Pokémon Black and White (manga) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pokémon Black and White |
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The English/US cover of the first volume of Pokémon Black and White.
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| Manga | |
| Written by | Hidenori Kusaka |
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| Illustrated by | Satoshi Yamamoto |
| English publisher | |
| Original run | July 5, 2011 – February 3, 2015 |
| Volumes | 20 (mini-volumes) 9 (tankoban volumes) |
| Related | |
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Pokémon Black and White is a manga series based on the Pokémon video games of the same name, and the tenth chapter of the series Pokémon Adventures. They follow the adventures of Black and his journey through the Unova region. 20 mini-volumes in total were released between 2011 and 2015. The manga are written by Hidenori Kusaka with art by Satoshi Yamamoto and were released by Viz Media and VizKids in the United States. The series is a special edition of the Pokémon Adventures. Before the series was fully collected in tankoban volumes, mini-volumes collected directly from the magazine versions were released internationally. The series was eventually collected in Tankoban volumes under the name Pokemon Adventures: Black and White. 9 volumes were released between 2013 and 2015.
Promotion
To promote Pokémon Black and White, during the theatrical premiere of Pokémon the Movie:White—Victini and Zekrom on December 3 and December 4, 2011, a free bonus manga sample containing part of chapter two in the first volume was given out.
Plot
Black is a hot-headed boy whose dream is to win the Pokémon League. He owns a Munna and a Braviary, which he nicknamed after their evolved forms, Musha (after Musharna) and Brav (Braviary). Black's dream takes up so much of his mind that overthinking would cause him to faint, so he uses Musha to eat up his dream in order to give him more space to think. Professor Juniper delivers a package containing 3 Pokémon (the Unova starters Tepig, Snivy, and Oshawatt) and 3 Pokédexes to be given to Black and his childhood friends, Cheren and Bianca. A mishap causes the Tepig to run away (with Black chasing after it) and the other 2 Pokédexes to become damaged. Black befriends the Tepig, calling it Tep, and sets out on his journey.
During the production of a commercial in Route 1, Black arrives to announce his dream, accidentally getting roped into show business by White. White and her Tepig Gigi work for the BW Agency, who book Pokémon for roles in movies and TV shows. Black gets blamed for a Galvantua attacking the set (which Black catches and names Tula), and has to pay for the damages by working for the BW Agency. In Accumula Town, Black and White see a speech by Team Plasma from Ghetsis, who urges people to liberate their Pokémon by releasing them, regardless of their connection to their trainers. Black opposes this and tries to chase Team Plasma down, but is stopped by N, a mysterious trainer who emphasizes the importance of listening to Pokémon. N challenges Black to a battle, opposing the use of Pokéballs and the Pokédex. Black loses, but the courage of his Tepig in battle shocks N, lamenting the idea that Pokémon want to be with humans.
Black and White continue their journey through the Unova region. Black meets up with Cheren and Bianca in Striaton City and team up to defeat the city's Gym Leader, White proposes the idea of a Pokémon Musical to debut in Nimbasa City, and Black faces off against Team Plasma several times; Once in Route 3, when a group of Team Plasma grunts kidnap Musha, in Nacrene City, where Team Plasma attempts to steal a fossil from the Nacrene City Museum, in Castelia City, where Black finds a stronghold where "liberated" Pokémon are being kept, and in Liberty Garden, where Team Plasma is trying to capture Mythical Pokémon Victini. The Pokémon Musical in Nimbasa City goes off with little issues, but right after White is kidnapped by N and trapped on a Ferris wheel. Black's Tepig also evolves (to White's frustration) and is renamed Nite after Pignite. While Black fights gym leader Elesa, N reveals to White that he is Team Plasma's King, given a responsibility by Ghetsis to save Pokémon from trainers. N manages to talk Gigi into leaving White by showing its ability to fight, and White, unable to accept that revelation, jumps out the Ferris wheel, with N's Servine following her. Although traumatized, White decides to temporarily suspend her business and take up Pokémon battling, deciding to train and build a team on the Battle Subway in Nimbasa City.
