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Series guide · Black & White

Pokémon: Best Wishes (Black & White)

Concluded 2010 - 2013 144 episodes Ash Ketchum

Region. Unova, Decolora Islands

The franchise's soft-reboot era. Best Wishes intentionally reset the dynamic to introduce Unovan species cleanly: Ash's Pikachu is electrically depowered in the premiere, and his old team stays back at Oak's lab. Iris (aspiring Dragon Master from the Village of Dragons) and Cilan (one of three Striaton Gym Leaders, an A-Class Pokémon Connoisseur) replace the prior trio. Tone shifts noticeably; Team Rocket plays it straight as competent antagonists for the first time, with N and Team Plasma as the villain arc. The post-Unova-League Decolora Islands arc serves as bridging filler to XY. Polarizing era for English-speaking fans, but Iris and Cilan remain fan-favorites and the Pokémon designs of Unova (Reuniclus, Excadrill, Hydreigon) shine.

Story arcs · 4 major beats

How the series moves.

  1. BW001-BW048

    Best Wishes

    Ash arrives in Unova; meets Iris in Cilan's Striaton restaurant; trio formed. Pikachu battles return after Zekrom's lightning depowers him in the premiere.

  2. BW049-BW097

    Best Wishes Season 2

    Gym challenge continues. N (Team Plasma) introduced as a moral foil; the show's most ideologically interesting villain. Includes Meloetta movie tie-in.

  3. BW098-BW108

    Best Wishes Season 2: Episode N

    Eleven-episode mini-arc focused entirely on N. Considered the era's peak.

  4. BW109-BW144

    Best Wishes Season 2: Decolora Adventures

    Post-league filler bridging to XY. Cast tours the Decolora Islands. Iris and Cilan get more spotlight; less consequential than Episode N.

Format introductions

What this era introduced.

  • Triple Battles
  • Rotation Battles
  • Dream World references
  • Hidden Abilities (anime-acknowledged)

Key episodes · the ones to watch

Episodes that mattered.

  1. BW001
    In the Shadow of Zekrom!

    Pikachu depowered by Zekrom's lightning. Soft-reset establishes Unova as its own thing.
  2. BW098
    Meowth, Colress, and Team Rocket!

    Episode N begins. Team Plasma's ideology vs. trainer ethics gets full screen time.
  3. BW129
    Goodbye Junior Cup, Hello Adventure!

    Junior Cup tournament featuring Cynthia, Caitlin, and Alder. Most stacked guest cast of the era.
  4. BW142
    A Pokémon of a Different Color!

    Decolora arc; Ash catches a shiny Noctowl was retconned to original-series-canon; here Iris evolves Dragonair to Dragonite.
  5. BW144
    The Dream Continues!

    Iris and Cilan depart. Transition episode to XY.

Competitive climax

League result.

Top 8 at the Vertress Conference (Unova League). Iris defeats reigning Champion Alder in a later-revealed match; becomes Champion of Unova by Journeys.

Cast rotation

Who travels, who rivals, who villains.

Ash KetchumPikachuIrisCilanNTeam PlasmaTrip (rival)StephanBiancaCynthia (cameo)CherenAlder (Unova Champion)

Theme notes

Opening songs and scoring.

JP OP "Best Wishes!" by Rica Matsumoto. The Episode N theme "Look! We are All Here!" became an unexpected fan-favorite ballad.

Reception

How it lands now.

The era English-speaking fans most often skip. Iris and Cilan, however, have aged into beloved companions in retrospect. Episode N is consistently top-15 across the franchise.

Episode database · 142 entries

Every episode in the series.

JP debut 2010-09-23, BW001 "In the Shadow of Zekrom!". Latest entry BW142 "The Dream Continues!" (2013-09-26).

