10 best episodes from Pokemon Indigo League, ranked

Though the original run of the Pokemon anime has come to an end in favor of the new Horizons saga, many fans of the franchise still hold a strong attachment to the original cast of characters from the first series. As such, many fans have returned to the original show, particularly the first season Indigo League, for a fun trip down memory lane.

While every episode of the original season has high moments that make it a favorite for a number of fans out there, there are a few that are considered the best.

This article ranks the 10 best episodes of the original season of the Pokemon anime.

Note: This ranking is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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Top 10 best episodes of the Pokemon Indigo League anime

10) Pokemon Scent-sation

This episode featured Ash's gym battle against Erika (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Pokemon Scent-sation, the episode featuring Ash's gym battle against Celadon City's gym leader, Erika, is one of the highlights of the show due to its exceptional pacing and humor.

Ash works with Team Rocket to gain access to the city's gym after insulting a brand of perfume it produces, which leads to some funny hijinks.

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9) Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village

In this episode, Ash catches his famous Bulbasaur (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village introduces anime fans to Oddish and beloved Grass-type starter Bulbasaur.

While the episode tries to maintain a serious tone for a majority of its runtime through Bulbasaur's distrust of Ash, it ends up being a very cute and funny installment with some heartfelt moments.

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8) Island of the Giant Pokemon

This episode is famous for its ending plot twist (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This episode is a favorite of many older fans due to its interesting prospective. It showcases an adventure from the perspective of the creatures rather than their human trainers. This was the first time fans had ever seen this from the anime.

The major plot twist of this episode is also funny and gives viewers a bit more background on Team Rocket's Giovanni.

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7) The School of Hard Knocks

This episode gave fans some more background on Jessie and James (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In The School of Hard Knocks, our heroes help a student named Joe earn the respect of his peers at the Pokemon Technical Institute. This episode also gives fans some background information about Jessie and James before they joined Team Rocket.

Apparently, the two were students at the school before flunking out of the entrance exam.

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6) The Water Flowers of Cerulean City

This episode was one of the best for Misty's character development (Image via The Pokemon Company)

With the cast making it to Cerulean City in this episode, many fans knew that a long-awaited battle between Ash and Misty was on the near horizon, given that she is the gym leader of the city in the main series games.

With Misty being furious that her sisters were willing to just give Ash a badge instead of battling for it, she took initiative and battled him herself.

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5) Electric Shock Showdown

This episode was one of the best for Pikachu (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Electric Shock Showdown showcases the gym battle between Ash and the Electric Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, as well as Pikachu vs Raichu.

Rather than immediately evolving Pikachu, Ash gives the critter the choice of undergoing evolution or staying in its current state. Needless to say, this is a very emotionally-charged episode.

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4) Bye Bye Butterfree

This episode saw Ash saying goodbye to the first creature he ever caught on his own (Image via The Pokemon Company)

One of the most iconic episodes in Pokemon history, Bye Bye Butterfree revolves around Ash saying goodbye to his beloved Butterfree, the first creature he ever caught after becoming an official trainer.

This is easily one of the most emotional episodes in the anime series and is still fondly remembered to this day.

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3) Here Comes the Squirtle Squad

This episode was much better in the original Japanese dub, but every version features Ash's iconic Squirtle (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Here Comes the Squirtle Squad is held in high regard among fans for introducing Ash's Squirtle, as well as the roudy and endearing Squirtle Squad to the world.

This is also one of the episodes in the earlier seasons that had to be censored when being translated to English. This was due to Squirtle's threat to execute Misty if Ash disobeyed it in the original Japanese version.

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2) Charmander - The Stray Pokemon

This episode introduced Ash's Charmander who would later evolve into Charizard (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Meeting an injured Charmander on their way to a nearby Pokemon Center, Ash and the crew grow more concerned as the health of this abandoned starter is shown to deteriorate as the episode goes on.

Ultimately, Ash rescues Charmander, and it would eventually evolve into Charizard, one of the most beloved characters in the anime.

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1) Pokemon - I Choose You

Of course, some respect must be shown to the very first episode; the one that started it all (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The very first episode of the anime franchise, Pokemon - I Choose You starts from the moment Ash sets off on his journey. This episode also introduces Ash's Pikachu and Misty, who would become staple characters for the anime's forseeable future.

It is also noteworthy that this episode marks the very first time Ho-oh was seen in the entire franchise.