abbreviated from the Japanese title of and currently branded in English as is a Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series, part of The Pokémon Company's ''Pokémon'' media franchise, which premiered on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.''Pokémon'' video game series. In the international broadcasts, these series are split across 27 seasons. The show originally followed Ash Ketchum, a young trainer of fictional creatures called

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

. 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, with new protagonists Liko and Roy. The anime series is accompanied by spin-off programming; including '' Pokémon Chronicles'', a series of side stories; and the 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'' anime series was largely credited for allowing anime to become more popular and familiar around the world, 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 one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix, as of 2016.

Plot and characters

''Pokémon the Series'' (1997–2023)

Ash Ketchum, a young boy from Pallet Town, comes of age and gains the right to be a Pokémon Trainer, hoping to achieve his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master; Trainers receive their first Pokémon from Professor Samuel Oak, the town's foremost authority on researching Pokémon. Though Ash oversleeps and arrives late to Professor Oak's lab, he receives a Pikachu, who is initially uncooperative. On their way to Viridian City, Ash earns Pikachu's friendship by selflessly shielding him from a group of angry Spearow. While Pikachu's injuries are treated in Viridian City's Pokémon Center, Ash is confronted by

Misty In cryptography, MISTY1 (or MISTY-1) is a block cipher designed in 1995 by Mitsuru Matsui and others for Mitsubishi Electric. MISTY1 is one of the selected algorithms in the European NESSIE project, and has been among the cryptographic tech ...

, a girl whose bike he desperately stole and wrecked in his attempt to escape the Spearow, so she declares that she will not leave Ash's side until she is properly compensated. Suddenly, a trio of criminals from the organization Team Rocket — Jessie, James, and Meowth — appear to steal Pokémon from the center. Pikachu overpowers them, which convinces the trio of his teamwork value and inspires numerous subsequent attempts to steal him. In order to compete in a Pokémon League Tournament, Ash must defeat Gym Leaders and earn badges as evidence of his victories. Ash earns his first badge in Pewter City after battling with the Gym Leader Brock, who decides to venture with him. Together with Brock and Misty, Ash travels across the Kanto Region, defeating Gym Leaders, collecting their badges, and capturing new Pokémon. After collecting all eight badges, Ash participates in the Indigo Plateau Conference, but he reaches the top 16 before losing to his friend Ritchie. Upon Ash's return to Pallet Town, Professor Oak asks him to go to Professor Felina Ivy in the Orange Islands to collect a GS Ball, a mysterious Poké Ball that cannot be opened. Brock stays with Professor Ivy as her assistant, and Ash decides to defeat the Gym Leaders of the Orange Islands and qualify for the local Orange League Tournament. Ash and Misty are joined by artist Tracey Sketchit, who dreams of meeting Professor Oak. Ash faces and defeats Supreme Gym Leader Drake after collecting the Orange Islands Gym Badges. The trio returns to Pallet Town, where Tracey stays with Professor Oak as his assistant and Brock reunites with his friends. Ash, Misty, and Brock go to the Johto Region after learning that Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson and Ash's childhood rival, has gone there as well. Ash defeats the Gym Leaders of Johto and competes in the Silver Conference, where he defeats Gary and causes him to reconsider his purpose in life. After advancing to the quarter-finals, Ash loses to Harrison, who informs him of the Hoenn Region. Misty and Brock return to their home due to family reasons. Ash leaves all his Pokémon (excluding Pikachu) in Professor Oak's lab, and he travels to Hoenn alone. Ash arrives in Hoenn, where he reunites with Brock and gains two new companions,

