Since debuting in 1997, the Pokémon anime has become one of the most successful animes in the world. It follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum on his quest to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in the world by catching new Pokémon and challenging the various leagues. Always by his side is Pikachu, his first Pokémon, and closest friend. Especially with over 25 years of stories having been told in the Pokémon world, there have been a multitude of iconic stories that have captivated fans over the years.
The anime's success has resulted in several movies that feature Ash and his friends encountering legendary Pokémon and often helping to save the world. While these Pokémon movies don't have many fans outside the franchise, they do their job of entertaining long-term and new fans alike. Especially with the main adventures of Ash Ketchum in the main series having come to an end, the films act as a great timeline of the wild history that the franchise has gone through over the years.
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Release Date April 1, 1997
Creator
Directors Kunihiko Yuyama , Daiki Tomiyasu , Jun Owada , Saori Den
Writers Takeshi Shudo , Junki Takegami , Atsuhiro Tomioka , Aya Matsui , Shoji Yonemura , Dai Saito
Producers Takemoto Mori , Tsunekazu Ishihara , Keisuke Iwata
Cast Rica Matsumoto , Mayumi Iizuka , Yūji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Kaori Suzuki , Fushigi Yamada , Megumi Toyoguchi
Seasons 25
Finale Year November 30, 2022
Studio OLM
25 'Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction' (2014)
IMDb Score: 5.5/10
When the Heart Diamond that powers her underground kingdom begins to fail, Princess Diancie ventures on a quest to find Xerneas, a Pokémon with power over life energy, so it can teach her how to make a new one. Unfortunately, Diancie gets distracted by all the sighs of the surface world and eventually bumps into Ash and his friends. The quest is further hampered by numerous individuals, including the lovable Team Rocket trio, who want to take advantage of Diancie's ability to create diamonds.
Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction can best be described as cute but boring. Most of the movie focuses on Diancie interacting with human society as she slowly learns the importance of putting others before her own needs, occasionally broken up by action sequences. The ending gets a bit better when Xerneas' counterpart, the death-bringing Yveltal, is awakened from its sleep, but the two legendaries don't fight one another, making the climax feel like a tease.
24 'Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice' (2012)
IMDb Score: 5.5/10
In the Unova Region, a trio of legendary Pokémon named Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion, are training the mythical Pokémon, Keldeo, to join them as a member of the Swords of Justice. Before his training is complete, Keldeo decides to prove himself by battling the Ice and Dragon-type Kyurem, who breaks his horn and freezes the other Swords of Justice in ice. Keldeo flees and meets Ash and his companions, but Kyurem pursues, eager to conclude their fight.
Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice is a very mixed bag of a film: it has a short runtime and tells a small-scale story focused mainly on action and character growth but also relegates the human characters to the background to focus on Keldeo as the protagonist. Fortunately, his story arc is handled pretty well and leads to a decent climax that teaches viewers the importance of strength of character vs physical strength. The battles between him and Kyurem are pretty good as well, but overall, it's hard not to think of this movie as an upjumped television special.
23 'Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution' (2019)
IMDb Score: 5.7/10
In 1998, Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back took the world by storm, earning 172 million dollars at the global box office and selling millions of copies on home video. Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise that, twenty-one years later, the film would be re-made as Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution. Rather than hand-drawn, the film became the first, and to this day only, Pokémon film to be made entirely with CGI.
Unfortunately, the film is little more than a shot-for-shot remake of Mewtwo Strikes Back, meaning that it suffers from the same narrative problems as the original. The CGI is its best aspect, and the models allow the human and Pokémon characters to move and battle at a speed much greater than the original could achieve. However, even the CGI has moments where it falters, such as the humans looking a little too much like action figures, or the film lacking the creepy, alien aesthetic of Mewtwo's lair. While Dan Green is back as the voice of Mewtwo, and does a good job, he just can't match Jay Goede's phenomenal performance, which robs a lot of the scenes of their emotional weight and gravitas.
