Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions
Japanese Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Kunihiko Yuyama
Produced by	Takemoto Mori Choji Yoshikawa Yukio Kawasaki Junya Okamoto Susumu Fukunaga
Screenplay by	Hideki Sonoda
Starring	see below
Music by	Shinji Miyazaki
Cinematography	Takaya Mizutani
Editing by	Toshio Henmi
Studio	OLM, Inc. OLM Digital
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	July 10, 2010 (2010-07-10) (Japan)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Money made	$71.1 million

Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions is an exciting Japanese animated adventure movie from 2010. It was made by OLM, Inc. and released by Toho. This film is the 13th movie in the popular Pokémon series, which was created by Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, and Ken Sugimori. The movie was directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Hideki Sonoda.

In this movie, a tricky businessman named Grings Kodai wants to use a special power called the "Time Ripple" to see into the future. But doing this will destroy all the plants and trees in Crown City! To help him, Kodai tricks everyone by using illusions made by a Zoroark. Meanwhile, the Pokémon trainers Ash Ketchum, Dawn, and Brock meet a small Pokémon called Zorua. They decide to help Zorua find its caretaker, Zoroark.

The places you see in the movie are inspired by real locations in the Netherlands and Belgium. The director, Kunihiko Yuyama, and his team visited famous spots like the Magere Brug bridge, the Amstel River, and the windmills of Kinderdijk. Brussels, a city in Belgium, also inspired parts of the film.

The movie's theme song in Japan was "Ice Cream Syndrome" by Sukima Switch. The film first came out in Japan on July 10, 2010. In the United States, the English version was shown on Cartoon Network on February 5, 2011. It was also shown in US theaters during the Pokémon Black and White Tour.

The Movie's Story

Crown City used to be a beautiful place where people and nature lived in peace. Twenty years ago, a man named Grings Kodai gained a special power. He could see into the future by taking energy from the "Time Ripple," which appeared when the time-traveling Pokémon Celebi visited the city. But this act caused almost all the plants in the city to die. With his new power, Kodai became a very successful businessman and controlled the news. Over time, the people and Pokémon worked hard to bring the city back to life.

Kodai's Plan and New Friends

Now, in the present, Kodai's future-seeing power is fading. He plans to absorb the Time Ripple's power again, which will once more destroy the city's greenery. He wants to do this before the ripple disappears for good. Kodai captures the Pokémon Zoroark and the little Zorua she takes care of. He takes them on his aircraft towards Crown City.

But Zorua uses its own illusion powers to escape! The Pokémon trainers Ash Ketchum, Dawn, and Brock find Zorua in the forest outside the city. They decide to help Zorua get back to Zoroark in Crown City.

Illusions and Investigations

Kodai then lets the captured Zoroark loose in the city. He pretends that he is holding Zorua hostage. Zoroark uses her amazing illusion powers to look like Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. These are the ancient guardian Pokémon of the city, and Zoroark's illusions scare the townsfolk. Kodai and his helper, Rowena, fake news reports. They make it seem like Zoroark is evil and causing the guardian Pokémon to rampage. Kodai then orders the city to be closed off. This way, he can secretly search for the Time Ripple.

Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Zorua meet Karl, a local reporter who is investigating Kodai. Karl helps them get into the sealed-off part of the city through a sewer. Kodai's henchman, Goone, recaptures Zoroark. Kodai then has a vision that Ash, Dawn, Brock, Karl, and Rowena will stop him.

Protecting the Time Ripple

Zorua, along with Ash's Pikachu and Dawn's Piplup, runs off to find Zoroark. But then, Celebi appears and becomes friends with Zorua, Pikachu, and Piplup! Kodai captures and traps Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Karl. However, Rowena, who is actually an undercover reporter, releases them.

Kodai has another vision: Celebi will show him where the Time Ripple is. So, he targets Celebi. Kodai hurts Celebi to see more of the future. Ash, Dawn, Brock, Karl, and Rowena escape with Zorua and Celebi. They meet Karl's grandfather Joe and his friend Tammy. Joe tells them that the Time Ripple is near a countdown clock in the local stadium. Kodai secretly listens to their conversation.

Meanwhile, Zoroark escapes from where she was trapped. The real guardian Pokémon (Entei, Raikou, and Suicune) arrive. They think Zoroark is attacking the city and start to fight her. Karl, Rowena, Joe, and Tammy manage to stop the fighting between Zoroark and the guardian Pokémon.

