History Anime / PokemonTheSeries

* ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'' - An adaptation of both ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver''.

For more information on the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many, many characters]], see the [[Characters/PokemonTheSeries character sheet]]. '''Save all character tropes there, not here.'''

** Despite this being the series' CatchPhrase, actually completely averted in regards to the Pokémon. Ash isn't interested in capturing every Pokémon, he's just on a journey to explore his limits. He catches a few Pokémon, enough to fill up a team, in each region but he doesn't just throw a Poké Ball at every new Pokémon he comes across. The main reason for this is because Pokémon are treated as characters in their own right and the cast size would be ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters bloated]]'' if Ash did attempt to catch them all.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: And that's just the ''human'' cast, excluding the hundreds of one-shots. Since Pokémon themselves also need characterization, the cast usually ends up being much larger than you would expect:
** Ash catches the highest amount of Pokémon within his group of friends, but the show has handled this trope not quite as good as it should be. Since Ash's team he has on hand will always be the SpotlightStealingSquad of the travel group, most of Ash's travel companions and his classmates don't catch too many Pokémon, since there wouldn't be enough screetime left for all Pokémon.
*** The original series is especially guilty of this, since the Pokémon he doesn't carry in his party (Krabby/Kingler, Primeape, Muk and Tauros) are OutOfFocus and barely get any development or screen time. The 30 Tauros he has caught in the Safari Zone are a notorious victim of this trope, since it makes it difficult to determine whether he either uses one of different ones in battle and all of them seem to have the same personality. Furthermore, Brock's and Misty's Pokémon, with the exception of Misty's Psyduck, are mostly put OutOfFocus and barely get development since the focus is on Ash's team. However, Misty's Starmie and Horsea are left behind later on to give her fewer options for her team while also giving her the opportunity to catch new Pokémon in later seasons. Later seasons would cut supporting character's teams from six to three at most. Team Rocket's Pokémon would also follow this restriction, with both Jessie and James having at most two each (apart from Wobbuffet, who is officially Jessie's Pokémon but is mostly a permanent member like Meowth).
*** The Johto journey makes it clear that is a bad idea for the series to start a new regional journey if Ash has too many Pokémon has on hand. Given the merchandise-driven nature of the series, Ash is required to catch new Pokémon and raise a full team of them (minus Pikachu). This results to Charizard and Squirtle being PutOnABus in a way that makes it a bit difficult to bring them back, and the recently caught Heracross stays at the lab to give room for Ash's new regional bird Noctowl (and it keeps him from having a member that is too strong). But this also leads to Bulbasaur being OutOfFocus for the majority of the journey since he's never replaced by his Johto counterpart, and when he does leave, not only doesn't Heracross come back, Ash gets a newly hatched Pokémon (Phanpy) which doesn't get enough screentime in the end. This time however, he doesn't catch more than six new Pokémon. When it comes to Misty's and Brock's Pokémon, only a selective few of them get some development: Brock's Zubat (which was caught off screen in the 5th episode of the original series and was promptly forgotten about unless they needed a second flyer) [[AscendedExtra gained more screentime]] as it evolved into the new Crobat and Misty's Poliwag became her main battler (alongside the new addition Corsola) when it evolved into Poliwhirl and then Politoed.
*** Starting from ''Advance Generation'', Ash starts every new regional journey with just Pikachu (except in Sinnoh, where Aipom tags along as well), which prevents him from having the same issues he had in Johto. While he doesn't catch too many Pokémon, Torkoal and Glalie are PutOnABus in the Battle Frontier arc, giving enough room for the returning Phanpy who didn't get enough screentime last time and the new member Aipom, who is deliberately not given enough screentime since she would join Ash in his next journey and would receive her evolution introduced in that generation (albeit with another trainer). Meanwhile, Brock also starts to enter a new region with only one Pokémon and he would always catch not more than three Pokémon per series, but in turn they get more development than Pokémon he has caught in the original series. May never travels with a full roster of six Pokémon in ''AG'', but as the series' deuteragonist, May and her team get more focus than Brock and his team, and the number of her team is small enough to give each of them enough characterization. However, a few of May's and Brock's Pokémon are PutOnABus during the transition between the Hoenn League and the Battle Frontier to give more room for newer additions. In ''Diamond & Pearl'', Dawn's team would get a similar treatment like May's, although she does end up with a full team. Coincidentally, both of the girls end up having seven Pokémon during their tenure -- May rotates her team in her Johto journey, while Dawn's Ambipom is PutOnABus á la Primeape.
*** ''Best Wishes'' does a better job than what the original series did with his Kanto roster, but Ash's Unova roster however still suffers from the large number of rotating members, resulting that around half of them don't receive enough development to flesh them out or give them enough screentime to show off their glory. Charizard's late return doesn't make things better, with two of the six slots being occupied by two Kanto Pokémon and the Unova Pokémon having to share the remaining four slots while Unfeazant is effectively PutOnABus. Charizard himself isn't a SpotlightStealingSquad either, so he has to share his limited amount of screentime with his teammates as well. Cilan's team gets a similar treatment as Brock's, and Iris never gets a full team, though as of her post-series special she's just ''one'' short of having one.
*** Due to the very small number of brand new Pokémon in ''X and Y'', the cast size was not too big but not to small, averting this trope. Notably, Serena only ever obtains three Pokémon, despite being based on a player character like May or Dawn.
*** With a set of ''six'' main characters on the good side, Ash's classmates have each a very small number of Pokémon on hand (generally one or two), not counting their Ride Pokémon (although Kiawe's Charizard is a borderline case as [[WolverinePublicity it's a Charizard]], [[RetiredBadass but an aged one who rarely battles]]). And thanks to the school setting, Ash's classmates don't all need to appear in every episode the way his travel companions did.
*** Given that Goh's main goal is to [[GottaCatchEmAll catch as many Pokémon as he can]] - and he demonstrates this immediately by catching every single Kanto Bug-type in the same episode - ''Journeys'' puts this into full swing, even if this means some of his Pokémon remain mostly out of focus at the Cerise Institute. Team Rocket's formula is also adjusted, as they use a Gacha system that selects random Pokémon rented from the rest of the team. As with the previous series though, Ash's Alola-specific team gets [[PutOnABus left with Professor Kukui]].
** In regards to human characters, there are so many of them that the fans, and probably the writers themselves, have a hard time judging who is going to be important to the plot in the long run.
*** Characters who are also important in the main games are generally well-regarded, even if they only appear in a single episode. While characters who only exist in the anime tend to not be regarded as such... Unless they make an important impact. It also depends on when they were introduced. People who have watched the anime since the beginning can tell you who A.J is [[note]]The trainer with the Sandshrew who appeared in episode 8 and only episode 8.[[/note]], but will probably struggle to tell you who Nicholai is [[note]]For those wondering, he's a trainer introduced in ''Advanced Generation'' who likes to dress up as Pokémon. He also appears in two episodes, which disqualifies him as a One-shot character.[[/note]].

