15 Best Seasons of 'Pokémon,' Ranked

Pokémon is one of the longest-running kids' series of all time. With the entire franchise being one of the most profitable on the planet, it makes sense as to why it's gone on for so long. Running for a total of 27 seasons, there are, obviously, going to be some that are far better than others, with the quality fluctuating over time.

A good season of Pokémon typically includes smart and complex storytelling, well-done animation, good voice acting, and/or compelling characters. Pokémon is a series for all ages, so if a season is executed well, it'll find a way to appeal to everyone. The adventures of Ash Ketchum (Rica Matsumoto) and his trusty Pokémon, Pikachu (Ikue Ōtani), always manage to find themselves enjoyable in one way or another.

15 'Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands'

Season 2 (1997)

After the mass success of the first season of Pokémon, it was going to be tough to follow up. However, while it wasn't able to beat out the incredible first outing, Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands was still a blast to watch and provided some great content as Ash and co made their way to the illustrious Orange Islands.

As Ash battles his way through the Orange Archipelago to compete in the Orange League competition, he comes across a new companion, Tracey Sketchit (Tomokazu Seki), who takes Brock's (Yuji Ueda) place in the traditional squad. The Orange Islands era did a great job taking what was great about the first 80-something episodes and continuing it. While it may not do anything special in comparison, it kept everything that was great and let it continue to be so.

14 'Pokémon Journeys'

Season 23 (2020)

After being a network television series, Pokémon eventually made its way to streaming by moving over to Netflix with the 23rd season, Pokémon Journeys. This new season actually took the world by storm, with people actually loving the new art style and direction of the show. With Ash's new friend and companion, Goh (Daiki Yamashita), representing the Pokémon GO era of the franchise, having the goal of catching every Pokémon there is, specifically Mew (Koichi Yamadera), the series took the young trainer across every region in the Pokémon world.

Rather than locking the protagonists to one region, like previous seasons, Pokémon Journeys takes the two across the entire world, revisiting old regions and friends/foes from Ash's past, too. This new direction for the show opened up story possibilities that the series didn't previously have.

13 'Pokémon: Battle Frontier'

Season 9 (2005)

Returning to Ash and Brock's home region of Kanto, Pokémon: Battle Frontier features the two and their companions from the previous three seasons, May (Midori Kawana) and Max (Fushigi Yamada), journeying through the region to seek out the Battle Frontier. Meanwhile, May continues to participate in Pokémon Contests.

The characters of this era of Pokémon are widely beloved, and the inclusion of both the Battle Frontier and the Contest path set this season apart from the rest, feeling unique. The return to Kanto is nostalgic and also leads to scenes where Pokémon from new regions can interact with old ones, such as Ash's Phanphy, which evolves into Donphan when Ash brings it onto the team. Ash's Grovile finally evolves into Sceptile and truly becomes the Ace of his Advanced team, while the Frontier Brains provided interesting challenges and memorable battles.

12 'Pokémon: Black and White'

Season 14 (2010)

Generation 5 of Pokémon is known as one of the golden eras of the series. The Pokémon games were highly reviewed (garnering them sequels), and the new batch of Pocket Monsters were creative, fun, and lovable. When he visits the Unova region with his mom, Delia Ketchum (Masami Toyoshima) and Professor Oak (Unshō Ishizuka), he decides he's going to challenge the gym leaders of this new land and catch as many Generation 5 Pokémon as he can.

Ash was no stranger to leaving his Pokémon behind when he went to a new region, but like the games, Pokémon: Black & White stuck to only Unovan Pokémon in the wild. This really sold the feeling of traveling to a new region for new adventures. This is also the first season without Brock as a traveling companion, though Ash quickly makes new friends with the aspiring Dragon-trainer Iris (Aoi Yuuki) and Pokémon Connoisseur and gym leader Cilan (Mamoru Miyano).