While White trains in the Battle Subway, Black continues on his journey to win the Pokémon League. He defeats a Zorua that was causing troubles with the drawbridge connecting Nimbasa and Driftveil City, and he teams up with Cheren to fight Team Plasma members in the Cold Storage in Driftveil City. Black also defeats the Driftveil City Gym Leader, Clay. Clay reveals that Team Plasma is planning to invade the Nacrene City Museum to obtain the Dark Stone, which contains the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom, who represents the extreme ideals of Team Plasma. Black defeats Gym Leader Skyla as proof he can face Team Plasma, and the Gym Leaders and Black travel to the Nacrene Museum to battle Team Plasma. While the Gym leaders fight Team Plasma, Black goes inside the Museum to find the Dark Stone. However, the Gym Leaders (except Brycen and Drayden) are defeated and kidnapped, and a Team Plasma grunt disguised as Elite Four member Brycen takes the Dark Stone and delivers it to Ghetsis, who uses N to reawaken Zekrom. Black learns that he must reawaken Reshiram, the Pokémon of Truth, from the Light Stone and use it to defeat Team Plasma, training at the Tubeline bridge. Blacks Pignite evolves again and is renamed Bo, after its final evolution Emboar. Black defeats Gym Leader Brycen, but panics after learning that the Pokémon League was set to happen one week later instead of three months later, deciding not the obtain the final Gym Badge. Meanwhile, White, now with a full team of Pokémon, helps Bianca discover what to do with her life, as she feels that she hasn't gotten better as a Trainer, and in gratitude, gifts her Pokédex to White.
Black and White reunite, but learn that N has defeated Alder, the Unova League Champion, as part of a plan to prove himself as the superior trainer and convince everyone to liberate their own Pokémon. N tries to reason with Black, White, and Professor Juniper, saying that the professors had been mistreating their Pokémon and that he wanted to liberate them as part of Team Plasma's goal. Black tries to battle N to get information on where Team Plasma's headquarters are, but his Pokémon decide not to fight N. Black tries to get Musha's help, but Musha flies off, which N claims is because it doesn't want to eat his dream, which has been warped from the stress of having to defeat Team Plasma and his insecurities of not being able to reach the Pokémon League in time. Black faints from the shock of hearing this, and N flies off.
The day of the Pokémon League arrives, and Black wakes up to discover that the opening ceremony is already underway. Black considers leaving for home, but regains some of his confidence when realizing he would be disappointing his Pokémon. Black challenges Drayden to a last minute battle to obtain the final Gym Badge, and a message from the Gym Leaders fully reignites his confidence, allowing him to defeat Drayden and enter the Pokémon league as the 32nd contestant. The final 8 contestants are Black, Iris, Cheren, Marlon, Leo, Gray (A Team Plasma Sage in disguise), Looker (disguised as Lou Karr to investigate Team Plasma), and Hood Man (later revealed to be Colress, the antagonist of the Black 2/White 2 arc). White attempts to investigate Hood Man while the Pokémon League is happening. In the finals, Black faces Cheren, who was manipulated by Team Plasma after their encounter at the Cold Storage, and is convinced that he can win the battle with raw strength. White manages to uncover Gray's real identity and tells Black that Team Plasma has invaded the Pokémon League, but she is teleported away. Black defeats Cheren thanks to the help of Musha (who has finally evolved), and his anger at Team Plasma for manipulating his friend reawakens Reshiram from the Light Stone.
The awakening of Reshiram prompts Team Plasma to unleash their final part of their plan, revealing a castle that was underneath the Pokémon League stadium, with N flying on his Zekrom. While the gym leaders, Elite Four, various trainers Black and White met on their journey, and Black's Pokémon fight the Seven Sages, Black flies on Reshiram and faces N. Black understanding Reshiram's abilities using the Pokédex, something that is opposed by Team Plasma's ideals, allows him to "hear" Reshiram's voice, something that surprises N. while Black fights N inside the castle, White wakes up in N's playroom. There, N's caretakers explain that N was orphaned and always had the ability to hear Pokémon, something that Ghetsis used to his advantage in crafting Team Plasma. N has also released all of his Pokémon, including Gigi, where it reunites with White. Black defeats N, and the sudden appearance of N's Zorua makes him realize that Pokémon want to be with their trainers. Ghetsis appears just as things seem to calm down, revealing that he is N's adoptive father, as well as his true intentions; Take over the world and manipulate people to give up their Pokémon, making Ghetsis the only one to use them. Ghetsis fights Black's Pokémon all at once, but Black defeats Ghetsis using Musha. Black and White reunite once more after the battle is over. N regains consciousness and flies off with his Zekrom, wondering what's next for him. Reshiram starts turning back into the Light Stone, and Ghetsis manages to force Black in. The Light Stone flies off as White watches. A Team Plasma member befriends a Foongus as they leave Team Plasma's castle alongside other members.
