Few anime series come close to being as iconic asPokémon. The series came out when anime was just beginning its meteoric rise in the ’90s and used that to become one of the biggest shows ever. While it’s certainly fallen off in recent years,Pokémon’s influence on anime and general pop culture can’t be denied.
WithPokémonbeing as big as it is, there are plenty of moments that have stuck with fans for years after the fact; one line of dialogue especially embodies that idea, as it built one of the most iconic elements of the anime, which makes it all the more surprising that the line in question was completely made up.
How Pokémon’s English Dub Created One Of The Anime’s Most Iconic Lines
Pokémon’s Biggest Dub Change Explained
Inthe secondPokémonmovie,The Power of One, Ash and his friends discovered a prophecy about who could help Lugia stop Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres from fighting and save the world. Said prophecy said that the world would “turn to ash” after Lugia failed, and everyone soon realized that Ash was the chosen one.
For many fans, the idea that Ash was destined to save the world was an incredible twist that added a lot of depth to the story, and even though it was never brought up again in the anime or movies, the idea of Ash being born to save the world has stuck with fans decades later.
That makes it all the more surprising that Ash isn’t supposed to be a chosen one; in the original Japanese, the prophecy never referenced Ash, specifically, as it only called for a powerful Trainer to help Lugia, meaning thatthe real reason Ash saved the world was because there were no other Trainers around, not because of destiny.
How Pokémon’s Big Script Change Made The Anime Even Better
Pokémon’s English Dub Accidentally Made A Great Decision
On the one hand, the prophecy in the original Japanese works because it gives Ash more agency in the plot, as his decision to help save the world is purely because he knows it’s the right thing to do, as opposed to just being something he was destined to do.
However, not only doesPokémon’s English dubhaving Ash be destined to save the world make his presence in the film feel more impactful than just being there by chance, but it also adds a little more depth to every other time he would save the world over the years, all of which makes Ash’s adventures even more fun to watch.
The ’90s and 2000s were plagued with bad English dubs, but overall,The Power of One’s change to the prophecy to refer to Ash, specifically, was a surprisingly good choice. Something like that is incredibly hard to come across, and overall, it’s easy to see why that line has remained such an iconic moment inPokémonafter so many decades.
