15 Best Episodes Of The Pokémon Anime

Most shows are lucky if they make it past one season, but when you’re a franchise as massive as “Pokémon,” there’s no amount of seasons that would be enough, it seems. While the “Pokémon” games started in 1996 with “Pocket Monsters Red & Green” for the Game Boy, it was only a year later that an animated series premiered on TV Tokyo, spawning one of the longest-running anime of all time. 

Each season of the “Pokémon” anime follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old boy who begins his journey to become a Pokémon master with his first partner Pokémon, Pikachu. Along the way, Ash catches more Pokémon, competes in tournaments, and befriends powerful trainers. It’s one of the few anime series where there’s no correct order to watch, given that each episode stands on its own as much as it tells an ongoing story of Ash’s travels across the world of Pokémon.

With over 1,000 episodes over the past 25-plus years, there are too many memorable moments in the Pokémon series and movies to name, but these are some of our picks for the best episodes throughout the franchise’s run.  

For a show to last as long as the “Pokémon” anime has, it has to start somewhere that is simply iconic. Fortunately, the very first episode of “Pokémon: Indigo League” has “Pokémon – I Choose You!,” which introduced the world to the character of Ash Ketchum. The episode starts when Ash wakes up late on the morning he’s set to receive his first Pokémon, resulting in the affable Professor Oak giving him Pikachu, an Electric-type Pokémon.

It may seem hard to imagine “Pokémon” without the journey of Ash and Pikachu, but their first meeting is rife with conflict as Ash’s attempt to catch a Spearow results in him and Pikachu becoming injured. He nearly escapes the flock of Flying-type Pokémon by stealing Misty’s bike (a decision that will result in his first traveling companion), before Pikachu uses a Thunder attack to ward them off. As the sky clears, Ash catches a glimpse of Ho-Oh, a legendary Pokémon who had yet to appear in the games, as a symbol of Ash’s newfound friendship with Pikachu.

Most episodes of “Pokémon” are plain fun, but some can make nostalgic fans tear up just by thinking of them. That’s the case with “Bye Bye Butterfree,” the 21st episode of “Pokémon: Indigo League,” the first episode in which Ash decides to part ways with one of his Pokémon. Aside from Pikachu, Caterpie was the first Pokémon Ash caught in the wild, quickly evolving into a Metapod, and then a Butterfree. Still, it wasn’t long before Ash, Misty, and Brock stumbled upon a pack of wild Butterfree during mating season.

Realizing his Butterfree was enamored with a pink one, Ash sets the Bug-type Pokémon free after helping it woo its chosen mate. Nevertheless, it’s one of the show’s most heart-wrenching moments seeing Ash run away in tears after saying goodbye to such an important Pokémon so early in his journey. If that’s not heartbreaking enough, Ash and Butterfree didn’t reunite for another 1,200 episodes, near the end of the character’s anime arc. 

Out of all the Pokémon Ash has caught throughout the anime, perhaps the most important (besides Pikachu) is Charizard, whom Ash encountered as a Charmander in the series’ 11th episode after its trainer abandoned it. Ash raised the orphaned Charmander into a Charmeleon, but found himself struggling to get the Fire-type Pokémon to obey his commands in battle, an issue that continued even after Charmeleon evolved into Charizard. It wasn’t until the second season, “Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands,” that Ash and Charizard’s struggle came to a head. 

“Charizard Chills” is the 105th episode of the anime, in which Charizard’s disobedience costs Ash a key battle to be accepted into the Orange League. Later that night, Ash comforts Charizard, who finally starts to warm up to Ash as it remembers how it was abandoned by its original trainer. The next day, Charizard finally starts listening to Ash, successfully defeating his opponent’s Poliwrath in a rematch. It’s a hard-won moment for Ash as a trainer, but Charizard’s journey was far from over …

If “Bye Bye Butterfree” felt like a shock to “Pokémon” fans who hadn’t expected Ash to part ways with his Pokémon, then “Charizard’s Burning Ambitions” was an even bigger gut punch. During Ash’s travels in the Johto region on “Pokémon: The Johto Journeys,” Ash, Misty, and Brock hear of a place called the Charific Valley, where the intimidating Liza takes care of numerous Charizard. It initially seems like the perfect place for Ash to bond with his own Charizard, even learning how to ride it. 

After a typical confrontation with Team Rocket, Ash’s Charizard proves itself to the Charific Valley gang, and Ash makes the difficult choice to allow Charizard to stay, despite how far they’ve come as trainer and partner. Thankfully, unlike Butterfree, this is far from the last time Ash and Charizard meet, as the Fire-type Pokémon briefly returned in future seasons and movies to aid Ash. Still, few episodes beat the tear-jerking of Ash’s first goodbye with Charizard. 

“Pokémon the Series: Ruby & Sapphire” was the first major reset of the “Pokémon” anime, in which Ash and Brock leave Misty behind to travel the Hoenn region with two new companions: May and her kid brother Max. In “Tree’s a Crowd,” the seventh episode of this season, Ash meets a Pokémon that would soon become a long-term partner for his Hoenn region travels: Treecko, the Grass-type Pokémon who Ash sets his sights on as he, Brock, May, and Max adventure through Petalburg Woods. 

