Pokémon has two casts running side by side. One is the creatures themselves: 1,025 species, from Bulbasaur to Pecharunt, each with its own type, design and Pokédex lore. The other is the people who catch, raise and battle them. That means the game protagonists and their rivals, the gym leaders and champions who test them, the professors who hand out the first Pokémon, and the villain teams who want to use Pokémon for their own ends.
The franchise began with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan in 1996, created by Satoshi Tajiri at Game Freak, with creature designs led by Ken Sugimori. The anime followed in 1997 and gave the games' blank-slate heroes a face in Ash Ketchum. This guide starts with the anime cast, moves through the game characters region by region, and then covers the Pokémon people search for most: Pikachu, the starters, the legendaries and the long-running fan favourites.
- Created by
- Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak)
- First games
- Pokémon Red & Green, 1996
- Publisher
- Nintendo / The Pokémon Company
- Species
- 1,025 (through Generation 9)
- Regions
- Kanto to Paldea, nine generations
Ash, Pikachu and the anime cast
From 1997 to 2023 the anime followed one boy and his Pikachu across every region. Companions rotated in and out with each new set of games, while Team Rocket stayed in the background, building ever more ridiculous machines to steal Pikachu.
Ash Ketchum
Anime protagonist · From Pallet Town
Ash sets out at ten years old with a Pikachu that refuses to get in its Poké Ball, and spends the next quarter-century chasing the dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. He's impulsive and often out-thought, but his loyalty to his Pokémon is unshakeable. That loyalty is why so many of them choose to stay with him. After years of near-misses he won the Alola League and then the World Coronation Series, beating Leon in the final to become World Monarch.
- Voice
- Rica Matsumoto (Japanese); Veronica Taylor, then Sarah Natochenny (English)
Pikachu
Electric type · #0025 · Ash's partner
A Mouse Pokémon that stores electricity in its red cheek pouches. Ash's Pikachu starts out stubborn and resentful, and the two only become partners after Ash shields it from a flock of Spearow in the first episode. It has stayed unevolved by choice, and it's the face of the entire franchise: on merchandise, in Super Smash Bros., and as the lead of the Detective Pikachu game and film.
- Voice
- Ikue Ōtani (all languages)
Misty
Cerulean City Gym Leader · Companion
Misty first follows Ash because his Pikachu wrecked her bike, and she stays because she's having more fun than she admits. She's a Water-type specialist with a short temper, a famous fear of bugs, and a Psyduck that only works when it has a headache. She left the main cast to run her gym but has returned for guest arcs, including the series' final episodes.
Brock
Pewter City Gym Leader · Companion
Brock is the Rock-type gym leader who hands his gym over to his father so he can travel. He's the group's cook, caretaker and voice of reason, and he falls instantly in love with every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny he meets. He starts out wanting to be a Pokémon Breeder and eventually trains to be a Pokémon Doctor. He's Ash's longest-serving companion.
Jessie, James and Meowth
Team Rocket's comic trio
Three low-ranking Team Rocket agents who spend 25 years trying to steal Pikachu and get blasted into the sky for their trouble. Their motto is a fixture of the show. Meowth taught himself to walk upright and speak human language to win over a girl, which makes him the rare Pokémon who talks. Over time the trio became something closer to rivals and occasional allies, and the show quietly gave each of them sad, sympathetic backstories.
Gary Oak
Ash's first rival
Professor Oak's grandson starts his journey the same day as Ash, with a head start, a cheering squad and a car. He's smug and usually a step ahead in the early seasons. After a humbling loss he gives up battling for research and becomes a Pokémon researcher like his grandfather. Their rivalry is one of the anime's most satisfying arcs, which is why it appears in our look at iconic rivalries.
Professor Oak
Kanto's Pokémon Professor
Samuel Oak gives new trainers in Pallet Town their first Pokémon and Pokédex, and gave Ash the Pikachu that nobody else wanted. In the games he's also Blue's grandfather and the first friendly face you meet. In the anime he's a gentle, slightly eccentric figure who writes poetry and keeps Ash's spare Pokémon at his lab.
