In the minds of children and former children across the globe, perhaps the only thing more iconic than the adventures of Ash and Pikachu are the theme songs that preceded each episode of Pokemon.
Through the show’s long history, each Generation has had a slightly different tone and style. Be it through new characters, regions, or animation styles, the Pokemon anime is one that has had many different overall presentations throughout the years. The theme song is a crucial part of this, it’s a quick and dirty encapsulation of what the show was trying to be at the time. Some are truly iconic, while others are just straight-up bangers, but all of them are fondly remembered by audiences of all ages.
10 Master Journeys - Journey To Your Heart
The most recent saga of the anime sees Ash traveling across every region in Pokemon history, encountering friends and rivals, new and old along the way. This series needs to capture that sense of nostalgia that comes with that while showing a move to the future.
This is the theme that comes closest to the style of the traditional Japanese theme songs. It’s a bit cheesy but has some rock-out material as well as some emotional highs. The lyrics are fairly generic “friends can do anything together” rhetoric, but the music is so upbeat and funloving that it’s bound to put smiles on faces.
9 Master Quest - Believe In Me
This song was the first to really try and rock out like no other theme song had before. Up until this point, most of the songs had relied on a fairly simple beat to carry them, which definitely worked, but Believe In Me is all about the guitar, creating a track where the melody is even more memorable than the lyrics.
Master Quest was the final series of the Johto saga,and a sharp change in feel for the anime was coming. This was the last series with Misty as a permanent companion for Ash, and the last time many of Ash’s Kanto Pokemon would be by his side. This song captures that feeling of finality for a lot of these aspects as the show prepared to wipe the slate clean for Hoenn.
8 Journeys - The Journey Starts Today
This is the song that best represents the vibe of Pokemon in the modern era. It’s a very modern song, the melody is almost entirely synth-based which gives the same feel as modern pop songs. That said, it still holds true to what the franchise has always been about.
The lyrics have the same “friends stick together” theme, but there’s a lot more creativity in how they’re weaved together. Unlike many songs before this one, it doesn’t just outright state the message of friendship, it talks around it with fast-paced and catchy verses. It could be argued it’s a little too inoffensive to truly stand out, but the melody is just too catchy to deny.
7 Battle Dimension - We Will Be Heroes
When it comes to the melody of this track, it’s one of the most all-around solid. It starts with a simple background beat that slowly builds with the lyrics. It hits various styles of keyboard before hitting the emotional burst for the chorus. Drums and guitars kick in to keep that emotional high riding all the way to the title screen.
The lyrics are a little on-the-nose with the friendship message, but it’s fairly appropriate for the Sinnoh saga. So much of the plots relied on the interpersonal connections between characters, and how they challenged each other. Ash and Dawn were often at odds but worked together and became close friends nonetheless. Ash and Paul were fierce rivals who taught each other the faults of their different perspectives. Those connections shine through in this song.
6 The Johto Journeys - Pokemon Johto
After detouring to the Orange Islands, the Pokemon anime finally took its first steps into a brand-new region with The Johto Journeys. Much like the games, this series of the anime may very well have been the last for the franchise (although we all know how that turned out) so it had to do its best to honor the old while embracing the new.
“New” is very much the theme of this song. Almost every line of the chorus has the word “new” in it, hyping up kids everywhere to see all the fresh wonders Johto has to offer. It always makes sure to bring it back, though. “But we still gotta catch ’em all” is a simple and effective way to remind everyone that it’s still the same show they’ve always loved. Combine all this with arguably the most catchy melody of any theme song, and it’ll stick in the mind for decades.
5 XYZ - Stand Tall
XYZ is an epic series of the show, with some movie-level plots coming to fruition. Team Flare and Lysandre, who were boring and forgettable in the games became some of the grandest and toughest villains the anime has ever seen. On top of that, it features the Kalos League, one of the best League arcs in the show’s history, with arguably the strongest and most competent version of Ash the show has ever seen.
Stand Tall is a song that parallels this cool and confident version of Ash. “I stand tall ‘cos I know I’m a winner” is the first line, and it makes a statement right out the gate that nothing is going to stop our protagonist this time. It puts the cool factor back into the show, the beat is simple, the guitar comes in at the right places; there’s even an orchestral vibe going on in the background. This is a track that’s ready to kick ass.
4 Advanced Challenge - This Dream
The Hoenn saga hit it pretty soft at first. The first Hoenn series’ song is one of the most forgettable, but moving into its second series - Advanced Challenge - the show decided it wanted to rock out, and it went for it.
It kicks off with an intense-feeling guitar and lyrics to match, it then slowly builds throughout the pre-chorus to kick into full gear for the chorus for a fast-paced song that doesn’t stop for anything. It’s filled with that strong sense of determination, helped by the lyrics, which balance the friendship rhetoric with all the cool battling and fighting stuff.
3 Galactic Battles - Stand Up
Stand Up is a song all about overcoming personal challenges, be they Pokemon battles or something emotional. The lyrics use a lot of motivational speaker rhetoric. Lines like “deep inside you know you’re strong, if you follow your heart you can’t be wrong”, might not be the most helpful life advice, but they make for a very uplifting song.
On the note of uplifting, this song has one of the most enjoyable melodies out there. It mixes synthesized instruments with a rock band for a track that feels like it gets the best of both worlds. The chorus hits its marks in a hard and meaningful way. Having simple two-word statements at the start of each line give each of the motivational statements a very strong impact.
2 Advanced Battle - Unbeatable
This is the theme song with the strongest sense of fun. There’s nothing complicated about this song or how it represents the era of the show, it’s just an absolute blast to listen to from start to finish. It’s fast-paced, but not so much as to be intense, and the lyrics mix motivational speech with tough battle talk.
The rock band is the star of the show, mixing in occasional synth to create a memorable melody. The chorus is the biggest earworm out of any of the theme songs, and that’s not by accident. It’s the kind of song that would get just about anyone pumped up to win a battle and was very cool to sing along to as a kid.
1 The Indigo League - Gotta Catch ‘Em All
To claim anything else as the best Pokemon theme song would be an absolute farce. This song is not just the most iconic Pokemon theme song, it’s one of the most iconic anime theme songs of all time. It’s so deeply ingrained in gaming pop culture that every fan, no matter when they started playing/watching, knows it. Even though there are 24 Pokemon theme songs, when someone mentions “the Pokemon theme song” in conversation, everyone knows they’re talking about this one.
Lyrically, it’s utterly untouchable. No other theme song does a better job of balancing the messages of friendship with the fighting tough-talk. Melodically, it knows exactly when to let the basic beat carry it, and when to kick the guitars into full gear. Everything hits its mark exactly like it’s supposed to, creating is the ultimate song for the entire franchise that has stood the test of time until now, and doubtless will do for decades to come.
