Battle Frontier (Japanese song)

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Battle Frontier (Japanese: バトルフロンティア lit. Batoru Furontia) is the fourth Japanese opening theme of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire.
It debuted in AG135, replacing Pokémon Symphonic Medley. Its singer, Akina Takaya, is a relatively unknown artist. It debuted at the same time as a new ending, Pokémon Counting Song. The instruments-only version replaced the instrumental version of Advance Adventure in AG135 in the Japanese preview of the next episode. It was replaced by Spurt! in AG166. It was also used as the opening theme of Mew and the Wave Hero: Lucario in a different arrangement called Battle Frontier (Movie version).
It was also used as the Pokémon Sunday ending from PS053 to PS059 and was then replaced by YEAH!.
==Opening animation==
===OP text===
! Japanese
!width:"500"|English
|-
| <ab>この星の不思議な生き物
ポケットモンスター・・・
ちぢめてポケモン！
今、少年サトシとポケモンたちの
出会いと冒険と戦いの物語が
はじまる！</ab>
| <ab>The mysterious creatures of this planet
Pocket Monsters...
"Pokémon" for short!
Now, the story of a boy, , and Pokémon
Their meetings, adventures,and battles
Are about to begin!</ab>
|}
|}
===Synopsis===
Ash and Pikachu are in a field running toward the sun and they jump. The gang are in a forest playing happily, except May. There are flashbacks of Mimey, Delia Ketchum, , Professor Birch, , and holding an . Ash's Pokémon are seen using their attacks and they all take a photo. Scott appears in a car and the Frontier Brains, except for , appear. Then, it showcases the characters' Pokémon. Team Rocket and their Pokémon waves. The rest of the opening has been changed multiple times.
====Pokémon Sunday ending animation====
The first animation sequence in this version is , , and calling out their Pokémon to attack. Those Pokémon are , , and .
The next group of animations are the same as in the main opening (Ash and running through the field, through the pan shot of Ash and all of his Pokémon). However, the differences in these animations are that ending credits replace the ones used in the opening. Also, the scene of Scott waving while driving past is replaced by a pan shot of all of the Frontier Brains. The animation sequence following this include portions of the first Frontier Brain battle between Ash and Noland, which involved and Noland's . After this, the normal animations resume, starting from the sequence involving Brock chopping up lettuce and cooking rice, and May throwing a . The sequence prior to AG152 (with ) remains intact. This is followed by the and flyby animation, as was the case in the first version of this opening. Unlike the original ending though, the group silhouette is replaced with the Frontier Brain reveal.
===Characters===
====Humans====
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* Max
* Jessie
* James
* Drew
* 
* Delia Ketchum
* Professor Birch
* Scott
* Harley
* Noland
* Greta
* Tucker
* Lucy
* Spenser
* Anabel (silhouette)
* (silhouette)
====Pokémon====
* () 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* (; Pokémon Sunday Variant)
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* () 
* () 
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ()
* ('s; Mimey)
* (AG135-AG151)
* (AG135-AG151)
* (AG135-AG151)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (AG152-AG165)
* (Pokémon Sunday Variant)
==Lyrics==
===TV size===
! Japanese
! English
|-
| lang="ja" | <ab>
</ab>
| <ab>Standing on the shining land...
I vow to battle eternally
I smile... with some tears
I won't forget any of you
My feelings leap the distance
And reach you even now, I'm certain
Oh yeah!!
Intensely move ahead, and cut through the wind
Intensely I'm going, all the way to the end
Perfect combustion - YES, I'm OK!!
Oh yeah!!
Steadily my power rises
Steadily my courage boils over
Let's believe in unlimited strength</ab>
|}
|}
===Full version===
! Japanese
! English
|-
| lang="ja" | <ab>
</ab>
| <ab>Standing on the shining land...
I vow to battle eternally
I smile... with some tears
I won't forget any of you
My feelings leap the distance
And reach you even now, I'm certain
Oh yeah!!
Intensely move ahead, and cut through the wind
Intensely I'm going, all the way to the end
Perfect combustion - YES, I'm OK!!
Oh yeah!!
Steadily my power rises
Steadily my courage boils over
Let's believe in unlimited strength
Because we're holding hands
Yes, that's why we've come so far
Strength is kindness
I've come to understand that little by little
My feelings leap over time
And now we'll be connected more!