May and Max
Hoenn companions
May is a new trainer who discovers she loves Pokémon Contests, where Pokémon are judged on style rather than strength, and she grows into a skilled Coordinator. Her younger brother Max is too young to own a Pokémon but knows every fact about them. Their father Norman is the Petalburg Gym Leader.
Dawn
Sinnoh companion · Coordinator
Dawn travels with Ash and Brock through Sinnoh with her Piplup, chasing Contest ribbons. Her catchphrase, roughly "no need to worry", is usually said right before things go badly. Her arc is about learning to recover from losses, and it mirrors Ash's own rough Sinnoh rivalry with Paul.
Paul
Sinnoh rival
Paul is a cold, results-first trainer who releases Pokémon he considers weak. His approach is the opposite of Ash's, and their Sinnoh-long rivalry ends in a full six-on-six battle at the league. One of the Pokémon Paul released, Chimchar, joins Ash and becomes one of his strongest partners.
Iris and Cilan
Unova companions
Iris is a wild, tree-climbing girl training to be a Dragon Master who teases Ash for being "such a kid". Cilan is one of the Striaton City Gym Leaders and a "Pokémon Connoisseur" who analyses everyone's compatibility. In Journeys, Iris is the champion of Unova, matching her role in Black 2 and White 2.
Serena
Kalos companion · Performer
Serena met Ash briefly as a child at a summer camp and leaves home to find him again. She discovers a talent for Pokémon Showcases, a Kalos performance contest, and her slow-burn crush on Ash is the most openly romantic thread in the anime's history.
Clemont and Bonnie
Kalos companions
Clemont is the Lumiose City Gym Leader and an inventor whose machines explode with impressive regularity. His little sister Bonnie keeps asking every girl they meet to marry her brother, and she carries a Dedenne and the small Zygarde core named Squishy.
Alain
Kalos rival
Alain is a quiet trainer who works with Professor Sycamore and battles with a Mega Charizard X. He beats Ash in the Kalos League final. He's being manipulated by Team Flare's Lysandre, and his story is about realising that the strength he's been chasing was being put to harmful use.
Professor Kukui and the Alola class
Sun & Moon series
In Alola, Ash stops travelling and goes to a Pokémon school, living with Professor Kukui. His classmates are Lillie, Kiawe, Lana, Mallow and Sophocles, a group the series gives real time to grow. Lillie's arc, about overcoming her fear of touching Pokémon and confronting her mother Lusamine, is the emotional centre of the season.
Goh and Chloe
Journeys companions
Goh is a research fellow whose goal is to catch every Pokémon, Mew included, and he races Ash around every region. Chloe is the daughter of Professor Cerise, unsure what she wants from Pokémon until an Eevee that won't settle on an evolution helps her find her path.
Pokémon Horizons: Liko, Roy and the new era
When Ash's story ended in 2023, the anime started over with Pokémon Horizons: The Series. It has two leads instead of one and a sea-faring, mystery-driven plot rather than a gym-by-gym journey.
Liko
Co-lead · Partner: Sprigatito
Liko is a shy girl who starts at a Pokémon academy with a Sprigatito and a pendant inherited from her grandmother. The pendant turns out to hold a mysterious Pokémon that strangers will do anything to take. She's more anxious and introspective than Ash ever was, and the series lets her worry, misstep and find her nerve slowly.
Roy
Co-lead · Partner: Fuecoco
Roy grows up on a remote island, obsessed with a legend about an ancient black Rayquaza and an old Poké Ball linked to it. He's loud, fearless and impatient, closer to Ash in spirit than Liko is, and his Fuecoco shares his appetite for adventure.
Dot
Reclusive member of the crew · Partner: Quaxly
Dot barely leaves her room on the crew's airship and shares her opinions through an online persona and a video channel. Coaxing her into the open, and into real friendships with Liko and Roy, is one of Horizons' gentler running threads.
Friede and Captain Pikachu
Leaders of the Rising Volt Tacklers
Friede is a laid-back professor and adventurer who takes Liko under his protection. He runs the Rising Volt Tacklers, a crew of explorers who travel by airship. His partner is Captain Pikachu, a Pikachu in an aviator cap and the crew's hard-hitting real leader in battle. He also has a Charizard.
