CM McCambridge
With over two dozen movies on top of various television series, trading card releases, and games, Pokémon has done a lot in its tenure as the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. Considering that it’s been four years since the last film, and the second Detective Pikachu is rapidly approaching, it’s high time a list was created for anyone who might want a refresher before jumping back in.
Given the sheer number of movies, there are bound to be a few that stand out above others. After two weeks of watching every Pokémon movie, this ranking has been developed through careful methodology, to avoid the subjectivity that has engulfed discussion of the franchise since at least 1999, with the release of Pokémon: Gold and Pokémon: Silver.
In order to rank these films, I had to avoid my personal metric of EoS (Eevees on screen) in favor of a few others. First of all, is there any real character development? Being movies intended for a younger audience, plenty of these films lack proper character arcs, or have ones almost insultingly simple.
Second is if the film differentiates itself from the others. With this many films produced in so little time—a new film came out every year from 1998 through 2020—a few are bound to recycle plot elements from an earlier release.
Lastly, it is important to consider whether the film could reasonably be someone’s favorite, be they a child or a long-time fan. While the 1950s-esque “old married couple” dynamic of Volcanion and Magearna may play well with older audiences, it’s difficult to imagine most children having fun with it.
With all of these elements in mind, it’s time to begin our ranking. For the sake of brevity (and my own sanity), specials will not be included in this, only feature films. Considering that more than one of the televised specials were multiple episodes of the show sewn together, this makes differentiating between the two far easier.
24. Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution (2019, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama, Motonori Sakakibara)
By far not the worst written on this list, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution is by far the worst-looking film on this list. Despite being a 3D animated remake of the original 1998 film, Evolution manages to look both stilted and rubbery. Attempting to take the heavily stylized designs of the original and translate them into an updated version of the same plot, the whole film just looks distractingly uncanny and winds up telling an arguably worse version of the same plot as the original. Attempts to update the film, especially the updated dialogue and blocking, end up presenting a far weaker version of the original—even the same story beats present in Detective Pikachu (2019) are presented poorly by comparison.
23. Genesect and the Legend Awakened (2013, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
While presenting this film as the absolute worst of the 2D animated collection may ruffle some feathers, it really is the weakest among them.
With offbeat pacing, minimal and overly simplistic character development, and conflict drawn seemingly out of nowhere, Genesect really doesn’t have much to add to the Pokémon movie canon, beyond the expected introduction of mega-evolution, done in a way that ignores the canon of the series. With all this in mind, Genesect is firmly the lowest 2D animated film on this list.
There’s so little that this film does differently than the others, that it feels as if it’s simply checking off all of the necessary boxes to be a Pokémon movie. Every plot point feels recycled, and it ends without any real development taking place, feeling more like one long episode than a full film.
22. Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (2014, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
There’s frankly not much to say about this one that adds anything to the discussion. One of the worst things a film can be is boring, and Diancie is certainly that. Even though it has a clearly defined character arc and development for the titular Pokémon, everything else is thrown to the wayside in favor of that single arc, including the film’s second act.
The stakes are low, the characters just follow Diancie around, and everyone walks away without any real change having taken place. After several films that at least temporarily altered the status quo or had some form of lasting effect, Diancie really just feels like it could have been an episode of the television series, and not in a good way.
While the princess-esque Diancie may appeal to some viewers, it’s yet another film that comes across as simply being an expanded episode plot and not one that necessarily deserves that added runtime.
21. Hoopa and the Clash of Ages (2015, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
This particular film was moved down in the ranking while writing, a consequence of somehow still being annoyed with the way Hoopa speaks.
As with other films on this end of the ranking, Hoopa really doesn’t break any new ground here. While the idea of Hoopa having an evil side that can possess anyone is new, it doesn’t do anything with this, except take full control of both sides over and over again.
The grand legendary battle is fun fanservice, but it really doesn’t add much to the plot, and the idea of the sudden time limit on the plot from this fight was already better explored in 2007’s The Rise of Darkrai.
This film gets a lot of undue hate for its attempts at synergy with the games Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and their portals to various legendaries. While it may be grating to some, it did make for the same kind of fun that can be had from throwing various toys at each other, which I could never bring myself to hate.
Given how long this film takes to actually get to that fanservice, and how little of it is actually shown, I’m more than comfortable with forgetting about Hoopa entirely.