Show all 142 episodes
  1. BW001 In the Shadow of Zekrom! 2011-02-12
  2. BW002 Enter Iris and Axew! 2011-02-12
  3. BW003 A Sandile Gusher of Change! 2011-02-19
  4. BW004 The Battle Club and Tepig's Choice! 2011-02-26
  5. BW005 Triple Leaders, Team Threats! 2011-03-05
  6. BW006 Dreams by the Yard Full! 2011-03-12
  7. BW007 Snivy Plays Hard to Catch! 2011-03-19
  8. BW008 Saving Darmanitan from the Bell! 2011-03-26
  9. BW009 The Bloom Is on Axew! 2011-04-02
  10. BW010 A Rival Battle for Club Champ!! 2011-04-09
  11. BW011 A Home for Dwebble! 2011-04-16
  12. BW012 Here Comes the Trubbish Squad! 2011-04-23
  13. BW013 Minccino–Neat and Tidy! 2011-04-30
  14. BW014 A Night in the Nacrene City Museum! 2011-05-07
  15. BW015 The Battle According to Lenora! 2011-05-14
  16. BW016 Rematch at the Nacrene Gym! 2011-05-21
  17. BW017 Scraggy–Hatched to Be Wild! 2011-05-28
  18. BW018 Sewaddle and Burgh in Pinwheel Forest! 2011-06-04
  19. BW019 A Connoisseur's Revenge! 2011-06-11
  20. BW020 Dancing with the Ducklett Trio! 2011-06-18
  21. BW021 The Lost World of Gothitelle! 2011-06-25
  22. BW022 A Venipede Stampede! 2011-07-02
  23. BW023 Battling for the Love of Bug-Types! 2011-07-09
  24. BW024 Emolga the Irresistible! 2011-07-16
  25. BW025 Emolga and the New Volt Switch! 2011-07-23
  26. BW026 Scare at the Litwick Mansion! 2011-07-30
  27. BW027 The Dragon Master's Path! 2011-08-06
  28. BW028 Oshawott's Lost Scalchop! 2011-08-13
  29. BW029 Cottonee in Love! 2011-08-20
  30. BW030 A UFO for Elgyem! 2011-08-27
  31. BW031 Ash and Trip's Third Battle! 2011-09-03
  32. BW032 Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open! 2011-09-10
  33. BW033 Iris and Excadrill Against the Dragon Buster! 2011-09-17
  34. BW034 Gotta Catch a Roggenrola! 2011-09-24
  35. BW035 Where Did You Go, Audino? 2011-10-01
  36. BW036 Archeops in the Modern World! 2011-10-08
  37. BW037 A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition! 2011-10-15
  38. BW038 Movie Time! Zorua in 'The Legend of the Pokémon Knight'! 2011-10-22
  39. BW039 Reunion Battles in Nimbasa! 2011-10-29
  40. BW040 Cilan Versus Trip, Ash Versus Georgia! 2011-11-05
  41. BW041 The Club Battle Hearts of Fury: Emolga Versus Sawk! 2011-11-12
  42. BW042 The Club Battle Finale: A Heroes Outcome! 2011-11-19
  43. BW043 Meowth's Scrafty Tactics! 2011-11-26
  44. BW044 Purrloin, Sweet or Sneaky? 2011-12-03
  45. BW045 Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief! 2011-12-10
  46. BW046 The Beartic Mountain Feud! 2011-12-17
  47. BW047 Crisis from the Underground Up! 2011-12-31
  48. BW048 Battle for the Underground! 2012-01-07
  49. BW049 Enter Elesa, Electrifying Gym Leader! 2012-02-18
  50. BW050 Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym! 2012-02-25
  51. BW051 Lost at the Stamp Rally! 2012-03-03
  52. BW052 Ash Versus the Champion! 2012-03-10
  53. BW053 A Maractus Musical! 2012-03-17
  54. BW054 The Four Seasons of Sawsbuck! 2012-03-24
  55. BW055 Scraggy and the Demanding Gothita! 2012-03-31
  56. BW056 The Lonely Deino! 2012-04-07
  57. BW057 The Mighty Accelguard to the Rescue! 2012-04-14
  58. BW058 A Call for Brotherly Love! 2012-04-21
  59. BW059 Stopping the Rage of Legends!: Part 1 2012-04-28
  60. BW060 Stopping the Rage of Legends!: Part 2 2012-05-05
  61. BW061 Battling the King of the Mines! 2012-05-12
  62. BW062 Crisis at Chargestone Cave! 2012-05-19
  63. BW063 Evolution Exchange Excitement! 2012-05-26
  64. BW064 Explorers of the Hero's Ruin! 2012-06-02
  65. BW065 Battling the Bully! 2012-06-09
  66. BW066 Baffling the Bouffalant! 2012-06-16
  67. BW067 Cilan Takes Flight! 2012-06-23
  68. BW068 An Amazing Aerial Battle! 2012-06-30
  69. BW069 Climbing the Tower of Success! 2012-07-07
  70. BW070 The Clubsplosion Begins! 2012-07-14
  71. BW071 Search for the Clubultimate! 2012-07-21
  72. BW072 A Clubsplosion of Excitement! 2012-07-28
  73. BW073 Commanding the Clubsplosion Crown! 2012-08-04
  74. BW074 Battling the Leaf Thieves! 2012-08-11
