History Recap / PokemonS1E3AshCatchesAPokemon

* BrokenAesop:
** Caterpie trying to get Misty's acceptance and to do so is appearantly fully evolve into Butterfree; the episode's message comes across to "If someone ''despises'' you, you should change your appearance entirely to get their approval.". Caterpie indeed evolves into Metapod quicker than previous speciemen studies has shown, according to Ash's Pokedex.
** Also, the episode sends the message of "You have a phobia, that means you can be a total jerk towards subject of your phobia.".

** Caterpie trying to get Misty's acceptance and to do so is appearantly fully evolve into Butterfree; the episode's message comes across to "If someone ''despises'' you, you should change your appearance entirely to get their approval.".

* BrokenAesop: Caterpie trying to get Misty's acceptance and to do so is appearantly fully evolve into Butterfree; the episode's message comes across to "If someone ''despises'' you, you should change your appearance entirely to get their approval.".

* BrokenAesop: Caterpie trying to get Misty's acceptance and to do so is appearantly fully evolve into Butterfree; the episode's message comes across to "If somenone ''despises'' you, you should change entirely to get their approval.".

** After Meowth gets hit with String Shot by Caterpie, only Jessie says, "It's time Team Rocket blasted off." It wouldn't be a few more episodes until the entire team begin blasting off AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIINNNNN!, with the obligatory ATwinkleInTheSky.

** Caterpie evolves by bathing itself in its String Shot and molting its skin, very similar to a real-life caterpillar going into pupation. Later depictions of caterpillar Pokemon evolving to their cocoon stage are the same "glow while shifting to new form" method as any other evolution.

** Ash refuses to have another Pokemon battle Team Rocket because it would go against the Pokemon League's rules of only allowing one Pokemon per side at a time. Later episodes would have the heroes often use the same number of Pokemon as Team Rocket does, and sometimes even [[CombatPragmatist outnumber Team Rocket themselves]]. Later seasons also introduce Double and Triple battles and their variants, which ''do'' allow multiple Pokemon out per side at once.

* MinimalistCast: There are only four human characters in this episode: Ash, Misty, Jessie, and James. It has the smallest human cast of any Pokemon episode until "Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest!" (#675, in the ''Best Wishes'' arc.)
* {{Motormouth}}: As Misty is backing away from Caterpie on her hands.

* ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst: When Ash complains that Jessie and James sending two Pokemon out against him is cheating, Misty says that there's nothing stopping her and Ash from ''also'' using two Pokemon. Ash refuses [[HonorBeforeReason and cites the Pokemon League rules]], to which Misty responds by pointing out that if he follows the rules, he's probably going to lose.

** Like in the previous episode, Meowth's mentioning of the boss is reinterpreted as him being the leader of the trio by 4Kids. In this case, when Jessie and James pummel Meowth's big mouth, Meowth proclaims he's charge here in the English dub as opposed to him saying that he's going to tell the boss on them in the Japanese version.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:

-->'''Misty:''' You should try to learn something about Pokémon first. With Pokémon you've got to use strategy. Pidgeotto is a bird. Caterpie is a worm. ''[[WhatTheHellHero Birds eat worms, "Mr. Pokémon Master"!]]''

* CombatPragmatist: Koffing quickly blinds Pikachu with a Sludge attack, thus eliminating the heroes strongest fighter.

* ImmediateSequel: This episode picks up from where the last episode left off: Ash trying to catch a Caterpie.

* TypicalCartoonAnimalColors: Caterpie are designed after caterpillars, a group of animals that come in a wide variety of colors in real life but are most often depicted as green. Naturally Caterpie is also green. Caterpie's design is based off a stylized version of certain Swallowtail caterpillars with its osmeterium always visible (a special organ on Swallowtail caterpillars that releases a stink to protect itself, just as Caterpie's feeler does). The real-life caterpillars that bear the closest resemblance to Caterpie would have to include the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but largely in their later instars (in their first few instars, they are brown, but indeed turn green as they get bigger.)

* YouFool: When Ash tries and fails to attack Team Rocket with his fists, Meowth calls him a fool.

* WorfHadTheFlu: In Pidgeotto's defense, it lasted well for a two on one assault. It's not Pidgeotto's fault [[IdiotHero its trainer]] [[HonorBeforeReason decided to follow the rules instead of defending against Team Rocket in kind]].

* DefeatEqualsFriendship: Unlike many other Pokémon in the anime, both Caterpie and Pidgeotto are succinctly loyal to Ash after being caught.

** Caterpie evolves by bathing itself in its String Shot and molting its skin, very similar to a real-life caterpillar going into pupation.
** Misty reads the title card instead of Ash. While later generations would occasionally have a few episodes where the title card is read by someone other than Ash, this remains one of two episodes of the Indigo saga where it's done so (the other being ''Holiday Hi-Jynx'').

* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite her vocal contempt for Caterpie and Bug-type Pokémon as a whole, Misty was quite outraged that Ash obliviously risked its life by pitting it against a Flying-type.

* EyelidPullTaunt: Ash does this to Misty.

* HonorBeforeReason: Even though both Jessie and James attack Ash with both of their Pokémon at once and Misty suggests making it fair by fighting as well, Ash insists on fighting alone because [[LawfulStupid he does not want to break official Pokémon League rules]]. Counts as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness since not only do the heroes often team attack, and sometimes even [[CombatPragmatist outnumber Team Rocket themselves]] in later episodes, but the later games actually allow team battles.

* ImmediateSequel