Every Pokemon Movie In Order — A Streaming Guide
Since its inception in 1996, Pokémon has become an institution. It is, quite literally, the largest media franchise of all time. Larger than Marvel. Larger than Hello Kitty. It’s even bigger than Star Wars. Between the video games, trading cards, and merchandise, Pokémon consistently makes billions of dollars every year. And, of course, there are Pokémon movies. In fact, there are over two dozen of them.
If you’re a casual fan of the series, you’ve most likely seen one or two. However, if you’re a diehard Pokemaniac, then there’s a chance that you’ve seen most, if not all, of them. With the franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, it’s the perfect time to watch every Pokémon movie in order. Log in to your Hulu or Prime Video account, and get ready for your next binge.
Gen I Movies
Pokémon, as a franchise, can typically be broken into different generations. For those unaware, a new generation begins when a new mainline Pokémon game releases. With it comes a group of new Pokémon to catch, a new region for Ash Ketchum and his friends to explore, and new characters for them to interact with. Both Gen I movies are pretty straightforward adventures, but they’re very approachable for newcomers.
Pokémon: The First Movie was notable for many reasons, mostly because, for the longest time, it was the highest-grossing anime film in the United States until Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (2025) surpassed it. While both it and its sequel could have been simple cash grabs, the team at OLM decided to create surprisingly heavy stories, with one focusing on the conflict of nature versus nurture and the ramifications of natural disaster. They’re still for kids, so some of the darker edges were sanded down in localization, but the scale of these two movies justified their theatrical release.
- Pokémon: The First Movie (1998)
- Pokémon the Movie 2000 (1999)
Gen II Movies
By the time Gen II started with Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, Pokemania had already overtaken the US, and new Pokémon movies began to release theatrically every year. While all Pokémon films are accessible enough that anyone can start one and find something to enjoy, the three Gen II movies all experimented with different tones and genres, each creating a distinct viewing experience. For example, Pokémon 3: The Movie decided to dip its toes into psychoanalyzing its central character, while Pokémon 4Ever is a story about saving the rainforest.
These three movies also continue a tradition somewhat established by Pokémon: The First Movie, where the plot revolves around a Legendary Pokémon from its respective generation, which, for the time, was a winning formula. Add in how these three films were all animated via cel animation, and you have a loose trilogy of movies that weren’t afraid to take risks, even if they didn’t always pan out.
- Pokémon 3: The Movie (2000)
- Pokémon 4Ever (2001)
- Pokémon Heroes (2002)
Gen III Movies
Once Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald were released in 2002, Gen III officially began, and a new era of Pokémon movies started. Every Pokémon film from now on would either be a direct-to-DVD release or premiere on television.
The scope of these movies wasn’t necessarily smaller, but they didn’t take as many risks as the earlier films in the franchise. Most films of this era were more concerned with connecting to other spin-offs, like the Pokémon Ranger games, or teasing future Pokémon games, like how Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew tries, and succeeds, at making the Pokémon Lucario a franchise mainstay. This helps make the Gen III movies light and easy fare. They’re the type of movies that you put on in the background as you get work done, with just the right amount of action, comedy, and character development to keep anyone, whether old or young, entertained.
- Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker (2003)
- Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (2004)
- Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
- Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006)
Gen IV Movies
If you were disappointed at the somewhat disposable nature of the Gen III movies, then the four movies that were released during this era of Pokémon more than made up for it.
The first three films of Gen IV formed a trilogy, with their story centered around the cosmic legendary Pokémon featured in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. Pokémon rarely, if ever, flaunts its continuity, so seeing three films with events that directly influence each other was notable for its time. The same can be said for how the trilogy spans generations, giving us a real sense of the Pokémon world in the ancient past. Add in some slightly disturbing themes thanks to the presence of Pokémon like Darkrai and Zoroark, and you have an era of Pokémon films that had ambitious ideas that executed them well.
- Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (2007)
- Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (2008)
- Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009)
- Pokémon - Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2010)
Gen V Movies
Much like the Gen V games Pokémon Black/White, the four (technically three) films that made up the Gen V movies were more experimental than any generation before and took plenty of risks. However, not all of them paid off.
These Pokémon movies either felt like TV specials that somehow became feature-length or underwent wholly unnecessary alterations. Case in point, both films centering on the legendary Pokémon Victini are actually just the same movie, albeit with a few Pokémon swapped out here and there. OLM attempted to replicate the franchise’s dual nature of video game releases with two theatrical movies that told the same story, but had minor differences that didn’t amount to anything. If you’re a fan of the Gen V games, you’ll probably enjoy seeing their legendary Pokémon galavant around. Outside of that, most tend to agree that this era is one of the weaker ones in Pokémon’s cinematic history.
- Pokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom (2011)
- Pokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram (2011)
- Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice (2012)
- Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013)
Gen VI Movies
While each Pokémon movie up until this point spotlighted one or two legendary Pokémon at a time, the Gen VI films decided to jam in as many legendary Pokémon as possible. These films were filled to the brim with fan service, and they more than deliver.
Did these fights make a lot of narrative sense? Not really, and the plot of some films, like Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, exists solely so OLM can animate some cool fight scenes. However, for a series that rarely contains elaborate action set pieces, seeing the scale of these Pokémon and the destruction that they cause helps separate them from the rest. It is only a slight step up from the disappointing showing of the Gen V movies, but these three films are ones you can turn your brain off and just watch as some of the franchise’s most popular Pokémon beat each other senselessly.
- Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014)
- Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015)
- Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016)
I Choose You! Trilogy
Following the end of Gen VI, the Pokémon movies wouldn’t follow a generational release structure anymore. Instead, thanks to the franchise’s surging popularity, multiple different projects went into development, including live-action films and remakes of prior films.
The following three animated movies are part of a loose trilogy of films that are entirely removed from the continuity of the main series. In fact, the first film, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, is a remake of the first episodes of the anime with modern visuals. Because of this, these films are incredibly approachable, and the new characters introduced are well-developed and go beyond the cardboard characterization that plagued earlier films. While it’s unfortunate that this will only be a trilogy, given how the franchise has shifted away from Ash as a protagonist, at the very least, his tenure ended on a high note.
