Pocket Monsters: XY and XYZ

***Pocket Monsters: XY***, known as ***Pocket Monsters: XY*** (ポケットモンスターＸＹ(エックスワイ), *Poketto Monsutaa XY*) in Japan and ***Pocket Monsters: XY*** (포켓몬스터 XY, *Poket Monseuteo XY*) in South Korea, abbr. ***XY***, and ***Pocket Monsters: XYZ***, known as ***Pocket Monsters: XY&Z*** (ポケットモンスターＸＹ＆Ｚ(エックスワイ アンド ゼット), *Pocketto Monsutaa: XY&Z*) in Japan and ***Pocket Monsters: XY&Z*** (포켓몬스터 XY&Z, *Poket Monseuteo XY&Z*) in South Korea, int. ***XY&Z***, make the fifth series of *Pocket Monsters*, which are based on the Generation VI games. These series once again follow the exploits of Ash Ketchum.,

The new adventure begins with Ash arriving at Lumiose City in the region of Kalos, where he continues his quest to become a Pokémon Master. The entirety of Generation VI's anime premiered from October 17, 2013, to November 10, 2016, in Japan & the US, in South Korea from March 10, 2014, to December 13, 2016.

## Story arcs

According to official sources, these two divisions correspond to separate series, unlike the case with *Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes*.

* Pocket Monsters XY
* Pocket Monsters XY&Z

## Characters

### Main

* Ash
* Serena
* Clemont
* Bonnie

### Rivals

* Alain
* Sawyer
* Shauna
* Tierno
* Trevor
* Miette
* Nini
* Aria

### Antagonists

* Team Rocket
	+ Jessie
	+ James
	+ Giovanni
	+ Matori
* Team Flare
	+ Lysandre
	+ Xerosic
	+ Bryony
	+ Celosia
	+ Aliana
	+ Mable

### Key Pokémon

* Ash's Pikachu
* Ash's Greninja
* Ash's Talonflame
* Ash's Hawlucha
* Ash's Chesnaught
* Ash's Noivern
* Serena's Braixen
* Serena's Pancham
* Serena's Vivillion
* Serena's Mudkip
* Serena's Sylveon
* Clemont's Dedenne
* Clemont's Bunnelby
* Clemont's Manectric
* Clemont's Heliolisk
* Clemont's Magneton
* Clemont's Tyrantrum
* Team Rocket's Meowth
* Jessie's Wobbuffet
* James' Inkay
* Jessie's Gourgeist
* Jessie's Mawile (traded back)
* Alain's Charizard
* Alain's Bisharp (Placeholder)
* Alain's Metagross (Placeholder)
* Alain's Unfezant (Placeholder)
* Alain's Weavile (Placeholder)
* Alain's Tyranitar (Placeholder)
* Sawyer's Sceptile
* Sawyer's Salamence (Placeholder)
* Sawyer's Slurpuff (Placeholder)
* Sawyer's Aegislash (Placeholder)
* Sawyer's Clawitzer (Placeholder)
* Sawyer's Slaking (Placeholder)
* Shauna's Ivysaur
* Shauna's Flabébé (Placeholder)
* Tierno's Raichu (Placeholder)
* Tierno's Blastoise
* Tierno's Ludicolo (Placeholder)
* Tierno's Politoed (Placeholder)
* Tierno's Hitmontop (Placeholder)
* Trevor's Charizard
* Trevor's Aerodactyl (Placeholder)
* Trevor's Florges (Placeholder)
* Miette's Meowstic (Placeholder)
* Miette's Slurpuff
* Aria's Delphox
* Aria's Aromatisse (Placeholder)
* Aria's Vivillon (Placeholder)

### Recurring

* Professor Sycamore
* Mairin
* AZ
* Meyer/Blaziken Mask
* Diantha
* Sanpei
* Professor Oak
* Gym Leaders
* Elite Four
* Delia Ketchum
* Alexa
* Grace
* Nurse Joy
* Officer Jenny
* Palermo
* Monsieur Pierre

## Gags

### Returning Gags

* Team Rocket's Blast Offs return once again, this time in the Kalos Era.
* The gag of a character proposing to an attractive female character returns to the series, but with a new twist.
	+ Bonnie would propose to the female character to be Clemont's girlfriend but Clemont intervenes saying he is not interested and uses the Aipom Arm to drag Bonnie away.
* The gag that involves Ash's Pikachu shocking a female character or the female character's bike returns. When Bonnie hugs Pikachu, Pikachu gets frightened and shocks Bonnie, like he did to Iris back in "BW002"

### New Gags

One of Clemont's inventions would malfunction and blow up, making Clemont, Ash, Bonnie, Serena, and anyone else with them have a puffy hairstyle.

A new Gag (exclusive to XY since Serena is only in XY) was where Serena is teased by Miette (or any character really) about her crush on Ash, which makes her go red and embarrassed.

## Trivia

* This is the only series featuring Ash as the protagonist in which:
	+ Ash has two female long-term traveling companions at once.
	+ Pikachu does not do any imitations of humans o Pokémon.
	+ The starter Pokémon that Ash and Serena obtain all come directly from the region's major Pokémon Professor.
	+ Ash travels to the new region with a character he met in the previous series: he traveled to Kalos with Alexa.
	+ Ash fully evolves all of the Pokémon he caught.
	+ Ash keeps three Pokémon of the same type in his team at one time, with three Flying-type Pokémon.
	+ Meowth does not fall in love with a human or another Pokémon.
	+ 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.
	+ Gary or Tracey 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.
	+ One of Ash's traveling companions temporarily leaves the group in the middle of a regional journey.
* This is the first series since the original in which Ash has lost against two different Gym battles in the same region.
* Pocket Monsters: XY shares a number of similarities with Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation:
	+ Ash does not own the region's Fire-type starter 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 The region's Grass-Type Starter and Water-Type Starter.
	+ The main heroine of Pocket Monsters: XY, Serena, shares some similarities to the main heroine of Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation, May. 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 Pokemon's style rather than its power: May aims to become a Top Coordinator, and Serena aims to become Kalos Queen.
		- 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 her mother.
		- Begin their journeys for unorthodox reasons: May to travel, and Serena to reunite with Ash.
		- Start with the region's Fire-type starter Pokémon: May starts with Torchic and Serena starts with Fennekin. Both of their starter Pokémon eventually fully evolve.
		- Have another starter from a different region: May has Bulbasaur and Serena has Mudkip.
		- 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
* In the series, the focus character in the title card segment changes depending on the episode, and usually that character also reads the title card.
	+ Starting after 'Aim To Be The Kalos Queen! Serena Makes Her Debut!!', the title card was updated to use Serena's new design.