Pokémon in the Arab world

The Pokémon franchise reached the in 2000, with the first broadcast of بوكيمون، لقد اخترتك انت! in Arabic on the television channel . To date, none of the Pokémon video games have received official translations or releases from Nintendo in the region. Nevertheless, copies of the games imported from the and were distributed in various places, particularly within the countries, as early as 1998.
Upon its initial run, the franchise was a huge commercial success in the region, but later became the subject of a major controversy regarding the and the .
The first two seasons were dubbed in , while later seasons were dubbed in .
Currently, the animated series is available on Netflix, with new episodes of Pokémon Journeys: The Series being released.
==Localization==
The word Pokémon is written as and pluralized as . Pokémon are always referred to as either male or female, since Arabic has no neutral grammatical gender.
While almost all characters, Pokémon, and locations have kept their English names in the Arabic version, some objects in the franchise received Arabic names. The , for example, has been dubbed as كرة البوكي (Kurt Al-Poké), the Poké Flute received the name مزمار البوكي (Mizmar Al-Poké) and so on. Team Rocket was changed to: عصابة الرداء الأبيض . Additionally, the name of Pallet Town has been translated as قرية شورباك . However, these names were not carried over when the Arabic localization of the anime was revived after a long hiatus, and the newer dubs are more faithful to the English localization.
==Controversy== 
===Promoting "unislamic" values===
Similar to the Pokémania phenomenon experienced in America, the introduction of the Pokémon franchise to the in 2000 resulted in an unprecedented surge in popularity, almost reaching the status of a cultural phenomenon. Quickly, stores were inundated with a variety of Pokémon products, and the rapidly found its way onto television stations in every country across the region.
Amidst this heightened interest in the Pokémon series, some parents and schoolteachers started to express concerns regarding children’s over-attachment to the series while others began to criticize the franchise's commercial nature, claiming that it mostly encouraged children into spending their money on toys, trading cards, and various other related products. The franchise was then accused of promoting "unislamic values" such as , but most importantly ,https://gulfnews.com/uae/saudis-ban-pokemon-as-gambling-un-islamic-1.412082 as well as anti-creationism ideology―such as and ―with some accusing the series of trying to promote among Muslim youth. Rumors started spreading that the Pokémon names in the series were in fact words meant to insult and that the franchise was a part of a conspiracy. Several media outlets started reporting these stories, further escalating the controversy. Soon after, Pokémon products, especially TCG products, started to get banned in schools, while several TV stations took the animated series off air as the franchise was .
The controversy gained major public attention to the point that the embassy in and Nintendo had to issue a statement explaining the Japanese origins of the franchise and denying any relation to any political or religious ideology.https://archive.aawsat.com/details.asp?issueno=8070&article=33242#.ZCFtNHbMKvEhttps://www.news24.com/news24/saudi-arabia-bans-pokemon-20010326
===Claims of Zionist Jewish plot===
Some outspoken, fundamentalist Muslims claimed that Pokémon is a Jewish conspiracy intended to get Muslim children to renounce their faith.10 Egyptian Conspiracy TheoriesArabs See Jewish Conspiracy in Pokemon - latimesADL denounces claim by Muslim leaders that Pokemon game is “Jewish Conspiracy" - Press Release (archived copy)Saddam Hussein tried to ban POKEMON in Iraq for an utterly bizarre reason - Mirror Online They claimed that the word "Pokémon" means "I am Jewish", generally unaware of the franchise's Japanese origin. The claims of anti-creationism were also commonly brought up.Saudi Arabia issues fatwa against POKÉMON for being ‘un-Islamic’ and ‘blasphemous' | World | News | Express.co.ukDubai Family Consultant Dr. Khalifa Al-Makhrazi: Pokemon Go Is Prohibited, Spreads Darwinism | MEMRIFatwas of the Permanent Committee
In 2001, the of , Sheikh , issued a banning the Pokémon franchise. The fatwā claimed that the franchise promoted by displaying a six-pointed star that resembled the as well as other religious symbols such as crosses they associated with and triangles they associated with in the TCG. It also claimed the games encouraged gambling due to the inclusion of gambling elements, which is in violation of doctrine.The Escapist - Archive - Saudi Bans Pokemon (archived copy)BBC News | MIDDLE EAST | Saudi Arabia bans Pokemon (archived copy)
High Muslim authorities in and then joined the ban. As this happened during the , a ian newspaper printed a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister sitting in a tank and laughing at an Arab man chasing a Pokémon. This is meant to convey that Arabs are distracted from their conflict with the Israelis by popular franchises, with Pokémon as an example of such "distractions."BBC News | Middle East | Qatari religious leader bans PokemonPeterson, Mark Allen. 'Anthropology & Mass Communication: Media and Myth in the New Millennium'. 2003. Print.
The initial banning quickly wiped away Pokémon merchandise, especially the card game, from markets in Saudi Arabia. Despite this, Pokémon video games quickly returned to the market, but with less demand from local consumers. Some Pokémon merchandise, such as the , reappeared in certain stores a few years later, but newer sets were never brought. Games from Generation III on were completely unaffected by the ban.
A fatwā was also issued in the emirate of , however no bans officially occurred.Dubai scholars declare Pokemon unislamic - Gulfnews Although the U.A.E. takes its Islamic identity seriously like most Arab states, actions based solely on fatwā would violate . Regardless of this, the licensed local distributor ceased importing Pokémon cards into the U.A.E. until the early 2010s, when the TCG experienced a resurgence among local players. In 2016, the U.A.E. became the first Arab country to be officially sanctioned by The Pokémon Company International to hold official Play! Pokémon events.
==Pokémon video games==
Before the earliest Pokémon games, Nintendo products did not have much presence in Arab countries, as most faced various political and economical challenges that made such products unattractive markets at the time. Throughout the 1980s, most demographics considered products a preferable choice for gaming before their gradual decline. However, by the early 1990s, as particular economies in the countries thrived, various independent distributors based in those countries pushed to introduce gaming consoles after they became popular and competitive commodities in Western markets, including Nintendo's products. Although the video game market grew in the GCC countries, for many years there was little effort for standardization among distributors and retailers, causing a discrepancy as both PAL and NTSC hardware and software were sold off the same shelves. Consequently, by the time launched the first time in 1998, units available were imported from both Europe and North America. To this day, Nintendo-published products, including Pokémon video games, remain the only gaming products to be imported from both regions into the GCC, despite other publishers focused on importing units solely from Europe.