  75. BW075 A Restoration Confrontation!: Part 1 2012-08-18
  76. BW076 A Restoration Confrontation!: Part 2 2012-08-25
  77. BW077 Evolution by Fire! 2012-09-01
  78. BW078 Guarding the Guardian of the Mountain! 2012-09-08
  79. BW079 Caution: Icy Battle Conditions! 2012-09-15
  80. BW080 Clash of the Connoisseurs! 2012-09-22
  81. BW081 Crisis at Ferroseed Research! 2012-09-29
  82. BW082 An Epic Defense Force! 2012-10-06
  83. BW083 Rocking the Virbank Gym!: Part 1 2012-10-13
  84. BW084 Rocking the Virbank Gym!: Part 2 2012-10-20
  85. BW085 All for the Love of Meloetta! 2012-10-27
  86. BW086 Piplup, Pansage, and a Meeting of the Times! 2012-11-03
  87. BW087 Expedition to Onix Island! 2012-11-10
  88. BW088 The Mystery of the Missing Cubchoo! 2012-11-17
  89. BW089 Iris and the Rogue Dragonite! 2012-11-24
  90. BW090 Jostling for the Junior Cup! 2012-12-01
  91. BW091 Battling Authority Once Again! 2012-12-08
  92. BW092 Ash, Iris, and Trip: Then There Were Three! 2012-12-15
  93. BW093 Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure! 2012-12-22
  94. BW094 The Road to Humilau! 2013-01-05
  95. BW095 Unrest at the Nursery! 2013-01-12
  96. BW096 Meloetta and the Undersea Temple! 2013-01-19
  97. BW097 Unova's Survival Crisis! 2013-01-26
  98. BW098 Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige! 2013-02-02
  99. BW099 A Surface to Air Tag Battle Team! 2013-02-09
  100. BW100 A Village Homecoming! 2013-02-16
  101. BW101 Drayden Versus Iris: Past, Present, and Future! 2013-02-23
  102. BW102 Team Eevee and the Pokémon Rescue Squad! 2013-03-02
  103. BW103 Curtain Up, Unova League! 2013-03-09
  104. BW104 Mission: Defeat Your Rival! 2013-03-16
  105. BW105 Lost at the League! 2013-03-23
  106. BW106 Strong Strategy Steals the Show! 2013-03-30
  107. BW107 Cameron's Secret Weapon! 2013-04-06
  108. BW108 A Unova League Evolution! 2013-04-13
  109. BW109 New Places... Familiar Faces! 2013-04-20
  110. BW110 The Name's N! 2013-04-27
  111. BW111 There's a New Gym Leader in Town! 2013-05-04
  112. BW112 Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot! 2013-05-11
  113. BW113 The Light of Floccesy Ranch! 2013-05-18
  114. BW114 Saving Braviary! 2013-05-25
  115. BW115 The Pokémon Harbor Patrol! 2013-06-01
  116. BW116 The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion! 2013-06-08
  117. BW117 Team Plasma's Pokémon Manipulation! 2013-06-15
  118. BW118 Secrets From Out of the Fog! 2013-06-22
  119. BW119 Meowth, Colress and Team Rivalry! 2013-06-29
  120. BW120 Ash and N: A Clash of Ideals! 2013-07-06
  121. BW121 Team Plasma and the Awakening Ceremony! 2013-07-13
  122. BW122 What Lies Beyond Truth and Ideals! 2013-07-20
  123. BW123 Farewell, Unova! Setting Sail for New Adventures! 2013-07-27
  124. BW124 Danger, Sweet as Honey! 2013-08-03
  125. BW125 Cilan and the Case of the Purrloin Witness! 2013-08-10
  126. BW126 Crowning the Scalchop King! 2013-08-17
  127. BW127 The Island of Illusions! 2013-08-24
  128. BW128 To Catch a Rotom! 2013-08-31
  129. BW129 The Pirates of Decolore! 2013-09-07
  130. BW130 Butterfree and Me! 2013-09-14
  131. BW131 The Path That Leads to Goodbye! 2013-09-21
  132. BW132 Searching for a Wish! 2013-09-28
  133. BW133 Capacia Island UFO! 2013-10-05
  134. BW134 The Journalist from Another Region! 2013-10-12
  135. BW135 Mystery on a Deserted Island! 2013-10-19
  136. BW136 A Pokémon of a Different Color! 2013-10-26
  137. BW137 Celebrating the Hero's Comet! 2013-11-02
  138. BW138 Go, Go, Gogoat! 2013-11-09
  139. BW139 Team Rocket's Shocking Recruit! 2013-11-16
  140. BW140 Survival of the Striaton Gym! 2013-11-23
  141. BW141 Best Wishes Until We Meet Again! 2013-11-30
  142. BW142 The Dream Continues! 2013-12-07

Editorial facts hand-verified May 2026 against Bulbapedia, Wikipedia, and Pokemon.com. Episode data from the Wikipedia MediaWiki parse. Pokémon, character names, and series titles © Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, OLM Inc. This is an unofficial fan reference.