Pokémon (1997)
Gotta catch 'em all!
Join Ash accompanied by his partner Pikachu, as he travels through many regions, meets new friends and faces new challenges on his quest to become a Pokémon Master.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 1 April 1997 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 24 March 2023 |
| Genre | Animation, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
| Starring | Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Otani and Daiki Yamashita |
| Seasons | 25 seasons, 1235 episodes |
| Episode length | about 23 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 473 hours |
| Rated | TV-Y7 |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.0/10 |
Where to watch Pokémon
Pokémon is streaming on Netflix ($19.99 a month) in the US. It is also on Disney+ ($21.49 a month) and Tubi. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 11 months of Netflix, or $219.89 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 25 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Pokémon in 121 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Albania | Netflix about |
| Algeria | Netflix about |
| Andorra | Netflix |
| Angola | Netflix about |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Netflix about |
| Argentina | Netflix $8999 ARS |
| Australia | Netflix $20.99 AUD, Prime Video $12.99 AUD, Disney+ $17.99 AUD, Tubi |
| Austria | Netflix €10.99, Prime Video €8.99 |
| Azerbaijan | Netflix about |
| Bahamas | Netflix about |
| Bahrain | Netflix about |
| Barbados | Netflix about |
| Belarus | Netflix about |
| Belgium | Netflix €10.99 |
| Belize | Netflix about |
| Bermuda | Netflix about |
| Bolivia | Netflix about |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Netflix about |
| Brazil | Netflix R$51.90, Prime Video R$19.90 |
| Bulgaria | Netflix €5.99, Disney+ €9.99 |
| Cameroon | Netflix about |
| Canada | Disney+ $15.99 CAD, Netflix $18.99 CAD, Tubi |
| Cape Verde | Netflix about |
| Chad | Netflix about |
| Chile | Netflix $7190 CLP |
| Colombia | Netflix $18900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Netflix about |
| Croatia | Netflix €5.99, Disney+ €9.99 |
| Cuba | Netflix about |
| Cyprus | Netflix €8.99 |
| Czechia | Netflix 259 Kč |
| Côte d’Ivoire | Netflix about |
| Denmark | Netflix 109 kr DKK, Viaplay 159 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Netflix about |
| Ecuador | Netflix $5.99 |
| Egypt | Netflix E£110 |
| El Salvador | Netflix |
| Equatorial Guinea | Netflix about |
| Estonia | Netflix €7.99 |
| Fiji | Netflix about |
| Finland | Netflix €10.99, Prime Video €6.99, Viaplay €13.99 |
| France | Netflix €14.99 |
| French Guiana | Netflix |
| French Polynesia | Netflix about |
| Germany | Netflix €15.99, Prime Video €8.99 |
| Ghana | Netflix about |
| Gibraltar | Netflix about |
| Greece | Netflix €8.99 |
| Guatemala | Netflix about |
| Guernsey | Netflix |
| Honduras | Netflix about |
| Hungary | Netflix 3190 Ft |
| Iceland | Netflix about 1635 kr ISK |
| Iraq | Netflix about |
| Ireland | Netflix €11.99, Disney+ €11.99 |
| Israel | Netflix ₪32.90 |
| Italy | Netflix €13.99 |
| Jamaica | Netflix about |
| Japan | Netflix ¥1590 JPY, Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Jordan | Netflix about |
| Kenya | Netflix KSh300 |
| Kuwait | Netflix about |
| Latvia | Netflix €7.99 |
| Lebanon | Netflix about |
| Libya | Netflix about |
| Liechtenstein | Netflix |
| Lithuania | Netflix €8.99 |
| Luxembourg | Netflix €10.99 |
| Madagascar | Netflix about |
| Mali | Netflix about |
| Malta | Netflix €8.99 |
| Mauritius | Netflix about |
| Mexico | Netflix $269 MXN, Tubi |
| Moldova | Netflix about |
| Monaco | Netflix |
| Montenegro | Netflix |
| Morocco | Netflix |
| Mozambique | Netflix about , Prime Video |
| Netherlands | Netflix €9.99 |
| New Zealand | Netflix $17.99 NZD, Disney+ $18.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Netflix about |
| Niger | Netflix about |
| Nigeria | Netflix ₦4000 |
| North Macedonia | Netflix about |
| Norway | Netflix 119 kr NOK, Viaplay 169 kr NOK |
| Oman | Netflix about |
| Palestinian Territories | Netflix about |
| Panama | Netflix $5.99 |
| Paraguay | Netflix about |
| Peru | Netflix S/28.90 |
| Poland | Netflix 37.00 zł |
| Portugal | Netflix €8.99 |
| Qatar | Netflix about QR32.72 |
| Romania | Netflix about 32.04 lei |
| San Marino | Netflix |
| Saudi Arabia | Netflix ﷼35.00 |
| Senegal | Netflix about |
| Serbia | Netflix about 704 din |
| Seychelles | Netflix about |
| Slovakia | Netflix €9.49 |
| Slovenia | Netflix €5.99 |
| South Africa | Netflix R99 ZAR |
| South Korea | Netflix ₩13500, Watcha, Tving ₩10900 |
| Spain | Netflix €14.99 |
| St. Lucia | Netflix about |
| Sweden | Netflix 129 kr SEK, Viaplay 169 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Netflix CHF14.90, Prime Video CHF8.90 |
| Tanzania | Netflix about |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Netflix about |
| Tunisia | Netflix about |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Netflix |
| Türkiye | Netflix ₺259.99 |
| Uganda | Netflix about |
| Ukraine | Netflix about ₴253 |
| United Arab Emirates | Netflix AED35.00 |
| United Kingdom | Netflix £13.99 GBP, Disney+ £11.99 GBP, BBC iPlayer free |
| Uruguay | Netflix about $U481 |
| Venezuela | Netflix about |
| Yemen | Netflix about |
| Zambia | Netflix about |
| Zimbabwe | Netflix |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Pokémon is an animated adventure about a boy named Ash and his partner Pikachu, traveling through different regions to collect creatures and battle rivals. The premise is simple enough that a child understands it in the first episode. What actually holds the series together is the rhythm of the struggle. You watch a kid fail at basic tasks, get beaten down by stronger opponents, and slowly, painfully, learn why he is still standing. It is a long haul. At 473 hours of viewing, it is less a show you binge and more a background hum that defines a childhood. It asks you to care about a rat.
What the critics said
The reviews are polite, mostly. IGN’s Jeffrey Harris gave it 2 out of 10 in 2008, calling the story "boring, repetitive, and formulaic." Common Sense Media offered 3 out of 5 stars in April 2008, noting it captivated a global audience despite its commercial appeal. Anime News Network’s Carl Kimlinger graded the dubbed version a C in August 2008, praising its "colorful, silly and lively" nature while mocking the "tin-eared" soundtrack. Wired’s Kevin McFarland called it a "largely silly show" in 2016. Paste ranked it 44th in 2018. TV Asahi placed it 38th in its Top 100 Anime poll.
How it did with audiences
The box office numbers are missing. Without those figures, we fall back on the critics and the crowd. On TMDB, users rate it 8 out of 10. That is a high score for a movie that is, by design, somewhat repetitive. It suggests people watched it, liked it, and did not expect much more.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Pokémon.
Sources
- Pokémon on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q239937 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Pokémon (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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