Pokémon is the highest-grossing media franchise in history. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’s never heard of it. However, just because you’ve heard of Pokémon, doesn’t mean you’ve watched the entire anime. Most people probably haven’t.
With more than 25 seasons, 20 movies, and tons of specials, the Pokémon anime can be a nightmare to start without a guide. Take a look at this Pokémon watch order, which includes all the movies, shorts, specials, and spin-offs to help you on your Pokémon journey.
Pokémon Full Watch Order
Here’s the full Pokémon watch order. Basically, there’s a movie between almost all of the earlier seasons. The movies thin out toward the end though, making the watch order much smoother. Shorts and specials are sprinkled all over the place. They’re not exactly essential to the plot though, so feel free to save them for later if you want to.
- Indigo League – Episodes 1-67
- The Uncut Story of Mewtwo’s Origin (Special)
- Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back (Movie)
- Indigo League – Episodes 68-82
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 1-3 (Short)
- Adventures in the Orange Islands – Episodes 1-25
- Pokémon 2000 (Movie)
- Adventures in the Orange Islands – Episodes 26-36
- Pikachu Short – Episode 4 (Short)
- The Johto Journeys – Episodes 1-39
- Spell of the Unown: Entei (Movie)
- The Johto Journeys – Episodes 40-41
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 5-7 (Short)
- Slowking’s Day (Short)
- Johto League Champions – Episodes 1-48
- Pokemon 4ever (Movie)
- Johto League Champions – Episodes 49-52
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 8-10 (Short)
- Mewtwo Returns (Special)
- Master Quest – Episodes 1-47
- Pikachu Short – Episode 11 (Short)
- Pokémon Chronicles – The Legend Of Thunder! Parts 1-3 (Spin-off series)
- Pokemon Heroes (Movie)
- Master Quest – Episodes 48-65
- Advanced – Episodes 1-36
- Pikachu Short – Episode 12 (Short)
- Jirachi, Wish Maker (Movie)
- Advanced – Episodes 37-40
- Pokémon Chronicles – Episodes 1-11 (Spin-off series)
- Advanced Challenge – Episodes 1-45
- Pokémon Chronicles – Episodes 12-15 (Spin-off series)
- Destiny Deoxys (Movie)
- Pikachu Short – Episode 13 (Short)
- Advanced Challenge – Episodes 46-52
- Advanced Battle – Episodes 1-42
- Pokémon Chronicles – Episodes 16-18 (Spin-off series)
- Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (Movie)
- Advanced Battle – Episodes 43-53
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 14-15 (Short)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate! (Special)
- The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon (Special)
- Battle Frontier – Episodes 1-38
- Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (Movie)
- Battle Frontier – Episodes 39-47
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 16-17 (Short)
- Diamond and Pearl – Episodes 1-39
- The Rise of Darkrai (Movie)
- Diamond and Pearl – Episodes 40-52
- Pikachu Short – Episode 18 (Short)
- Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension – Episodes 1-34
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness (Special)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky – Beyond Time & Darkness (Special)
- Giratina and the Sky Warrior (Movie)
- Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension – Episodes 35-52
- Pikachu Short – Episode 19 (Short)
- Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles – Episodes 1-31
- Arceus and the Jewel of Life (Movie)
- Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles – Episodes 32-53
- Pikachu Short – Episode 20 (Short)
- Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors – Episodes 1-21
- Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs Parts 1 and 2 (Special)
- Zoroark: Master of Illusions (Movie)
- Pikachu Short – Episode 21 (Short)
- Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors – Episodes 22-34
- Black & White – Episodes 1-37
- Dawn – Setting Off on a New Journey! (Special)
- Pewter Gym – The Greatest Crisis Ever! (Special)
- Pikachu Short – Episode 22 (Short)
- White, Victini and Zekrom/Black, Victini and Reshiram (Movie) (Watch either)
- Black & White – Episodes 38-48
- Black & White: Rival Destinies – Episodes 1-49
- Pikachu Short – Episodes 23-24 (Short)
- Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice (Movie)
- Black & White: Adventures in Unova – Episodes 1-25
- Black & White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond – Episodes 1-11
- Pikachu Short – Episode 25 (Short)
- Mewtwo — Prologue to Awakening (Special)
- Genesect and the Legend Awakened (Movie)
- Black & White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond – Episodes 12-20
- Dent and Takeshi! Gyarados’s Imperial Rage!! (Special)
- Pokémon Origins – Episodes 1-4 (Spin-off series)
- XY – Episodes 1-37
- Iris vs. Ibuki! The Road to Become a Dragon Master!! (Special)
- Mega Evolution Special I (Special)
- Pikachu Short – Episode 26 (Short)
- Diancie — Princess of the Diamond Domain (Special)
- Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (Movie)
- XY – Episodes 38-48
- Mega Evolution Special II (Special)
- XY: Kalos Quest – Episodes 1-33
- Mega Evolution Special III (Special)
- Pikachu Short – Episode 27 (Short)
- Hoopa — The Mischief Pokémon (Special)
- Hoopa’s Surprise Ring Adventures – Episodes 1-6 (Short)
- Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (Movie)
- XY: Kalos Quest – Episodes 34-45
- Mega Evolution Special IV (Special)
- XYZ – Episodes 1-29
- Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (Movie)
- XYZ – Episodes 30-47
- Pokémon Generations – Episodes 1-18 (Short)
- The Legend of X, Y, and Z! (Special)
- The Strongest Duo! Citron and Dent!! (Special)
- Sun and Moon – Episodes 1-43
- Pokemon: I Choose You! (Movie)
- Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures – Episodes 1-49
- The Power of Us (Movie)
- Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends – Episodes 1-54
- Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution (Movie)
- Pokemon: Twilight Wings – Episodes 1-8 (Short)
- Pokémon Journeys – Episodes 1-48
- Secrets of the Jungle (Movie)
- Pokémon Evolutions – Episodes 1-8 (Short)
- Pokémon Master Journeys – Episodes 1-42
- Pokémon: Hisuian Snow – Episodes 1-3 (Short)
- Pokémon Ultimate Journeys – Episodes 1-57
- Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles – Episodes 1-4 (Special)
- The Distant Blue Sky (Special)
- Pokémon Horizons – Episodes 1-20 (Ongoing)
Although Ash is no longer the protagonist, the Pokémon franchise is as strong as ever. The anime itself is still ongoing, so this list will just get longer and more complicated throughout the years.
Should You Watch The Pokémon Movies, Shorts, Specials and Spin-offs?
The series episodes on their own already comprise more than a thousand episodes. Is it even worth watching the movies and side stories? If you’re pressed for time, here’s what you can skip.
The movies and spin-offs are technically canon, but they hardly ever have any effects on the main series. Skipping them comes down to whether you want to watch everything canon or are just interested in the series.
Some of the specials and shorts are canon, and some of them aren’t. But again, those that are canon don’t really have any major effects on the series and can be skipped.
Where Can You Watch Pokémon?
No single streaming service has every episode and movie in the Pokémon franchise. You’ll have to switch between various services throughout the series to watch everything.
One of the best sources is Pokémon TV. It’s directly affiliated with The Pokémon Company and has some hard-to-find specials on the platform. However, they rotate which Pokémon episodes are available on their service. So, you might have to wait to watch a specific season.
Other services that have a decent number of seasons and movies are Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Netflix.
Certain seasons within a streaming service may only be available in certain regions. For example, one season may be available on Netflix in America but not in other countries. If you’re having trouble finding episodes, switch out your IP address. Use a VPN and see if the Pokémon catalog in the streaming service you’re on has changed.
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