Pokemon Movies In Order
Since its inception in the mid 90s, Pokemon has been one of the most successful video game franchises in history. Second only to Nintendo’s Mario, Pokemon is notable for trading cards, TV shows, movies, and video games. The franchise started with a video game for the Game Boy, and the rest is history. The trading card mania kicked off shortly after the release of the video games, and spawned a large industry behind it. Much like Beanie Babies, individual Pokemon cards were selling for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars a card.
The Pokemon movies started in 1998 and follow different parts of the television series. Most feature Ash and Pikachu, although I Choose You! (2017) retells the beginning of their friendship in a separate storyline. Detective Pikachu also stands on its own, bringing Pokemon into a live-action world. The chart below shows which series each movie belongs to. I recommend watching each group in release order.
Pokemon has been wildly successful over the years with merchandise ranging from toys to games to cards. The trading card spin off is what defined this franchise to the world. By the end of the late 1990s, the trading card game had taken America by storm. Millions of people gave value to the cards, and similar to Magic the Gathering, many people started exchanging the cards for large amounts of money. Each card had varying properties that allowed you to play the game with fellow enthusiasts. The more valuable the card, the better stats the card usually had.
| Movie Order | Series | Trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Pokemon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (1999) | Season 1 (Original Series) | |
| Pokemon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One (2000) | 1 | |
| Pokemon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown (2001) | 1 | |
| Pokemon 4Ever - Celebi: Voice of the Forest (2002) | 1 | |
| Pokemon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2003) | 1 | |
| Jirachi Wish Maker (2004) | Series 2 (Advanced Generation) | |
| Destiny Deoxys (2005) | 2 | |
| Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2006) | 2 | |
| Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2007) | 2 | |
| The Rise of Darkrai (2008) | Series 3 (Diamond & Pearl) | |
| Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2009) | 3 | |
| Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009) | 3 | |
| Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2011) | 3 | |
| White - Victini and Zekrom (2011) | Series 4 (Best Wishes!) | |
| Black - Victini and Reshiram (2011) | 4 | |
| Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012) | 4 | |
| Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013) | 4 | |
| Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014) | Series 5 (XY) | |
| Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015) | 5 |  |
| Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016) | 5 | |
| Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (2017) | Series 6 (Alternate Continuity) | |
| Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (2018) | 6 | |
| Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) | Spin-off | |
| Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back (Evolution (2020)) | Remake | |
| Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (2021) | 6 | |
The original Pokemon video games started as RPGs. They were available in 1996 and developed for the hand held Game Boy system. They would go on to develop games for Nintendo based systems including N64, Nintendo DS, Wii, and the 3DS. After more than 25 years of history, we can finally say that this franchise is one of the most successful video game franchises in history.
The Pokemon franchise has established itself as one of the most sought after games in the world. The trading cards and video games have kept fans coming back for decades. If you’re just getting into the series, I recommend you watch all of the movies in their chronological order. However, at the very least you should at least start each series from the beginning. Check out the above chart, see which movies belong to which series, and determine the order you wish to watch them in.
