25 years later, you can watch the first Pokémon movie for free

It’s been over 25 years since the very first Pokémon movie hit the silver screen outside of Japan, and now, you can soak up all that nostalgia for free thanks to the Pokémon TV YouTube Channel. This channel is a true hidden gem for avid Pokéfans, frequently streaming old seasons of the anime for all to see.

If you’ve somehow never seen Pokémon’s first-ever movie, it follows the story of Ash and his friends encountering the legendary gen 1 Pokémon, Mewtwo, for the first time after it escapes from Team Rocket’s lab. As well as kicking off a tidal wave of Pokémon movies, Pokémon: The First Movie is a core memory for many ’90s kids due to the harrowing scene of Ash’s death. Yep, that’s right, Ash dies and Pikachu cries over his corpse. Pretty brutal stuff.

Pokémon: The First Movie released during the height of Pokémania, so it’s fitting that The Pokémon Company has put it online for free during the franchise’s second coming. Pokémon TV is one of the company’s smallest YouTube channels, but it’s filled with free episodes from Indigo League and The Johto Journeys, as well as compilations of Gym Battles from across the series.

While I’m beyond happy that I can watch this movie for free on a range of my devices, there’s still no working Switch 2 YouTube app, so I can’t enjoy all of my Pokémon activities in one place. Last we heard, YouTube is working with Nintendo to update its app for the Nintendo Switch 2, but it’s been a month since the handheld’s release, and there’s still no way to kick back and watch videos on it.

Well, at least we can revisit Ash’s adventures with Pikachu on our phones and tablets. Speaking of, if you’re looking for a new gaming tablet, check out our Redmagic Astra tablet review to hear about the freshest tech. We’ve also got tons of other nostalgic Pokémon guides, including lists of all the Pokéball types, Pokémon regions, and Pokémon games in order.