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Advanced Challenge – Pokémon the Series

Play trailer Poster for Advanced Challenge – Pokémon the Series Sep 2003 Kids & Family Action Adventure Fantasy Anime Play Trailer Watchlist
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"Indigo League" is where it all began as the first season of the long-running "Pokémon" animated series. Young Ash Ketchum is just beginning his Pokémon training as he reaches his 10th birthday. Things don't go as expected for the youngster, who gets a Pikachu instead of a standard first Pokémon. Winning gym badges is also tougher than Ash thought it would be. He's not alone in his quest for the badges, though, as former gym leaders Brock and Misty are by his side, along with some new friends.

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 May 14 52 failed episodes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Fajer A May 9 Best show ever must see See more Abdulmohsen A May 7 Best show ever must see See more Abdulmohsen s May 5 best show ever must see See more Nick S @NickSpecter 11/11/2023 Getting a bit old with repetitive plots and constant rehashing of the same thing. New pokemon are interesting but definitely a struggle to watch, even if it only plays in the background while i do other things. See more Read all reviews
Pokémon the Series — Advanced Challenge

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 4, 2003 What You Seed Is What You Get When several ripe watermelons come drifting down the river, Ash and friends help themselves, but soon the keeper of a nearby watermelon patch mistakes them for thieves and the misunderstanding escalates into a Pokémon battle. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 11, 2003 Love at First Flight Just before the opening of a summer festival in which an Illumise and a Volbeat must perform a dazzling light dance, the male half of the performing duo falls head over heels in love with his partner and grows too nervous to perform in front of her. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 18, 2003 Let Bagons Be Bagons Ash and friends encounter a cliff-diving Bagon that dreams of flying and promise its trainer they will help it go through the evolutions it needs to gain the ability to soar. Details Episode 4 Aired Sep 25, 2003 The Princess and the Togepi As Ash and friends reunite with Misty, the would-be usurper of a desert kingdom kidnaps her Togepi for use in a coronation ceremony; Ash and friends meet the proper heir, who explains she has only hours before her chance at the throne disappears. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 2, 2003 A Togepi Mirage! Ash and Misty continue to struggle against an evil regent who wants to use Misty's Togepi to steal the throne from its rightful heir; they come across a hidden Togepi paradise laid to waste thanks to the regent's plotting. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 9, 2003 Candid Camerupt! When their supplies run low, Ash and friends accept a meal invitation from a family of strangers, who have such enthusiasm for Pokémon battles that they make formidable opponents against Ash, Brock and Max in a four-on-four contest. Details Episode 7 Aired Oct 16, 2003 I Feel Skitty! When May finds an ill Skitty and takes it to a laboratory for an aromatherapy treatment, Team Rocket arrives on the scene to steal the lab's fragrance reserves, but their plans become jeopardized when Meowth falls in love with the Skitty. Details Episode 8 Aired Oct 23, 2003 Zigzag Zangoose Soon after the gang meets up with Nikolai and his Zangoose, it gets into a battle against Jessie's Seviper, the Zangoose's sworn enemy; although Zangoose bests Team Rocket, both Pokémon and their trainers swear to determine a true winner. Details Episode 9 Aired Oct 30, 2003 Maxxed Out! Max meets up with another Pokémon enthusiast who goes by the same name, but despite their shared interests and shared name, the two get off to a rocky start, until an attack from Team Rocket threatens a Surskit, forcing them to work together. Details Episode 10 Aired Nov 6, 2003 Pros and Con Artists As May