It's Confirmed: Ash Returns With New Pokémon Anime Era In 2 Weeks

Published Jul 20, 2026, 6:13 PM EDT Evan Mullicane is the deputy editor of Screen Rant's comics and anime team. Having started as a writer for the comics team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical. Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history. In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest. You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia Sign in to your ScreenRant account Against all the odds, Pokémon's Ash still ranks among the most iconic anime characters of all time, and his initial run of anime episodes is making its grand return to a new streaming platform. Even though the legendary trainer and world champion hasn't been seen in a new episode of Pokémon since 2023, his adventures remain intensely popular. With Ash's first era being more readily available, a new generation is about to see just what made him such a popular hero for so many years. According to animation fan account ToonHive on X, Disney has reacquired the rights to air Pokémon's anime. As a result of this new deal, Pokémon: Indigo League (Ash's first season) will become streamable on Disney+ on August 7th. This may come as a shock to longtime fans of the franchise, as the North American streaming rights to Pokémon's ​​​​​anime have been with Netflix since 2020. While the debut of Pokémon's first season on Disney+ will undoubtedly be exciting for fans and newcomers alike, it brings with it a whole host of questions about the mega-franchise's streaming future. While Pokémon has experimented with various streaming platforms before, nothing comes close to the monumental size of this latest move to Disney+. Why Ash's And Pikachu's Disney Debut Is Such A Big Deal In August of 2025, four Pokémon anime were removed from Netflix, signaling the franchise's streaming departure a year before the Disney+ deal was confirmed. Currently on Netflix, the Pokémon ​​​​​anime's presence is surprisingly limited when considering the franchise's full breadth. At the time of writing, only 9 Pokémon series, movies, or spinoffs are available on the platform. While that does include The Indigo League, it notably does not include any of that initial season's first few follow-ups, such as Orange Island, Johto Journeys, or Advanced. This means that Disney+ has the prime opportunity to become the one true home for all of Pokémon's anime, creating one concrete place to stream every episode of the entire anime franchise. In addition to streaming, initial reports suggest that Pokémon is returning to TV courtesy of the Disney Channel, further increasing the series' visibility in North America. Kanto Region · Trainer Exam The UltimatePokémon Trivia Challenge “I want to be the very best, like no one ever was.” 🔥FireCharizard! 💧WaterBlastoise! 🌱GrassVenusaur! ⚡ElectricPikachu! 🔮LegendaryMewtwo! I CHOOSE YOU → 01 Every Pokémon Trainer knows the Pokédex by heart. Which Pokémon holds the honor of being #001 in the National Pokédex? APikachu BBulbasaur CCharmander DMew ✓ Correct! Bulbasaur is #001 — the very first Pokémon in the National Pokédex. Despite Pikachu’s fame as the franchise mascot, the Grass/Poison-type Seed Pokémon has always held the top spot since the original Red & Blue. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Bulbasaur. While Pikachu is the franchise mascot (#025), it’s Bulbasaur — the Grass/Poison-type Seed Pokémon and one of the original Kanto starters — that has been #001 since the very beginning. NEXT → 02 The original Pokémon Red & Blue games launched in 1996 in Japan and introduced the first generation of Pokémon. How many Pokémon existed in Generation I? A100 B135 C151 D152 ✓ Correct! Generation I featured exactly 151 Pokémon, from Bulbasaur (#001) to Mew (#151). Mew was famously a secret Pokémon that wasn’t officially acknowledged at launch, making the well-known count of 150 just one short. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is 151. The original 151 Pokémon run from Bulbasaur to Mew. The number 152 is a common trap — Chikorita (#152) is actually the first Pokémon of Generation II, introduced in Gold & Silver. NEXT → 03 Some Pokémon require special items to evolve. If you want to evolve Pikachu into Raichu, which evolution item do you need to use? AThunder Stone BMoon Stone CSun Stone DShiny Stone ✓ Correct! The Thunder Stone evolves Pikachu into Raichu. In the anime, Ash’s Pikachu famously refuses to evolve, choosing to beat Lt. Surge’s Raichu on his own terms — one of the most iconic moments in the series. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is the Thunder Stone. The Moon Stone evolves Pokémon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff, while the Sun Stone and Shiny Stone are for other species. For Electric-type Pikachu, only the Thunder Stone will do. NEXT → 04 Deep within the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, journal entries describe a terrifying experiment. Scientists used Mew’s DNA to create an immensely powerful Pokémon. Which Pokémon was the result? ADeoxys BMewtwo CArceus DGenesect ✓ Correct! Mewtwo was cloned from Mew’s DNA by scientists on Cinnabar Island. Known as the “Genetic Pokémon,” Mewtwo’s creation is one of the darkest storylines in the franchise, explored further in Pokémon: The First Movie. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Mewtwo. While Deoxys is a space virus Pokémon and Genesect was modified by Team Plasma, it’s Mewtwo (#150) — the Genetic Pokémon — that was artificially created from Mew’s DNA in the original games. NEXT → 05 Understanding type matchups is essential for any Pokémon battle. Water, Fire, and Grass form the core type triangle. Which of these types is super effective against Water? AFire BIce CElectric DRock ✓ Correct! Electric-type moves are super effective against Water. Grass is also super effective, but among these options, Electric is the one. This is why Pikachu’s Thunderbolt is devastating against Water-types like Starmie and Gyarados. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Electric. Fire is actually weak to Water (not the other way around), Ice deals neutral damage, and Rock doesn’t have an advantage either. Electric and Grass are the two types super effective against Water. NEXT → 06 In Pokémon Red & Blue, a renowned Pokémon researcher in Pallet Town gives you your first Pokémon and Pokédex, launching your journey. Who is this professor? AProfessor Elm BProfessor Birch CProfessor Rowan DProfessor Oak ✓ Correct! Professor Samuel Oak is the Kanto region’s leading Pokémon researcher and the grandfather of your rival, Blue. His famous question — “Are you a boy or a girl?” — has become an iconic part of gaming history. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Professor Oak. Each Pokémon region has its own professor (all named after trees): Elm is in Johto, Birch in Hoenn, and Rowan in Sinnoh. But the original — Professor Oak of Pallet Town — started it all. NEXT → 07 Magikarp is widely considered one of the weakest Pokémon in existence. It’s famous for knowing a move that does absolutely nothing in battle. What is this notoriously useless move? ASplash BTackle CFlail DStruggle ✓ Correct! Splash does absolutely nothing — “But nothing happened!” Despite being a Normal-type move (not Water!), it has zero effect in battle. The payoff? Train that useless Magikarp to level 20 and it evolves into the fearsome Gyarados. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Splash. Tackle actually deals damage, Flail is a desperation move that gets stronger at low HP, and Struggle is used when a Pokémon runs out of PP. Only Splash does literally nothing — Magikarp’s signature futile flop. NEXT → 08 After battling through the Elite Four in Pokémon Red & Blue, you discover someone has beaten them just before you. Who awaits you as the reigning Champion? AProfessor Oak BLance CBlue (your rival) DRed ✓ Correct! Your rival Blue (known as Gary in the anime) is the surprise Champion at the end of the Pokémon League. He beat the Elite Four just moments before you arrived — making the final battle personal. Lance is the last of the Elite Four, not the Champion. ✗ Not very effective! The answer is Blue, your rival. While Lance is a powerful Dragon-type trainer, he’s the final member of the Elite Four — not the Champion. It’s your arrogant rival Blue who sits on the throne, having beaten everyone just before you. REVEAL MY SCORE → Exam Complete Your Trainer Record / 8 Are you a Pokémon Master — or still stuck on Route 1? ↻ CHALLENGE AGAIN While all of that is potentially exciting news, what remains to be seen is what will happen with the currently airing Pokémon: Horizons anime starring Ash's successors Liko and Roy. Additionally, a bigger concern is what will become of all the Netflix-exclusive Pokémon projects. While fans might fixate on the mainline anime series, Netflix is also home to series it produced, such as the cute and cozy Pokémon Concierge. Considering Concierge was made by Netflix, it's unlikely that it will be coming to Disney+. Whether Pokémon's new deal with Disney means that Concierge and projects like it will be taken off Netflix or left up remains to be seen. Despite The Challenges, Ash And Pikachu's Pokémon Anime Future Looks Bright Though Disney's new deal with Pokémon leaves plenty of questions, it's still an exciting time to be a fan of Ash, Pikachu, and Pokémon in general. Ash's initial era of episodes is iconic, and though it was still streamable on Netflix, the fact that other beloved entries like Orange Islands and Johto Journeys were left behind just felt wrong. Additionally, Pokémon's anime airing on network TV again is a positive sign for the franchise and could help introduce it to a whole new generation of fans. While fans wait for new episodes starring Ash and Pikachu, there will always be the classics. For better or worse, Pokémon's anime is monumental, so fans can only hope that this new deal with Disney will mean that the entirety of the series will finally be available to stream in one place. Release Date 1997 - 2023 Network TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC Directors Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano Cast Rica Matsumoto Satoshi (voice) Ikue Otani Pikachu (voice) Ash Ketchum, a ten-year-old from Pallet Town, embarks on an adventure to become a Pokémon Master. With his first Pokémon, Pikachu, Ash sets out to capture and train Pokémon while battling other trainers in Pokémon Gyms to earn badges. Joined by his friends Brock and Misty, Ash consistently thwarts the plans of the nefarious Team Rocket, all while making new friends and encountering Pokémon across various regions.