I will be hearing “A-le-hoopa-ring” in my head for weeks.
20. Jirachi, Wish Maker (2003, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
Maybe a hot take given the other films on this end of the ranking, but Jirachi has never really stuck for me, even after watching it several times. For a film with such a strong start, it really does fall apart in the third act. The villain’s motivation for needing the titular Jirachi feels ham-fisted, and the character writing is severely lacking.
Being one of the more formulaic films set in Hoenn, the “legendary Pokémon befriends a member of the party only to need to depart at the end to stop the villain” was done poorly the first time, and hardly managed to improve over its iterations. If all of the above wasn’t bad enough, legendary Pokémon who talk is a premise that gets old very fast when watching every single release, and Jirachi initiated the child-like voices for them that would stick around for nearly two decades.
Jirachi could, perhaps, be a child’s favorite, it’s difficult for me to imagine it given how abruptly the film ends, with the entire third act seemingly coming out of nowhere. Even before that point, the film feels almost boring, grinding to a halt over and over. Promises of seeing Groudon are barely delivered on, and almost feels like a waste of budget given how many better stories could be told using this idea.
19. Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
Listen, I really wanted to like this one more. It’s capping off a trio of interconnected films all about the balance of forces of nature, and it even features the protagonists seeing how Pokémon were used in the past, in a fun bit of world-building. However, it’s difficult to find anything that Arceus does better than the others. The core macguffin, an orb that must be returned to Arceus after humans failed to do so hundreds of years prior, has some fun implications, but the film does nothing to make good on it, instead simply focusing on why both people would want to keep it.
This film features some truly two-dimensional characters, and not only in terms of animation. Given just how small the core cast really is here, it’s jarring to see half of them having only a single personality trait. Beyond that, the lore implications that people could kill their god simply by pouring liquid metal on it is staggering, even if it lacked the plate that would normally protect it.
Arceus fails to provide any real payoff for the events of the previous two films, and the idea that people needed the titular jewel of life to maintain their land is shown to be completely false, shattering the antagonist’s core motivation. This one works in a marathon, but only just barely.
Given how much of the film is devoted to simply having conversations, it’s difficult to imagine this film being anyone’s favorite, even if seeing Arceus in action is a fun treat. With yet another film centering around a prophecy involving Ash, it’s difficult not to roll your eyes as the exposition makes it clear what’s going to happen yet again.
18. Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
It’s hard to place this one on the list, a sentiment that only grows the higher up we get.
Volcanion is fine, in the grand scheme of the series. It features a wonderfully animated final battle against a group of mega-evolved Pokémon and shows some real development for its new human characters, as well as Volcanion and Ash. Any film that can still develop parts of the series’ protagonist after multiple decades deserves some praise, and it really does seem like Ash learned some maturity from Volcanion, who manages to open up in turn.
Watching these two go on complimentary arcs is really wonderful, especially given how static Ash generally is in these films. The more mature Volcanion felt like a breath of fresh air after Hoopa, and the opening track was a bop for the first time in what felt like forever.
The only reason this film isn’t ranked higher is that it’s difficult to see it being a child’s favorite. Even with the big mega-evolution fight scene at the end, the old married couple dynamic of Volcanion and Magearna seems like it’s there as an attempt to mature the series without understanding the ways in which it could so without feeling so hamfisted.
17. Black: Victini and Reshiram & White: Victini and Zekrom (2011, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
Being fundamentally the same movie with the new legendary Pokémon switched, the Victini movies will be ranked as one single release.
This movie would be higher if it really differentiated itself from the others, but it fails to in several ways. The idea of a villain using the new legendary Pokémon that Ash and friends found for their special device had been done before, and done better, on other occasions.
The idea of a dragon force being something fundamental to the land very briefly came up in 2009’s Arceus and the Jewel of Life, and it was nice to see it expanded on, but it was done in such a way that it clearly will never come up again. It’s so frustrating to see this, especially as it could provide worldbuilding and be expanded upon for a maturing audience, but instead, it’s simply used as the motivation for everything to stop.
Nothing fundamentally changed as a result of Victini, and the only middling character development was from a one-off character for the film. While the story with Victini is fun to watch, it’s really only saved as a result of that, and the film is better left at the bottom of a castle, to be found by another unsuspecting hero one day.
16. Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (2006 dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
Another film with the Hoenn formula, Ranger places a focus on May’s newfound friendship with the legendary Pokémon Manaphy. With an extremely similar plotline to 2003’s Jirachi, Wish Maker, Ranger at least finds ways to refresh the formula by expanding the universe.
Introducing the concept of the Pokémon Rangers (think park rangers mixed with secret agents), Ranger manages to place more focused energy on a story concerning environmentalism and human intervention.
With an antagonist whose motivations make more sense than Jirachi and a strong third act, Ranger really comes across as the better of these two sibling films. Bonus points are also given for this film having one of the funniest lines of the bunch, with Team Rocket’s Meowth saying that diamonds and pearls are a “great name for a game.”
With more fun moments and setpieces, it’s easy to see a younger audience enjoying Ranger, and watching it again and again.
15. Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias (2002, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
If this film has anything going for it, it’s charm.
With a setting clearly inspired by Venice and a fun Lupin-esque opening sequence (although perhaps less fun than the one in Ranger), Heroes presents an immaculate energy right out of the gate. Unlike other films before and even after it, Heroes wastes no time introducing its legendary Pokémon, Latios and Latias.
While legendary Pokémon hiding is nothing new to the series, Heroes presents a new take by having Latias hide within human society, disguised as one of us. Even though this disguise is far from perfect, it does make for an interesting dynamic with the citizens of Alto Mare, who walk by and even interact with it on a daily basis without knowing.
Antagonists Annie and Oakley (this rules) may have motivations that are a bit unclear long-term, wanting the city’s defensive weapon for seemingly no concrete reason, they do have a fun dynamic and their early scenes are a delight to watch. This film even acknowledges Pokémon: The Movie 2000 in its end credits, something most of the films are seemingly allergic to doing.
Given how much sheer fun this film is, it’s easy to leave it this high on this list. While it may have a bit of a downer ending, it’s not enough to truly dampen the experience for children and does leave a spark of hope in its new pieces of worldbuilding.
14. Zoroark—Master of Illusions (2010, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
I’m a sucker for a lovable little scamp, and Zorua really is one of my favorites in these films. Zoroark uses a strong emotional through-line to tell its story and manages to have a new antagonist with understandable motivations—something sorely lacking in some of these films.
Touching on both anti-capitalist messaging and the more adult fear of having your child taken from you, Zoroark manages to present some solid motivations for all those involved. Kodai, a wealthy CEO loses the ability to see into the future and does everything in his power to get it back. That just makes sense and doesn’t seem too far removed from something Elon Musk would do, given the circumstances.
The motivation of Zoroark is clearly defined, as it’s imprisoned by Kodai and following his orders for as long as he shows that he is holding its child, Zorua, hostage. While this isn’t the case for the whole film, it does present very understandable motivations for its core audience and one that even people unfamiliar with the franchise can easily understand.
Zoroark shows off plenty of legendary Pokémon that we hadn’t seen in a while, and manages to not only show off their shiny forms for an audience unfamiliar but also use them effectively for the story it’s trying to tell. A simple story, but an effective one nonetheless.
With its slightly more complex motivations and fun setpieces with fan-favorite legendary Pokémon, it’s easy to imagine a younger audience really enjoying this one.
13. I Choose You! (2017, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
While doing research for this article, I was informed by an avid fan of the franchise that I’m part of an extremely small minority who enjoyed I Choose You, something which shocked me. Much of the criticism of this film seems to stem from longtime fans, upset at the exclusion of fan-favorite characters Brock and Misty from the era this film is set. These new characters are not nearly as memorable, but they serve the story just fine and have their own little emotional moments as well.
Having watched only bits and pieces of the original television broadcasts over two decades ago now, I don’t have any particularly strong feelings about it and found that fact vital to my enjoyment of I Choose You. Some old moments are replicated with better direction and are made to be just as impactful in spite of the short runtime, even if they lack of the original traditional animation charm.
This film is a fine introduction for those entirely unfamiliar with the series, and I could easily see it as an entry point for a child, even as it changes some parts of the series’ lore. In many ways, this seems to be the ideal entry point for a fan of Pokémon GO or a child of longtime fans to get into the series proper and has the added benefit of being able to clean up some of the messy characterizations the series had initially. As this film seemed to start a new continuity of films, it has the added benefit of giving Ash a new starting point and lining up an easy character arc for him to follow through the film.