Volume list
Note: Viz's official English-translated titles through the first nine volumes.
| No. | Title | Japanese release | English release | |
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| 1 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 1 | — | July 5, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4090-0 |
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| Newly-minted Pokémon trainer Black is really excited about starting his Pokémon adventure, up to the point that he stays out in the rain all night with his Braviary "Brav" and Munna "Musha", to wait for the package for him from Professor Juniper. After receiving the package, Black finds inside three Pokéballs and three Pokédexes. Inside each Pokéball is a beginner Pokémon for him and his friends, Bianca and Cheren. Black takes one of the Pokédexes and, getting excited, he sneezes and accidentally releases all three Pokémon and they begin attacking each other and the two other Pokédexes are damaged. Tepig runs off and Black chases after him. After finding Tepig in a tree, they are attacked by a Sewaddle, Black gets Tepig to fight it in a Pokémon battle and win. Afterwards, Black chooses Tepig as his partner and, along with Brav and Musha, the three set off on their journey, where Black eventually nicknames Tepig "Tep" and has his first Pokémon Trainer battle. | ||||
| 2 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 2 | — | July 5, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4091-7 |
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| Continuing on his adventures, Black runs into a girl named White, who dreams of making her female Tepig "Gigi" a star, and works for the BW Agency, an agency that books Pokémon performers for roles in TV series, commercials, etc. After an encounter with an abandoned Galvantula that is attacking humans, Black captures the Galvantula but accidentally ruins a company's TV equipment in the process. With White covering him, Black tries to pay off his debt, with White pairing Tep with Gigi. At a nearby town, Black and White encounter members from Team Plasma, their leader Ghetsis giving a speech about how Pokémon are suppressed by humans. They soon encounter N, who is not thrilled with Black "exploiting" Pokémon for his Pokédex. | ||||
| 3 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 3 | — | September 6, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4092-4 |
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| After N insults Black for capturing Pokémon to help fill his Pokédex for Professor Juniper, a battle ensues but for some reason White will not join the fray. Tep eventually helps Black to win the battle and N leaves, confused by what he heard Black's Pokémon "say". Afterward, Black and White end up in Striaton City, where they run into Bianca and Cheren. The three battle for their first Gym badge by the three brothers who run a restaurant as well. They win the battle and earn a Trio Badge, after which the three friends go their separate ways as Black and White continue on their journey. | ||||
| 4 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 4 | — | November 8, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4114-3 |
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| Musha runs off and Black and White meet Professor Fennel and her assistant Amanita, who are doing research on people's dreams. On their way to the Dreamyard, they run across a group of Team Plasma grunts who have captured Musha, and a battle ensues. Black wins and gets Musha back and their journey continues where they come across a troublesome Scraggy and Scrafty. They continue on to the next city where Black battles Lenora, the Nacrene City Gym Leader. He beats her Patrat, but will he win against her Stoutland? | ||||
| - | Pokémon Black and White Bonus Manga Sampler! | — | December 3, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4330-7 |
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| After the delivery man gives Black the package from Professor Juniper, Black accidentally releases the three starter Pokémon, Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, from their Pokéballs and the Snivy and Tepig begin to fight. During the scrap, Tepig accidentally hits Oshawott, who gets upset and hits both Snivy and Tepig with a powerful Razor Shell attack knocking both Snivy and Tepig out. When it regains consciousness, Tepig runs off upset because of its defeat. Black chases after Tepig and Professor Juniper shows up to find the disaster Black left behind. Soon after she arrives, Black's childhood friends, Bianca and Cheren, arrive to the scene and Bianca chooses Oshawott for herself and gives Cheren Snivy. They soon discover that the two remaining Pokédexes, Black having run off with his, are damaged and not running. After Professor Juniper uses her Minccino to clean up the mess, the three run off in search of Black to let him know to take extra care of his Pokédex since his is the only one working. When they finally find him, Black has finally caught up with Tepig but Tepig is being attacked by some unknown Pokémon and using his Musha he discovers the identity of the Pokémon but will that be enough to help him win? | ||||
| 5 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 5 | — | January 3, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4280-5 |
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| After beating Lenora's Patrat, Lenora uses her Stoutland to defeat Black's Brav but Black defeats Stoutland with his Musha. After their battle and Black receives the Basic Badge and unknown to them Team Plasma steals the dragon Pokémon fossil from the museum and Black helps return it, with the help Castelia City Gym Leader, Burgh. Afterwards Black and White make their way through Pinwheel Forest to a bridge where Black battles a janitor and once in Castelia City they meet a trouble-making Zorua. | ||||
| 6 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 6 | — | March 6, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4281-2 |
