The Legend of Thunder!
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The Legend of Thunder!
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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 Legend of Thunder! (Japanese: ポケットモンスタークリスタル・ライコウ 雷の伝説 Pocket Monsters Crystal: Raikou - Legend of Thunder) is a made-for-TV anime movie that originally aired in Japan on December 30, 2001. It was dubbed as the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles, which first aired in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2005 (part 1), May 18, 2005 (part 2) and May 25, 2005 (part 3) and in the United States on June 3, 2006 (part 1) and June 10, 2006 (parts 2 and 3). Rather than following Ash, it follows Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent, three Trainers from New Bark Town, in their attempts to prevent Team Rocket agents Attila and Hun from capturing Raikou.
Blurb
Part One
A young Trainer named Jimmy and his Typhlosion are on a Pokémon journey, and their latest Pokémon battle results in victory over another Trainer and his Hitmonlee. Meanwhile, Team Rocket agents Attila and Hun have arrived at a Team Rocket base to view the Miracle Crystal. This invention can store electric energy and attract it as well—including Electric-type Pokémon. Jimmy, still on his journey, visits a Pokémon Center and he runs into an old friend, Marina, in the middle of a video conversation with their mutual friend Vincent. Marina wants to be a Trainer and a star performer, but when Jimmy tells her that's impossible, Marina challenges him to a 2-on-2 battle!
For the first round, Marina uses her Jigglypuff and Jimmy goes with his Beedrill. Jigglypuff's dance training does come in useful, but Beedrill wins the round. Next it's Marina's Croconaw against Jimmy's Typhlosion, but a strange lightning storm interrupts the battle. Marina's Misdreavus flies towards the storm, so she and Jimmy give chase. They catch up with Misdreavus at the source of the storm: Team Rocket's Miracle Crystal! Attila and Hun used it to stun all the Electric Pokémon drawn by its energy, and now they're just scooping up the stunned Pokémon.
Before Jimmy and Marina can stop them, another blast of lightning signals the presence of a powerful Pokémon nearby. The Legendary Raikou appears on a nearby peak, and it's angry! To protect the wild Pokémon, it attacks Attila and Hun, but the Team Rocket agents don't even blink. Every bolt of Raikou's lightning is simply absorbed by the Miracle Crystal, and the Crystal turns that energy back on Raikou with enough power to stun it. Now Attila is ready to capture it, but Jimmy confronts Team Rocket and tells them to leave Raikou alone—or else!
Part Two
Jimmy has confronted Team Rocket agents Attila and Hun, who are about to capture Raikou with the help of the electricity-absorbing Miracle Crystal device. Attila and Hun send out Skarmory and Steelix, catching Typhlosion in a Sandstorm attack and hitting it with Steel Wing. Jimmy's friend Marina sends in her Misdreavus for support, and Jimmy sends his Beedrill to damage Attila's capturing robot. Team Rocket finally retreats, leaving behind the injured Raikou. But even though Jimmy just wants to help, Raikou won't let anyone get close until it finally collapses and is taken to the Pokémon Center.
Even at the Pokémon Center, Raikou resents being in captivity. A strange man in a cape runs in to see Raikou for himself—his name is Eugene, and although he promises to help protect Raikou, he knows it's suspicious of people. In fact, the next morning, Raikou breaks out of the Center as soon as it wakes up, and Eugene grabs Jimmy and Marina to follow it in his car. Team Rocket has set up another Miracle Crystal trap and Raikou is headed straight for it! Hun uses Steelix to provoke Raikou into using up even more electrical energy, but Jimmy, Marina, and Eugene are soon on the scene.
Steelix turns its attacks on the Trainers, but Jimmy and Marina's friend Vincent appears and saves the day with his Meganium. The Crystal's absorption powers have exhausted Raikou, but Typhlosion, Meganium, and Marina's Misdreavus can disrupt the Crystal's energy field if they all attack it at once. Despite their efforts, Attila quickly grabs Raikou and Team Rocket takes off. When the dust settles, Marina is missing as well! She was grabbed by accident, and now she's with Raikou in the cargo hold of Team Rocket's ship. When Raikou's struggles dislodge a floor panel, Marina disrupts the ship's wiring and opens the cargo hold doors. Raikou escapes, but Marina is still inside the ship... and Team Rocket knows exactly what's going on!