12. Detective Pikachu (2019, dir. Rob Letterman)
Another perfect entry point, like I Choose You before it, is 2019’s Detective Pikachu. Presenting a story between the game of the same name and Pokémon: The First Movie, Detective Pikachu is a fun romp with some very real stakes – even as it’s seemingly set in a different continuity from everything else.
If there’s one film on this list people are likely to have seen, it’s either this one or The First Movie, and going over all of it feels a bit redundant. Ryan Reynolds’ voice work is charming if a bit flat at times, and Justice Smith never seems to really find his stride in the film. Given Smith’s recent work in films such as I Saw The TV Glow, it’s clear that he has the chops to do more here, but it’s as if the majority of performances are being held back by the script. Fortunately, the effects work shines in Detective Pikachu, and while no sequel updates have been shared in a few years, another one would be gladly welcomed.
11. Giratina & the Sky Warrior (2008, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
In some ways, it makes sense that the middle film of the trilogy between The Rise of Darkrai and Arceus and the Jewel of Life would also be the middle in their ranking. Another entry in the lovable little scamp series, with time with Shaymin, Giratina is a solid contender within this list. It furthers the plotline of the Sinnoh legendaries and their conflict while also letting that largely take a backseat and letting it naturally incite other events.
With so many films on this list making Ash some sort of chosen one or instantly trusted by a new legendary, it was refreshing to see Shaymin have no affection towards him whatsoever. Here, Shaymin’s journey to the flower garden isn’t directly impeded by the film’s antagonist, but rather just what causes various plotlines to intersect. For once, the legendary Pokémon with our protagonists isn’t being sought out by a human with malicious intent, but by a Pokémon trying to restore balance in its own way.
With some fun setpieces in its new reverse world and easily digested motivations and ambitions, it’s easy to place Giratina this high on the list. While there is still a bit of messiness – there’s no real reason for our antagonist to want to have control over the reverse world beyond research – it’s still a fun romp and provides a strong middle act to the three-part storyline started in The Rise of Darkrai.
10. Pokémon: The Movie 2000–The Power of One (1999, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
In terms of the sheer scale of consequences, 2000 really takes the cake. The whole prophecy comes across as a little strange after some thought – especially given just how many different prophecies concern Ash throughout the films. Even though this may be the first one, it does still come across as forced as it’s explained within the film.
After the first movie was such a strong opener, 2000 had a lot to deliver on, and managed to mostly stick the landing. While there are some growing pains, especially when it comes to writing another compelling villain, 2000 also introduces a grand scale, with the whole world thrown into disarray. As huge storms begin to devastate the earth, thanks to Lawrence III upsetting the balance between the legendary birds by trying to capture them all, it’s up to Ash and Pikachu to save the day.
Given the global consequences of this film, it makes for a fun watch. Most of these films are isolated, with the events only affecting a few people, or a city at most. 2000 decided to immediately show the scale of harm possible by interfering with legendary Pokémon, something that set a precedent for the rest of the franchise to follow.
9. Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice (2012, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
I’ve always been a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, and Kyurem is one of the best of the bunch here. Following Keldeo, a Pokémon training to be part of a team called the Swords of Justice, the film greatly expands the lore of the series, especially by showing more about how various intelligent Pokémon interact with each other. Typically, hearing a legendary Pokémon speak in a movie elicited a long sigh from me, no character in Kyurem is abrasive – a tall order given some of the other films on this list.
Keldeo’s story is well thought out and plotted, showing it carefully pushing through old barriers and developing the skills necessary to fight Kyurem by the end. While it may not be the most imaginative in its formula, it more than makes up for it in its execution. With a short and sweet runtime, Kyurem has been criticized as being just one long episode, but given how many of these films meander along for their first half, it was refreshing to see one as focused as this.
Kyurem may be too simple for some of the more mature audiences, it’s easy to see Kyurem being a child’s favorite. A short and simple adventure with Dumas-esque characters in the middle of so many films barely holding themselves together, Kyurem is a nice palate cleanser and is a more than welcome addition to this list.
8. Spell of the Unknown (2000, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
While other early films integrated computer-generated 3D effects, none of them did it quite as well as Spell of the Unknown. Being in their very name, the Unknown are otherworldly, resembling letters while seemingly being even older than the alphabet. By portraying these Pokémon as 3D within a more traditional 2D art style, these traits become immediately apparent. From the moment they’re onscreen the Unknown are distinctly different, something clearly not yet fully understood.
