Pokémon had 3 seasons and over 100 episodes during its run. While the series turned off many because of its lack of adventure, new general c꧒hanges, and new animation style - it did have some gems that won over fans hearts.
A number of episodes pulled away from the normal routine that the show had settled into and provided entertainment to be enjoyed. These 10 episodes are the best places to start off🥂 on if you're on the fence about the series and just wanted to get a feeling of the series through its 𒐪best highlights.
10 Alola! New Islands, New P🧸okémon!!
The very first episode almost feels non-canon at points - with 🍨the exception of a few elements that aren't seen again until the last part of the final season. Team Skull was given an opportunity to shine as a new Team Rocket.
Hop debuted in this episode for a short cameo with a different voice actor, and all the other main characters were introduced. It starts off humorous as you find Ash actually letting the stress go of trying to beꦬ a master and being on a proper vacation.
9 ♕ Mission: Total Recall!
This is the episode that provided its own version on what happened to Lily in the Sun and Moon games. While the games had more consistent handling of what happened to her, the Sun and Moon anime had a bit better of a way handling how she gets over it using her pokémon, the Alolan Vulpix named Snowy.
This episode introduced Faba, Lusamine's lacky, as acting on his own in making the Ultra Beast Killer, Silvaly, before Lily walks in on one of his interdimensional experiments where she gets attack by an Ultra Beast. his series really takes on the idea of Ultra Sun and Moon's nice Lusamine more, but that inevitability causes more plot holes in the entire series by takin♑g out the answers for the game based actions such as with Faba.
8 The Vagabond in theꦫ Market, Li♏tten
This episode had a lot of humor with having a Litten based episode as it wandered around the streets while ✅running into an Alolan Persian.
The very idea of a dog-sized cat with a huge balloon head wandering around and stealing food before coming under unfortunate events like Tom and Jerry is pretty entertaining to watch.
7 💖 🉐 Protect the Ranch! The Blue Flame's Counterattack!!
This episode introduced a new side antagonist who is ﷽a rich developer that wants to take over one of the character's f𒈔arms to build a hotel and willing to do anything to accomplish this.
While this is an old tale, expectations were the writers would water down the content like most of the other episodes. But surprisingly, 🐈the villain is quite funny to see him struggle and a decently thought out as well so he seems more real as a Villian then many shown on the Anime in a while.
6 A Full Battle Boun๊ty!
This episode takes place in the heat of the battle of Dr. Kukui🅺 and Ash post champion League. In the first episode of this battle they combined it with the end of the apocalypse episode. Because Ash won the champion's league, time decided to collapse in on itself and send three apocalypse level Ultra Beasts to end the world. This was easily fix🍷ed by everyone super-posing them away with Z moves.
The third part was the very end but wasn't the most exciting part of the battle. The second part felt like something that was missing from the Alola League and that was feeling like an actual League battle. It felt like it had more thought and strategy than any other in Sun and Moon.
5 One Journey Ends, Another Begins... 𒊎🗹
This is the episode with the first official Pokemon death in the series. It took guts to show it especially after all the years and 20 seasons they went without giving anyone what happens in this important detail of Pokémon life.
It also tried to show Litten having to pull away from its sick friend and trying to cope with it. While Ash's message to Litten wasn't the most thought out piece, it is respectable that they went with this dark content matter with such a happy and bright seri🅰es.
4 𝓡 Alola, Kanto! 🍷
This is part of the 2-part nostalgia episode that effectively tugged at your childhood feelingsꦏ. This first part of a two-part special will effectively bring you back to Kanto more than the reboot movie with Ho-Oh that tried to follow Ash's adventure from the beginning.
This episode also does a better job than🍸 the 3D animated Mewtwo rema⛦ke movie. While scant in length you will find enjoyment in it if you enjoyed the first season.
3 When Regions Coll🗹ide!
This is the more action/climax part of the 2-part episode Kanto special in the Sun and Moon series. Yo♐u get to see many꧙ of Ash's Kanto Pokemon, as well as more decent battles as the Alolan Trainees who try to fight and learn from Brocka and Misty.
It's entertaining to see who does well hav💎ing a full-on battle against them as well as seeing the characters react to Kanto itself. And true to the series old format, Team Rocket shows up again toꦕ catch Pikachu out of old spite for Ash and his friends.
2 💝 Memories In The Mist 🎀
This is possibly the most emotionally complex episode and well thought out in theಌ season. This involves a tale of Mallow coming to terms with her mother's death. It actually had something mature to say about the subject matter and moving on. One can see most of the happiness she shows throughout the series is actually faked because she holds deep-seated regret for the last words to her dying mother when she was a young age were spiteful and angry because of her mother's absence from home.
It's well thought out from the angle that a chilꦏd wouldn't know what is happening until it has to be explained and devastating when it is. All this while her mother tries to protect her from what's going on and has to bear that burden.
1 ℱ Enter the Champion!
One cannot leave out the moment where Ash fin🦩ally became champion. After many-many years it finally happens after he came so close in the gen🌊eration before.
It was something that was not ♛obtained by Ash since the Orange League and the Battle Frontier, but either way it was his first official league w✨in. It was a very happy moment for many.