Part Three
With their friend Marina in Team Rocket's clutches, Jimmy and Vincent are in a panic. Jimmy remembers that Vincent can call Marina on her Poké Gear, but Hun has already taken it from her. However, Vincent can still trace the call to find Marina, and not a moment too soon: Team Rocket is setting up another Miracle Crystal trap for Raikou. Jimmy, Vincent, and Eugene find Team Rocket only moments before Raikou does, and this time, Raikou pounds the area with lightning while staying out of the Crystal's range. In the Chaos, Jimmy sends his Beedrill to rescue Marina by flying her out of Team Rocket's grasp.
Raikou purposely smashes the Crystal's control unit, but Team Rocket still doesn't look beaten. With the controls gone, the Crystal is on auto-destruct mode, sucking in energy until it explodes—and it latches onto Raikou, leaving it helpless! Eugene has a risky idea: break open the Crystal's field to rescue Raikou before the Crystal can explode. Jimmy's Typhlosion, Vincent's Meganium, and Marina's Misdreavus all volunteer to take the risk, and they charge the Crystal's energy field. At the same time, Eugene sends out his Alakazam to watch their backs, and Team Rocket sends out a Muk to make the battle even harder!
Even as Hun's Steelix attacks the Trainers, they order their Pokémon to concentrate on saving Raikou. Jimmy manages to trick Steelix into falling off a cliff, but it soon comes roaring back out of the ground! It lunges at the Pokémon trying to free Raikou, but Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent throw themselves in front of their Pokémon to protect them. When Raikou sees this, it blasts its way out of the Crystal's energy field to stop Steelix, then breaks the Crystal into pieces as Team Rocket flees for good. Raikou seems to realize that some people don't mean it any harm, and as it returns to the wild, Jimmy waves goodbye—as a friend!
Plot
Note: This synopsis is based on the English dubbed version of the episode. However, there are a number of differences between the dub and the original, which are listed below.
Part One
Shinji challenges Jimmy to a one-on-one battle. He declares his confidence and calls out his unbeatable Hitmonlee. Jimmy admits that he has lost half of his solo matches before sending out his Typhlosion, who blazes into the match. Hitmonlee begins with a Jump Kick, which Typhlosion blocks by grabbing Hitmonlee's leg. Hitmonlee then uses his other leg to hit Typhlosion with Rolling Kick. Typhlosion easily recovers, so Hitmonlee jumps up high and uses Mega Kick. Typhlosion counters with Flamethrower, which engulfs Hitmonlee for a knockout. Jimmy does a "high-paw" with Typhlosion as the watching audience cheers. Jimmy and his opponent shake hands and swear to battle again.
Meanwhile, a helicopter enters one of Team Rocket's secret hideouts hidden under a mountain range. Hun emerges from the aircraft and presents his new partner Attila to Professor Sebastian. The Professor escorts the duo to his latest weapon, the Miracle Crystal, which is capable of controlling electricity. He demonstrates its power with a lightning show, and reveals that the Miracle Crystal both stores and attracts electricity. Hun notes that it now won't be long until unlimited power is in their hands.
As Jimmy continues on his journey, he stops at a Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy heals all his Pokémon. He stays in the Center to groom Typhlosion, complimenting it on its strength. He then hears a familiar voice, and sees Marina talking on the videophone to Vincent. Her Misdreavus nicknamed Little Miss and Vincent notice Jimmy, but it takes Marina a moment to remember him. When she does, she is enthusiastic to see him again and is thrilled to see that his Cyndaquil has since evolved into a powerful Typhlosion. Marina turns to end her call with Vincent, but he pleads with her to let him speak to Jimmy first. Marina agrees, though Jimmy doesn’t appear to be enthusiastic. Vincent quietly tells Jimmy that he wants Marina to be his girlfriend and Jimmy, who also has a crush on her, shouldn't try to take her away. To avoid further embarrassment in front of his secret crush, Jimmy hangs up on him.
Taking a break in the Pokémon Center, Jimmy and Marina talk about what they have done on their journeys. Marina asks for Jimmy’s Pokégear number, but Jimmy tries to ignore her. She continues to flirt with him, though Jimmy continues to ignore her. She then suggests that he is afraid of her because he likes her. Jimmy denies this, though Typhlosion seems to think otherwise. Jimmy makes Marina change the subject, so she reveals that she wants to be a performer and battle to make people happy. Jimmy says that he battles so that he can go back and help the kids in New Bark Town raise Pokémon. Marina then reveals her fascination with Champion "Fabu-Lance", and she shows him her photo collection of her idol. Jimmy declares that being a star and battling can’t go together, so Marine challenges Jimmy to a battle to prove him wrong.