prepares for her second Pokémon contest, she meets a trainer named Grace, who uses her Medicham to help raise May's spirits, but this draws the attention of Team Rocket, who begin plotting to steal the versatile Pokémon for themselves. Details Episode 11 Aired Nov 13, 2003 Come What May! May enters the Fallarbor Town Pokémon contest, but her hopes dampen when a mysterious, redheaded trainer bearing a strong resemblance to Jessie steals the show with a nearly flawless performance. Details Episode 12 Aired Nov 20, 2003 Cheer Pressure! Ash and friends reunite with Thatcher, who trains his Plusle and Minun to enthusiastically cheer on the participants of Pokémon battles; witnessing Thatcher and other pep squad members at work, Max suspects Thatcher is actually using them to cheat. Details Episode 13 Aired Nov 27, 2003 Game Winning Assist Ash and friends meet the owner of a Numel ranch, whom May battles with her Skitty; Team Rocket lurks in the background with dreams of taking advantage of the Numel's ability to create nearly limitless heat, selling them into lives of servitude. Details Episode 14 Aired Dec 4, 2003 Fight for the Meteorite Team Aqua and Team Magma clash over a meteorite Professor Cozmo discovered on Mount Chimney, and the chaos strands the gang with Team Rocket on a cable car. Details Episode 15 Aired Dec 11, 2003 Poetry Commotion! Ash wants to challenge Flannery, the novice leader of the Lavaridge Gym, but the gang must clean up the ravaged gym first; Flanner's grandfather, who used to run the gym, tries to secretly help his unprepared granddaughter grow into her new role. Details Episode 16 Aired Dec 18, 2003 Going, Going, Yawn Believing his knowledge of the Lavaridge gym leader and her Pokémon will lead him to an easy victory and earn him his fourth Hoenn League badge, Ash finds his confidence falter as Flannery proves more challenging than anticipated. Details Episode 17 Aired Dec 25, 2003 Going for a Spinda Brock falls in love at first sight with a beautiful trainer desperately seeking a lost Spinda that she credits with bringing her many years of good fortune; Team Rocket shows up to seek the "lucky" Spinda for themselves. Details Episode 18 Aired Jan 8, 2004 All Torkoal, No Play A wrong turn lands Ash and friends in a dangerous valley inhabited by territorial Magnemite, Magneton and Steelix; they meet a wild Torkoal that aids them as they battle their way out of the valley. Details Episode 19 Aired Jan 15, 2004 Manectric Charge Ash revisits the Mauville Gym, where he must pit his Pikachu against a powerful Manetric; the challenge grows more difficult when Team Rocket interferes, hoping to steal the gym's many electric-type Pokémon for themselves. Details Episode 20 Aired Jan 22, 2004 Delcatty Got Your Tongue When Team Rocket injures May's Skitty, the team seeks treatment for it at a Pokémon spa; Ash and friends see their chance to repay the therapist after Team Rocket reappears and kidnaps her Delcatty. Details Episode 21 Aired Jan 29, 2004 Disaster of Disguise A distressed mother enlists Ash and friends to find a mysterious Pokémon coordinator she accuses of leading her son astray, but when the culprit turns out to be the boy himself, they help him enter a local Pokémon contest against his mother's wishes. Details Episode 22 Aired Feb 5, 2004 Disguise Da Limit May focuses on winning the Verdanturf Pokémon Contest while the rest of her group concentrate on helping their newfound friend Timmy maintain his secret identity so he can compete without interference from his mother, who staunchly opposes his dream. Details Episode 23 Aired Feb 12, 2004 Take the Lombre Home Villagers in a town suffering through a drought declare Brock's newly evolved Lombre as their savior; the gang investigates the cause of the water shortage, refusing to believe the villagers' claim that a friendly Solrock is responsible. Details Episode 24 Aired Feb 19, 2004 True Blue Swablu Ash and friends discover a Swablu injured and separated from its flock during a massive migration; May nurses it back to health, but it refuses to fly, so the trainers and their Pokémon work together to help Swablu