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

, a beginning Trainer and aspiring Pokémon Coordinator, and her younger brother

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

. Throughout their journey, May collects five ribbons to participate in the Hoenn Grand Festival, but she loses to her rival Drew in the quarter-finals, placing her in the Top 8, and Robert takes the Ribbon Cup. Ash defeats all eight Hoenn Gym Leaders and participates in the Hoenn League, but he loses to Tyson, in the quarterfinals, placing him in the Top 8 and Tyson becomes the Winner in the Ever Grande Conference. Then Ash returns to Pallet Town. Ash continues his journey with Brock, May and Max in Kanto, where he participates in the Battle Frontier and gets seven Frontier Symbols after defeating the Frontier Brains. However, Ash declines the offer to be a Frontier Brain, and decides to continue his Pokémon Journey. May collects five ribbons to participate in Kanto Grand Festival, where she defeats Drew in the quarter-finals and advances to the semi-finals but she loses to Solidad, placing her in the Top 4, and Solidad takes the Ribbon Cup. Bidding farewell to May, Max and Brock as they went back to their hometowns, Ash returns to Pallet Town. After battling with Gary, Ash decides to travel to the Sinnoh region. Upon arriving in Sinnoh, Ash reunites with Brock and meet

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

, another Coordinator, who travels with them as they go through the Sinnoh region. Dawn earns five ribbons to participate in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, where she loses to Zoey in the finals, placing her runner-up, and Zoey takes the Ribbon Cup. Ash defeats all eight Sinnoh Gym Leaders to participate in the Sinnoh League, where he defeats his new rival Paul in the quarter-final, then Ash loses to Tobias in the semi-finals, placing him in the Top 4 and Tobias beccomes the Winner of Lily of the Valley Conference. Bidding farewell to Dawn in Sinnoh and Brock one last time, Ash once again returns to Pallet Town. Ash, his mother Delia and Professor Oak take a holiday to the far-off Unova Region, where he meets and travels with would-be Dragon Master Iris and Striaton City Gym Leader, Pokémon Connoisseur, and sometimes detective Cilan. After winning all eight Unova Badges and thwarting the sinister Team Plasma, Ash, Iris, and Cilan travel throughout the eastern side of Unova to prepare for the Unova League, but Ash loses to Cameron in the quarter-finals, placing him in the Top 8. Cameron loses to Virgil in the semi-finals, placing him in the Top 4 and Virgil becomes the Winner of the Vertress Conference. Afterwards, Ash, Iris, and Cilan travel through the Decolore Islands before Ash makes his way back to Pallet Town and meets the investigative reporter Alexa, who is from the distant Kalos Region. Having arrived back in Kanto, Iris and Cilan travel to Johto whilst Ash and Alexa head to Kalos. Ash and Alexa arrive in the Kalos Region and Ash is itching to get started in earning his Gym Badges. But after Alexa informs Ash that her sister, a Gym Leader, is currently absent, Ash travels to Lumiose City where he meets boy-genius Clemont and his younger sister Bonnie, unaware that Clemont is, in fact, Lumiose City's Gym Leader; a fact he tries his best to hide. Ash also reunites with Serena, a young girl from Vaniville Town and an aspiring Pokémon Performer, whom Ash had met in his childhood. Serena earns three keys to participate in the Pokémon Showcase, but Serena loses to Aria in the finals, placing her runner-up. After defeating all eight Kalos Gym Leaders, Ash competes in the Kalos League and advances all the way to the finals, where he loses to Alain, placing him runner-up and Alain becomes the Winner of the Lumiose Conference. Bidding farewell to his friends in Kalos, Ash once again returns to Pallet Town. Ash, Delia and her Mr. Mime are on vacation in the Alola Region when Ash has an encounter with Tapu Koko, the guardian Pokémon of Melemele Island, who presents him with the Z-Ring, a device that, when paired with a Z-Crystal, allows a Pokémon to unleash a powerful Z-move when synchronized with its Trainer, leading him to stay in Alola and enroll at the local Pokémon School. When he decides to undertake the trials necessary to master the power of the Z-Ring, Ash's new classmates Lana, Mallow, Lillie,

