Enter The Dragonite (2024)

Enter The Dragonite (Japanese: ファイナルバトル！カイリューとうじょう！！ Final Battle! Enter Kairyu!!) is the 112th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on September 9, 1999, and in the United States on September 23, 2000.

Blurb

As if a gym battle with a Dragonite isn't challenge enough for one day, Team Rocket secretly surveys the weakened state of Ash's battling Pokémon and plots to turn the situation to their advantage.

Plot

Following the explosion caused by a collision of their respective Ice Beam and Night Shade attacks, both Lapras and Gengar are revealed to have fainted. Ash and Drake recall their Pokémon, and with three of Drake's Pokémon defeated, the field changes. The announcer remarks how Ash is the first Trainer to knock out three of Drake's Pokémon in a row. In the stands, Team Rocket reaffirm their plan to capture Drake's Dragonite once it's been weakened.

After the field changes into a desert field, Drake calls out his Venusaur and Ash uses Tauros again. Ash tries to start things off with Fissure, but it doesn't work because the sand on the field absorbs the attack. Drake tells Venusaur to use Solar Beam. Hoping to cause damage before the Solar Beam is charged, Ash tells Tauros to use Take Down, but the sandy field doesn't allow him to gain any traction. In a last-ditch effort, Ash has Tauros send Venusaur flying. Venusaur is sent soaring into the air, but it manages to turn itself in midair and releases its Solar Beam directly on Tauros. Unexpectedly, Tauros isn't defeated and the Solar Beam actually freed him from the sand. Venusaur then launches a barrage of Vine Whips, a few of which hit Tauros. The Wild Bull Pokémon powers through the onslaught and hits Venusaur with a powerful Take Down attack, defeating it.

Drake recalls Venusaur and sends out an Electabuzz. Seeing that Tauros is starting to get tired, with the recoil from Take Down not helping the matter, Ash recalls his Pokémon and sends out Bulbasaur. Drake has Electabuzz to use Thunder Shock, but Bulbasaur's type advantage leaves it unfazed and it counters with a Razor Leaf flurry. Electabuzz is hit by a few of the leaves, but then deflects the remaining ones with Thunderbolt. Drake has Electabuzz use Thunder Punch, while Ash has Bulbasaur use Tackle. Bulbasaur lands its attack, but is then defeated by Electabuzz's Thunder Punch. Ash promptly sends out Charizard, whom the announcer identifies as the only fully evolved Pokémon in the young Trainer's team. Electabuzz uses a combination of Thunder Punch and Thunder to deal big damage, but Charizard counterattacks with Fire Spin. Electabuzz attempts to follow up with Thunderbolt, but Charizard grabs it and uses Seismic Toss, defeating it. With only one Pokémon left, Drake removes the Poké Ball from his necklace and sends out his undefeated Dragonite.

Charizard uses Flamethrower, but Dragonite counters with Water Gun, which negates the attack and strikes Charizard with the super-effective move. Charizard takes flight, and Dragonite quickly follows. Dragonite uses Ice Beam, hitting Charizard's wing and sending him into a free-fall. Charizard quickly recovers and goes in for a Seismic Toss, but Dragonite maneuvers away and turns the move around by grabbing Charizard by the neck. Dragonite then uses Slam, and Charizard is sent crashing into the ground. Though weakened considerably, Charizard gets back on his feet. Ash orders Charizard to use Dragon Rage, and Drake commands Dragonite to do the same. Both attacks collide, and the two Pokémon are sent flying back. While Dragonite is left dazed, the attack causes Charizard to faint. Ash recalls Charizard, thanking him for still wearing Dragonite down.

Knowing none of his Pokémon are on the same level as Dragonite, Ash decides they will have to work together to take it out. He sends out Squirtle, who is still tired from its earlier battle with Drake's Onix. Squirtle starts off with Hydro Pump, but it is knocked to the ground by Dragonite's Water Gun. It then uses Thunderbolt, but Squirtle Withdraws in time to escape the majority of the damage. Drake commands a Body Slam, and Dragonite flies into the air and starts to descend. Ash has Squirtle use Bubble Beam, and the attack hits dead on, causing the Body Slam to fail; upon landing, however, Dragonite slams its tail into Squirtle hard, knocking it out. Despite the victory, Dragonite continues to lose energy.

