Pokémon the Series: XY

For the series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Pokémon Trading Card Game → XY Series. For other uses, see XY.
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Pokémon the Series: XY (Japanese: ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters XY) is the fifth series of the Pokémon animated series in Asia (including Japan) and the sixth series of in the West. The series is based on the events of the Generation VI core series Pokémon games. It follows and was succeeded by . It ran from October 17, 2013 to November 10, 2016 in Japan and from January 18, 2014 to January 28, 2017 in , although the first two episodes aired as a sneak peek in the United States on October 19, 2013.
As with the previous three series, Pokémon the Series: XY began with only Ash Ketchum, headed off to Kalos region with his while wearing a new set of clothes, intending to challenge the Kalos League. Joining him this time are , a new Trainer who previously met Ash in her childhood; , an aspiring inventor and scientist, who is also the Gym Leader of the Lumiose Gym; and , Clemont's younger sister. Jessie, James and continue to follow Ash and his friends through the Kalos region, and have gone back to their more traditional methods of capturing Ash's Pikachu and other Pokémon, although their appearances are less frequent, just like in . Jessie's Wobbuffet, absent for practically the entirety of Black & White, returns to her roster.
This series also features the Mega Evolution Specials, a series of special episodes following the adventures of a Trainer named Alain, who is working to find Mega Stones and defeat all Mega-Evolved Pokémon using his Mega X. In the XY&Z season, Ash and his friends' journey continues as their story merges with the plot of the Mega Evolution Specials, with the group becoming involved with the Legendary Pokémon and the villainous organization Team Flare.
A new art style was instituted at the beginning of the series. A notable difference is that the stock "effect" backgrounds have been almost entirely removed (only appearing when a main character catches a Pokémon, whenever Ash or Serena earn a Gym Badge or , respectively, and when recites their ). Also, the character models (as seen in the artworks) are slightly taller and leaner in comparison to the previous four series. In addition, much like the core series Pokémon games from Generation III onwards, a VS. player overview screen appears before starting some battles and rounds. Similar to In The Shadow of Zekrom!, Ash receives a physical redesign, now having softer and slightly smaller birthmarks on his cheeks, his hair covers the top of his ears and is spikier, and he has more locks on his forehead.
Episodes in Pokémon the Series: XY are numbered with XY on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Pokémon the Series: XY episodes.
==Blurb==
It’s time for Ash and Pikachu to set off on their adventures in the Kalos region! Along the way, they’re joined by some new friends—a genius inventor named Clemont, his little sister Bonnie, and Serena, a Trainer on her first journey. Ash immediately tries to challenge the Gym in Lumiose City, but doesn’t get very far before a robot throws him out! In between Gym battles, Ash and friends will be exploring this unique region, meeting all kinds of new Pokémon, and looking into a fascinating new Pokémon mystery!
==Japanese seasons==
Pokémon the Series: XY has been divided into multiple arcs in the Japanese release, similar to the "chapters" of the original series and .
* Pocket Monsters XY (ポケットモンスター) (XY001 - XY093)
** Pocket Monsters XY Special Episode: The Strongest Mega Evolution (ポケットモンスターXY特別編 最強メガシンカ) (XYS01 - XYS04)
* Pocket Monsters XY&Z (ポケットモンスター) (XY094 - XY140, XYS05 - XYS06)
XY series logo.png|Pocket Monsters XY logo
XY & Z logo.png|Pocket Monsters XY&Z logo
==Dub seasons==
Unlike what was previously done, when Pokémon the Series: XY came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was localized as a whole. While it is still divided into three seasons, they share a common title:
* Pokémon the Series: XY (XY001 - XY023, XY025 - XY049)
* Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest (XY050 - XY093, XY024)
* Pokémon the Series: XYZ (XY094 - XY140, XYS05)
Pokémon the Series XY logo.png|Pokémon the Series: XY logo
Season 18 logo.png|Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest logo
Season 19 logo.png|Pokémon the Series: XYZ logo
==Movies==
* Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
* Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
* Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
==Home video releases==
===North American DVD releases===
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XY home video releases (Region 1)
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest home video releases (Region 1)
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XYZ home video releases (Region 1)
===Australian DVD releases===
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XY home video releases (Region 4)
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XY Kalos Quest home video releases (Region 4)
* List of English language Pokémon the Series: XYZ home video releases (Region 4)
===Japanese DVD releases===
* List of Japanese language XY home video releases
==Gallery==
:For more images, please see artwork from Pokémon the Series: XY on the Bulbagarden Archives.
