It’s usually as simple as opening or directing them to the appropriate streaming service when looking for a new show to watch or recommending one to a friend.
Do you wish to watch The Boys? On Amazon Prime. Know anyone who hasn’t seen Breaking Bad yet? Start using Netflix. When it comes to Pokemon, things are pretty simple.
Streaming Pokemon has 25 seasons, so there are lots to watch again or catch up on. The issue is that they are not all gathered together.
Not going to be close. You’ll need multiple subscriptions if you want to watch all of Pokemon’s 25 seasons, plus spinoff shows and movies, which are spread across multiple streaming services.
Unfortunately, the Pokemon TV app that had a lot of free shows and movies has been taken down, which makes this process even harder.
As a final curveball, the services that show certain seasons vary based on where you are in the world.
So that things stay simple, and even though I think that ship has sailed, the list below shows the seasons in order and tells you where to watch each one if you live in the US.
| Season | Service |
|---|---|
| Season 1: The Beginning | Netflix |
| Season 2: The Beginning | Amazon Prime (via $3 add-on) |
| Seasons 3 – 5: Gold & Silver | Amazon Prime |
| Seasons 6 – 9: Ruby & Sapphire | Amazon Prime, Freevee, and Hoopla |
| Seasons 10 – 12: Diamond & Pearl | Amazon Prime (via $3 add-on) and Hoopla |
| Season 13: Diamond & Pearl | Amazon Prime (via $3 add-on) and Hoopla |
| Seasons 14 – 16: Black & White | Amazon Prime (via $3 add-on) and Tubi |
| Seasons 17 – 19: XY | Amazon Prime and Hulu |
| Seasons 20 – 22: Sun & Moon | Amazon Prime (via $3 add-on) and Roku |
| Seasons 23 – 25: Journeys | Netflix |
| Season 26: Horizons | Netflix |
| Paldean Wings | YouTube |
| Hisuian Snow | YouTube |
| Twilight Wings | YouTube |
| Pokemon Evolutions | YouTube |
| Pokemon Generations | YouTube |
| Poketoon | YouTube |
| Pokemon Concierge | Netflix |
Netflix
With more subscribers than any other platform on the planet, at least for the time being, Netflix is the first place most people go when it comes to streaming.
That’s also where you’ll begin and end your Pokemon anime journey. The show’s first season, complete with its famous opening theme, is available to all Netflix subscribers.
Things get a little confusing here for the first time if you’re trying to watch the show in order. If you decide to keep watching Netflix after season one is over, you’ll be directed to season 23.
There are also three more seasons of the Pokemon anime on Netflix, so you can watch the whole series.
You also get the stop-motion comedy Pokemon Concierge, which now has its own line of merchandise.
Roku, Tubi, Freevee, And Hulu
Fans of Amazon Prime who don’t want to sign up for the extra content or don’t want to switch back and forth between it and their regular Prime account will get both good and bad news.
If you’re already signed up for any of the subscription services, some of the seasons on Amazon are also available on those services.
Each of the four streaming services—Roku, Tubi, Freevee, and Hulu—has a small slice of the Pokemon anime that they also own.
Hoopla
Some Pokemon anime episodes might not be available on Hoopla, but it’s still the best place to watch the show for free.
People all over the US and some other countries can use Hoopla, a service that is linked to public libraries.
There is a service called BingePass that lets people with library cards from participating libraries rent multiple seasons of some shows.
They include a Pokemon BingePass that lets you watch seasons 6 through 13 of the Pokemon anime.
You don’t even have to go to the library; you can do it all on the internet or an app. Plus, it’s a digital collection, not a boxset that needs to be mailed.
Amazon Prime
You should feel proud that you have Amazon Prime if you do. All 21 seasons of the Pokemon anime that aren’t on Netflix can be watched on this service, from season 2 to season 22.
It’s not that hard after all, but there’s a catch. The way Amazon’s Pokemon content has been split into two categories—content that is accessible to all subscribers and content that requires a $3 monthly fee for its Pokemon add-on—doesn’t make much sense.
I think you’ll want to watch season two on Netflix now that season one is over. You’ll need Amazon Prime to make that happen and the Pokemon channel add-on.
That wall blocks season two as well as seasons 10–16 from the Diamond & Pearl and Black & White eras of the show.
These seasons, along with seasons 17, 18, and 19, are on the regular version of Prime, though.
Also, you’ll need to go back to the other Pokemon channel to watch seasons 20 through 22. Amazon made a mess. It worked very well.
The Movies
Simply because not all of the 24 movies released so far are readily available on streaming services, trying to watch the Pokemon movies in order might be even more difficult than following the show.
To your surprise, 16 of them are on Hoopla (I told you it was good). Starting with Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and continuing through Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel are the first three films, followed by films eight through twenty.
You can watch the two newest films and Detective Pikachu on Netflix. For the others, you’ll have to buy or rent them somewhere.
YouTube
Yes, there is still more, even though that does cover every season of the Pokemon anime (some of them more than once).
A few other games based on Pokemon have also been made. Good news: you don’t have to watch them in a certain order, and you can watch all of them for free on YouTube.
After watching the main anime and still want more, or if you’ve read this and don’t feel like going through that, you can choose any of the shows below and watch them on YouTube in any order you like.
- Paldean Winds
- Hisuian Snow
- Twilight Wings
- Pokemon Evolutions
- Pokemon Generations
- Poketoon
Pokémon TV
Pokemon TV is the Pokémon Company’s own streaming platform. It has an app as well as a website where videos can be watched. Pokemon TV currently has all three seasons of Journeys, as well as all three seasons of Sun & Moon and the first two seasons, which are known as “Pokémon: The Beginning.”
Additionally, the platform switches between the first two seasons of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire every month.
The service also releases themed episodes, like episodes with Legendary Pokémon or episodes with a certain character.
Pokemon TV is totally free and doesn’t have any ads, so Pokémon fans should definitely get it.
Fans can find comfort on the website when the episode they want to watch isn’t available on the service because it has text summaries and pictures of all the episodes.
The service also has past special series like Pokémon Generations and content for very young kids known as Pokémon Kids TV.
Seasons will eventually be available on Pokémon TV for those who are patient, though it might take a while to go through all of them.