Nintendo (and by extension Nintendo of America) have long considered the GCC markets as part of the greater Asia, thus officially opting to localize NTSC-U North American (NA) products for these markets de jure by the late 1990s, albeit both PAL and NTSCTechnically, today both PAL and NTSC signals are no longer used in most countries after being effectively superseded by newer DVB-T and ATSC signals respectively. However, the terms "PAL" and "NTSC" continues to be used for legacy reasons in reference to regional origins of specific game units since various older platforms are region-locked, and despite Nintendo eventually opting for fully region-free hardware starting in 2017. Nintendo products de facto continued to co-exist. 's branch was originally assigned to officially distribute Nintendo's NA products within the GCC markets,International Distributors: Middle East - NOA official website (1998 archive); Wayback Machine before ending its collaboration in 2000. By the early 2000s, Active Boeki, distributor for Southeast Asian countries, gradually took over NA distribution duties. It took a while to release Pokémon games due to the 2001 fatwā issued against it. However, no official bans against the games were made in any country. Working alongside the local resellers, in 2010 Active Boeki founded Dubai-based affiliate Active Gulf to represent them alongside Nintendo and The Pokémon Company within the GCC markets. Although the NA Wii and Nintendo DS hardware did have localized packaging made for the U.A.E., the NA Nintendo 3DS became the first Nintendo console officially released under Active Gulf, and it launched in all GCC countries on the same day as the United States in March 2011. The NA launch of were the first Pokémon games authorized by The Pokémon Company to be distributed specifically by Active Boeki for the GCC and Southeast Asian markets.
In August 2016, the introduced the official video game age rating system for Saudi Arabia; were the first Pokémon games released under Saudi Arabia's official age rating, although were the first to feature the age rating hard-printed on the case cover. In January 2018, the introduced the official video game age rating system for the United Arab Emirates; were the first Pokémon games released under the U.A.E.'s official age rating. In 2021, most of the NMC's functions were taken over by the Media Regulatory Office. became the first games to be rated by the MRO.
In the 1990s, Nintendo Co., Ltd. were involved with distribution in Africa,https://web.archive.org/web/19980205070953/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/companies/japan.html although it did not specifically focus on Arabic-speaking countries in North Africa. In 2002, Nintendo of Europe took on executive control to supply Nintendo's PAL products for various low-key distributors within the GCC and other Arab countries in the region and Egypt. In the case of the latter two, the markets remain mixed for gaming in general, including Nintendo and Pokémon, due to on-going political and economical challenges. Regardless, NOE continues to import its products into all these countries to this day.
In 2024, Nintendo of Europe took over sales in Saudi Arabia from NCL/NOA, with distribution now being handled by AIC Trading.https://nintendosoup.com/nintendo-of-europe-takes-over-saudi-arabia-new-distributor-installed/
==Pokémon animation==
===The Arabic dub===
====Production====
The Arabic dub of Pokémon is based on 4Kids Entertainment's English dub. The was initially dubbed to Arabic in 2000 by Syria-based , and licensed in the region by Km Productions. Due to the controversy in 2001, however, Venus Center, known for being a very conservative company, no longer wanted to be associated with the Pokémon franchise, and ceased production after Season 02. Km Productions then moved the dubbing to their own studios in Lebanon.
Super M Productions, which is based in , took over dubbing the animated series starting with EP106. They dubbed Season 03 and Season 04 between 2001 and 2002. Production on the dub then went on hiatus for nearly 3 years and was resumed in 2005, when they dubbed Season 06, starting with EP263. Season 05 (Master Quest) Episodes (EP210 to EP262) were skipped for unknown reasons.
Production on the dub was eventually canceled around 2006 due to various reasons, mostly due to 4Kids Entertainment losing the dubbing rights, and the Lebanese company not coming to an agreement with the new rights holders.confirmed by Jihan Mulla, one of the voice actors.
Sometime later the four Pokémon movies that were distributed by Miramax (Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, Heroes: Latios & Latias, Jirachi: Wish Maker, and Destiny Deoxys) were also dubbed into Arabic, but featured an entirely different cast of voice actors from the series and were released straight-to-DVD.https://store.yahoo.com/yhst-55466754130796/pokeman.htmlNot much is known about the production of this dub. M05 was dubbed in (presumably in Egypt), while M07 was dubbed in (presumably in Lebanon).
In 2019 after acquiring the distribution rights of the animated series in the region, Netflix revived the Arabic dub of Pokémon, and it released Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, the first new Pokémon-related media dubbed into Arabic in over a decade. Netflix later released seasons 23 to 25, Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, The Arceus Chronicles, and Pokémon Concierge. 
The new dub was produced in Lebanon by Image Production House Studios (partners of Iyuno-SDI Group),https://www.tiktok.com/@abdohakimofficiall/video/6921632625392209154?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=6921632625392209154https://www.tiktok.com/@ranaalrifai/video/7114369026536606977?lang=enhttps://www.instagram.com/p/CuAf-YgssEM/?hl=en and featured some old voice actors from the Super M production reprising their roles, to preserve continuity.
