Pokémon (1997-2023) - Specials Episodes and Ratings

A recap of the first 27 episodes of the original anime.

An animated adaptation of the "Birth of Mewtwo" radio drama, which was later attached to the beginning of the first movie for the Japanese video release. A small 3 minute heavily edited version was released on the US version DVDs, while the full uncut version was made available on the Mewtwo Returns DVD.

A series of winter and Christmas themed shorts. The first two segments are Christmas Night & Kanga Games.

The new year special of 1999; a recap of the first 77 episodes of the original anime.

Ash, Misty, and Tracey deciding bringout all of their Pokémon, and the go off somewhere. While sleeping, Togepi falls down a steep hill and disappears into a hole. Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Marill, Venonat and Psyduck follow Togepi. They end up in a giant tree where Pikachu appears to have lived in before.

A series of winter and Christmas themed shorts. The second release contains Winter Games & Stantler's Little Helpers.

A short special based on life of the Pokémon Slowking.

A recap where the characters remember the encounters with Pokémon from Johto.

The first of three rental VHS tapes recapping the first saga of the anime.

The second of three rental VHS tapes recapping the first saga of the anime.

The third of three rental VHS tapes recapping the first saga of the anime.

A series of winter and Christmas themed shorts. The third and last release contains Delibird's Dilemma, Snorlax Snowman, and Trouble in Big Town.

Ash, Misty, and Brock continue exploring the Johto region and have to rescue Pikachu after Jessie and James of Team Rocket kidnap him. The search leads them to the hidden plateau where Mewtwo has established a haven for the cloned Pokémon from the previous film. The evil Giovanni is plotting to recapture Mewtwo and renew his efforts to create an army of bio-engineered Pokémon. Aided by the reluctant Meowth, Ash and his friends defeat Giovanni and his henchman.

A made for television special that showcased the legendary Raikou, as well as brand new trainers. It became the first three episodes of Pokémon Chronicles. This was based on the release of Pokémon Crystal and is called as such in the Japanese title.

This is an animated cartoon that was released inside the game Pokémon Channel. A half-hour long anime show, broken into five short segments, featuring the Pichu Brothers. Meowth throws a party that the Pichu brothers and their friends are not invited to. After a series of events, they find out they were invited, but their invitations were simply delivered late. They go to Meowth's Party and hear him sing. The series has a total of five episodes, each on its own channel.

Summer has arrived, and many Pokémon have set up shops for a summer festival on the beach. Soon the gang will be blessed by a special performance from the pop idol Azumarill, but upon her arrival, she's kidnapped by the flying Pokémon Skarmory! Pikachu, along with Plusle, Minun, Meowth, Wobbuffet and a number of other Pokémon must now track down the singing beauty; the show must go on!

Pikachu and his friends have a picnic when they discover a Ghost Festival. The walk in to it, and find out that it is haunted by Ghost Pokémon and other Pokémon such as Koffing, Lickitung, Ditto, and Cubone. Meowth also discovers the Ghost Festival and gets scared out of his mind. Pikachu makes friends with the ghosts, and they work together to make Meowth run out of the Festival.

Ash is personally invited to the lab of Dr. Yung to test out his new battle system. When arriving there he meets up with Misty and Professor Oak who were also invited. Dr. Yung appears and challenges both Misty and Ash to a battle. He easily defeats Misty, but his match with Ash is interrupted by a cloaked figure named Mirage Master. Mirage Master turns Dr. Yung’s experiments against him and captures him and Professor Oak! As Brock goes for help (and to get a date), Ash and Misty sneak into the castle to rescue the Professor while May and Max wait outside. However, Mirage Master seems strikingly familiar, is he possibly hiding something?

Pikachu and the other Pokémon were at the beach, when a weakened Wynaut approaches them. It tells them that its friends were attacked by Meowth and the other Team Rocket Pokémon, as well as an Exploud and a Hariyama, because Meowth wanted to take over their playground, which resides on a nearby island. After hearing Wynaut's story, Pikachu and the others decide to help them take back their playground, and begin to train them, so that they can rescue their island from the clutches of Meowth.

A boy wakes up to find that he's been turned into a Squirtle and can now understand the Pokémon Language. He learns that disasters have been happening lately and rescue teams have been formed. He joins his friends Charmander and Chikorita on Team Go-Getters. They get an assignment where they must go to the Sinister Cave to find the older brother of a Pichu. However, they have rivals on the mission – Team Meanie, a team of mean Pokémon Ekans, Medicham, and Gengar. Will they be able to rescue Pikachu and beat Team Meanies?

The fourth short premiered on ANA flights on August 1, 2007.

Chimchar is ready to join an exploration team, and with his newly human turned pokémon friend Piplup, he is ready for any challenge that may arise, inclduing Grovyle's plot to steal a Time Gear.

While playing in the ocean near a tropical resort, Pikachu & Co. get in a scuffle with Team Rocket's Pokémon. This scuffle causes the Pokémon to wind up miles away in an Ice-covered Paradise. However, when they get there, they are seperated soon find that certain Pokémon in the area require their assistance. Will they be able to reunite with their friends and help these Pokémon out?