Jimmy wants to battle one-on-one, but Marina insists on using two Pokémon each. Marina sends out Pink, her Jigglypuff, while Jimmy sends out Beedrill, which Marina recognizes from when it was a Weedle. Jimmy offers Marina the first move, and she gladly accepts. Pink starts out with Sing, but it fails as the beating of Beedrill's wings blocks the sound waves before they reach its ears. Beedrill uses Agility followed by Twineedle. Pink inflates itself to rise into the air, and is able to dodge Beedrill thanks to its many dance lessons. While Marina talks about turning it into a routine, Beedrill launches a Pin Missile, which causes Pink to faint.
Next, Marina sends out Wani-Wani, her Croconaw, while Jimmy returns Beedrill and sends out Typhlosion. Marina reminds Jimmy that Typhlosion is a Fire-type and has a big disadvantage against Water Pokémon like her Wani-Wani. Jimmy declares that he likes a challenge, though Marina thinks it is more ego than anything else. As the round begins, dark thunderclouds start to roll in. Wani-Wani uses Water Gun, and Typhlosion charges into the attack without sustaining any damage. Typhlosion follows up with a Quick Attack. As Wani-Wani prepares to sidestep out the way, a thunderbolt strikes the ground nearby. With the bad weather, Jimmy calls off the match and orders the Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center. However the Pokémon go the wrong way. Typhlosion and Wani-Wani are successfully recalled, but Little Miss gets too far ahead.
As Jimmy and Marina chase after Little Miss, the source of the thunderstorm is revealed to be the Miracle Crystal. Under the control of Attila, Hun, and a mecha, it is now attracting Electric Pokémon from all over the area. There is no sign of Raikou yet, but Hun tells Attila that making trouble with the Pokémon will make it more likely for Raikou to turn up. A Raichu tries to stop them, but an electric blast from the crystal quickly defeats it and the other Pokémon. Attila continues to grab the attracted Pokémon with the mecha's robotic claws. Little Miss, Jimmy, and Marina come upon the scene as a different, yellow-colored thundercloud appears in the distance. The legendary Raikou appears from the yellow thundercloud in a burst of lightning, and its arrival is welcomed by Attila and Hun. Jimmy checks his Pokédex for details, and he is surprised to see a living legend. Raikou leaps down from a mountain summit and rescues the Electric Pokémon with grace. Attila tries to grab Raikou, but it leaps into the air. Raikou retaliates with a Thunderbolt that is sucked into the crystal. Though it keeps attacking, the powerful Electric attacks are just sent right back at Raikou. As Hun points out, the more Raikou fights, the stronger Team Rocket get. Raikou collapses, but before Attila can capture it, Jimmy runs forward, telling them to stop. He sends out Typhlosion, while Attila sends out Skarmory and Hun sends out Steelix. Hun warns Jimmy to leave or be destroyed. Marina calls out to her friend, but Jimmy ignores it. Jimmy sternly warns Team Rocket to let Raikou go or they’ll have to deal with him.
Part Two
The tense exchange of words between Attila and Hun against Jimmy erupts into a battle. Skarmory begins with Fury Attack while Typhlosion responds with Flamethrower. Steelix counters with Sandstorm, stopping the Flamethrower as well as inflicting damage on Typhlosion. After Jimmy gives some words of encouragement, Typhlosion endures the Sandstorm and starts making its way over to Steelix, but is hit by Skarmory's Steel Wing. With Typhlosion defeated, Attila uses the crystal to further weaken Raikou. After seeing Raikou in even more excruciating pain, Marina and Little Miss enter the battle. Steelix goes to use Bite, but Little Miss uses Perish Song. While Skarmory and Steelix are incapacitated by Little Miss, Attila returns his attention to Raikou. Jimmy sends out Beedrill, who destroys the mecha's claws with Pin Missile. With no means to capture Raikou, Attila orders a retreat. Team Rocket create a smokescreen and escape.
Raikou turns to leave, but Jimmy calls after it and offers help. Raikou hits Jimmy with an electric bolt, throwing him back. Jimmy gets back up again, narrowly missing another attack. The two stare each other down, until Jimmy makes a step forward. Raikou goes to shock him again, but is countered by a blast of flame from Typhlosion. Jimmy assures Raikou that they want to help it, promising that it can trust him. Raikou then collapses.