=====Dubbed seasons=====
# 	Season 	Dubbing Studio 	Distribution 	Dubbed episodes
Season 01 	Pokémon: Indigo Leage 	 	 	52
Season 02 	Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands	 	 	52
Season 03 	Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands	Super M Productions 	 	11 (part of S03)
Season 03 	Pokémon: The Johto Journeys 	Super M Productions 	 	41
Season 04 	Pokémon: Johto League Champions 	Super M Productions 	 	52
Season 05 	Pokémon: Master Quest 	The first 52 episodes were not dubbed	The first 52 episodes were not dubbed	The first 52 episodes were not dubbed
Season 06 	Pokémon: Master Quest 	Super M Productions 	 	The last 12 episodes only (part of S06)
Season 06 	Pokémon: Advanced 	Super M Productions 	 	40
Season 07 	Pokémon: Advanced Challenge 	Super M Productions 	 	52
Seasons 08 to 22 were not dubbed	Seasons 08 to 22 were not dubbed 	Seasons 08 to 22 were not dubbed 	Seasons 08 to 22 were not dubbed 	Seasons 08 to 22 were not dubbed
Season 23 	Pokémon Journeys: The Series 	 	 	48
Season 24 	Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series 	 	 	42
Season 25 	Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series 	 	 	54
Pokémon Horizons: The Series 	Pokémon Horizons: The Series 	 	 	45
=====Dubbed Movies=====
Movie 	Dubbing Studio	Distribution
Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: The Voice of the Forest	Unknown 	
Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias 	Unknown 	
Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker 	Unknown 	
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys 	Unknown 	
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution 	 	
Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle 	 	
=====Specials=====
Movie 	Dubbing Studio	Distribution
Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles	 	
Pokémon Concierge 	 	
====Edits====
* The series' slogan was changed from "Gotta catch 'em all!" to . A more accurately translated version was used on merchandise and home media releases of the animated series. 
* Some names were changed, such as to Prof. Akai, Pallet Town to The Village of Shoreback and Team Rocket to .
** In EP157, The Team Rocket duo Butch and Cassidy were dubbed as rivals to the Team Rocket trio (The White Robe Gang), with both "gangs" operating under the leadership of .
** Team Rocket's catch phrase "We're blasting off again!" was changed to .
** and Pallet Town reverted to their original names starting from EP106, while Team Rocket's name reverted in the Miramax and Netflix dubs.
* In EP006, Clefable was referred to as Ariala, its prototype name.
* Due to the having no neutral , Pokémon appearing in the series are often gendered randomly. Though they're mostly referred to with masculine language, there are exceptions, such as in EP041.
** In Pokemon Journeys: The Series, Chloe's Eevee is sometimes referred to as a female and sometimes referred to as a male.
* In EP110 and EP116, the song 2.B.A. Master was replaced by Pokémon Karaokémon.
* The Pokemon Johto opening footage along with the season 01 theme song were reused in seasons 04 to 07, with the playing after the opening theme and before the title card, similar to the Japanese version.
* Starting from EP158, the Who's that Pokémon? segment was removed and replaced with only the logo of the series appearing on the screen.https://youtu.be/ybPTcWH-Caw?feature=shared It was restored starting from JN001.
** Also starting with EP158, episodes titles are no longer localized, meaning the English title of the episode appears on the screen, and the Arabic title is only pronounced vocally.
* None of the songs featured in M04 to M07 were dubbed to , and the instrumentals are used instead.
* During seasons 01 and 02, some episodes' storylines were altered to align with the cultural and religious regulations of .
=====Venus Center's censorship=====
Much like 4Kids Entertainment's tendency to edit some parts of the animated series to make it more appropriate for an American audience, Venus Center also adopts a similar approach by modifying their works to cater to an Arab audience. This typically involves the removal or alteration of scenes featuring any display of affection or partial nudity, as well as scenes depicting any non Islamic religious symbolism like the .
A prime example of this censorship is EP020, where the plot of the episode was altered by creating new storylines to avoid elements related to the supernatural, ghosts, and other aspects of Japanese mythology, with several scenes being cut completely. Another example is EP022, where one scene was removed because it featured a character holding a card that had a six-pointed star that resembles the Star of David. This resulted in these two episodes being re-dubbed when S01 was added to Netflix in 2017.
Due to the conservative nature of Arab culture, forms of affection and romance are deemed inappropriate for programming, particularly in children's programming. Consequently, ’s interactions with female characters such as Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny are often cut or dubbed into a normal conversation without him displaying any kind of romantic interest. Because Netflix only adds the Arabic dub as a secondary audio track to the English episode, these edits are easily noticeable, as there are several scenes where Brock's mouth is moving but the dialogue is not dubbed, and instead one of the other characters is speaking. This type of censorship can also be seen in other episodes such as EP070, EP100 and EP103.
In contrast to Venus Center's dub, Super M Productions' dub remained faithful to the English version, with the dialogue being translated almost word for word. The voice actors were even instructed to imitate the performance of the American actors when delivering their lines.
====Reception, criticism and eventual cancellation====
Both the Syrian and the Lebanese dubs received a somewhat lukewarm reception. Some fans expressed disappointment over Venus Center's dub, claiming it was not the same quality as the studio's other works. This criticism wasn't only directed towards the , but also towards the mispronunciation of some of the Pokémon names in the series as well as other foreign words like the names of different cities and towns that were visited in each episode. Some fans suggest that the studio purposefully "simplified" some of the Pokémon names to be easier for children to pronounce. Some examples of this include Pikachu, who was only referred to as Pika in the first few episodes, Goldeen, which became simply Golden, and Squirtle, who was called Square. Meanwhile, others speculated that it was the actors who had a difficulty in pronouncing foreign words that contain letters that aren't part of the like the letter P and the letter G. This can be seen in words like the title itself, which became Bokemon, Pallet Town, which received a completely new name (village of Shorebak), Pokémon names such as Growlithe, which was pronounced Ghroolithe, Togepi, pronounced Toojebi, and Lapras, which was pronounced Labraas.
The criticism of the Lebanese dub was pointed towards the casting choices, as the majority of fans felt most of the new actors didn't fit the roles that they were given and didn't capture the essence of the characters as well as the previous cast. It's most likely that this negative reception to the new dub combined with the fact that most of the newer episodes airing were filler episodes (and the overall controversy related to the franchise), leading to the series's drastic drop in popularity.
Financial constraints, with the series being banned on most , led the studio to prioritize other more profitable projects. Additionally, Pokémon toys and merchandise were either not selling very well or were outright completely banned in some countries. As such, the series was not renewed, resulting in the Arabic dub discontinuing after Season 07.