The Explorers
Horizons' antagonists
A secretive organisation that wants Liko's pendant and the legendary Pokémon tied to it. Their field agents, led early on by the cold, conflicted Amethio, give the series a steady threat. The plot gradually reveals what their leader actually wants.
Game protagonists and rivals
In the main games you play as a silent, customisable trainer, so the personality comes from the rivals. They range from a smug childhood neighbour to a best friend who's already the champion.
Red
Protagonist of Red & Blue
The original player character. In Gold and Silver, Red reappears as a silent final challenge at the top of Mt. Silver with a Pikachu-led team, and he's still one of the series' most respected battles.
Blue
Red's rival · Kanto champion
Professor Oak's cocky grandson, who beats you to the Indigo Plateau and is the champion you face at the end of the original games. Later he becomes the Viridian City Gym Leader.
Silver
Johto rival
A red-haired boy who steals a starter from Professor Elm's lab and believes only strength matters. His arc is about learning to treat Pokémon as partners, and he's Giovanni's son.
Barry
Sinnoh rival
Your hyperactive neighbour in Diamond and Pearl. He threatens to fine you every time you bump into each other, and his father is the Battle Frontier's Palmer.
N
King of Team Plasma
A gentle young man in Black and White who can understand the voices of Pokémon and was raised to believe they must be freed from humans. He's one of the most sympathetic antagonists in the series, and it turns out he's been used by the people who raised him.
Cheren and Bianca
Unova childhood friends
Cheren is serious and wants to know what strength is for. Bianca is cheerful and has to stand up to her protective father to go on her journey. Both grow into new roles by Black 2 and White 2.
Hau and Gladion
Alola rivals
Hau is the island kahuna's easygoing grandson who loves malasadas. Gladion is a moody former Team Skull enforcer with a Type: Null and a complicated family: he's Lillie's older brother.
Hop, Marnie and Bede
Galar rivals
Hop lives in the shadow of his brother, champion Leon. Marnie is a cool, quiet trainer with an overzealous fan club, Team Yell. Bede is an arrogant protégé of Chairman Rose who ends up taking over a gym.
Nemona, Arven and Penny
Paldea's three paths
Nemona is a battle-obsessed student who's already a champion-ranked trainer and just wants a worthy rival. Arven is searching for rare herbs to heal his injured Mabosstiff. Penny is the shy student behind Team Star. Each leads one of Scarlet and Violet's three storylines.
Champions and gym leaders by region
Each region has eight gym leaders (or an equivalent set of trials) and an Elite Four, capped by a champion. These are the champions most people mean when they ask who the strongest trainer is.
| Region | Games | Champion | Signature Pokémon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto | Red, Blue, Yellow | Blue | His starter's final form |
| Johto | Gold, Silver, Crystal | Lance | Dragonite |
| Hoenn | Ruby & Sapphire / Emerald | Steven Stone / Wallace | Metagross / Milotic |
| Sinnoh | Diamond, Pearl, Platinum | Cynthia | Garchomp |
| Unova | Black & White / Black 2 & White 2 | Alder / Iris | Volcarona / Haxorus |
| Kalos | X & Y | Diantha | Gardevoir |
| Alola | Sun & Moon | The player (first champion) | Professor Kukui is the final opponent |
| Galar | Sword & Shield | Leon | Charizard |
| Paldea | Scarlet & Violet | Geeta (Top Champion) | Glimmora |
Cynthia
Sinnoh champion
A calm archaeologist who studies Sinnoh's myths when she isn't defending her title. Her Garchomp is fast and powerful, and it has ended countless playthroughs. Fans treat her as the high-water mark for champion fights.
Leon
Galar champion
Galar's unbeaten champion is a showman with a cape and a Charizard, plus a famously awful sense of direction. He's Hop's older brother, and in the anime he's the final opponent Ash beats to become World Monarch.
Steven Stone
Hoenn champion
The son of the Devon Corporation's president, Steven is more interested in rare stones than titles. He keeps turning up in caves to help, and he fights you at the end of Ruby and Sapphire with a Steel-heavy team led by Metagross.
Lance
Dragon master · Johto champion
A caped Dragon-type specialist from the Elite Four in Red and Blue who becomes champion by Gold and Silver. He helps you raid Team Rocket's hideout, ordering his Dragonite to attack the grunts directly.
