Original series

The contents of this page have been suggested to be split into Pokémon the Series: The Beginning and Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver.
Please discuss it on the talk page for this page.
If you were looking for the series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Pokémon Trading Card Game → Original Series.
English logo
Japanese logo

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning and Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver, collectively referred to as Pokémon (Japanese: ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters), as Pokémon the Series: The Beginning in Asia[1], as (Korean: 오리지널 시리즈 original series) in South Korea[2][3], and by fans as the original series (Japanese: 無印編(むじるしへん) unnamed saga), are the first series of the Pokémon animated series in Asia (including Japan) and the first and second series of Pokémon the Series in the West. The series is based on the events of the core series Generation I and II Pokémon games, respectively. It was succeeded by Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire. It ran from April 1, 1997 to November 14, 2002 in Japan and from September 7, 1998 to October 25, 2003 in the United States. They were not given English names until after the release of Pokémon the Series: XY.

During the original series, rookie Trainer Ash Ketchum begins his journey in the Kanto region, leaving his home of Pallet Town with the only first partner Pokémon that Professor Oak had left to give: a reluctant and moody Pikachu. Ash's quest begins in earnest to defeat all of the Gym Leaders and get to the Pokémon League as soon as he has gained Pikachu's trust, and he is joined by two mentors, Misty and Brock.

After competing in the Indigo Plateau Conference and not performing as well as he had hoped, Ash journeys to the Orange Islands to receive the GS Ball from Professor Ivy, as it cannot be transported to Professor Oak by PC. During his time there, Ash competes in another Pokémon League, the Orange League, and meets a new friend named Tracey Sketchit. When Oak cannot figure out how to open the GS Ball on Ash's return to Pallet, the Professor sends Ash to Johto to give the special Poké Ball to Kurt. While there, Ash again competes in a Pokémon League, the Silver Conference.

Episodes in the original series are numbered with the prefix EP on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of original series episodes.

Blurb

It’s Ash Ketchum’s tenth birthday, and he’s ready to do what many 10-year-olds in the Kanto region set out to do—become a Pokémon Trainer! Things don’t go exactly the way he planned when he ends up with a Pikachu instead of a standard first Pokémon, and winning Gym Badges turns out to be much tougher than he thought. Luckily, he’s got former Gym Leaders Brock and Misty at his side, along with a bevy of new Pokémon friends, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.

Arcs and seasons

In Japan, the original series is officially divided into three chapters; their titles were officially rendered in English in Pocket Monsters Film Comic. These chapter titles are not used within the episodes themselves, but were retroactively titled as such in later releases, including VHS and DVD releases. The Japanese logos were subsequently used on the official site from 2002 to 2020, though the color of the text underneath has changed over the course of several site redesigns. The 2020 site redesign replaced the individual Episode: Orange Islands and Episode: Gold & Silver logos with the generic logo.

The sale-only VHS Gym Battle Complete Pack: Masara Town Arc, the rental-only VHS Pocket Monsters TV Special: Masara Town Arc Recap, and promotional material for the Episode: Gold & Silver VHS and DVD release retroactively titled the first chapter as Pocket Monsters: Masara Town Arc (ポケットモンスター マサラタウン編(へん)). In reruns on Kids Station and on VOD services such as Prime Video and Hulu, Mewtwo Returns is included as three special episodes between EP178 and EP179. These special episodes were not made availible on any other streaming services like YouTube, Netflix and Tubi.

When the series was dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided between five seasons. The titles for the first two seasons are not used within the episodes themselves, but were retroactively titled as such in later releases. On televised airings and Region 4 home video releases, the last 12 episodes of Master Quest are counted as part of Pokémon: Advanced. Pokémon TV and Prime Video additionally divide it instead into two distinct series: Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, consisting of the Kanto and Orange Islands episodes; and Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver, consisting of the Johto episodes.

The following tables summarize the Japanese titles, the English titles, and the Japanese and English opening themes used during each series. Seasons follow the digital release definition.

