# List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 1–13)
**List of Pokémon episodes (seasons 1–13)** covers the first thirteen English-dub seasons of the Pokémon animated series, spanning the show's premiere in 1997 through the end of the Sinnoh-era *Diamond & Pearl* seasons. These seasons correspond to the first three Japanese series, *Pocket Monsters* (1997–2002), *Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation* (2002–2006), and *Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl* (2006–2010), and follow the trainer [Ash Ketchum](https://www.edgepedia.org/ash-ketchum) and his Pikachu through the Kanto, Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions.[1](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_episodes) • [2](https://www.pokemon.co.jp/tv_movie/anime/) • [13](https://www.pokemon.co.jp/tv_movie/anime/?top_anime002=msign)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese premiere | Episode 1, "Pokémon - I Choose You!" (ポケモン！きみにきめた！), aired April 1, 1997 on TV Tokyo[1](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_episodes) |
| English premiere | The dub began in US syndication on September 7, 1998, opening with episode 15, "Battle Aboard the St. Anne", with episode 1 following the next day[3](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29) |
| Seasons covered | Seasons 1–5 (original series), 6–9 (Advanced Generation), and 10–13 (Diamond & Pearl)[4](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon) |
| Japanese organization | Japan has no season concept; episodes air nearly weekly and are grouped into multi-year series tied to game generations[5](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arc) |
| Season division | English seasons are divided by each episode's English opening, except seasons 1 through 6, which were divided by 52-episode segments[6](https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_the_Series) |
| Episode length | About 25 minutes in Japanese; the dub removes sponsor listings, bonus segments, and next-episode previews, cutting runtime to about 21 minutes[7](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series) |
| Dub producers | 4Kids Entertainment dubbed the early seasons; from season 11 through season 22 the dub was produced by The Pokémon Company International with DuArt Film and Video[7](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series) |
## How the seasons are defined
The English-language numbering of Pokémon episodes does not match the Japanese one. In Japan the show is a single continuous run divided into *series*, multi-year blocks that roughly correspond to generations of the Pokémon games, such as *Pocket Monsters*, *Advanced Generation*, and *Diamond & Pearl*.[5](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arc) Outside Japan, broadcasters split the run into roughly year-long seasons of about 40 to 52 episodes, each with its own title and logo.[8](https://staging.pokemondungeon.com/pokemon-animated-series/) Seasons are exclusive to the English and English-derived international dubbing pipelines, and since 4Kids [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) stopped dubbing the show, no season has contained episodes from more than one Japanese series.[5](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arc) • [6](https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_the_Series)
Three distinct definitions of a season have been used in official Western media: televised airings, home video releases, and digital releases. Since season 7 these definitions have coincided.[5](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arc)
## Seasons 1–5: the original series
The first five seasons adapt the Japanese *Pocket Monsters* run and cover Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto.[4](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon)
| Season | English title | Episodes | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indigo League | 82 | 1997–1999 |
| 2 | Adventures in the Orange Islands | 36 | 1999 |
| 3 | The Johto Journeys | 41 | 1999–2000 |
| 4 | Johto League Champions | 52 | 2000–2001 |
| 5 | Master Quest | 65 | 2001–2003 |
Counts and years per one episode tracker[9](https://billsarchive.com/anime-tracker.html); other databases using different season boundaries give different totals, for example 52 episodes for season 1.[10](https://thetvdb.com/series/pokemon)
The season 1 opening episode, "Pokémon - I Choose You!", aired in Japan on April 1, 1997 and in the United States on September 8, 1998, a gap of 525 days.[1](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_episodes) Season 2, *[Adventures in the Orange Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/pokemon-adventures-in-the-orange-islands)*, follows Ash, Misty, and a new companion, Tracey Sketchit, through the subtropical Orange Archipelago.[11](https://www.inwhatorder.com/pokemon-anime/chronological) The first season's English theme song was used as the opening for 79 of its episodes.[12](https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/135110/NystenJanina.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=2)