* InterspeciesRomance: Tropius/Meganium, Golduck/Azumarill, Bulbasaur/Gloom etc. Breeding group is also not important (Lombre/Mawile; Lombre is in the Water 1 and Plant groups, while Mawile is in the Ground and Fairy. Marill/Elekid: a Water 1 and Ground and a No Eggs who evolves into one in the Humanshape). There are also some Human/Pokémon examples (Ash/Pikachu, Ash/Bayleef, Ash/Aipom, Ash/Latias, Cassandra/Meowth, Harley's Cacturn/Jessie). Most of the love is one sided and on the human/Pokémon it's always on the Pokémon's side, except for [[TooKinkyToTorture Gardenia and her fetish]].

* VineTentacles: Almost every grass type can perform "Vine Whip", the ability to summon and control vines like arms. Notable Pokemon like Ash's Snivy and Bulbasaur do this regularly due to their lack of usable arms.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: ''Pokémon Chronicles'' and the ''Mega Evolution'' specials focus on other characters.
** ''Sun and Moon'' looks to be this in both art style and setting.

* FireForgedFriends: Ash and Pikachu become this in the very first episode. Ash is given Pikachu because Ash begged Oak for a starter, despite his reluctance. Pikachu is revealed to have behavioral issues and electrocutes people out of spite. Ash takes a liking to Pikachu immediately and is seriously hurt that the Pokémon does not like him back. But when Pikachu is attacked by a flock of Sperrows Ash fends them off, carries Pikachu in his arms, jumps into a river and steals a bike to get Pikachu to a Pokémon center, all while the Sperrows are in pursuit. Ash eventually crashes the bike and as the Sperrows catches up he begs Pikachu to enter a pokéball, because the Sperrows can't get to Pikachu. The implication is that Ash will [[HeroicSacrifice allow the Sperrows to rip him to shreds instead]]. As Ash faces the Sperrows in defiance Pikachu uses the lightning storm to power himself up and blast the Sperrows with a massive thunderbolt. After this, the two are inseparable.

