Pokémon anime

The Pokémon anime, often referred to as just "the anime" by Pokémon fans, is a collective term referring to currently 234 main series episodes, 23 movies, and a number of side stories, all focusing on Pokémon. The great majority of these focus on Ash Ketchum, a Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town, and his journey toward his ultimate goal of being a Pokémon Master, his many friends, and most especially his Pokémon, whom he considers his partners and friends.

Early anime frame from EP093

Though the anime is ultimately based upon the games and draws heavily from them, many concepts which are only touched on the games are spun in a unique way, and expanded on.

The anime has aired in 169[1] different countries and regions in over 30 languages. It is available on Netflix in 217 countries with different dubs and subtitles, and all countries except Japan have at least English audio.[2] The Pokémon Company International usually refers to the anime as the "Pokémon animated series" or "Pokémon television series", while some event Pokémon based on Pokémon from the anime have their location set as "the Pokémon cartoon" in the English version of the games. It is also referred to formally as Pokémon the Series (Japanese: テレビアニメ「ポケットモンスター」シリーズ TV Anime "Pocket Monsters" Series).

Overview

From the very first episode, Ash has been the central character, making his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master known to all he meets. Though initially, he only became a Pokémon Trainer with the goal of beating his rival, Gary Oak, the many Pokémon Ash has met over his journey have shown him what being a Pokémon Master really is. Unlike most Trainers from Pallet, and indeed, unlike players of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Ash did not start his journey with Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, as he arrived late to Professor Oak's lab to receive his starter Pokémon. Instead, Ash was given the only Pokémon Oak had left to give, a Pikachu that did not enjoy being inside his Poké Ball, and from there Ash learned to treat his Pokémon as partners, earning Pikachu's trust by keeping him safe from a flock of Spearow he angered.

Since then, Ash has journeyed across all seven of the regions that appear in the core series Pokémon games, as well as the Orange Archipelago, a region he visited before beginning his journey in Johto until it was closer in time to the real-world release of Pokémon Gold and Silver. In the regions outside of Galar, he battles against the local Gym Leaders for their Badges, as do Trainers in the core series games, to compete in the regional Pokémon League, a championship tournament, rather than five battles straight against the Elite Four and Champion. While his initial strategy was to continue using the same party over the course of his journey, letting some Pokémon go when they were required to do something or wanted to train, he has, since his journey in Hoenn, changed strategy, and now uses only those Pokémon which he has caught in the region, alongside Pikachu, to battle against Gym Leaders, with his explanation to Dawn being that he wants to prove to the young, unevolved Pokémon he meets in each new region that they can win if they try.

Over the course of the series, Ash has had several friends who travel with him, typically across one region, who assist him in his journey as much as he assists in theirs. Misty, the Gym Leader from Cerulean City in the games, joins him in the original series, as does Brock, Pewter City's Gym Leader, in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Tracey Sketchit, an amateur Pokémon watcher, joins Ash during his Orange Archipelago journey, but leaves him on Ash's return to Pallet to become an assistant to Professor Oak, his hero. May and Dawn, rookie Coordinators, join Ash for the duration of the Advanced Generation and Diamond & Pearl series, respectively; in these he mentors them much as Brock and Misty did him, while Max, May's brother, who is too young to own Pokémon, looks up to Ash for the duration of the Advanced Generation series. Iris and Cilan travel with Ash in the Best Wishes series. Inventor Clemont, his sister Bonnie, and Ash's childhood friend Serena travel with Ash in the XY series. Like Max, Bonnie is too young to own Pokémon, but cares for her brother's Dedenne. In the Sun & Moon series, Ash attends the Pokémon School instead of traveling around the Alola region. As such, his new friends—Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, Lana, and Sophocles—are not traveling companions but classmates. In the new series, Ash's sole new traveling companion is Goh, a Trainer who aims to catch every Pokémon species in the world, with his ultimate goal being to catch the Mythical Pokémon Mew.

The anime is produced in Japan by OLM in association with ShoPro and JR Kikaku and airs on TV Tokyo nearly every week, with the exception of a four-month hiatus after the Porygon incident and a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Until the Porygon incident, the show aired every Tuesday at 7 PM. The show returned afterwards at the same time on Thursdays. From April 7, 2016, to September 13, 2018, it instead began five minutes earlier at 6:55 PM on Thursdays. Since October 7, 2018, the show airs each Sunday at 6 PM. Many fans consider the dialogue and events mentioned in the Japanese version to be the "true canon", while the various dubs are regarded to be overridden if something stated in them differs from something said in a Japanese episode.