===Cast and crew===
====Venus Center====
Actor 	Main Pokémon roles
Buthaina Shia (بثينة شيا) 	
* Ash Ketchum
Majd Zhazha (مجد ظاظا) 	
* Misty
Rafat Bazoo (رأفت بازو) 	
* Brock
* Giovanni
Zeyad Errafae'ie (زياد الرفاعي) 	
* James
Fatima Saad (فاطمة سعد) 	
* Jessie
Adel Abo Hassoon (عادل أبو حسون) 	
* Meowth
* Lt. Surge 
* Bruno
Marwan Farhat (مروان فرحات) 	
* Narrator
* Professor Oak
* The Pokédex
* Koga
* Butch
* Blaine
Amal Saad Alden (آمال سعد الدين) 	
* Nurse Joy
* Gary Oak
* Sabrina 
* Todd Snap
Fadwa Souleimane (فدوى سليمان) 	
* Officer Jenny 
* Erika
* Cassidy
Ayman Al-Salek (أيمن السالك) (uncredited) 	
* Tracey
Anjy Al-Yousif (أنجي اليوسف) (uncredited) 	
* Delia Ketchum
Laura Abou Assaad (لورا أبوأسعد) (uncredited)	
* Nurse Joy
====Super M Productions====
Actor 	Main Pokémon roles
Jihad Al Attrash (جهاد الأطرش) 	
* The Narrator 
* The Pokédex 
* Professor Elm
Mona Majzoub (منى مجذوب) 	
* Ash Ketchum
Joumana Zonji (جمانة الزنجي) 	
* Misty
Nabil Assaf (نبيل عساف) 	
* Brock
Claudia Marchalian (كلوديا مرشليان)	
* Jessie
Abdo Hakim (عبدو حكيم) 	
* James
* Max
Hasan Hamdan (حسن حمدان) 	
* Meowth
Tariq Kaakati (طارق كعكاتي) 	
* Tracey 
* Butch
Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار) 	
* Officer Jenny
* May
* Delia Ketchum
* Casey
* Liza
* Bugsy
Fadi Rifai (فادي الرفاعي) 	
* The Narrator (EP263-AG092)
Jihan Malla (جيهان ملا) 	
* Nurse Joy
Naji Shamil (ناجي شامل) 	Additional voices
Ismail Nanoua (إسماعيل نعنوع) 	
* Professor Oak
* Giovanni
Wissam Sabbagh (وسام صباغ) 	
* Gary Oak
* Falkner
Jamal Hamdan (جمال حمدان) 	
* Kurt
By the time the production of the dub of season 06 started in 2005, several cast members had either left the company or were already committed to other projects, therefore several characters such as Ash, and received new voice actors.
====Netflix====
Several cast members from Super M Productions returned to their roles: Joumana Zonji as , Abdo Hakim as James, Hassan Hamdan as , Jihan Malla as Nurse Joy and Iman Bitar as Officer Jenny.
Actor 	Main Pokémon roles
Rana Al Rifai (رنا الرفاعي) 	
* Ash Ketchum
Lama Maraachli (لمى مرعشلي) 	
* Goh
Ghadir Bazzi (غدير بزي) 	
* Chloe
Asmahan Bitar (أسمهان بيطار) 	
* Jessie
* Cynthia
Abdo Hakim (عبدو حكيم) 	
* James
Hasan Hamdan (حسن حمدان) 	
* Meowth
Raymond Francis (ريمون فرنسيس) 	
* The Narrator
Sam Ghusen (سام غصن) 	
* Mewtwo
Ibrahim Madi (إبراهيم ماضي) 	
* Giovanni
* Ash's Rotom Phone
* Professor Amaranth
* Wikstrom
Joumana Zonji (جمانة الزنجي) 	
* Misty
Gilles Youssif (جيل يوسف) 	
* Brock
Fadi Rifai (فادي الرفاعي) 	
* Professor Cerise
Leila Shammas (ليلى شماس) 	
* Chrysa
Ghassan Haddad (غسان حداد) 	
* Ren
* Quillon
Raleen Dagher (رالين داغر) 	
* Goh's Rotom Phone
Hassan Hamdan (حسان حمدان) 	
* Leon
Nada Nasr (ندى نصر) 	
* Sonia
Jihan Malla (جيهان ملا) 	
* Nurse Joy
Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار) 	
* Officer Jenny
* Dawn
* Iris
Saad Hamdan (سعد حمدان) 	
* Professor Oak
Fadi Abboud (فادي عبود) 	
* Gary Oak
Souhair Naser El Deen (سهير ناصر الدين)	
* Delia Ketchum
* Danika
* Horace
Rania Mroueh (رانية مروة) 	
* Koko in M23
Ali Saad (علي سعد) 	
* Dada in M23
Mahdi Fakhreddin (مهدي فخر الدين) 	
* Dr. Zed in M23
====Crew==== 
Studio 	Venus Center 	Super M Productions 	Image Production House studios
Translation 	 	 	Marie Thérèse Ghaya (ماري تيريز غيا)
Preparation 	Hanna Yusuf (حنا يوسف) 	 	
Revision 	Shafeeq Bitar (شفيق بيطار) 	 	
Proofreading 	Dr. Hamoud Younis (د.حمود يونس) 	 	
Sound Engineer 	Nadeem Souleimane (نديم سليمان) 	 	
Mixing 	Louis Abu Asali (لويس أبو عسلي) 	Jamal Mokalled (جمال مقلد)	Mary Soghman (ماري سغمان) (Pokémon Concierge)
Montage 	Hassan Ateka (حسان عاتكة)Mustafa Qalaaji (مصطفى قلعجي) 	Jamal Mokalled (جمال مقلد)	
Engineering Supervision 	Ramez Torjoman (رامز ترجمان) 	 	
Computer 	Muhammad Mazen Ramadan (محمد مازن رمضان)Fahed Najem (فهد نجم) 	Jalal Masoud (جلال مسعود) 	
Theme Song Lyrics 	Rasha Rizk (رشا رزق) 	 	
Theme Song Performance 	Rasha Rizk (رشا رزق)Tarek Alarabi Tourgane (طارق العربي طرقان)Bassam Al-Hassouni (بسام الحسوني)	 	
Administrative coordination	Imad Al-Sheikh Khalid (عماد الشيخ خالد) 	 	
Financial Tracking 	Muhammad Hassan Muhanna (محمد حسان مهناAbdulqader Nabhan (عبد القادر نبهان) 	 	
Production manager 	Redwan Hejazy (رضوان حجازي) 	 	Ahmad Al-Sabbagh (أحمد الصباغ) (Pokémon Concierge)
Dub director 	 	 	Rana Barakat (رنا بركات) (M22)Alaa Bitar (علاء بيطار) (S23-S24)Ghadir Bazzi (غدير بزي) (M23; Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles)Samir Fahd (سمير فهد) (S25; Pokémon Concierge)
Assistant Director 	Mayada Auda (ميادة عودة) 	 	