The Final Showdown

Ash carries the injured Celebi to the Time Ripple at the stadium, with Kodai following close behind. Kodai's Mismagius uses telepathy to trap Ash and Celebi. His Shuppet hurts Zoroark, stopping them from reaching the Time Ripple. Kodai believes he has absorbed part of the Time Ripple and made his power strong again. He even admits that he tricked the townsfolk twice with his fake news.

But then, Zoroark reveals that Kodai's victory is just an illusion she created! Kodai tries to reach the real Time Ripple, but the guardian Pokémon block him. Zoroark uses her last bit of strength to create an illusion of Kodai's ship, trapping him in the stadium.

Zoroark collapses from her injuries. Celebi goes into the Time Ripple to heal itself and revive Zoroark. After that, Celebi goes back to its own time. Kodai's confessions are shown on television news, and he is quickly arrested along with Goone. Zorua and Zoroark then leave for their home region, Unova.

Characters in the Movie

Main Characters

Guest Characters

• Grings Kodai (グリングス・コーダイ, Guringusu Kōdai): The main villain of the movie. He is a rich businessman who can see the future. He got this power by stealing energy from Celebi's Time Ripple twenty years before the movie. Even though he pretends to care about Crown City, Kodai is a very selfish man who only cares about himself. At the end of the film, he is arrested.
• Goone (グーン, Gūn): Kodai's bodyguard. He is arrested with Kodai at the end of the movie.
• Karl (クルト, Kuruto): A newspaper reporter from Crown City. He is investigating Kodai's secrets.
• Rowena (リオカ, Rioka): A smart young woman who first seems to be Kodai's secretary. But she is actually an undercover reporter working with Karl.
• Peg (プルーフ, Purūfu, Proof): A girl with purple hair who is a big fan of the Crown City Coronets sports team. She gets caught up in the chaos when the city is in danger. At the end of the film, Peg watches Kodai's confession on TV and calls him "a terrible man."
• Zoroark: A Dark-type Pokémon that Kodai captures. She creates illusions and rampages through Crown City, looking like Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. She does this because Kodai is threatening her son, Zorua. Near the end of the movie, Zoroark helps Celebi stop Kodai and protect the Time Ripple. She uses an illusion to trick Kodai into thinking he has already won. After helping, Zoroark is very tired, but Celebi uses the Time Ripple to heal her.
• Zorua: A Pokémon related to Zoroark. He can use weaker illusion powers. He really wants to find his mother, Zoroark, whom he calls "Meema." In the middle of the movie, Zorua becomes friends with Celebi. He then helps protect Celebi and the Time Ripple from Kodai.
• Celebi: A Pokémon that can travel through time and visits Crown City. Twenty years ago, Kodai attacked it to get the Time Ripple's power. In the present, Celebi and its Time Ripple are again targeted by Kodai. Celebi becomes friends with Zorua and helps him look for Zoroark. Celebi also has the power to make flowers bloom and turn them into ripe fruit.

Movie Promotions

To promote this movie, special events were held for Pokémon fans.

Pokémon Game Giveaways

• In Japan, people who bought movie tickets early could download special colored versions of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune for their Pokémon games.
• When these special Pokémon were traded to the Pokémon Black and White games, they unlocked a special encounter with a Zoroark in the game. This Zoroark would use its Illusion ability to transform into a legendary Pokémon that had a type advantage against the one you transferred.
• Also, people who watched the movie in Japanese theaters could download a special Celebi for their video game. When this Celebi was transferred to Black or White, it unlocked an encounter with a special Zorua.
• In North America, these promotions happened at GameStop stores. In Europe and North America, the "Crown Beasts" (Raikou, Entei, Suicune) could be downloaded using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
• The event Celebi was also available in the US during the Pokémon Black Version & White Version Tour and at US Gamestop stores in early 2011.

DVD Release Promotions

• For the US DVD release of the movie, an exclusive download of the Pokémon Zoroark was available at US Toys "R" Us stores in September 2011. Players could get this Zoroark for their Pokémon Black and White games.
• A sweepstakes (a type of contest) was also held on the official Pokémon website to promote the movie.

See also

In Spanish: Pokémon: Zoroark: El Maestro de Ilusiones para niños