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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_910yndgvkil_aazzz.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:"Sword of Justice"? So does that mean Keldeo got his powers from [[Anime/PokemonArceusAndTheJewelOfLife that other guy]]?]]
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4''Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice'' (known in Japan as ''Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! The Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo'') is the 15th movie entry in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' film franchise. It marks the anime debut of the legendary Pokémon Kyurem (as well as Kyurem's two new Formes introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', Black Kyurem and White Kyurem) and the Legendary Musketeer Pokémon trio, consisting of Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion with their charge, the eponymous Keldeo (as well as Keldeo's Resolute Forme, also introduced in ''Pokémon Black 2 and White 2''). The movie follows Ash, Iris, Cilan, and their Pokémon as they arrive in the middle of an arising conflict between Keldeo and Kyurem, coming across the other Musketeers in the process.
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6The film was released in Japan on July 14th, 2012. It aired in the United States on Creator/CartoonNetwork on December 8th, 2012 and in Canada on YTV on the same day. The English trailer can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYkwF_x9BvU here]].
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9!! ''Pokémon: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice'' features examples of the following tropes:
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11* AdaptationalHeroism: The Swords of Justices' dislike of humans and their battles against them to protect Pokémon (as mentioned in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'') are absent here. In fact, the games never even call them the Swords of Justice.
12* AdaptationOriginConnection: The musketeers/Keldeo and Kyurem have nothing to do with each other in the games, yet here defeating Kyurem in battle is what Keldeo must do in order to become a full member of the Swords of Justice.
13* AllThereInTheManual: A Japan-only pamphlet reveals the abandoned mine where Kyurem lives in to be named Full Court. This is never stated in the actual movie.
14* AnimationBump: The anime already looked pretty good, but this cranked it up.
15* AntiVillain: Kyurem is [[SuperPersistentPredator relentless]] in its pursuit of Keldeo and is adamant they finish their battle, but ultimately Keldeo was the one who ran away and challenged Kyurem to begin with.
16* TheBadGuyWins: [[spoiler:Kyurem isn't exactly evil, but he did defeat Keldeo in his new form in the rematch.]]
17* BadassAdorable: Keldeo.
18* BadassInDistress: The Musketeer Trio are held in a frozen prison for most of the movie.
19* BarelyChangedDubName: The dubbers were seemingly unaware of the ColorfulThemeNaming among the musketeers, as instead of "Co-BALL-ion" (as in "cobalt") and "Vir-RIZZ-ion" ("viridian"), they're pronounced "Co-BAIL-yin" and "Vir-RISE-e-in".
20* BigBad: Kyurem, the first true Pokémon BigBad in the series since 2001. [[spoiler:Ironically, he's not actually evil, just wants to finish the fight and test Keldeo.]]
21* BloodKnight: Kyurem loves a fight, and is ''really'' intent on finishing one. He's also ''happy'' that [[spoiler:Keldeo has unlocked his true power and is able to actually challenge him.]]
22* BullyingADragon: Literally. Keldeo decides he is ready to pick a fight with Kyurem and barges into his lair to fight. [[CurbStompBattle It went as well as you would expect]].
23* TheCameo:
24** Team Rocket doesn't meddle in the plot at all in this movie, only getting some short scenes without any dialogue.
25** Two Trainers named Kanata and Misaki get one in the Roshan City Pokemon Center where they battle each other. Despite having names and official artwork, they contribute absolutely nothing to the movie; not even a single line.
26** All Pokémon up to Meloetta appear in the intro, including the otherwise ExiledFromContinuity Porygon line and Kadabra.
27* CastingGag: In Poland, Keldeo is voiced by the same person who voiced [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Naruto Uzumaki]]. This makes all the Double Team[[note]]Japanese name, ''kage bunshin'' (Shadow Divide) alludes to the ''kage bunshin no jutsu'', better known as the shadow clone technique[[/note]] make more sense.
28** Meanwhile, in English, Keldeo's voice is provided by Vic Mignogna, who is also responsible for the voice of a [[Manga/{{FullmetalAlchemist}} certain other amputee]].
29* CharacterShilling: The elder in Iris' flashback claims Kyurem is the strongest Dragon-type Pokémon while Iris later goes on to declare him the strongest Pokémon. You can tell that Ash has never mentioned anything about his run-ins with [[Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai the Dragon Legendaries of Space, Time]], [[Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior and Antimatter]] [[Anime/PokemonArceusAndTheJewelOfLife or meeting the Creator god Arceus back in Sinnoh.]]
