Pokémon (TV series)
abbreviated from the Japanese title of and branded in English as and Pokémon Horizons: The Series, is a Japanese anime television series, part of The Pokémon Company's Pokémon media franchise, which premiered on TV Tokyo in April 1997.
The anime franchise consists of eight sequential series in Japan, each based on a main installment of the Pokémon video game series. In the international broadcasts, these series are split across 28 seasons. The show originally followed Ash Ketchum, a young trainer of fictional creatures called Pokémon. Joined by his partner Pokémon Pikachu and a rotating cast of human characters, Ash goes on a journey to become a "Pokémon Master", traveling through the various regions of the Pokémon world and competing in various Pokémon-battling tournaments known as the Pokémon League. Starting with the 26th season, a new cast is featured, centering on protagonists Liko and Roy.
The anime series is accompanied by spin-off programming, including Pokémon Chronicles, a series of side stories, and live-action variety and Pokémon-related news shows, such as Pocket Monsters Encore, Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station, Pokémon☆Sunday, Pokémon Smash!, Pokémon Get☆TV, Meet Up at the Pokémon House? and Where are we going with Pokémon!?
The Pokémon television series played a major role in increasing anime's worldwide popularity, especially in the United States and Asia, where many Pokémon films are among the highest-grossing anime films. It is also considered to be one of the first anime series on television to reach this level of mainstream success with Western and Asian audiences, as well as being credited with allowing the game series to reach such a degree of popularity and vice versa. Pokémon is regarded as the most successful video game adaptation of all time, with over 1,300 episodes broadcast and adapted for international television markets, concurrently airing in 192 countries worldwide and being one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix as of 2016.
Plot
''Pokémon the Series'' (1997–2023)
Pokémon the Series primarily follows Ash Ketchum, a young boy from Pallet Town who dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master. After receiving his first Pokémon, Pikachu, from Professor Oak, Ash embarks on a journey across various regions, including Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar, where he challenges Gym Leaders, competes in regional Pokémon Leagues, or other competitions, and meets a variety of companions who support him in his goal.These companions include Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena, Lillie, Goh, and others, each pursuing their own unique goals, such as becoming a top Pokémon Coordinator, becoming a skilled Pokémon Breeder, or seeking to catch Mew. Ash also forms rivalries with several recurring characters across the series, such as Gary, Paul, and Trip, many of whom he faces in League tournaments or other competitions. Ash and his friends frequently encounter the villainous Team Rocket trio, Jessie, James, and Meowth, who persistently attempt to steal rare and powerful Pokémon throughout the series.
Over the course of his journey, Ash achieves several milestones, including becoming the first-ever Champion of the Alola League, where he also attended Pokémon School, and ultimately defeating Leon to become Monarch of the World Coronation Series. After reaching this peak, Ash continues his travels with Pikachu to meet and befriend new Pokémon in order to achieve his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master.
''Pokémon Horizons: The Series'' (2023–present)
Pokémon Horizons: The Series follows Liko, a girl from the Paldea Region with a mysterious pendant, and Roy, a boy from Kanto with an ancient Poké Ball, as they join the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers traveling the world. They learn their items are linked to the legendary adventurer Lucius and his six Pokémon, the "Six Heroes". While searching for them, Liko, Roy, and Dot briefly attend Naranja Academy to study the Terastal phenomenon. After encountering Lucius and fighting the villainous Explorers, the series shifts to a one-year time skip, where the group sets out to expose the Explorers, clear the Rising Volt Tacklers' name, and destroy Laquium.Characters
;Ash Ketchum;Team Rocket#In the anime
;Misty
;Brock
;Tracey Sketchit
;May and Max
;Dawn
;Iris
;Cilan
;Serena
;Clemont and Bonnie
;Lillie
;Kiawe
;Lana
;Mallow
;Sophocles
;Goh
;Liko
;Roy
Episodes
In Japan, the Pokémon anime is currently broadcast as eight sequential series, each based on an installment of the main video game series. The series is aired year-round continuously, with regular off-days for sporting events and television specials. In its international broadcast, Pokémons episodes have currently been split up into 28 seasons as of 2025, running a fixed number of episodes, using a specific opening sequence and sporting a different subtitle for each new season.Specials
In addition to the main series and the movies, the anime series has also had various full-length specials and TV shorts. Many of these specials center around legendary Pokémon or one or more of the main characters that are separate from the main cast during its corresponding series, while the sporadically made later side story episodes typically air as special episodes.Films
, there have been 23 animated films and one live action film based on the Pokémon franchise. The first nineteen animated films are based on the television series, with the original film being remade into the 22nd. The 20th, 21st and 23rd animated films are set in an alternate continuity to the anime. The films are variously produced by the animation studios OLM, Production I.G, Xebec, and Wit Studio, and distributed in Japan by Toho, with various studios distributing the films in North America. They were directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Tetsuo Yajima, and written by Takeshi Shudo, Hideki Sonoda, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Shōji Yonemura, Eiji Umehara, and Aya Takaha.Spin-off
''Pokémon Chronicles''
Pokémon Chronicles is a label created by 4Kids which is used for a collection of several as yet undubbed specials, which were first broadcast in English between May and October 2005 in the UK, and in the US between June and November 2006. The vast majority of the episodes making up Chronicles were taken from what was known in Japan as Pocket Monsters Side Stories, which aired as part of Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station. The remaining portions of Chronicles consisted of a TV special called The Legend of Thunder, and installments from Pikachu's Winter Vacation, originally released on video.Japanese variety shows
''Pocket Monsters Encore''
Pocket Monsters Encore was broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 19, 1999, to September 17, 2002. It ran during the second part of the original series. Pocket Monsters Encore is a variety show featuring reruns of old episodes, including Japanese and English audio tracks, except for EP035 and EP018, which were broadcast in stereo. EP022 and EP023 broadcast together. EP018 was taken out of sequence and inserted between Holiday Hi-Jynx and Snow Way Out!, which were broadcast in the place of EP038 and EP039. EP052 aired between EP047 and EP048 and EP053 between EP057 and EP058. The ending song is the English version of Type: Wild performed by Robbie Danzie, and it was produced for Pocket Monsters Encore and aired.Pokémon de English was a segment at the end of Pocket Monsters Encore used to teach Japanese children simple English words and phrases. All of the segments where later compiled into three volumes and later released.
Pokémon de English uses a mixture of unedited Japanese and painted-over English video. New English lines were also recorded for this release by the original voice actors from both Japan and the United States. Pokémon de English was later released as rental only VHS and DVDs in 2002 and 2007, respectively, including English audio, as well as closed captioning in both English and Japanese.
On September 17, 2002, it was replaced by Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station.