10 Shows To Watch if You Love ‘Pokémon’

The Pokémon anime first aired in Japan in 1997 and came to North America in 1998. It was a major component in helping Pokémon become a global phenomenon, and, alongside other successful anime like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, helped Japanese shows become more mainstream in Western culture. The adventures of Ash Ketchum finally came to an end in 2023, but it was followed by a new series called Pokémon Horizons: The Series, which follows two new protagonists named Liko and Roy.

For those looking for shows similar to Ash’s adventures, you’re in luck. There’s plenty that fall into the broad category of plucky protagonist traveling through a magical land full of magical creatures, or which revolve around special battles using creatures or some similar gimmick. Some of these were directly inspired by Pokémon’s success, but others are more coincidental.

Pokémon

Release Date

1997 – 2023

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

• 

  Rica Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

• 

  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)

10

‘Spider Riders’ (2006–2007)

Created by Koichi Mashimo and Takaaki Ishiyama

Following his grandfather’s journal, 13-year-old Hunter Steele finds himself in the Inner World, a hidden land located within the Earth. There, he meets Shadow, a massive robotic spider, and the Spider Riders, elite knights who bond with their own arachnids to protect the Inner World. Hunter bonds with Shadow and joins the Spider Riders in their battle against an army of bug-like creatures called the Insectors.

Spider Riders is certainly an inventive action/adventure series, because how many shows feature knights riding into battle on robot-spiders? The designs are pretty fun, blending iconic fantasy iconography with sci-fi robots, resulting in a diverse array of designs for the spiders and the Insector army, who are based on beetles and locusts. As for the protagonist, Hunter Steele certainly feels cut from the same cloth as Ash, being easily excited by new surroundings, eager to jump headfirst into danger, and overflowing with confidence and enthusiasm.

9

‘Chaotic’ (2006–2010)

Created by Martin Rauff and Mads Hovgaard

Tom Major is an avid player of the monster card game Chaotic, and one day, he gets a special code to enter into his game scanner. This transports him to another world, where other Chaotic players can battle one another in virtual arenas where they can physically transform into their chosen monsters. Players can also go to the world of Perim, where the Chaotic monsters actually live, to scan them and their equipment to use in future games, provided they don’t get killed in the attempt.

Chaotic offers a really fun mix-up to the creature-battling TV formula by transforming the players into monsters during their games. Alongside getting to see uniquely designed monsters battle one another, the matches also demonstrate interesting strategies as the characters make use of everything from terrain, battle gear, and magic to craft a winning strategy. Meanwhile, a much larger story brews in the background, centered on the four factions of Perim, who battle for control of an ancient artifact called the Cothica.

Chaotic

Release Date

2006 – 2009

Network

Cartoon Network, FOX, The CW, Disney XD, Teletoon, Toon Disney

• 

• 

  Maddie Blaustein

  Uncredited

• 

• 

  Darren Dunstan

  Codemaster Crellan

8

‘Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters’ (2000–2004)

Created by Kazuki Takahashi

In Ancient Egypt, sorcerers harnessed the power of dark magic to summon monstrous spirits to duel with one another and create items of great power. In the present day, these Shadow Games have returned when game designer Maximilian Pegasus used them as inspiration to create his card series, Duel Monsters. Now people use Duel Monsters to amass dark power and threaten the stability of the world, and a young boy named Yugi Moto awakens the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh who is caught in the middle of it all.

Yu-Gi-Oh! sounds like it should be a really dumb series, but the show works thanks to its creativity and the strength of its characters, even with 4Kid’s infamous censorship job on the English dub. Thanks to some intense animation and creative monster designs, the duels are always a treat to watch, and the lore surrounding the Shadow Games is fascinating and detailed. As for the characters, they all possess extreme personalities that manifest in hilarious over-the-top ways, which makes them a delight to watch, especially when the writing gives them compelling character arcs and dynamics, from rivals to best friends and everything in between.