Seizing this chance, Team Rocket appears in their Meowth Balloon and tosses a net onto Dragonite. After saying their motto, the trio thanks Ash for assisting them with their scheme. As Drake grows furious with Team Rocket for interrupting the competition, Dragonite breaks the net with its large wings and pops Team Rocket's balloon with Skull Bash, sending them blasting off again.

With Team Rocket out of the way, the battle continues. Ash sends out the worn-out Tauros against Dragonite. Drake commands Dragonite to fly up with Agility, followed by a Body Slam. Ash suddenly gets an idea and tells Tauros to take the hit, surprising Drake. The Body Slam hits, but doesn't have the intended effect. Using the sand on the battlefield to absorb the impact, Tauros has caught Dragonite in his horns. Tauros throws Dragonite into the air and it lands hard on the ground. Dragonite gets up and hits Tauros with Thunder, knocking the exhausted Pokémon out.

Ash is left with Pikachu, who still has damage from his early squabble with Drake's Ditto. Pikachu starts off with Agility, but is knocked into the air by Dragonite's tail. Dragonite gets ready to use Hyper Beam, but Pikachu uses his tail as a springboard to dodge the attack at the last moment. Dragonite is unable to move after using Hyper Beam, allowing Pikachu to land on its head. Dragonite tries to shake him off, but Pikachu holds on to its antennae, and the battles with Ash's other Pokémon have left it quite exhausted. At Ash's command, Pikachu shocks Dragonite with a close-range Thunder, lighting up the whole stadium. Dragonite and Pikachu are left exhausted and, after staring each other down, Dragonite falls to the ground, defeated. The Pummelo Stadium erupts in cheers as the undefeated Drake finally meets his match.

Ash makes his way over to the podium with his Pokémon behind him. Drake gives Ash the coveted Orange League Winner's Trophy and congratulates him on the win. Along with Ash receiving the trophy, Ash, Pikachu, Squirtle, Tauros, Lapras, Bulbasaur, and Charizard are given the honor of being inducted into the Orange League Hall of Fame, with their footprints and Ash's hand-print immortalized in concrete, and a group photo taken to commemorate the victory. Ash is left ecstatic by this and hopes to tell Brock about his win.

Major events

• Ash's Tauros is revealed to know Take Down.
• Ash wins his Full Battle against Drake.
• Ash becomes an Honored Trainer* of the Orange League, earning the Winner's Trophy and a spot in the Palace of Victory.

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

• Ash
• Misty
• Tracey
• Jessie
• James
• Drake
• Referee
• Crowd

Pokémon

Who's That Pokémon?: Tentacruel (US and international); Venusaur (Japan)

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Togepi (Misty's)
• Bulbasaur (Ash's)
• Charizard (Ash's)
• Squirtle (Ash's)
• Tauros (Ash's)
• Lapras (Ash's)
• Dragonite (Drake's)
• Gengar (Drake's)
• Venusaur (Drake's)
• Electabuzz (Drake's)

Trivia

• This episode marks the first time Ash has won a Pokémon League.
• This episode's English dub title is a reference to the 1973 martial arts action film Enter the Dragon. This was also used for the English dub title of a future episode. Coincidentally, both episodes feature Ash winning a Pokémon League.
• Jessie breaks the fourth wall by acknowledging the existence of a split screen featuring Drake and pushing it away.
• Electabuzz is the only Pokémon that was defeated in this Full Battle to get the swirly eyes usually associated with fainted Pokémon in the anime.
• This episode was partially adapted into the book Thundershock in Pummelo Stadium.
• This episode is featured on the Volume 8: Dragon copy of Pokémon Elements.
• While a Full Battle was first seen in Friends to the End, this episode and Hello, Pummelo! were the first to feature a Full Battle in its entirety where all six of each Trainer's Pokémon were revealed and each of its rounds was fully showcased.
• This is the first time in the anime that a Pokémon had to recharge after using Hyper Beam, like in the games.
• Music from Mewtwo Strikes Back is used in this episode.

