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Early anime frame from EP093

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) is an official term referring to the Pokémon anime series that airs on television. Currently, it consists of 1,232 main series episodes and a number of side stories, all focusing on Pokémon. Pokémon the Series debuted on April 1, 1997 in Japan; the English dub debuted on September 7, 1998 in North America.

From 1997 to March 2023, Pokémon the Series has focused on Ash Ketchum, a Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town, and his journey toward his ultimate goal of being a Pokémon Master; as well as his many friends, and most especially his Pokémon, whom he considers his partners and friends. As of the end of Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Ash has been officially retired as the main protagonist, and is succeeded by new protagonists Liko and Roy.

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

As of the end of March 2022, Pokémon the Series has aired in 192 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 and South Korea have at least English audio.

The Pokémon Company International usually refers to these animated works as the "Pokémon animated series" or "Pokémon television series". Some event Pokémon based on Pokémon from the anime have their location set as "the Pokémon cartoon" in the English version of the games.

Overview

Production

Pokémon the Series 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 seven-week hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show's air time has varied over the years:

• From April 1, 1997 (start) to December 16, 1997 (Porygon incident) - Tuesdays at 6:30 PM.
• From April 16, 1998 (after four-month hiatus) - Thursdays at 7 PM.
• From April 7, 2016, to September 13, 2018 - Thursdays at 6:55 PM.
• From October 7, 2018 to September 29, 2020 - Sundays at 6 PM.
• From October 9, 2020 - Fridays at 6:55 PM.

The anime is divided into multiple series, though how it is divided differs in and out of Japan:

• 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 (2019).
• Outside of Japan, 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 & 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.

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.

Ash Ketchum era

Plot

From the 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 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. From there, Ash learned to treat his Pokémon as partners, earning Pikachu's trust by protecting him from a flock of Spearow he angered.

Since then, Ash has journeyed across the first eight of the regions that appear in the core series Pokémon games, as well as the Orange Archipelago, a region he visited before 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 Trainers in the core series games would, to compete in the regional Pokémon League - however, the League is a championship tournament rather than five consecutive battles 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 eventually changed this strategy starting with his journey in Hoenn. From then on, he 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 Kanto, the Orange Archipelago, and Johto, 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 Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, 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 Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire. Iris and Cilan travel with Ash in Pokémon the Series: Black & White. Inventor Clemont, his sister Bonnie, and Ash's childhood friend Serena travel with Ash in Pokémon the Series: XY. Like Max, Bonnie is too young to own Pokémon, but cares for her brother's Dedenne. In Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, 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 Pokémon Journeys: The 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.

Television series

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning

Japan				United States
Season	Theme song	First episode		Season	Theme song	First episode
Pocket Monsters	Aim to Be a Pokémon Master	EP001		Pokémon: Indigo League	Pokémon Theme	EP001
Pocket Monsters: Episode Orange Archipelago	The Rivals	EP081		Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands	Pokémon World	EP081

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

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

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

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

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

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

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

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

Pokémon the Series: XY

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 (Version XY)	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

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

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 -20th Anniversary-	SM030		Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures	Under The Alolan Moon	SM044
	Future Connection	SM061
	Your Adventure	SM091		Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends	The Challenge of Life	SM093

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Japan				United States
Season	Theme song	First episode		Season	Theme song	First episode
Pocket Monsters (2019)	One, Two, Three (feat. After the Rain)	JN001		Pokémon Journeys: The Series	The Journey Starts Today	JN001
	One, Two, Three (feat. Nishikawa-kun and Kirishō)	JN032
	One, Two, Three (feat. Karaage Sisters)	JN050		Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series	Journey to Your Heart	JN049
	One, Two, Three (feat. Ash & Goh)	JN100		Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series	With You	JN091
Pocket Monsters: Aim to Be a Pokémon Master	Aim to Be a Pokémon Master -with my friends-	JN137

Related media

While Pokémon the Series specifically refers to the television show, several other animated works take place within the show's continuity and world. These works can generally be identified by characters who have interacted with Ash Ketchum or his friends at some point.

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

Pikachu shorts

A scene from the first Pikachu short, PK01

Main article: Pikachu short

Pikachu shorts are animated shorts featuring almost exclusively Pokémon, with Ash's Pikachu in a lead role. While the events in these shorts generally do not impact the television series, Pokémon owned by Ash's friends or the Team Rocket Trio often appear.

From M01 to M19, each Pokémon movie released alongside a Pikachu short. Pikachu shorts have also been released by other means, such as direct-to-video, or in-flight airings on ANA domestic flights in Japan.

Movie tie-in shorts

Certain shorts directly tie in to movies, usually acting as a prologue or offering additional context on the film's characters.

See also:

• Hoopa's Surprise Ring Adventures

Code	Screenshot	English title	Japanese title	US broadcast	Japan broadcast	Time between
*		The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin	ミュウツーの誕生 The Birth of Mewtwo	December 4, 2001	July 8, 1999	880 days
*		No English title	ヤドキングのいちにち Yadoking's Day	Unaired	January 1, 2000	8929 days since Japanese airing
*		Mewtwo — Prologue to Awakening	ミュウツー‐覚醒への序章‐ Mewtwo: The Prologue to its Awakening	January 11, 2014	July 11, 2013	184 days
*		Diancie — Princess of the Diamond Domain	鉱国のプリンセス ディアンシー Diancie, Princess of the Ore Country	November 6, 2014	July 17, 2014	112 days
*		Hoopa — The Mischief Pokémon	おでまし小魔神フーパ The Minidjinni of the Word "Appear!": Hoopa	December 3, 2015	June 19, 2015	167 days
This is not a season.