## Seasons 6–9: Advanced Generation
Seasons 6 through 9 adapt the Japanese *Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation* series, set in the Hoenn region and later the Battle Frontier.[4](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon) Their English titles are *Advanced* (season 6), *Advanced Challenge* (season 7), *Advanced Battle* (season 8), and *Battle Frontier* (season 9).[4](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon) Database listings place season 6 at 40 episodes (November 2002 to August 2003), season 7 at 52 (September 2003 to September 2004), season 8 at 52 (September 2004 to September 2005), and season 9 at 47 (October 2005 to September 2006).[10](https://thetvdb.com/series/pokemon)
## Seasons 10–13: Diamond & Pearl
Seasons 10 through 13 adapt the Japanese *Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl* series, set in the Sinnoh region.[4](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon) The English titles are *Diamond and Pearl* (season 10), *DP: Battle Dimension* (season 11), *DP: Galactic Battles* (season 12), and *DP: Sinnoh League Victors* (season 13).[10](https://thetvdb.com/series/pokemon) Season 10 ran from September 2006 to October 2007 with 51 episodes in one database's count.[10](https://thetvdb.com/series/pokemon) The Japanese *Diamond & Pearl* series ran from 2006 to 2010, so the dub's season 13 concluded before the Japanese block itself ended.[2](https://www.pokemon.co.jp/tv_movie/anime/)
## Broadcast history
In Japan, episodes EP001 through EP038 aired Tuesdays at 6:30 PM from April 1 to December 16, 1997, after which new episodes moved to Thursdays at 7:00 PM from April 16, 1998.[3](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29) The series has gone on hiatus only twice in its run: a four-month pause after the 1997 Porygon incident and a seven-week pause during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[3](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29)
In the United States, episodes EP001 through EP043 ran in syndication from September 7 to October 30, 1998, followed by [Kids' WB](https://www.edgepedia.org/kids-wb) from February 13, 1999, and then [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) from September 2006, which carried the later seasons in this range.[3](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29) The English dub of the Sinnoh-era episodes aired on Cartoon Network under the title block that ran through January 28, 2017 for the XY seasons that followed.[3](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29)
## Episode structure
Every episode uses the same format: it starts with a cold open, then the opening theme and title card run before the first half; an eyecatch and a sponsor listing follow, then the second half closes with a "To Be Continued" message; finally come the ending theme, a bonus segment, and a preview of what airs next.[7](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series) Early in the run the Japanese version did not use a cold open, placing an introductory scene after the opening theme instead; the English dub introduced a cold open during the Johto era by moving that scene to the start of the episode.[7](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series) Episodes through the fifth-season episode "A Crowning Achievement" were animated on cel; from "Here's Lookin' at You Elekid!" onward, all episodes are digitally animated.[7](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series)
## References
1. [List of animated series episodes, Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_episodes)
2. [アニメ作品一覧, ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト](https://www.pokemon.co.jp/tv_movie/anime/)
3. [Pokémon animated series, Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pocket_Monsters_%28TV%29)
4. [Pokemon, Episode List Wiki, Fandom](https://episode-list.fandom.com/wiki/Pokemon)
5. [Season, Bulbapedia](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Arc)
6. [Pokémon the Series, Pokémon Wiki, Fandom](https://pokemon.fandom.com/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_the_Series)
7. [Pokémon animated series, Bulbapedia (TV series)](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/TV_series)
8. [Pokémon Anime Seasons in Order, PokéMonDungeon](https://staging.pokemondungeon.com/pokemon-animated-series/)
9. [Pokémon Anime Tracker, Bill's Archive](https://billsarchive.com/anime-tracker.html)
10. [ポケットモンスター, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/pokemon)
11. [Pokémon (Anime) Chronological Order, InWhatOrder](https://www.inwhatorder.com/pokemon-anime/chronological)
12. [Gotta collect 'em all: Differences between the English and Finnish versions of the song "Pokémon Theme", Nysten, Tampere University](https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/135110/NystenJanina.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=2)
13. [アニメ｜ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト](https://www.pokemon.co.jp/tv_movie/anime/?top_anime002=msign)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Screen seasons › Anime series seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license