Back at the Pokémon Center, Professor Elm tells Marina that there is a danger that Raikou will become withdrawn, depressed and not heal properly because it is in captivity. Marina decides that singing it a song may help, and while Professor Elm admits that that isn't a bad idea, he tells her that the important thing is to set it free as soon as it is healed. News of Raikou spreads, but Chansey guards the door to the operation ward so that only Jimmy is allowed to watch Nurse Joy treat the Legendary Pokémon. Meanwhile, Team Rocket work on repairing their machine.
That evening, as Raikou sleeps, Marina tries to cheer Jimmy up. She hands Jimmy a drink while he continues to watch Raikou’s progress. Suddenly, a man barges in and demands to see Raikou. Marina becomes enamored with him and asks his name, but then Officer Jenny leads another man to them. The first man is Eugene and the second is Kudo, and they appear to know each other. Marina is more interested in Eugene's cape, which Eugene informs her that no one is permitted to touch. Eugene explains that Raikou is a Legendary Pokémon, making it unique and extraordinary. While it cannot be captured, man has always tried to capture that which they cannot have. Since Raikou can control thunderstorms and lightning, men have always hunted it to capture it and harness its power; because of this, Raikou does not trust humans. Kudo says that Raikou thinks that all humans are the same, but Jimmy believes that it can sense who its friends and enemies are. Officer Jenny reveals that Team Rocket are behind the latest attack on Raikou, and Eugene personally assigns himself the role of protecting it.
The following morning, Raikou wakes up and is strong enough to break the glass in the Pokémon Center with electricity. Jimmy introduces himself, but Raikou just sends more electricity his way. As the others appear, Raikou blows a hole in the wall and runs off. The clouds that the crystal created have returned, and Raikou runs right back into Team Rocket's trap. Eugene tells Jimmy and Marina to get into his car so that they can follow it. Meanwhile, Kudo mans the home base and calls Officer Jenny.
Raikou soon appears in front of Attila and Hun, who introduce themselves as its new masters. Raikou replies with another lightning bolt to the crystal, which just powers it up even more. Hun sends out Steelix to agitate Raikou into inadvertently giving more electricity to the crystal, which then sends out electricity everywhere. Next, Steelix uses Dig and causes serious damage to Raikou. Suddenly, Eugene's car appears and Jimmy gets out.
After Jimmy demands that they stop attacking Raikou, Attila explains to him that they aren't doing anything that he didn't do with his Typhlosion. Jimmy disagrees, telling them to fight Raikou fairly. Hun tells Jimmy that one doesn't come to rule the world by fighting fairly. Jimmy tells them that what they're doing is wrong, but they respond that they're simply acting like all Pokémon Trainers. Jimmy tells them that they don't understand Pokémon Trainers at all. He declares that battling is about self-improvement and the love of the contest, and not to steal the powers of a noble and legendary creature. Jimmy then exclaims that he refuses to let Team Rocket take Raikou.
As the Raikou jumps into battle, it is hit by the crystal's electricity. But before anyone can release a Pokémon, Steelix uses Rock Throw on Jimmy and Marina. One large rock is heading straight for them, yet before they are hit, a beam from somewhere destroys it. Looking to where the beam came from, they see a Meganium standing besides its caped Trainer, their childhood friend Vincent, who has come to save them. Vincent orders Meganium to use Solar Beam, but it barely leaves a mark on Steelix. Hun orders Steelix to retaliate with Crunch, which Meganium and Vincent narrowly avoid. Steelix lashes at the trio with an Iron Tail and follows up with a Rock Throw. Eugene goes to save them, but the falling Rock Throw prevents him from doing so.
Meanwhile, Raikou has collapsed from Miracle Crystal’s rebounded electric attacks. Attila then activates the capture bubble. The wall of purple energy slowly swells and causes extreme pain to Raikou as soon as it is trapped inside. Typhlosion blasts the bubble with a Flamethrower, which concerns Hun, who explains that the system is only designed to absorb electricity—it doesn't know how to handle any other form of energy. As Typhlosion begins to push the bubble back, Little Miss and Meganium join in with Psybeam and Solar Beam respectively. Steelix tries to use Iron Tail to knock everyone out of the way, but the capture bubble explodes. Attila quickly grabs Raikou with his mecha’s claws and puts it into the cargo hold. Team Rocket quickly fly off, but with Marina trapped inside with Raikou.