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

and Kiawe decide to accompany him. Ash takes part in the island challenges and defeat the Island Kahunas. Ash and his friends join the Aether Foundation and goes on Ultra Guardians mission to capture Ultra Beasts. Finally Ash gains his first league victory at the Alola League, after becoming the first-ever Champion of the Alola Region, Ash bids farewell to his classmates and Alolan family and Pokémon before returning to Pallet Town. Ash and his new friend Goh become research fellows for Professor Cerise, tasked with collecting information on Pokémon from Kanto to Galar. Meanwhile, Ash competes in the World Coronation Series, a world tournament held to decide the world's strongest Trainer in order to battle Leon, the Champion of the Galar Region and current Monarch, and Goh attempts to catch each and every Pokémon, including Mew, and later takes part in trial missions of a research project called "Project Mew" to be a Chaser and find Mew. Ash defeats Leon in the final round of the World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament and becomes the new Monarch. Goh and other members of Project Mew travel to Faraway Island, where they encounter Mew and Goh befriends it instead of catching it. With their goals accomplished, Ash and Goh go their separate ways. Ash resumes his journey with Pikachu, but along the way, they reunite with Misty and Brock and decide to travel with them again. After traveling for a while, Ash, Brock, and Misty return to their homes. Then, Ash decides to travel again to meet and befriend new Pokémon in order to achieve his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master.

''Pokémon Horizons: The Series'' (2023–present)

Liko, a shy girl from the Paldea Region, who wears a mysterious pendant, and Roy, a boy from the Kanto Region, who possesses a mysterious ancient Poké Ball, join a group of adventurers called the Rising Volt Tacklers and set out to travel the world. After learning Liko's pendant contains a Pokémon named Terapagos and the ancient Poké Ball contains a Black Rayquaza both belonging to the legendary adventurer Lucius, the Rising Volt Tacklers decide to find Lucius's six Pokémon known as the "Six Heroes". Later, Liko, Roy, and Dot join Naranja Academy to learn about the Terastal phenomenon; after graduating from Naranja Academy, they continue their search to find the "Six Heroes" with the Rising Volt Tacklers. After catching the Six Heroes, Liko, Roy, and the Rising Volt Tacklers search for Laqua. There, they encounter Lucius and battle the Explorers, ultimately defeating them. The series then takes a one-year time skip.

Episodes

In Japan, ''Pocket Monsters'' is currently broadcast as eight sequential series, each based on an installment of the main video game series. The anime is aired year-round continuously, with regular off-days for sporting events and television specials. In its international broadcast, ''Pokémon''s episodes have currently been split up into 27 seasons, as of 2024, 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 shown various full-length specials and TV shorts. Many of these specials centered 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. 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 produced by the animation studios OLM, Production I.G, Xebec, and Wit Studio, and distributed in Japan by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

, 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 is a Japanese writer from Fukuoka Prefecture. He is known mainly for his work in anime and tokusatsu. After having graduated from Tokyo Zokei University, he worked as a freelance writer in Arakawa, Tokyo, Arakawa and would attend various film ...

, 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 , 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''

was broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network. series that aired during the final part of the original series, and continues during the beginning part of ''Pokémon: Advanced Generation''. The show was presented as an animated variety show, and showed clip shows, reruns of ''Pokémon'' episodes, television airings of the ''Pokémon'' movies, cast interviews, and live action footage, in addition to the previously mentioned ''Pokémon'' side story episodes. The hosts were Mayumi Iizuka as Kasumi (Misty) and Yūji Ueda as Takeshi (Brock). They were regularly joined by Kaba-chan, Manami Aihara, Bernard Ackah and Rex Jones as the comedy team "Shio Koshō", Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi (Jessie),

Shin-ichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo.Doi, Hitoshi.Miki Shinichirou. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 13, 2010. He is a member of 81 Produce. Miki is known for his distinctively smooth voice and often calm delivery in the roles he has landed. He ofte ...

as Kojirō (James), and Inuko Inuyama as Nyāsu (Meowth). The show ran from October 15, 2002, to September 28, 2004, when it was replaced by ''Pokémon☆Sunday''.

''Pokémon☆Sunday''

was broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.TIM; Hiroshi Yamamoto, Ryūji Akiyama, and Hiroyuki Baba of

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

; Becky (through September 2006), and Shoko Nakagawa (starting October 2006).