** The first three episodes of the Orange Islands arc used the original theme for the English dub.[[note]]This was a deliberate choice by Kids WB to [[ThemeSongReveal avoid spoiling Brock's departure from the series.]][[/note]] Starting with "[[Recap/PokemonS2E4TheLostLapras The Lost Lapras]]", each episode opened with "Pokémon World" until the arc's conclusion.

** The first three episodes of the Orange Islands arc used the original theme for the English dub. Starting with "[[Recap/PokemonS2E4TheLostLapras The Lost Lapras]]", each episode opened with "Pokémon World" until the arc's conclusion.

The ''Pokémon'' anime series, currently marketed in English as ''Pokémon: The Series'', is a loose adaptation based on the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games developed by Creator/{{Game Freak}}. Given the success of the games, this series managed to make it to America as part of the marketing push, and, combined with the concurrent American airings of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', helped keep the new wave of Western anime adaptations (which started after ''Franchise/PowerRangers'') going.

[[caption-width-right:327:The story of [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesAshAndPikachu Ash Ketchum and his partner Pikachu]]...]]

*** Ash's outfit is different from all previous versions: shorter pants, no jacket/sweatshirt, and no FingerlessGloves.

* ContinuityCameo: [[VideoGame/PokemonSnap Todd Snap]] joined the main cast as a GuestStarPartyMember during the Indigo saga to advertise his home game, [[Manga/PocketMonsters Isamu Akai]] (better known as the main character of the ''Pocket Monsters'' manga, Red) starred in a movie featured in an episode during the ''Advanced Generation'' saga, Jimmy and Marina (based off of the male and female protagonist of VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver and Crystal) starred in a special featuring Raikou (rival Silver, whose anime incarnation [[FanNickname is often called "Kamon"]] to distinguish him, appears in the Japanese opening for the special)[[note]]Marina would also go on to make several understated cameos later in the series[[/note]], and Lyra would become her own Guest Star Party Member during the DP saga. [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Brendan]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Lucas]] appeared in the introductory shots of several movies in the Advanced Generation and DP sagas, always battling in an arena of some sort.

** In ''Journeys'', Ash and Goh meet up with Mewtwo from the original series where they do battle. It's also featured episodes in which past companions from previous series have appeared, so far including Korrina from Kalos and the entire cast from Alola.

The ''Pokémon'' anime series, currently marketed in English as ''Pokémon: The Series'', is a somewhat loose adaptation based on the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games developed by Creator/{{Game Freak}}. Given the success of the games, this series managed to make it to America as part of the marketing push, and, combined with the concurrent American airings of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', helped keep the new wave of Western anime adaptations (which started after ''Franchise/PowerRangers'') going.

** One of the ''Best Wishes'' ending has [[http://i.imgur.com/P0nweCa.jpg this]] pic of all the main characters and nearly all their mons.

** During the Original series, when Ash is trying to catch a Weedle, Samurai tries to challenge Ash to a battle. While Ash is talking with Samurai, the Weedle escapes.
** During the Diamond and Pearl saga, when Dawn makes a second attempt to catch a Buneary, the Pokeball that she plans to use slips out of her hand and hits Ash in the face leading him to angrily scold Dawn which results in an argument between the two. While they argue, the Buneary slip away which Piplup notices and alerts everyone that it escaped.
** During the Diamond and Pearl saga, when Paul and Electabuzz are trying to catch a wild Drapion, they both get distracted when Ash's Gligar falls from the sky after being blown by a gust of wind in front of Paul and the Drapion escapes when it sees Paul and Electabuzz distracted.

** Despite this being the series' CatchPhrase, actually completely averted in regards to the Pokémon. Ash isn't interested in capturing every Pokémon, he's just on a journey to explore his limits. He catches a few Pokémon, enough to fill up a team, in each region but he doesn't just throw a pokeball at every new Pokémon he comes across. The main reason for this is because Pokémon are treated as characters in their own right and the cast size would be ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters bloated]]'' if Ash did attempt to catch them all.

-->--'''"Pokemon Theme"''', originally performed by Jason Paige

* AccidentalMisnaming: At the start of the Hoenn era, Max says he remembers seeing Ash on tv competing in the Johto League Championships, but thought he was named Alf, to Ash's embarrassment.

