Pokémon

Pokémon (also known as Pocket Monsters in Japan) is a long-running anime series that started in 1997 and has over 1,300 episodes across multiple seasons/series.

Quick synopsis: The story follows a young boy named Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japanese), who on his 10th birthday sets out to become a Pokémon Master — the greatest trainer in the world. He dreams of catching and training powerful creatures called Pokémon, battling other trainers, and winning prestigious tournaments.

His journey begins with an unexpected partner: a stubborn electric mouse Pokémon named Pikachu, who initially refuses to stay in a Poké Ball and has a rocky relationship with Ash at first. Together they travel across various regions (like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and many more), collecting Gym Badges from powerful Gym Leaders to qualify for regional Pokémon Leagues, making new friends (and rivals), catching new Pokémon, and foiling the schemes of the recurring villainous trio Team Rocket (Jessie, James, and their talking Meowth), who constantly try to steal rare Pokémon — especially Pikachu.

The core formula involves adventure, friendship, battles, discovering new Pokémon, and Ash chasing his dream, with his companions changing every few regions/arcs. After 25+ years of following Ash (who finally achieved his goal in the later seasons), the series shifted in 2023 to new protagonists Liko and Roy in Pokémon Horizons.

It's a classic "monster-collecting + journey" adventure with tons of heart, humor, and epic battles — basically the anime version of the massively popular Pokémon video games!