22 'Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker' (2003)
IMDb Score: 5.7/10
In Pokémon: Jirachi, Wish Maker, Ash and his Advanced traveling companions, Brock, May, and Max, attend a festival in honor of the return of a comet connected to the wish-granting Pokémon, Jirachi. Max awakens Jirachi from a stone, and the two become fast friends. However, Jirachi is pursued by Butler, an ex-member of the echo terrorist organization, Team Magma, who hopes to use Jirachi's power to awaken the mighty legendary Pokémon, Groudon.
Jirachi, Wish Maker is a decent movie to introduce audiences to the Advanced crew: Max has a rather sweet friendship with Jirachi, and May is given lots of moments to distinguish herself from Ash's first female companion, Misty, especially during Pokémon battles. Butler is also a decent villain with understandable motivations and proves to be a decent threat to the heroes thanks to having a Salamence on his team. Unfortunately, the film forces an Absol into the story in a rather clunky way, and sometimes the story can run a little long in the tooth, but it ends with a visually engaging final battle with a fake Groudon summoned by Jirachi's power.
21 'Pokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom' (2011)
IMDb Score: 5.7/10
For the first films in the Black and White era of the anime, Pokémon released two versions of the same movie. Ash and his new friends, Iris and Cilan, meet the legendary Pokémon Victini, and learn that, long ago, the surrounding land was known as the Kingdom of the Vale, until a war between two princes using the dragon Pokémon Reshiram and Zekrom forced them to leave their home. Now, a man named Damon has awakened one of the dragons and intends to use Victini's power to restore the old kingdom.
The differences between Pokémon the Movie: White - Victini and Zekrom, and Pokémon the Movie: Black - Victini and Reshiram are mostly inconsequential, besides which dragon Ash and Damon awaken, such as different intro sequences, which psychic-type Pokémon Damon uses, and whether a Golurk or a Hydreigon are shiny. Of the two, White is regarded as the canon version by fans since it has Ash bonding with Zekrom, who represents ideals, which fits better than Reshiram, who represents truth. The story is exactly the same between both versions, and is fine: Ash and Victini have a cute friendship, and Damon is a decent villain thanks to his selfless motivation. For those wondering about Black's ranking, it is 5.6/10, but due to both films being virtually the same, it is absent from this list.
20 'The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon' (2006)
IMDb Rating: 5.7/10
In this television special to commemorate the franchise's 10th anniversary, Ash, Brock, May, and Max meet up with Misty and Professor Oak at the mansion of Dr. Yung so that he can demonstrate his new invention: the Mirage System. Using holograms, Yung can create Pokémon that are stronger than the real ones and can use any move. Unfortunately, a masked figure called the Mirage Master takes control of the system and sends the Mirage Pokémon to capture our heroes, who find themselves trapped in Yung's mansion.
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon is one of the most lackluster outings in the franchise, but thankfully, it only has a forty-five-minute runtime. The plot rushes through at a breakneck pace, and for English fans, it was the first introduction to the new voice actors after dropping the 4Kids actors, and their performances are very rough, to say the least. That said, the Mirage Pokémon are a pretty cool idea, and Professor Oak gets to join in on the action with a Dragonite.
The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase in the US.
19 'Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest' (2001)
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
As Ash, Misty, and Brock arrive in a forest in Johto, they meet a young boy named Sammy, and the time-traveling Pokémon, Celebi, who accidentally displaced Sammy from his time while escaping a Pokémon Hunter. They take Celebi to the Lake of Life to heal it in the hopes that Celebi will be able to return Sammy to his proper time. Unfortunately, they encounter a high-ranking member of Team Rocket called the Iron Mask Marauder, who intends to capture Celebi in a Dark Ball to unlock its full power and make it pure evil.
Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi - Voice of the Forest is the messiest of the earliest Pokémon films in terms of its narrative and execution. Beginning with the villain, the Iron Mask Marauder might have the booming voice of Dan Green, but he is motivated only by power and self-gain, which is a huge step-down compared to the villains in previous films. As for the rest of the film, the CGI looked dated upon release and has only gotten worse with time, and the story is a mess of deus ex machina and repetitive scenes of Celebi either being cute or on the brink of death. The best parts come from Sammy and Ash's friendship, which leads to a pretty good twist near the end of the film.