30* CollapsingLair: [[spoiler: Unlike most cases, Kyurem isn't a villain and wasn't defeated, but the combat causes the buildings to fall around and forcing everyone to leave. Kyurem proceeds to freeze the remainder of the buildings and creates a castle of ice for his new spot to [[AccidentalPun chill out]]]].
31* ColonCancer: The full Japanese title of the movie is ''Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! The Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo''.
32* ConvenientlyEmptyBuilding: Aside from Nurse Joy, there is ''nobody'' shown in the city Kyurem attacks.
33* CurbStompBattle: Keldeo's first fight with Kyurem. Kyurem shrugs off everything he throws at him and beats the poor guy down with ease, even breaking his horn.
34* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler: Even though he still won, Kyurem considers Keldeo a good opponent and leaves on good terms]].
35* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:Keldeo's Resolute Form and Secret Sword attack. Unlike most cases, this merely evens the odds instead of making beating Kyurem a cakewalk, and Keldeo still loses once Kyurem gets serious but does earns the Ice Dragon's respect.]]
36* {{Expy}}: The Swords of Justice put their ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers''-based inspiration into practice here.
37* {{Flashback}}: Most of the exposition we get on Kyurem comes from Iris's flashback with the Elder.
38* FlunkyBoss: Kyurem is chasing down Keldeo, accompanied by a pack of Cryogonal.
39* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Swords of Justice as follows: [[HotBlooded Keldeo]] is Choleric, [[BoisterousBruiser Terrakion]] is Sanguine, [[TheSmartGuy Virizion]] is Phlegmatic, and [[TheLeader Cobalion]] is Melancholic.
40* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
41** In the games, Keldeo's Resolute Forme is a purely physical change and doesn't make it any more powerful. In the movie, Resolute Forme is treated more like a SuperMode.
42** The games show that Kyurem is only able to take on its Black and White formes after Kyurem absorbs Zekrom and Reshiram respectively. In the movie, Kyurem is able to change between these formes at will without the presence of the other two with absolutely no explanation as to how he can perform this feat.
43** Ice Burn and Freeze Shock cause target to be encased in ice, even though they cause burn and paralysis in the games.
44* HeroicBSOD: Keldeo spends most of the movie in one over his defeat at the hands of Kyurem, being reduced to trembling in fear by Kyurem's roar. It isn't until the climax of the film that he manages to break out of it.
45* HeroicSecondWind: [[spoiler: Keldeo when he goes into Resolute form]].
46* HonorBeforeReason: Keldeo averts this trope at the start of the movie. [[BloodKnight Kyurem is not happy.]]
47* HumanFocusedAdaptation: Inverted! Unlike most other ''Pokémon'' movies, which tend to focus on the human characters (the [[Anime/PokemonTheMovieBlackAndWhite previous movie]] being a prime example), this movie mostly focuses on the Pokémon - just check out how many tropes on this page are about the conflict between Kyurem and Keldeo.
48** In fact, the human cast in this particular movie is almost small enough that you can count it on your hands.
49* HumanPopsicle: The Swords of Justice get turned into this right at the beginning of the movie by Kyurem.
50* IAmNotLeftHanded: Kyurem doesn't use his ability to transform at all during the first fight with Keldeo, only breaking it out when the other Swords of Justice try to interfere.
51** [[spoiler:His words, as well as the attacks he lets off after them, implies that Kyurem was ''holding back'' because he knew Keldeo hadn't unlocked his true power.]]
52* ImplacableMan: ''Nothing'' will stop Kyurem from finishing his fight with Keldeo. Not only does he pursue him relentlessly with his pack of Cryogonal, nothing the heroes do does more than distract him. He also shrugs off pretty much everything anyone throws at him. [[spoiler:It takes Keldeo's [[SuperMode Resolute Form]] to actually ''hurt'' him, and even then it's anything but a cakewalk. And that's with Kyurem having been implied to be ''[[IAmNotLeftHanded holding back]]''. Despite putting up a fight, Keldeo still loses.]]
53* {{Irony}}: In the games, the Swords of Justice are mentioned to be rather wary of humans, even disliking them entirely at one point. In the movies, they are known to fight for Pokemon ''and'' humans and seem to be alright with them. Kyurem, on the other hand, shows he isn't so fond of the humans (though this appears to stem solely from their continued interference in his efforts at getting a rematch with Keldeo).
54* TheJuggernaut: Kyurem is one of the few legendary Pokemon in the movies that displays this in terms of sheer power and being downright unstoppable.
55* KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:Keldeo yields when his rematch against Kyurem leaves him on the ropes.]]
