Season

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If you were looking for the game mechanic introduced in Generation V, see seasons.
If you were looking for the six-week-long divisions known as League Seasons, see Play! Pokémon.

A season of the Pokémon anime is a collection of dubbed episodes that begin airing for the first time starting between August and September (Seasons 1-9), between April and June (Seasons 10-13, 20), or between January and February (Seasons 14-19), continuing to air regularly over the course of the following year. They usually share an opening, and are often 52 or fewer episodes long. 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.

It should be noted that these seasons do not apply to the Japanese version of the show, where episodes of Pokémon air nearly every Thursday. 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.

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 televised airings is the definition used by Region 4 home video releases and formerly used by Pokémon TV, corresponding to groups of episodes that aired regularly over the course of a year with a break taken in between.
  • 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.
  • The digital release definition is used by Watch Disney XD, digital home video releases and currently used by Pokémon TV, using the TV definition except between the second and third season and the fifth and sixth season, where it uses the home video divisions.

List of seasons

Logo Season name Medium Debut episode Final episode Episodes
Season1 logo.png Pokémon: Indigo League Television
Television
EP001
Pokémon - I Choose You!
EP057
The Breeding Center Secret
52
Digital release
Digital release
EP001
Pokémon - I Choose You!
EP080
Friends to the End
79
Home video
Home video
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Season2 logo.png Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands Television
Television
EP052
Princess vs. Princess
EP116
The Rivalry Revival
60
Digital release
Digital release
EP081
Pallet Party Panic
EP116
The Rivalry Revival
36
Home video
Home video
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Season3 logo.png
File:03.png
EP117 Television
Television
Don't Touch That 'dile
EP157
The Fortune Hunters
41
0
Digital release
Digital release
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Home video
Home video
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Season4 logo.png Pokémon: Johto League Champions All EP158
A Goldenrod Opportunity
EP209
Machoke, Machoke Man!
52
Season5 logo.png Pokémon: Master Quest Television
Television
EP210
Around the Whirlpool
EP262
You're a Star, Larvitar!
52
Digital release
Digital release
EP210
Around the Whirlpool
EP274
Hoenn Alone!
64
Home video
Home video
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Season6 logo.png Pokémon: Advanced Television
Television
EP263
Address Unown!
AG040
Watt's with Wattson?
52
Digital release
Digital release
AG001
Get the Show on the Road!
AG040
Watt's with Wattson?
40
Home video
Home video
EP001
'
Ongoing 0
Season7 logo.png Pokémon: Advanced Challenge All AG041
What You Seed is What You Get
AG092
Judgment Day!
52
Season8 logo.png Pokémon: Advanced Battle All AG093
Clamperl of Wisdom
AG145
Pasta La Vista!
52
Battle Frontier logo.png Pokémon: Battle Frontier All AG146
Fear Factor Phony
AG192
Home is Where the Start Is!
47
Season10 logo.png Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl All DP001
Following A Maiden's Voyage!
DP052
Smells Like Team Spirit!
51
Pokémon Battle Dimension logo.png Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension All DP053
Tears For Fears!
DP104
Sleepless In Pre-Battle!
52
Galactic Battles Logo.png Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles All DP105
Get Your Rotom Running!
DP157
Gotta Get a Gible!
52
Season 13 Logo.png Pokémon DP: Sinnoh League Victors All DP158
Regaining the Home Advantage!
DP191
Memories are Made of Bliss!
34
Season 14 logo.png Pokémon: Black & White All BW001
In the Shadow of Zekrom!
BW048
Battle for the Underground!
48
Season 15 logo.png Pokémon BW: Rival Destinies All BW049
Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader!
BW097
Unova's Survival Crisis!
49
Season 16 logo.png
Season 16 logo 2.png
Pokémon BW: Adventures in Unova and Beyond All BW098
Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!
BW142
The Dream Continues!
45
Pokémon the Series XY logo.png Pokémon the Series: XY All XY001
Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!
XY049
Bonnie for the Defense!
48
Season 18 logo.png Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest All XY050
Pathways to Performance Partnering!
XY093
All Eyes on the Future!
45
Season 19 logo.png Pokémon the Series: XYZ All XY094
From A to Z!
SS036
The Legend of X, Y, and Z!
48
Season 20 logo.png Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon All SM001
Alola to New Adventure!
Ongoing


Original series (list) Indigo LeagueAdventures in the Orange Islands
The Johto JourneysJohto League ChampionsMaster Quest
Ruby and Sapphire (list) AdvancedAdvanced ChallengeAdvanced BattleBattle Frontier
Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and PearlBattle DimensionGalactic BattlesSinnoh League Victors
Black & White (list) Black & WhiteRival DestiniesAdventures in Unova and Beyond
XY (list) XYKalos QuestXYZ (Mega Evolution Specials)
Sun & Moon (list) Sun & MoonUltra Adventures‎Ultra Legends
Journeys (list) JourneysMaster JourneysUltimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles)
Horizons (list) Horizons
Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter VacationSide StoriesPokémon Chronicles
Planetarium specialsPikachu shorts
Mewtwo ReturnsThe Legend of Thunder!Pichu Bros. in Party Panic
The Mastermind of Mirage PokémonA Ripple in Time
Complete listMovies


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