Having become stronger as a team and joined forces with Grovile, Piplup and Chimchar head to the Hidden Land in order to stop the destruction of time. Grovile explains that Dialga, Master of Time, has been going crazy with its home of Temporal Tower collapsing, and is in the process of becoming the evil Primal Dialga of the future. The only way to stop the destruction of time is to defeat Dialga. When Lapras brings them to the Hidden Land, Team Poképals head to the Old Ruins in order to ride the Rainbow Stoneship to Temporal Tower.

Summer! Everyone is full of energy today. Pikachu and friends play with their beach ball! Pikachu and Pochama are chasing and diving in a river when they drift over and see a metropolis. "Where are we?" they said, searching from the rooftops of the buildings. Suddenly, with a bang, jagged-eared Pichu and Muchul collide. The two argue in an angry mood. "Sparkling is gone! It was the present to give to Kireihana..." Besides, today is her birthday!? This is troublesome! We must hurry and search. Moreover, Nyarth-tachi are aiming too! Thus, the Great Sparkling Search begins!

In Oblivia Region, a Pokémon Ranger named Natsuya, receives a mission of head for the archipelago to stop a villainous team - Pokémon Pinchers' misdeeds from poaching and selling Pokémon which tasked by Professor Hastings. During his mission, he meets Ukulele Pichu and captures it.

The seventh short premiered on ANA flights on August 1, 2010.

After concluding her journey with Satoshi and Takeshi, Hikari returns home and has to decide which of her Pokémon to take with her on her journey to become a Top Coordinator.

Takeshi has returned to Nibi City so he can study to become a Pokémon Doctor. However, a Nurse Joy that is a Pokémon Inspection Officer declares that the Gym Leader change was not certified. Hearing this, Forrest challenges Nurse Joy to a battle to prove his worth as the new Pewter City Gym Leader. Will Forrest defeat Nurse Joy and succeed Brock as the new Gym Leader of Pewter City?

Ash's Pikachu and friends visit a town with a huge draw bridge, but problems arise when they come across Ash's Oshawott and Tepig, who have eaten the fruits that wild Gothita and Darumaka had collected. They head off to collect fruits from the forest across the bridge, but then Meowth appears and tries to steal the fruits. On top of that, the bridge is raised, blocking their passage. What will Pikachu do? The fight for the fruits begins!!

This special features Team Rocket ranking the Pokémon movies in celebration of their 15th anniversary.

The original story is set before Mewtwo meets Satoshi and his friends in the upcoming film's storyline. It will focus on Mewtwo's history, goals, and how it became the strongest Pokémon.

Dent visits Johto on a fishing trip and finds a Gyarados who is behaving oddly. He relays the information to the local Pokémon Center, where Takeshi is working, and an investigation commences.

Prequel special to the Pocket Monsters XY series.

The second special episode of the Best Wishes series of the Pokémon anime. It first aired in Japan on March 27, 2014 as a one-hour special with XY021.

Pokémon Trainer Alain wishes to battle every single Mega Evolution there is, and he travels around the world to accomplish his goal. He first seeks out Elite Four member Siebold, who he has heard possesses a Mega Stone.

The first part, "Pocket Monsters: A Complete Showcase of Legendary Pokemon," is a re-broadcast of select episodes of the anime where legendary Pokémon have appeared. These included "A Promise Is a Promise," "The Scuffle of Legends," "The Battle Finale of Legend!," and "What Lies Beyond Truth and Ideals!" The second part, "Pocket Monsters XY Special: A Full Showcase of Intense Battles!" is a recap of Satoshi and Serena's adventures in Kalos so far.

Alain continues his journey to find and defeat all of the Mega Evolutions in the world. He next meets up with Hoenn Region Champion, Steven Stone. Steven has also been traveling to understand the secrets of Mega Evolution and the Mega Stones, but both are caught off guard when Rayquaza appears in the skies.

Alain and Steven must find a way to stop an apocalyptic clash between Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza before these titans turn the Hoenn Region into a ruin.

After Baraz sets off to find the Prison Bottle for Hoopa, Meray remembers how the three of them grew up together. The young Baraz decides that Hoopa should use its rings to help people instead of playing tricks on them, but it doesn't always go as planned.

Alain has returned to Kalos with Lysandre to be tested in a match against ten Mega Evolved Pokémon. Alain loses his Mega Stone and Key Stone if he fails. Meanwhile, Chespin discovers scientists performing experiments on an unknown Pokémon, which leads it to fall victim to a mysterious illness.

A look back at all the adventures in Pocket Monsters XY&Z.

Ash travels a mountain pass to a nearby town to meet up with his dad. Along the way, he runs into a mysterious young boy with a keen interest in Pokémon.

(Never Aired) Ash and friends help Chōta get rid of the Barboach and Whiscash causing tremors on Jojo Island, when Team Rocket gets an idea to use the Pokémon for themselves.

Original 23rd episode of the Best Wishes! (Black & White) anime that was delayed indefinitely due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. While initially planned to be broadcast at a later date, the episode was never aired and was subsequently written out of continuity with the release of "Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot!".

Original 24th episode of the Best Wishes! (Black & White) anime that was delayed indefinitely due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. While initially planned to be broadcast at a later date, the episode was never aired and was subsequently written out of continuity with the release of "Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot!".