Pokémon Journeys: The Series (series)

Japanese Logo

Pokémon Journeys: The Series, known as Pocket Monsters (Japanese: ポケットモンスター, Hepburn: Poketto Monsutaa) in Japan and Pocket Monsters W (Japanese: 포켓몬스터 W, Hepburn: Poketmonseuteo W) in South Korea, is the eighth part of the anime series. It features all of the regions from the main-series games, including the Generation VIII games Pokémon Sword and Shield. This series shares its Japanese name with the original series when the anime first premiered in 1997, and is officially labeled with "2019", the year this series started in, for disambiguation. A new art style is implemented for the fourth series in a row.

This new series focuses on the two protagonists Ash Ketchum and Goh, along with their partners Pikachu and Cinderace. It also features a young girl named Chloe, who has an Eevee, and her father, Professor Cerise, who runs a laboratory in Vermilion City. It features all the regions that have appeared in the Pokémon games, from Kanto to Galar. Pokémon from each region also appear.

The series premiered on November 17, 2019 in Japan and premiered in the US on June 12, 2020.

Seasons

Pokémon Journeys: The Series (Season 23)

South Korea

In South Korea, the series is split into three airing periods. They are:

PJ001-PJ020
PJ021-PJ040
PJ041-present

Characters

Major

Antagonists

Recurring

Key Pokémon

Gags

Returning Gags

Team Rocket's usual blast-off returns.

New Gags

Team Rocket gets random Pokémon from a capsule machine for which requires Meowth's charm to dispense the capsules.
Ash's bottom gets kicked by Goh's Cinderace as Scorbunny.
Mimey performs pantomime for everyday tasks.
Ash’s Dragonite hugs people and Pokémon it meets for the first time.
Team Rocket's Chewtle chews on Jessie's hair.
Ash misinterpreting certain words and Goh correcting him.
Sobble's crying causing everyone else to cry.
Morpeko eating Team Rocket out of their food supplies.

Title cards

Trivia

The design of the Japanese logo of the series is shared with I Choose You! and The Power of Us, which were set in an alternate continuity to the main series.
- This makes it the first series logo to not have any shade of green, being completely blue instead. It is also the first one without any 3D perspective, having a flat design.
Currently, this is the only series to have a major male companion instead of the female companion.
In the original Japanese version, the footage used for the title card background is of Pikachu hopping over to the right side of the screen while the episode's title pops out of the Poké Ball. In the dub, the title card background is taken from that of the title cards in the next episode preview segment, which has Pikachu on the left side of the screen.
This is also the first series:
- To be set in more than two game-original regions.
- Where Ash's outfit is not identical to the male player character's outfit since Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire.
- To not be entirely based around the corresponding generation of games.
- To not feature the words: "The Series" during the opening animation of English dub of the Pokémon anime, unlike previous series.
- Where Ash only has a male traveling companion instead of a female traveling companion.
- To have a Starter Pokémon evolve in less than 20 episodes since its capture.
- Since Advanced Generation in the original version (and The Beginning in the dub) not to be named after the corresponding games of the generation.
- To have its broadcast interrupted since Pokémon the Series: The Beginning (in this case, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
- To broadcast episodes #23 thru #29 outside of April 26, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan after rerun episodes #1 thru #6.
- To release movie #23 outside of July 10, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.
- To have the English dub's Who's That Pokémon? segments directly translated and dubbed from those of the Japanese version, instead of using separate segments, and to not feature the people saying "It's (Pokémon's name)!" at any point during identifying each Pokémon, unlike previous Who's that Pokémon segments; instead, Pikachu says: "Pika", the Pokémon says its name, and Pikachu says: "Pika, Pika!"
- To not feature the lyric "Pokémon" in the English opening song, unlike previous English opening songs of the Pokémon anime
- To have the English dub recorded between New York and California. This is because voice director Lisa Ortiz moved to California.
- To be the first series in the anime to be streamed in the United States on Netflix instead of aired on a traditional television..
- To not feature "To Be Continued" text at the end of each episode, unlike previous series, instead, at the end of each episode of the English dub of the Pokémon anime, the English narrator says: "As our journey continues." This only applies to the episodes streamed on Netflix. The Japanese and other regional TV brodcasts still include the "To Be Continued" at the end.) On Pokémon Youtube Channel, and Pokémon TV app, Episode #1 has the "To Be Continued" text at the end.
- Ash catches Pokémon from previous generations since the Diamond and Pearl series, a Ghost-type Pokémon, a Baby Pokémon and a Regional Variant Pokémon.
In the English Dub, the main title card is swapped with the next episode preview title card. During the broadcasts on Netflix, the usual title card is used to market the series as a Netflix original series.

In other languages

Spanish: Viajes Pokémon (Pokémon Travels)
Thai: โปเกมอน เจอร์นีย์ (Pokémon Journeys)

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