• Air date: 01 Apr '97 82 episodes
      It’s Ash Ketchum’s tenth birthday, and he’s ready to do what many 10-year-olds in the Kanto region set out to do—become a Pokémon Trainer! Things don’t go exactly the way he planned when he ends up with a Pikachu instead of a standard first Pokémon, and winning Gym Badges turns out to be much tougher than he thought. Luckily he’s got former Gym Leaders Brock and Misty at his side, along with a bevy of new Pokémon friends, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
  • List of Episodes (82)
    • 26. Pokémon Scent-sation!

      23 Sep '97
      When Ash reaches the Celadon Gym, he is kicked out because he is a boy. He soon discovers that it is only for girls, so with the help of Team Rocket, Ash sneaks into the gym disguised as a girl. In the gym, his disguise is ruined by Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, but the Gym Leader, Erika grants him a battle. During the battle, Team Rocket interrupts and sets the gym on fire. After rescuing Erika's Gloom, Ash is presented with the Rainbow Badge.
    • 27. Hypno's Naptime

      30 Sep '97
      Ash and his friends arrive at a town where many of the town's children are disappearing. They discover that a Hypno, a hypnotic Pokémon is responsible. Adults in the town have come to help their insomnia by being put to sleep by Hypno. However there is a side effect, making the children think they are different Pokémon and run away and put real Pokémon to sleep. Ash stops Team Rocket from stealing Hypno and uses the Pokémon, Drowzee to bring all the children and Pokémon back to normal. A useless
    • 28. Pokémon Fashion Flash

      07 Oct '97
      Team Rocket plans a scheme to steal many Pokémon by opening a grooming shop. Ash and his friends meet Susie, a famous Pokémon breeder. In the end, Brock gains a Vulpix when Susie tells him to look after it as she goes off to learn more about Pokémon breeding.
    • 29. The Punchy Pokémon

      14 Oct '97
      After meeting a girl whose father is more concerned about training his fighting Pokémon Hitmonchan at the gym instead of his daughter, Ash enters a Fighting Pokémon-only tournament with his Primeape. Team Rocket also enters and resorts to cheating, stealing another man's Hitmonlee, in order to win. After learning how much his daughter means to him and winning, the man promises to train Primeape to make him stronger, so Ash gives it away and promises to return.
    • 30. Sparks Fly for Magnemite

      21 Oct '97
      The group arrives in Gringy City where everything is dark and gloomy. A Magnemite follows Pikachu everywhere ever since it caught a peculiar illness, but it is the Grimers and Muk that are causing trouble in a local Power Plant. Ash captures Muk and Pikachu is cured of his cold.
    • 31. Dig Those Diglett!

      28 Oct '97
      Ash finds himself among a group of Pokémon Trainers hired to protect a construction site from the interfering ground Pokémon, Diglett. The construction is shut down after it is revealed that the Digletts and Dugtrio are trying to protect their home. Jessie's Ekans and James' Koffing evolve into Arbok and Weezing respectively.
    • 32. The Ninja-Poké Showdown

      04 Nov '97
      The group finds a strange-looking ninja-style mansion. They explore it and encounter various traps. Soon, they discover that this is the Fuchsia Gym and Ash battles Koga, the Gym Leader, for the Soul Badge. When Team Rocket disrupts their battle, Misty discovers how powerful her Psyduck really is.
    • 33. The Flame Pokémon-athon!

      11 Nov '97
      The group arrive at the Laramie Ranch where a family of ranchers, with their daughter, Lara and her Ponyta, prepares for an annual Pokémon race. Ash takes over as Ponyta's rider when Lara gets hurt due to Team Rocket's interference. Then, Team Rocket helps a rival competitor to win the race by setting up traps for other participants. As the race continues, however, Ponyta evolves into Rapidash and wins the race.
    • 34. The Kangaskhan Kid

      18 Nov '97
      Ash and his friends arrive at the Safari Zone, unaware that the part they have entered is a protected preserve when an Officer Jenny disguised as Chansey nearly arrests them for poaching. They come across a wild boy named Tommy that leads a herd of Kangaskhan and eventually find Tommy's parents, who were searching for him since he was only three. Unfortunately, Tommy thinks that the Kangaskhan are his family. After battling Team Rocket, Tommy's parents also become part of the Kangaskhan family.
    • 35. The Legend of Dratini

      25 Nov '97
      Ash and his friends get challenged by Team Rocket in seeing who can capture the most Pokémon within the Safari Zone, with Ash catching a whole herd of Tauros. As soon as Ash and his friends head out Pokémon hunting, Team Rocket manages to get the drop on the game warden (Mr. Kaiza) and forces him into giving up the location on where Dratini is (the Dragon Valley). In the end, Ash, his friends, Team Rocket, and Kaiza end up seeing the legendary Dratini and Dragonair, with the heroes saving the da
    • 36. The Bridge Bike Gang

      02 Dec '97
      Continuing their journey, the group came across a bridge which could be used as a shortcut to the next town. They soon discover that the bridge is too long to walk and they would need bicycles to cross. They go to the Pokémon Center where Nurse Joy asks them to take some medicine to a sick Pokémon across the bridge. On their way, a bicycle gang appears to cause trouble and Team Rocket is helping them. When Ash and his friends decide to cross the bridge during a storm, the bicyclists realize that
    • 37. Ditto's Mysterious Mansion

