Recap: Pokémon-Kyurem VS the Sword of Justice

Hello everyone, and welcome to my look at Pokémon: Kyurem VS the Sword of Justice! I have enjoyed this film ever since I first saw it in 2012; and I have been wanting to recap it for ages, so let’s open it up!

We get another variation of the “world of Pokémon” intro, and interestingly, the montage of all the Pokémon up to this point is one of the few cameos from the Stage 1 and 2 forms of Porygon. After the “Electric Soldier Porygon” incident, the monster was essentially blacklisted from the anime; while Pikachu became as recognizable as Mickey Mouse; essentially joining Mario as one of Nintendo’s biggest names. I also have no formal opinion on that fan theory about the anime version of Mimikyu, and even though I will probably do more before Ultra Sun and Moon come out; I don’t know about what others have said.

Our proper opening is on the eponymous “Sword of Justice,” Keldeo! He as he spars with Virizion, he says, and I quote, “The grass and I are friends now, Virizion!” Also, he’s voiced by Vic Mignongna. So, even though I’m not recapping any Full Metal Alchemist, I can definitely make plenty of jokes anyway.

His battle continues, saying “My sword is my horn!” That’s what she said!

Keldeo continues sparring with Terrakion, another one of the Generation V legendaries! I personally get irritated whenever people just focus on the anthropomorphized ice cream and trash bags. Not only can I defend both, but also expand my reach to samurai otters, fire-breathing pigs that know kung fu, and grass snakes the size of a Buick. So, massive horse swordsmen are fine by me.

Keldeo then spars with Cobalion, but the other Swords of Justice say (rightfully) he isn’t ready to face Kyurem! Still, he is every bit as hot-blooded as Edward, despite being of similar stature.

Also, I still have no formal opinion on them being telepathic. It’s no more implausible than Groudon being big as a kaiju, but he can fit on a ball that clips to my belt for easy storage.

Still, even when Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion uphold their decision; Keldeo still decides to face Kyurem when they’re all sleeping! I must say, I like Kyurem’s hiding place in terms of design. While I still think integrating CGI into the series is tricky, it works fine for this dark area and how it’s similar to how a live-action film would use it for a tracking shot.

Also, interesting how he can change at will from his normal form to Volt Kyurem and Blaze Kyurem at will. Keldeo slides down the mountain at the 15-minute mark, and I know this is supposed to be a serious scene; but I can’t help but chuckle a little if you’ll pardon this joke. 

After that, we see Ash, Iris and Cilan on a train trip through the Unova region to an extended version of the “Rival Destinies” theme; a pretty good song if I may be honest. I’m posting a link of it for you all to hear.

Anyway, on their way to Roshan City; they make a brief stop at Windy Station in order to pick up some Darumaka box lunches; and we get another appearance of the recurring little girl and her mother! They are oddly fine with an eager 10-year-old, a hammy chef, a streetwise dragon trainer and a lizard in baggy pants getting lunch.

So, Cilan buys the lunches, so just happens to be a “box lunch connoisseur.” Arceus, the dude has more jobs than a Swiss Army knife! If someone had to replace Brock, I’m glad it was him. Tracey was by far his blandest replacement, I prefer to have someone as hammy as Gaston to do it.

Also, I kind of like the outfit they gave the vendor. The quasi-Crocs she’s wearing are a nice touch.

Anyway, after they get all the lunches for their trip, Keldeo comes skidding down the mountain just before the train continues to Roshan City! This is a very strange movie, in case you haven’t noticed. I mean, I like it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.

The vendor tells them all “Best Wishes” (referencing the Japanese title of this series), and as Scraggy jumps the train, Ash comes across Keldeo! At that moment, Kyurem leaps onto the train to finish what he started! I know I use this song a lot, but screw it: I am feeling really good about myself, and I will play my favorite song for the umpteenth time anyway.

The ensuing fight/chase scene across the train cars is quite slick; and I am pleased to type that as someone who loves these kind of scenes. I also enjoy the subsequent flashback to Iris speaking with the elder of her village; since it does a good example of world-building for Kyurem and her character. Even though Generation V still has its fair share of detractors, I am among those who still appreciate the concepts it presented; and it stands out as one of the more unique entries because of that. She and Drayden can also make surrogate guardians for Iris as well as mentors, since not much is known about her real parents. My headcanon may be going a common route with her, but either way, it’s heavily implied she’s basically an orphan; and her parents are missing, presumed dead.