Though Treecko proves difficult to catch, Ash and his friends soon discover that this specific one is a bit of an outcast in its social group, as the Treecko colony plans to move from one tree habitat to another, whilst Ash’s future Treecko is determined to save the tree. One Team Rocket encounter later, the Treecko decides it’s ready to move on, but not with the other Treeckos, but as the new member of Ash’s team. It’s an episode that showcases how some of Ash’s best Pokémon are also the ones he has to work hard to befriend. 

Though some will claim it took decades for the “Pokémon” anime to earn its place with some of the top anime fights of all time, real fans would agree that one episode from “Pokémon the Series: Ruby & Sapphire” had one of the most memorable Pokémon battles on the entire show. That episode was the 190th of “Ruby & Sapphire,” the antepenultimate episode of the entire Hoenn saga, as the climax of Ash’s confrontation against the Battle Frontier’s strongest chief, Brandon, whose team boasts three Legendary Pokémon in Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. 

While it would take many more seasons for Ash to officially become a Pokémon League Champion, “Pace – The Final Frontier!” was one of his greatest victories thus far, as Ash’s team (including returning Pokémon like Charizard, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle) successfully defeat Brandon, all thanks to a killer finishing move by Pikachu against Brandon’s Regice. It’s as high-octane as a Pokémon battle can get on the anime, and it showcased just how much Ash had grown as a trainer since the start of the series.

Some were skeptical as to whether or not the “Pokémon” could survive without Ash Ketchum, but the potential of it was proven by the very first episode of “Pokémon the Series: Diamond & Pearl,” which premiered in 2006 alongside the fourth generation video games. The bulk of the episode, “Following A Maiden’s Voyage!,” centers on not Ash, but a new character: Dawn, a young trainer starting her journey in the Sinnoh region and befriending her own first partner Pokémon, Piplup, after the starter Pokémon gets lost in a forest near Professor Rowan’s lab. 

Ash doesn’t appear until the very end of the episode, when he, Pikachu, and Aipom arrive in the Sinnoh region, only for Team Rocket to swoop in to steal Pikachu, per usual. Although Ash and Dawn wouldn’t officially meet for another few episodes, what makes “Following A Maiden’s Voyage” so great is how instantly lovable the duo of Dawn and Piplup is, setting them up to be some of Ash’s best companions in the series’ future. 

“The Brockster is In!” was the 190th episode of “Pokémon the Series: Diamond & Pearl,” and features a major development for Ash’s long-time companion Brock, who had first joined the traveling party in the fifth episode of the original show. Occurring toward the end of “Pokémon the Series: Diamond & Pearl,” it’s a bittersweet episode in which Ash prepares to say goodbye to Dawn after their many adventures together, but their parting of ways is delayed when a Team Rocket attack results in several Pokémon belonging to nursery apprentice Normajean becoming poisoned. 

Surprisingly, Brock is the one who comes to the rescue with his Happiny, who, after helping take care of all the sick Pokémon, evolves into a Chansey. While Brock can be a source of comedic relief throughout the “Pokémon” anime, “The Brockster is In!” is an example of an episode that showcases his growth as a character and deep care for Pokémon. In fact, it’s Nurse Joy’s suggestion that Brock study to become a Pokémon doctor that changes the trajectory of his character arc for the show’s future, and results in his parting ways with Ash as the latter sets off for a new Pokémon region. 

Don’t let the title fool you, but this episode is not related to the best Pokémon movies. Instead, it explores the world of movies in Pokémon. The fifth-generation games, namely “Pokémon Black 2 & White 2,” introduce PokeStar Studios, a movie studio in which players can participate in the making of Pokémon-centric films, but on the anime, that concept had already been explored in the 38th episode of “Pokémon the Series: Black & White,” titled “Movie Time! Zorua in ‘The Legend of the Pokémon Knight’!”

The episode sees Ash and his Unova region companions, Iris and Cilan, encountering a young filmmaker named Luke, and being cajoled into helping him and his Pokémon Zorua (who has the ability to shape-shift) craft a homemade movie. Given that Zorua is quite a rare Pokémon to encounter, Team Rocket arrives to snatch it, and because Luke keeps the camera rolling, their defeat becomes the epic climax of his directorial debut.

As previously mentioned, Charizard is one of Ash’s most important Pokémon throughout the series, as proven by the fact that he reunites with the Fire-type Pokémon in the “Pokémon the Series: Black & White” episode “The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!” At this point in the season, Ash, Iris, and Cilan are being accompanied on their travels by N, the enigmatic trainer who helps them on their way to the White Ruins to investigate the re-emergence of the Unova region’s Legendary Pokémon. On their travels, Ash takes a trip down memory lane when they stumble upon a Kanto Fair celebrating Ash’s home region.