      09 Dec '97
      During a storm, Ash and his friends arrive at a mysterious Mansion. While there, Ash meets Duplica, a girl who is an expert at impersonation, and she happens to own Ditto, a Pokémon that can transform into any Pokémon. However, Ditto cannot seem to figure out how to change its face, a fact that stopped Duplica's variety show. As they all try to help Ditto perfect its transformation, Team Rocket tries to steal the Ditto so it can transform into a Dratini which they can give to the boss.
    • 38. Cyber Soldier Porygon

      16 Dec '97
      Ash and his friends arrive at Pokémon Center where the PokéBall transfer machine has been causing problems, as the transferred Pokémon never end up at the other side. Ash and his friends decide to accompany Porygon, a computerized Pokémon, used by Professor Akihabara to investigate the problem, only to discover Team Rocket and another Porygon are to blame.
    • 39. Pikachu's Goodbye

      16 Apr '98
      The group come into a forest where it is quiet and peaceful. They notice a large group of Pikachu that Ash's Pikachu tries to make friends with. After saving a young Pikachu from drowning and rescuing the herd from Team Rocket, Ash's Pikachu is welcomed among the other Pikachu as one of their own. Saddened by this sudden distance, Ash tries to leave Pikachu behind (to Misty and Brock's shock and dismay), thinking that in the long run, it is going to be better off with its own kind. As they attem
    • 40. The Battling Eevee Brothers

      16 Apr '98
      While traveling through the woods, the group encounters an Eevee that was apparently abandoned near a tree. They take it to its address in Stone Town and find it belongs to a little boy named Mikey. His three brothers are pressuring him into evolving his Eevee into one of three forms — Jolteon, Vaporeon, or Flareon — at an Evolution Party, where everyone uses Evolution Stones to evolve their Pokémon. However, the Evolution Party is disrupted by Team Rocket, and Mikey manages to use Eevee on its
    • 41. Wake Up, Snorlax!

      23 Apr '98
      Ash and his friends arrive at a town which is having problems with their water source. It seems that a Snorlax is blocking the water path. Team Rocket plans to capture the Snorlax, but Ash and his friends find help from an unexpected source.
    • 42. Showdown at Dark City

      30 Apr '98
      Upon entering Dark City, Ash and his friends discover that Pokémon Trainers aren't liked due to two rival Gyms who involve Ash and the gang as well as Team Rocket in their feuds to become the city's legitimate Pokémon Gym.
    • 43. The March of the Exeggutor Squad

      07 May '98
      When at a carnival, Ash and his friends meet a magician who is really losing his touch and fails in his own magic show. In his effort to get better, he decides to hypnotize Ash and uses his Pokémon Exeggcute to capture loads of Exeggutor. But the Exeggutor end up hypnotizing themselves and Team Rocket and almost destroy the entire carnival. Luckily, they are saved by Charmander, who evolves into a disobedient Charmeleon.
    • 44. The Problem with Paras

      14 May '98
      Having run out of medicine, Ash and his friends go to a local shop to get some Potions. However, they don't have much due to the owner's Paras being weak. Ash and his friends decide to help out the owner by training her Paras, hoping that it can evolve into Parasect.
    • 45. The Song of Jigglypuff

      21 May '98
      Entering Neon Town, a bustling Metropolis where everyone is tired and rude, Ash and his friends find a Jigglypuff who is too shy to sing its hypnotic song. Realizing they can kill two birds with one stone, Misty tries to teach the Jigglypuff to sing while Team Rocket attempts to record the song so they can use it against Ash. Everyone falls asleep, including Ash and his friends and Team Rocket, and a miffed Jigglypuff uses the marker hidden in her microphone to draw on everyone's sleeping faces.
    • 46. Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon

      28 May '98
      Arriving at a canyon to find an old fashioned fossil hunt, Ash, Gary and the gang decide to join in. But Team Rocket arrives and intends to blow the canyon up. Ash, Pikachu, and Team Rocket fall into a pit which is full of awakened ancient Pokémon. Their only hope may rest in Ash's disobedient Charmeleon, which evolves into a powerful, yet still disobedient Charizard to defeat a raging Aerodactyl. In the end, the ancient Pokémon are sealed away once more (along with a terrified Team Rocket) and
    • 47. A Chansey Operation

      04 Jun '98
      After Pikachu gets an apple stuck in its throat, Ash and his friends rush it to a Pokémon Center. After being treated, they hear of a traffic accident (caused by Team Rocket) that has left many Pokémon injured so Ash and the gang are recruited to help treat the Pokémon.
    • 48. Holy Matrimony!

      11 Jun '98
      After finding a missing person sign featuring James, Ash and his friends decide to find James and inform him of his parents' death. However James' parents turn out to be alive, and their death was only a decoy to get him to return home to the rich Jessebell, a girl James was arranged to marry from when he was a little chid. James has left because Jessebell is terrifying, so everyone tries to save James from this fate, including James' old pet Growlithe, Growlie.
    • 49. So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd

      18 Jun '98
      When Misty's PokéBalls are stolen by Farfetch'd, Ash and the gang investigate to try to find the thief and get all the stolen things back.
    • 50. Who Gets to Keep Togepi?

      25 Jun '98
      When the egg Ash found hatches into a brand new Pokémon, Togepi, everyone wants to own it. They decide to have a small Pokémon Tournament. Ash, who found it, claims he should be the one to keep it. In the end, Ash wins the tournament, but since Misty was the first person Togepi saw when he hatched, he thinks she is his mother and stays with her.