Your Ultimate Guide to Watching Pokémon: TV Series and Movies in Order

What better way to kick off the new year than by diving back into one of the greatest anime franchises of all time? With a new season of Pokémon Horizons on the horizon, it’s the perfect moment to figure out how to watch Pokémon in order. Whether you’re a long-time fan ready to revisit the series or a newcomer eager to jump in, we’ve got you covered.

At first glance, tackling the entire Pokémon series—spanning over a thousand episodes—might seem overwhelming. Even the most dedicated Pokémon Master might struggle to find their way through Ash’s extensive adventures. But don’t worry! Our comprehensive guide will walk you through how to watch all 27 seasons of the anime and the Pokémon movies in the correct order. We’ll also cover how to view everything chronologically, ensuring you know exactly where to start.

Our guide begins with Ash’s journey in Kanto, a great starting point for those revisiting the series, especially in light of the recent passing of Misty’s voice actor. From Kanto, we’ll travel through the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Galar, wrapping up Ash’s saga.

Currently, Liko from the Paldea region is the main character in Pokémon Horizons, which you can stream on Netflix in the US and BBC in the UK. A new season of Pokémon Horizons is set to arrive on Netflix for US viewers in 2026.

While we’d typically provide an episode count for each season, that’s a tricky endeavor here. Episode counts vary by region, and some episodes have been removed or banned, while others never aired in the West. To keep things straightforward, we’ll stick to the overall season names and numbers.

You’ll also find a complete watch order for Pokémon movies by their release dates. So far, there have been 23 animated Pokémon films. The first 19, up to Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, are part of the main series. While they’re generally considered canon, they rarely affect the main storyline, so you can skip them if you want. However, we highly recommend checking out at least the first five movies.

Movies like I Choose You, The Power of Us, and Secrets of the Jungle exist in an alternate timeline and offer either re-tellings or new adventures with Ash. Additionally, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is a CGI remake of the original film, which we’ll delve into more in our chronological order section. The Pokémon Black/White movies also have slight variations, so we suggest picking just one to watch.

Now, let’s get into the more complex aspects. While you can watch Pokémon in chronological order alongside the movies, it’s not always clear where each film fits into the main narrative. However, we’ve gathered clues to help guide you through the complete saga.

The series is divided into eight eras: the Original Series, Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl, Black and White, XY, Sun and Moon, Journeys, and Horizons. As of now, not all episodes have been released in the West, and we’re still waiting for the conclusion of the first season of Horizons.

To make the list less daunting, we’ve organized everything into these distinct parts and included the episode numbers according to Pokémon’s official website. For example, Pokémon: The Johto Journeys starts at episode 105 overall, but we’ll follow the official numbering convention for Johto Journeys episode 1, and so on.

In addition to the main series, there are several Pokémon specials, spin-offs, and shorts to explore. Most of these can be watched in any order and don’t fit into the main canon, but we’ll focus on those that do first.

Mewtwo Returns is the first chronological special, set during the Johto League arc. The Pokémon Chronicles trilogy, titled The Legend of Thunder, occurs during the Master Quest series. The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, released for the franchise’s 10th anniversary, can be watched alongside the Ruby and Sapphire series. Finally, the Pokémon Mega Evolution Specials fit into the XY series, with ‘The Legend of X, Y, and Z’ concluding the Pokémon XY arc.

Here’s the order for those specials:

In addition, there are other Pokémon specials and series worth checking out. Pokémon Generations is an anthology series based on Game Freak’s video games, while Pokémon Twilight Wings consists of YouTube shorts inspired by Sword and Shield. Poketoon features YouTube shorts that first appeared in the West in 2022, and Pokémon Evolutions offers standalone episodes inspired by the eight Pokémon regions. Pokémon Hisuian Snow explores the Hisui region from Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

The four-part Pokémon Origins series adapts the story of Pokémon Red and Blue, where Red battles Team Rocket and the Elite Four. Most recently, Pokémon Concierge, a stop-motion series, has been well-received, with a second season set to debut in 2025.

Lastly, there are numerous Pikachu shorts—some attached to movies and others not available in the West. While it can be challenging to track them all down, the most notable is Pikachu’s Vacation, which aired before the first movie. There are also three shorts that serve as prologues to movies, but they aren’t essential viewing.

If you’re still in the Pokémon spirit, check out our ranking of the best Pokémon games!