanting to see Charizard again, an idea that excites both Iris and Cilan, who want to see how Ash's friendship with Charizard differs from the one he has with Pikachu. His mind made up, Ash makes a video call to Professor Oak, requesting Charizard to be sent to him. Soon, Professor Oak is sent Charizard's Poké Ball from the Charicific Valley and he is ready to transfer it. However, as Ash has a full party of six Pokémon on him, one of his Pokémon needs to be sent back to Professor Oak in exchange. Ash decides to send Unfezant, and Professor Oak thinks it's a good choice, stating that Ash's Swellow and Staraptor will be glad to have another Flying type to join them in super-speed battle races at the lab. The exchange is made, sending Unfezant's Poké Ball to Professor Oak, while Charizard's Poké Ball arrives at the Pokémon Center.
Ash joins the others on a battlefield outside the Center. Iris and Cilan are eager to see Charizard, so Ash, after taking a deep breath, sends out the Flame Pokémon, who emerges with an earth-shaking roar. Pikachu jumps on Charizard's shoulder, and the others are amazed at the sight of the magnificent Pokémon. As Ash introduces Charizard to his friends, it greets him with its usual Flamethrower scorching. Ash compliments Charizard's Flamethrower, and they do a fist bump. N is impressed by their deep friendship and notes their long history. Ash calls out his Unova team to greet Charizard, and Iris does the same. Ash begins introducing his new Pokémon to Charizard, but its eyes quickly focus on Iris's Dragonite, who glares back at it with an equally fiery stare. Noticing the budding rivalry between their Pokémon, Ash challenges Iris and Dragonite to a battle, saying that it'll be the only way to let the two Pokémon settle their differences without everything getting out of control. Iris accepts the challenge, exciting Cilan.
Iris begins the battle with Dragonite's Flamethrower, which Charizard copies and counters. Charizard takes flight, but Dragonite follows right on his tail. Iris tells Dragonite to use Thunder Punch, which Ash counters by having Charizard use Wing Attack, effectively blocking Dragonite's attack and then has Charizard use Slash. Iris counters by having Dragonite use Dragon Rush. The two moves collide in a big explosion, and Iris gets excited from how strong her Dragonite is. Her exultation ends when Charizard emerges from the dust cloud and roars loudly. Ash decides to show the results of Charizard's training by having him counter a Dragon-type attack with another, and tells Charizard to use Dragon Tail. Iris tells Dragonite to dodge it, but Charizard quickly catches up and hits the Dragon Pokémon, sending him crashing onto the ground. When the dust clears, Dragonite is seen holding his right arm, clearly hurt. N calls off the battle, saying that the two Pokémon have already settled their differences and now have total respect for each other. An impressed Cilan says that it was a good idea to hold this battle. Iris wonders why Dragon Rush wasn't super effective on Charizard since she thought it was a Dragon-type Pokémon. The others are mildly surprised, with N even chuckling a bit, and Ash tells Iris that Charizard is not a Dragon-type. Iris is shocked and asks how Charizard could be able to use a Dragon-type attack and look so much like a Dragon-type. Ash shows her Charizard's Pokédex entry, which clearly states that Charizard is a dual-type Fire/Flying Pokémon, shocking Iris even more since she had been thinking of catching and training herself a Charizard, too.
As a result of the exhibition match, Ash decides to take Charizard with him on his Unova journey, making both his friends and Charizard happy, and the mighty Pokémon celebrates by firing a Flamethrower into the sky.
Major events
- Ash sends Unfezant to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
- Ash's Charizard returns and is revealed to have learned Wing Attack, Slash, and Dragon Tail.
- Charizard battles Iris's Dragonite, but the battle is called off by N.
- Charizard rejoins Ash's team.
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Pokémon debuts
Characters
Humans
- Ash
- Misty (flashback)
- Iris
- Brock (flashback)
- Tracey (screen)
- Cilan
- Jessie (flashback)
- James (flashback)
- Professor Oak (screen)
- Nurse Joy (two; one in flashback)
- Koga (flashback)
- Magikarp salesman
- Liza (flashback)
- N
- Damian (flashback)
- Tad (flashback)
- Kanto Fair Host
- Fossil hunters (flashback)
Pokémon
Who's That Pokémon?: Charmander
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket; flashback)
- Togepi (Misty's; flashback)
- Axew (Iris's)
- Pidgeotto (Ash's; flashback)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's; flashback)
- Charmander (Ash's; flashback)
- Charmeleon (Ash's; flashback)
- Charizard (Ash's; returns)
- Squirtle (Ash's; flashback)
- Primeape (Ash's; flashback)
- Oshawott (Ash's)
- Pignite (Ash's)
- Snivy (Ash's)
- Boldore (Ash's)
- Excadrill (Iris's)
- Emolga (Iris's)
- Dragonite (Iris's)
- Audino (Nurse Joy's)
- Golbat (Koga's; flashback)
- Magmar (Blaine's; flashback)
- Dragonair (Clair's; flashback)
- Articuno (Noland's; befriended; flashback)
- Blastoise (Gary's; flashback)
- Pikachu (Ritchie's; Sparky; flashback)
- Charizard (Liza's; Charla; flashback)
- Magikarp (Magikarp salesman's)
- Poliwrath (Tad's; flashback)
- Charmander (Kanto Fair Host's)
- Bulbasaur (starter Pokémon)
- Charmander (starter Pokémon)
- Squirtle (starter Pokémon)
- Spearow (multiple; flashback)
- Aerodactyl (flashback)
- Charizard (multiple; flashback)
Trivia
- Professor Oak's Pokémon Live Caster: Pokémon Global Link's Dragonite event for BW117*/Swoobat*
- A flashback in this episode marks the first appearance of Ash's Primeape outside of an opening since its departure to train with Anthony, 744 episodes earlier.
