Pokémon in France

Pokémon in France
Flag of France
Language	French
Continent	Europe
Original anime airdates
EP001
AG001
DP001
BW001
XY001
SM001
JN001
HZ001

The Pokémon franchise first reached France on October 9, 1999 with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue Versions in the French language.

Pokémon video games

All of the main series Pokémon games have been released in France. All of the spin-off Pokémon games have been released in France as well, including Pokémon Project Studio Red and Blue. As in the rest of Europe, Pokémon Trozei! is sold under the title Pokémon Link!. All Pokémon games sold in France have been translated into the French language.

With some exceptions such as Pikachu, most of the Pokémon species names are completely localized into the French language. For more information on these translated names, see list of French Pokémon names.

Pokémon anime

The French dub of the Pokémon anime has been recorded and produced by two different companies. Studio La Dame Blanche recorded the original series and the Advanced Generation series, while the Diamond & Pearl series is currently recorded and produced by Sunstudio. The French dub is based on the English dub by 4Kids Entertainment and The Pokémon Company International. Like the Pokémon species names, most characters in the anime were renamed in the French dub.

Pokémon currently airs on Disney XD France (formerly Fox Kids France and then Jetix France) and Gulli. Previously, the anime also aired on TF1's children's programming block, Tfou.

Music

All theme songs used in the French dub of the Pokémon anime are translated versions of the English themes used by 4Kids Entertainment and The Pokémon Company International.

Two Pokémon soundtrack albums have been released in France. The first, Pokémon - Bande originale de la série TV, is a translation of Pokémon 2.B.A. Master. A special edition version of this soundtrack was released with a five-track bonus disc containing two remixes of Pokédance, a rerecorded version of La Chanson d'Ondine sung by Barbi Schiller, and two bonus songs: Double Head vs Pikachu remix and Pikachu vs Double Head. The second album to be released in France was Voyage à Johto, a translation of Totally Pokémon.

Two singles have been released in France as well. The first, Un Monde Pokémon, is a translated version of the Pokémon World single. The second is a single of the opening theme song Voyage à Johto. This single also contains Pikachu (à L'attaque) as a b-side.

Cast and Crew

Many voice actors and actresses have contributed to the production of the French dub of the Pokémon anime.

The director of the dub is Jean-Daniel Nicodème, who also provides the voice of the narrator, Wattson (known in France as Voltère) and Crasher Wake (Lovis in French). Jean-Marc Anthony Kabeya performs the vocals for many of the theme songs.

Ash Ketchum (who is named Sacha Ketchum in French) is voiced by Aurélien Ringelheim. Misty (known as Ondine) is voiced by Fanny Roy, who also provides the voice for Tate (Tatia). Tracey Sketchit (Jacky Léon) was voiced by Bruno Mullenaerts.

Brock (Pierre) was voiced by Laurent Chauvet from EP005-AG145. Starting from AG146, he has been voiced by Antoni Lo Presti.

May (Flora) is voiced by Maia Baran. Her brother, Max, is voiced by Guylaine Gibert, who also provides the voice of Officer Jenny (Agent Jenny). Lydia Cherton provides the voice of Nurse Joy (Infirmière Joëlle).

Dawn (Aurore) is voiced by Alexandra Corréa. Her rival, Zoey (Zoé), is voiced by Claire Tefnin.

Jessie is voiced by Catherine Conet, who also provides the voice of Delia Ketchum. James has been voiced for the entire series by David Manet. Meowth (Miaouss) was voiced by Nessym Guetat from EP002-AG145. Starting from AG146, he has been voiced by Philippe Tasquin. The boss of Team Rocket, Giovanni, is voiced by Patrick Deschamps.

Gary Oak (Régis Chen) has been voiced by Jean-Marc Delhausse and Lionel Bourguet. Gary's grandfather, Professor Oak (Professeur Chen), is also voiced by Delhausse. One of Ash's other rivals, Paul, has been voiced by Alessandro Bevilacqua (DP002-DP052) and Gauthier De Fauconval (DP053-Present).

Other notable voice actors from the French dub of the Pokémon anime include Marie Van Renterghem as Cassidy (Cassidi), Romain Barbieux as Harley, and Gregory Praet as Barry.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Pokémon Trading Card Game reached France on July 1, 2000 with the release of the Base Set. As in North America, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was originally distributed by Wizards of the Coast and later by The Pokémon Company International after Wizards lost their license to distribute the TCG.

France has received all of the same expansion sets that have been released in North America except for Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Skyridge, Base Set 2, Legendary Collection, Southern Islands and EX Team Rocket Returns. The most recent expansion set to be released in French is Rising Rivals.

French-language cards are recognised as tournament legal for Pokémon Organized Play. Despite the differences in Pokémon and character names, cards from France are exported to Canada for sale in the province of Québec and other French-speaking regions.

Pokémon merchandise

Many different types of Pokémon toys, plush dolls, games, and other collectibles have been released in France. Many Pokémon toys which are manufactured by Jakks Pacific in North America, such as the Sinnoh Region Playset, are distributed in France by Bandai. Additionally, world-renowned German puzzle manufacturer Ravensburger has released several Pokémon-themed puzzles in France.

Hasbro's Pokémon Battling Coin Game received a French release in the late 1990s, known under the title Pokémon Combat de Pièces. In the early 2000s, collectible cardboard discs called Pokémon Be Yaps were available. Pokémon Be Yaps can be used to play several different types of games. The concept of Pokémon Be Yaps is similar to that of the Pokémon Tazos sold in Latin American countries.

Currently, there are special Pokémon Platinum merchandise items available for purchase on Nintendo's official French website: A red t-shirt or polo shirt featuring the Pokémon Platinum logo, a rubber ball featuring Giratina's Origin Forme, and a Giratina bookmark.

Pokémon manga

Many Pokémon manga have been translated into French for sale in France by Glénat. Notably, France is one of only two countries outside of Japan to publish a translation of Pokémon Get da ze! (translated as Pokémon: Attrapez-les tous!), although only the first two volumes were published in French. Other Pokémon manga titles available in France include Pokémon Adventures (Pokémon: La Grande Adventure!), Magical Pokémon Journey (Pikachu Adventures!) and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team (Pokémon Donjon Mystère: Les secouristes de Ginji). Unlike the Japanese and English releases, Pokémon Donjon Mystère: Les secouristes de Ginji was published as two mini-books of three chapters each rather than one six-chapter volume.

External links

• Pokémon.fr (in French)
• Pokémon on Gulli's website (in French)

This article is part of Project Globe, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon franchise around the world.