Pokémon anime
The Pokémon anime, often just referred to as just the anime by Pokémon fans, is a collective term referring to currently 265 main series episodes, 12 movies, and a number of side-story episodes focusing on Pokémon— mostly about Ash Ketchum and his quest to become a Pokémon Master. He travels around the Pokémon world to earn badges by defeating Gym Leaders or gaining the respect from them, in order to participate in the Pokémon Leagues. He is joined by his first Pokémon and best friend, Pikachu, and various companions.
Description
The anime is a driving force for the sale of Pokémon games, and it is based on it. However the anime takes many concepts from the games and puts a unique spin on them, most famously, Ash beginning his journey with his Pikachu. Ash travels to various regions to catch new Pokémon, earn badges from Gym Pokémon battles, and compete in regional competitions. However it does contain anime-exclusive elements like the the Orange League. Along the way, Ash battles his rivals and continues to refine his battle prowess. Team Rocket continually tries to steal Pikachu because of its strength exceeds that of a normal Pikachu by far. Team Rocket themselves are a source of comedy and are the routine "bad guys" who show up in almost every episode and inevitably get defeated.
Like many cartoons, there are many moments of humor and action within the anime. Ash's friends have varied over the series and continue to show up after their departure from the main cast. Both May and Dawn are Pokémon Coordinators and participate in Pokémon Contests, which focus more on beauty and precision as opposed to Pokémon Battles that focus on strength and speed. Other friends of Ash have slightly less defined goals. Misty is training to become the strongest Water Pokémon Trainer, and Brock desires to become an excellent Pokémon Breeder. Tracey pursues a job as a Pokémon Watcher while Max currently has no goal at all, as Max is too young to own Pokémon, however, he does desire to be a great Trainer as well.
The series is produced in Japan, and the Japanese version is considered the "true version", meaning that whatever is said in it is more true that a "dubbed" or translated version. "Dubs" are produced in various languages and they are translated after the English dubbed version is produced. The Japanese version is split into three series, but in English, the episodes are broken into roughly 52-episode "seasons", which doesn't exist in Japan, where the series has aired near continuously since its premiere.
The show is mainly aimed at children and as such, does not explore mature topics such as death, although there are some references meant for adult fans. The show generally tries to instill a sense of compassion for others in its viewers, as many characters within the show can be seen lecturing on that topics. The anime is also a large reason for the popularity of the games and the fact that Pokémon is currently the second-best selling game series in the world.
TV series
| Japan | UK | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | First | Last | Title | First | Last | |
| 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 Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku |
October 15, 2002 | September 28, 2004 | Pokémon Chronicles | May 13, 2005 | September 28, 2005 |
| ポケモン☆サンデー | Pokémon Sunday | October 3, 2004 | Current | |||
Movies
- Main article: Pokémon movie
The movies are produced annually by a company called ピカチュウプロジェクト (Pikachu Project) which in America goes by Pikachu the Movie.
| Japanese title | Premiere | English title | Premiere | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 劇場版 ポケットモンスター | |||||
| Theatrical Edition Pocket Monsters | |||||
| Pikachu Project 1998 | ミュウツーの逆襲 Mewtwo Strikes Back! |
Mewtwo's Counterattack | July 18, 1998 | Pokémon: The First Movie Mewtwo Strikes Back | November 12, 1999 |
| ピカチュウのなつやすみ | Pikachu's Summer Vacation | Pikachu's Vacation | |||
| Pikachu Project 1999 | 幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕 Revelation - Lugia |
Phantom Pokémon: Lugia's Explosive Birth | July 17, 1999 | Pokémon the Movie 2000 The Power of One |
July 21, 2000 |
| ピカチュウたんけんたい | Exploration Party Pikachu | Pikachu's Rescue Adventure | |||
| Pikachu Project 2000 | 結晶塔の帝王 ENTEI Lord of the 'UNKNOWN' Tower |
Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei | July 8, 2000 | Pokémon 3: The Movie Spell of the Unown |
April 6, 2001 |
| ピチューとピカチュウ | Pichu and Pikachu | Pikachu & Pichu | |||
| Pikachu Project 2001 | セレビィ 時を超えた遭遇 Celebi A Timeless Encounter |
Celebi: An Encounter Through Time | July 7, 2001 | Celebi: Voice of the Forest | October 11, 2002 |
| ピカチュウのドキドキかくれんぼ | Pikachu's Nervous Hide-and-Seek | Pikachu's PikaBoo | |||
| Pikachu Project 2002 | 水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス | Guardians of the Water Capital: Latios and Latias | July 13, 2002 | Pokémon Heroes | May 16, 2003 |
| ピカ★ピカ星空キャンプ | Sparkling Starlit Camp | Camp Pikachu | |||
| Japanese title | Premiere | English title | US DVD release | ||
| 劇場版 ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレション | |||||
| Theatrical Edition Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation | |||||
| Pikachu Project 2003 | 七夜の願い星 ジラーチ | Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi | July 19, 2003 | Jirachi: Wish Maker | June 1, 2004 |
| おどるポケモンひみつ基地 | Secret Base of the Dancing Pokémon | Gotta Dance!! | |||
| Pikachu Project 2004 | 裂空の訪問者 デオキシス | The Visitor of the Space Fissure: Deoxys | July 17, 2004 | Destiny Deoxys | February 15, 2005 |
| Pikachu Project 2005 | ミュウと波導の勇者 ルカリオ | Mew and the Wave-Guiding Hero: Lucario | July 16, 2005 | Lucario and the Mystery of Mew | September 19, 2006 |
| Pikachu Project 2006 | ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海の王子 | Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea | July 15, 2006 | Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea | April 3, 2007 |
| 劇場版 ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド＆パール - 劇場版 ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド＆パール プラチナ | |||||
| Theatrical Edition Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl | |||||
| Pikachu Project 2007 | ディアルガVSパルキア | Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai | July 14, 2007 | The Rise of Darkrai | February 24, 2008 |
| Pikachu Project 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 | Giratina and the Sky Warrior | March 31, 2009 |
| Pikachu Project 2009 | アルセウス 超克の時空へ | Arceus: To a Conquering Spacetime | July 18, 2009 | Arceus and the Jewel of Life | |
Trivia
- 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.
Related articles
External links
- Pokémon TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
- Pokémon Encore TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
- Pokémon Advanced Generation TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
- Pokémon Hoso TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
- Pokémon Sunday TV Tokyo website (Japanese)
On Bulbagarden forums
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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime. |
