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Against all the odds, Pokémon'sAsh still ranks among the most iconic anime characters of all time, and his initial run of anime episodes is making its grand return to a new streaming platform. Even though the legendary trainer and world champion hasn't been seen in a new episode of Pokémon since 2023, his adventures remain intensely popular. With Ash's first era being more readily available, a new generation is about to see just what made him such a popular hero for so many years.
According to animation fan account ToonHive on X, Disney has reacquired the rights to air Pokémon's anime. As a result of this new deal, Pokémon: Indigo League (Ash's first season) will become streamable on Disney+ on August 7th. This may come as a shock to longtime fans of the franchise, as the North American streaming rights to Pokémon'sanime have been with Netflix since 2020.
While the debut of Pokémon's first season on Disney+ will undoubtedly be exciting for fans and newcomers alike, it brings with it a whole host of questions about the mega-franchise's streaming future. While Pokémon has experimented with various streaming platforms before, nothing comes close to the monumental size of this latest move to Disney+.
Why Ash's And Pikachu's Disney Debut Is Such A Big Deal
In August of 2025, four Pokémon anime were removed from Netflix, signaling the franchise's streaming departure a year before the Disney+ deal was confirmed. Currently on Netflix, the Pokémonanime's presence is surprisingly limited when considering the franchise's full breadth. At the time of writing, only 9 Pokémon series, movies, or spinoffs are available on the platform. While that does include The Indigo League, it notably does not include any of that initial season's first few follow-ups, such as Orange Island, Johto Journeys, or Advanced.
This means that Disney+ has the prime opportunity to become the one true home for all of Pokémon's anime, creating one concrete place to stream every episode of the entire anime franchise. In addition to streaming, initial reports suggest that Pokémon is returning to TV courtesy of the Disney Channel, further increasing the series' visibility in North America.
While all of that is potentially exciting news, what remains to be seen is what will happen with the currently airing Pokémon: Horizons anime starring Ash's successors Liko and Roy.
Additionally, a bigger concern is what will become of all the Netflix-exclusive Pokémon projects. While fans might fixate on the mainline anime series, Netflix is also home to series it produced, such as the cute and cozy Pokémon Concierge. Considering Concierge was made by Netflix, it's unlikely that it will be coming to Disney+. Whether Pokémon's new deal with Disney means that Concierge and projects like it will be taken off Netflix or left up remains to be seen.
Despite The Challenges, Ash And Pikachu's Pokémon Anime Future Looks Bright
Though Disney's new deal with Pokémon leaves plenty of questions, it's still an exciting time to be a fan of Ash, Pikachu, and Pokémon in general. Ash's initial era of episodes is iconic, and though it was still streamable on Netflix, the fact that other beloved entries like Orange Islands and Johto Journeys were left behind just felt wrong.
Additionally, Pokémon's anime airing on network TV again is a positive sign for the franchise and could help introduce it to a whole new generation of fans.
While fans wait for new episodes starring Ash and Pikachu, there will always be the classics. For better or worse, Pokémon'sanime is monumental, so fans can only hope that this new deal with Disney will mean that the entirety of the series will finally be available to stream in one place.
