Differences from the games and the anime

This is a list of differences between the main games and the main anime series that the anime is based on the games, but they included a lot of differences for the main anime series such as Team Rocket appeared more than the Kanto and Johto saga, Red was replaced by Ash, Orange Islands are added in the anime, Ash's anime exclusive rivals, etc. (but, this list isn't included from Pokémon Origins).

List of differences from the main series games
This is a list of changes happened in the anime that were got some differences from the main games.


 * Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, and Delia Ketchum replaces Red's, Blue's, and Red's mother role in the anime series.
 * Ash gets a Pikachu instead of one of the Kanto starters as his first Pokémon.
 * Spearow can see black and white in the first episode, but this only appeared in the anime.
 * Ho-Oh was first seen in the first episode, but Ho-Oh wasn't suppose to appear until in the Generation II games.
 * Brock appears as a former Gym Leader in the anime, but in the games, he still a Gym Leader.
 * Misty wasn't the Gym Leader from the start of the anime then, she later became the Gym Leader after the Johto series, but in the games, she is still a Gym Leader.
 * Misty has three sisters added in the anime.
 * Brock has his entire family appeared in the anime.
 * Ash have companions in the anime, but, the playable characters goes alone in the games.
 * Ash doesn't lose money nor get fainted after losing a Pokémon Battle.
 * Pokémon evolve during in the battle, but they only evolve (except for Mega Evolution) during after winning the battle in the games.
 * Ash doesn't receive any Master Balls in the anime, but they are rewarded in the games.
 * Misty, Brock, Cilan, Iris, Clemont, and Bonnie became main characters instead of minor characters in the anime.
 * Team Rocket have a lot of anime exclusive members added in the anime such as Butch, Cassidy, etc.
 * Gyms have a limit how many Pokémon that the challenger battles against the Gym Leader such as two, three, or more Pokémon to battle, but in the games, all Gyms Battles can have up to six and there wasn't a limit existed.
 * Bill has Green hair instead of Brown.
 * Pokémon can evolve during in battle, but in the games, the Pokémon evolves after the battle is over.
 * Team Rocket wasn't been disabanded in the anime.
 * Giovanni didn't fight Ash at the Viridian City Gym, but he is able to be fought at the Viridian City Gym in the games.
 * Giovanni obtained a Mewtwo in the original series.
 * Gary Oak didn't get to be as the Kanto Champion in the original series.
 * Agatha and Lance wasn't seen from the original series, but they appear later seasons in the anime.
 * The Orange Islands, Decolore Islands, and the arc is added in the anime.
 * Tracey and Max were added in the anime. (But, technically Tracey appears in Pokémon Puzzle League, but its based on anime instead of the main games)
 * Lorelei was renamed as Prima in the 4Kids Dub of the anime.
 * Lorelei was from the Orange Islands, but the Orange Islands never existed in the games.
 * Lance was later seen in the Johto series instead of the original series.
 * Lance caught his Red Gyarados instead of the Ash nor his friends, but in the games, the Red Gyarados is catchable for the players.
 * There was not timeskip of years happened in the anime, some of them takes place around months.
 * Misty was still the same from the Generation I games, but she grown mature since the Generation II games.
 * Giovanni appeared in the Generation II Johto anime series, but he didn't appear in the Generation II games.
 * Gary Oak didn't take the role as Viridian City Gym Leader after Giovanni's defeat, but Agatha takes the role as the Viridian City Gym Leader.
 * Leaf, Hilda, and Rosa didn't appear in the anime series.
 * Janine didn't appear in the anime series.
 * Jessie, James, and Meowth were seen again in the other series, but they only appear in Pokémon Yellow version.
 * Ash Ketchum takes the other male protagonist's role in the other seasons.
 * The Battle Frontier from Pokémon Emerald version were in Kanto instead of Hoenn.
 * Gold/Ethan's and Kris's name from the Generation II games were renamed as Jimmy and Marina in the anime.
 * Contests have Battles added in the anime, but they don't have Battles in the games.
 * Shelly and Tabitha were renamed as Isabelle and Harlan in the 4Kids Dub of the anime.
 * Juan takes Wallace's role as the Gym leader like from the Pokémon Emerald version.
 * Wallace hosts the Wallace Cup and he was a former Gym Leader and Champion in the anime.
 * Paul replaces Barry's role at the start of the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl anime and Barry appears in the later seasons of the Sinnoh anime series.