Executive 	 	Mohsen Awada (محسن عواضة) 	
Artistic supervision 	Maamoon Al-Rifai (مأمون الرفاعي) 	Walid Merie (وليد مرعي) 	
General supervision 	Mannaa Hijazi (مناع حجازي) 	Mufid Merie (مفيد مرعي) 	The Pokémon Company International
====Cast members====
Characters 	Venus Center(EP001-EP105) 	Super M Productions(EP106-EP209, EP263-AG092) 	Miramax(M04-M07) 	Netflix(EP020;EP022 redubM22-M23, JN001-Present)
The Narrator 	(مروان فرحات) 	(جهاد الأطرش)(EP106-EP209) (فادي الرفاعي)(EP263-AG092) 	(بيير داغر) 	Raymond Francis (ريمون فرنسيس)
Ash Ketchum 	(بثينة شيا) 	Mona Majzoub (منى مجذوب)(EP106-EP209)Unknown voice actress(EP263-AG092)	Unknown voice actor 	Rana Al Rifai (رنا الرفاعي)
 	Majd Zhazha (مجد ظاظا) 	Joumana Zonji (جمانة الزنجي)(EP106-EP209) 	 	Joumana Zonji (جمانة الزنجي)
 	(رأفت بازو)(EP005-EP075) (عادل أبو حسون)(EP076-EP083) 	Nabil Assaf (نبيل عساف) 	Unknown voice actor 	Hicham Abou Sleiman (هشام أبو سليمان)(M22)Gilles Youssif (جيل يوسف)(JNS02-JN147)
Tracey Sketchit 	(أيمن السالك) 	Tariq Kaakati (طارق كعكاتي) 	 	
 	 	Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار) 	Unknown voice actress	
 	 	(عبدو حكيم) 	Unknown voice actor 	
 	 	 	 	Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار)
Goh 	 	 	 	Lama Maraachli (لمى مرعشلي)
Chloe 	 	 	 	Ghadir Bazzi (غدير بزي)
Jessie 	(فاطمة سعد) 	Claudia Marchalian (كلوديا مرشليان)(EP106-EP157) 	Unknown voice actress	(أسمهان بيطار)
James 	(زياد الرفاعي) 	(عبدو حكيم) 	Unknown voice actor 	(عبدو حكيم)
 	(عادل أبو حسون) 	(حسن حمدان)(EP106-EP209) 	Unknown voice actor 	(حسن حمدان)
Nurse Joy 	(امال سعد الدين)Laura Abou Assaad (لورا أبو أسعد)(EP097-EP102)	(جيهان ملا) 	 	(جيهان ملا)
Officer Jenny 	(فدوى سليمان) 	Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار) 	Unknown voice actress	Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار)
 	(مروان فرحات) 	(إسماعيل نعنوع) 	 	Saad Hamdan (سعد حمدان)
Gary Oak 	(امال سعد الدين) 	Wissam Sabbagh (وسام صباغ) 	 	Fadi Abboud (فادي عبود)
Delia Ketchum 	(أنجي اليوسف) 	Iman Bitar (إيمان بيطار) 	 	Souhair Naser El Deen (سهير ناصر الدين)
 	(رأفت بازو) 	(إسماعيل نعنوع) 	 	Ibrahim Madi (إبراهيم ماضي)
Professor Cerise	 	 	 	(فادي الرفاعي)
Chrysa 	 	 	 	Leila Shammas (ليلى شماس)
Ren 	 	 	 	Ghassan Haddad (غسان حداد)
 	 	 	 	Hassan Hamdan (حسان حمدان)
Liko 	 	 	 	Jana Mghames (جنى مغامس)
Roy 	 	 	 	TBA
Dot 	 	 	 	TBA
Friede 	 	 	 	TBA
Murdock 	 	 	 	TBA
Mollie 	 	 	 	TBA
Orla 	 	 	 	TBA
Ludlow 	 	 	 	TBA
Amethio 	 	 	 	TBA
===History of the broadcast===
Season 	Original broadcaster	Time slot 	Debut episode 	Final episode 	Episodes	Reruns/Syndication
Pokémon: Indigo League 	 	Daily at 12pm GMT 	!بوكيمون، لقد اخترتك انت2000 	مركز تدريب البوكيمونات2000 	52 	Qatar TVTelevision Algérienne2MART TeenzART EinSeveral other TV stations
Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands	 	Daily at 12pm GMT 	نجمة مهرجان التسوق2000/2001 	تجمد تشاريزارد2000/2001 	52 	Several TV stations
Pokémon: The Johto Journeys 	 	Daily at 5pm KSA time/ 2pm GMT 	حرب البوكيمون المائية2001 	البحث عن الشهرة2001/2002 	52 	Several TV stations
Pokémon: Johto League Champions 	 	Daily at 5pm KSA time/ 2pm GMT 	فرصة ذهبيةJanuary 1, 2003 	البوكيمون ماتشوك2003 	52 	New TVAl Andalus TV2MART Ein
Pokémon: Master Quest 	None 	None 	Unaired 	Unaired 	None 	None
Pokémon: Advanced 	 	Daily at 6:30am Lebanon timeDaily at 10pm KSA time/ 7pm GMT	الانون المجهولDecember 10, 2005September 24, 2006	AG0402006 	52 	New TV (2006)ART Teenz (2006-2007)2M (2010)
Pokémon: Advanced Challenge 	 	Daily at 6:30am Lebanon time 	AG041 	AG092 	52 	None
رحلة البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	Thursday to Saturday 4:35pm UAE time (e-Junior) 	!دخول بيكاتشوFebruary 27, 2021July 1, 2021 	!النجاة بأعجوبةJuly 1, 2021 	48 	An unauthorized broadcast on several satellite channels
رحلة سيد البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	 	!أن نتدرب أو لا نتدربSeptember 2, 2022 	‏مواجهة عند بوابات وورب!‏September 2, 2022	42 	An unauthorized broadcast on several satellite channels
رحلة البوكيمون القصوى: المسلسل 	 	 	!القطار الشبحNovember 24, 2023 	!إنها بداية شيء مهمNovember 24, 2023 	42 	An unauthorized broadcast on several satellite channels
بوكيمون: أن تكون سيد بوكيمون 	 	 	!مناطق المغامرات القديمةNovember 24, 2023 	!السماء الزرقاء البعيدةNovember 24, 2023 	12 	An unauthorized broadcast on several satellite channels
آفاق البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	Fridays 4:35pm UAE time (e-Junior) 	HZ001February 27, 2024 	TBA 	45 	
* Season 01 premiered on in 2000, and then was broadcast in syndication starting from November 27, 2000.
