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"Tentacool and Tentacruel" is the 19th episode of Pokémon the Series. It was first broadcast in Japan on August 5, 1997 and in the United States on October 1, 1998. This episode was banned for a period of time following the September 11 attacks, making this episode one of the anime's banned and controversial episodes. The episode is also notable for Misty catching a Horsea.
Plot[]
Stuck in Porta Vista because they missed the boat, Ash Ketchum and friends sit around waiting for the next boat and witness a great explosion, later discovering that a group of Tentacool and Tentacruel are attacking the city since construction is destroying their reef. Misty manages to appease the group and catches a Horsea that was being harassed by the Tentacool.
Temporary banning[]
This episode was temporarily removed from rotation after the September 11 attacks of 2001, mainly because of the similarities between the attacks and Tentacruel attacking the city, the main reason Kids' WB refused to air this episode. The character Nastina also used military-style weapons during the fight scenes in the episode. However, Tentacruel striking a building was not removed from the dub's opening theme (even when Kids' WB shortened the intro in 2000), and the episode is still available on the home video and DVD markets. The episode was aired a month after the September 11 attacks, and was not aired in the US again until the series began airing on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It was also included with the release of the Pokémon Indigo League DVD pack. It was also not shown for a short time in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina as it portrays a city flooded underwater. This episode is one of the anime's most controversial episodes.
Trivia[]
- Who's That Pokémon?: Horsea
- Brutella made her English dub debut in this episode since the previous episode would not air in English until June 24, 2000.
- There is a noticeable similarity between the scene where Tentacruel speaks through Meowth, and a scene from the 1996 sci-fi disaster film Independence Day, in which a captive alien speaks through the body of a scientist. In both cases, a voiceless creature covered in tentacles telepathically speaks through another being in order to make its objectives known to humans.
- This is the first episode where Pikachu rides another one of Ash's Pokémon.
- This episode was partially adapted into the book, Return of the Squirtle Squad.
- Actual fish can be seen in the aquarium in Nastina's vision. This is one of the few occasions real animals are seen onscreen.
See also[]
- Pokémon controversies
- Other banned and controversial Pokémon the Series episodes:
- Beauty and the Beach (controversial due to James cross-dressed and wears inflatable breasts for a beauty contest)
- The Legend of Dratini (one of the two episodes of season 1 was never aired outside Japan due to the use of guns)
- Electric Soldier Porygon (one of the two episodes of season 1 was never aired outside Japan due to seizures caused by Pikachu)
- Holiday Hi-Jynx (controversial due to Jynx's original design)
- Stage Fight! and The Mandarin Island Miss Match (season 2 episodes are banned since 2013 due to Jynx's original design)
- The Ice Cave! (Season 5 episode never aired outside Japan, controversial again due to Jynx's original design)
- Ash and Passimian! A Touchdown of Friendship! (Non-original series episode never aired outside Japan, controversial due to Ash wearing dark face paint resembling blackface)
- Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Whiscash!! (Unaired episode due to strong earthquakes in Niigata prefecture)
- Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma! (Unaired episode due to 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami)
- Ash and May! Heated Battles of Hoenn!! (Unaired outside Japan, not a banned episode)
External links[]
- Tentacool and Tentacruel at Bulbapedia, the Pokémon wiki.
- Tentacool and Tentacruel at the Internet Movie Database