Kenji on the Rails Again

"All aboard for a big adventure!"

- Hiro and Kenji

Kenji on the Rails Again is the eighteenth episode of the twenty-fourth series.

Plot
A ship is scheduled to deliver cargo to Japan, which means Kenji finally has the chance to go home. Thomas is to escort Kenji to the docks, but Kenji suddenly disappears. No matter where Thomas looks, Kenji hides further and further every time. Time is running out, and the ship has to depart soon. Hiro reminds Thomas how long it took to find him when he was broken down in the Whistling Woods, so the two of them both go there. In Hiro's old hideout, they finally find Kenji, who explains that the reason he hid was because he is scared to travel on the ship alone. Hiro, having missed Japan himself, offers to keep Kenji company, which makes Kenji feel better. Soon, both of them are on the ship, and Kenji is much more comfortable with Hiro by his side. Thomas promises to visit them as he watches his two friends depart aboard the ship.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Hiro
 * Kenji
 * Victor
 * Reg
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Ruth
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * Porter
 * Salty
 * Cranky
 * Carly
 * Big Mickey
 * Tom Tipper
 * Stafford

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * Wellsworth
 * Crocks Scrap Yard
 * Maron
 * Whistling Woods
 * Hiro's Hideout
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Japan
 * China
 * Shanghai Harbour

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * Matt McCooey as Kenji
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Tim Whitnall as Reg
 * Keith Wickham as the Fat Controller
 * Dominique Moore as Ruth

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * Matt McCooey as Kenji
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Tim Whitnall as Reg
 * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt
 * Dominique Moore as Ruth

Trivia

 * Going by production order, this is the sixteenth episode of the twenty-fourth series.
 * This episode marks the only occurrence of a few things:
 * Hiro, Victor and Tom Tipper's only appearances in the twenty-fourth series, as well as Hiro's only appearance in the Big World! Big Adventures! era, thus marking Hiro's first appearance since the special, Journey Beyond Sodor.
 * The only time Stafford is referred to by name in the twenty-fourth series, let alone the entire Big World! Big Adventures! era.
 * The only appearance of Hiro's Hideout in the twenty-fourth series.
 * This episode marks the last occurrences of several things:
 * Victor, Reg and Tom Tipper's last appearances, as well as the last time Stafford is acknowledged in any way.
 * The final appearances of Henry, Hiro, and Kenji in the original series.
 * The last appearance of Hiro's Hideout.
 * The last episode to have Togo Igawa, Matt McCooey, David Bedella, and Tim Whitnall as part of the voice cast.
 * The last episode where a non-standard gauge engine has a speaking role or is referred to by name (in this case, Victor).
 * Thomas remembering the time he went to China references the events of Big World! Big Adventures!, and Hiro also remembering the time he had broken down in his hideout and how he was found much later by Thomas references the events of Hero of the Rails. Hiro and Kenji also say the rebrand's tagline when they are leaving for their home country, the third instance since Thomas and the Forest Engines where someone other than Thomas says it.
 * When Kenji thanks the Fat Controller, he can be seen dipping his front section while closing his eyes. This is presumably a form of bowing, a common way to show respect in Japanese culture.
 * In Poland and Israel, this episode premiered before A New Arrival, so the audience would not know who Kenji or Ruth are.
 * This episode was never aired in Germany and South Korea.
 * In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Baltic Russian dubs, the UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Kenji on the Rails Again

UK/IRL/AUS

 * Marvellous Machinery