Figuring out how to watch the Pokemon TV show in order – including the movies – is no easy feat. By 2023, there are well over 1,200 episodes, dozens of movies, and a handful of specials to factor in. Not to give you too much of a peek behind the curtain, but putting this watch order together gave us Confusion. Yes, it was super effective. We’ve come a long way from Ash and Pikachu hopping around Kanto with just 151 Pokemon to catch, let’s put it that way.
First up, we’ll give you the straightforward stuff: how to watch the Pokemon series in order – including all 26 seasons. We’ve also got a list on the release order of the Pokemon films, so you can watch them alongside your mega Poke-binge.
From there, we’ll present our epic list of how to watch Pokemon in chronological order. That includes how all the movies and specials (roughly) fit in, right through to Ash's final episode. It’s not an exact science, but it’s a fun marathon for completionists. Gotta watch ‘em all, right?
We’ll also cover the other non-essential episodes, including some shorts and non-canon specials – such as ONAs like the brilliant Pokemon Origins. For more watch order guides, we've got a look at how to watch the Marvel movies in order and, for more of an anime flavor, how to watch Demon Slayer in order and how to watch Attack on Titan in order.
How to watch Pokemon in order – the TV show (release date order)
Below is our guide on how to watch all of Pokemon in order. Yep, all 26 seasons. We start at Ash’s adventures in Kanto, before heading to the Orange Islands, then on to Johto; Hoenn; Sinnoh; Unova; Kalos; Galar – before ending Ash’s journey. Liko, from the Paldea region, is the current protagonist in Pokemon Horizons.
Ordinarily, we would put a simple episode count next to each of these seasons – but that’s a fool’s errand here. Confusingly, the episode count differs by region. Some episodes have been pulled, while a couple of entries have never aired in the West. As such, we’ll keep it simple and just refer to the overall season name and number.
- 1. Pokemon: The Indigo League
- 2. Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands
- 3. Pokemon: The Johto Journeys
- 4. Pokemon: Johto League Champions
- 5. Pokemon: Master Quest
- 6. Pokemon: Advanced
- 7. Pokemon: Advanced Challenge
- 8. Pokemon: Advanced Battle
- 9. Pokemon: Battle Frontier
- 10. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl
- 11. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension
- 12. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles
- 13. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors
- 14. Pokemon: Black and White
- 15. Pokemon: Black and White: Rival Destinies
- 16. Pokemon: Black and White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond
- 17. Pokemon: XY
- 18. Pokemon: XY Kalos Quest
- 19. Pokemon: XYZ
- 20. Pokemon: Sun & Moon
- 21. Pokemon: Sun & Moon Ultra Adventures
- 22. Pokemon: Sun & Moon Ultra Legends
- 23. Pokemon: Journeys
- 24. Pokemon: Master Journeys
- 25. Pokemon: Ultimate Journeys
- 26. Pokemon: Horizons (ongoing)
How to watch the Pokemon movies in order (release date)
To date, there have been 23 animated Pokemon movies. The first 19 up to Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel are all part of the mainline Pokemon series. While they are essentially canon, they rarely – if ever – impact the main series, and can be skipped if need be.
The movies I Choose You, The Power of Us, and Secrets of the Jungle all take place in an alternate timeline from the main series and are either re-tellings, re-imaginings, or new adventures with Ash. It’s also worth noting that Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is a CGI remake of the first movie – but we’ll get into the weeds of that more with our chronological order later on. On top of that, the Pokemon Black/White movies are two movies with slight variations. We’d recommend choosing just one and not both.
Ready? Here’s the complete order of Pokemon movies by release date.
- 1. Pokemon: The First Movie (1999)
- 2. Pokemon: The Movie 2000 (2000)
- 3. Pokemon 3: The Movie (2001)
- 4. Pokemon 4Ever (2002)
- 5. Pokemon Heroes (2003)
- 6. Pokemon: Jirachi, Wish Maker (2004)
- 7. Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys (2005)
- 8. Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2006)
- 9. Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2007)
- 10. Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai (2008)
- 11. Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2009)
- 12. Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
- 13. Pokemon: Zoroark – Master of Illusions (2011)
- 14. Pokemon: Black – Victini and Reshiram/Pokemon: White – Victini and Zekrom (2011)
- 15. Pokemon: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
- 16. Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
- 17. Pokemon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
- 18. Pokemon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
- 19. Pokemon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
- 20. Pokemon: I Choose You! (2017)
- 21. Pokemon: The Power of Us (2018)
- 22. Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution (2020)
- 23. Pokemon: Secrets of the Jungle (2021)
How to watch Pokemon in chronological order – including movies
Now we’re getting into the tricky stuff. While Pokemon can be watched in chronological order alongside the movies, it’s not always clear where each feature-length adventure slides into the core narrative. But there are clues and hints to help guide us, and we’ve done our best to present the complete saga below.