** “Showdown in Pewter City” contains one during a rather elaborate ShoutOut to Episode 48 of ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'': In ''FY'', during the fight between Tamahome and Suboshi, Suboshi ends up getting [[HoistByHisOwnPetard killed by his own weapon]] when he finds himself pinned down by the ghosts of Tamahome's brothers and sisters (whom Suboshi had killed) and unable to get out of the way. In ''Pokémon'', just as Satoshi (Ash) is about to order Pikachu to deliver the finishing blow to Takeshi's (Brock's) Onix, he imagines himself being held back from giving the order by Takeshi's many younger siblings (though it turns out they really ''are'' holding Satoshi back). What makes this an example is that in the Japanese version of their respective shows, Takeshi and Suboshi are both voiced by seiyuu Creator/YujiUeda.
** The dub gets to pull this when Maylene is introduced. Jessie comments that it's "A meeting of old and new!", likely referencing that Maylene's voice actress was Jessie's 4Kids [=VA=] -- Creator/RachaelLillis. A Hoenn episode also had a very sneaky one for the same actress, titled "A Different Kind of Misty", where she voiced the character of the day
** In the Japanese version, Saori (Solidad), the pink-haired Pokemon Coordinator, is voiced by Creator/RieTanaka, who was the voice of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED Lacus]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Clyne]], the pink-haired Coordinator.

** Speaking of Megumi Hayashibara, her voicing Mays's Skitty was not the [[Franchise/HelloKitty first time]] she voiced a CuteKitten.

** In the Sun & Moon episode “Lillier and the Staff!“ near the end of her motto, Jessie is seen dressed as other characters that Hayashibara also voiced, including [[Anime/{{Slayers}} Lina Inverse]]. For this moment Lisa Ortiz, who was Lina’s dub voice, steps in to reprise.

* ActuallyIAmHim: In "Fighting Flyer With Fire", Ash and friends have a long conversation with Falkner without realizing he's the Violet City Gym Leader they were looking for.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Lusamine receives one of the more significant cases of this, going from ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''[='=]s controlling, emotionally abusive and borderline insane[[labelnote:*]]Or in the case of ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', so obsessed with saving Alola to the point of obliviousness[[/labelnote]] BigBad... to a bubbly, [[AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents embarrassingly-affectionate]] [[{{Manchild}} womanchild]] with no overpowering obsession with Ultra Beasts/stopping Necrozma.

* AllianceWithAnAbomination: Several of the movies involve Legendary Pokemon, some of whom are basically [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]], aiding the heroes against the BigBad. This is especially the case for Giratina, a ghost-dragon Pokemon that even dwells in an EldritchLocation.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: It's a recurring point of the anime that Ash lose tournaments by at least two fights... whoever beats Ash in a tournament tends to lose during their next match. Ritchie lost after beating Ash in the Indigo League, Misty lost in the Whirl Cup after beating Ash, and Harrison lost in the Silver Conference finals after beating Ash. Sometimes subverted, as Tobias beat Ash and went on to win the Lily of the Valley Conference and Ash lost to Alain in the finals of the Lumiose Conference, but double-subverted in Alain's case by his own admission to himself that Ash is a better trainer due to Alain's actions in helping Team Flare.
** [[spoiler:Finally averted in Alola, when Ash becomes its first Champion by defeating Gladion.]]
* AmateurFilmMakingPlot: Two of them in the Black & White era, thanks of recurring character Luke: the first one (which also marks Luke's debut) is "Movie Time! Zorua in 'The Legend of the Pokémon Knight'!", where Ash and pals join in the cast of Luke's amateur movie after he failed to do it using only his Zorua as every character in the film (since Zorua is a female and she wants to do only the female characters), and later "An Epic Defense Force!", where Ash and pals join Luke in a amateur movie contest at Pokestar Studios, making a film that is hogged with references to the Showa Era ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films.

** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with Goh and Chloe in ''Journeys'', who both possess full nuclear families.

** Several battles are much better animated than others, especially Gym Battles and battles against important opponents. If you see [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Category:Episodes_animated_by_Masaaki_Iwane Masaaki Iwane]] listed in the credits as the animation director, expect a damn good looking episode.
** XY's animation is notably different from the previous anime incarnations, and for a good reason; The people who animated ''Origins'' took over the animation work of the main series anime. This is welcome news to a lot of people.

* BilingualAnimal: Meowth of Team Rocket can speak to both humans and Pokemon, making him useful for [[Main/MrExposition relaying information]] to the characters and audience.
* BioweaponBeast: The origin of Mewtwo. He was cloned from the DNA of the mythical and nigh-allpowerful Pokemon Mew by scientists for Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket. Right after his birth CloningBlues sets in, but Giovanni did manage to trick him for a while into serving as his attack animal.