Reminded of all the adventures Ash had with Charizard, he’s convinced by his companions to contact Professor Oak, who transfers Ash’s Charizard over to join his team. Unsurprisingly, the temperamental Charizard makes enemies with Iris’ Dragonite, resulting in a Pokémon battle between the two companions, which ends in a draw after the two draconic Pokémon gain respect for one another. What’s most fun about this episode is remembering that Ash’s Pokémon aren’t just being abandoned when he leaves them with Oak, making it feel like a culmination of seasons of adventures. 

Okay, full disclosure from me, the writer of this list: Hawlucha is my favorite Pokémon. There’s some obvious bias here, but allow me to argue why this episode of “Pokémon the Series: XY,” “The Forest Champion!,” is one of the best episodes of the series. Most significantly, this is the episode where Ash meets and catches a Hawlucha, a Fighting and Flying-type Pokémon from the Kalos region. However, of all the Pokémon Ash befriends over the course of his adventures, Hawlucha has a great entrance, established as a vigilante defending weaker Pokémon from predators in the forest. 

Ash and his friends work together with the Hawlucha to help it succeed more in battles, given that its showmanship often costs it the ability to finish the battles it starts. It’s a very satisfying episode in which Ash’s hard work as a trainer pays off in making Hawlucha a better fighter, earning it a spot on Ash’s team. Ash catches a lot of Pokémon throughout his journey, but what makes “The Forest Champion!” so special is that it feels like both Ash and Hawlucha grow as trainer and Pokémon through the episode. 

Ash has had a lot of great companions over the years, but there’s a reason why Serena is a favorite amongst fans. Early on in Ash’s adventures in the Kalos region, he meets Serena, only for her to reveal that they had already met a long time ago at a Pokémon summer camp in Kanto, where the former inspired the latter to never give up. Serena eventually decides to become a Pokémon Performer, entering her first Pokémon Showcase in the 60th episode of “Pokémon the Series: XY,” “A Showcase Debut!” 

However, despite Serena’s hard work and preparation, her Fennekin trips over its own bow, costing her the entire competition. Heartbroken by her embarrassing defeat, Serena takes Ash’s advice from years ago to heart and reaffirms her goal to become a Pokémon Performer, symbolically cutting her hair short and donning a new outfit. It’s one of the most memorable emotional moments on the “Pokémon” anime in recent years, and helped establish Serena as one of the few companions that fans potentially root for even more than Ash.  

Although Serena experiences some serious character development over the course of “Pokémon the Series: XY,” for Ash, it’s a little harder-won. In “Seeing the Forest for the Trees,” Ash angrily storms off into the woods after losing a gym challenge and losing his Greninja, while Serena chases after him. Ash and Serena get into an argument about his sore loser behavior that sends her off crying, while Ash continues to get lost in the woods, eventually finding shelter in a cave where he’s consoled by several wild Pokémon like Spewpa, Sentret, and Zigzagoon. 

It’s a great episode in which Ash is reminded of his deep affection for Pokémon, especially once he reunites with Greninja, and the two are able to strengthen their bond as trainer and Pokémon enough for Greninja to perfect its coveted Ash-Greninja form. By the time Ash reunites with Serena, he’s apologetic about the way he acted and more resolved than ever to challenge the Kalos League and rematch the Snowbelle City Gym. 

“Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon” was another huge departure for the “Pokémon” anime formula, in which Ash’s travels to the Alola region see him enrolling at a Pokémon School, befriending fellow classmates Lillie, Mallow, Sophocles, Lana, and Kiawe under the tutelage of Professor Kukui. Where this series also differs from previous seasons is that Ash and his classmates do their fair share of traveling outside the Alola region, particularly in the 42nd episode, “Alola, Kanto!,” where a field trip to the Kanto region reunites Ash with his old pals Misty and Brock.

The episode is more informative than action-packed, as Brock gives Ash and his classmates a lesson on Alolan forms, which are regional variants of Pokémon who are native to the Kanto region. Still, for an episode that premiered a whopping 20 years after the anime’s original debut, it makes for a memorable moment on “Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon,” reminding Ash of how far he’s come while linking the past with the show’s present. 

November 11, 2022, is a day that will live on in history as the moment when, after 25 years and over 1,000 episodes, Ash Ketchum finally became a world champion. In what’s essentially the climax of Ash’s anime arc, the 132nd episode of “Pokémon Journeys: the Series” sees Ash’s battle against the Galar League champion, Leon, in the Masters Eight Tournament come to a close, as all of Ash’s former companions from throughout the anime watch in awe from different parts of the Pokémon world.

The most dramatic point in the battle comes when Pikachu nearly faints, but is encouraged not to give up in a vision by all of Ash’s Pokémon from the entire series. The Electric-type Pokémon manages to eke a victory out by KO-ing Leon’s Charizard, crowning Ash as the new World Champion with his team of Pikachu, Lucario, Dragonite, Gengar, Dracovish, and Sirfetch’d. For fans who have been watching since the series’ start, it was a long overdue victory for the protagonist, but it couldn’t have happened in a more satisfying and memorable way. For Ash’s adventure to end shortly after this episode, “Partners in Time!” deserves credit for letting him go out on a high note.