Level/Anime

The concept of levels of Pokémon is not as detailed, nor as frequently mentioned, in the. Unlike the games, the term appears to be applied more loosely, with higher levels correlating with increased strength of the Pokémon and its moves. This can be seen in several instances throughout the anime:
 * The first time levels were referred to was briefly by during the second episode when he said Ash's Pikachu was "powerful beyond its evolutionary level."
 * mentions levels in Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden where she says "That must be at a high level!" referring to a 's Rhyhorn's formidable strength as it uses  on Ash's Bulbasaur, severely injuring it.
 * mentions taking the opponent's level into account before beginning a battle in the Japanese version of Showdown at the Po-ké Corral.
 * In Enter The Dragonite, when Ash chose Bulbasaur to battle 's, Tracey reminded Ash that level had to be taken into account as well as type despite Grass Pokémon being resistant to Electric-type moves. After Bulbasaur was defeated, Drake comments that Ash's Charizard is at a higher level than he thought, as it was able to withstand a series of super-effective Electric attacks from Electabuzz.
 * In Roll On, Pokémon!, 's Pokédex mentions that the length of a 's tusks indicates its level, allowing Brock to deduce that the short-tusked Donphan they encountered was a young and low-level one.
 * Brock mentions in Doin' What Comes Natu-rally! that moves become more powerful as a Pokémon's level is raised; and Ash adds that the best way to raise levels is by battling.
 * In Queen of the Serpentine!, Brock comments how 's is at a high level after it defeated Ash's Donphan with a single hit.
 * In Fighting Ire with Fire!, mentions Barry's Empoleon has leveled up a ton since last seeing it, referring to how its battle against a  went.
 * In Dealing with a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!, when teaching Narissa, Brock says "Now let's level you up. And the only way to do that is to get experience from battling."

There are few instances in the anime where the concept of levels more closely resembles that of the games. In The School of Hard Knocks, at Pokémon Tech was able to quote the levels at which  and the rest of its family evolve and learn certain moves. Furthermore, another student stated that Pikachu should be at least level 25. Another time was during a quiz in Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?, when Nurse Joy asks and James (disguised as Professor Oak) what move  learns at level 46. When James fails to know the answer, he says that he has Amnesia. For his luck, however, was the correct answer.

Levels are also mentioned in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon special episodes Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate! and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness, but are not explained.