The following tropes are associated with this episode:
The Ace: O and his Shiftry are considered the best pair of the Pokemon Ping Pong sport having won the previous tournament. Their streak remains intact after defeating Dawn and her Ambipom in the semifinals.
Call-Back: When Jessie was complaining about her loss, she brings up that she would've been the champion if she was able to make Aipom hers back at the Festival Contest back in the episode "Borrowing on Bad Faith".
Jerk Ass Has A Point: Though she was being a real jerk about it, Jessie wasn't wrong to protest about Meowth being unable to hold a paddle with his hands even though Marowak is able to use it's bone without issue. This can be a case that the bone is part of Marowak's identity, but that still doesn't excuse it having an advantage of using a longer weapon compared to Meowth using a simple, smaller paddle.
One-Letter Name: The character of the day of this episode is named "O."
Pun-Based Title: This episode's title is a reference to the famous quote "To Thine One Self Be True" from Shakesphere's Hamlet.
Put on a Bus: In one of the most infamous cases in the anime's history since Ash letting his Primeape go, Dawn gives away Ambipom so it can continue to play Pokemon Ping Pong. Ambipom is never seen in the series again after there aside from a few mentions down the road.
On a smaller note, Barry, who had been temporary part of Ash's group for the last few episodes, leaves and won't be seen again until 16 episodes later.
Recycled Premise: In a sense, this episode is very similar to "The Punchy Pokemon." In both episodes, Ash and Dawn's Pokemon found a type of sport they are good at (Ash's Primeape with the PI Grand Prix and Dawn's Ambipom with Ping Pong) and at the end of the episode, both of their Pokemon are given to the character of the day and is never seen again in the series. The only difference is that Primeape wins it's tournament while Ambipom lost.
Wham Episode: Dawn gives away one of her main Pokemon, Ambipom, to get better at Pokemon Ping Pong and is never seen again in the series.