Spell of the Unknown provides some personal stakes for Ash, with his own mother being kidnapped by the titular Unknown, it does also sit in such an odd place. The antagonist is, for all intents and purposes, a grieving child who happens to make a connection with an incredibly powerful force of nature. Even as the film can be read as the stages of processing that grief, it also very much seems to frame this child as selfish for her actions.
This one has plenty of fun moments and is one of the first three films still beloved by long-time fans, yet it’s also fairly weak in its own right, with a few fun moments and battles keeping the pace going as it meanders its way through. Being certainly less messy than 2000, Spell of the Unknown still was finding its footing, and manages to be fun, but not particularly memorably compared to the others.
7. Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
Here is where we start getting far into subjective territory. Every film on this list from here on up is among the best, and Lucario has long been a personal favorite of mine (alongside Destiny Deoxys). The film presents a strong arc for Lucario and even manages to develop Ash’s character in some ways, an impressive feat after nearly 20 years of characterization.
Lucario has some of the strongest worldbuilding in the series, taking both glimpses into the past and culture of one place and tying it in with the way that humanity has waged war using Pokémon previously. Lucario also takes a massive risk, separating Ash and his iconic Pikachu for much of the film, forcing him to pair up exclusively with Lucario.
This change in dynamics suits the film well, as it gives the opportunity not only to show the lengths Ash will go to for his trusty partner but also gives him a brand new dynamic with the Pokémon around him, now depending on others.
On top of everything else, this film really feels like one where the series’ spinoff titles could have taken place. Pokémon: Conquest and Pokémon: Mystery Dungeon may not be the most popular, but they feel right at home in the world Lucario presents. The Regis (Regirock, Regice, Registeel) too are instantly memorable. In a series that’s constantly introducing new creations, that’s really worth something.
6. Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi–Voice of the Forest (2001, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
As we climb into our top few films, it’s easy to place Celebi as high up as it is. While it can be a bit messy at times, the film still manages to be fun and pass along the idea that some friendships can transcend time. Even though Sammy goes back to his time at the end, and actually still manages to regularly speak to Ash, it’s clear that their time short together heavily impacted them both.
Showing what happens when someone with ill intent gains control of a legendary Pokémon, Celebi is a fantastic story showing how people, regardless of the time they grew up in, could easily become friends. On top of that, being one of the “forces of nature” genre of Pokémon film, it also shows how it’s up to everyone to help maintain the natural world around us, and what happens when people refuse to do that.
In a personal favorite moment, the form Celebi takes when under the villain’s control strongly resembles Darkrai, a Pokémon from games that wouldn’t come out for another 5 years. While this likely is only a coincidence, it ends up being a fun moment for longtime fans revisiting the films, or for fans of the games watching the films for the first time.
With no shortage of beautiful scenery, Celebi is easily among one of the best-looking films here, its age and grain only adding to it all. Celebi may not be part of a larger grand storyline, it’s an unmissable piece of storytelling set in the Pokémon universe.
5. The Rise of Darkrai (2007, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
The first of the interconnected Sinnoh movies, Darkrai sets a lot of things up while still managing to be a strong story in its own right. Setting things off with the collision of time and space, Dialga and Palkia’s domains respectively, Rise of Darkrai follows the city below where that happens, and how both the citizens below and the legendary Pokémon Darkrai try to stop it.
The idea of legendary Pokémon catching humans in the crossfire is explored repeatedly throughout these films, but Darkrai really feels like it has a greater human cost than most. Sure, it’s one city in the grand scheme of things, but it’s also a place where Darkrai was shown humanity, something that clearly greatly impacted it. A loss of this place is a loss of established tradition, something that simply cannot be measured.
With a long fight between legionary Pokémon and a reinvention of concepts we’ve seen before, Rise of Darkrai is quickly becoming a favorite among these. It even manages to set up other films, while remaining the strongest of those ones by far.
4. Secrets of the Jungle (2020, dir. Tetsuo Yajima)
Attempts to mature the Pokémon franchise have been hit or miss over the years – especially with the films. What Jungle does here, rather than adjust the subject matter, is adjust the characters. While keeping everything centered in what is effectively a Pokémon version of The Jungle Book, Secrets of the Jungle uses some very real adult concerns regarding parenthood as a vehicle for its conflict.