overcome its lack of confidence. Details Episode 25 Aired Feb 26, 2004 Gulpin It Down A small village facing a string of Gulpin invasions decides to call in a Gulpin expert, Professor Jacuzzi, whose high-tech solutions work at first, but ultimately result in a Gulpin and Ash's Treecko growing to a monstrous size. Details Episode 26 Aired Mar 4, 2004 Exploud and Clear Ash's Treecko and his opponent's Loudred evolve during a battle, becoming Grovyle and Exploud; when Exploud ignores its trainer and runs off, Team Rocket attempts to capture it. Details Episode 27 Aired Mar 11, 2004 Go Go Ludicolo! Jealous of Ash's new Grovyle, Corphish breaks away from Ash and company to strike out on its own and challenge a Ludicolo that recently defeated it; when Corphish finds Ludicolo in the clutches of Team Rocket, it must rescue the Pokémon alone. Details Episode 28 Aired Mar 18, 2004 A Double Dilemma Ash and friends learn that Norman, the Petalburg Gym leader and May and Max's father, has become a town celebrity; hearing that Ash means to challenge their dear hero, the locals exhaust Ash with a series of one-on-one battles. Details Episode 29 Aired Mar 25, 2004 Love, Petalburg Style! When rumors spread through Petalburg City that May and Max's father spends too much time with the local Nurse Joy, Ash and friends investigate to save Norman's marriage; Team Rocket plots to steal the many Slakoth and Slaking residing in the area. Details Episode 30 Aired Apr 1, 2004 Balance of Power As Ash challenges Petalburg City Gym leader Norman to a rematch, May and Max watch from the sidelines, conflicted over who they should root for; although Ash gets off to a strong start, Norman confuses and exhausts Ash's Pokémon one by one. Details Episode 31 Aired Apr 8, 2004 A Six-Pack Attack! Ash and Brock head out with Professor Birch to greet the visiting Professor Oak, leaving only Max and May to guard the laboratory -- a move they come to regret when Team Rocket swoops in and makes off with all the Pokémon being held for new trainers. Details Episode 32 Aired Apr 15, 2004 The Bicker the Better Ash and May accept a tag battle challenge, but a lack of teamwork leads to a quick defeat; when Jessie and James have a similar experience, the four all put their differences aside to pair up in a battle pitting Ash and James against May and Jessie. Details Episode 33 Aired Apr 22, 2004 Grass Hysteria! A Skarmory abducts May and takes her to an area closed off to travelers; Ash and friends hear a foreboding legend of dangerous grass Pokémon beyond the wall and decide to sneak in to help May without permission. Details Episode 34 Aired Apr 29, 2004 Hokey Pokéballs James hatches a plan to steal trainers' Pokémon by sabotaging the Poké Ball transporter in a local Pokémon Center; Ash and friends chase Team Rocket to recover the stolen Pokémon, uniting Ash's Bulbasaur and May's new Bulbasaur in the process. Details Episode 35 Aired May 6, 2004 Whiscash and Ash Ash accidentally drops his collection of Hoenn badges into the mouth of a gigantic Whiscash; seeking help to get them back, Ash encounters a self-proclaimed master angler who spent most of his life trying to catch that same Whiscash. Details Episode 36 Aired May 13, 2004 Me, Myself and Time When a thick fog separates Ash from his friends, he meets a young trainer and her Baltoy and helps her locate a mysterious woman who may know the secret to finding a fabled treasure lost in ancient ruins. Details Episode 37 Aired May 20, 2004 A Fan With a Plan Ash and friends make an unplanned stop when they discover a Pokémon Contest about to open the following day; as May hastily prepares, she meets a surprising competitor among a local mothers' circle. Details Episode 38 Aired May 27, 2004 Cruisin' for a Losin' After earning two ribbons in a row, May enters her next Pokémon Contest with too much confidence for her own good as she faces the same humble coordinator she advised before the contest began. Details Episode 39 Aired Jun 3, 2004 Pearls Are a Spoink's Best Friend Ash and friends chance into a Spoink that lost the large pearl that usually adorns its head, which throws its