18 'Pokémon 3: the Movie - Spell of the Unown' (2000)
IMDb Rating: 5.8/10
A deeply thematic and resonating film that several fans consider to be the peak of the film franchise story-wise, Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown tells the tragic story of a young girl, Molly Hale. After a traumatic response to her father's disappearance, Molly unknowingly uses the power of the psychic Pokémon Unown to create a dream world, protected by the legendary Pokémon Entei, who she believes to be her father. When Entei kidnaps Ash's mother to give Molly a mother, Ash and his friends must traverse the dreamscape to save her.
While other Pokémon movies are focused on a flurry of bright colors and showing off the then-newest and coolest Pokémon, Spell of the Unown weaves together a tale of tragedy and mourning. It's one of the few movies where Ash and friends play a major role in the story and themes, and overall, the film does a terrific job of establishing Molly's pain and Entei's intimidating force. While many die-hard Pokémon fans consider this to be one of the franchise's finest moments, this level of praise simply isn't reflected by the IMDb user base.
17 'Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages' (2015)
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
To several fans, all they want out of a Pokémon movie is to see as many massive and powerful Pokémon on screen at once, and in this case, no other film rivals Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. The film follows Ash and his friends having traveled to a desert city, where they come into contact with the trickster mythical Pokémon Hoopa, who can summon any number of Pokémon and humans using its magical rings. After a mistake unleashes Hoopa's full power, he cannot stop as he summons dangerous legendary Pokémon from across dimensions.
While the film is relatively sparse plot-wise compared to other Pokémon films, Hoopa and the Clash of Ages makes up for it with its non-stop barrage of fan service and powerful legendaries from across the franchise. From the god of Pokémon, Arceus, to the then-new Primordial forms of Kyogre and Groudon and the infamous Mega-Rayquaza, the film is filled with the strongest and most iconic titans of the series at that point. Besides the plot, Hoopa himself is probably the worst part of the movie, as he and his anticts come off as rather annoying.
16 'Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea' (2006)
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
The final film during the Advanced era of the series and tying in directly with the Pokémon Ranger spinoff series, Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea sees Ash and his friends lost on their adventure. They miraculously cross paths with Pokémon Ranger Jack Walker, inadvertently getting involved with his mission of saving a mythical Pokémon egg from the dangerous pirate captain, The Phantom. It doesn't take long before the egg hatches into the mythical Manaphy and begins imprinting onto May.
Pokémon rarely acknowledges its spin-off games, but the writers take full advantage of the lore of Pokémon Rangers to make a film that is fun from beginning to end. The actual adventure of the film is filled with high stakes, lots of cute Pokémon, and a quick pacing that offers plenty of chances for the characters to feel heroic. May and Manaphy's relationship is rather touching, and the heartbreak of the two having to say goodbye at the end is a fitting sendoff for the Advanced era of characters.
15 'Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel' (2016)
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
The final film in the X&Y saga of Pokémon films, Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel sees Ash go face to face with the mythical Volcanion after it crashes down from the sky. A mysterious force ends up binding the two together, yet Volcanion's hatred of humans has it attempt to get away, unintentionally dragging Ash along on its rescue mission. Now in an ancient city of gears, Ash must stop a corrupt official who seeks to take over the world using the artificial Pokémon, Magearna.
Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel easily features some of the greatest action sequences and visuals of the entire franchise, with a lot of fun sequences throughout its runtime. On top of this, Volcanion as a character continues the trend of cinematic legendary Pokémon being able to talk (voiced by the impeccable Mike Pollock), adding a genuine character and dynamic between himself and Ash. Where it gets held back is its predictable storyline, especially regarding Volcanion, who is yet another legendary that looks down upon humans, but will come around on them by the end. At the very least, audiences get to see an entire army's worth of Mega Evolved Pokémon.
14 'Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior' (2008)
IMDb Rating: 6.0/10
Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior sees Ash and his friends uncover a strange feud between legendary Pokémon Shaymin and Giratina, seemingly caused by a misunderstanding. However, as Giratina shows off its ability to be able to create parallel dimensions on a whim in able to travel between, it sparks the attention of the dastardly villain Zero, who plans to capture and harness these powers for evil. It soon becomes up to Ash and his friends to not only put a stop to Giratina's unfounded tirade but also save him from the impending wrath of Zero.