Errors

• When Lapras is defeated, its underside is colored blue instead of cream. This also occurs with its lower jaw when Ash recalls it.
• In the English dub, when Ash is deciding what Pokémon he will to battle Drake's Venusaur with, he considers using Lapras despite it having already fainted.
• When Tauros is holding Dragonite by his horns, Dragonite's belly is shown face down. Moments later, Dragonite is shown face up.
• When Ash sends out Charizard, the announcer says that it is the only fully evolved Pokémon on Ash's team. This is false, as Tauros and Lapras, who do not evolve, are considered fully evolved.

• 

  Lapras's miscolored underside

• 

  Lapras's miscolored jaw

Dub edits

• Pikachu's Jukebox: Viridian City
• The announcer's comment about Ash being the challenger to have beaten three of Drake's Pokémon in a row is dub-only.
• Drake is incorrectly referred to as a Champion instead of a Gym Leader in the dub.
• In the original version, Drake figures that he might need to use Dragonite against Ash and mentions its name while looking at its statue. In the dubbed version, he instead says that Dragonite is the only strategy he needs to win, without bringing up the Pokémon's name.
• In the Japanese version, Tracey acknowledges that Tauros has taken recoil damage from using Take Down. In the dub, he simply acknowledges that Tauros is getting worn out, without mentioning the recoil.
• Charizard's Fire Spin is referred to as Ember in the dub.
• Drake's comment about Charizard's level is given an echo effect to indicate internal dialogue in the dub.
• The announcer mistakenly refers to Dragonite as a Legendary Pokémon.
• Tracey originally comments on Dragonite's expression changing instead of it looking tough.
• Squirtle's Bubble Beam is referred to as Bubble in the dub.
• When Ash interrupts Team Rocket's motto, the music originally cuts out for a second. In the dub, the music isn't interrupted.
• In the original version, Drake tells Dragonite to use Skull Bash to send Team Rocket blasting off. In the dub, he just says, "You know what to do."
• In the original Japanese version, when Dragonite attacks Tauros, Drake tells it to use Agility and Body Slam. In the dub, Drake only tells Dragonite to use the latter move.
• The announcer's comment about Hyper Beam's recharge drawback is replaced with a pun in the dub.
• Tracey and Misty saying Ash has to act fast was originally them wondering what Ash should do.
• Just before the "To Be Continued" shot at the end of the episode, an image of Ash posing with the Winner's Trophy appears in the middle of the screen. In the Japanese version, this image shrinks away when Ash finishes talking and the "To Be Continued" text appears on the screen, but in the dub, it does not. However, the sound effect of the image shrinking away can still be heard in the dub.
• Ash mentions looking forward to telling Brock in his final line of the episode in the dub. In the original version, he simply tells the audience he is now considered an "honored Trainer".

• 

  "To Be Continued" in the original Japanese version

• 

  "To Be Continued" in the English dub

In other languages

Language		Title
Arabic		هزيمة دراقونايت
Bulgarian		Завръщането на Драгонайт
Mandarin Chinese		最終戰鬥，快龍登場！
Czech		Dragonite přichází
Dutch		De Komst van de Dragonite
European French		Le Trophée du Vainqueur
German		In der Höhle des Drachen
Hebrew		הופעתו של דרגונייט Hofahato shel Dragonite
Hindi		Dragonite पोकेमोन Dragonite Pokemon *
Hungarian		Harc Dragonite-tal
Italian		Una grande vittoria* Un finale a sorpresa*
Polish		Wejście Dragonite'a
Portuguese	Brazil	Que Venha o Dragonite
	Portugal	Entra o Dragonite
Romanian		Intră în Scena Dragonite
Spanish	Latin America	¡Entra Dragonite!
	Spain	Adelante Dragonite

This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.