In Japan, the anime is divided into seven series: Pocket Monsters, Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation, Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl, Pocket Monsters Best Wishes, Pocket Monsters XY, Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon, and Pocket Monsters. Outside of it, it has been divided into eight series: Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, Pokémon the Series: Gold & Silver, Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon the Series: Black and White, Pokémon the Series: XY, Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon, and Pokémon Journeys: The Series. The episodes are also further divided into seasons spanning roughly 52 episodes, and currently numbering 26. This concept of a television season was first embraced by the Japanese source with the inclusion of an explicitly second season to Best Wishes.

The show is mainly aimed at children, and as such, mature topics such as death are not often brought up, though sometimes they appear in some episodes, and most notably in movies. Many Pokémon that are implied to be violent or sinister in the games are also made to be less aggressive. There are generally some references meant for adults, though these are kept to a minimum especially outside of Japan.

Television series

Original series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters
 
Aim to Be a Pokémon Master
 
EP001
 
Indigo League
 
Pokémon Theme
 
EP001
 
Pocket Monsters:
Episode Orange Archipelago
 
The Rivals
 
EP081
 
Adventures in the Orange Islands
 
Pokémon World
 
EP081
 
Pocket Monsters:
Episode Gold & Silver
 
OK!
 
EP117
 
The Johto Journeys
 
Pokémon Johto
 
EP117
 
Aim to Be a Pokémon Master
 
EP192
 
Johto League Champions
 
Born to Be a Winner
 
EP158
 
Ready Go!
 
EP239
 
Master Quest
 
Believe in Me
 
EP210

Advanced Generation series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters
Advanced Generation
 
Advance Adventure
 
AG001
 
Advanced
 
I Wanna Be a Hero
 
AG001
 
Challenger!!
 
AG070
 
Advanced Challenge
 
This Dream
 
AG041
 
Pokémon Symphonic Medley
 
AG105
 
Advanced Battle
 
Unbeatable
 
AG093
 
Battle Frontier
 
AG135
 
Spurt!
 
AG166
 
Battle Frontier
 
Battle Frontier
 
AG146

Diamond & Pearl series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters
Diamond & Pearl
 
Together
 
DP001
 
Diamond and Pearl
 
Diamond and Pearl
 
DP001
 
Battle Dimension
 
We Will Be Heroes
 
DP053
 
High Touch!
 
DP096
 
Galactic Battles
 
Battle Cry - (Stand Up!)
 
DP105
 
The Greatest - Everyday!
 
DP158
 
Sinnoh League Victors
 
We Will Carry On!
 
DP158

Best Wishes series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters
Best Wishes!
 
Best Wishes!
 
BW001
 
Black & White
 
Black and White
 
BW001
 
Pocket Monsters
Best Wishes! Season 2
 
Be an Arrow!
 
BW085
 
Rival Destinies
 
Rival Destinies
 
BW049
 
Pocket Monsters Best Wishes!
Season 2: Episode N
 
Be an Arrow! 2013
 
BW109
 
Adventures in Unova
 
It's Always You and Me
 
BW098
 
Pocket Monsters Best Wishes!
Season 2: Decolora Adventure
 
Summerly Slope
 
BW123
 
Adventures in Unova and Beyond
 
BW123

XY series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters XY
 
V (Volt)
 
XY001
 
Pokémon the Series: XY
 
Pokémon Theme
 
XY001
 
Mega V (Mega Volt)
 
XY029
 
Mad-Paced Getter
 
XY055
 
Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest
 
Be a Hero
 
XY050
 
Pocket Monsters XY&Z
 
XY&Z
 
XY094
 
Pokémon the Series: XYZ
 
Stand Tall
 
XY094

Sun & Moon series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon
 
Alola!!
 
SM001
 
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
 
Under The Alolan Sun
 
SM001
 
Aim to Be a Pokémon Master
 
SM030
 
Future Connection
 
SM061
 
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures
 
Under The Alolan Moon
 
SM044
 
Your Adventure
 
SM091
 
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Legends
 
The Challenge of Life
 
SM093

New series

Japan United States
Season Theme song First episode Season Theme song First episode
 
Pocket Monsters
 
One, Two, Three
SS001
SS001
 
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
 
The Journey Starts Today
SS001
SS001

Side stories

Japanese name Japanese run English name English run
 
Pocket Monsters Side Stories
December 3, 2002 — September 28, 2004  
Pokémon Chronicles
June 3, 2006 — September 30, 2006

Movies

Main article: Pokémon movie

Since 1998 in Japan, and since 1999 in the US, a Pokémon movie has been released annually, most often focusing on a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. These films are almost always a large success in Japan, and remain at least somewhat successful in the United States and other countries, having been aired on television as a special since the ninth movie, with the first five movies receiving wide releases and later films occasionally receiving limited releases.