Everyone makes it to Roshan City, and as Keldeo is treated in the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy pulls up more information on the other Swords of Justice, who are a bit more noble than they are in the games. Interesting, and I thought Winry Rockbell’s grandmother was wise as she was funny. …Still not doing any FMA, fellas. I like the ‘verse, but I need other ways to talk about it.

After Ash hears more about the Swords of Justice, he goes to greet Keldeo after it’s healed with Iris and Cilan. Once again, I always find some of the shots I get when I pause to take screencaps very interesting. For a 10-year-old kid, he’s pretty well-built.

Keldeo tells more about what happened, and Ash wants to help him set things right! He encourages Keldeo to finish the battle and save the other Swords of Justice!

Before that, however, is time to sample the box lunches, which are delicious! If there’s any milk in these, they’ll never hear the end of it, though.

As Kyrurem changes into its Blaze form to enter the city, we get another piece of Iris’ past with the elder and the Village of Dragons. I must say, for a movie that’s about the same runtime as Pokémon Heroes, it does have a similar way of pacing and balancing battles with lore.

After lunch, the group is attacked by Kyurem as they try to help Keldeo escape! The animation in this movie takes advantage of not only the budget, but also the unique artwork of the Unova region. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but I’m once again glad I am doing this after all this time.

Disregarding how Kyurem can change from Blaze form to Volt form at will, I am surprised Kyurem has all these CGI Cryogonal at his disposal. I’ve used the 3DS graphics hyperbole enough, so I shall simply state that I am astonished Kyruem got this many. It took me months to find one of them, let alone catch it.

As Ash, iris and Cilan try to help Keldeo escape,  Keldeo lifts off with Aqua Jet, carrying Ash and Pikachu on its back! We’re only at the halfway point, and we still haven’t reached peak craziness here.

Everyone manages to find transport in an old museum, and it still works! While Iris distracts the Cryogonal in a blimp, Ash and Cilan manage to slip away in an old train! Good thing the “railway connoisseur” survived that business in the Battle Subway! Might think about doing those in the near future, but first I want to get done with what else I have on the table.

As Cilan distracts more of the Cryogonal, Ash determines that all Keldeo needs to do to set things right is to finish the battle with Kyurem! That’s convenient for this movie, if I do say so.

Before Keldeo goes to save its friends and mentors, we get some flashbacks to the time with the other Swords of Justice. I particularly like this one with Terrakion. While there may not be a Golurk to represent Alphonse, I suppose Terrakion will do if Keldeo is voiced by the same actor as Edward (as well as Tobi/Obito and Kurz Weber, among others).

Everyone converges on the old train yard, and Ash encourages Keldeo to finish what he started! We’re just about at the finale. Last 45 minutes really flew by!

Energized by Ash’s words and his help in freeing the other Swords of Justice, Keldeo steps forward to fight Kyurem! Kyurem says that “it’s time to finish this!”

With 15 minutes left to go, Keldeo not only heals its horn, but changes into its Resolute form to complete the battle! That is awesome. I normally wouldn’t link to this song, but in this case, I’ll make an exception.

The final battle among the pillars of ice is just great. It may not be the most original setup, and I’m not going to force you to watch it; but there’s just something about a little unicorn fighting a huge dragon that I just love. Just don’t tell Keldeo that, it’s a bit of a trigger.

Kyurem tries to trap Keldeo, but Keldeo is freed and their battle continues in some rather slick animation for a film of this kind! It may not be my favorite of these movies in hindsight, but it’s on the list, and a close second for the BW films.

The Swords of Justice are freed from the ice, and Keldeo is faring much better in battle with its new abilities!

With newfound power and confidence, Keldeo is able to take out Kyurem with a single strike!

Kyurem then concedes defeat, acknowledging Keldeo’s power, and we close on Keldeo becoming one of the Swords of Justice alongside Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion! It’s been a while since I’ve seen this movie, but it was a lot of fun to write about.

“Pokémon: Kyurem VS The Sword of Justice” is another solid entry in the long-running Pokémon film series. It was definitely wild, but a lot of fun to write about because of that. The animation definitely made the title bout a fun viewing experience, and it actually did a relatively good job of differentiating the Swords of Justice from their counterparts in the video games. I always make an effort to be as open and honest as I can no matter what I write about. So, when I say that ANN not liking the movie or Dogasu not liking Vic Mignogna being cast in the dub is nothing personal, you know I’m not lying. No fake news here, folks.

I definitely want to have the next movie and my riff of the Netflix Death Note movie done by Halloween night, so keep an eye out for it alongside my look at the final and arguably most polarizing BW film, “Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened!” See you, space cowboy!