After more than 1000 episodes and nearly two-dozen animated movies, Pokémon is still going strong with no end in sight. Pokémon’s feature films are playful ways for the franchise to celebrate grander spectacles that often feature the debut of new Legendary Pokémon. Pokémon‘s fifth feature film, Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latios, tells an epic tale of selflessness and sacrifice.
Pokémon movies are no strangers to sad sequences, but there’s a strong case to be made that Pokémon Heroes is the franchise’s most tragic film. Pokémon Heroes hits hard in whatever language it’s experienced in. That being said, there are some major changes in Pokémon Heroes‘ English dub that seriously mess with the movie’s events. Edits were inevitable in Pokémon dubs, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of weakening a film’s message and leaving fans confused.
Pokémon Heroes’ Dub Completely Changes The Details On Latios & Latias’ Backstory
Pokémon has become such a massive franchise that it’s never helpful when there’s confusion and dissonance within the fandom. Pokémon is an especially curious case because it’s an anime that’s surprisingly protective of its regional releases and it’s not easy to watch the original Japanese versions of episodes and movies. This means that fans are left to trust that the English dub remains faithful to the source material. Pokémon Heroes features an abundance of edits, but the most egregious changes involve the movie’s missing prologue.
The original version of Pokémon Heroes begins with a two-minute prologue that introduces the lore that surrounds Latios, Latias, Alto Mare’s flooded nature, and the significance of the Soul Dew. Pokémon Heroes is already an especially short movie, so it doesn’t seem like this edit was done for time purposes. It’s likely that the prologue was removed in order to begin with Ash and other familiar characters as the movie immediately kicks into the action. This false start fundamentally changes the nature of the film’s two most important Pokémon.
This prologue tells a beautiful story about an elderly couple who show kindness to two abandoned children that they encounter. During a moment of strife, these children transform and reveal themselves to be Latios and Latias. The Pokémon proceed to save their guardians, along with more Latios and Latias, before leaving them with the Soul Dew and bidding them farewell. The English dub replaces this backstory about a crueler tale in which Latios floods Alto Mare in order to kill an evil Trainer’s Pokémon.
The dub’s version of events presents Latios as a more wicked creature, which isn’t accurate. It also changes the context of the Soul Dew and the origins of the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare, which erase its grandiose history and the fact that they’re ancient concepts that go back many generations. The original prologue is more of a sweet parable that reinforces the bond between humans and Pokémon. It highlights that Pokémon and humans working together is the key to salvation, rather than the dub’s simplified story that pits them at odds with each other.
Pokémon Heroes’ edits carry thematic impact, but they also inadvertently change an important detail about Latios and Latias. The original prologue confirms that there are many Latios and Latias in the world. The central pair summon a major herd before their initial departure in Alto Mare’s past. Pokémon Heroes’ changes give the impression that there is only a single Latios and Latias, which reinforces the importance of these Legendary Pokémon. It’s a short-sighted style of storytelling that causes greater problems in Pokémon’s future.
Latios’ Sacrifice Gets Recontextualized Through The Dub’s Changes
Pokémon Heroes builds to an emotional climax in which Latios sacrifices itself to save Latias and protect the greater good. Latios’ death is heartbreaking, regardless of which version of the movie that’s seen. They both reflect a Pokémon’s purity and selflessness, which are traits that humans struggle to exhibit during the film. Latios’ death reads differently in the English dub, in which it’s presented as the one-and-only Latios. Not only is this just wrong, but there’s natural confusion when Latios is seen later in the Pokémon anime.
This is meant to be another Latios – one of the many that are out in the world – yet the dub’s changes obscure this point. It makes it seem like the original Latios has somehow come back to life, which erases his sacrifice and reduces its impact. It’s presented as a temporary tragedy that was later reversed, which is antithetical to the film’s intent. That Latios’ sacrifice needs to be felt in order for the movie to stick its landing.
The way in which the film’s English dub changes Latios and Latias’ origins also prompts further presumed plot holes in the anime. There’s a moment later on in which Latios doesn’t recognize Ash. This has prompted viewers to believe that the Pokémon movies aren’t supposed to be canon. Pokémon Heroes’ removed prologue changes the context of this Latios, which does actually adhere to canon. The Pokémon movies aren’t perfect in this regard. There’s a solid attempt to connect dots between different projects and maintain consistency. These dub changes disregard all this.
Annie & Oakley’s Relationship Is Simplified In Pokémon Heroes’ English Dub
The seemingly simple changes to Pokémon Heroes wreak havoc on its Legendary Pokémon’s nuance. The film also reduces its villains to trope-filled troublemakers that equally reduces them of their depth. Pokémon Heroes states that Annie and Oakley, its antagonists, are affiliated with Team Rocket. This is an understandable temptation, considering that Team Rocket typically serves as conflict in the anime. However, the original Pokémon Heroes presents Annie and Oakley as free agents.
This may not seem like a major change. However, Pokémon Heroes attempts to nearly put Annie and Oakley into a box by making them Team Rocket grunts. This narrative reinforces the idea that all the wicked people in the world are members of Team Rocket and decide to channel their evil impulses into that work. The original version of Pokémon Heroes presents a more nuanced version of the world where evil people can just exist. They don’t have to be a part of a larger organization.
Annie and Oakley’s original backstories function as stronger thematic counterpoints to the kindness that’s exhibited in the film’s Alto Mare prelude. Pokémon Heroes bookends Latios’ life with ultimate acts of selflessness and selfishness. These ideas speak to the universe’s chaotic whims and how individuals like Ash can help reign in the chaos. He provides a necessary balance. However, this isn’t the first time that a Pokémon dub tries to simplify and generalize its exploration of evil.
Pokémon: The First Movie does something very similar in order to create a clear-cut antagonist instead of a conflicted individual who isn’t without his merits. Both of these movies drastically mess with the movie’s original message in favor of presenting a story that’s thought to be more palatable, but is instead just more generic. Audiences fell in love with Pokémon because it’s different and full of endless creativity. It’s important that these ideals don’t get lost in the shuffle so that a standout feature film turns into a subject of controversy.
