Despite the fond reception for Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the latest anime in the franchise featuring Pokémon anime since its debut in 1997 and remained so until the end of Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series in 2023, when Ash finally became Champion.

Although the new series is available on Netflix, many seasons of the long-running Pokémon anime are scattered among several streaming services like Prime Video, Hulu, and Tubi. However, there is a way to watch the earliest adventures of Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty in only one place for free.

Here’s How To Watch the Classic Pokémon Anime for Free

Access to Pokémon TV Is Easier Than You Think

The first two seasons of Pokémon, The Indigo League and Adventures in the Orange Islands, are available for free on the Pokémon TV YouTube channel. Pokémon TV features the first 52 episodes of season 1 and the first 22 episodes of season 2. Although it currently doesn’t have every episode from the first two seasons, that may change as the channel continues to more videos.

The first season of Pokémon, "The Indigo League", showcases Ash and Pikachu’s humble beginnings as partners and their first encounters with their future best friends, gym leaders Brock and Misty, before embarking on their journey together. The second season, "Adventures in the Orange Islands", sees Ash, Pikachu, and Misty leave the Kanto region to compete in the Orange Islands League and meet their new buddy, Tracey Sketchit, along the way. The Pokémon TV YouTube channel offers a quick summary of the second season, as follows:

Ash’s journey to the top of the Indigo League continues—but will his friendship with fellow Pokémon League competitor Richie endanger his chances? With his Kanto journey completed, Ash finds there’s still plenty to see and do when Professor Oak sends him and his friends to the Orange Islands. Brock falls head-over-heels for the attractive Professor Ivy and decides to stay with her, leaving Ash and Misty alone as a dynamic duo—at least until they meet intrepid Pokémon watcher Tracey Sketchit!

Although it's previously been hard to pin down which series is on which streaming service, fans, old and young alike, would journey far and wide to watch more of Ash.

Why Ash Ketchum Is so Important

Ask And Pikachu Have Represented the Fandom For Almost Three Decades

The new protagonists of Pokémon, Liko, and Roy, are well-received enough, but it will take a long time for them to come close to the status of Ash. Although Pikachu is the mascot, Ash is easily the second most recognizable figure within the franchise. Ash Ketchum, a clever pun of the series’ “Catch ‘Em All” slogan, represents the first 25+ years of Pokémon, and fans have seen him grow throughout the years through each iteration of the show.

Throughout Ash’s countless wins and devastating losses, the fandom has grown alongside the perpetual 10-year-old protagonist for decades. Not only have fans grown to love the development of Ash’s arc from a brat to a competent Pokémon trainer, but his win against Leon, “the strongest Pokémon trainer” in Ultimate Journeys, represents the closing chapter of the fandom's childhood. The first generation of Pokémon fans have become adults, and watching Ash complete his journey is a payoff and reminder to stay just as vigilant, no matter how long it takes for audiences to fulfill their lifelong goals.

However, no matter how far people progress in life, there are times when the longing for the past kicks in, and nostalgia matters more than it once did. Ash has become that for the Pokémon community, as has the original series theme song. And given that Pokémon is the number one most popular franchise globally, Ash and his yellow electric mouse mean a lot to a widespread audience, not just anime fans. The duo is as socially relevant in of anime representation as Dragon Ball’s Goku, and those two may be even more recognizable than him.

Ash and Pikachu will forever remain a part of pop culture history around the world. And although this is goodbye for now, the last appearance of the duo didn’t close with a definitive ending, meaning Pokémon fans may see the two a lot sooner than they think.