The overall series is also split into eight eras: the original series, Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, XY, Sun and Moon, Journeys, and Horizons. As of writing, however, not all episodes have been released in the West. We're still waiting for the conclusion of Ultimate Journeys and Horizons. Expect them to arrive across 2023 and 2024.
To help make the list seem less daunting, we’ve split everything up into those separate parts. We’ve also tagged each list entry with the episode number of that season, as per Pokemon’s website. E.g. Pokemon: The Johto Journeys may start at episode 105 overall, but we’ll stick to the official numbering convention of Johto Journeys episode 1, and so on – as that’s how it’s listed on various streaming platforms.
Alongside our general list, there’s also three movies that consist of an alternate timeline/retelling of Ash’s adventures. These should be watched separately from the main series.
As mentioned earlier, there’s also a CGI remake of the first Pokemon movie. Purists may prefer the original, but the choice is yours. We’ll also include certain story-heavy specials such as Mewtwo Returns in this list.
The Original Series:
- 1. Pokemon: The Indigo League (episodes 1-52)
- 2. Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (episodes 1-11)
- 3. Pokemon: The First Movie OR Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution (MOVIE)
- 4. Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (episodes 12-49)
- 5. Pokemon: The Movie 2000 (MOVIE)
- 6. Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (episodes 50-60)
- 6. Pokemon: The Johto Journeys (episodes 1-39)
- 7. Pokemon 3: The Movie (MOVIE)
- 8. Pokemon: The Johto Journeys (episodes 40-41)
- 9. Pokemon: Johto League Champions (episodes 1-21)
- 10. Pokemon Mewtwo Returns (SPECIAL)
- 11. Pokemon: Johto League Champions (episodes 22-48)
- 12. Pokemon 4Ever (MOVIE)
- 13. Pokemon: Johto League Champions (episodes 49-52)
- 14. Pokemon: Master Quest (episodes 1-46)
- 15. Pokemon: Heroes (MOVIE)
- 16. Pokemon: Master Quest (episodes 47-64)
Ruby and Sapphire:
- 17. Pokemon: Advanced (1-34)
- 18. Pokemon: Jirachi, Wish Maker (MOVIE)
- 19. Pokemon: Advanced (35-40)
- 20. Pokemon: Advanced Challenge (episodes 1-45)
- 21. Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys (MOVIE)
- 22. Pokemon: Advanced Challenge (episodes 46-52)
- 23. Pokemon: Advanced Battle (episodes 1-41)
- 24. Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (MOVIE)
- 25. Pokemon: Advanced Battle (episodes 42-52)
- 26. Pokemon: Battle Frontier (episodes 1-38)
- 27. Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (MOVIE)
- 28. Pokemon: Battle Frontier (episodes 39-47)
Diamond and Pearl:
- 29. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl (episodes 1-39)
- 30. Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai (MOVIE)
- 31. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl (episodes 40-51)
- 32. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (episodes 1-34)
- 33. Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (MOVIE)
- 34. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (episodes 35-52)
- 35. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (episodes 1-30)
- 36. Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (MOVIE)
- 37. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (episodes 31-52)
- 38. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (episodes 1-27)
- 39. Pokemon: Zoroark – Master of Illusions (MOVIE)
- 40. Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (episodes 28-42)
Black and White:
- 41. Pokemon: Black and White (episodes 1-37)
- 42. Pokemon: Black – Victini and Reshiram/Pokemon: White – Victini and Zekrom (MOVIE)
- 43. Pokemon: Black and White (episodes 38-48)
- 44. Pokemon: Black and White: Rival Destinies (episodes 1-33)
- 45. Pokemon: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (MOVIE)
- 46. Pokemon: Black and White: Rival Destinies (episodes 34-49)
- 47. Pokemon: Black and White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond (episodes 1-25)
- 48. Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (MOVIE)
- 49. Pokemon: Black and White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond (episodes 26-45)
XY:
- 50. Pokemon: XY (episodes 1-37)
- 51. Pokemon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (MOVIE)
- 52. Pokemon: XY (episodes 38-48)
- 53. Pokemon: XY Kalos Quest (episodes 1-32)
- 54. Pokemon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (MOVIE)
- 55. Pokemon: XY Kalos Quest (episodes 33-45)
- 56. Pokemon: XYZ (episodes 1-34)
- 57. Pokemon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (MOVIE)
- 58. Pokemon: XYZ (episodes 35-47)
- 59. The Legend of X, Y, and Z (Pokemon: XYZ episode 48 – SPECIAL)
Sun and Moon:
- 60. Pokemon: Sun & Moon (episodes 1-43)
- 61. Pokemon: Sun & Moon Ultra Adventures (episodes 1-48)
- 62. Pokemon: Sun & Moon Ultra Legends (episodes 1-54)
Journeys
- 63. Pokemon: Journeys (episodes 1-48)
- 64. Pokemon: Master Journeys (episodes 1-42)
- 65. Pokemon: Ultimate Journeys (episodes 1-27 available; episodes 28-54 TBC)
Horizons:
- 66. Pokemon: Horizons (ongoing)
Alternate timeline [non-canon]
- 1. Pokemon: I Choose You! (2017)
- 2. Pokemon: The Power of Us (2018)
- 3. Pokemon: Secrets of the Jungle (2021)
How to watch the Pokemon specials and shorts in order – a quick guide to Generations, Origins, and the ONAs
Away from the main series, there are multiple Pokemon specials, spin-offs, and shorts for fans to watch.
