Watch: Pokemon’s New Anime Shares First Full Episode on Youtube

Update: It turns out TV Tokyo and TPC accidentally shared the premiere to users outside of Japan. The companies have since region-locked the episode and will reportedly do so for all future episodes.

Pokemon fans don’t need to brag about their loyalty to the franchise because they prove it instead. With their words and wallets, dedicated Pokemon fans will do what it takes to bolster the series. Those who watch the anime will often find whatever means available to watch new episodes, and it just became real easy to watch the anime’s latest premiere.

After all, the whole thing is up on Youtube for free, and it is totally legal. Pokemon is bringing the anime to the world, and fans better watch the first episode while they can.

As you can see above, the first episode of Pokemon: The Series has been shared to Youtube. The episode went live in Japan over the weekend, and The Pokemon Company decided to share. With help from TV Tokyo, the show is now up on Youtube, but there is a catch.

If you want to understand everything going on, you better know Japanese. There are not English subtitles added to this free episode, but this premiere is at least light on dialogue.

For those curious about this episode, it does set off the new Pokemon anime. It acts as a sort of catch-up to fans who did not stick through the last Pokemon anime. With Ash Ketchum now a Pokemon League Champion, he has returned to Kanto for a new adventure. This first episode decided to retell Ash’s story through the eyes of Pikachu, and it event delves into the pocket monster’s earlier days as a Pichu. So far, fans have been raving about the new episode, and this Youtube stream means you have no reason to miss out on it!

Will you be checking out this new Pokemon episode…? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Pokemon: The Series officially debuted November 17th in Japan, and its first episode was titled “Birth of Pikachu.” The synopsis for it reads as such, “In a forest somewhere in Kanto, there once was a lonely Pichu. This Pichu – who was still quite young – had a certain encounter and farewell. This took place shortly before Ash and his partner Pikachu started travelling together. This is the beginning of the anime ‘Pocket Monster.’”