Duplica: Difference between revisions

Duplica (Japanese: イミテ Imite) is a young girl who works as a performing Pokémon Trainer and impressionist. Her character was probably based on that of the Copycat from Pokémon Red and Blue.

Her English name is a shortening of the word "duplicate," and her Japanese name is similar to "imitate."

In the anime

Duplica has appeared in two anime episodes. Her English voice actress is Megan Hollingshead and her Japanese voice actress is 福島おりね Orine Fukushima.

Her first appearance was in Ditto's Mysterious Mansion. Ash and his friends were traveling through Kanto when they sought shelter from the rain in an abandoned mansion. The house was actually called "The House of Imite" and it was owned by Duplica and her Ditto. She showed them Ditto's ability to to transform into any Pokémon. A skeptical Ash sent out his Bulbasaur to battle Duplica's Ditto. Surprisingly enough, Bulbasaur lost against the imitation. Duplica then explained that her Ditto had trouble transforming one aspect of it: Its face. No matter what Pokémon it Transformed into, it always retained the beady eyes and wobbly mouth of a Ditto.

Team Rocket kidnapped the Ditto. They wanted to have Duplica's Ditto Transform into a Dratini so they could give it to Giovanni. After a while, they were able to train it to Transform perfectly. After Ash, Brock, Duplica, and Misty dressed up as Team Rocket and rescued Ditto, Duplica felt she was ready to open up her mansion as a theater to entertain passing Pokémon trainers.

Later, in Imitation Confrontation, Brock noticed that a Nurse Joy they were talking to was an imitation. It turned out to be Duplica, who had come to the local town for a Pokémon Acting Competition. She had another Ditto, Mini-Dit, with another problem. It could Transform into perfect replicas of other Pokémon, in every way but size. So when it transformed into an Onix, she had a tiny, hand-held Onix.

Team Rocket stole Mini-Dit and planned to have it transform into a Pokémon that they could pass off as a rare, pygmy version, so that they could get a rare and powerful Pokémon in return. Duplica recovered Mini-Dit and decided that its unusual transformations made it unique; the audience seemed to agree.

Although Duplica sometimes performs by imitating Pokémon herself, her usual shows feature her imitating a Pokémon Trainer while her Ditto imitates that trainer's Pokémon. She did an excellent impression of Ash and Nurse Joy, for instance.

Pokémon

This listing is of Duplica's Pokémon in the anime.

Voice actors

In the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga

Duplica also makes an appearance in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga. Her Ditto had grown in its abilities so that it was now able to vary how closely it imitated other Pokémon. It could partially transform into a rubbery, tall version of Machop, for instance.

Misty wanted to get a Ditto of her own, and Duplica was going to take her to Route 13 to get one. That's where Duplica originally caught her Ditto. Their trip had to be called off after Pikachu got lost.

Pokémon

This listing is of Duplica's Pokémon in the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga.

Ditto

Trivia

• Even though Duplica's first Ditto's habit of not transforming its face was presented as an anomaly, the wild Ditto on Pokémon Island in Pokémon Snap do the same thing. They also transform into the same Pokémon as Ditto did in Duplica's debut episode - a Bulbasaur.
• Duplica is very similar to Gary in his early days, in some respects, and is therefore somewhat of a rival to Ash. For example each time they have met, Ash and Duplica have battled each other competitively (once in Ditto's Mysterious Mansion and twice in Imitation Confrontation). In her debut episode she also frequently referred to Ash as "Ashy-boy" - the exact same pet-name Gary gave him. However, he doesn't seem to mind when Duplica calls him this. He has also never won a battle against Duplica yet (similar to how he never defeated Gary in the first season) and she sometimes tells him that he should raise his Pokémon better, usually after beating him, like Gary.
  • Coincidentally, the way she defeated Ash's Bulbasaur is repeated later with Mewtwo's cloned Venusaur defeating Corey's Bruteroot.
• At the Veilstone Game Corner sometimes a Clefairy with Ditto's face from EP037 appears.