Movies

Main article: Pokémon movie → Original series

Home video releases

North American home video releases

Australian home video releases

Japanese home video releases

Gallery

For more images, please see artwork from the original series on the Bulbagarden Archives.

Posters

  • Japanese teaser poster
    Japanese teaser poster
  • Japanese teaser poster
    Japanese teaser poster
  • Japanese poster
    Japanese poster
  • Japanese poster
    Japanese poster
  • Episode: Gold & Silver poster
    Episode: Gold & Silver poster
  • Pokémon Asia poster
    Pokémon Asia poster

Main characters

Rivals

Supporting characters

Trivia

  • Originally, this series was meant to last for a year and a half, approximately as long as the Kanto saga would have lasted, had the EP038 incident not happened.
  • This is the only series of Pokémon the Series in which Ash's journey is based on two different generations of the core series Pokémon games, being based on both Generations I and II.
    • This is also the only series of Pokémon the Series where Ash places in the Top 16 of a Pokémon League Conference, his lowest placing to date.
  • This is the only series in which:
    • All of its dub seasons are dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment.
    • Episodes are animated traditionally or by using cels.
    • No CG animation is used outside of movies.
    • No Mythical Pokémon appear outside of movies, although there were later-scrapped plans for a Celebi to appear during the Johto saga.
    • At least one movie does not feature any Mythical Pokémon at all.
  • At 274 episodes, this is the animated series's longest series.
    • This series also has the most dub seasons, with five.
    • This series also contains the most movies of any series, with five.
    • This series also has the most banned episodes, with a total of seven.
  • The first 40 episodes were originally aired in syndication in the United States in 1998 before moving to Kids' WB! in 1999 for the remaining 12 episodes of Pokémon: Indigo League.
  • Throughout the English dub versions of the Johto saga, the narrator refers to the group as being "On the road to Johto". Though it would be more correct to say "On the road through Johto", he could have just been referring to the Johto League.
  • Out of all series in the animated series, this one features the most Pokémon from an upcoming generation.
  • The name of the Kanto region is never mentioned in this series.
  • In the Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl episode A Marathon Rivalry!, Ash and Brock mention having heard of Pokéathlon during their travels in Johto during this series, despite this never being shown and the competition only being introduced in Generation IV.
  • Excluding Primeape, all the Pokémon Ash catches in Kanto and the Orange Islands would later go on to gain a Mega Evolution, a regional form, and/or a Gigantamax form for their current or later stages.

In other languages

Pocket Monsters


Pocket Monsters Episode: Orange Islands


Pokémon the Series: The Beginning


Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver


References

  1. ↑ Pokémon the Series: The Beginning at the Pokémon official site for Asia
  2. ↑ 포켓몬 애니 공식 채널 on Twitter (Korean)
  3. ↑ 「포켓몬스터: 성도지방 이야기, 최종장」 특설 사이트 (Korean)

External links

Related articles

(list) Indigo League • Adventures in the Orange Islands
(list) The Johto Journeys • Johto League Champions • Master Quest
Ruby and Sapphire (list) Advanced • Advanced Challenge • Advanced Battle • Battle Frontier
Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and Pearl • Battle Dimension • Galactic Battles • Sinnoh League Victors
Black & White (list) Black & White • Rival Destinies • Adventures in Unova and Beyond
XY (list) XY • Kalos Quest • XYZ (Mega Evolution Specials)
Sun & Moon (list) Sun & Moon • Ultra Adventures‎ • Ultra Legends
Journeys (list) Journeys • Master Journeys • Ultimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles)
Horizons (list) Horizons • The Search for Laqua (Episode: Mega Evolution)
Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter Vacation • Side Stories • Pokémon Chronicles
Planetarium specials • Pikachu shorts
Mewtwo Returns • The Legend of Thunder! • Pichu Bros. in Party Panic
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon • A Ripple in Time
Complete list • Movies
This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
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