Raikou tries to blow its way out, but the walls are non-conductive. It then tries tackling the walls, but they are too strong for that to work either. Marina tries to calm Raikou down and promises to find a way out. During its rampage, Raikou scrapes away a piece of the floor. Marina sees some wires and yanks them apart, which makes the door open. They are too high up for Marina to be able to safely escape, but since Raikou can make the jump, she encourages it to free itself. Attila activates the emergency override, but Raikou escapes before the door closes. The engines of the aircraft begin to fail as well, causing it to lose altitude. As Team Rocket prepare to get Raikou back, it watches as they move away with Marina still trapped.
Part Three
Vincent panics while Jimmy tries to think of a new plan. Eugene tells him that the first rule of any rescue operation is to remain calm. Jimmy decides to try contacting Marina using Vincent's Pokégear. They call her and have a brief but frantic exchange of words before Attila crushes Marina's Pokégear in his hand. Eugene suggests that they use the call log data to locate Marina.
Attila and Hun land their aircraft once again and reactivate the Miracle Crystal in a bid to lure Raikou. Having seen the dark clouds reappear, Eugene, Jimmy, and Vincent drive cross-country towards the crystal. When they arrive, Vincent demands to see Marina, who is tied up but otherwise okay. Jimmy tells them to let Marina and Raikou go, but Eugene realizes that since Team Rocket has activated the crystal, they must not have Raikou. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning hits the crystal, and it seems that Raikou is planning to attack from outside of the crystal's range. Raikou is stronger than ever, but the group is right in the line of fire.
As electricity reflects off of the crystal and fires everywhere, Marina falls from the cliff she was on, but is rescued by Jimmy's Beedrill. Attila releases Skarmory to attack Beedrill with Steel Wing, which causes it to drop Marina. Both Jimmy and Vincent run to catch her, but Vincent trips and lands on his face, with Marina landing on top of him. Jimmy ensures that Marina is okay, but Vincent interrupts their private moment to remind them that he is the one that Marina fell on. Hun then cuts in by ordering Steelix to use Iron Tail. Just as Eugene is about to send in his own Pokemon to save them, Raikou leaps in and attacks Steelix head-on. Raikou then attacks Attila's mecha, tearing the control panel apart. Attila jumps out of the way and he has Skarmory swoop down with a Sky Attack. Raikou chews through a final wire before running away as the control panel explodes, blasting Skarmory back. The purple glow around the Miracle Crystal disappears.
The group wonders why Raikou risked battling face-to-face when it had initially been attacking from above. Jimmy realizes that Raikou does not just protect Electric-type Pokémon; it protects its friends, and considers the group to be so. Although they cannot control the crystal anymore, Team Rocket are still around. The reason for this appears when Raikou attacks them—the electricity is still drawn to the crystal, which sends a powerful blast back. Hun explains that if the control panel is destroyed, the crystal will run on "auto-destruct," which means that its power is now twice as focused. The crystal hones in on Raikou, and then turns black. Its electric hooks sink into Raikou and pull it inwards. Hun explains that it is impossible for Raikou to escape now.
Hun taunts that their legend will last forever as they have brains and science on their side—but Jimmy, Vincent, and Marina will not let that happen. They send out Typhlosion, Little Miss, and Meganium. Typhlosion uses Flamethrower, but the field now surrounding Raikou stops it. Jimmy suggests using combined forces again. Eugene interjects and he warns that if the field explodes with Raikou trapped inside, then the blast would be so powerful that it would destroy even Raikou.
With Raikou drained of its electricity, Eugene says that their only hope is the "all or nothing" plan. They would have to break the field open, grab Raikou, and then get out before the explosion, but whoever goes in might never come out. After a moment of deep consideration, Typhlosion volunteers itself. As Typhlosion runs forward, so do Little Miss and Meganium. Skarmory and Steelix attack, but Eugene sends out Alakazam to provide enough of a distraction to let the other Pokémon pass through. Typhlosion uses Flame Wheel on the field, while Meganium uses Light Screen.
