The 20 Best Original Pokémon Episodes - Part One (2023)

Twenty years ago,TV Tokyobegan airing a very odd children's series called Pocket Monsters, which, like so many children's anime before and after, was intended to promote video games and trading cards for excited ankle biters. But unlike so many of his relatives,Pokémonbecame an almost overnight sensation, as many children who grew up on the series continue to follow the adventures of Ash (or Satoshi, if you prefer!)PokémonSun and moon.

Although I used a tonPokémonAnime, I'm afraid not to be thereit issuperfan level me. I stopped watching the show forever at the end of Master Quest; 250+ episodes around my 13th birthday, I lost interest just before Hoenn and wouldn't go back to itPokémonto X&Y a full decade later. Honestly, my taste in anime is so tied to incredibly silly and nostalgic EnglishtransferI can't imagine watching the show without those voices. So if you are looking for a comprehensive list of the bestPokémonfollow aentireFranchise, I wouldn't be the right man for the job.

Still, like themPokémonAnime hits its platinum anniversary, I thought it would be fun to go back to where it all began and highlight twenty of his best episodesFirstSeason, the Indigo League I originally grew up in. Revisiting the show as an adult, I was struck by how well you've aged.Pokémonheld a cartoon to be soldNintendoproducts, thank youOLMeSoftXclassic look and personality of the 90s, as theFranchisehad fewer corporate constraints on his style and more bizarre and downright anachronistic little touches were allowed to seep into the world ofPokémon.

While his reputation for breaking little heartstrings in two might be overshadowed by another episode much further up this list, it's definitely something special when we see Ash break away from one of his own for the first time adopted.Pokémon🇧🇷 It was an unexpected bittersweet shock when Ash released his first catch back into the wild, probably reflecting in some ways the early experiences of many children with losses. It was the first timePokémonhad already dealt with feelings of real sadness so played this. While I wasn't overly upset by Butterfree's departure, the brilliant ocean sunset that closes the episode definitely burned itself into my brain, and I've heard more than a few anecdotes from Pokefans screaming, "No, Ash, what are you doing?!" on screen for the first (but certainly not the last) time. Farewell, Butterfree! May you have many pastel babies with your unusually pink girlfriend.

Yes, this is the episode that features Pikachu's rowdy affair with a ketchup bottle. Honestly, it doesn't make much more sense in context. Pikachu oddly likes a ketchup bottle, Scyther accidentally breaks it to pretend he has a cartoon bull's reaction to the color red, and Pikachu is mysteriously heartbroken (and possibly traumatized?) in the process. Memes aside, Showdown at Dark City is one of thePokémonthe most successful attempts at a plot in which he overdosed in the early episodes: the "bad coach/abusive" conflict. when earlyPokémontook this premise too seriously, the results were mostly forgotten. The cartoonishly tough coach had to learn his mistakes or get smoked fighting for his armsPokémonsaved by Ash. The Dark City Showdown succeeds in upping the ante and fully embracing the aftermath of such cartoon evil as two rival gyms blast their Hatfields and McCoys-style rivalry in a city so evil they're each other transformed into a wild western crossroads where the ketchup of anarchy is the only solution to prevent all-out war. He delivers the same lesson with a lighter creativity, giving us a meme that lives on twenty years later!

While most fans would probably cite Princess vs. Princess as their favorite Misty-focused episode, I have to be the underdog and herald The Misty Mermaid as the superior Misty adventure. (While the sentiments about the troubles of being the little brother are sweet and all, Jessie's childhood was totally wasted, so I wanted her to win as a kid. And on rewatch, most of the episode is more like "women at." Jokes as the real competition. Oh, well.) After giving in to pressure to perform in her sister's underwater ballet, Misty uses her own talents to save the day and the show by giving us a rare free offers underwater experience. All of this required more action choreography and clever combat than most of the show's early speedline-based battles. And as if that wasn't enough, this is also Jessie and James' first appearance in drag in their amazing prince/ballerina ensemble that still moves me to this day. As of this episode, James couldn't stop wearing that tutu and we're even more blessed for it.

While the children had to accept early on that thePokémonAnime has never really followed the rules of the game (no, electric attacks don't work on ground types,What's happening?!), Ash's fourth fight inPokémonLeague turned its odd rule-breaking into entertainment of the highest order. Both cast and audience were stunned by the appearance of a tiny Bellsprout with godlike fighting abilities being deployedBruce Leewacky abilities to dodge or deflect any attacks thrown your way. This is another of the few battles in the beginningPokémonto provide a surprising amount of animation when the two fighters face off, as otherwise it would be impossible to make this little bud look menacing. The real climax of the fight, of course, comes when Bellsprout finally meets his opponent in a tar fight with Ash's Muk. Watching this lucky mound of slime slam his body into his little opposing branch is still hilarious, making this by far one of the most entertaining and memorable fights on the show.