''Pokémon Smash!''

is the successor to the ''Pokémon☆Sunday'' series. It aired from October 3, 2010, to September 28, 2013. Like its predecessors, ''Pokémon Smash!'' is a variety show that features live-action segments and reruns of old anime episodes. It ran during ''Pokémon: Black and White''. The theme song is "Endless Fighters" by AAA. Regular guests include Golgo Matsumoto and Red Yoshida of TIM; Shoko Nakagawa; and Hiroshi Yamamoto, Ryūji Akiyama, and Hiroyuki Baba of

''Pokémon Get☆TV''

is the successor to ''Pokémon Smash!'' It aired from October 6, 2013, to September 27, 2015. Shoko Nakagawa remains as a host, and is joined by Yukito Nishii and comedy team Taka and Toshi. Just like its predecessors, it is a variety show featuring reruns of previous anime episodes and special live-action segments. It ran during the first part of ''Pokémon: XY''.

''Meet Up at the Pokémon House?''

''Meet Up at the Pokémon House?'' (ポケモンの家あつまる？ Pokémon no Uchi Atsumaru?), more commonly known as ''Pokénchi'' (Japanese: ポケんち) or ''Pokémon House'' (Japanese: ポケモンの家), is the successor to ''Pokémon GET☆TV'', it aired from October 4, 2015, to March 29, 2022. It is hosted by Shōko Nakagawa, Rinka Ōtani, Hyadain, and Abareru-kun, making it the first variety show not to have reruns of previous anime episodes, unlike its predecessors. It ran during ''Pokémon: XY'' (second part), ''Pokémon: Sun & Moon'' and ''Pokémon Journeys'' (first part).

''Where are we going with Pokémon!?''

''Where are we going with Pokémon!?'' (ポケモンとどこいく！？, Pokémon to doko iku!?), more commonly known as ''Poké Doko'' (ポケどこ, Poké Doko), is the successor to ''Meet Up at the Pokémon House?'', which premiered on April 3, 2022, during ''Pokémon Journeys'' (second part) and ''Pokémon Horizons''. It is hosted by Shoko Nakagawa (later replaced by Shuhei Nakano), Ryōgo Matsumaru, Abareru-kun, and Hikaru Takahashi, and it focuses on their travels.

Airing and production

''Pokémon'' premiered in Japan on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.TX Network TXN Network (TXN) is a commercial television network in Japan owned by TV Tokyo Corporation, a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Holdings, which itself is majority controlled by Nikkei, Inc. The "TX" is taken from the callsign of its flagship station ...

family of stations first on Thursday evenings; it is then syndicated throughout the rest of Japan's major broadcasters (

All-Nippon News Network All-Nippon News Network (ANN; ) is a Japanese commercial television network run by TV Asahi Corporation (TV Asahi) in Tokyo, which is controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Company. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of nationa ...

, Fuji Network System, Nippon Television Network System) on their local affiliates as well as on private

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

and

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

networks on various delays. Production in Japan is handled by TV Tokyo, MediaNet (formerly TV Tokyo MediaNet and Softx), and ShoPro (formerly Shogakukan Productions). Kunihiko Yuyama served as the series' chief director up until '' To Be a Pokémon Master''. The anime had made millions of dollars in Japan when it first aired. An average ''Pokémon'' episode costs about $100,000. Internationally, The Pokémon Company International handles production and distribution of the anime with Iyuno Media Group and Goldcrest Post and published by VIZ Media, who was VIZ LLC, but merged with ShoPro. The anime currently airs in 192 countries. In the United States, the anime aired on

Kids' WB Kids' WB (stylized as Kids' WB!) was an American children's programming block that originally aired on The WB from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006, and later on The CW from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. Initially launched as a co ...

as a Saturday morning cartoon starting in February 1999. In its first week under the Kids' WB umbrella, ''Pokémon'' would manage to hit a 3.9 rating (a percentage of how much a specific demographic of people is watching), reaching viewers by September, and Nielsen stating that "half the boys (ages 6-11) watching TV (at 10 a.m.) are seeing Pokémon" by that November. Beginning in 2020,

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

gained the exclusive rights to stream new episodes in the United States; the twenty-third season, titled '' Pokémon Journeys: The Series'' debuted on June 12, 2020 and ended on March 5, 2021, with its fourth twelve episode batch., and continues with the twenty-fourth season, titled '' Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series'', debuted on the service on September 10, 2021. The series has previously aired in syndication, with new episodes premiering on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

, and

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...