Diantha
Kalos champion
A famous film actress as well as the region's strongest trainer, battling with a Mega Gardevoir. Her friendship with Lysandre gives the Kalos story a sharp personal edge.
The Kanto gym leaders
The original eight
Brock (Rock), Misty (Water), Lt. Surge (Electric), Erika (Grass), Koga (Poison), Sabrina (Psychic), Blaine (Fire) and Giovanni (Ground). Each became a template that later regions riffed on, and Giovanni turning out to be Team Rocket's boss is still the series' best twist.
Whitney
Goldenrod City Gym Leader
A Normal-type leader who cries when she loses. She's remembered for one thing: a Miltank whose Rollout and healing Milk Drink stopped a generation of children in their tracks.
Villain teams and their bosses
Almost every region has an organisation that wants to use Pokémon, usually a legendary one, to remake the world. Some are crooks, some are zealots, and a few turn out to be sad, misguided people.
| Team | Region | Leader | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Rocket | Kanto / Johto | Giovanni | Profit and power through stolen Pokémon |
| Team Magma / Team Aqua | Hoenn | Maxie / Archie | Expand the land or the sea using Groudon or Kyogre |
| Team Galactic | Sinnoh | Cyrus | Erase the world and create one without spirit |
| Team Plasma | Unova | Ghetsis (with N as figurehead) | "Liberate" Pokémon so only they control them |
| Team Flare | Kalos | Lysandre | Wipe out most of humanity with an ancient weapon |
| Team Skull / Aether Foundation | Alola | Guzma / Lusamine | Street-level trouble; Lusamine's obsession with Ultra Beasts |
| Macro Cosmos | Galar | Chairman Rose | Solve Galar's future energy crisis by any means |
| Team Star | Paldea | Cassiopeia (Penny) | A group of bullied students fighting back |
Giovanni deserves his own note. He's the one villain who matters in both the games and the anime. In the games he's the Viridian City Gym Leader in secret. In the anime he's the boss Jessie and James desperately want to impress, and the man whose scientists created Mewtwo. Team Rocket is a good companion piece to our guide on villain types: the corporate crook, set against the true believers like Cyrus and Lysandre.
Pokémon by generation and region
Every generation introduces a new region and a new batch of species. The numbers below are the new species each generation added to the National Pokédex.
| Gen | Region | First games | Year | New species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanto | Red, Green / Blue | 1996 | 151 |
| 2 | Johto | Gold, Silver | 1999 | 100 |
| 3 | Hoenn | Ruby, Sapphire | 2002 | 135 |
| 4 | Sinnoh | Diamond, Pearl | 2006 | 107 |
| 5 | Unova | Black, White | 2010 | 156 |
| 6 | Kalos | X, Y | 2013 | 72 |
| 7 | Alola | Sun, Moon | 2016 | 88 |
| 8 | Galar (and Hisui) | Sword, Shield; Legends: Arceus | 2019 | 96 |
| 9 | Paldea | Scarlet, Violet | 2022 | 120 |
That adds up to 1,025. Japan got Red and Green in 1996; most of the world met Kanto through Red and Blue in 1998. Generation dates use the Japanese releases.
Starter Pokémon by generation
Every main game lets you pick one of three partners: a Grass type, a Fire type and a Water type. They're the Pokémon most players remember first, so the starter trios get searched more than almost anything else in the series.
| Region | Grass | Fire | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanto | Bulbasaur → Venusaur | Charmander → Charizard | Squirtle → Blastoise |
| Johto | Chikorita → Meganium | Cyndaquil → Typhlosion | Totodile → Feraligatr |
| Hoenn | Treecko → Sceptile | Torchic → Blaziken | Mudkip → Swampert |
| Sinnoh | Turtwig → Torterra | Chimchar → Infernape | Piplup → Empoleon |
| Unova | Snivy → Serperior | Tepig → Emboar | Oshawott → Samurott |
| Kalos | Chespin → Chesnaught | Fennekin → Delphox | Froakie → Greninja |
| Alola | Rowlet → Decidueye | Litten → Incineroar | Popplio → Primarina |
| Galar | Grookey → Rillaboom | Scorbunny → Cinderace | Sobble → Inteleon |
| Paldea | Sprigatito → Meowscarada | Fuecoco → Skeledirge | Quaxly → Quaquaval |
Two exceptions are worth knowing. Pokémon Yellow gives you a Pikachu, and Let's Go gives you a Pikachu or an Eevee. Legends: Arceus borrows Rowlet, Cyndaquil and Oshawott from three different regions.
