Disney+ recently welcomed back Pokémon: Indigo League, allowing fans to revisit the earliest adventures of Ash Ketchum and his loyal partner, Pikachu. Now, that nostalgic journey is set to expand even further this coming September.
According to the platform’s upcoming release schedule, additional episodes of Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) will arrive on Disney+ on Sept. 9, 2026. While the initial batch of episodes focused on Ash and Pikachu first crossing paths, these upcoming additions will follow the dynamic duo as they embark on fresh journeys, collect coveted Gym Badges, and team up with familiar faces like former Gym Leaders Brock and Misty. They will also be joined by classic Pokémon companions, including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
Disney+ Expands Its Pokémon Lineup With More Indigo League Episodes
Originally broadcast in Japan from 1997 to 1999 before arriving in North America in 1998, the Indigo League arc laid the groundwork for the franchise’s global phenomenon. Many of these foundational episodes remain timeless favorites, offering viewers a heavy dose of nostalgia as they stream them on Disney+.
The English version of the Indigo League comprises 80 episodes, excluding a couple of banned dubs from the original Japanese run. Streaming services often structure these by labeling the first 52 episodes as Season 1, while the remaining Kanto-era adventures spill over into the early part of Season 2. At the time of the announcement, the exact episode lineup heading to Disney+ in September had not been fully detailed.
However, the official release confirmed that Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander are officially part of Ash’s expanding roster. Longtime fans will recall their memorable introductions during the early stages of the Indigo League—with Bulbasaur debuting in Episode 10, Charmander in Episode 11, and Squirtle following closely in Episode 12.
Although these episodes take place early in the overarching series, bringing more of the Indigo League to Disney+ is a promising development that could pave the way for subsequent seasons to join the platform. Historically, the U.S. streaming rights for the franchise have been fragmented across multiple services, though Netflix has maintained exclusive rights to newer entries like 2023’s Pokémon Horizons.
Ash’s Legacy Still Resonates in the Modern Pokémon Era
Having broadcast in Japan for nearly three decades, the sprawling Pokémon anime has a complicated distribution history due to its pre-streaming origins. Over the years, various chapters of the show have popped up on platforms ranging from Prime Video to free services like Tubi and the official Pokémon TV YouTube channel. A single, unified streaming home for the entire anime library has yet to exist, though Disney+ seems intent on steadily growing its share of the catalog.
Given the current rate at which Disney+ is introducing Pokémon content, it will be quite some time before viewers catch up to the end of Ash and Pikachu’s tenure. Ash officially stepped down as the series protagonist during 2023’s Aim to Be a Pokémon Master arc. Since then, the television franchise has shifted focus to the Horizons series, starring new heroes Liko and Roy, with its third season having recently debuted on Netflix.
Fans can look forward to the next wave of Pokémon: Indigo League episodes premiering on Disney+ on September 9, 2026.
- Release Date
- 1997 – 2023-00-00
- Network
- TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
- Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
- Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)