Bulbapedia

To Be a Pokémon Master

Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master (Japanese: ポケットモンスター めざせポケモンマスター Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) is the second and final arc of Pokémon Journeys: The Series that aired on TV Tokyo from January 13, 2023 to March 24, 2023. It is preceded by the main Pokémon Journeys: The Series arc and followed by Liko and Roy's Departure from Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the next mainline animated series.

Pocket Monsters
Aim to Be a Pokémon Master
Arc 2

Japanese logo for the arc
Opening Aim to Be a Pokémon Master -with my friends-
Ending One Hundred Fifty-One
Type: Wild
Episodes 11 (JN137-JN147)
Region Kanto
Series Pokémon Journeys: The Series
Preceded by Pocket Monsters (2019 series)
Followed by Pocket Monsters: Liko and Roy's Departure

This chapter serves as the final story arc featuring Ash and Pikachu, depicting their return to Kanto and reunion with Misty and Brock for one last adventure together. After winning the Masters Eight Tournament, Ash contemplates what it truly means to be a Pokémon Master. The arc concludes Ash's nearly 26-year journey that began in 1997, providing closure to his story and reaffirming his dream.

The arc's opening theme, Aim to Be a Pokémon Master -with my friends-, is a new arrangement of the original 1997 opening, Aim to Be a Pokémon Master, created to commemorate the series's 25th anniversary. The arc features two ending themes from the original series: One Hundred Fifty-One for the first ten episodes and Type: Wild for the finale. The English dub was released on Netflix on September 8, 2023, with the opening theme Gotta Catch Em All (a new arrangement of the original Pokémon Theme), and includes Distant Blue Sky! as the 12th and final episode of the arc.

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Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
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Plot

After becoming the World Champion, Ash begins rotating his team and encounters a wild Latias that starts following him. He reunites with Misty, who has left the Cerulean Gym in her sisters' care to embark on a new journey. The two travel together, with Misty catching a Clauncher after a battle with Ash. They soon reunite with Brock in Galar, where they also encounter Cilan before he returns to Unova. Brock rejoins the group, reforming the original trio.

During their travels through Kanto, Ash reunites with several of his previously released Pokémon, including his Squirtle, Lapras, and ultimately his Pidgeot. Latias reveals a vision of a Latios in danger, leading Ash and his friends to rescue it from a Pokémon hunter. After Latias departs with Latios, Ash decides to return to Pallet Town.

Back in Pallet Town, Ash reunites with Tracey and meets his rival Gary again. Gary questions whether becoming Champion has brought Ash closer to being a Pokémon Master, prompting Ash to reflect on his true goal. In the final episode, "The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!," Ash defines what being a Pokémon Master means to him: becoming friends with all the Pokémon in the world. He declares that becoming Champion wasn't the end goal—he's still a challenger. After reuniting with Pidgeot, which rejoins his team, Ash reaffirms his dream and leaves Pallet Town to continue his journey, with Pikachu by his side.

Gallery

Promotional material

  • Japanese Key Visual
    Japanese Key Visual
  • English Key Visual
    English Key Visual
  • English logo for the arc
    English logo for the arc

Characters

Main characters
Returning characters
Team Rocket

Pokémon

Debuts
Ash's returning Pokémon

Episodes

In the English dub, Distant Blue Sky is included as the 12th and final episode of this arc,[1] even though it was released separately from the arc in the original Japanese version.

Epicode Japanese Title English Title #
JN137 はじまりのかぜ！むげんのみち！！ Winds of Beginning! The Endless Road!! The Road Most Traveled! 1
JN138 サトシVSカスミ！うみべのいっきうち！！ Satoshi VS Kasumi! Seaside One-on-One!! A Fated Face-Off! 2
JN139 タケシとデントともりのまじょ！ Takeshi and Dent and the Forest Witch! Must Be Our Heroes and the Witch! 3
JN140 ツンベアーのためいき！ Tunbear's Sigh! Bearing Down Easy! 4
JN141 もえよ！ゼニガメしょうぼうだん！！ Burn! The Zenigame Fire Brigade!! A Squad’s Worth of Passion! 5
JN142 そして、おなじ月をみている！ And We're Looking at the Same Moon! The Same Moon, Now and Forever! 6
JN143 ラプラスにのって♪ Riding on Laplace♪ Ride, Lapras, Ride! 7
JN144 ジュペッタのさがしもの！ Juppeta's Search! Getting to the Heart of it All! 8
JN145 逆襲のロケット団！ Rocket-dan Strikes Back! Rocket Revengers! 9
JN146 サトシとラティオス！ Satoshi and Latios! Ash and Latios 10
JN147 虹とポケモンマスター！ The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master! The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master! 11

Trivia

  • This arc marks the conclusion of Ash's journey as the protagonist of the animated series, a role he held since the series began in 1997.
  • The arc provides the first official definition of what "Pokémon Master" means within the context of the animated series.
    • Despite becoming the World Champion, Ash explicitly states that this achievement is not equivalent to becoming a Pokémon Master.
  • Despite this arc having a separate logo designed for the English dub poster, the episodes themselves continue to use the Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series logo in the opening animation.

In other languages

References

  1. ↑ This 12-episode collection, titled “To Be a Pokémon Master,” brings back favorite characters [...] (Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series and Pokémon Horizons: The Series News, Pokémon.com - July 20, 2023)

External links

Related articles

Story arcs of the Pokémon animated series in Japan and South Korea
Pocket Monsters (list) Pocket Monsters • Episode: Orange Islands • Episode: Gold & Silver
Advanced Generation (list) Advanced Generation • Battle Frontier
Diamond & Pearl (list) Diamond & Pearl
Best Wishes! (list) Best Wishes! • Season 2 • Episode N • Decolora Adventure!
XY (list) XY • XY&Z • Special Episode: The Strongest Mega Evolution
Sun & Moon (list) Sun & Moon
Pocket Monsters (2019) JP /
Pocket Monsters W KR (list) 		Pocket Monsters • Arceus, the One Called God • Aim to Be a Pokémon Master
Pocket Monsters (2023) (list) Liko and Roy's Departure • The Sparkling of Terapagos • Terastal Debut • Rayquaza Rising • Mega Voltage • Episode: Mega Evolution • Rising Again
Complete list • Seasons in the English dub • Movies
This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
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