Oh yeah!!
Nothing will ever go wrong
Nothing will ever worry me
Everything is perfect, are you OK?
Oh yeah!!
My imagination's forever strong
We're all in high spirits!
Let's catch our unlimited chances!
Oh yeah!!
Intensely move ahead, and cut through the wind
Intensely I'm going, all the way to the end
Perfect combustion - YES, I'm OK!!
Oh yeah!!
Our strategy dazzles everyone
Never letting the attacks stop
Everything is perfect, are you OK?
Oh yeah!!
Steadily my power rises
Steadily my courage boils over
Run through the dazzling goal!</ab>
|}
|}
==Variants==
There are 10 variants of the opening animation:
# AG135 - AG148: The original animation (from AG146 onwards, the opening text introducing Pocket Monsters is added).
# AG149: Animation updated to include .
# AG150 - AG151: Animation updated to reveal Greta.
# AG152: Animation updated to include ; the scenes featuring and with are replaced by a scene based on the boxart illustrations of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, which were released on the same day.
# AG153 - AG154: Animation updated to reveal Tucker.
# AG155 - AG157: Animation updated to include .
# AG158: Animation updated to include .
# AG159 - AG161: Animation updated to reveal Lucy; director 日高正光 Masamitsu Hidaka is removed.
# AG162 - AG163: Animation updated to include .
# AG164 - AG165: Animation updated to reveal Spenser.
=== Gallery ===
Group shot
Battle Frontier - Group Shot 1.png|From AG135 to AG148; the original group shot
Battle Frontier - Group Shot 2.png|From AG149 to AG157; Mudkip replaced with Marshtomp
Battle Frontier - Group Shot 3.png|From AG158 to AG161; Eevee added to the group shot
Battle Frontier - Group Shot 4.png|From AG162 to AG165; Grovyle replaced with Sceptile
Ash's team
File:Battle Frontier - Ash's Lineup 1.png|From AG135 to AG154; the original shot
File:Battle Frontier - Ash's Lineup 2.png|From AG155 to AG161; Phanpy replaced with Donphan
File:Frontier Ash Lineup 3.png|From AG162 to AG165; Grovyle replaced with Sceptile
Frontier Brains
File:OPJ09.png|From AG135 to AG149; Factory Head Noland revealed
File:Frontier Brains Lineup 2.png|From AG150 to AG152; Arena Tycoon Greta revealed
File:Brains Lineup 3.png|From AG153 to AG158; Dome Ace Tucker revealed
File:Battle Frontier - Brains Lineup 4.png|From AG159 to AG163; Pike Queen Lucy revealed
File:Brains Lineup 5.png|From AG164 to AG165; Palace Maven Spencer revealed
Brock's scene
File:Battle Frontier - Brock Mudkip.png|From AG135 to AG148; the original shot
File:Battle Frontier - Brock Marshtomp.png|From AG149 to AG165; Mudkip replaced with Marshtomp
Team Rocket scene
File:Battle Frontier - Team Rocket 1.png|From AG135 to AG151; the original shot
File:Unbeatable - Weavile.png|From AG135 to AG151; a Weavile passes by, surprising Team Rocket
File:Battle Frontier - Mew and Lucario.png|From AG135 to AG151; the following scene featuring Mew and Lucario, in honor of the eighth movie
File:Battle Frontier - Team Rocket 2.png|From AG152 to AG165; Dustox added to the group
File:BlueMysteryDungeon.png|From AG152 to AG165; reference to the boxart of PMD: Blue Rescue Team
File:MysteryDungeonRed.png|From AG152 to AG165; reference to the boxart of PMD: Red Rescue Team
==Trivia==
* The version of this song has an alternate lead-in.
* This is the first opening to have updates in animation.
* The track on the Perfect Best 2 album has a slightly different audio mix compared to the original single. Said album also includes a ballad version of the song.
* Oddly, in episodes before AG152, during the shot of and their current Pokémon waving, Jessie's Dustox is missing from the lineup.
==Related articles==
Category:Japanese opening themes
de:Battle Frontier
es:OPJ09
it:Battle Frontier (JPN)
ja:バトルフロンティア (歌)
zh:對戰開拓區（歌曲）