Season

If you were looking for the game mechanic introduced in Generation V, see season (mechanic).

If you were looking for the six-week-long divisions known as League Seasons, see Play! Pokémon.

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A season is a type of ordered collection of dubbed episodes of the Pokémon anime based on how the dub is aired. They usually share an opening, and are often 52 or fewer episodes long. They do not necessarily align with any particular story arc.

In the United States, new seasons start to air between August and September (Seasons 1-9) or between January and June (Seasons 10-present), continuing to air regularly over the course of the following year. Previously, the English dub was aired on a schedule similar to most American shows, where each 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. The Japanese release schedule, with an episode airing nearly every week, was eventually adopted by Pokémon USA (now known as The Pokémon Company International) after 4Kids Entertainment lost dubbing rights.

Seasons are used by all dubs based on the English dub. Seasons are also used in some capacity in Asia, although the exact definitions used by these dubs vary. In Japan, there is no concept of seasons of the Pokémon anime, where new episodes air nearly every week.

In contrast to seasons, series are multi-year runs of episodes with significant story, character, and even art style differences. Whereas dub seasons are mostly annual, series usually correspond to generations of the Pokémon franchise. Unlike seasons, series exist in both the Japanese version and dubs.

List of seasons

There are three distinct definitions of a season used in official media: the televised airings, home video releases, and digital releases. Since season 7, these definitions have coincided.

• The television definition used by Region 4 home video releases and formerly on Pokémon TV, Toonami Jetstream, and Cartoon Network Video, corresponding to groups of episodes that aired regularly over the course of a year with a break taken in between.
• The digital release definition is used by DisneyNOW, digital home video releases and currently used by Pokémon TV, matching the TV definition except between the second and third season and the fifth and sixth season, where it splits the seasons by series or arc.
• The home video definition is used by most Region 1 home video releases, corresponding to groups of episodes that share the same opening and are part of the same series or arc.

Logo	Season name	Medium	Debut episode	Final episode	Episodes
	Pokémon: Indigo League	Television	EP001 Pokémon - I Choose You!	EP057 The Breeding Center Secret	52
		Digital release	EP001 Pokémon - I Choose You!	EP057 The Breeding Center Secret	52
		Home video	EP001 Pokémon - I Choose You!	EP080 Friends to the End	79/78
	Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands	Television	EP052 Princess vs. Princess	EP105 Charizard Chills	52/49
		Digital release	EP052 Princess vs. Princess	EP116 The Rivalry Revival	60
		Home video	EP081 Pallet Party Panic	EP116 The Rivalry Revival	36/34
	Pokémon: The Johto Journeys	Television	EP106 The Pokémon Water War	EP157 The Fortune Hunters	52
		Digital release	EP117 Don't Touch That 'dile	EP157 The Fortune Hunters	41
		Home video	EP117 Don't Touch That 'dile	EP157 The Fortune Hunters	41
	Pokémon: Johto League Champions	All	EP158 A Goldenrod Opportunity	EP209 Machoke, Machoke Man!	52
	Pokémon: Master Quest	Television	EP210 Around the Whirlpool	EP262 You're a Star, Larvitar!	52
		Digital release	EP210 Around the Whirlpool	EP274 Hoenn Alone!	64
		Home video	EP210 Around the Whirlpool	EP274 Hoenn Alone!	64
	Pokémon: Advanced	Television	EP263 Address Unown!	AG040 Watt's with Wattson?	52
		Digital release	AG001 Get the Show on the Road!	AG040 Watt's with Wattson?	40
		Home video	AG001 Get the Show on the Road!	AG040 Watt's with Wattson?	40
	Pokémon: Advanced Challenge	All	AG041 What You Seed is What You Get	AG092 Judgment Day!	52
	Pokémon: Advanced Battle	All	AG093 Clamperl of Wisdom	AG145 Pasta La Vista!	52
	Pokémon: Battle Frontier	All	AG146 Fear Factor Phony	AG192 Home is Where the Start Is!	47
	Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl	All	DP001 Following A Maiden's Voyage!	DP052 Smells Like Team Spirit!	51
	Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension	All	DP053 Tears For Fears!	DP104 Sleepless In Pre-Battle!	52
	Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles	All	DP105 Get Your Rotom Running!	DP157 Gotta Get a Gible!	52
	Pokémon: DP Sinnoh League Victors	All	DP158 Regaining the Home Advantage!	DP191 Memories are Made of Bliss!	34
	Pokémon: Black & White	All	BW001 In the Shadow of Zekrom!	BW048 Battle for the Underground!	48
	Pokémon: BW Rival Destinies	All	BW049 Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!	BW097 Unova's Survival Crisis!	49
	Pokémon: BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond	All	BW098 Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!	BW142 The Dream Continues!	45
	Pokémon the Series: XY	All	XY001 Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!	XY049 Bonnie for the Defense!	48
	Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest	All	XY050 Pathways to Performance Partnering!	XY093 All Eyes on the Future!	45
	Pokémon the Series: XYZ	All	XY094 From A to Z!	XYS05 The Legend of X, Y, and Z!	48
	Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon	All	SM001 Alola to New Adventure!	SM043 When Regions Collide!	43
	Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Adventures	All	SM044 A Dream Encounter!	SM092 Turning the Other Mask!	48
	Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon—Ultra Legends	All	SM093 Lillier and the Staff!	SM146 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues!	54
	Pokémon Journeys: The Series	All	JN001 Enter Pikachu!	Ongoing

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

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.