This is the first episode ofPokémonon my list because upon re-reading it feels like the first episode that really uncovers the central tone of the series. While there were plenty of charming moments in those early episodes, the series didn't really seem to find its flavor until it was willing to be extremely goofy and heartfelt at the same time, rather than just attempting one or the other in a more lukewarm way. small ways. The Squirtle Squad itself is a gang of prank-loving, conch-using delinquents who have been abandoned by their owners and no longer trust humans. It's inherently ridiculous when the Turtles manage to kidnap our heroes (eTeam Rocket, who are also acting way sillier than ever in this episode), but it's also exciting when Ash restores her faith in humanity and transforms her from wanted criminals into the town's volunteer firefighters! Most notably, he gave us these iconic squirtle tones that Ash's water warrior can use when he wants to say something business.

As a kid, I always wondered why Jigglypuff became the second mascot ofPokémonafter Pikachu, getting a spot in Super Smash Bros., sitting next to Pikachu in so many important arts, etc. I know I've never used a Jigglypuff in most of my plays, and neither have most of my friends. Of course, watching the show again as an adult makes it clear: Jigglypuff is by far the best part of them allPokémonepisode she appears in and her debut episode is among the best. She's so sincere and so petty at the same time. She's so sweet and so cruel at the same time. You feel so bad about her failed dreams of stardom and yet it's so satisfying to see her get angry. I mean how would you feel if your dream was to become an international pop sensation but everyone who heard your voice fell asleep right away? How much time does poor Jigglypuff spend writing all her songs so no one can appreciate the second verse? I would probably doodle on everyone else's faces too! Combine his hilarious misfortune with a bizarre version of Las Vegas where no one can stop playing long enough to take a nap, and you have the first of many great adventures with this rampaging sycophant.

In order to keep the list as varied as possible, I had to merge these two episodes together for 14th place, since they're basically the same story with two oddly different tones. How do you like your eco message stories? Big and loud and ridiculous and stupid? Or sweet and cute and non-violent and heartbreaking? Whichever path you choose, you can't go wrong as in one episode, Tentacruel grows to a hideous size through pollution and decimates a town, while in another episode, Digletts practice civil disobedience to plant their beautiful gardens. On one side you have tanks and explosions and squid sending out a psychic warning of apocalyptic doom. On the other hand, Diglett and Dugtrio make the most musical and adorable little noises ever, and it's sickeningly precious how they politely return every Pokéball thrown to try and stop their planet-friendly crusade. Big or small, these two very different episodes make great Earth Day entertainment!

I guess I'm not the only one who says Team Rocket is my favorite partPokémonAnime, and they really came into their own for the first time in this one-episode riff in The Poseidon Adventure. While there have been hints in previous episodes of how comical their gross incompetence might be, these idiots only come when James falls for a Magikarp pyramid scheme, forcing villains to work with the idiots they so loathe in order to inflict a watery death avoid alone. This also marks the point where Ash and his friends stop seeing Team Rocket as a threat and start feeling sorry for them as more of a nuisance, even saying a little prayer for them when they think the trio must have drowned ( before pushing their bodies back in). the ocean). There is not much argument or discussion about new thingsPokémonor gameplay mechanics in this episode (although fan-favorite Gyarados shows up at the worst possible time for the gang), but its more conventional jokers and comedy of mistakes make it remember it as the episode that really made me love it did the show as a kid.

With so many comprehensive wikis covering two decades of itFranchisethere are not many "unexplained" in history.PokémonMysteries" remain, but this is definitely one of the strangest. The lost city of Pokémopolis appears exactly once and thenoh no, as its main episode starts out as a version of Indiana Jones but ends up spewing out some incredibly weird images floating in betweenPrincesa Mononokeand Godzilla vs Ghidorah. Mystical items summon a spherical, world-destroying Gengar and a spoon-wielding Alakazam to devour our heroes as they throw jabs at each other, with no rhyme or reason in sight as to where this idea came from or what it has to do with anything. Of course, this episode takes place in the oddly long filler arc between the completion of Ash's badge and thePokémonLeague, then the answer is "probably nothing". Most of these full episodes range from shrugs to outright duds, but The Ancient Pokémopolis Puzzle ends with a giant Jigglypuff bringing peace back to the valley, so it's a winner for me. Honestly, I hope this truly inscrutable ancient mystery will never be solved. It's better this way.

This is the last pure "combat" episode on the list and the only gym leader fight because in my humble opinion the actual fight wasn't the most memorable part of itPokémon🇧🇷 Given the resources available at the time, the bestPokémonWhat one could do for most battles was swap shots of speed lines and impact frames while shouting attacks, ending in aPokémonvaguely declared the winnerPokémon101 reasons. (This is especially funny given the showcompletelybroke the rules of the game in almost every fight, but I think they had toto pretendGame mechanics in dialogue to follow.) But seeing the fight with Blaine as a kid was nothing short of epic, as Charizard decided to play ball for the first time when he faced a formidable opponent, giving us an insane fight that consisted of the Depths of a a volcano into the stratosphere above.PokémonFights usually last half an episode at most, but the rematch with Blaine was preceded by a high-voltage Vulcan rescue sequence caused by Team Rocket's shenanigans, so it's pretty hard not to fall for it.Lavalike this! (Thanks, thanks, Blaine would be proud.)