Where do the movies go within the anime series?!

[Cinderwild]

Hey, I'm very likely to be a one time poster but would greatly appreciate help.

A friend of mine has recently decided he wants to watch EVERY episode of the Pokemon anime as well as the movies, but he wants everything in chronological order. This includes the movies.

Now, after doing a bit of searching I've found some vaguely helpful things, but I was wondering if anyone here had a very direct chronological list of the anime and what episodes the movies go after.


Thanks for any help!


P.S. I tried to use the search feature first, but even when I got specific I got A LOT of topics.

 

[Adamant]

The movies were released in between these episodes in Japan and, therefore, contain spoilers up to that point in the anime:

Movie 01: Between "The Case of the K-9 Caper" and "Pokemon Paparazzi"
Movie 02: Between "Bound for Trouble" and "Charizard Chills"
Movie 03: Between "Forest Grumps" and "The Psychic Sidekicks"
Movie 04: Between "The Kecleon Caper" and "The Joy of Water Pokemon"
Movie 05: Between "Just Add Water" and "Lapras of Luxury"

Movie 06: Between "Having a Wailord of a Time" and "Win, Lose, or Drew"
Movie 07: Between "Sky High Gym Battle!" and "Lights, Camerupt, Action!"
Movie 08: Between "A Real Cleffa-Hanger" and "Numero Uno Articuno"
Movie 09: Between "Aipom and Circumstance" and "Strategy Tomorrow - Comedy Tonight"

Movie 10: Between "Steamboat Willies" and "Top-Down Training"

 

[FabuVinny]

While that is generally the best guideline, note that in-show footage places movie 1 after "Showdown at the Po-ké Corral" - the best place to watch it is probably after "The Pi-Kahuna" - and the group are in one city for a couple of episodes around the movie 6 placement.

 

[Amewsment]

The list posted is undoubtedly accurate and should be your guide regarding the subject. I would like to add that the movies aren't usually canon (there are exceptions), so the exact order may not be that important to your friend. It should not ruin anything in most cases, due to the fact that the movies are hardly mentioned in the animé if at all. Enjoy the movies!

 

[GreatLiver]

Also, chronologically Holiday Hi-Jynx and Snow Way Out should be between Pikachu's Goodbye and The Battling Eevee Bothers, not It's Mr Mime Time and Showdown at the Poke Corral.

 

[Cinderwild]

Wow, all that within a few hours of posting this? Thank you all very much.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I would like to add that the movies aren't usually canon (there are exceptions)

How do you determine that? Just because they're not mentioned later doesn't mean they're not canon, since most episodes aren't mentioned later.

 

[Amewsment]

How do you determine that? Just because they're not mentioned later doesn't mean they're not canon, since most episodes aren't mentioned later.

There are two ways of interpreting the fact that they aren't mentioned later on. This is hardly a science or rock solid fact we are dealing with.

Relation to the main anime

Pokémon movies are considered by some fans to be non-canon, meaning they are not considered to have actually happened. For example, May befriended Manaphy in the ninth movie, but has never mentioned Manaphy in the main series.

However, some may not count their being unmentioned in the series as evidence to being canon due to several events in even the most important/canon of episodes being forgotten/unmentioned as well, such as:

* Ash and co. apparently never having heard of the P1 Grand Prix, despite Ash winning that competition and giving away Primeape.
* May saying she used Skitty for the Fallarbor contest when she actually used Beautifly in the said contest.

So, in other words, since the anime is inconsistent with what is known to be canon, it is difficult to say that the movies are definitely canon or not.

However, the first movie is considered fully canon due to the fact that it had several ties with the main series around the time Ash challenged the Viridian Gym and that the movie also had a convenient plot device to maintain continuity within the show (e.g., everyone forgot about what happened). Lucario and the Mystery of Mew was also made partially canon during DP071 and DP072 where it is confirmed that Ash can use Aura which was introduced in the movie. Also, Destiny Deoxys is at least somewhat canon due to the events in it movie being referenced, as well as the fact that the hometown of one of May's rivals is the setting as the movie. The second movie is at least somewhat canon due to Ash and James mentioning seeing a Lugia in the Orange Islands.

By the way I said usually not always.

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Yeah, I don't think the Manaphy example really stands. Did Max ever mention Ralts outside that one episode? And his bond with Ralts was similar to her bond with Manaphy.

 

[PDL]

Events that happened in movies rarely get mentioned in the main anime because that would require that the viewers would have actually watched said movies in order to understand the references.

However, the writers do know that not all viewers of the anime have actually seen the movies. Thus they write the episodes with this information in mind.