* BodyUploading: In "Electric Soldier Porygon", Ash and his friends use some sort of cylindrical "transfer machine" go into cyberspace with a Porygon to stop Team Rocket from stealing trainers' Pokemon.

** The first four Pokemon movies each had an opening theme sequence which used a remix of the then current opening theme from the show. The 5th movie broke this trend by having the opening be another remix of "Mezasei Pokemon Master" instead of the 5th opening "Ready Go". The following 6th movie broke the trend further by having no opening theme song at all, and since then the opening themes have been more sporadic with the movies.

* ClockworkPrediction: In "Island of the Giant Pokemon", Ash, Misty, Brock and Team Rocket end up on a mine cart where they're reunited with their Pokemon while dragging a few huge Pokemon (really robots) behind them. When Ash wonders what they can do, both Jesse and James, no strangers to bad luck, pretty much predict what'll happen next. Namely their cart will go off the rails, the line snagging the giant Pokemon will snap, and they'll get flung into the sea. And indeed, one by one, that's what happens the moment they call it.
* ComicBookTime: Confirmed to be the case in an [[https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/6ov8wh/some_trivia_from_yuyama_concerning_the_anime_and/ interview with the series' executive director]].

* ConfidenceBuildingScheme: One episode sees Ash and friends teaming up with Team Rocket to deliberately lose Pokemon battles in order to boost the confidence of a weak and scrawny Paras so that it can evolve more quickly into Parasect.

* CrescentMoonIsland: Wales Island, featured in "Where's Armaldo", is shaped like a crescent moon. Due to its isolation, much of the island has remained untouched by civilization, making it home to many ancient trees and Fossil Pokemon research.

** The Diamond and Pearl saga: Paul's treatment of Chimchar in an effort to control Blaze in an attempt to invoke HeroicSecondWind leaves the poor thing traumatized and scared for many episodes; Hunter J is a sociopathic BountyHunter who tries to kill Ash on numerous occasions; Team Galactic is given a case of AdaptationalVillainy, including trying to destroy Iron Island and kill all the humans and the Pokémon on it when in the games they wanted to catch the Pokemon, and Pokémon were shown badly injured more often; [[DeuteRagonist Dawn]] falls into depression after a losing streak, and spends several episodes as a StepfordSmiler while contemplating if she should quit on her dreams.
** The X/Y saga's Team Flare crisis has the regional evil team attempt to use Zygarde to slowly destroy the Kalos region, starting with Lumiose City. They capture Ash and many of his friends to forcibly study the Mega Evolution bond between Pokemon, were using the powerful trainer Alain as a pawn, and the leader, Lysandre, pulls a SuicidalGotcha after being defeated in battle before appearing again to continue his goals. [[spoiler:He ends up dying for real at the climax of the fight]].

* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: The Elite Four and Champions were initially portrayed as borderline Demigods who stood leagues above the average trainer. The first instance of this trope was made with Ash defeating Drake in the Orange Isles, as Drake had been consistently referred and shown as a massively powerful trainer who had never lost a battle ever since becoming the Orange Isles Champion. [[spoiler:In ''Sun and Moon'' Ash also managed to defeat Kukui, Alola's strongest trainer who up to that point had been undefeated; even the mighty [[SignatureMon Incineroar]] and [[OlympusMons Tapu Koko]] end up falling to Ash's Pokemon in the end.]]

** In the episode “Charmander, The Stray Pokemon,” Team Rocket managed to trap the “twerps” in a pit and capture Pikachu in a rubber ball. (rubber insulates electricity) Cue Damian’s Charmander arriving and using flamethrower on Team Rocket.
** In “The Pi-Kahuna,” Team Rocket successfully steal both Ash’s AND Victor’s Pikachu and put them in a glass cage that is immune to electricity. Shortly after, they get attack by Gyrados during mating season, which wasn’t mentioned ANYTIME in the episode. Cue Team Rocket blasting off again.
** In a Johto episode, the “twerps” are playing in the park and Team Rocket manages to capture ALL OF THEM. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pack of Ursaring use Hyper Beam, popping the balloon.