Koko, being raised by a Zarude, is a fantastic new character, taking full advantage of the depth of his background to tell a story in this world. Being someone who can understand Pokémon perfectly but not people, Koko makes a fantastic companion to Ash when he arrives in the film, two people with opposite backgrounds who have ended up with almost identical values.
Being in the new continuity starting with I Choose You, Secrets of the Jungle uses a new Ash, one who still some some room to develop but also is no longer the core focus of the films. By following Koko, not only does this world feel richer, but it also gives far more room for its characters to develop. Both Koko and the Zarude who raised him, Dada, go through incredible amounts of development over the course of the film, something that just wouldn’t be possible with Ash as the protagonist.
It’s been a long time since I cried at one of these, and Secrets of the Jungle really hit home for me and managed to make me tear up after only 90 minutes with its characters.
3. Destiny Deoxys (2004, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
“It’s a Pokémon From Outer Space” could easily have been the title, and I would have loved every second.
Destiny Deoxys has long been a favorite, and I was cautious to revisit it after so many years. One can only imagine the surprise when, in the middle of two dozen other films, this one actually felt refreshing. With so many other films focusing on tradition, prophecy, and the past, Deoxys having an ultra-modern setting in an advanced city really managed to mix things up.
Pairing Ash up with someone who’s afraid of Pokémon makes for a fun dynamic, and the shift into a large-scale monster movie only manages to create a far more distinct atmosphere than the surrounding films. Given how much of the film is spent establishing its setting and characters, Deoxys manages to strike a solid balance with the amount of time spent simply running from the titular Pokémon.
It’s nice seeing Pokémon branch into other sub-genres, and Deoxys is a film that really understands how to use that. While so many of these films end up feeling almost identical, Deoxys has a strong aesthetic and personality that makes it instantly memorable.
2. The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back (1998, dir. Kunihiko Yuyama)
It’s hard to beat the first film of any franchise, and Pokémon is no different. Mewtwo Strikes Back is a longtime fan-favorite and for obvious reasons. Given the characterization of Ash at the time, Mewtwo as an antagonist balances against him perfectly.
While the idea of a Pokémon being an antagonist has been used over and over since, there has yet to be another example of one acting as such as clear foil to the characters. Typically being depicted as forces of nature or misunderstood in their intentions, Mewtwo came out of the gate with a Pokémon antagonist that has defined motivations and does genuinely seem to hate humanity, at least at the outset. Given how many of the later human antagonists have unclear motivations, it’s odd to see just how comparatively well-written the first film manages to be.
Perhaps the only thing keeping this film away from the top spot is the fact that it ends with every character forgetting the events entirely, save for Mewtwo, Mew, and the clone Pokémon. While this does make sense, with the film needing to fit into the television series’ canon, it still comes across as such an odd choice, with any attempt at character development or additional story depth being undone in an instant.
1. The Power of Us (2018, dir. Tetsuo Yajima)
Maybe it’s controversial to place a film in the reboot timeline at the top of this list, but Power of Us is quickly becoming a personal favorite after watching it. One of the main issues I’ve had with the television and film adaptations for so long is how all of them center around Ash, someone who has become one of the least interesting characters onscreen. Perhaps fearing this criticism, Power of Us instead takes the perspectives of multiple characters, using Ash as a side character within these other stories.
Power of Us, more than the rest of this list (save, perhaps Detective Pikachu), really feels as if it’s adding something to this world. Sure, various other films have added lore and small bits of character development, but seeing how people interact with Pokémon outside of trainers and professors makes it feel lived-in. Power of Us seized this opportunity, to use the newly-rewritten Ash as someone who can help others without needing to spend so much time on his focus as a trainer.
With fresh character designs, fun animation, and a new take on the world, it’s difficult to find reasons not to put Power of Us at the top of this list. While its pacing leaves something to be desired, Power of Us makes for a strong entry point for newcomers while also maintaining the series’ hallmarks.
On top of all of this, it feels like the first film that was really made for a more diverse audience. All of the main characters have a different background and motivations, and it’s easy for anybody watching to latch onto one. Perhaps the only reason this beats out Mewtwo Strikes Back and Secrets of the Jungle is how well it approaches the world. There’s no overlong exposition, no diving into how certain parts of this universe work, it just already is and asks you to accept it at face value. Coming off of over twenty films that struggle with this, Power of Us is an incredible breath of fresh air, and a film that manages to be for both fans and newcomers alike, unlike the majority of these.