. In the US, library episodes also aired on Cartoon Network in the Kids' WB years starting in 2002 and Boomerang in the Cartoon Network years starting in 2010 and have aired in Spanish on TeleXitos and Discovery Familia. ''Pokémon'' was originally licensed in the United States by

4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production ...

, who produced a localized English adaptation that was syndicated by The Summit Media Group. The localized version premiered in first run syndication on September 8, 1998, twenty days before the North American release of '' Pokémon Red and Blue''. ''Pokémon'' was distributed on VHS and DVD by Pioneer Entertainment and Viz Video, which sold 25million units of the series in 2000. Following the eighth season in 2006, the series' dub production was taken over by The Pokémon Company. Beginning with twelfth film, '' Arceus and the Jewel of Life'', DuArt Film and Video became the production studio, which lasted until the twenty-second season. OLM, Inc. handles animation production. Until episode 259 (episode 262 in Japan), during the fifth season, the series was animated using cel animation. Beginning with episode 260 (episode 263 in Japan), titled "Here's Lookin' at You Elekid!", all subsequent seasons are digitally animated. In a 2018 interview, the creators of '' Detective Pikachu'', which features a talking Pikachu, revealed that the original intention for the anime was to have the Pokémon talk, but OLM, Inc. was unable to come up with a concept that Game Freak were accepting of. The following table lists the annual content revenue from ''Pokémon'' anime media in Japan, as reported by market research firm Hakuhodo.

Streaming and digital

''Pokémon'' is currently available for streaming on

in 216 regions and countries with different dubs and subtitles; all countries have at least English audio. ''Pokémon'' was globally one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix, as of 2016. It is also available on

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

(in the United States and Japan),

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

(in the United States), and JioCinema (in India). From when the series made its home on Disney XD, as much as every in-circulation episode was available on Watch Disney XD and later DisneyNOW in the United States until February 2022. Netflix removed the ''Sun & Moon'' series, '' I Choose You!'', and '' The Power of Us'' at the end of March 2022, leaving only the first season and the seasons and movies released exclusively to the platform. Content was also available on the Pokémon TV app and website.

Reception

Critical reception

In a February 2008 review for

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

, Jeffrey Harris gave the ''Indigo League'' series a score of 2 out of 10, saying: "Ultimately, the show's story is boring, repetitive, and formulaic. The show constantly preaches about friendship and helping others. ... Nearly every episode features Ash, Misty, and Brock on a trip. Team Rocket tries the latest scheme to catch Pikachu or whatever else, and fails miserably." He concluded: "at the end of the day, this franchise feels more like crass marketing trying to preach the importance of friend and companionship." In an April 2008 review,

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, saying: "Over the years, the energetic, imagination-filled, Japanese-inspired fantasy series has cut across cultural, gender, and age barriers to captivate a global audience of girls, boys, and even adults", but added: "Folks may also find the franchise's massive commercial appeal disturbing, especially since the show is mainly geared towards kids." Carl Kimlinger, in an August 2008 review of the '' Diamond and Pearl'' series for