56* LargeHam: How does Kyurem prefer to accept a fight? He creates an arc of ice with a ring and asks you to cross through it while speaking in a deep voice. Definite trait of the Tao Trio. Though he subverts it for the most part, as he's surprisingly silent throughout the movie, though the ones he has carry a ''lot'' of weight due to said voice. Once Keldeo reappears to finish the fight, Kyurem sets up the battle ring with arc.
57* LowClearance: Kyurem is about to experience this trope before wisely jumping off before plowing into the mountainside.
58* TheMovie: The feature film for ''Pokémon Black and White: Rival Destinies'' in the US, ''Pokémon Best Wishes! Season 2'' in Japan. In its maiden country, it was released in theaters while relegated to Creator/{{Cartoon Network}} and Creator/{{YTV}} premieres in North America.
59* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Keldeo's told he isn't ready to fight Kyurem, but challenges him anyway. The end result is Keldeo's horn being broken, him getting [[CurbstompBattle easily beaten]], and the other Swords of Justice being frozen solid. This, in turn, results in Kyurem's rampage, as Kyurem becomes hellbent on finishing what Keldeo started.
60* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Keldeo received one of these from Kyurem. Though he's able to put up a bit of a fight at first, Kyurem very quickly starts overwhelming and beating on him.
61* NoisyNature: Kyurem's roar has a bit of leopard's roar mixed in there.
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63* NotQuiteFlight: Keldeo can use Hydro Pump to shoot water from his hooves to propel himself, except [[HowDoIShotWeb Keldeo's not so great at controlling it]].
64* OneWingedAngel: Kyurem's Black Kyurem and White Kyurem formes.
65* SlowWalk: Kyurem makes use of this when stalking his targets. It really adds to the fact he's an ImplacableMan.
66* SuperMode: [[spoiler:Keldeo's Resolute Form.]]
67* SuperPersistentPredator: Kyurem is hunting down Keldeo and is willing to go to the ends of the Unova region to do it.
68* TemptingFate: Keldeo really should have just left Kyurem alone in his mine up until the moment he was considered ready to fight by the Swords of Justice.
69* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: When Keldeo does engage in the battle, this how Cobalion acts. All three are in agreement on this [[spoiler:in the second match when Keldeo is in Resolute form. Even Keldeo himself refuses to have any intervention in his rematch]].
70* TraintopBattle: The protagonists meet Kyurem for the first time on the top of a moving train, with it ended with the classic tunnel. A good thing too given [[CurbStompBattle it was rather one-sided]].
71* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Kyurem attacks the gang twice in public: once on a train and in the city, where the former was showing people and the latter was swarming with Cryogonal. Additionally, Iris takes a blimp that was on a museum display for a ride to distract said Dragon while Cilan does the same with a train cart. '''Nobody''' apparently took notice a freaking legendary was roaming the city, even after it goes so far as to wreck a few buildings and freeze over several city blocks.
72** You'd really think that another (sort-of) legendary Pokémon showing up at a Pokémon Center with the crap beat out of it would at least attract a small crowd, or the attention of a local news station. Or if not that, than the fact that said Pokémon was ''conversing telepathically'' with a bunch of kids in public, in broad daylight, with ''other people present''. But '''''no'''''. All of this even manages to slip under Team Rocket's radar, somehow.
73* VersusTitle: The second occurrence in the ''Pokémon'' film franchise (and the first in the English version), following ''Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai'' (featuring the subtitle of ''Dialga vs. Palkia vs. Darkrai'' [[CompletelyDifferentTitle in Japan]]). However, in this case, the second term differs between the English and Japanese titles. The Japanese title ends in "''vs. The Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo''" (''directly'' identifying Keldeo as a combatant) while the English title ends in "''vs. The Sword of Justice''" (likely an ''indirect'' reference to Keldeo).
74* VillainsActHeroesReact: Inverted. Keldeo (The Hero) starts off the plot by instigating a fight with Kyurem (The Villain...in this context).
75* WeaponStomp: [[spoiler:How Kyurem wins his second battle against Keldeo, by bringing his foot down on the latter's horn, referred to as Keldeo's sword.]]
76* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Early on, Cobalion implied they were intending to fight Kyurem sooner or later and sounded like there might have been some reason. It was uncertain if this was part of their duty as Swords of Justice and wasn't touched upon as to why it was Kyurem that Keldeo was to fight.
77* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:Kyurem considers Keldeo this after the rematch]].
78* WreckedWeapon: Keldeo's first fight with Kyurem ends with his horn being snapped in half. Since his horn is directly identified with a sword by the dialog, this was obviously the image they were going for.
79* YouAreNotReady: Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion to Keldeo about battling Kyurem. They're not wrong, [[spoiler:even when Keldeo gets his SuperMode going]].

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