 * Pokémon Hunter J and her crew were added in the anime.
 * Lyra appeared few at the Sinnoh episodes, but she only appears in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Version which its in Johto.
 * The Johto Festival in Sinnoh was anime exclusive.
 * The Lake Trio were successfully captured by Hunter J instead of Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter themselves.
 * Ash didn't get the Legend Badge and have a Gym Battle against Drayden like from Black and White series, but he battled Roxie from Virbank City Gym and obtained the Toxic Badge instead as his eighth Unova Gym Badge.
 * Trip, Stephan, Cameron, and Virgil have a major role in the anime instead having a one-shot minor role like from the Black 2 and White 2 Japan-only event.
 * Cheren was replaced by Trip as the rival and Cheren have an one shot minor role and he appeared as a Gym Leader and have his attire from Black 2 and White 2.
 * Charles appears to be different in the anime and also, his Mighty Excelgor is added in the anime and also, he never explains about his new Triple Battles.
 * Skyla has a Grandfather appeared in the anime.
 * Caitlin appear in her Unova Elite Four attire, but, not in her Sinnoh Frontier Brain attire. (which its possibly due to the years from the games didn't happen in the anime.)
 * N isn't an antagonist in the anime series of the Unova series and didn't defeat Alder, but he appear in the later seasons of the Unova series and not a the beginning.
 * Alder still keep his title as the Unova Champion.
 * Iris didn't get the role as a Gym Leader nor the Champion in the anime.
 * Hugh didn't appear in the anime.
 * The Village of Dragons appeared in the anime, but they were only mentioned in the games.
 * The Reveal Glass was located at the Ancient Temple in the sea, but it was obtainable in the Abundant Shrine in Black 2 and White 2.
 * Alexa appeared near at the end of the Unova saga, but her debut from the games was Pokémon X and Y.
 * Serena from the anime series is originally from Kanto and not Kalos, but this plot was only appear in the anime.
 * Serena's appearances from the anime is quite a bit different from the video game series.
 * Serena didn't get a notice from Professor Sycamore about for her Pokémon nor meet Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno.
 * Clemont and Bonnie have a father named Meyer is added in the anime.
 * Clemont has more inventions only appeared in the anime.
 * Miette appears as Serena's rival only appears in the anime.
 * Pokémon Puffs appeared outside of Pokémon-Amie.
 * Pokémon Puffs Bake-off is added in the anime, but the contest doesn't appeared in the games.
 * Siebold uses Mega Evolution in the anime with his Blastoise, but he never used his Mega Evolution nor have a Blastoise during his battles in the games.
 * Korrina only have one Lucario instead of two.
 * Korrina began her Mega Evolution training in the anime, but in the games, she already knows how to use Mega Evolutions.
 * Korrina's Lucario gets lose control during using the Mega Evolution, but this never happened during in the games.
 * Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno got a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle in the anime, but Shauna didn't receive one of the Kalos starters like from the games.
 * Gurkinn has a Blaziken and Lucario, he also used Mega Evolution on Lucario.
 * Gurkinn fought Korrina during at her training, but he was never fought during in the games.
 * There were more trainers uses the Mega Evolutions in the Kalos series of the anime, but in the games, the players, rivals, Korrina, Diantha, and Lysandre were the only ones fought using the Mega Evolution in Pokémon X and Y.
 * In the Reflection Cave, there was a portal to go through an dimension, but this was never shown happened in Pokémon X and Y.
 * Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna received their starter Pokémon from at Professor Sycamore's lab instead of at the Vaniville Town.
 * Trevor didn't obtained a Pikachu like from the games.
 * Shauna posts her Trainer Videos at in the Pokémon Center, but this only appears in the anime.
 * The Shalour City Gym is located at the Tower of Mastery instead of at the Shalour City.
 * Korrina used her Lucario and with the Mega Evolution during in the Gym Battle with Ash, but in Pokémon X and Y, she used her Hawlucha at the Shalour City Gym and she fought with the Mega Evolution at the Tower of Mastery.
 * Ash nor Serena didn't receive the Mega Ring at the Tower of Mastery after defeating Korrina, but this was needed in the games.
 * Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna didn't appear with Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie at the Tower of Mastery.
 * Steven Stone's Metagross is shiny instead of a normal color from the games.