Iconic and fan-favourite Pokémon
These Pokémon come up again and again, in fan polls, in the anime and in competitive play. Use the chips to filter by type or generation.
Charizard
Fire/Flying · #0006 · Flame Pokémon
The final form of Charmander, and probably the most popular Pokémon after Pikachu. It has two different Mega Evolutions and a Gigantamax form. Ash's Charizard famously ignored him for a whole season before it came round, and Leon's is the toughest in Galar.
Bulbasaur
Grass/Poison · #0001 · Seed Pokémon
Number one in the National Pokédex. It carries a plant bulb on its back that grows as it does, and it's the starter people pick when they want an easier time against the first two gyms in Red and Blue.
Squirtle
Water · #0007 · Tiny Turtle Pokémon
A small turtle that shoots water and hides in its shell. In the anime, Ash's Squirtle used to lead a gang of sunglasses-wearing delinquents, the Squirtle Squad. The memory has stuck around for decades.
Eevee
Normal · #0133 · Evolution Pokémon
Eevee's unstable genes let it evolve into eight different forms: Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon and Sylveon. That flexibility, and a very cute design, make it a co-mascot alongside Pikachu.
Umbreon
Dark · #0197 · Moonlight Pokémon
An Eevee evolution reached through high friendship at night. Its yellow rings glow in the dark. Sleek design and a sturdy defensive build have made it one of the most loved Eeveelutions.
Sylveon
Fairy · #0700 · Intertwining Pokémon
The Fairy-type Eeveelution, added when the Fairy type itself arrived in X and Y. Its ribbon-like feelers are said to calm people and Pokémon who are about to fight.
Gengar
Ghost/Poison · #0094 · Shadow Pokémon
A grinning shadow that hides in dark corners and plays pranks. It's been a strong special attacker in every generation, and it has both a Mega Evolution and a Gigantamax form.
Snorlax
Normal · #0143 · Sleeping Pokémon
A giant that eats, sleeps and blocks the road. You need a Poké Flute to wake it in the original games. It's a surprisingly sturdy fighter and a much-loved symbol of the series' sense of humour.
Jigglypuff
Normal/Fairy · #0039 · Balloon Pokémon
A round pink singer whose song puts everyone to sleep. In the anime it gets furious when its audience dozes off and scribbles on their faces with a marker. It's been in every Super Smash Bros. game.
Psyduck
Water · #0054 · Duck Pokémon
A permanently confused duck plagued by headaches. Its psychic powers only work when the pain gets bad enough. Misty's Psyduck, which she caught entirely by accident, made it a comedy icon.
Dragonite
Dragon/Flying · #0149 · Dragon Pokémon
The final form of the only Dragon line in the first generation. It's huge and powerful but kind-hearted, and it's known for rescuing people lost at sea. Lance's signature partner.
Magikarp and Gyarados
Water · #0129 / Water/Flying · #0130
Magikarp is famously useless: it can only Splash. Get it to level 20, though, and it becomes the furious sea serpent Gyarados. It's the series' favourite lesson in patience.
Lucario
Fighting/Steel · #0448 · Aura Pokémon
A jackal-like warrior that can read the auras of living things. It starred in its own film, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, became a Super Smash Bros. regular, and came second in the 2020 Pokémon of the Year vote.
Garchomp
Dragon/Ground · #0445 · Mach Pokémon
A jet-fast land shark and Cynthia's ace. It has been a fixture of competitive play since Diamond and Pearl, and it has a Mega Evolution.
Gardevoir
Psychic/Fairy · #0282 · Embrace Pokémon
An elegant Psychic type that will protect its trainer at any cost. It gained the Fairy type in Generation 6, and it's Diantha's signature Mega Evolution.
Greninja
Water/Dark · #0658 · Ninja Pokémon
The final form of Froakie, a ninja frog that throws stars made of compressed water. Ash's Greninja gained a unique bond form in the Kalos series, and Greninja won the 2020 Pokémon of the Year vote.
