User:Evie/Anime seasons

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If you were looking for the game mechanic introduced in Generation V, see seasons.

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A season of the Pokémon anime is a collection of dubbed episodes first broadcast within the course of about one year, although different definitions have sometime been used. It is a concept that is in general unique to the North American television industry, and thus does not apply to the Japanese version of the anime.

Broadcast Seasons

An invention of the American broadcast industry, a season is typically aired new for nine months out of the year, with three months (usually during the summer) taken off to begin production for the next season, during which reruns air. Thus, for the first few seasons, of the Pokémon Anime, seasons begain airing in August or September of one year, and finished airing in May or June of the next, with the summer month being used for reruns. This schedule lasted from (Seasons 1 to9).

The Japanese release schedule of weekly episodes was eventually adopted by Pokémon USA (now known as The Pokémon Company International) after 4Kids Entertainment lost dubbing rights. Thus, later seasons would isntead run year-long, starting at first in April or May (Seasons 10-13) or in February (Seasons 14-present).

Seasons are generally 52 or fewer episodes long. While later seasons have usually shared a opening, this was not always true of the first few seasons. On the other hand, the replacement of the Pokérap by Pikachu's Jukebox corresponded with the change from season 1 to season 2.

This is the definition of season used by Pokémon.com and Australian DVD releases.

DVD Seasons

The term "season" has also been used, in the North American DVD releases, to describe group of episodes that share an opening and that fits the different series. Thus, while in terms of broadcast seasons, the Indigo League episodes were split between season 1 and season 2, on the DVD, the entire Indigo League constitutes Season 1.

Although the episode list for each season is different, the DVD releases use the same season titles as the broadcast seasons, except season 2 which is called Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands as an airing season and Pokémon: Adventures On The Orange Islands as a DVD season.

In Japan

There is no distinction between these dubbed seasons in the original Japanese airings, except when the seasons' beginnings and endings coincide with those of a new series in Japan. Each season also has a movie that corresponds to it, though the pairing of a movie with a specific anime season is merely due to the annual release they undergo in Japan. The concept of seasons does not exist in Japan, where episodes of Pokémon air nearly every Thursday.

List of seasons

Broadcast seasons

4Kids Entertainment

Logo	Season	Opening theme	Debut episode	Final episode	Episodes
	Indigo League	Pokémon Theme	EP001 Pokémon - I Choose You!	EP057 The Breeding Center Secret	52
	Adventures in the Orange Islands	Pokémon Theme (until EP083) then Pokémon World	EP052 Princess vs. Princess	EP105 Charizard Chills	52
	The Johto Journeys	Pokémon World (until EP116) then Pokémon Johto	EP106 The Pokémon Water War	EP157 The Fortune Hunters	52
	Johto League Champions	Born to Be a Winner	EP158 A Goldenrod Opportunity	EP209 Machoke, Machoke Man!	52
	Master Quest	Believe in Me	EP210 Around the Whirlpool	EP262 You're a Star, Larvitar	52
	Advanced	Believe in Me (until EP274) then I Wanna Be a Hero	EP263 Address Unown!	AG040 Watt's with Wattson	52

The Pokémon Company International

Logo	Season	Opening theme	Debut episode	Final episode	Episodes
	Advanced Challenge	This Dream	AG041 What You Seed is What You Get	AG092 Judgment Day!	52
	Advanced Battle	Unbeatable	AG093 Clamperl of Wisdom!	AG145 Pasta La Vista!	52
	Battle Frontier	Battle Frontier	AG146 Fear Factor Phony	AG192 Home is Where the Start Is!	47
	Diamond and Pearl	Diamond and Pearl	DP001 Following a Maiden's Voyage!	DP052 Smells Like Team Spirit!	50
	Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension	We Will Be Heroes	DP053 Tears For Fears!	DP104 Sleepless in Pre-Battle!	52
	Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles	Battle Cry - (Stand Up!)	DP105 Get Your Rotom Running!	DP157 Gotta Get A Gible!	52
	Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors	We Will Carry On!	DP158 Regaining the Home Advantage!	DP191 Memories are Made of Bliss!	34
	Pokémon: Black & White	Black and White	BW001 In the Shadow of Zekrom!	BW048 Battle for the Underground!	48
	Pokémon Black & White: Rival Destinies	Rival Destinies	BW049 Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!	BW097 Unova's Survival Crisis!	49
	Pokémon Black & White: Adventures in Unova	It's Always You and Me	BW098 Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!	TBA	Ongoing

DVD seasons

Logo	Season	Opening theme	Debut episode	Final episode	Episodes
	Indigo League	Pokémon Theme	EP001 Pokémon - I Choose You!	EP083 Poké Ball Peril	81
	Adventures On The Orange Islands	Pokémon World	EP084 The Lost Lapras	EP116 The Rivalry Revival	35
	The Johto Journeys	Pokémon Johto	EP117 Don't Touch That 'dile	EP157 The Fortune Hunters	41
	Johto League Champions	Born to Be a Winner	EP158 A Goldenrod Opportunity	EP209 Machoke, Machoke Man!	52
	Master Quest	Believe in Me	EP210 Around the Whirlpool	EP274 Hoenn Alone!	64
	Advanced	I Wanna Be a Hero	AG001 Get the Show on the Road	AG040 Watt's with Wattson	40

From Pokémon Advanced onward, the DVD seasons and the Broadcast seasons become identical.

Trivia

• Despite occurring in the middle of the time 4Kids Entertainment controlled the dub, the airing season and DVD season Pokémon: Johto League Champions are identical.

Series and seasons of the Pokémon animated series Original series (list) Indigo League • Adventures in the Orange Islands The Johto Journeys • Johto League Champions • Master Quest Ruby and Sapphire (list) Advanced • Advanced Challenge • Advanced Battle • Battle Frontier Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and Pearl • Battle Dimension • Galactic Battles • Sinnoh League Victors Black & White (list) Black & White • Rival Destinies • Adventures in Unova and Beyond XY (list) XY • Kalos Quest • XYZ (Mega Evolution Specials) Sun & Moon (list) Sun & Moon • Ultra Adventures‎ • Ultra Legends Journeys (list) Journeys • Master Journeys • Ultimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles) Horizons (list) Horizons Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter Vacation • Side Stories • Pokémon Chronicles Planetarium specials • Pikachu shorts Mewtwo Returns • The Legend of Thunder! • Pichu Bros. in Party Panic The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon • A Ripple in Time Complete list • Movies