11 'Pokémon: BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond'

Season 16 (2013)

Full disclosure, Pokémon: BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond starts off very rough. The first arc has Ash going into the Unova League, where he suffers one of his most infuriating defeats in the Pokémon series at the hands of Cameron (Kōki Uchiyama). There are a few good moments here and there, such as Iris' battle with Opelucid Gym Leader Drayden (Masaki Terasoma), but things really pick up when Ah and co depart for Aspertia City and meet a curious young man named N (Yuichi Nakamura).

N proves to be a good new addition to the cast, and his inclusion finally brings Team Plasma into the anime after their debut episode was shelved due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. They don't last long, but they serve their role well, thanks to how cruel some of their plans are, such as creating a mind-control device to use on the legendary dragon, Reshiram. This season also saw a few fun callbacks to Season 1, such as Ash helping a Caterpie evolve and the return of his beloved Charizard.

10 'Pokémon Advanced'

Season 6 (2002)

With the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire on the way, it was time to bring Ash and Pikachu over to the Hoenn region and meet the likes of May and the new catalog of Pokémon in these far new lands. Pokémon: Advanced did just this and kicked off a new era for the Pokémon franchise that actually helped usher in the new generation of young adults nowadays, back into their childhood.

The new cast joining the young Ketchum is widely beloved, and to make things even better. May set herself apart from Misty by being a pupil who learned from Ash. Max was there to contrast her with his knowledge, and Brock returned to keep being the group's adult. This kicked off an era of Pokémon that would last three more seasons outside of this, thanks to how much people enjoyed the region of Hoenn.

Season 22 (2018)

Pokémon: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends is a huge season for the series—monumental, in fact. This is mostly because Pokémon: Sun & Moon – Ultra Legends Episode 47, "Enter the Champion!" features the very first time that the heroic Ash Ketchum would win a Regional Pokémon League, when he takes home the Championship title of the Alola League Champion.

One of people's biggest complaints about the series before this was the fact that Ash lost a lot of his big potential in the Championship. Why did it take the guy a whole 22 seasons to finally take home a win? Who knows? The Pokémon Company finally decided to give the young man the win he deserved.

8 'Pokémon: Indigo League'

Season 1 (1997)

The first 80 episodes of the Pokémon anime were groundbreaking in every way. It set up every trope and theme the series would go on to follow for the next 26 years of the anime's tenure. The first season's heart and soul are palpable and heartwarming in almost every way. It made people fall in love with the exploits of Ash and Pikachu.

While the game series is huge, it's this first season of the show that got as many fans on the series as there are today. It appealed to both kids and adults in different ways and made for a gateway for people to check out the games or simply stay connected with the anime for years to come. Not to mention, that opening theme just cannot be beaten.

7 'Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master'

Finale Miniseries (2023)

Technically included as part of Season 25, Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master is a miniseries of its own that covers the final arc of the anime. That's right, after 26 years of adventures, The Pokémon Company actually decided to let Ash and his trusty partner rest and become the Pokémon World Champion. It was an achievement he'd been pursuing the entire series, and to see him accomplish it was honestly beautiful to see.

Not only were the stakes high, but the animation quality was top-notch. The badass final battle between Ash and Leon (Daisuke Ono) was spectacular and did everything the series needed to do. While it was an astoundingly difficult battle and almost took Pikachu down for the count, a good flashback and dreamscape of friendship brought the little yellow mouse to the finish line. It's only fitting that all of Pikachu's comrades and friends be there to inspire him to finish the fight.

6 'Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl'

Season 10 (2006)

Another one of the "golden ages" of the Pokémon franchise is the era of Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl. The games were widely accepted as some of the best in years, and the anime reflected that closely. The introduction of the beloved Dawn (Megumi Toyoguchi) was an enthusiastically accepted one, and she became one of the best companions in the franchise.

But, most notably, Season 10 brought one of the best rivals in the Pokémon series to screens all across the world: Paul (Kiyotaka Furushima). He's one of the most ruthless and uncaring Pokémon trainers out there, making him the perfect contrast to the ever-loving Ash. This story between the two enhances Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl to new heights entirely.