Pokémon (TV series)
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| Japanese | ポケットモンスター |
| Literally | Pocket Monsters |
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| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 1,386 (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
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| Network | TXN (TV Tokyo) |
| Release | April 1, 1997 – present |
Pokémon,[a] abbreviated from the Japanese title of Pocket Monsters,[b] and branded in English as Pokémon the Series[c] 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 29 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.[2] It is also regarded as one of the first anime series on television to reach such a level of mainstream success with Western and Asian audiences, as well as causing a surge in the game series's popularity and vice versa. Pokémon is regarded as the most successful video game adaptation of all time,[3] with over 1,300 episodes broadcast and adapted for international television markets, having aired in 192 countries worldwide and being one of the most widely watched shows on Netflix by 2016.[4][5]
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 members, 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, following a one-year time skip, the group defeats and exposes the Explorers, destroys Laquium and clears the Rising Volt Tacklers' name.
Characters
- Ash Ketchum (サトシ, Satoshi)
- Voiced by: Rica Matsumoto,[6] Hana Takeda (young, JN001) (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids); Sarah Natochenny (TPCI) (English)
- Ash Ketchum is the main protagonist of the series for the first twenty-five seasons.[7] A 10-year-old Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, he travels with many traveling companions throughout the series. Ash's dream is to become a "Pokémon Master", and as a result often attempts to win the Pokémon League, a competition of the strongest Pokémon Trainers in whatever region he is in. Though his attempts are typically unsuccessful, he eventually succeeded in becoming the first Alola Regional Champion and later defeated Leon in the World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament to become the strongest Pokémon Trainer in the world and new World Champion, referred as "Monarch".[8]
- Jessie, James, and Meowth (ムサシ, コジロウ and ニャース, Musashi, Kojirō, and Nyāsu)
- Jessie: Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara[6] (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI)[9] (English)
- James: Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki[6] (Japanese); Ted Lewis (up to and including episode 8; 4Kids), Eric Stuart (4Kids),[10] James Carter Cathcart (TPCI, seasons 9–25) (English)
- Meowth: Voiced by: Inuko Inuyama[6] (Japanese); Matthew Sussman, Maddie Blaustein, James Carter Cathcart (TPCI, season 9–25) (English)
- Jessie, James, and Meowth are a group of Team Rocket members. They act as one of the three primary antagonists of the anime series for the first twenty-five seasons, often coming into conflict with Ash Ketchum in an attempt to capture his Pikachu. They primarily act as comic relief, though they have also acted as serious antagonists on several occasions. Jessie owns a Wobbuffet, who is the source of a running gag where he pops out of his Poké Ball at the strangest times. James is a member of Team Rocket, who was part of a noble, rich family, but it was a life he desperately wanted to escape. Meowth is capable of communicating with human speech. His pursuit for Meowzie in particular chained off his ambitions to learn to speak and act human-like and ultimately his employment within Team Rocket, after failing to woo Meowzie. Meowth acts as a translator for Team Rocket and sometimes Ash and his friends, translating what another Pokémon is saying.
- Misty (カスミ, Kasumi)
- Voiced by: Mayumi Iizuka[6] (Japanese); Rachael Lillis (4Kids), Michele Knotz (TPCI) (English)
- Misty is a 10-year-old Water-type Pokémon Trainer and one of Ash's traveling companions who first appeared in Pokémon: Indigo League. She was one of the four Cerulean City Gym Leaders along with her three older sisters,[11] and after the end of Pokémon: Master Quest, became the sole Cerulean City Gym Leader.[12]
- Brock (タケシ, Takeshi)
- Voiced by: Yūji Ueda[6] (Japanese); Eric Stuart (4Kids), Bill Rogers (TPCI) (English)
- Brock is the 15-year-old former Pewter City Gym Leader[13] and a ladies' man.[14] In his earliest appearances, Brock has dreams of being the world's best Pokémon Breeder, though in later series he instead aspires to be a Pokémon Doctor.[15] There is a running gag in the series where Brock falls in love with every girl he meets and is either pulled away by the ear by Misty or Max or is hit with his Croagunk's Poison Jab.[14] Brock was a mainstay on the series for several seasons, eventually leaving at the end of the Diamond and Pearl series.[16]
- Tracey Sketchit (ケンジ, Kenji)
- Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Ted Lewis (4Kids, TPCI (current)), Craig Blair (TPCI, season 9) (English)
- One of Ash's traveling companions in Orange Islands, Tracey Sketchit is a Pokémon Watcher, someone who studies Pokémon in the field similarly to bird watchers. He later accomplished his dream to become an assistant to Professor Oak after the end of Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands.[17][18]
- May and Max (ハルカ and マサト, Haruka and Masato)
- May: Voiced by: Kaori Suzuki (Japanese); Veronica Taylor (4Kids),[19] Michele Knotz (TPCI)[9] (English)
- Max: Voiced by: Fushigi Yamada (Japanese); Amy Birnbaum (4Kids),[20] Kayzie Rogers (TPCI)[21] (English)
- May is the daughter of the Petalburg City Gym Leader, Norman and the older sister of Max.[22] She takes interest in Pokémon Contests, competitions focusing on a Pokémon's appearance or appeal.[23] May later reappears in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl and Pokémon Journeys: The Series.[24] Max is May's younger brother, who acts as one of the group's travelling companions in the Hoenn-associated series.[25]
- Dawn (ヒカリ, Hikari)
- Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Emily Bauer[26] (English)
- Dawn is a 10-year-old Pokémon Coordinator from Twinleaf Town who travels with Ash and Brock in the Sinnoh Region. Following in her mother's footsteps as a Pokémon Coordinator—a Trainer who partakes in Pokémon Contests—she chooses Piplup and sets out with the goal of becoming Top Coordinator.[27]
- Iris (アイリス, Airisu; Iris)
- Voiced by: Aoi Yūki[28] (Japanese); Eileen Stevens[29] (first voice), Anairis Quiñones (second voice) (English)
- One of Ash's companions in Black and White series. Iris hails from a village where Dragon-type Pokémon are a major focus. She notably travels with an Axew, which evolves into a Haxorus. She reappears in Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series, where she is revealed to have become the new Unova Regional Champion. She battles Cynthia in the World Coronation Series Masters Eight Tournament but loses.