* Seasons 01 and 02 aired between 2000 and 2001.
* Season 03 premiered sometime later in late 2001.https://youtu.be/Alon0moiAls?feature=shared
* Season 04 premiered on on January 1, 2003, a year after Season 03 had concluded its run. This coincided with the channel becoming permanently free-to-air. 
* Season 06 premiered on on December 10, 2005,http://www.mexat.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27436&page=63 and later aired on starting from September 24, 2006 as part of the channel's special programming.http://www.mexat.com/vb/showthread.php?t=151439&page=9
* Season 23 aired on in February 2021 before being released on Netflix later that summer.https://www.instagram.com/p/CLy6InCJRoz/?igsh=MTNwb2U5czIjMjZsNQ==
* Pokémon Horizons: The Series premiered on February 27, 2024 on .https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4vetpsp4mK/https://www.instagram.com/p/C30SX2FJKaT/
The animated series initially aired exclusively on , an independent, free-to-air, pan-Arab channel broadcasting via satellite.https://youtu.be/3NQWlq1p7Mo?feature=shared Due to its immense popularity, it spread rapidly to other channels, mainly local government-owned stations in different countries such as , , , , , and others. As it is customary for Arab Television channels to air new and exclusive programming during , many of these stations like started broadcasting the series from November 27, 2000 (the first day of Ramadan that year) right after S01 had concluded its run on .
Then in 2001, due to the controversy and boycotts that followed, many TV stations dropped the series to avoid backlash. Both and terminated their contracts with KM productions, and the rights were picked up by a Saudi Private network, .
Starting with Season 03 the animated series now aired mainly on , a children's channel and part of the , and on , an independent Lebanese TV channel that targets mostly a Christian Arab audience. With syndicated reruns being aired occasionally on few other channels such as ART Ein (إيه آر تي عين), Al Andalus TV (an Arabic-speaking privately-owned satellite channel broadcasting from Spain) and the government-owned channels in , and , meaning no official ban was issued in those countries.These 3 francophone countries had previously aired the Pokémon animated series in French before it was dubbed into Arabic. It's worth noting that these countries experienced comparatively lower impact from the controversy compared to their fellow Arab nations.
 started airing the series in 2004. Reruns of the first 04 seasons would air every morning at 6:30am . By December 2005, Season 06 started airing exclusively on the channel,http://www.mexat.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27436&page=66https://youtu.be/1OM7zWq8xCQ?feature=shared, albeit with fewer people watching. Season 06 would later air on the following Ramadan to a much wider audience reception. Sometime later, Season 07 premiered on . This makes New TV the only channel to have aired the Arabic dub of Season 07.
 kept airing reruns of S03 to S06 daily from 2002 to 2007, and by 2006 the channel was airing Pokémon twice a day with S04 airing at 7:30pm and S06 airing at SAST. Its sister channel , a general entertainment channel, aired reruns of S01 to S04. Both channels were shut down in 2008.
, another prominent children' s channel in the region as well as a part of the network, would sometimes broadcast different Pokémon movies (M02 to M07) in the English dub with Arabic subtitles, with the most recent one being in 2022. Despite frequently broadcasting the Pokémon movies, as well as the other works distributed by KM Productions (such as the series), it's unclear why this channel has never aired the Pokémon animated series.
Movie 	Broadcast date
Pokémon the Movie 2000: The Power of One 	December 3, 2009
Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown: Entei	August 22, 2006
Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: The Voice of the Forest 	February 23, 2007
Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias 	February 13, 2008
Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker 	May 14, 2010
Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys 	June 30, 2010
 	July 16, 2022
Moroccan channel is the most recent TV channel to have officially aired the Arabic dub of the Pokémon animated series, when it aired S06 in 2010. This channel also aired the Pokémon animated series in French. 2M has two separate feeds: one available nationwide via terrestrial television, and one available via satellite under the branding 2M Monde. The Pokémon animated series only airs on the terrestrial feed because the network only buys its broadcasting rights for within .
Since the late 2000s, none of the Arabic-language TV stations in any country have been airing or rerunning the Arabic dub of the Pokémon animated series, most likely due to broadcasting rights expiring and complicated copyrights issues between ShoPro and KM Productions. Although the English dub of the animated series did air on a few premium channels, such as and most recently the UAE based channel , this broadcast of the animated series is not well-known, most likely due to either a language barrier or the relatively low participation of the expensive subscription TV model in the region overall. Regardless, Disney XD's airing of the animated series is not officially recognized for the specifically.
 began airing episodes of the English dub of Pokémon Journeys: The Series on January 1, 2021. On February 27, to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary, an Arabic audio track was added, marking the first time since the dub's cancellation in 2006 that new Pokémon episodes were dubbed into Arabic and aired on television. The channel has a very limited reach howevever, since it's only available through a subscription-based service exclusive to the UAE. In 2024, to celebrate Pokémon Day, Pokémon Horizons: The Series premiered exclusively on the channel featuring both an English and an Arabic audio track. The channel also occasionally airs reruns of older Pokémon seasons in the English dub, as well as hosting a number of Pokémon movies on their VOD service e Junior On Demand.
In 2021, following the Arabic dubbing and subsequent release of Pokémon Journeys: The Series on Netflix, an unauthorized transmission of the series occurred on several Arabic satellite channels, most prominently on several Algerian networks such as due to the government's lack of interest in reinforcing broadcasting and copyright regulations. Despite being an illegal broadcast, it garnered considerable viewership, as it was the first instance in more than a decade that the series aired on a prominent free-to-air, pan-region, Arabic-language television network.
