Image of Ash Ketchum and Pikachu from Pokemon. Pikachu is sitting on Ash's shoulder.

Image via The Pokemon Company

How To Watch Pokémon & Its Movies In Order

We hope you have plenty of free time.

Ryan Galloway

Published: Apr 7, 2024 09:27 pm

Let’s face it there is a lot of Pokémon, not just in gaming, but also in film and TV, so when it comes to watching it all in order things can get tricky fast. Fortunately, we’ve put together the perfect Pokémon watch order including both the series and movies.

How To Watch Pokémon in Order

Liko and Roy in a battle, using their partner Pokemon Sprigatito and Fuecoco — Image via The Pokemon Company

When watching Pokémon in order you’ve got a lot of jumping around to do. There are plenty of movies that are canon to the Pokémon story so you must fit them in between seasons of the show. Furthermore, since the series aren’t numbered it can be tricky to figure out what comes next.

Fortunately, if you follow the list we’ve made below you can experience the Pokémon anime story exactly how it was intended. Of course, there are Pokémon movies and mini-series outside of the ones listed below, however, they aren’t connected to this anime storyline so we haven’t included them in our list. Those shows and films such as the Netflix movie remake or live-action Detective Pikachu can be watched at any point or not at all, it’s entirely up to you.

Without further ado, here’s how we suggest going about watching the Pokémon animated series.

Pokémon: Indigo League (Episodes 1 – 69)
Pokémon: The First Movie
Pokémon: Indigo League (Episodes 70 – END)
Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (Episodes 1 – 24)
Pokémon: The Movie 2000
Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands (Episodes 25 – END)
Pokémon: The Johto Journeys (Episodes 1 – 38)
Pokémon 3 The Movie: Spell of the Unknown
Pokémon: The Johto Journeys (Episodes 39 – END)
Pokémon: Johto League Champions (Episodes 1 – 48)

Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest
Pokémon: Johto League Champions (Episodes 49 – END)
Pokémon: Master Quest (Episodes 1 – 47)
Pokémon Heroes Movie
Pokémon: Master Quest (Episodes 48 – END)
Pokémon: Advanced (Episodes 1 – 35)
Pokémon: Jirachi – Wish Maker
Pokémon: Advanced (Episodes 36 – END)
Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (Episodes 1 – 45)
Pokémon The Movie: Destiny Deoxys

Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (Episodes 46 – END)
Pokémon: Advanced Battle (Episodes 1 – 43)
Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
Pokémon: Advanced Battle (Episodes 44 – END)
Pokémon: Battle Frontier (Episodes 1 – 38)
Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
Pokémon: Battle Frontier (Episodes 39 – END)
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Episodes 1 – 39)
Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (Episodes 40 – END)

Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (Episodes 1 – 34)
Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension (Episodes 35 – END)
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (Episodes 1 – 31)
Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles (Episodes 32 – END)
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (Episodes 1 – 21)
Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions
Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (Episodes 22 – END)
Pokémon: Black and White (Episodes 1 – 39)

Pokémon: Black – Victini and Reshiram (or) Pokémon: White – Victini and Zekrom
Pokémon: Black and White (Episodes 40 – END)
Pokémon: Black and White: Rival Destinies (Full Season)
Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs The Sword of Justice
Pokémon: Black and White: Adventures in Unova (Full Season)
Pokémon: Black and White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond (Full Season)
Pokémon The Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened
Pokémon: XY (Episodes 1-37)
Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
Pokémon: XY (Episodes 37 – END)

Pokémon: XY: Kalos Quest (Episodes 1-33)
Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
Pokémon: XY: Kalos Quest (Episodes 34 – END)
Pokémon: XYZ (Full Season)
Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
Pokémon: Sun & Moon (Full Season)
Pokémon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures (Full Season)
Pokémon: Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends (Full Season)
Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Full Season)
Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (Full Season)
Pokémon Horizons: The Series (Ongoing)

While we included as many films in our list as possible, some of the Pokémon movies just aren’t canon, and as such they won’t fit in with your watch order at a specific point. However, you can still enjoy them once you’re up to date, here are some of the non-canonical projects for Pokémon that are still worth checking out.

Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us
Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle

Now that you know the right order it’s just a matter of finding the right places to stream everything.

Pokemon

Pokemon Horizons: The Series

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Author

Ryan Galloway

Ryan is a Senior Staff Writer for The Escapist who has been working at GAMURS since 2020. He covers a wide variety of topics between anime and gaming and boasts a degree in Journalism from Murdoch University. Email: [email protected]