S01

Pokémon: Indigo League Season 1
Pokémon: Indigo League title screen.
Opening Pokémon Theme
Episodes 80 (3 skipped) (EP001 - EP080)
Region Kanto
Series Original series
Preceded by None
Followed by Pokémon: The Adventures in the Orange Islands

Pokémon: Indigo League (known at the time it was first aired simply as Pokémon) is the first dubbed season of the Pokémon anime. The season follows rookie Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum, his Pikachu, and his friends Misty and Brock as they travel across the Kanto region. The subtitle "Indigo League" is not used within the episodes, but was later added both by fans and by the DVD boxed sets to distinguish it from the later seasons.

In Canada, the series was picked up by YTV. In the United States, the first forty episodes (excluding three) aired in syndication, with the rest of the run picked up by Kids' WB! starting with The Problem with Paras. The season began with Pokémon, I Choose You!, which originally aired on September 8, 1998, and ended with Friends to the End, which originally aired on November 27, 1999.

This season was then followed by the Orange Islands filler arc, which was created to allow time for the development of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and when dubbed, served the same purpose for the translation of the aforementioned games.

See the list of Pokémon: Indigo League episodes for a list of episodes aired as part of this season.

Important events

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

• Ash begins his journey as a Pokémon Trainer with the goal of being a Pokémon Master. His starter is Pikachu. (EP001)
• Gary also begins his journey, with Squirtle as his starter. (EP001)
• Misty follows Ash after the latter "borrows" and destroys her bike, demanding repayment. (EP001)
• Jessie, James, and Meowth follow Ash after his Pikachu demonstrates considerably advanced power for a Pokémon of its species. (EP002)
• Brock joins the group after his father returns to become the Pewter City Gym Leader. (EP005)
• Ash defeats each of the Kanto Gym Leaders, gaining eight badges to qualify for his first Pokémon League Conference. (See Gym battles section)
• Ash journeys to the Indigo Plateau to compete in his first Pokémon League Conference.
• Ash comes in the top 16 in the Indigo League, one bracket above his rival, Gary. (EP079)

Party changes

Additions

The following Pokémon are obtained:

• Ash's Pikachu (EP001)
• Ash's Caterpie (EP003)
• Ash's Pidgeotto (EP003)
• Brock's Zubat (EP006)
• Ash's Bulbasaur (EP010)
• Ash's Charmander (EP011)
• Ash's Squirtle (EP012)
• Ash's Krabby (EP013)
• Ash's Raticate (EP015)
• Misty's Horsea (EP019)
• Ash's Primeape (EP025)
• Misty's Psyduck (EP027)
• Brock's Vulpix (EP028)
• Ash's Muk (EP030)
• Ash's Tauros (EP035*)
• Misty's Togepi (EP050)
• Jessie's Lickitung (EP052)
• James's Weepinbell (before EP057)

Evolutions

The following Pokémon evolve:

• Ash's Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree
• Jessie's Ekans → Arbok
• James's Koffing → Weezing
• Ash's Charmander → Charmeleon → Charizard
• James's Weepinbell → Victreebel
• Ash's Krabby → Kingler

Releases

The following Pokémon are released:

• Ash's Raticate (traded, EP015)
• Ash's Butterfree (EP021)
• Ash's Primeape (EP029)

Other

• Misty's Horsea (left at Cerulean Gym, EP061)
• Misty's Starmie (left at Cerulean Gym, EP061)

Gym battles

Ash defeats the following Gym Leaders:

• Brock, after one failed attempt. (EP005)
• Misty, though officially earned after Ash saved the gym from Team Rocket. (EP007)
• Lt. Surge, after one failed attempt. (EP014)
• Sabrina, after two failed attempts. (EP024)
• Erika, though officially earned after Ash saved her Gloom from the burning gym. (EP026)
• Koga (EP032)
• Blaine, after one failed attempt. (EP059)
• Team Rocket (substituting for Giovanni) (EP063)

Home video release

Logo for the season

The Indigo League season has seen release on VHS and DVD in the United States and Canada. Home videos of the Pokémon anime are released by VIZ Media.

Single volume releases

The following single releases contained three episodes each and were available on both VHS and DVD. VHS and DVD versions have the same titles and the same numbers of episodes.

• Volume 1: I Choose You! Pikachu! (EP001-EP003)
• Volume 2: The Mystery of Mount Moon (EP004-EP006)
• Volume 3: The Sisters of Cerulean City (EP007-EP009)
• Volume 4: Poké-Friends (EP010-EP012)
• Volume 5: Thunder Shock! (EP013-EP015)
• Volume 6: Seaside Pikachu (EP016, EP017, EP019)
• Volume 7: Psychic Surprise (EP020-EP022)
• Volume 8: Primeape Problems (EP023-EP025)
• Volume 9: Fashion Victims (EP026-EP028)
• Volume 10: Fighting Tournament (EP029-EP031)
• Volume 11: The Great Race (EP032-EP034)
• Volume 12: Pikachu Party (EP036, EP037, EP039)
• Volume 13: Wake Up Snorlax! (EP040-EP042)
• Volume 14: Jigglypuff Pop (EP043-EP045)
• Volume 15: Charizard!! (EP046-EP048)
• Volume 16: Totally Togepi (EP049-EP051)
• Volume 17:Picture Perfect (EP054-EP057)
• Volume 18: Water Blast! (EP058-EP060)
• Volume 19: Our Hero Meowth (EP052, EP053, EP061)
• Volume 20: The Final Badge (EP062-EP064)
• Volume 21: The Po-Ké Corral! (Holiday Hi-Jynx, Snow Way Out!, EP065)
• Volume 22: Hang Ten, Pikachu (EP066-EP068)
• Volume 23: Show Time! (EP069-EP071)
• Volume 24: Into the Arena (EP072-EP074)
• Volume 25: ROUND ONE! (EP075-EP077)
• Volume 26: Friends & Rivals (EP078-EP080)

Boxed sets

• Box Set 1: (EP001-EP017, EP019-EP027)
• Box Set 2: (EP028-EP034, EP036-EP037, EP039-EP051, EP054-EP057)
• Box Set 3: (EP052-EP053, EP058-EP080, Holiday Hi-Jynx and Snow Way Out!)

Australian DVD Releases

The Australian DVD box sets for the Indigo League episodes were published by Magna Pacific. Originally in 2006 as part of the 10th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, and re-released in 2010.

• Pokémon Season 1: Indigo League (EP001-EP017, EP019-EP034, EP036-EP037, EP039-EP051, EP054-EP057)
  • The original 2006 Season 1 release did not include EP054-EP057. The 2010 re-release addresses this fact and includes the previously missing episodes, promoting them as 4 never released adventures^[1].
• Pokémon Season 2: Adventures on the Orange Islands (EP052-EP053, EP058-EP080, Snow Way Out!, Holiday Hi-Jynx. Also includes Orange Islands episodes EP081-EP105)

Trivia

• With 80 episodes, this is the longest season of the dub yet.
• If Japanese episodes are taken into account, this season would be 82 episodes long. EP035 and EP038 were banned outside of Japan. Also, Beauty and the Beach was initially banned but re-aired after heavy editing as a "lost episode" during Pokémon: The Johto Journeys. It was never aired again nor was it included in DVD release.
  • Holiday Hi-Jynx and Snow Way Out are considered episodes of the season but are considered special episodes in Japan.
• On retail websites, the second boxset image shows Jessie's Arbok right next to her. However, on all actual boxsets it is Ekans that appears.

In other languages

Language		Title
Brazilian Portuguese		Pokémon - Liga Índigo
Russian		Покемон — Лига Индиго

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.