What To Watch
Celebrate Pokémon’s 30th with the Classic Anime Series and More
Dust off your Pokédex before you join Ash Ketchum and the gang.
By Caitlin Busch
Feb. 27, 2026
Pokémon Turns 30: Watch the Original Indigo League Series and More on Netflix - Netflix Tudum
Three decades ago, Professor Oak first offered gamers a choice between three powerful creatures called Pokémon. In the 1997 anime Pokémon The Series: Indigo League — which is based in the same universe as the games — hero Ash Ketchum faced that same choice. Fans know that Ash chose his own path, but the goal across every game, series, and movie in the franchise since has remained the same: Heroes journey across a fictional world to catch as many of the strange creatures as they can in order to become Pokémon masters. The original 151 Pokémon, from Bulbasaur to Mew, were introduced 30 years ago on Feb. 27, aka Pokémon Day.
There are now over 1,000 Pokémon that appear across dozens of beloved games, series, and movies. So if your fingers are getting tired from all that button mashing, maybe take a breather by diving into one of these shows instead. Keep reading to learn more about the Pokémon series available to watch on Netflix.
Pokémon The Series: Indigo League
Ash Ketchum (voiced by Rica Matsumoto) is a 10-year-old boy from Pallet Town who dreams of being a Pokémon master. But before this aspiring trainer can set off on his adventure, he needs a starter Pokémon. When Professor Oak introduces him to an unruly Pikachu (Ikue Otani) that refuses to stay in a Poké Ball, Ash fears his dream could be over before it ever began. But as Ash and Pikachu begin battling Gym Leaders across the Kanto league — and make a few new pals along the way — they learn that to be a great Pokémon master, you first have to be a great friend. Mayumi Iizuka (Mega Man Legends) and Yuji Ueda (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) also provide voices for this classic anime.
Pokémon The Series: XY
Ash and Pikachu head to the Kalos region in this series, where they make new friends and reunite with some familiar faces. When the villainous Team Rocket — Jessie, James, and Meowth — shows up, Ash and the gang are saved by Froakie, a Water-type Pokémon who’s badly injured during the scuffle. Will Froakie join the group on their journey to collect all the Kalos Gym Badges? Or will the original dynamic duo set out on this new adventure on their own? This three-season series stars the voice talents of Otani, Sarah Natochenny (Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles), Mike Liscio (Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V), Haven Paschall (World of Winx), and Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld (Secret Magic Control Agency).
Pokémon Horizons: The Series
When Liko arrives at her new boarding school, Indigo Academy, she chooses Sprigatito as her first Pokémon. While they don’t initially get along, that all changes when a tussle over a magic pendant leads them on the adventure of a lifetime. That’s how they meet the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers who travel the world on their airship, the Brave Olivine, under their leaders Friede and Captain Pikachu. Otani, Alejandra Reynoso (Castlevania), Anjali Kunapaneni (Barbie Mysteries), and Crispin Freeman (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) also lend their voices to the series.
This lovably ragtag crew’s journey continues in Pokémon Horizons: Season 2: The Search for Laqua and Pokémon Horizons: Season 3: Rising Hope.
Number of recommendations may vary by region.
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Shop Pokémon The Series: Indigo League
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