Mimikyu
Ghost/Fairy · #0778 · Disguise Pokémon
A lonely Pokémon that hides under a homemade Pikachu costume because it wants to be loved the way Pikachu is. It's a small, sad, very effective idea. It came third in the 2020 vote.
Ditto
Normal · #0132 · Transform Pokémon
A pink blob that can copy any Pokémon it sees. Because it can breed with almost any species, it's an essential tool for players hunting for perfect stats or shiny Pokémon.
Legendary and mythical Pokémon
Each generation has "box legendaries", the Pokémon on the game covers that the story revolves around. Mythical Pokémon are rarer still, and are usually given out at events rather than found in the wild.
Mewtwo
Psychic · #0150 · Genetic Pokémon
A Pokémon engineered from Mew's DNA to be the strongest ever made. The first movie turns it into a bitter, philosophical being asking why it was created. It has two Mega Evolutions, X and Y.
Mew
Psychic · #0151 · New Species Pokémon
A playful pink Pokémon said to carry the genetic code of every Pokémon. It can learn almost any move. Mew was famously slipped into the original games late in development, which fed a generation of playground rumours.
Lugia and Ho-Oh
Psychic/Flying · #0249 · Fire/Flying · #0250
The Johto pair on the covers of Silver and Gold. Lugia sleeps deep in the sea because its power is too much for the world. Ho-Oh is the rainbow bird Ash sees in the very first episode, years before the games explained it.
Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza
Hoenn's weather trio
Groudon raises the land and Kyogre fills the seas. Rayquaza lives high in the ozone layer and comes down to stop their fights. Rayquaza can Mega Evolve without holding a Mega Stone, the only Pokémon that can.
Dialga, Palkia and Giratina
Sinnoh's creation trio
The rulers of time, space and antimatter. Team Galactic tries to use Dialga and Palkia to rebuild the universe. Giratina, banished to the Distortion World, takes centre stage in Platinum.
Arceus
Normal · #0493 · Alpha Pokémon
In Sinnoh myth, Arceus is the being that shaped the Pokémon world, and it created Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Its type changes with the plate it holds, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus is built around meeting it.
Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem
Unova's tao trio
Two dragons born from one, representing truth and ideals. N and the player each bond with one of them, and Kyurem is the empty shell left behind.
Xerneas, Yveltal, Solgaleo and Lunala
Life, destruction, sun and moon
Kalos' legendaries stand for life and death. Alola's are a sun lion and a moon bat that start out as Cosmog, the small, cloud-like Pokémon Lillie protects as "Nebby".
Zacian and Zamazenta
Galar's heroes
Two wolves of legend, carrying a sword and a shield. Sword and Shield's story turns on how Galar's history twisted what they actually did.
Koraidon, Miraidon and Terapagos
Paldea's legendaries
Koraidon and Miraidon are ancient and future versions of a lizard you ride throughout Scarlet or Violet, a new idea for a box legendary. Terapagos is the source of Terastallization, and it's at the centre of the Horizons anime.
Where to start with Pokémon
- For the anime — Start with the original Indigo League episodes to meet Ash, Misty, Brock and Team Rocket. Or jump to Horizons if you'd rather begin with a modern, serialised story.
- For the games — The most recent main games are the easiest way in. If you want the classic structure of eight gyms, a rival and a league, the Kanto, Johto and Sinnoh remakes are good choices.
- For the creatures — The first 151 are still the core of the franchise's identity, and most of the fan favourites above come from them.
Pokémon is the clearest example of a franchise built on sequels and spin-offs: each generation is a soft reboot with a new region and cast, and the side series range from dungeon crawlers to snap-a-photo safaris. If you like collecting colourful casts across many titles, Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda work the same way. For anime with a similar tournament-and-rival structure, try Dragon Ball or My Hero Academia.