Giratina and the Sky Warrior has a lot going for it as far as Pokémon movies go, from a strong animated movie villain in Zero to seeing the on-screen debut of Giratina, considered to be the literal devil of the Pokémon universe. Despite its numerous outstanding action sequences and effective rising action, the one thing stopping the film from being one of the best in the franchise comes in the form of Shaymin. Shaymin's annoying voice and whiny character screeches the entire film to a halt, hindering the entire film from being an all-time great, even despite its other massive qualities.
13 'Pokémon: Zoroark - Master of Illusions' (2010)
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
Zoroark: Master of Illusions sees Ash and his friends tasked with stopping a greedy media mogul from using the mysterious shape-shifting powers of Zoroark in order to accomplish his evil tasks. Using Zoroark, he has plans to capture the mythical time-traveling Pokémon, Celebi, and use its abilities to shape the world in his own dastardly image. However, it proves to be more difficult than expected, especially thanks to Zoroark's ability to transform not only into other Pokémon but humans as well.
Zoroark is one of the most intrinsically unique and genuinely terrifying Pokémon of all time, making him the perfect subject for his own feature-length film. The film uses Zoroark's unique powers to be able to tell a surprisingly effective tale of false information and deception, along with a message that still rings true even to this day. The film also features a surprise appearance from shiny versions of the legendary beasts trio of Pokémon, one of the few times the franchise has had a shiny legendary Pokémon on-screen.
12 'Pokémon the Movie: Destiny Deoxys' (2004)
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
Ash and the gang arrive at a fully automated city and meet Tory, the son of a scientist who works in the city. Tory is afraid of Pokémon due to an incident on his father's last expedition, and Ash wants to help him overcome it. However, the city comes under attack by a Pokémon from space named Deoxys, who begins rounding up the people and Pokémon for an unknown reason. Even 20 years later, Deoxys is still considered to be one of the most mysterious and awe-inspiring legendary Pokémon, with this film doing the character great justice.
Tory's arc offers something that hadn't been seen in the franchise up to this point. Plenty of Pokémon movies and episodes focused on Pokémon who distrust humans but rarely was there one about humans distrusting them. The Pokémon film is also very creative thanks to its setting and includes a wide cast of side characters who actually contribute to the plot. As if it wasn't exciting enough to see the iconic Deoxys on screen, the film also makes the anime debut of Rayquaza, one of the most powerful and well-regarded legendary Pokémon of all time.
11 'Pokémon Heroes' (2002)
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
The final film from the original run featuring the trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock, Pokémon Heroes sees the trio attempt to stop a pair of thieves hiding out in the canals and alleyways of the water capital Altomare. While on their journey, they end up being accompanied by the sibling duo of legendary Pokémon, Latios and Latias, who serve as the peacekeepers and protectors of the Soul Dew. However, a couple of thieves from Team Rocket have their eyes on the Soul Dew, and their attempts to steal it threatens to invoke ancient evils upon Altomare.
Pokémon Heroes is elevated thanks to its charm and the character work put into Latios and Latias. While Latios is the more serious of the two, Latias is a wholesome prankster who develops a close fondness for Ash, culminating in an ambiguous ending where she might have been his first kiss. Speaking of the ending, it gets surprisingly mature and ends with one of the few times the franchise has ever acknowledged a Pokémon's death. Combined with its short runtime and well composed action sequences, Heroes is nothing less than a perfect sendoff film for the iconic animation core trio.
10 'Pokémon the Movie 2000' (1999)
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
When Ash and his friends arrive at the island of Shamouti, he gets roped into their ceremony and told to collect three orbs from the nearby islands. Unfortunately, a Pokémon Collector is in the area trying to capture the legendary birds Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, in order to bring out Lugia. His actions cause a disturbance in the natural order, so now it's up to Ash to save the world. As the second theatrical Pokémon movie and the follow-up to the iconic Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 had a lot to live up to in the eyes of fans and audiences worldwide.
