How to watch

Pokémon is one of the biggest multimedia franchises in the world, but its screen history can feel intimidating because it mixes long-running TV seasons with a huge slate of movies and, more recently, a brand-new lead cast. The core anime began with Ash and Pikachu in the late 1990s, then expanded through Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and beyond. If you want the simplest experience, release order lets you watch the anime the same way fans discovered each era.

🕐 Release Order

Release order is the easiest way to tackle Pokémon because each new series builds on the style, characters, and regions introduced by the previous one.

1. Pokémon: Indigo League (1997)
2. Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (1999)
3. Pokémon the First Movie (1998)
4. Pokémon: The Johto Journeys (1999)
5. Pokémon 2000 (1999)
6. Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000)
7. Pokémon: Johto League Champions (2000)
8. Pokémon 4Ever (2001)
9. Pokémon: Master Quest (2001)
10. Pokémon Heroes (2002)
11. Pokémon: Advanced (2002)
12. Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker (2003)
13. Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (2003)
14. Destiny Deoxys (2004)
15. Pokémon: Advanced Battle (2004)
16. Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
17. Pokémon: Battle Frontier (2005)
18. Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
19. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (2006)
20. The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
21. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (2007)
22. Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
23. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (2008)
24. Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
25. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (2010)
26. Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2010)
27. Pokémon: Black & White (2010)
28. Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram / White—Victini and Zekrom (2011)
29. Pokémon: Black & White: Rival Destinies (2011)
30. Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
31. Pokémon: Black & White: Adventures in Unova (2012)
32. Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
33. Pokémon the Series: XY (2013)
34. Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
35. Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (2014)
36. Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
37. Pokémon the Series: XYZ (2015)
38. Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
39. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon (2016)
40. Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017)
41. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures (2017)
42. The Power of Us (2018)
43. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Legends (2018)
44. Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution (2019)
45. Pokémon Journeys: The Series (2019)
46. Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (2020)
47. Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (2021)
48. Pokémon Horizons: The Series (2023)

If you would rather organize Pokémon by the broad eras of the franchise, chronological viewing mostly mirrors release order, with the main difference being how you slot the alternate-continuity reboot movies.

📖 Story Chronology

Story chronology works best when you treat Ash’s original run as one long journey and place the reboot-style films outside that main continuity.

1. Pokémon: Indigo League (1997)
2. Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (1999)
3. Pokémon: The Johto Journeys (1999)
4. Pokémon: Johto League Champions (2000)
5. Pokémon: Master Quest (2001)
6. Pokémon: Advanced (2002)
7. Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (2003)
8. Pokémon: Advanced Battle (2004)
9. Pokémon: Battle Frontier (2005)
10. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (2006)
11. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (2007)
12. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (2008)
13. Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (2010)
14. Pokémon: Black & White (2010)
15. Pokémon: Black & White: Rival Destinies (2011)
16. Pokémon: Black & White: Adventures in Unova (2012)
17. Pokémon the Series: XY (2013)
18. Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (2014)
19. Pokémon the Series: XYZ (2015)
20. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon (2016)
21. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures (2017)
22. Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Legends (2018)
23. Pokémon Journeys: The Series (2019)
24. Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (2020)
25. Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (2021)
26. Pokémon Horizons: The Series (2023)
27. Pokémon the First Movie (1998)
28. Pokémon 2000 (1999)
29. Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000)
30. Pokémon 4Ever (2001)
31. Pokémon Heroes (2002)
32. Pokémon: Jirachi—Wish Maker (2003)
33. Destiny Deoxys (2004)
34. Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
35. Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
36. The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
37. Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
38. Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
39. Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2010)
40. Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram / White—Victini and Zekrom (2011)
41. Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012)
42. Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
43. Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
44. Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
45. Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
46. Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017)
47. The Power of Us (2018)
48. Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution (2019)

Which Order Should You Choose?

Most viewers should start with release order because Pokémon evolved gradually over time, and that approach keeps the changing animation styles, regions, and companion casts easy to follow. If you mainly care about Ash’s long-form anime journey, you can watch the shows straight through and treat most of the films as optional side adventures. Meanwhile, Pokémon Horizons is the cleanest jumping-on point for anyone who wants a modern starting place without decades of backlog.

🔗 Related Guides

• Dragon Ball Watch OrderGuide
• Naruto Watch OrderGuide
• One Piece Watch OrderGuide

Did we miss anything? Let us know and we'll keep this guide up to date!