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Recap / The Kangaskhan Kid

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Japanese Title: Garura's Lullaby

Original Airdate: November 18th, 1997

US Airdate: October 22th, 1998

The one where... We meet Pokémon Tarzan.

On their way to a safari zone teeming with Pokémon, our heroes walk right into the middle of a jungle. Without knowing they are in a region in which Pokémon are protected, Ash tries to capture a Chansey and is arrested by Jenny, the safari ranger. After talking with the ranger, Ash is released, but not before he learns that there are Pokémon poachers in the area. Our heroes accompany the ranger into the forest, pursuing the poachers. Within the jungle, a young man leads a pack of Kangaskhan. His name is Tommy and no one knows the secret of his childhood.


Tropes:

  • Battle Boomerang: Tommy uses a boomerang to fight off Pokemon poachers, as well as cut an entire herd of Kangaskhan free when they're trapped by an enormous net.
  • Battle Couple: Tommy's parents.
  • Bowdlerise: The Japanese dub had a POV scene of Tommy staring at Misty's chest and asking if he could suck on her breasts. The POV was removed in the dub, and his question was changed to whether Misty, Ash and Brock are people or Pokémon.
  • Bumbling Dad: Tommy's dad could write the book on bad parenting. It's quite telling that his first display of parenting has him carelessly dangling his toddler-aged son out of a helicopter and dropping him.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: In the dub, Misty punching Tommy for asking if she, Ash and Brock are people or Pokémon. The Japanese version justifies this, considering the original question he asked Misty was highly inappropriate.
  • Dub Text: In the English version, while the shot of the zoom-in Misty's breasts is cut out, the zoom-in sound effect is still present while Tommy staring is extended for another second.
  • Dude, Not Funny!: International version only. When Tommy asks Misty if she's a Pokémon or a person, she reacts as though he had just asked her about her rack (which he did in the Japanese version), but considering she'd been hypnotized into believing she was a Seel in "Hypno's Naptime", her reaction happens to be understandable.
  • Eye Catch: The Who's That Pokémon is Kangaskan.
  • Going Native: Tommy's parents at the end.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Tommy's parents do this to protect their son from Team Rocket. Don't worry; they survive.
  • Male Gaze: In the Japanese dub, Tommy gives Misty one.
  • No Name Given: Tommy's parents. They even introduce themselves as just being "Tommy's parents", which is of no help as nobody else even knows who the hell Tommy is at first.
  • Non-Standard Character Design: Tommy's dad looks way different than most Pokemon characters. His art style makes him look more like an American cartoon character from the thirties.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: After multiple episodes of their usual incompetence on full display, Team Rocket is surprisingly dangerous in this episode. Their Kangaskhan mech is nearly unstoppable until Tommy's parents nearly kill themselves by crashing their helicopter into it. Also, they're not only surprisingly okay with murdering the very young Tommy, but come close to doing so twice.
  • Raised by Wolves: Tommy was raised by Kangaskhan, thanks to his idiot father.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Holding a child out the window of a helicopter? Even with a parachute, WTF?
  • Too Important to Walk: Tommy's parents make Ash and his friends carry them around on a wooden palanquin. Ash and the gang are not amused.
    Ash: How'd we end up with a job like this?
    Misty: It's 'cause you had to go and volunteer us all!
    Ash: You're the one who said "Oh, please let us help you!"
    Brock: Ugh. Why'd we have to go and open our big mouths?
    Tommy's mother: I apologize for this. Papa doesn't get outdoors much and he's not in the best of shape.
    Tommy's father: I admit it.
  • Villain Decay: Played with. Team Rocket blasts off twice in this episode, but the second time is only because they were so seemingly unstoppable at the moment that they could have killed Tommy had Tommy's parents not crashed their aircraft into Team Rocket's Kangaskhan Mech.
  • Wild Child: Tommy, now known as Tommo. The Japanese version takes this further by naming him Tarzan.

 
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Video Example(s):

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The Kangaskhan Kid

Even the current Japanese version would NEVER get away with jokes like these today!

How well does it match the trope?

5 (26 votes)

Example of:

Main / Bowdlerise

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