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| Now in Castelia City, Black faces off against Burgh for his Insect badge, which he wins after Tep evolves into Pignite and after the battle they meet Iris who has found Bianca unconscious and with an open Pokéball but no trace of the Pokémon from inside it. Black uses his newly evolved Pignite to track down Bianca's missing Pokémon, revealed to be Litwick, being held captive by an Amoonguss and after Pignite knocks it out they head to the roof where they find not only Team Plasma but Master Bronius of the Seven Sages, who reveals their plans to unite the minds of the people of Unova as one and they depart. Afterwards Black and White, under the instructions of Professor Juniper, heads off to Liberty Garden to find information on Victini only to find it being attacked by non-other than Team Plasma who want to use Victini's ability, Victory Star, which boost the strength of the Pokémon Victini touches, to help Team Plasma achieve their goal. Infuriated by this Black calls out his Brav to help Victini but Team Plasma's Gothitelle over-powers it until Brav is touched by Victini and upon its touch Brav gets enough power to defeat Gothitelle and Team Plasma runs off. Black encourages Victini to "take care" of itself and to be sure not to let Team Plasma catch it to which Victini replies to with a peace sign. and vanishes into hiding. Black reports to Professor Juniper about what happens and he and White set off to their next destination. | ||||
| 7 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 7 | — | May 1, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4282-9 |
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| On their way to Nimbasa City, Black and White are stopped by a sandstorm on Route 4, which is under construction so a road can be built, and White goes on to get equipment to help them through Route 4. While waiting for White to return, Black begins to do research on the Nimbasa City Gym Leader only to be distracted by a Pokémon Card Flip game and while playing a Drilbur game with the Casino Gambler, a member of Team Plasma is discovered trespassing on the construction site and the Casino Gambler reveals himself to be none other than Grimsley of the Elite Four. He challenges Black to a Pokémon battle but under the conditions that he'd answer Black's questions as to why he's there if he lost and if Black lost he'd have to give up something just as important as the information Grimsley would tell him. Unable to decide what to do and not using his Musha to help him think, Black has an "overload" and passes out. Brav then drags him and the Team Plasma member to Nimbasa City and White finds them. The Team Plasma member is presumably arrested and now in Nimbasa City White must produce everything for the first ever Pokémon Musical that she herself had planned out. While doing this, Black runs into the Nimbasa City Gym Leader, Elesa, who is there to help with the Pokémon Musical as she herself is a pop star and a model. With a little trouble getting the Prop Case to the Musical for the audience who attended it, which White, by herself fixes, the Pokémon Musical is a success but N captures White. During this Elesa and Black have their Gym battle and Black wins using Nite, his Pignite, and earns the Bolt Badge, making it his fourth Gym badge. | ||||
| 8 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 8 | — | July 3, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4215-4283-6 |
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| N, Team Plasma's king, convinces White's Tepig, Gigi, to come with him. | ||||
| 9 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 9 | — | April 2, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4215-5893-6 |
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| Black and White have gone their separate ways but both are in for a surprise. Black runs across the mischievous Zorua again while on his way to Driftveil City, while White runs into the three legendary Pokémon, Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus, as well as Shauntal of the Elite Four. | ||||
| 10 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 10 | — | June 4, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4215-5894-3 |
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| 11 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 11 | — | August 6, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4215-5895-0 |
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| 12 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 12 | — | October 1, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4215-5896-7 |
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| 13 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 13 | — | December 3, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4215-5897-4 |
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| 14 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 14 | — | February 4, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-6766-2 |
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| 15 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 15 | — | April 1, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-6767-9 |
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| 16 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 16 | — | June 3, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-6768-6 |
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| 17 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 17 | — | August 5, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-6769-3 |
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| 18 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 18 | — | October 7, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-7602-2 |
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| 19 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 19 | — | December 2, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-4215-7603-9 |
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| 20 | Pokémon Black and White Vol. 20 | — | February 3, 2015 ISBN: 978-1-4215-7604-6 |
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| Black defeats N, but he is subsequently sealed within the Light Stone. To make matters worse, Ghetsis reveals his true colours. Only White can stop him now, but can she believe in herself and in her Pokémon and do what needs to be done? | ||||