- Cilan (デント, Dento; Dent)
- Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano[28] (Japanese); Jason Griffith[30] (English)
- Cilan is a Pokémon Connoisseur who has the ability to determine the compatibility between Pokémon and their trainers. He travels with Ash in Black and White series. He is one of the Gym Leaders of the Unova Region, a position he shares with his brothers Chili and Cress, but he leaves his post to join Ash and Iris on their journey. He has numerous interests seen throughout the series such as fishing, cinema and subway trains. He has the Grass-type Pokémon Pansage as his partner. He also acts as a mentor figure to Ash and Iris.[31][32]
- Serena (セレナ, Serena)
- Voiced by: Mayuki Makiguchi[33] (Japanese); Haven Burton-Paschall[34] (English)
- Serena is a Pokémon Performer from Vaniville Town in the Kalos Region, who acts as one of Ash's travelling companions in Pokémon the Series: XY. She met Ash back when the two attended Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp program, where Ash helped her back on her feet after hurting her leg. After seeing him on TV three years later, she decides to join him on his journey, as she has a big crush on him. She partakes in Pokémon Showcases (beauty pageant-like contests) in an attempt to become the "Kalos Queen", an honorary title for the best Pokémon Performer. At the end of the series, she prepares to compete in the Pokémon Contests that occur in Hoenn. Before parting, she gives Ash a kiss on the lips.
- Clemont and Bonnie (シトロン and ユリーカ, Shitoron and Yurīka; Citron and Eureka)
- Clemont: Voiced by: Yūki Kaji[33] (Japanese); Michael Liscio Jr.[35] (English)
- Bonnie: Voiced by: Mariya Ise (ep. 803–887, 903–942),[33] Mika Kanai (ep. 888–902)[36] (Japanese); Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld[37] (English)
- Clemont is an Electric-type Gym Leader from Lumiose City. He is a young inventor and always has a large backpack that contains numerous strange gadgets, most of which explode. He travels with Ash during the XY series to become a better Gym Leader. This culminates when Ash challenges and successfully defeats Clemont at the Lumiose Gym, acquiring his fifth badge in Kalos.
- Bonnie is Clemont's younger sister. Bonnie, due to her youth, cannot have a Pokémon yet, and thus has Clemont catch a Dedenne for her, which acts as her partner throughout the series. She later befriended one of Zygarde's cores, which she affectionately nicknamed "Squishy" and developed a close friendship with. A running gag involves her attempt to get other women to marry her brother, though Clemont often drags Bonnie away before it gets anywhere.
- Lillie (リーリエ, Rīrie; Lillie)
- Voiced by: Kei Shindō[38] (Japanese); Laurie Hymes[39] (English)
- Lillie is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series. Hailing from a wealthy family, she loves to study and usually helps the other students with their research, but has an inherent fear of touching any kind of Pokémon due to an incident involving a Nihilego in her youth. She eventually overcomes her fears by the end of the series, and eventually travels the world to try and find her missing father, Mohn.
- Kiawe (カキ, Kaki)
- Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa[38] (Japanese); Marc Swint[40] (English)
- Among the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in the Sun & Moon series, Kiawe is the oldest and most experienced, being the first among them to have obtained a Z-Ring, which allows him to use "Z-Moves." He runs a dairy farm on Akala Island along with his parents. He specializes in Fire-type Pokémon, due to his being inspired by his late grandfather's words.
- Lana (スイレン, Suiren)
- Voiced by: Hitomi Kikuchi[38] (Japanese); Rosie Reyes[41] (English)
- Lana is one of the students at the Pokémon School of Melemele Island who befriends Ash in Sun & Moon series. She loves Water-type Pokémon and has a caring relationship with her two Pokémon partners. She finds a Sparkling Stone during a treasure hunt on Akala Island which is later made into a Z-Ring for her and a Waterium Z from a Totem Wishiwashi after she wins a battle against it.
- Mallow (マオ, Mao)
- Voiced by: Reina Ueda