Pokémon the Series: XY and XYZ

Japanese logo of "Pocket Monsters: XY&Z"

Pokémon the Series: XY, known as Pocket Monsters: XY (ポケットモンスターＸＹ(エックスワイ) and 포켓몬스터 XY Poketto Monsutaa XY and Poketmonseuteo XY) in Japan and South Korea respectively, and Pokémon the Series: XYZ, known as Pocket Monsters: XY & Z (ポケットモンスターＸＹ＆Ｚ(エックスワイアンドゼット) and 포켓몬스터 XY&Z Poketto Monsutaa XY&Z and Poketmonseuteo XY&Z) in Japan and South Korea respectively, are Pokémon anime series which are based on the Generation VI games. This series once again follows the exploits of Ash Ketchum.

The new adventure begins with Ash arriving at Lumiose City in the region of Kalos, where he continues his quest to become a Pokémon Master. The entirety of Generation VI's anime premiered from October 17, 2013 to November 10, 2016 in Japan, in South Korea from March 10, 2014 to December 13, 2016, and the United States from January 18, 2014 to January 28, 2017.

Story arcs

According to official sources, including but not limited to the TV Tokyo website, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and DVDs, these two divisions correspond to separate series, unlike the case with the Black & White series.

Pocket Monsters XY (XY001-XY093)
Pocket Monsters XY&Z (XY094-XY142)

Seasons

Pokémon the Series: XY (Season 17)
Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (Season 18)
Pokémon the Series: XYZ (Season 19)

South Korean

In South Korea, the series is split into six airing periods, along the lines of the seasons in Japan. They are:

Pokémon the Series: XY
- XY001-XY024
- XY025-XY048
- XY049-XY070
- XY071-XY092
Pokémon the Series: XYZ
- XY093-XY117
- XY118-XY142

Characters

Main

Rivals

Antagonists

Team Rocket
- Jessie
- James
- Giovanni
- Matori
Team Flare
- Lysandre
- Xerosic
- Bryony
- Celosia
- Aliana
- Mable

Key Pokémon

Recurring

Gags

Returning Gags

Team Rocket's Blast Offs return once again, this time in the Kalos Era.
The gag of a character proposing to an attractive female character returns to the series, but with a new twist.
- Bonnie would propose to the female character to be Clemont's girlfriend but Clemont intervenes saying he is not interested and uses the Aipom Arm to drag Bonnie away.
The gag that involves Ash's Pikachu shocking a female character or the female character's bike returns. When Bonnie hugs Pikachu, Pikachu gets frightened and shocks Bonnie, like he did to Iris back in "Enter Iris and Axew!"

New Gags

One of Clemont's inventions would malfunction and blow up, making Clemont, Ash, Bonnie, Serena, and anyone else with them have a puffy hairstyle.

A new Gag (exclusive to XY since Serena is only in XY) was where Serena is teased by Miette (or any character really) about her crush on Ash, which makes her go red and embarrassed.

Episodes

Main articles: Pokémon the Series: XY, Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest, and Pokémon the Series: XYZ

Title cards

Main article: Pokémon the Series: XY and XYZ/Title cards

Trivia

This series has many similarities to the Ruby and Sapphire series.
- Both have series sneak previews.
- Ash travels with three characters instead of two.
- Two of Ash's traveling companions are siblings: Clemont and Bonnie.
- Bonnie is too young to have Pokémon of her own, but still has a love for them.
- Unlike Max, Bonnie is allowed to look after Clemont's Pokémon, Dedenne.
- The three older main characters have one starter Pokémon each.
- The female character chooses a Fire-type Pokémon.
This is so far the only series in which:
- Ash traveled with two female main characters, instead of just one.
- Ash and James do not catch a Grass-type Pokémon.
- The regional starter Pokémon Ash and his friends obtained come from a regional professor.
- Ash's Pokémon team fully evolves with exception to Pikachu and Hawlucha.
- Ash owns three Pokémon of the same type: Flying.
- Ash releases a regional starter Pokémon.
- None of the former traveling companions, aside Cilan, appear in this series.
- The Magikarp Salesman doesn't appear.
- One of Ash's released Pokémon rejoins his team after being previously released.
- Ash travels to a new region with someone he met in the previous series, traveling to Kalos with Alexa.
- Ash reaches the finals of a Pokémon League.
- Ash doesn't cross-dress, but Serena does in the XYZ season.
- Serena is the only one who changes and keeps her new appearance mid-season.
- None of Ash's Pokémon from Professor Oak's laboratory appeared, nor were they mentioned.
- Professor Oak does not meet Ash's companions or Professor Sycamore.
- There are no flashbacks to the original series.
- Jessie and James capture one Pokémon each from the Kalos region and doesn't catch anymore throughout. Meowth and Wobbuffet continue to travel with them. None of the other Team Rocket members from the past made an appearance at all except for Giovanni.
- The final episode only ends with the message "And to our own Way" instead of "Next Time... A New Beginning!"
The Series: XY is the longest series in the anime that is the first debut series of a region (excluding Kanto because there was only one series in that region).
The XY(Z) series is the first generation to be split into two separate series.
This series include the new VS. image overview screen for battles and showcases.
This series was last of the Pokémon series to air new episodes on Cartoon Network in the dub, before the start of the Disney XD Era.
This is the first series to have no single banned or unaired episode, although "An Undersea Place to Call Home!" was originally postponed.

Official site

Official Japanese site (XY, XY&Z)
Official English site (seasons 17, 18, and 19)

Pokémon Wiki