** In the XYZ episode “An Explosive Operation”, Team Flare pursue a Zygarde core (codenamed Z2) while Team Rocket fend them off with the intention of protecting it so they can bring Z2 back to their own headquarters. Eventually, they are beaten, but Z2 transforms into its 50% Form, leveling the whole area around it into a giant crater... Only for [[spoiler: Alain and his Charizard]] to suddenly appear and defeat Zygarde under [[spoiler: Lysandre]]’s orders, forcing it to disperse and leaving it too weak to resist being captured by Team Flare anymore.

* DismissiveKick: There are two episodes where James does this to a Pokemon, and both times the Pokemon evolves right after he kicks it. The first time is in "Pokemon Shipwreck", where he kicks his Magikarp off the raft because it not only can't swim well, but it can't even be eaten. It then evolves into Gyarados, leading to both Ash's group and Team Rocket getting caught in a tornado created by Gyarados's Dragon Rage attack. The second time is in "Primeape Goes Bananas", when he kicks away a wild Mankey that interrupted him and Jessie when they were about to battle Ash. The Mankey then evolves into Primeape and goes on a rampage, eventually being caught by Ash by the end of the episode.

* DoomDoors: A door in Professor Oak's lab has this sound in the Chronicles episode ''Showdown At The Oak Corral''.
* DoubleStandard: Ash and his friends will always get angry at a trainer who release their Pokemon for being weak, and the narrative will take their side: in fact, it was a big part of the rivalry between Ash and Paul. Now, if a Pokemon decides to leave their trainers because they see them as weak? Well, that's just fine for them, and Ash will happily try to snatch them for himself; both Snivy and Froakie were captured this way.

* ElementalHairColors: The Eevee brothers -- the yellow-haired Sparky having a Jolteon, the redhead Pyro a Flareon, the blue-haired Rainer a Vaporeon, and brown haired Mikey has an unevolved Eevee.

* EveryoneOwnsAMac: Of the HoldYourHippogriffs variety, even. As [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/PC Bulbapedia]] has pointed out, if a PC appears in this series, chances are it's running the Pokéverse equivalent of Mac OS.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Ash and most of the other heroes are sweet, charitable, and have a suicidally forgiving streak. Keep crossing them however, and expect a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown from their most powerful Pokemon. Team Rocket are at the brunt of [[FriendlyEnemy both]] [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge extremes]] of this trope on a regular basis.

** The series does have actual {{Plot Coupon}}s for Ash to actually quest for, namely he needs to acquire 8 gym badges from a region in order to compete in that region's Pokémon League. And during the Advanced Generation and Diamond and Pearl series, May and Dawn had to win 5 Contest Ribbons in order to compete in the region's Grand Festival. Serena also required 3 Princess Keys to reach the Showcase finales in the XY series.

* GratuitousEnglish: Oh so very much. And the Japanese opening themes amount to little more than this and boatloads of random Pokémon terms with a catchy tune. Case in point: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weMviilwDGg&feature=related Everyday is spelled evierdai]] Lyrics are [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/The_Greatest_-_Everyday! here]].

* ImprobableInfantSurvival: Generally the cuter the Pokémon is, the less liable they are to get knocked about in battles or other threats (Ash and Team Rocket, being the mainstays and most active characters, are usually the exceptions to this rule, though not always). To exemplify, the Team Flare arc demonstrated the ongoing threat level by having most of Ash's fully evolved Pokémon [[TheWorfEffect quickly knocked out by Lysandre]]. Clemont and Serena's teams, despite being far less experienced and largely consisting of more childlike unevolved Pokemon, fought throughout the entire climax without suffering a single scratch.

** Pokémon caught inside Team Rocket's nets will only rarely manage to free themselves, despite them usually being pretty powerful in battle. Usually handwaved as being electric/whatever proof nets. The peak of this trope may be when Team Rocket captured Cresselia, a ''Legendary Pokemon'', with an ordinary net. Granted, Cresselia's main power is to grant good dreams, which is useless for escaping from a net.

* KilledOffForReal: While deaths are rare in Pokemon, unlike most other animes, Dr. Fuji is vaporized when Mewtwo destroys his lab. Which is impressive considering Team Rocket only gets sent [[JokerImmunity blasting off]] from explosions.

** In ''Diamond and Pearl'', [[spoiler: Hunter J]] is blown up when [[spoiler: Uxie and Mesprit take out her ship and cause it to crash into Lake Valor]]. And in the following episode, [[spoiler: Cyrus [[SelfDisposingVIllain enters a portal to a newly created dimension that is destroyed by Dialga and Palkia shortly after]] ]].
** In "One Journey Ends, Another Begins...", a very old Stoutland is taken to the pokemon center. It's not said, but very strongly implied it died.