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

, gave the dubbed series an overall grade of C. He wrote: "The formula has been set in stone … Ash and buddies wander around, meet a new or trainer, fight, make friends, and then use their newfound Power of Friendship to stave off an attack by the nefarious Team Rocket", and added: "even the tournaments are a relief, a blessed pause in the cerebrum-liquefying formula as Ash and company square off against destined rivals for an episode or two." However, he stated that it would be enjoyed by its target audience, saying: "It's colorful, silly and lively (if insanely simplistic and cheap)" and added: "Parents will appreciate the absolute lack of objectionable content (aside from the promotion of

animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

) and the series' impeccably PC message of friendship, cooperation and acceptance". He criticized the series' soundtrack as "tin-eared" and "bad video game music". Kevin McFarland, in a 2016 binge-watching guide of the ''Indigo League'' series for ''Wired'', described the series as "a kids program that emphasizes the value of hard work, the importance of family and close friendship, and the ideals of love, trust, and honor. But it's also a largely silly show with slapstick comedy and colorful battle sequences, making Ash's Sisyphean task to become the world's best Pokémon trainer continually entertaining." In

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

's poll of the Top 100 Anime, ''Pokémon'' came in 38th. ''Paste'' ranked the series at 44th place in its October 2018 list of "The 50 Best Anime Series of All Time", with Sarra Sedghi writing: "To the joy of '90s kids everywhere, ''Pokémon'' helped solidify anime (and, hopefully, good punnery) in the West". She added: "''Pokémon'' may not be high artistry (because, you know, it's for children), but the show's pervasiveness is a testament to the power of nostalgia." IGN ranked the series at 70th place in its list of "Top 100 Animated Series", saying that the series "had clever writing and a golden marketing formula designed to spread Nintendo's Pokémon videogames into new, lucrative territory."

Controversies

''Pokémon'' has had several anime episodes removed from the rotation in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

or the rest of the world. The most infamous of these episodes was . The episode made headlines worldwide when it caused 685 children to experience seizures and seizure-like symptoms caused by a repetitive flash of light. Although the offending sequence was caused by Pikachu's actions, the episode's featured Pokémon, Porygon, has rarely been seen in future episodes, with appearances limited to one brief cameo appearance in the movie '' Pokémon Heroes'' and in one scene-bumper later in season 1. Its evolutions Porygon2 and Porygon-Z have only appeared in a brief part of the opening sequence of '' Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice''. Several other episodes have been removed from broadcast in Japan due to contemporary disasters that resemble events in the program; the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake, the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

, and the 2014 Sinking of MV ''Sewol'', all have caused cancellations or indefinite or temporary postponements of episode broadcasts. In the United States, the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001 as well as 2005's

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

led to the temporary removal of two episodes from syndication. On September 1, 2006,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

banned the series from prime time broadcasting (from 17:00 to 20:00), as it did Western animated series such as ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', to protect its struggling animation studios. The ban was later extended by one hour. On August 18, 2016, the '' XYZ'' episode (''Down to the Fiery Finish!'' in the English dub) faced criticism from fans when Ash lost the Kalos League against Alain. The fans specifically criticized the episode due to the misleading name and trailers that suggested that Ash would win the battle and because Ash had lost all of the Pokémon Leagues in past seasons. Fans also disliked the outcome because they believed Ash's Greninja had many advantages over Alain's Charizard, including the fact that Water-type Pokémon resist Fire-type Pokémon attacks, and that the rare Bond Phenomenon Ash's Greninja was subject to was said to be far more powerful than a conventional Mega Evolution. Several animators of the series also expressed disappointment that Ash had lost.

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upload of the teaser of the next episode received an overwhelming number of dislikes as a result of the outcome.

Influence

The series is considered to be one of the first anime series on television to reach this level of mainstream success with Western audiences. It has also been credited with allowing the game series to reach a high degree of popularity, and vice versa.

Notes

References

External links

Official website

''Pokémon'' seasons

''Pokémon'' anime website
at

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.''Pokémon'' TV Anime
Official Japanese website * {{Authority control 1997 Japanese television series debuts Adventure anime and manga Animated television series about children Anime television series based on video games Comedy anime and manga Cryptozoological television series Fantasy anime and manga Japanese children's animated adventure television series Japanese children's animated comedy television series Japanese children's animated fantasy television series Japanese television series about teenagers Netflix original anime Pokémon anime Television censorship in the United States TV Tokyo original programming Viz Media anime