Advanced Generation series

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire (Japanese: ポケットモンスター　アドバンスジェネレーション Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation), referred to by fans as the Advanced Generation series, is the second series of the Pokémon anime and is based on the events of the core series Generation III Pokémon games. It follows the and was succeeded by the. It ran from November 21, 2002 to September 14, 2006 in Japan and from November 1, 2003 to March 3, 2007 in the United States, although the first two episodes aired as a sneak peek in the United States on March 15, 2003. It was not given an English name until after the release of Pokémon the Series: XY.

In this series, Ash travels through the Hoenn region in an effort to compete in the Hoenn League there. He is joined not by, who had been his continuous companion for the entirety of the original series, but , a rookie Trainer from Petalburg City who at first merely wishes to travel. Eventually, she learns of Pokémon Contests and declares herself a Pokémon Coordinator, training to win Ribbons so she can enter the Hoenn Grand Festival. May's brother, Max, also travels with the group and helps map out routes to take using his PokéNav. However, Max is too young to have his own Pokémon. , Ash's near-constant adviser, returns soon after the start of the series, while Misty makes two several-episode cameo appearances.

After Ash competes in the Hoenn League, Ash and Brock return to Kanto while May and Max return to Petalburg City. While on his way home to Pallet Town, Ash meets Scott, who after observing Ash's battle skills invites him to enter the. He travels around Kanto in an effort to complete the Battle Frontier and is joined again by Brock, Max and May - who is now aiming to compete in the Kanto Grand Festival.

The Advanced Generation series saw a change in the formula followed by the original series, as well. While in Kanto and Johto, Ash encountered all three of those regions' starter Pokémon and caught each, in this series Ash's only capture of a starter was, while his friends, May and Brock, caught a and a , respectively. Also, unlike when he traveled to the Orange Archipelago and Johto, Ash left behind all of his Pokémon at 's, bringing only. Another change was new clothing for Ash and Brock. No longer did Ash wear the he claimed to have sent in a million postcards for, but instead a completely different outfit. Misty also received a new outfit during her return appearances.

Episodes in the Advanced Generation series are numbered with AG on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Advanced Generation series episodes.

Blurb
''Polishing off the Silver Conference, Ash heads toward his next challenge—the far-off Hoenn region! While he must say goodbye to old friends, he makes the acquaintance of May, a Trainer just starting out on her Pokémon journey. Along with her little brother Max and the ever-reliable Brock, this pack of Pokémon Trainers begin pursuing their dreams—with Ash racking up three Gym Badges, while May changes tack to follow the Contest path of a Pokémon Coordinator.''

Dub seasons
When the Advanced Generation series came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided up into four seasons:


 * Pokémon: Advanced (AG001 - AG040)
 * Pokémon: Advanced Challenge (AG041 - AG092)
 * Pokémon: Advanced Battle (AG093 - AG119, AG121 - AG145)
 * Pokémon: Battle Frontier (AG146 - AG192)

Movies

 * Pokémon: Jirachi: Wish Maker
 * Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
 * Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
 * Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea

North American DVD releases

 * List of English language Pokémon Advanced home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Advanced Challenge home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Advanced Battle home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Battle Frontier home video releases (Region 1)

Australian DVD releases

 * List of English language Pokémon Advanced home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Advanced Challenge home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Advanced Battle home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Battle Frontier home video releases (Region 4)

Japanese DVD releases

 * List of Japanese language Advanced Generation series home video releases

Gallery

 * For more images, please see artwork from the Advanced Generation anime series on the Bulbagarden Archives.

Trivia

 * This is the only series in which:
 * has two male long-term traveling companions at once.
 * Ash does not have a recurring rival throughout the series. The only rivals he had during the series met him shortly before the Ever Grande Conference and then departed right after.
 * Ken Gates is not the narrator for all the seasons in the dub. Mike Pollock took over in Which Wurmple's Which? and he remained until the end of the eighth season.
 * None of own a walking Pokémon.
 * All three of the regional starter Pokémon owned by the protagonists evolve at least once.
 * Ash earns more than two Badges without his team changing in between them.
 * Ash and his friends went their separate ways twice. The first was after the end of the Ever Grande Conference, and the second was at the end of the Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
 * This is the only completed series in which Ash does not catch a Pokémon.
 * This is the final series to be dubbed by 4Kids Entertainment, and the first series to be dubbed by The Pokémon Company International. TPCi took over dubbing starting with Pokémon: Battle Frontier.
 * This is the first series that has Ash traveling with siblings.
 * This is the first series to have distributions of Mythical Pokémon to promote the s they starred in. This practice continued for later generations.