The movies are not considered by all people to be canon to the show, with some preferring to think of them occurring in an alternate timeline. This theory comes from the fact that Ash and his friends do not seem to be profoundly affected in the show by the events of the movies, which tend to have a lot of peril and drama. Others, however, see the movies as being akin to filler episodes, as none of their parties change, and no Gym Leaders are defeated nor Pokémon Contests won. This is presumably the correct interpretation, as not only have most of the events of the movies been referenced at least peripherally in the show, but also, several of the events of even major episodes have been forgotten by the writers of later episodes.

Original series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
ミュウツーの逆襲
Mewtwo's Counterattack
July 18, 1998  
Pikachu Project 1998
 
Mewtwo Strikes Back
November 12, 1999
 
幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕
Phantom Pokémon: Lugia's Explosive Birth
July 17, 1999  
Pikachu Project 1999
 
The Power of One
July 21, 2000
 
結晶塔の帝王爆誕
Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei
July 8, 2000  
Pikachu Project 2000
 
Spell of the Unown: Entei
April 6, 2001
 
セレビィ時を超えた遭遇
Celebi: An Encounter Through Time
July 7, 2001  
Pikachu Project 2001
 
Celebi: The Voice of the Forest
October 11, 2002
 
水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス
Guardian Gods of the City of Water: Latias and Latios
July 13, 2002  
Pikachu Project 2002
 
Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias
May 16, 2003

Advanced Generation series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
七夜の願い星 ジラーチ
Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi
July 19, 2003  
Pikachu Project 2003
 
Jirachi: Wish Maker
June 1, 2004
 
裂空の訪問者 デオキシス
Sky-Splitting Visitor: Deoxys
July 17, 2004  
Pikachu Project 2004
 
Destiny Deoxys
January 22, 2005
 
ミュウと波導の勇者 ルカリオ
Mew and the Wave-Guiding Hero: Lucario
July 16, 2005  
Pikachu Project 2005
 
Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
September 19, 2006
 
ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海の王子 マナフィ
Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy
July 15, 2006  
Pikachu Project 2006
 
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
March 23, 2007

Diamond & Pearl series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ
Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai
July 14, 2007  
Pikachu Project 2007
 
The Rise of Darkrai
February 24, 2008
 
ギラティナと氷空の花束 シェイミ
Giratina and the Sky's Bouquet: Shaymin
July 19, 2008  
Pikachu Project 2008
 
Giratina and the Sky Warrior
March 31, 2009
 
アルセウス 超克の時空へ
Arceus: To a Conquering Spacetime
July 18, 2009  
Pikachu Project 2009
 

Arceus and the Jewel of Life

November 20, 2009
 
幻影の覇者ゾロアーク
Ruler of Illusions: Zoroark
July 10, 2010  
Pikachu Project 2010
 
Zoroark: Master of Illusions
February 5, 2011

Best Wishes series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
ビクティニと黒き英雄ゼクロム
Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom
July 16, 2011  
Pikachu Project 2011
 

White—Victini and Zekrom

December 3, 2011
 
ビクティニと白き英雄レシラム
Victini and the White Hero: Reshiram
 

Black—Victini and Reshiram

December 10, 2011
 
キュレムVS聖剣士ケルディオ
Kyurem VS the Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo
July 14, 2012  
Pikachu Project 2012
 

Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice

December 8, 2012
 
神速のゲノセクト ミュウツー覚醒
Extreme Speed Genesect: Mewtwo Awakens
July 13, 2013  
Pikachu Project 2013
 

Genesect and the Legend Awakened

October 19, 2013

XY series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
破壊の繭とディアンシー
The Cocoon of Destruction and Diancie
July 19, 2014  
Pikachu Project 2014
 
Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
November 8, 2014
 
光輪の超魔神 フーパ
The Archdjinni of the Rings: Hoopa
July 18, 2015  
Pikachu Project 2015
 
Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
December 19, 2015
 
ボルケニオンと機巧のマギアナ
Volcanion and the Mechanical Magearna
July 16, 2016  
Pikachu Project 2016
 
Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
December 5, 2016

Sun & Moon series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
キミにきめた!
I Choose You!
July 15, 2017 Pikachu Project 2017  
I Choose You!
November 5, 2017
 
みんなの物語
Everyone's Story
July 13, 2018 Pikachu Project 2018  
The Power of Us
November 24, 2018
 
ミュウツーの逆襲 EVOLUTION
Mewtwo's Counterattack Evolution
July 12, 2019 Pikachu Project 2019  
Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution
February 27, 2020

New series

Japan Pikachu Project US
Japanese title Release date English title Release date
 
ココ
Koko
TBA Pikachu Project 2020 TBA TBA

Other anime series

As the franchise progressed, other animated features, set outside the main series' canon, have been produced. These are often made to promote a new generation or game.

