From the 129th episode of the popular anime “Pokémon” (broadcast on 21 October (Fridays from 6:55 pm on TV Tokyo), the final of the “Pokémon World Championships” Masters Tournament, a tournament to determine the strongest Pokémon battlers, will finally begin. Satoshi, the first champion of the Alola League, and Dande, the Galal champion and the undefeated strongest champion, will face off, and ORICON NEWS conducted an interview with voice actress Rika Matsumoto, who plays Satoshi. ORICON NEWS interviewed voice actress Rika Matsumoto, who plays Satoshi, and asked her about the highlights of the final match.
Pikachu’s language is understandable! Special relationship Seeing Nega Knight ‘makes me want to eat soba noodles
-Finally, we’re going to fight Dande in the finals. They were able to record it with Daisuke Ono, who plays Dande, and I think they had a heated battle on the spot.
MATSUMOTO: In Pokémon battles, the performers take the battles very seriously, so we give it our all and speak out loud. Ono-Kun and I recorded together, but he was so surprised by the volume of my voice that he was holding his ears (laughs) In that sense, I think I won the battle at the recording site first!
I play the role so that the children in the audience will admire Satoshi, just as Satoshi admires Dande. I get a lot of fan letters saying, “I wish Satoshi was my friend” or “I wish Satoshi was sitting next to me (in class).” I always try to make the lines that Satoshi says cool and make every word polite so that everyone will want to imitate them. I hope people will pay attention to that in the finals!
-The Pokémon that Satoshi will be used in this match are the well-known Pikachu, Gengar, Caillou, Lucario, Negiganite, and Wonorragon. First of all, what does Pikachu mean to Satoshi and Matsumoto?
Matsumoto: Pikachu is an important partner for Satoshi. It’s a special existence that transcends the relationship between humans and Pokémon and cannot be expressed in words. Pikachu’s cry, “Pika, pi~”, really helps me understand how he is feeling at the moment.
Pikachu also makes a lot of noise during the recording of the battle episodes, so if I make a mistake, it puts a strain on Ikue-chan’s (Ikue Otani) throat. Especially in the final episode, everyone is using their voices more than usual, so I was very tense so that I could finish the recording in one take.
–What are your impressions of Gengar and Kairu, who have traveled with you? I personally like the Negiga Knight, so tell us what you find attractive about it, Matsumoto-san!
Matsumoto: Gengar is simply adorable! Lucario is cool and the episode involving him and Gekkouga was very impressive. Caillou is a bit plump and has wings, and is a Pokémon that everyone should love and want to hug (laughs). Gengar, Lucario and Caillou have a lot of goods and stuffed animals at home, and they heal me.
The recording is always at lunchtime, so when Negiganite appears in the episode, for some reason I feel like eating soba noodles (laughs). I can’t help it this much.
Wonorragon is very hard to say when you call it out in succession! (laughs) It is played by Keno-san (Keno Horiuchi), and I like his squeaky voice. ‘At my age, I can say ‘Oono~! (the sound of a sea dragon)’ I didn’t think I’d ever do that…” (laughs) “It’s very popular with the children!” When I told him, “Oh, yes!” he looked happy and embarrassed. He was happily embarrassed.
25 years of playing Satoshi… and he and his fellow voice actors have been working together for a long time.
-Satoshi has won against fierce opponents from various regions, such as Koruni, Saito, and Denji, and has risen in the rankings to become one of the Master’s Eight. When we interviewed people who have fought Satoshi, such as Daisuke Ono as Dande and Kenichi Suzumura as Daigo, they said, “His fighting style has become more technical! He’s become more dignified!” They were surprised at how much he had grown. Matsumoto-san, what are some of the areas where you felt Satoshi has grown?
Matsumoto: I don’t know. (Laughs) I can’t help but look at things from Satoshi’s perspective. I’m surprised when people say I’ve become more relaxed in battle! It’s been 25 years since I played Satoshi, but Satoshi tries his best during battles. I always give it my all, so I don’t have time to spare (laughs).
I think Satoshi and I are people who live by our senses. Of course, before recording, I ask myself, “How will I act?” I do think about it, but I think it’s a sensory thing. I often have a sudden idea and act on my intuition, saying, “This is good! I often trust my intuition and act on it.
-Before the Pokémon World Championships Masters Tournament started, I battled with my rival Shinji when I was traveling in the Shin-Ou Region and Dr. Kukui and his friends in the Alola Region in a triumphant return. After various battles, you got to battle Dande this time, but do you have any memorable episodes? Personally, I remember the cheers from the audience during my triumphant return to Alola: “As the Alola Champion, don’t lose so easily! I felt that Satoshi, who was just a boy aiming to become a Pokémon Master, had grown up to become a champion of the local league, and it really touched me.
Matsumoto: It’s a wonderful episode, and I like it too. I also like the way that Leelie, Mao, Suiren, Kaki, Mamane, and their school classmates cheer them on in the audience, it really gets them fired up! If my friends from school came to see the performance like that and watched over me, I would be so happy that I would do my best. (Laughs) In that sense, I feel like it was a very special match.
Not only this episode, but I was happy that the cast members of the Pokémon anime, including Shigeru and Hikari, were able to reunite and record this episode. 25 years have passed since the anime started airing in 1997, and I think it would be difficult to get the same cast together as they were back then. Although not much time has passed since the series started in the Alola region, I am glad that the cast has not changed and that we were able to work together again. Because the series has been going on for so long, there was joy in being able to feel nostalgic. Satoshi’s first rival, Shigeru, appeared for the first time in about 12 years, and I was deeply moved when I met Yuko Kobayashi and she said, “You haven’t changed~”.
I think some of the children who watched the show when it first aired in 1997 are now adults and have moved on from the anime. We’re just one step away from the strongest Pokémon battle in the world, so for children and adults alike, please get in front of the TV and cheer for Satoshi!
Episode 129 “Final I: Torrent” Synopsis.
The Master’s Tournament Finals are about to begin. Satoshi is excited about his official match against Dande, who has always been his target. The crowd’s excitement is at its highest for the match between Dande, the absolute champion, and Satoshi, who overturned the lowly rumor mill and came out on top! Then, Dande makes a proposal… With his former friends and rivals watching on, the climax of the battle is about to begin!
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