** ''Journeys'' has much less to do with its corresponding games, though it does introduce elements, characters, and Pokemon from the ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordandShield'' games somewhat with a decent degree of frequency. The focus is put much more on what Pokemon is about, with episodes focusing on things like evolution and shiny hunting, and leans towards ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' more than anything.

** Don't [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:Sakura_and_Tomoyo_DP077.png these two]] [[Manga/CardcaptorSakura look familiar]]?
** [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Doyle Doyle]] in "Where Did You Go, Audino?" bears a resemblance to [[Manga/CaseClosed Conan Edogawa]].
** Here's one example that managed to draw ire from lawyers anyway: [[https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Hamilton Hamilton]] from "Cream of the Croagunk Crop" was originally supposed to be one for Hiroshi from ''Manga/DokonjoGaeru''. Even his Japanese name was originally "Hiroki". However, it was deemed a bit too close to be a Lawyer Friendly Cameo and he was subsequently redesigned and renamed (to Takuya) for DVD release and international markets.

*** Given that Goh's main goal is to [[GottaCatchEmAll catch as many Pokémon as he can]] - and he demonstrates this immediately by catching every single Kanto Bug-type in the same episode - ''Journeys'' puts this into full swing, even if this means some of his Pokémon remain mostly out of focus at the Cerise Institute. Team Rocket's formula is also adjusted, as they use a Gacha system that selects random Pokemon rented from the rest of the team. As with the previous series though, Ash's Alola-specific team gets [[PutOnABus left with Professor Kukui]].

* MidBattleTeaBreak: In "Ka Boom With A View!", Ash and Palace Maven Spenser take a break in the middle of their fight to enjoy lunch.

* MightyRoar: If a Pokemon in an episode appears with its Japanese voice intact, and it's not saying its name (like Pikachu, Aipom or Donphan) then there's a very good chance it will have a roar (the only exception is Staryu/Starmie).

** In the Pokémon themed single for fourth ''XY'' ending [=DreamDream=], the B-side track is a cover of KISEKI (the credits theme for the ''XY'' games).
** One of Ash's t-shirts in ''Sun and Moon'' has [[https://twitter.com/JoeMerrick/status/806800362397048832 the icon used for Water Pokémon in the first generation games.]] Another shirt has the flower icon for Grass Pokemon.

** In Sinnoh, the gang had to deal with Hunter J who was an EvilPoacher that poached Pokemon, whether they were owned or rare, and sold them clients via a black market. To ensure maximum pay for her quarry, she would zap the Pokémon with a [[AndIMustScream petrification ray]] and seal them in clear pods.

** Misty gets a double shot of this in "Pokémon Fashion Flash" when she picks up Vulpix to coo about how cute he is, ignoring Susie's warning, and gets [[AshFace Ash Faced]] from the fox Pokemon's fire breathing. Apparently Misty didn't know that Vulpix (a) breathes fire (as explained by Dexter after the fact) and (b) doesn't like to be touched by strangers (as explained by Susie after the fact).
** "Pokémon Shipwreck": A hungry Ash, Brock and Team Rocket consider eating Magikarp. Meowth even attempts to take a bite of the fish Pokemon, only to recoil in pain.

* OhCrap: Lots of instances (Team Rocket are pretty prone to them, after all). In the episode "Pallet Party Panic", a Fearow that's been bullying the local Pidgey and Pidgeotto showcases a great example when it realises that the other Pokemon, after a confidence boost from Pidgeot, have [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore finally had enough.]]
* OlympusMons: The early series generally defied this, rarely giving the main characters elusive tier Pokemon like Mythicals or Legendaries, though secondary characters started to appear with them under their command as the series continued. The show finally bucks the trend completely by the ''Sun and Moon'' series, with Ash officially capturing his first Mythical Pokemon, Meltan. Mallow also unofficially owns a Shaymin in the same series.

** The page image is from the episode ''The Ghost of Maiden's Peak'', in which a Gastly transforms into a mongoose (as in, an ''actual'' real-world, non-superpowered mongoose, and not a mongoose-like Pokemon) to scare Jessie's Ekans.
** Jessie herself later acquires a Seviper, a snake Pokemon noted for its rivalry with the mongoose-based Zangoose, resulting in a minor RunningGag where Seviper would drop everything and disobey Jessie if there was a Zangoose around.

