# Pokémon (1997)

> Ash and his partner Pikachu travel through many regions, befriending creatures and facing rivals on his quest to become a Pokémon Master.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54079

## Facts

- Seasons: 25
- Episodes: 1235
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, adventure, fantasy
- Network: TV Tokyo, TV Aichi, TVQ, TV Osaka, TVh, TSC
- Cast: Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Otani, Mayumi Izuka, Daiki Yamashita, Kenyu Horiuchi, Mayuki Makiguchi, Unsho Ishizuka, KAORI
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168366/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: cheerful, earnest, gentle, whimsical, comforting

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the long-running series positively overall, with its early seasons and the later revival seasons held up as its strongest stretches and a middle run and one weak season seen as a drop in quality.

## Synopsis

Pokémon (1997-2023) is a Japanese animated adventure series produced for TV Tokyo and a long run of regional Japanese broadcasters, spanning twenty-five seasons and more than twelve hundred episodes. It follows young trainer Ash, voiced by Rica Matsumoto, and his loyal electric companion Pikachu, voiced by Ikue Otani, as they travel through successive regions of a world populated by creatures called Pokémon. Along the way Ash befriends companions such as Kasumi, voiced by Mayumi Izuka, Serena, voiced by Mayuki Makiguchi, and Brock-like travel partners, while facing rival trainers and tournament challengers in a steady stream of battles. Each episode is largely self-contained, built around a new town, a new challenge and a new creature, with season-long goals threaded lightly through the journey. The tone is cheerful, earnest and gently comic, aimed squarely at children and families, with a sense of wonder about exploration and friendship. Its structure resembles a long-running shonen travel adventure, and fans of Digimon Adventure, Dragon Ball Z and Doraemon will find similar pleasures in its mix of companion bonds, colourful monsters and episodic quests across a broad, ever-expanding world.

## Shows like Pokémon

- [Sonic X (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/10163)
- [Digimon Data Squad (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/36676)
- [Naruto Shippūden (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/29377)
- [One Piece (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/34801)
- [Pokémon Chronicles (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/12348)
- [Pokémon Generations (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59642)
- [Pokémon Origins (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/54658)
- [Pokémon Concierge (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/140721)
- [Hamtaro (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/5319)
- [Dragon Ball (1986)](https://ember.film/tv/11756)

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