====Japanese====
XY series poster.png|Early Japanese poster for XY
XY series poster 2.png|Japanese poster for XY
XYZ poster.png|Japanese poster for XY&Z
====English====
Pokémon the Series XY poster.png|Poster for Pokémon the Series: XY
S18 poster.png|Poster for Kalos Quest
S19 poster.png|Poster for XYZ
XY series poster Asia.png|Pokémon Asia poster
===Characters===
====Main characters====
Ash XY.png| and Pikachu
Serena XY.png| (XY001-XY060)
Serena XY2.png| (XY060-XY140)
Clemont XY.png|
Bonnie XY.png|
Team Rocket trio XY.png|
====Secondary characters====
Professor Oak XY.png|
Professor Sycamore XY.png|
Officer Jenny XY.png|Officer Jenny
Nurse Joy XY.png|Nurse Joy
Viola XY anime.png|Viola
Alain XY.png|Alain
Mairin.png|Mairin
Astrid.png|Astrid
Remo XY.png|Remo
Siebold anime artwork.png|Siebold
Steven XY anime.png|
File:Malva XY anime.png|Malva
====Antagonists====
Giovanni XY.png|
Lysandre XY anime.png|Lysandre
Team Flare Scientists XY anime.png|From left to right - Celosia, Bryony, Mable, Aliana, and Xerosic
==Trivia==
* Aito Ohashi, one of the animators for Pokémon the Series: XY, drew art to commemorate the series' conclusion.
* This is the only series of in which:
** Ash has two female long-term traveling companions at once.
** Ash does not use any Pokémon.
** does not do any imitations of humans or Pokémon.
** The first partner Pokémon obtained by Ash and his friends all come directly from the region's major Pokémon Professor.
** Ash travels to a new region with a character he met in the previous series: he traveled to Kalos with Alexa.
** No theme song from a previous series return in the form of an insert song.
** Ash keeps three Pokémon of the same type in his team at one time, with three Pokémon.
** Ash releases a first partner Pokémon into the wild.
** None of Ash's Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory appear, nor have they been mentioned.
*** Ash's Bulbasaur, , and do not appear, nor have they been mentioned.
** None of Ash's former traveling companions appear in the main series, nor are any of them mentioned.
*** does appear in the special episode XYS06, but not in the series proper.
*** Dawn's Piplup is mentioned by Ash in the episode Going for the Gold!, but he does not make any reference to herself.
** and do not appear in any form, including flashbacks.
** does not meet Ash's in-person.
** There are no flashbacks to the original series, or any other previous series. 
** There are neither unaired nor undubbed normal episodes.
*** XYS06 is the only episode of the series to be skipped in the English dub, and it was a special.
** One of Ash's traveling companions permanently changes their appearance in the middle of the series.
*** One of the traveling companions permanently changes their hairstyle.
* This is the first series in which:
** James does not use any Grass-type Pokémon.
** Ash's party does not include the combination of a Grass-type, a Fire-type, and a Water-type.
** Ash does not leave any of the Pokémon in his party at Professor Oak's Laboratory at any point, even temporarily.
** Ash fully evolves all of the Pokémon he .
** Ash does not cross-dress. Instead, cross-dresses once.
** Ash's female long-term traveling companion from the previous series does not appear (among series that have a previous one).
** or do not appear in any form, including flashbacks.
** The characters are consistently drawn with fingernails.
** The Magikarp salesman does not appear.
** Ash reaches the finals of a Pokémon League Conference.
** Professor Oak does not meet the concurrent generation's Pokémon Professor.
** One of Ash's traveling companions temporarily leaves the group in the middle of a regional .
** The final episode did not end with the message "Next Time... A New Beginning!"
* This is the first series since the original in which:
** Ash has lost against two different Gym battles in the same region.
** Ash has released Pokémon.
** Ash's last Pokémon League Conference battle does not end with as his last remaining Pokémon.
* Pokémon the Series: XY shares a number of similarities with :
** Ash does not own the region's first partner Pokémon.
** Ash is traveling with three companions instead of two.
** Two of the traveling companions are siblings, with one of them being too young to have Pokémon of their own.
*** Both sets of siblings are related to the fifth Gym Leader of their respective region, and both older siblings tried to hide this fact at first.
