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, and Ash's anime exclusive rivals, etc. (but, this list isn't included from Pokémon Origins nor Pokémon Generations).

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 is 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 has companions in the anime, whereas the playable characters goes alone in the games.
• Ash doesn't lose money nor black out after losing a Pokémon Battle.
• Pokémon evolve during in the battle, but they only evolve (except for Mega Evolution) after winning battles in the games.
• Ash doesn't receive any Master Balls in the anime, even though they're rewarded in the games.
• Misty, Brock, Cilan, Iris, Clemont, and Bonnie are main characters in the anime, as opposed to minor characters like they were in the games.
• 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 can use against the Gym Leader such as two, three, or more, but in the games the player can use all Pokemon they have in their party.
• Bill has Green hair instead of brown.
• Pokémon can evolve in the midst of battle; in the games, Pokémon only evolve after the battle is over.
• Team Rocket never disabanded in the anime.
• Giovanni didn't battle Ash at the Viridian City Gym like he does against the player in the games.
• Giovanni obtained a Mewtwo in the original series.
• Gary Oak was never the Kanto Champion in the original series.
• Agatha and Lance weren't seen from the original series, but they appear in 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. (Technically Tracey appears in Pokémon Puzzle League, but it's 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 catches the Red Gyarados instead of Ash or his friends, but in the games, the Red Gyarados is catchable for the players.
• There are no timeskips in the anime, and all regions exist in the same universe; each installment of the games are set at different times from each other, and it's implied that the games (starting with Generation VI onward) take place in an alternate universe.
• Misty's appearance in the anime remains the same from the Generation I games, whereas her style changes after 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 doesn't take the role as Viridian City Gym Leader after Giovanni's defeat, instead becoming a Pokemon researcher, and Agatha takes the role as the Viridian City Gym Leader; in the games, Blue/Green becomes the Viridian City Gym Leader after Giovanni's defeat.
• Leaf, Hilda, Rosa and Moon don't appear in the anime.
• Janine didn't appear in the anime series.
• Jessie, James, and Meowth were seen again in the other series; they only appeared 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 takes Barry's role at the start of the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl anime; Barry himself appears in the later seasons of the Sinnoh anime series.
• Pokémon Hunter J and her crew were added in the anime.
• Lyra appeared in a few Sinnoh episodes, but she only appears in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver Version which is 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, instead battling Roxie from Virbank City Gym and obtainingthe 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 has a one-shot minor role as a Gym Leader with his attire from Black 2 and White 2.
• Charles appears to be different in the anime, and his Mighty Excelgor is added in the anime and also, he never explains Triple Battles.
• Skyla has a Grandfather in the anime.
• Caitlin appear in her Unova Elite Four attire, but not in her Sinnoh Frontier Brain attire (which is possibly because the years from the games don'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 appears in the later seasons of the Unova series and not at the beginning.
• Alder keeps his title as the Unova Champion in the anime.
• Iris doesn'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 was 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's appearance in the anime has a few minor cosmetic differences from the video game series.
• Serena didn't get a notice from Professor Sycamore for her Pokémon nor meet Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno.
• Clemont and Bonnie have a father named Meyer in the anime.
• Clemont has more inventions that only appeared in the anime.
• Miette 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 appear in the games.
• Siebold uses Mega Evolution in the anime with his Blastoise, but he neither uses Mega Evolution nor has a Blastoise in the games.
• Korrina only has one Lucario instead of two.
• Korrina begins her Mega Evolution training in the anime, but in the games, she already knows how to use Mega Evolution.
• Korrina's Lucario loses control while Mega-Evolved, but this never happens in the games.
• Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno get a Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle in the anime, but Shauna doesn't receive one of the Kalos starters like from the games.
• Gurkinn has a Blaziken and Lucario, and also uses Mega Evolution on Lucario.
• Gurkinn fights Korrina during her training, but he never fights her in the games.
• There were more trainers using 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 fighting using the Mega Evolution in Pokémon X and Y.
• In the Reflection Cave, there was a portal to go to another dimension, but this was never in Pokémon X and Y.
• Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna receive their starter Pokémon at Professor Sycamore's lab instead of in Vaniville Town.
• Trevor doesn't obtain a Pikachu like in 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 in Shalour City.
• Korrina uses her Lucario and with the Mega Evolution during in the Gym Battle with Ash, but in Pokémon X and Y, she uses her Hawlucha at the Shalour City Gym and she fought with the Mega Evolution at the Tower of Mastery.
• Neither Ash nor Serena receive the Mega Ring at the Tower of Mastery after defeating Korrina like the player does in the games.
• Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna don'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.
• Mallow, Kiawe, Lana and Sophocles aren't trial captains.
• Lillie is a Pokémon trainer and obtains an Alolan Vulpex that she names Snowy. She never becomes a Pokémon trainer in the games.
• Lillie and Gladion are revealed to be Lusamine's children in Episode 8 of the Sun and Moon arc when her Butler tells Ash about the photo of Lillie and her family when she was young. In the games, both are revealed to be Lusamine's children when she reveals her plan about releasing the Ultra Beasts.
• In the anime, Lillie had a phobia of Pokemon and was unable to touch them for a time. She had no such character trait in the games.
• Lusamine is well-meaning towards Lillie in the anime, if only a little self-centered, completely lacking the animosity she has towards her children for leaving her in the games.
• Nebby was found by Ash on the way to the Pokémon School in the later episodes instead of taken by Lillie during her escape in the Aether Paradise in the games.
• Ash gets an Electrium Z instead of Fightinium Z after winning Hala's Grand Trial in the anime.
• Olivia has the Midday Form of Lycanroc instead of the Midnight Form like in the games.
• Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet aren't married in the anime.
• In the games, Lillie resides in Professor Kukui's loft with Nebby. In the anime she lives at her family's mansion with Snowy, and Ash uses the loft instead.