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.

In 2017, M20 established an actual alternate timeline involving Ash Ketchum, which does not connect to the events of the television series. Pokémon movies from this point onwards (excluding remakes) generally connect to this alternate continuity instead.

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning

Poster	Title	Release date
	ミュウツーの逆襲 Mewtwo's Counterattack	July 18, 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
	The Power of One	July 21, 2000

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

Poster	Title	Release date
	結晶塔の帝王爆誕 Emperor of the Crystal Tower: Entei	July 8, 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
	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
	Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias	May 16, 2003

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

Poster	Title	Release date
	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
	裂空の訪問者 デオキシス Sky-Splitting Visitor: Deoxys	July 17, 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
	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
	Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea	March 23, 2007

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Poster	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
	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
	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
	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
	Zoroark: Master of Illusions	February 5, 2011

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Poster		Title		Release date
		ビクティニと黒き英雄ゼクロム Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom	ビクティニと白き英雄レシラム Victini and the White Hero: Reshiram	July 16, 2011
		White—Victini and Zekrom	Black—Victini and Reshiram	December 3, 2011	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
		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
		Genesect and the Legend Awakened		October 19, 2013

Pokémon the Series: XY

Poster	Title	Release date
	破壊の繭とディアンシー The Cocoon of Destruction and Diancie	July 19, 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
	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
	Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel	December 5, 2016

Remakes

Poster	Title	Release date
	ミュウツーの逆襲 EVOLUTION Mewtwo's Counterattack Evolution	July 12, 2019
	Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution	February 27, 2020

Feature-length specials

While not officially considered movies, certain anime specials have comparable length to movies.

Code	Screenshot	English title	Japanese title	US broadcast	Japan broadcast	Time between
*		Mewtwo Returns	ミュウツー！我ハココニ在リ Mewtwo! I Am Here	December 5, 2001	December 30, 2000	340 days
*		The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon	戦慄のミラージュポケモン The Terrifying Mirage Pokémon	April 29, 2006	October 13, 2006	167 days
This is not a season.

Misc specials

See also:

• Planetarium specials
• Clip shows

Code	Screenshot	English title	Japanese title	US broadcast	Japan broadcast	Time between
*		Trouble in Big Town	ぼくたちピチューブラザーズ・風船騒動 We are the Pichu Brothers - Balloon Disturbance	October 14, 2006	December 22, 2000	2122 days
*		Pichu Bros. in Party Panic	ぼくたちピチューブラザーズ・パーティはおおさわぎ！のまき We are the Pichu Brothers - The 'Great Party Uproar!' Chapter	December 1, 2003	July 18, 2003	136 days
*		A Ripple in Time	時の波紋 A Ripple in Time	Unaired	February 12, 2022	851 days since Japanese airing
This is not a season.

Alternate Ash continuity

Starting with the 20th movie, I Choose You!, Pokémon movies have generally not tied in with the events of the television series. Instead, M20 re-imagined the start of Ash's journey and his meeting with his Pikachu, redesigned his hat from Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, and assigned him new travel companions instead of Brock and Misty. M21 and M22 expanded on this continuity, though Ash no longer travels with human companions, and his Pikachu appears to be the only Pokémon he uses.

This continuity is primarily represented in the form of movies, however it has also appeared in the television special JNS05.

Events resembling those in the television sometimes occur, such as the circumstances surrounding Ash's Butterfree, Charizard, and Primeape. Ash also eventually receives a hat identical to the one he wears in Pokémon the Series: The Beginning.

Movies

Poster	Title	Release date
	キミにきめた！ I Choose You!	July 15, 2017
	I Choose You!	November 5, 2017
	みんなの物語 Everyone's Story	July 13, 2018
	The Power of Us	November 24, 2018
	ココ Koko	December 25, 2020 (Originally July 10, 2020)
	Secrets of the Jungle	October 8, 2021

Specials

Code	Screenshot	English title	Japanese title	US broadcast	Japan broadcast	Time between
JNS05		No English title	ポケットモンスター 遥かなる青い空 Pocket Monsters: The Distant Blue Sky	No airdate has been announced	December 23, 2022	537 days since Japanese airing

Liko and Roy era

Plot

(WIP)

Television Series

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

Japan				United States
Season	Theme song	First episode		Season	Theme song	First episode
Pocket Monsters: Liko and Roy's Departure	Heart-Pounding Diary	HZ001		Pokémon Horizons: The Series	TBA	TBA

Trivia

Serena drawn with fingernails

• Animator Masāki Iwane 岩根正明 once stated that the anime 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. As a result, 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 Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, 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 Pokémon the Series: Black & White 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.; another font used as less remarkable text accompanying the title font; and another 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 Pokémon the Series: XY and Pokémon Journeys: The Series. Some characters have fingernails in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon.