Running for almost 24 years now, Pokemon's hugely popular anime is without question one of the most iconic of all time, with Ash Ketchum's adventure to catch em' all remaining treasured by many who watched it during their childhood. Over time, the show has amassed 23 seasons and counting, taking its central character through various regions where he's met a variety of friends and foes.
For many, their central method of watching the seminal anime is through Disney's archive, catching the show on either DisneyNOW or Disney XD on Demand. Unfortunately, it seems that won't be a viable way to keep up with the past adventures of Ash and Pikachu much longer, with Disney recently dropping the vast majority of the show's seasons from both channels.
Viewers can still access Pokemon season 22 on DisneyNOW and Disney XD on Demand, but seasons 1 - 21 have officially vanished. No word has been shared on why the show has been pulled, with some even theorizing they'll be ported to Disney Plus, but it seems likely that they won't be coming back anytime soon. In the meantime, there's still a solid amount of Pokemon content on Netflix, with the streaming service getting the exclusive rights to distribute Pokemon Journeys in America. Perhaps the removal will see the site port over the older seasons of the show now that fans can't access them through Disney's archive.
As it stands, Pokemon is currently undergoing a resurgence in the public eye, both inside and outside of the gaming space. Pokemon Journeys has acted as a fun, nostalgic slice of anime for fans, bringing back old regions and even Ash's ex-nemesis Gary, while Pokemon cards have become a fixture of social media as of late, with internet celebrities buying lucrative packs and cards. Meanwhile, New Pokemon Snap is slated to debut in April and current rumors are circling the idea of a Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remake or perhaps a new entry in the Let's Go spin-off series during 2021 as well.
Hopefully, the original show can crop up somewhere new and allow players to revisit it while Pokemon remains a hot commodity. It wouldn't be the only gaming-related TV show to hit streaming services, however, with Netflix recently announcing a new Sonic the Hedgehog TV show titled Sonic Prime. The service is also planning to turn Tomb Raider into a new anime, while it will also be adapting Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher, and Devil May Cry in the format as well.