Pokemon anime - Seasons 1-3 episodes broken down

[Scarpine496]

I've gone through all the episodes now so far from the start up to the end of Johto Journeys. I have found that very few episodes in my opinion are in fact filler. Most have some form of character development which can be revealed in the episodes mentioned. I haven't got into too much detail of what "character development" there is on those particular episodes but if you are familiar with the episodes, you will know why I have not labelled them as "FILLER". I will do the rest of the seasons in time:

Please feel free to leave comments on my list.


Indigo League
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Pokémon - I Choose You! (First Episode – Ash gets Pikachu)
Pokémon Emergency! (Ash reaches Viridian City, First appearance of Team Rocket)
Ash Catches a Pokémon (Ash catches Caterpie and Pidgeotto, Caterpie evolves into Metapod)
Challenge of the Samurai (Metapod evolves into Butterfree)
Showdown in Pewter City (Ash gets Boulder Badge, Brock joins Ash and Misty)
Clefairy and the Moon Stone (Brock catches Zubat)
The Water Flowers of Cerulean City (Ash gets Cascade Badge)
The Path to the Pokémon League (FILLER)
The School of Hard Knocks (FILLER)
Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village (Ash catches Bulbasaur)
Charmander – The Stray Pokémon (Ash catches Charmander)
Here Comes the Squirtle Squad (Ash catches Squirtle)
Mystery at the Lighthouse (Ash catches Krabby)
Electric Shock Showdown (Ash gets a Thunder Badge, Pikachu refuses to evolve)
Battle Aboard the St. Anne (Start of the St. Anne arc, James catches Magikarp)
Pokémon Shipwreck (St. Anne arc, James releases Magikarp)
Island of the Giant Pokémon (St. Anne arc)
Tentacool & Tentacruel (Misty catches Horsea)
The Ghost of Maiden's Peak (FILLER)
Bye Bye Butterfree (Ash releases Butterfree)
Abra and the Psychic Showdown (Ash loses his gym match)
The Tower of Terror (Ash catches Haunter)
Haunter versus Kadabra (Ash gets a Marsh Badge on second attempt, Ash releases Haunter)
Primeape Goes Bananas (Ash catches Primeape)
Pokémon Scent-sation! (Ash gets a Rainbow Badge)
Hypno's Naptime (Misty catches Psyduck)
Pokémon Fashion Flash (Brock recieves Vulpix)
The Punchy Pokémon (Ash releases Primeape)
Sparks Fly for Magnemite (Ash catches Muk)
Dig Those Diglett! (Jessie's Ekans evolves into Arbok, James' Koffing evolves into Weezing)
The Ninja Poké-Showdown (Ash gets a Soul Badge)
The Flame Pokémon-athon! (FILLER)
The Kangaskhan Kid (FILLER)
The Legend of Dratini (Banned episode, exists only in Japanese)
The Bridge Bike Gang (FILLER)
Ditto's Mysterious Mansion (Duplica's First Appearance)
Pikachu's Goodbye (Ash and Pikachu character development)
The Battling Eevee Brothers (FILLER)
Wake Up Snorlax! (FILLER)
Showdown at Dark City (FILLER)
The March of the Exeggutor Squad (Ash's Charmander evolves into Charmeleon)
The Problem with Paras (Charmeleon starts to disobey Ash)
The Song of Jigglypuff (First appearance for Jigglypuff)
Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon (Ash's Charmeleon evolves into Charizard, The egg what would hatch into Togepi is discovered)
A Chansey Operation (FILLER)
Holy Matrimony! (James' character development)
So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd (FILLER)
Who Gets to Keep Togepi? (Togepi hatches who chooses Misty)
Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden (Ash's Bulbasaur refuses to evolve)
Princess vs. Princess (Jessie catches Lickitung)
The Purr-fect Hero (FILLER)
The Case of the K-9 Caper! (FILLER)
Pokémon Paparazzi (Todd joins the group)
The Ultimate Test (FILLER)
The Breeding Center Secret (Butch and Cassidy's first appearance)
Riddle Me This (Volcano Badge arc)
Volcanic Panic (Ash gets Volcano Badge)
Beach Blank-Out Blastoise (Ash leaves Cinnabar Island)
The Misty Mermaid (Misty character development, Seel evolves into Dewgong, Misty leaves Horsea and Starmie at Cerulean Gym)
Clefairy Tales (FILLER)
The Battle of the Badge (Ash gets Earth Badge)
It's Mr. Mime Time (Ash returns home, Delia gets Mr. Mime)
Showdown at the Po-ké Corral (Ash learns more about the Pokemon League)
The Evolution Solution (Training for Pokemon League arc)
The Pi-Kahuna (Training for Pokemon League arc)
Make Room for Gloom (Training for Pokemon League arc)
Lights, Camera, Quack-tion! (Go West Meowth arc)
Go West Young Meowth (Meowth character development)
To Master the Onixpected! (Training for Pokemon League arc)
The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis (Training for Pokemon League arc)
Bad to the Bone (Ash leaves home for the Pokemon League)
All Fired Up! (Pokemon League arc)
Round One – Begin! (Pokemon League arc – Krabby evolves into Kingler)
Fire and Ice (Pokemon League arc)
The Fourth Round Rumble (Pokemon League arc)
A Friend In Deed (Pokemon League arc – Ritchie's first appearance)
Friend and Foe Alike (Pokemon League arc)
Friends to the End (Pokemon League arc)
Pallet Party Panic (Ash leaves for the Orange Islands, Pidgeotto evolves into Pidgeot and leaves Ash )