All Pokémon character names A–Z
A
- Alain — Kalos rival (anime)
- Arceus — Mythical
- Arven — Paldea rival
- Ash Ketchum — Anime lead
B
- Barry — Sinnoh rival
- Bede — Galar rival
- Bianca — Unova friend
- Blue — Kanto rival / champion
- Bonnie — Kalos companion
- Brock — Gym leader / companion
- Bulbasaur — Kanto starter
C
- Charizard — Fire/Flying
- Cheren — Unova friend
- Chloe — Journeys companion
- Cilan — Unova companion
- Clemont — Kalos companion
- Cynthia — Sinnoh champion
- Cyrus — Team Galactic
D
- Dawn — Sinnoh companion
- Diantha — Kalos champion
- Ditto — Normal
- Dot — Horizons
- Dragonite — Dragon/Flying
E–F
- Eevee — Normal
- Friede — Horizons
G
- Garchomp — Dragon/Ground
- Gardevoir — Psychic/Fairy
- Gary Oak — Anime rival
- Geeta — Paldea champion
- Gengar — Ghost/Poison
- Ghetsis — Team Plasma
- Giovanni — Team Rocket
- Gladion — Alola rival
- Goh — Journeys companion
- Greninja — Water/Dark
- Groudon — Legendary
- Guzma — Team Skull
H–K
- Hau — Alola rival
- Ho-Oh — Legendary
- Hop — Galar rival
- Iris — Unova companion / champion
- Jessie & James — Team Rocket
- Jigglypuff — Normal/Fairy
- Kukui — Alola professor
- Kyogre — Legendary
L
- Lance — Johto champion
- Leon — Galar champion
- Liko — Horizons lead
- Lillie — Alola
- Lucario — Fighting/Steel
- Lugia — Legendary
- Lusamine — Aether Foundation
- Lysandre — Team Flare
M
- Marnie — Galar rival
- Maxie & Archie — Teams Magma & Aqua
- May & Max — Hoenn companions
- Meowth — Team Rocket
- Mew — Mythical
- Mewtwo — Legendary
- Mimikyu — Ghost/Fairy
- Misty — Gym leader / companion
N–P
- N — Team Plasma
- Nemona — Paldea rival
- Paul — Sinnoh rival (anime)
- Penny — Team Star
- Pikachu — Electric, mascot
- Professor Oak — Kanto professor
- Psyduck — Water
R
- Rayquaza — Legendary
- Red — Original protagonist
- Roy — Horizons lead
S
- Serena — Kalos companion
- Silver — Johto rival
- Snorlax — Normal
- Squirtle — Kanto starter
- Steven Stone — Hoenn champion
- Sylveon — Fairy
T–W
- Terapagos — Legendary
- Umbreon — Dark
- Wallace — Hoenn champion (Emerald)
- Whitney — Johto gym leader
Frequently asked questions
How many Pokémon are there?
There are 1,025 species in the National Pokédex as of the Generation 9 games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and their DLC. That count runs from Bulbasaur (#0001) to Pecharunt (#1025). Regional forms and Mega Evolutions add variety but don't count as new species, and each new generation of games adds more.
Who are the main characters in the Pokémon anime?
For 25 years it was Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, travelling with companions such as Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena and Goh, and chased by Team Rocket's Jessie, James and Meowth. Since 2023 the anime has followed new leads, Liko and Roy, in Pokémon Horizons.
Did Ash ever become a Pokémon Master?
He won the Alola League in the Sun & Moon series and then the World Coronation Series in Journeys, beating Leon to become World Monarch. The short epilogue series that followed ends with him back on the road, treating Pokémon Master as something you keep walking towards rather than a title you collect.
What are the original 151 Pokémon?
They're the Generation 1 species from Pokémon Red, Green and Blue, set in Kanto. The list runs from Bulbasaur (#001) to Mew (#151) and includes Pikachu, Charizard, Eevee, Snorlax, Gengar, Dragonite and Mewtwo.
Who is the most popular Pokémon?
Pikachu is the most recognisable, as the franchise mascot. In the worldwide Pokémon of the Year vote held in 2020, Greninja came first, with Lucario second and Mimikyu third. Charizard, Eevee, Gengar and Umbreon are also perennial favourites.
Who is the hardest champion in the Pokémon games?
Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion from Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, is the usual answer. Her balanced team and fast, hard-hitting Garchomp end a lot of first playthroughs. Red, the silent trainer at the top of Mt. Silver in Gold, Silver and Crystal, is the other common pick.