**** This Gym is also the first one that Ash attempts to challenge in the region.
*** One of said siblings is a brother wearing glasses.
** Ash receives only one first partner Pokémon in the region and fully evolves it.
** The main heroine of Pokémon the Series: XY, Serena, shares some similarities to the main heroine of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, . Both of them:
*** Do not have a specific goal in mind in the beginning of their journey, but later become inspired to pursue a career that focuses more on displaying a Pokémon's style rather than its power: May aims to become a Top Coordinator, and Serena aims to become .
*** Were expected to pursue the same career as one of their parents: May was expected to become a Gym Leader like her father, and Serena was expected to become a Rhyhorn racer like .
*** Begin their journeys for unorthodox reasons: May to travel, and Serena to reunite with Ash.
*** Start with the region's first partner Pokémon: May starts with and Serena starts with . Both of their first partner Pokémon eventually fully evolve.
*** Obtain an , which later evolves into an Eeveelution native to the region they are currently in at the time of the evolution.
*** Had one last battle against Ash before departing.
*** Travel to a region that Ash has previously traveled through at the end of the series, in order to participate in Pokémon Contests alone.
*** Did not own any disobedient Pokémon, unlike , , and .
*** Did not own any walking Pokémon, unlike any of the other female main characters that can own Pokémon.
** The three older main characters have one first partner Pokémon each.
** At least one Gym features Double Battles.
*** Both these Gyms specialized in Pokémon, as well as being the seventh Gym Ash challenged in the respective regions.
** Both League Conferences started on the 125th episode and ended on the 131st episode of their respective series.
*** Ash uses only his current party Pokémon in the tournament instead of using any of his Pokémon from Professor Oak's Laboratory. In addition, he uses exactly six Pokémon.
** Jessie's Pokémon evolves but James's Pokémon, which is also capable of evolution, does not.
** Ash's main outfit debuts in the previous series. 
* This is the shortest completed series of the , with 140 episodes.
* The English dub of episodes from A PokéVision of Things to Come! to Heroes - Friends and Faux Alike! were first aired in before (except the postponed episode An Undersea Place to Call Home!).
* The English dub of episodes from A Relay in the Sky! to All Eyes on the Future! were first aired in before the United States.
* The English dub of the episodes Bonnie for the Defense! and Facing the Needs of the Many! were first aired in before the United States.
* In the Japanese version, the focus character in the title card segment changes depending on the episode, and usually that character also reads the title card. In the English dub, all episodes feature Ash as the focus character, except Mega-Mega Meowth Madness! and One for the Goomy! (both U.S. airings only), which instead feature as the focus character.
** In the Japanese version, starting from An Oasis of Hope!, the title card was updated to use Serena's new design. In the English dub, the title card continued to use Serena's old design.
* This is the last series thus far in which:
** Episodes have a frame rate of 30 frames per second.
** All of its movies are set in the animated series continuity. An alternate continuity would be established with a trilogy of films starting with I Choose You!.
** Ash's goal is to collect Gym Badges.
* This is the series that introduces the fewest Pokémon from an upcoming generation, with only .
* Only three of Ash's Pokémon remained in his ownership by the time he returned to Pallet Town, the least of any series of Pokémon the Series.
==In other languages==
Pocket Monsters XY&Z
==External links==
* Pokémon the Series: XY at the Pokémon official site for Asia
* Pokémon the Series: XY PV
* Official site (XY) (Japanese)
* Official site (XY&Z) (Japanese)
==Related articles==
Category:Series of the Pokémon animated series
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es:Serie XY
fr:Cycle 5
it:Serie Pokémon XY
ja:ポケットモンスター XY
zh:寶可夢 XY