Attila then sends his Muk into the battle to use Sludge Bomb. Little Miss counters with Psybeam, but is hit by Skarmory's wing. Skarmory then flies up to avoid Alakazam's Psybeam. While this is going on, Meganium and Typhlosion begin to drain energy from the crystal's force field. Raikou wakes up, allowing it to flee on its own if they are successful, giving the other Pokémon enough time to get away.
Hun orders Steelix to use Crunch on the Trainers, but Jimmy tells the Pokémon to concentrate on saving Raikou. As Muk bombards Meganium with Sludge Bomb and Skarmory jabs Typhlosion with Fury Attack, Steelix goes after Jimmy, who has run to the edge of a cliff. Jimmy provokes Steelix by saying that it couldn't Crunch a potato chip and is rescued from the attack by Beedrill, leaving Steelix to fall into the river below. With Little Miss and Alakazam keeping Skarmory and Muk in check with their Psybeams, Typhlosion and Meganium have nearly broken the field. Steelix suddenly bursts from the ground and prepares to Crunch Typhlosion and Meganium, but Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent stand to defend their Pokémon. Eugene tells them to get out of the way, but Raikou breaks the field with a powerful electric attack that knocks Steelix back. As the crystal cracks, Hun and Attila realize that the ultimate system has met the ultimate Pokémon. They then run away, leaving becoming legends for another day.
While the Trainers celebrate, Raikou breaks the crystal once and for all. Sunlight begins to filter through the dark clouds. Eugene, Marina, Jimmy and Vincent all thank Raikou for saving them before it runs off, safe again at last. Knowing that they will never forget Raikou, the Trainers cheer.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.
Debuts
Humans
Pokémon debuts
TV debuts
Characters
Humans
- Jimmy
- Marina
- Vincent
- Attila
- Nurse Joy
- Officer Jenny
- Lance (fantasy)
- Professor Elm
- Eugene
- Hun
- Professor Sebastian
- Kudo
- Shinji
- Team Rocket scientists
- Trainers
- Audience
Pokémon
- Typhlosion (Jimmy's; debut)
- Beedrill (Jimmy's)
- Misdreavus (Marina's; Little Miss)
- Jigglypuff (Marina's; Pink)
- Croconaw (Marina's; Wani-Wani)
- Meganium (Vincent's; debut)
- Chansey (Nurse Joy's)
- Dragonite (Lance's; fantasy)
- Gyarados (Lance's; fantasy)
- Steelix (Hun's)
- Skarmory (Attila's)
- Muk (Attila's)
- Alakazam (Eugene's)
- Hitmonlee (Shinji's)
- Raikou (anime)
- Hoothoot (Trainer's)
- Hoothoot
- Pidgey (multiple)
- Pidgeot (×2)
- Chinchou (×2)
- Lanturn
- Lapras (×2)
- Magikarp
- Starmie (×2)
- Diglett (×2)
- Dugtrio
- Sandshrew
- Sandslash
- Nidorino (×2)
- Nidorina
- Dunsparce
- Hoppip (×4)
- Rhyhorn
- Donphan
- Spinarak (×3)
- Bellossom (×3)
- Rattata
- Raticate
- Oddish
- Bellsprout
- Mankey
- Sentret
- Furret
- Ledyba (multiple)
- Stantler (×2)
- Raichu
- Mareep (multiple)
- Flaaffy (multiple)
- Magnemite (multiple)
- Magneton (multiple)
- Voltorb (multiple)
- Electrode (multiple)
- Teddiursa
- Ursaring
- Azumarill
- Gligar
- Poliwag
- Horsea
- Seadra
- Kingdra
- Golduck
- Seel
- Dewgong
- Vaporeon
- Wooper (×2)
- Quagsire
- Qwilfish
- Tentacool
- Remoraid
Trivia
- This special was released between EP230 and EP231 in Japan.
- This special was later released on DVD for Japan, as well as Taiwan and mainland China.
- By the time this special aired in the dub, Eugene and Vincent had already been seen before in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll and Love, Pokémon Style, respectively. In the episodes in question, they were named as Eusine and Jackson.
- This is the first Pokémon Chronicles episode where a Pokédex is used.
- This special marks the first time that any characters based on game protagonists have appeared besides Ash, who is based on Red.
- This special has the longest time between the original airings in Japanese and English, taking three and a half years to air dubbed.
- This is the only movie-length anime special that hasn't aired in Finland.
- Music from Mewtwo Strikes Back, The Power of One, Spell of the Unown: Entei, and Celebi: The Voice of the Forest are used in this special.