The vast majority of these can be watched in any order and don’t fit into canon. However, we’ll deal with the ones that do fit into canon first.
Mewtwo Returns is the first chronological special, taking place midway through the Johto League arc. The Pokemon Chronicles trilogy titled The Legend of Thunder all fall during the Master Quest series. The Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon – released for Pokemon’s 10th anniversary – can be watched alongside the Ruby and Sapphire series. Finally, The Pokemon Mega Evolution Specials can be watched during Pokemon XY, with ‘The Legend of X, Y, and Z’ fitting neatly into the end of the Pokemon XY series arc.
The order of those specials are:
- Mewtwo Returns (Johto League)
- Pokemon Chronicles: The Legend of Thunder (Master Quest) [3 episodes]
- The Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon (Ruby and Sapphire)
- The Pokemon Mega Evolution Specials (Pokemon XY) [4 episodes]
- The Legend of X, Y, and Z (After Pokemon XY)
On top of those, here are the other Pokemon specials and series to seek out.
Pokemon Generations is an anthology series based on Game Freak’s video games; Pokemon Twilight Wings is a series of YouTube shorts inspired by Sword and Shield; Poketoon are YouTube shorts first made available in the West in 2022; Pokemon Evolutions is a series of standalone episodes inspired by the eight Pokemon regions and, finally, Pokemon Hisuian Snow takes on the Hisui region from Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
There’s also the four-part Pokemon Origins series, which adapts Pokemon Red and Blue’s Gen 1 story where Red battles Team Rocket and the Elite Four.
The full list of spin-offs and shows to watch are below.
- Pokemon Generations
- Pokemon: Twilight Wings
- Poketoon
- Pokemon Evolutions
- Pokemon: Hisuain Snow
- Pokemon Origins
Finally, there are multiple Pikachu shorts – some attached to movies, some not available to watch in the West. It can be tricky, if not impossible, to seek all of them out, so it’s not really worth listing them all here. The most famous is Pikachu’s Vacation, which was shown before The First Movie.
There are also three shorts that serve as prologues to movies, but aren’t essential viewing. They are:
- Mewtwo – Prologue to Awakening (Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened)
- Diancie – Princess of the Diamond Domain (Pokemon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction)
- Hoopa – The Mischief Pokemon (Pokemon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages)
Where to watch Pokemon online
Right now, there's no way to watch all of Pokemon on one streaming service. Pokemon TV, the official platform, has seasons 1-2, season 17, and seasons 20-24.
In the US, Netflix has season 1 and seasons 23-25, Prime has seasons 14-16 and seasons 20-22, Hulu has seasons 17-19, and Hoopla has seasons 10-12.
In the UK, it's a similarly confused picture. POP has seasons 14-19 and seasons 24-25; BBC iPlayer has seasons 10-16 and seasons 20-22; Netflix has season 1 and seasons 23-24, and Sky Kids has seasons 3-9 and seasons 14-19.
Amazon is the best destination for the majority of Poke-series. Prime has seasons 14-16 and 20-22, plus seasons 2-9 and 17-19 available via Amazon Channels.
There's also a rotating series of specials and movies available via Pokemon TV, while the complete series can be rented on digital platforms such as Google.
We made it! If you're still in a Poke-mood (and why wouldn't you be?), here's our ranking of the best Pokemon games.