* StalkerShot: During the "Black & White" a.k.a "Best Wishes" seasons, when Ash meets the starter Pokemon of the Unova region, he comments Oshawott looks cute, and when Trips chooses Snivy over him, he took an interest in Ash. Later in the episode, the camera would reveal Oshawott following Ash and hiding from a distance several times with Ash and Pikachu unaware of him. It's not until the third episode that Oshawott officially becomes apart of Ash's team.

** Most Legendary Pokémon are portrayed as very strong demigod-like beings in the anime. Naturally, this means that Ash will never have the chance to actually capture and own them in the same way player characters can in the games. He can befriend them (and has done so many times, especially in the movies), and has beaten a few that do belong to other trainers, but actually capturing them would not only be disastrous for the world, but it would also make Ash almost invincible. Downplayed when Ash finally catches the Mythical Pokemon Meltan (the same tier as Tobias' Darkrai) and later evolves into Melmetal. While Meltan's raw power was more than enough to win a lot of Ash's first few battles with it, its overall inexperience caused its performance to nosedive spectacularly once it finally evolved. As by that point, it was facing experienced opponents who had a lot more than just raw strength to back up their prowess.

* SunkenFace: During Journeys, Goh sometimes gets the Pokeballs he throws at the Pokemon deflected right back at him, caving in his face.

** James in "The Punchy Pokemon". His face turns red for a moment from the weight of carrying Jessie on his shoulders.

** At the end of the last episode of every "series" in Japan[[note]]The episodes [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP274 "Hoenn Alone"]], [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/AG192 "Home is Where the Start Is"]], [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/DP191 "Memories are Made of Bliss"]], and [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/BW084 "Rocking the Virbank Gym! (Part 2)"]][[/note]], it ends with "Next Time... A New Beginning!" instead.

** While Wobbuffet is as much a PluckyComicRelief like the rest of the Team Rocket trio, he generally offers a much tougher fight during the sporadic occasions Jessie calls him out to battle when compared to Team Rocket's other Pokemon who usually serve as jobbers outside of the occasional NotSoHarmless battle. In the early points of the XY series, Jessie used Wobbuffet far more regularly, leading to multiple far more persistent face-offs against Ash and co instead of their usual defeats in {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s.
** In the ''Sun and Moon'' series, Jessie caught Mimikyu, who was a far more swift and vicious Pokemon and could consistently keep up with Pikachu. Unfortunately for Jessie , Mimikyu wasn't really interested in doing much else besides fighting Pikachu, and would often sulk or half-ass battles against other opponents or even ruin schemes because of its bloodlust for Pikachu.
* TooHungryToBePolite: When all of Goh's pokemon go crazy due to their food going missing, they all start to attack each other and almost put his 3 Cascoon at risk. Only averted with his Farfetch'd, Skwovet, Pidgy and Cubone who manage to stay calm and help get everyone back to normal.

** Similarly, few people respond to the appearance of very unique or elusive Pokemon unless the plot calls for it. This is especially evident in later series, where the protagonists are allowed to capture [[OlympusMons Mythical or Legendary Pokemon]].

* TheVillainMustBePunished: In most episodes, Team Rocket are rather easily blasted off after their latest scheme is foiled. On occasions this isn't done by mere effect of defeat or when they try to escape, the protagonists will often be incensed enough by their antics to sic their Pokemon's nastiest attacks onto them until they finally are sent flying. This often got defied in ''Best Wishes'' where Team Rocket were often savvy enough to use jetpacks to avoid punishment, or ''Sun and Moon'' where Bewear would often bail them out just in time.

** [[SuperMode Mega Evolution]]. In the games, Mega Evolution is powerful, but only a select few Pokémon benefit enough from it to be a GameBreaker. The mechanic as a whole is balanced out by the fact all Mega Evolved Pokémon (except Rayquaza, who was so powerful, Smogon had to [[UpToEleven ban it from their banlist]]) have to give up their held item to hold a Mega Stone. In the anime, where held items are nonexistent, Mega Evolutions are a free powerup, and the only Pokémon qualified to fight them are other Mega Evolved Pokémon, the above-mentoined Legendaries, and [[TheHero Ash's]] [[StrongAsTheyNeedToBe Pikachu.]]

* TotallyRadical: Several characters and instances in the dub, including [[SurferDude Brawly]], Misty's sisters, and a one-shot ''DP'' character named Sho, who the dub made into a JiveTurkey turned UpToEleven. And Team Rocket in "Battle Aboard the St. Anne," in which Jessie (in disguise) even ''says'' "radical," leading Ash to ask Misty, "Do you know ''anyone'' who says 'radical' any more?"