Errors
- In one scene, Hun commands Skarmory to use Fury Attack, but Skarmory is Attila's Pokémon.
- In one scene in the dub, Attila incorrectly refers to multiple Caterpie as "Caterpies".
- When Vincent's Meganium hits Steelix with Solar Beam, Hun states that Grass-types are ineffective against a Steel-type like Steelix. This is not entirely true because Steelix's other type, Ground, is weak to Grass, thus Steelix receives neutral damage from Grass-type attacks.
- Raikou's Electric attacks worked on Steelix, even though Steelix is part-Ground. This, however, could be because of Raikou's sheer strength, similar to Pikachu. A similar situation occurs when Raikou tackles Steelix forcefully, sending it crashing into the cliff-side.
- In the Hindi dub, Misdreavus was once mispronounced as "Misdrees".
Dub edits
The dub of The Legend of Thunder! is one of the most heavily edited episodes of Pokémon, most likely due to TV time constraints:
- The flashback of when Jimmy, Marina, and Vincent met when they got their first partner Pokémon was cut.
- All of the music is replaced, besides the three seconds of Jigglypuff's song.
- Hun was male in the Japanese version, but has a female voice in the dub.
- The Trainer that Jimmy battles in the beginning had a name in Japanese, Shinji. The scene in which Shinji introduces himself and swaps Pokégear numbers with Jimmy is cut in the dub.
- The original version has its own opening theme after said battle. The televised version begins with the Pokémon Chronicles opening theme before the battle, while the DVD just cuts out the opening completely.
- At this point, the dub uses its own title card. This is used again for the other two parts, and is preceded with a recap of the events of the previous episode in those cases.
- Attila is described as a wrangler and Hun's new partner in the dub. This is not true for the original version.
- In the original version, the Pokégears have a mirrored number two. These are painted out in the dub.
- A small scene after Jimmy hangs up is cut. In it, Marina asks Jimmy what Vincent wanted, and Jimmy replies that he wanted a battle. Marina then suggests they get a drink.
- The following scene is then rewritten. While the dub concentrates on pushing the relationship between Jimmy and Marina, the original version explores their backstory much closer.
- The original version has a number of eyecatches that are not in the dub.
- Beedrill's attacks miss Jigglypuff in the original version simply because it is in the air. In the dub, Marina explains that being an "Idol Trainer" means that she needs to be knowledgeable about battling as well as being good at dancing.
- In the original version, Jimmy's Pokédex sounds just like Ash's, but this is not carried over in the dub.
- Towards the end of the first part, the shots of Raikou falling to the ground and Jimmy looking on in horror are switched around.
- Steelix's initial Bite is actually Crunch in the original version, which is consistent with the rest of the special.
- When Marina sends her Misdreavus out to battle Skarmory and Steelix, Jimmy tells her to not do anything stupid in the original version, while he merely tells her to wait for him in the dub.
- Also, Marina's "There's no time!" line is dub-only.
- Jimmy's thoughts about getting Raikou to trust him are not heard in the original version.
- The conversation with Marina and Professor Elm in the Pokémon Center is different. In the original version, Professor Elm asks Marina what Jimmy is doing, and Marina says that he is tending to Raikou. He mentions that a friend of his is in the area where Marina is at. In the dub, Professor Elm states that Raikou will become withdrawn, depressed, and not heal properly because of its danger and captivity. Marina comes up with an idea to sing Raikou a song. Professor Elm remarks that it is not a bad idea, and Raikou will be set free as soon as it's recharged.
- Just before Eugene comes in, the original version has a scene in which Marina explains the effects of Perish Song, and asks if she and Misdreavus look cute together.
- The following scene has three cuts, which amount to about nine seconds.
- The sign behind Kudo has its text removed in the dub.
- The shot of Raikou after it has burst through the wall of the Pokémon Center is lengthened by a second in the dub.
- When Attila is happy that a few more Thunderbolts will make the crystal unbeatable in the dub, in the original version, he is surprised that Raikou came to destroy the machine, and not because he was attracted by it.
- The scene in which Jimmy says how Attila and Hun don't know Pokémon Trainers gives different reasons in the original version. In the original version, he becomes strong with his Pokémon and doesn't battle to win. When he tells them that he won't let them take Raikou, in the original version, he says that they don't deserve to have Pokémon.
- Four seconds are cut out at the end of the second part where Raikou watches Team Rocket fly away.