Country 	Channels aired 	Channels aired
Country 	Pan region via satellite 	Local stations
Algeria 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S03) (S23 unofficial)
Bahrain 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	as a seven-hour block on (S01)
Egypt 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	Egyptian Second Channel (S01 to S02)
Iraq 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01)Shabab TV
Jordan 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S03)
Kuwait 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02)
Lebanon 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	INN (S01) (S01 to S07)Hala London (S23-S25)
Libya 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	
Morocco, Western Sahara	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S06 Arabic dub, S01 to S10 French dub)
Oman 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02)
Qatar 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02)
Saudi Arabia 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02) (S01 to S06) (S01 to S04)
Sudan 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	
Syria 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02)
Tunisia 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S03)
United Arab Emirates 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	Emarat TVChannel 33 (S01 to S02)Ajman TV (S23; Pokémon Horizons: The Series Dual audio: Arabic and English, S24 to S25 English dub only)
Yemen 	(S01 to S02 first run) (S03 to S04 first run, S01 to S02, S06 syndicated reruns) (S06 to S07 first run, S01 to S04 syndicated reruns)	(S01 to S02)
===Songs===
The Season 01 opening was translated and recorded by (رشا رزق), with additional vocal support from (طارق العربي طرقان) and Bassam Al-Hassouni (بسام الحسوني). The first version of the theme song, which uses the lyric (على خير الصنيع), was used for the first 12 episodes ("Pokémon - I Choose You!" to "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad"), and then replaced by a "more grammatically correct" second version with the lyric (سلاحي المنيع) for the remaining episodes ("Mystery at the Lighthouse" to "Charizard Chills"). Both versions of the song were performed by Rasha Rizk, which she confirmed herself in a Q&A.https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bucEEgWbN, there were rumors that the 2nd version of the song was performed by Sonia Bitar.
Pikachu's Jukebox songs were also translated and recorded by Rasha Rizk. 
When the dub was moved to Lebanon, new versions of the Pikachu's Jukebox songs were recorded for the remaining episodes of the Orange Islands arc by the new cast of voice actors, except for the song 2.B.A. Master, which was replaced by Pokémon Karaokémon in the episodes "The Stun Spore Detour" and "The Rivalry Revival". Pokémon Karaokémon songs were also recorded.
An Arabic version of Pokémon Johto was also recorded and used for the initial broadcast of Season 03, but it was replaced by the Season 01 theme during reruns and on the DVD release, likely due to the original theme song being more popular. This combination of the Pokémon Theme and the footage of Pokémon Johto was reused for all the subsequent seasons dubbed by Super M Productions. 
The opening themes for seasons 04 to 07 were never dubbed. Instead, they used the Season 01 theme song along with footage from Pokémon Johto. The opening footage for those seasons was replaced due to them being 45 seconds instead of 01 min, making them incompatible with the season 01 theme song.
====Trivia====
* In an interview with Rasha Rizk and Tarek Alarabi Tourgane in 2020, she revealed that the process of writing the Arabic version of the Pokémon Theme was very difficult, as 4Kids Entertainment specifically requested for the song to be translated verbatim, which was challenging due to major differences between and . She also mentioned that 4Kids Entertainment wanted a young male vocalist to perform the song similar to Jason Paige. As several Venus Center employees recorded different for the song, the studio eventually decided to just use Rasha Rizk's version.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apcn0zTRd0g
===Home media and digital release===
:See also: List of Arabic Pokémon home video releases
====Physical Media====
* Season 01 was released on VHS in different countries in the region, by various local home media distributors such as: MEGASTAR in , IVC: International Video Co. (شركة الفديو الدولي) in , Flash Video Film in and Video Master in .
* Flash Video Film later released Season 03 on VHS.
* UAE-based distributor Al Wadi released Season 01 and Season 03 on DVD, this release follows the television definition and contains all 52 episodes from EP106 to EP157.
* Arabic-Subtitled versions of M01 and M02 were released on VHS by the Egypt-based E.H.E and the Dubai-based HOBO Collection.
* M04 to M07 were also released on DVD by Miramax International featuring an Arabic and an English audio, although the exact release dates are currently unknown.
* Seasons 04 to 07 didn't receive any form of home media release, and they are currently completely unobtainable. Complicating matters further are legal issues preventing any chance of re-airing or commercial distribution to alternative television networks. KM Productions, facing the inability to profit from these seasons, made the decision to , thus scrapping the Pokémon episodes and losing them completely.Confirmed by Mufid Merie, a producer and the manager of KM Productions. With no recordings of the episodes to be found on the internet since they haven't been re-aired in over a decade, the Arabic dub of these seasons is now considered by many fans to be a . It's unclear whether or not (formerly known as New TV), , and the still have copies in their archives, but since both Al Jadeed TV and 2M TV stopped airing children's programs years ago when ART Teenz went defunct in 2008, it's most likely that they disposed of their copies as well. Out of 312 episodes dubbed to Arabic, approximately 156 episodes (from EP158 to AG092) are now potentially completely lost, and only a couple of short videos have made their way to the internet.https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1bujg 
** Season 02 also seems to have never been officially released on home media, and it was for many years considered lost as well. However, in 2011 fan-recorded episodes were illicitly uploaded to the internet, and presently these unauthorized recordings constitute the sole means by which the Arabic dub of Season 02 can be viewed.
** Due to low DVD sales, the Miramax dubbed movies have also become difficult to obtain.
====Digital====
In 2019 Netflix acquired the distribution rights for the franchise in the region and released:
Arabic Title 	Artwork	Release date
بوكيمون: ميوتو يضرب مجددًا - التطور	 	February 27, 2020
رحلة البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	July 1, 2021
بوكيمون الفيلم: أسرار الأدغال 	 	October 8, 2021
رحلة سيد البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	September 2, 2022
بوكيمون: سجلات آركياس 	 	September 23, 2022
رحلة البوكيمون القصوى: المسلسل 	 	November 24, 2023
بوكيمون: أن تكون سيد بوكيمون 	 	November 24, 2023
المدبرة والبوكيمون 	 	December 28, 2023
آفاق البوكيمون: المسلسل 	 	Currently in production.