7

‘Bakugan Battle Brawlers’ (2007–2008)

Created by Mitsuo Hashimoto

When mysterious cards fell from the sky, they were used to make a new game called Bakugan, which involves cards and spheres that could open up into monstrous forms. However, it turns out that the Bakugan are real monsters from an alternate world called Vestroia, who have been displaced by a rogue Bakugan named Naga. To stop him from achieving ultimate power, a group of kids team up with Bakugan who can communicate with them to defeat Naga and his minions, including a seemingly unbeatable human named Mascerade.

Bakugan Battle Brawlers checks all the boxes for a creature fighting anime, including a wide array of monsters divided up by elemental type and an end-of-the-world plot. While the writing isn’t the strongest, the battles are worth watching thanks to the strategies at play and the creative designs of the Bakugan. Plus, you have to admit that the idea of marbles that transform into monsters when they touch special playing cards is, at the very least, a creative way to sell toys to children.

6

‘Fighting Foodons’ (2001–2002)

Created by Akitaro Daichi

In a far-off kingdom, master chefs prepare delicious foods and use magic Meal Tickets to bring them to life as fighting creatures called Foodons. Unfortunately, King Glorious George has imprisoned most of the master chefs so he and his Glutton army can rule without opposition. However, their biggest threat comes from the children of Chef Jack, Chase and Kayla, who travel the land with their friends to enhance Chase’s skills as a chef and eventually bring an end to George’s empire.

Fighting Foodons is a beautiful tongue-in-cheek adventure that knows how ridiculous it is and revels in every moment of it. Every episode feels like an exercise to see how far its premise can be stretched, with more and more creative Foodons showing up, and random stuff like the main recurring antagonist being a pink-furred cat girl for no other reason than just because. So if you ever wanted to see a man with fried rice for a head battle using two massive rice spoons, a British dumpling fight with martial arts, or a hot dog cowboy with ketchup and mustard pistols, this is the show for you.

5

‘Monster Rancher’ (1999–2000)

Created by Tecmo

After winning a Monster Rancher tournament, Genki Sakura is given a disk that will unlock a unique monster. When he goes home and inserts it into his console, the disk transports him to a magical land inhabited by a diverse array of monsters, and provides him with a pink bird-armadillo creature of his own named Mocchi. Genki soon meets a girl named Holly who is searching for a powerful monster called the Phoenix, which she hopes to use to end the tyranny of the evil Moo, a warlord who can turn monsters into loyal, violent servants.

Monster Rancher does a good job of translating the video game’s mix of Pokémon-style battles and creature-breeding features into a long-running series with engaging narratives and character arcs. Its characters are what really make it special: each of them has a unique and well fleshed personality that makes for a standard but lovable adventuring party, with Genki as the plucky main character, Holly as the determined heart of the group, and a rock-monster named Golem as the gentle giant, just to name a few. It also got pretty dark in places, with multiple characters dying and underlying themes of the horrors of war and finding hope in the darkest of times.

4

‘Medabots’ (1999–2000)

Created by Rin Horuma

In the 22nd century, humans have mass-produced robot companions called Medabots, loyal companions powered by medals that also give them unique personalities. Naturally, they are used in fighting competitions, and the winner gets to claim a part from the losing Medabot, allowing for customization in future battles. When young Ikki Tenryou finds a rare medal in a stream, he uses it to power an outdated Medabot named Medabee, but while the medal grants him amazing power in battle, it also gives him a stubborn and wild personality.

Medabots, in many ways, feels like a love letter to Pokémon and its ilk, while possessing plenty of creativity to keep itself original. The fight scenes are gorgeous to behold, with each Medabot having an interesting gimmick and complementary design, which leads to some interesting tactics once different parts are combined. The show also wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries in places, and as it went on, it slowly added darker storylines and character development, particularly regarding Ikki and Medabee’s relationship.

Medabots

Release Date

September 1, 2001

Network

TV Tokyo

Cast

• 

  Junko Takeuchi

  Metabee (voice)

• 

  Eri Sendai

  Arika Amazake (voice)

• 

  Hiroshi Shimizu

  Mr. Uruchi (voice)

3

‘Yo-kai Watch’ (2014–2018)

Created by Akihiro Hino

While looking for bugs, a young boy named Nate stumbles upon a mysterious capsule. Opening it releases a small ghost-like Yo-kai (Japanese spirits) named Whisper, who attaches himself to Nate out of gratitude and becomes his butler. He also gifts Nate with a watch that allows him to see other Yo-kai, and battles against unfriendly ones, using Yo-kai Medals to summon friendly Yo-kai to help.

Yo-kai Watch might at first seem like a run-of-the-mill Pokémon clone, but the creature battles feel secondary to the slice-of-life elements. Unlike Ash, who wants to be the best Pokémon trainer in the world, Nate just wants to live a normal, peaceful life, which is constantly disturbed by the Yo-kai. Predictably, this leads to plenty of prime comedy scenarios.

Yo-kai Watch ♪

Release Date

2021 – 2022

Network

TV Tokyo

• 

  Etsuko Kozakura

  Jibanyan (voice)

• 

  Tomokazu Seki

  Whisper (voice)

• 

  Haruka Tomatsu

  Keita Amano (voice)

• 

  Aya Endo

  Fumika ‘Fumi’ Kodama (voice)

2

‘Dinosaur King’ (2007–2008)

Created by Shoji Kawamori

Max Taylor and his friends, Rex Owen and Zoe Drake, head into the forest to find a meteor and discover cards that contain living dinosaurs attuned to different elements. Max bonds with an electric Triceratops, Rex with a wind-controlling Carnotaurus, and Zoey with a plant-attuned Parasaurolophus. They also meet a strange trio called the Alpha Gang with their own dinosaurs, who are hunting down other dinosaur cards for their boss, Dr. Z.

Dinosaur King is one of the most obvious Pokémon clones, from its main character having an electric-themed partner to their main rivals being a bumbling trio who fail every time they try to fight the hero and their friends. This is even more apparent in the 4Kids dub, where Veronica Taylor, the original voice of Ash, also voices Max. As for the dinosaurs, they’re the highlight of the show thanks to their elemental powers and their fun CGI designs, which combine the intensity of Pokémon battles with the cool factor of dinosaurs.

Dinosaur King

Release Date

2007 – 2008

Network

tv asahi

Cast

• 

  Megumi Matsumoto

  Ryuta Kodai / Maximus “Max” Taylor (voice)

• 

  Matsuri Mizuguchi

  Rex Owen (voice)

• 

  Tomoko Kobashi

  Malm Tatsuno / Zoe Drake (voice)

• 

  Naoya Uchida

  Dr. Kenryu Kodai / Dr. Spike Taylor (voice)

1

‘Digimon Adventure’ (1999–2000)

Created by Akiyoshi Hongo

While attending summer camp, seven young kids acquire mysterious devices before being pulled into the Digital World. It is inhabited by Digital Monsters, or Digimon, who believe that the kids are the prophesied Digidestined who will save their world from tyranny. Each of the kids gets their own Digimon partner, and together they travel the world trying to fulfill their destiny and get back home, all while dark forces threaten both the Digital World and Earth.

The rivalry between Pokémon and Digimon is one of the greatest in all of 1990s anime. Both series focus on exploring a new world full of monsters who can change into stronger forms, but where they differ is that Digimon focused on a single storyline developed over the whole season, rather than slice-of-life episodes, and wasn’t afraid to go dark with its themes and villains. This is best seen through the seven young protagonists, as each of them is revealed to have complex personalities and some form of hardship in their home life, from divorced parents to adoption, which helps them feel relatable to a wider audience.

NEXT: The Biggest Unsolved ‘Pokémon’ Mysteries, Ranked