- The first scene of the final part has 27 seconds removed from it. The first six remove a shot of Vincent yelling at Jimmy. Then, 21 seconds of Jimmy talking to Eugene were removed. Here, Eugene told Jimmy that Officer Jenny had been informed and was working with the emergency squad to find more information. Jimmy says they can't stand around, but Eugene informs him that it would be impossible to get there by foot. The dub cuts to here with Jimmy saying, "We could get a plane or a helicopter or..."
- When Attila talks about Caterpie in the dub, he is telling Marina not to move in the original version.
- When Hun and Attila talk about signature attacks, they aren't saying anything in the original version.
- The following section has a total of 35 seconds of cuts. Some shots are shortened slightly. However, it also includes speeches such as Jimmy guessing that they are using the crystal again, Hun saying that Jimmy did well to find them, and Attila telling them that Marina let Raikou escape.
- When Eugene, Jimmy, and Vincent are heading to the crystal's location, in the dub, Eugene does not simply say we have to hurry up. He tells them that the ride is going to be a bit bumpy and they have to hold on tight.
- Jimmy tells his Beedrill to let go of Marina in the original version, while in the dub, he commands it to "take evasive maneuvers".
- When Beedrill drops Marina in the original, she shouts "Noo!", in the dub, she screams.
- While Eugene wonders why Raikou was attacking close-range, he doesn't say anything in the original version.
- In the original version, Raikou does not return to save them. He does it because the crystal has disturbed the peace of the Electric Pokémon, and he can't forgive anyone that would hurt them.
- After Attila says that the crystal is twice as focused, there is an 11 second cut during which there is a close-up of the crystal followed by a shot of Jimmy and the other heroes, wondering what Team Rocket has up their sleeves.
- During a scene where the black crystal is absorbing Raikou's power, Attila's dialogue was dub-only.
- While Team Rocket is talking about being legends in the dub, the original version has them warning that the system could kill Raikou.
- Five seconds are cut from the discussion about the "all-or-nothing" plan.
- The scene in which Typhlosion agrees to help Raikou has a lot more emotion in the original version, eight seconds of which were cut in the dub.
- When Attila is about to toss Muk's Poké Ball, he tells the kids to put on their raincoats and galoshes. In the original version, he swears and then calls out Muk's name.
- When Raikou is waking up in the dub while in the original version, it was actually noted that it was getting worse.
- When Steelix is driving Jimmy towards a cliff, Hun is heard talking. When Hun tells Steelix to use Crunch, Jimmy taunts Steelix about how it "couldn't Crunch even a potato chip". In the original version, Hun isn't talking at this point and Steelix gets mad because Jimmy calls it "Baka-neil" (a pun on the Japanese word for "stupid", baka, and Steelix's Japanese name, Haganeil).
- During this scene, there are three seconds cut during in which Marina and Vincent shout at Jimmy to get out of there.
- When Misdreavus and Alakazam use Psybeam, Marina's dialogue was dub-added.
- Two-and-a-half minutes are cut from the ending, as described above, but two minutes and six seconds of ending credits were added.
- The shot of the mountains seen at the very end of the dub is shown after all this, but is also shortened by seven seconds.
- The original ending scene was cut from the dub.
Eyecatches
Typhlosion, Little Miss, and Meganium
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin Chinese | 雷公 雷的傳說 | |
 French
|
La légende du tonnerre | |
 German
|
Die Legende des Donners | |
 Italian
|
Il Leggendario Pokémon Tuono Ragazzi Coraggiosi Il Cristallo Magnetico | |
| Portuguese |  Brazil
|
A Lenda do Trovão! |
 Portugal
|
A Lenda do Trovão | |
 Serbian
|
Pokémoni: Legenda Groma | |
 European Spanish
|
¡La leyenda del trueno! | |
 Thai
|
ไรโคตำนานแห่งสายฟ้า | |
|
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
- Animated series specials
- Pokémon Chronicles episodes
- Episodes written by Atsuhiro Tomioka
- Episodes by one-time storyboarders
- Episodes by multiple storyboarders
- Episodes storyboarded by Hazuki Tsuji
- Episodes by one-time directors
- Episodes by multiple assistant directors
- Episodes animated by Norihiro Matsubara
- Episodes animated by Yūko Inoue
- Episodes by multiple animation directors
- Episodes which aired in the United Kingdom before the United States