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Orange Islands
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A Scare in the Air (Ash and co. arrive in Orange Islands)
Poké Ball Peril (Ash recieves GS Ball, Brock leaves the group)
The Lost Lapras (Ash gets Lapras – Tracey joins the group)
Fit to be Tide (Ash gets Coral Eye Badge)
Pikachu Re-Volts (Butch and Cassidy return)
The Crystal Onix (First appearance of Tracey's Marill)
In the Pink (FILLER)
Shell Shock! (FILLER)
Stage Fight! (FILLER)
Bye Bye Psyduck (Misty character development)
The Joy of Pokémon (FILLER)
Navel Maneuvers (Ash gets Sea Ruby Badge)
Snack Attack (Ash catches Snorlax)
A Shipful of Shivers (Ash learns more about the Orange League)
Meowth Rules! (Meowth character development)
Tracey Gets Bugged (Tracey catches Scyther)
A Way Off Day Off (The rest of the pokemon meet Scyther)
The Mandarin Island Miss Match (Ash learns some lessons about pokemon training)
Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon? (FILLER)
Get Along, Little Pokémon (FILLER)
The Mystery Menace (FILLER)
Misty Meets Her Match (Ash gets Spike Shell Badge)
Bound For Trouble (Pikachu and Meowth character development)
Charizard Chills (Charizard starts to obey Ash)
The Pokémon Water War (First appearance of Captain Aidan and Team Wartortle, an important plot what will later result in Squirtle's exit in a later episode)
Pokémon Food Fight! (Snorlax character development)
Pokémon Double Trouble (Ash wins Jade Star Badge)
The Wacky Watcher! (FILLER)
The Stun Spore Detour (Misty catches Poliwag)
Hello, Pummelo! (Orange League arc)
Enter The Dragonite (Orange League arc)
Viva Las Lapras (Ash releases Lapras)
The Underground Round Up (Ash returns to Pallet Town)
A Tent Situation (Ash returns home, Brock returns)
The Rivalry Revival (Direct continuation from previous episode, Ash and co leave for Johto, Tracey leaves the group)


Johto League:
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The Johto Journeys
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Don't Touch That ' (Ash arrives in Johto, registers for Johto League)
The Double Trouble Header (Casey's debut)
A Sappy Ending (Ash catches Heracross)
Roll On, Pokémon! (FILLER)
Illusion Confusion! (FILLER)
Flower Power (FILLER)
Spinarak Attack (FILLER)
Snubbull Snobbery (Snubull's first appearance)
The Little Big Horn (Brock character development)
The Chikorita Rescue (Ash catches Chikorita)
Once in a Blue Moon (FILLER)
The Whistle Stop (FILLER)
Ignorance is Blissey (Jessie character development)
A Bout With Sprout (FILLER)
Fighting Flyer with Fire (Ash gets Zephyr Badge)
For Crying Out Loud (Brock/Misty character development)
Tanks a Lot! (FILLER)
Charizard's Burning Ambitions (Charizard leaves Ash)
Grin to Win! (FILLER)
Chikorita's Big Upset (Chikorita character development)
Foul Weather Friends (FILLER)
The Superhero Secret (FILLER)
Mild 'n Wooly (FILLER)
Wired for Battle! (FILLER)
Good 'Quil Hunting (Ash catches Cyndaquil)
A Shadow of a Drought (Ash meets Kurt)
Going Apricorn! (Brock catches Pineco, Ash leaves the GS Ball with Kurt)
Gettin' The Bugs Out (Ash gets Hive Badge)
A Farfetch'd Tale (FILLER)
Tricks of the Trade (Jessie accidentally trades Lickitung for Wobbufet, Ash leaves Heracross with Oak)
The Fire-ing Squad! (Squirtle leaves Ash)
No Big Woop! (FILLER)
Tunnel Vision (Team Rocket/Meowth character development)
Hour of the Houndour (FILLER)
The Totodile Duel (Ash catches Totodile, Misty's Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl)
Hot Matches! (Cyndaquil character development)
Love, Totodile Style (Totodile character development)
Fowl Play! (Ash catches Noctowl)
Forest Grumps (FILLER)
The Psychic Sidekicks! (FILLER)
The Fortune Hunters (James character development)

 

[Spinor]

These "Johto was half-filler" threads are starting to get creative.

 

[Wobbu]

yeah, when it comes down to it most of the episodes that don't feature a consequential Pokémon battle, a Pokémon acquisition/evolution, or an appearance of a recurring character, usually feature some sort of character development that we would otherwise not see in any other episode. And while filler is a very subjective term, i find most episodes of the anime to be essential to the grand scheme in one way or another, whether it be an episode that introduces a Pokémon to the anime (Kangaskhan in The Kangaskhan Kid), references events from the games (Farfetch'd and the Ilex Forest from A Farfetch'd Tale), or many other types of episodes.

 

[Scarpine496]

yeah, when it comes down to it most of the episodes that don't feature a consequential Pokémon battle, a Pokémon acquisition/evolution, or an appearance of a recurring character, usually feature some sort of character development that we would otherwise not see in any other episode. And while filler is a very subjective term, i find most episodes of the anime to be essential to the grand scheme in one way or another, whether it be an episode that introduces a Pokémon to the anime (Kangaskhan in The Kangaskhan Kid), references events from the games (Farfetch'd and the Ilex Forest from A Farfetch'd Tale), or many other types of episodes.

Yeah, I quite agree. Coming up with a list like this can be tricky especially with what my own views are on filler.