While Ash being the chosen one feels arbitrary, the film presents a large-scale story, continuing to raise the bar and the stakes for the franchise's theatrical outings. It boasts impressive animation for its time, particularly during the legendary bird battles, and was the first Pokémon movie to show a legendary from the upcoming games. It's also one of the few movies to give Team Rocket, Ash's persistent antagonists, an active role in the plot, as opposed to the majority of movies that simply have them in their own disconnected comic relief story.
9 'Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us' (2018)
IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Once a year, Fula City holds a festival to give thanks to Lugia, who granted them the power to live in harmony with the wind. Several colorful characters are attending this year's festival, including an ex-runner, a chronic liar, a scientist lacking self-confidence, the mayor's daughter, an older woman who dislikes Pokémon, and Ash. They meet up and learn to overcome their flaws with the help of Pokémon.
The movie's biggest strength is its characters, who take center stage compared to Ash, which is a rarity when it comes to Pokémon films. Even more rare is when this focus on new characters works so well. Each new character is fleshed out and plays an active role in the plot, unlike other Pokémon movies where the movie characters tend to spout exposition or serve as transportation. This does cause pacing issues in places since they all need to be established, but the payoff of them coming together is worth it.
8 'Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life' (2009)
IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
Arceus and the Jewel of Life easily features some of the highest stakes of any Pokémon film, as it acts as the debut for the almighty god of the Pokémon universe, Arceus. In ancient times, Arceus, the creator of the Pokémon universe, created a jewel from its power to help restore the land of its human friend, Damos. When it was time to return the jewel, however, Damos kept it, and Arceus swore revenge. In modern times, Arceus has awoken to bring humanity to justice, and it's up to Ash and friends to discover the truth.
Since this movie involves the Pokémon equivalent of gods, it's only natural that it presents some powerful themes. One of the major ones is reconciliation, as a descendant of Damos joins the team to undo the mistakes of her ancestors. It also offers an interesting look into Pokémon's past, where they were called magical creatures and kept subservient to humans instead of partners. Even without its deeper themes in mind, it makes for an effective visual spectacle to see one of the most powerful Pokémon of all time gracing the big screen.
7 'Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!' (2017)
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
To celebrate the Pokémon anime's 20th anniversary, their 20th film serves as a re-imagining of how Ash became a Pokémon trainer and saw the legendary bird, Ho-Oh. However, instead of simply repeating the exact same sequence of events as the beginning of the anime, this film features aspects and changes throughout Pokémon's entire history. This time, Ash was gifted a Rainbow Wing from Ho-Oh, meaning he is destined to face Ho-Oh in battle. With two new companions, Ash makes his way to the Rainbow Rock while a shadowy figure watches his progress.
While the film features a number of strange and arguably Lynchian elements, I Choose You! still succeeds in being a love letter to the anime by condensing some of the first season's most iconic moments and Ho-Oh into its plot. For the most part, it succeeds, though the decision to include new companions for Ash over his long-time friends, Misty and Brock, is questionable. Still, the animation is gorgeous, and many of the fight scenes are fast-paced and well-choreographed.
6 'Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back' (1998)
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
As the title conveys, Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back was the first Pokémon movie ever created, and as such holds a special place in the eyes of fans worldwide. Using a fossil of the Pokémon progenitor, Mew, scientists create Mewtwo, the world's most powerful Pokémon. However, Mewtwo rebels against humanity and sets up an island fortress. It then sends out invitations for Pokémon trainers, including Ash, to make clones of their Pokémon and prove that clones are superior to the originals.
While this movie is about a psychic cat trying to make a clone army, it doesn't shy away from mature themes and imagery, helping it attain its legacy as one of the best Pokémon movies. Mewtwo's first act is to kill the scientists who created it, and the design of Mewtwo's cloning facility feels inspired by the work of horror artist H.R. Geiger. The film also features what is considered by many fans to be one of the most heartbreaking moments of the Pokémon franchise when Ash sacrifices himself to try and stop the senseless violence. The message is also one of the best in the franchise, saying that your actions, not your origins, define you.
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