life into jeopardy; the gang quickly sets out in search of the pearl but have difficulty telling it apart from other spherical objects. Details Episode 40 Aired Jun 10, 2004 That's Just Swellow May and Ash enter their favorite flying Pokémon in a unique sporting competition called the PokéRinger, and James also decides to throw his hat into the ring, anxiously hoping to achieve a childhood dream. Details Episode 41 Aired Jun 17, 2004 Take This House and Shuppet May and Max take their usual sibling rivalry to the next level as they get lost along with Team Rocket in a seemingly abandoned mansion, but tempers suddenly and inexplicably fade; Max finds a Shuppet using its psychic technique on the group. Details Episode 42 Aired Jun 24, 2004 A Shroomish Skirmish The gang and Team Rocket wander into a wood known as the Shroomish Forest; Team Rocket gorges on the local fruit, angering several Shroomish, which evolve into Breloom and threaten the balance of the entire forest with their ensuing rage. Details Episode 43 Aired Jul 1, 2004 Unfair Weather Friends Teams Aqua and Magma attack a meteorological station hoping to capture its powerful Pokémon, Castform, which can control the weather at will; already dealing with Team Rocket, Ash and friends must battle all three syndicates at once. Details Episode 44 Aired Jul 8, 2004 Who's Flying Now? Ash and friends arrive in Fortree City, but Ash learns that the gym is closed for an annual sky festival; Team Rocket plots to capture the festival's Pokémon while James recalls fond memories of a Chimecho he once wanted as a boy. Details Episode 45 Aired Jul 15, 2004 Sky High Gym Battle! Ash faces Winona, the gym leader in Fortree City, in hopes of winning a Feather Badge; as Ash's Pokémon defend against Winona's powerful choices, Team Rocket tries to raid the gym and interrupt the battle. Details Episode 46 Aired Jul 22, 2004 Lights, Camerupt, Action! Ash and friends assist a fellow traveler whose Camerupt got bogged down making a dangerous river crossing; when they learn the young man travels with films to bring the art of cinema to remote towns, the gang decides to escort him to his next stop. Details Episode 47 Aired Jul 29, 2004 Crazy as a Lunatone When the residents of a remote town begin behaving strangely, Ash and friends set out in search of a crashed meteorite and a mysterious Lunatone; Team Rocket and an odd band of conspiracy theorists converge on the same spot. Details Episode 48 Aired Aug 5, 2004 The Garden of Eatin' Ash and friends go sightseeing in a banana grove famous for the many Slakoth that live there, but find a marauding Snorlax devouring the bananas between naps; Ash tries to intervene before it eats the grove's entire reserve of bananas. Details Episode 49 Aired Aug 12, 2004 A Scare to Remember When Team Rocket's latest invention explodes, the ensuing shockwave wipes Pikachu's memory clean, allowing them to turn Pikachu into a loyal member of Team Rocket and regard Ash as an enemy. Details Episode 50 Aired Aug 19, 2004 Pokéblock, Stock and Berry Ash and friends arrive in Lilycove City, where May studies Pokéblock preparation, a craft said to be key to successful Pokémon coordinating; Ash preps for a gym battle with an instructor who promises to teach Ash's Swellow to perfect its Aerial Ace. Details Episode 51 Aired Aug 26, 2004 Lessons in Lilycove May recovers from an early fault in her performance in the Lilycove Pokémon Contest; Jessie's Chimecho uses its universal appeal to win the judges over instantly; May faces a choice between victory and saving her opponent's Pokémon from injury. Details Episode 52 Aired Sep 2, 2004 Judgment Day In a rush to get to Mossdeep City, Ash and the gang catch the wrong ferry and wind up on a small island, where they meet Jimmy, an up-and-coming Pokémon referee with three strong Pokémon who doubts his ability to judge properly. Details
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Season Info

Director
Masamitsu Hidaka
Creator
Satoshi Tajiri
Screenwriter
Masamitsu Hidaka
Network
The WB
Rating
TV-Y7
Genre
Kids & Family, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date
Sep 4, 2003