The first season, titled دوري إنديغو (Indigo League), is also currently available on Netflix, retaining the original Arabic dubbing done by Venus Center, except for the episodes "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak" and "Abra and the Psychic Showdown", which were re-dubbed since they were heavily censored in the original Syrian dub.
===Pokémon movies===
Throughout the years, the first few Pokémon movies were released in some capacity in several Arab countries, usually on special events or around holidays like . All of the movies that were distributed in American theaters by Warner Bros, were also released in theaters in certain Arab countries by Middle East agent Shooting Stars LLC (also known as Joseph Chacra & Sons in Lebanon).
* was released theatrically on May 9, 2019.https://uae.voxcinemas.com/movies/pokemon-detective-pikachu
====Movies availability====
Network/service	Area serviced 	Movies
Netflix 	All except 	Currently:بوكيمون: ميوتو يضرب مجددًا - التطور(February 27, 2020 - Present)بوكيمون الفيلم: أسرار الأدغال(October 8, 2021 - Present)Formerly:!فيلم بوكيمون: إخترتك أنت (January 1, 2019 - April 1, 2022)!فيلم بوكيمون: معاً أقوى (January 1, 2020 - April 1, 2022)
 	 	
* M01 (November 27, 2022 - Present)
* M08 (September 2, 2023 - Present)
* M10 (February 15, 2020 - Present)
* M11 (April 7, 2021 - Present)
* M12 (May 26, 2020 - Present)
* M14 (February 19, 2019 - Present)
* M16 (November 11, 2018 - Present)
* M18 (February 10, 2020 - Present)
* M20 (November 10, 2022 - Present)
* M21 (November 17, 2022 - Present)
 	Worldwide primarily	
* M04 (2016 - 2023)
* M05 (2016 - 2023)
* M06 (2016 - 2023)
* M07 (2016 - 2023)
* (March 12, 2021)
==Pokémon merchandise==
After the Pokémon animated series started airing in the Arabic language, it became one of the most popular anime series in the Arab world. Therefore, the demand for Pokémon-related merchandise among Arab children was high. Thus, several video game retailers began to sell a wide variety of Pokémon merchandise. Additionally, many restaurants offered promotional toys with their meals, such as Burger King in 2000. Due to the controversy in 2001, however, a lot of the merchandise was withdrawn from main retail shops. After the controversy subsided, many game stores started selling Pokémon goods again without incident.
As of the 2010s, various distributors import certain official Pokémon merchandise from either Europe or North America, such as Poké Dolls and other kinds of toys from outlets. Many high-end bookstore chains, especially those that rely heavily on imported materials, may sell an assorted variety of books and magazines. For example, a outlet situated in https://uae.kinokuniya.com/ (the sole Kinokuniya outlet in the entire region), retails children's magazines, video game guides, game books, film novelizations, as well as most of the Pokémon manga series, available in both English and Japanese, with the latter being distributed exclusively via this store.
In early 2013, Active Gulf, Nintendo's officially licensed distributor in the Middle East, have collaborated with their retail partners to locally sell authentic packs for the Pokémon Battle Disc Game.Active Gulf posting on their official Facebook page about the availability of the Pokémon Battle Disc Game
Many smaller toy and variety stores found in the may often sell unlicensed and counterfeit products, with many of them imported from China. It is also possible to find pirated trading card packs, but in much smaller volumes than when initially released, prior to the 2001 controversy.
==Events==
===Conan in The Land of Pokémon===
Conan in The Land of Pokémon was a, unoffical, musical stage-play. It was a crossover of the Pokémon animated series and , created by , likely to expand both franchises. The play features stage actors portraying characters from both series and lip syncing to a voice over done by the Arabic dub voice actors. The voice over was recorded in studios in . The play was produced by Al Salam theater and opened in Kuwait on December 23, 2000 playing for the 2 days of .
* Written by: Alaa Aljaber
* Directed by: Jaber Muhammedi
* Artistic supervision: Abdel Aziz El Moslem
* The cast of actors features: Hourya Arafat, Soliman Al Marzooq, Mohammad Al Shoaiby, Ahmed Bassem, Fahd Bassem, Mahmoud Boushahri, Mahmoud Boushahri, Dana Abdullah, Yasser Abdel Karim.https://elcinema.com/en/work/2011639/cast
The plot of the play is about Team Rocket impersonating Ash to poison nature and water, with Conan having to investigate this.
A 56 min cut of the play was released on VHS by IVC: International Video Co. in Kuwait and was also broadcast on the .
===Pokémon Live!===
Despite ending its run in the United States in January 2001, Pokémon Live! was invited to perform on an open stage in , Dubai, U.A.E. for the whole month of March that same year, coinciding with the annual .Young and old enjoy Pokemon - Gulfnews While the musical was mostly identical to its performance elsewhere, the female actors had a slight change to their wardrobe which covered their exposed abdomens and thighs, likely to abide with Dubai's public dress code. Since the musical featured the same cast from its American run, it was performed solely in English. The musical, albeit received very positively by its audience, ended its run just days before the 2001 controversies began in the region overall.
===Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions===
On March 31, 2017, Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions was performed at the in , United Arab Emirates as part of the Mother of the Nation Festival. It is the first Symphonic Evolutions concert to be performed in the Arab world.
==External links==
*Nintendo Saudi official website
**Nintendo Saudi on Facebook
**Nintendo Saudi on X (formerly Twitter)
**Nintendo Saudi on Instagram
**Nintendo Saudi on YouTube
*Active Gulf FZCO - Official Nintendo and Pokémon TCG distributor in the U.A.E.
**Active Gulf on Facebook
**Active Gulf on X (formerly Twitter)
**Active Gulf on Instagram
*Pokémon GO Saudi Arabia social media links:
**Facebook
**X (formerly Twitter)
**Instagram
*Poké Spot - Unofficial Pokémon online store in Egypt operated by Bingo Global Group
==References==
==Related articles==
* List of Arabic Pokémon themes
de:Pokémon in der arabischen Welt