Miniseries

Feature Japanese run English run
 
Pokémon Origins
October 2, 2013 November 15 - 22, 2013
 
Pokémon Generations
December 9, 2016 - February 2, 2017 September 16 - December 23, 2016
 
Pokémon: Twilight Wings
January 15, 2020 - Summer 2020 January 15, 2020 - Summer 2020

Mystery Dungeon episodes

Feature Japanese debut English debut
 
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!
March 23, 2007 September 8, 2006
 
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness
September 9, 2007 September 1, 2008
 
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness
April 12, 2009 October 9, 2009

Animated trailers

Feature Japanese debut English debut
 
Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 Animated Trailer
May 17, 2012 August 8, 2012
 
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Animated Shorts
November 1, 2012 March 26, 2013
 
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer
November 16, 2014 November 20, 2014
 
Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer
June 27, 2019 June 27, 2019

Variety shows

These are Pokémon variety shows that air on Japanese television.

Japanese name Run
 
ポケットモンスター アンコール
Pocket Monsters Encore
October 19, 1999 — September 17, 2002
 
週刊ポケモン放送局
Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station
October 15, 2002 — September 28, 2004
 
ポケモン☆サンデー
Pokémon Sunday
October 3, 2004 — September 26, 2010
 
ポケモンスマッシュ!
Pokémon Smash!
October 3, 2010 — September 29, 2013
 
ポケモンゲット☆TV
Pokémon Get☆TV
October 6, 2013 — September 27, 2015
 
ポケモンの家あつまる?
Meet Up at the Pokémon House?
October 4, 2015 — present

Trivia

 
Serena drawn with fingernails
  • Animator Masāki Iwane 岩根正明 once stated that the series was originally slated for a 1½-year run, which corresponds approximately to the length of the Kanto region saga (had it not been delayed due to the Porygon incident). Due to its popularity during the run, however, the show was extended and continues to be one of the longest running video game-based anime series.
  • During the early episodes of the original series, Japanese text was seen quite frequently on signs and buildings as well as objects. This usually resulted in the English dubbed version (and thus, foreign dubs based on it) painting out the text or converting it to English.
    • During the Johto saga, the animators acknowledged the practice of painting out the Japanese text in the English dub, so they used made-up symbols slightly similar to the Latin script instead of Japanese text, so it would be universal to all languages and would not have to be edited for the English localization.
    • During the Advanced Generation and Diamond & Pearl series, the animators used a new style of symbols that appear to be blocky letters without a resemblance to any alphabet. However, most of these were still edited out for the English dub until Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
    • From the Best Wishes series and onward, a full writing system was specifically created for the anime. This language consists of three different fonts: a font used for titles, big signboards, etc.; other font used as less remarkable text accompanying the title font; and other font used only occasionally as a minor text filler. Each font has 26 unique symbols, and each one of those symbols represents a letter from the modern Latin script.
      • This text usually has meanings, as the symbols converted from the Latin script are written as romanized Japanese; sometimes its meanings are related to the context in which it is used, but sometimes the text contains hidden messages, like mentioning Wobbuffet in a magazine seen in BW001.
      • This writing system would start being used occasionally in the games as part of the scenario, starting from Pokémon Sun and Moon.
  • Fingernails are not consistently drawn on characters, with the exception of the XY series. Some characters have fingernails in the Sun & Moon series.

In other languages

Language Title
  European French Pokémon, la série
  German Pokémon – Die TV-Serie
  Italian Serie animata Pokémon
  European Spanish Serie de dibujos animados Pokémon

Related articles

References

External links

On Bulbagarden forums

Original series (list) Indigo LeagueAdventures in the Orange Islands
The Johto JourneysJohto League ChampionsMaster Quest
Ruby and Sapphire (list) AdvancedAdvanced ChallengeAdvanced BattleBattle Frontier
Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and PearlBattle DimensionGalactic BattlesSinnoh League Victors
Black & White (list) Black & WhiteRival DestiniesAdventures in Unova and Beyond
XY (list) XYKalos QuestXYZ (Mega Evolution Specials)
Sun & Moon (list) Sun & MoonUltra Adventures‎Ultra Legends
Journeys (list) JourneysMaster JourneysUltimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles)
Horizons (list) Horizons
Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter VacationSide StoriesPokémon Chronicles
Planetarium specialsPikachu shorts
Mewtwo ReturnsThe Legend of Thunder!Pichu Bros. in Party Panic
The Mastermind of Mirage PokémonPokémon Ranger: Guardian SignsA Ripple in Time
Complete listMoviesOther anime series
  This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.