- Another flashback marks the first appearance of Misty in the main series since Gathering the Gang of Four!, 310 episodes earlier.
- This episode also marks the first time that Tracey has made an appearance since Following A Maiden's Voyage!, 306 episodes earlier.
- This episode features the following flashbacks, which have all been reanimated to match the style introduced in Pokémon the Series: Black & White:
- Ash and Brock saving Charmander from the rain, and Ash later capturing it from Charmander – The Stray Pokémon
- Charmander battling Primeape from Primeape Goes Bananas
- The battle between Charmander and Koga's Golbat from The Ninja Poké-Showdown
- Charmander, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle huddling with Ash from Snow Way Out!
- Charmander's evolution into Charmeleon in The March of the Exeggutor Squad
- Charmeleon beginning to disobey Ash in The Problem with Paras
- Charmeleon's battle with Aerodactyl that caused it to evolve into Charizard from Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon
- Charizard defeating Blaine's Magmar from Volcanic Panic
- Charizard refusing to battle for Ash, costing him the Indigo League from Friend and Foe Alike
- Charizard being defeated and severely weakened by Tad's Poliwrath, and Ash's later actions that allowed him to regain Charizard's trust in Charizard Chills
- Charizard's desperation to be accepted at the Charicific Valley and Ash leaving it behind in Charizard's Burning Ambitions
- Charizard defeating Clair's Dragonair from Better Eight Than Never
- Charizard defeating Gary's Blastoise from Can't Beat the Heat!
- Charizard defeating Noland's Articuno from The Symbol Life
- All the flashbacks are in chronological order. While Snow Way Out! aired directly before Showdown at the Po-ké Corral, chronologically it takes place directly before The Battling Eevee Brothers, due to airing out of place after the incident with EP038.
- This marks the first time Misty is voiced by Michele Knotz in a main series episode.
- In the English dub, rather than retaining the 4Kids Entertainment voice actors during the flashbacks, the lines from the original episodes have been redubbed by the TPCi cast. This would be carried over to future episodes featuring flashbacks from episodes dubbed during the 4Kids dub of the anime.
- Stuart Zagnit is the only original 4Kids voice actor to reprise his role as a character he previously voiced, that character being Koga.
- Unlike the other moves seen in the flashbacks, Clair's Dragonair's Iron Tail was not reanimated to match the move's appearance in Pokémon the Series: Black & White—its tail still glows white instead of taking on a metallic appearance.
- This is the first time that a flashback to a previous Pokémon League Conference that is not the most recent one is shown. Flashbacks are shown of the Indigo Plateau Conference and Silver Conference, and Ash had just recently competed in the Vertress Conference.
- This episode marks the first time that Seismic Toss is not in Charizard's moveset since it was first used in Volcanic Panic.
- This is the first time that Ash has sent a Pokémon from his Unova team (Unfezant) to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
- Because of the Magikarp salesman's speaking cameo appearance in this episode as one of the vendors at the Kanto Fair, he has now appeared at least once in every anime series prior to Pokémon the Series: XY.
- This is the final episode in which the Magikarp salesman is voiced by Unshō Ishizuka in the Japanese version, as this was his final appearance before the actor's death in 2018.
- Ash's Sinnoh attire is the only one of his attires up to this point that he is not seen wearing during this episode, as his Charizard does not appear during Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl.
- This is the last time Boldore has been seen in Ash's active party.
Errors
- The following two errors were fixed for the international dubs, subsequent Japanese airings, and the Japanese DVD version.
- During the flashback of Snow Way Out!, some of the feathers on Pidgeotto's head are colored yellow like its evolved form instead of pink.
- In one shot of the Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon flashback, Aerodactyl's leg is colored orange like Charizard's while it holds Ash.
- In one shot of the Charicific Valley flashback, Ash's left sleeve is colored blue like the rest of his jacket instead of white.
- Before Professor Oak and Ash exchange Charizard for Unfezant, Oak's eyes are brown instead of black.
- As the view zooms in on Charizard's Poké Ball after Ash receives it, the cuff of his glove is colored green like the ones he used in Hoenn and Sinnoh.
Pidgeotto with Pidgeot's feathers on its head
Aerodactyl with Charizard's coloration
Ash's sleeve is blue like the rest of his jacket
Oak's miscolored eyes
Ash's glove has the same coloration as the one he wore during the AG series
Dub edits
- In the original Japanese version, upon finding out that Charizard is not a Dragon type, Iris exclaims that she was already planning to catch a Charmander of her own. In the English dub, she talks about getting a Charizard rather than Charmander.
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
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| Mandarin Chinese | 燃燒吧噴火龍！VS快龍！！ | |
 Danish
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En rødglødende genforening! | |
 Dutch
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Het vuur van een gloeiend hete hereniging! | |
 Finnish
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Tulikuuman jälleentapaamisen liekit! | |
 European French
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Chaleureuses retrouvailles et amitiés enflammées ! | |
 Greek
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Οι Φλόγες από ένα Θερμό Ξανασμίξιμο! | |
 Italian
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Un ritorno fuoco e fiamme! | |
 Korean
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불타올라라! 리자몽 VS 망나뇽 | |
 Norwegian
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En ildfull og varm gjenforening! | |
 Polish
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Ogniste spotkanie po latach! | |
 Brazilian Portuguese
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Uma Reunião Acalorada! | |
 Russian
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Огни жаркой встречи! | |
| Spanish |  Latin America
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¡El fuego de una reunión candente! |
 Spain
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¡El Calor de un Reencuentro al Rojo Vivo! | |
 Swedish
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Flammorna från en glödhet återförening! | |
 Thai
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เผาไหม้ไปซะ ริซาร์ดอน ปะทะ ไคริว! | |
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
