In recent times, it has become clear that using IMDb for authenticity purposes is a bad idea, but it’s still agreed upon that the site does offer good advice over which movie one should watch based on the ratings provided.

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Since there have been so many Pokémon movies over the last two decades, one needs a reliable list to refer to in order to watch the best films together. With this in mind, we’ve compiled the 10 highest-rated films in the Pokémon series based on the rating found on the IMDb site. So, if you want to know what order to follow, read on the list from least rated to the highest.

10 Pokémon The Movie: Destiny Deoxys - 6.1 (2004)

Ash and friends pose in Pokemon the Movie: Destiny Deoxys

In a change from the norm from a standard Pokémon film where things are always bright and happy, this one flirted with the idea of presenting something scary, which happened in the form of the Deoxys Pokémon.

The story saw the arrival of this type of Pokémon, casting fear in the area where Ash and his friends are currently stationed. There’s also a nice twist late in the story where you learn never to judge something based on its appearance.

9 Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions - 6.1 (2010)

Pokémon Zoroark Master of Illusions

There was always a feeling that the Celebi time-traveling angle in Pokémon 4ever wasn’t brought to its full potential due to its minimalistic setting, so it seems the series went out to bring this potential out by having a larger scope for it.

In this movie, an attempt to capture Celebi by the main antagonist brings forward the awesome powers of the Zoroark Pokémon in what is a fast-paced and creative venture for the series in terms of story presentation.

8 Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior - 6.1 (2008)

Ash and company are scared in Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior

On occasion, the Pokémon films get rather complex, and you have to do some thinking to keep up. Still, that didn’t stop this entry from being a hit in the eyes of the fans and lands in the top-10 due to the change in style it brought.

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Here, the heroes band together to stop the antagonist from using Shaymin to open up various portals to other worlds. It expands upon the mythology of the Pokémon universe and is worth a watch to see how the series has deviated.

7 Pokémon Heroes - 6.1 (2002)

Ash and Pikachu fly toward the screen with Latias and Latios

It’s one of those tearjerker movies you need to watch with your family for support, as Pokémon Heroes hits the feelings hard for the heartbreaking ending that awaits inside. It also makes it doubly emotional when you realize this was the final film in the original series.

The earlier films had generally focused on larger-than-life scenarios, so it was a breath of fresh air to have a smaller scope where Ash and his friends have to protect a city alongside legendary Pokémon as the gang bonds in ways they couldn’t imagine.

6 Pokémon The Movie 2000 - 6.1 (1999)

This was the film that made all the kids at the time jump in excitement as the new millennium promised bigger and better things. The promotion for the movie went all out as well, as Ash had his grandest adventure ever.

The movie was the first to dip its toes in the larger world of legendary Pokémon out there with no less than four in action. Ash’s significance in the series was brought to the forefront as the world turned to him to stop the danger and save the day.

5 Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back - 6.2 (1998)

Let’s go all the way back to the very first feature film in the Pokémon series where, while things got a little darker than we’d have anticipated, a more mature mindset was injected for the fans. The most popular legendary Pokémon, Mew and Mewtwo, made their first appearances here.

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Mewtwo, in particular, is a strong character who has a remarkable level of layers in personality. He starts things off by being the perfect antagonist who, with the influence of Ash and his love for Pokémon, progresses into a wise leader.

4 Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life - 6.3 (2009)

It’s a bit of a surprise to find this film ranked so high up in the IMDb database, as it was generally hampered by quite a bit of plot holes and pacing issues. Still, there were a sizable number of fans who got a kick out of the strange setting.

The plot sees Arceus be revealed as something of a deity as it is revealed that the Pokémon saved Earth a long time ago and is now none too pleased that the Jewel of Life has been stolen, leading to Ash and friends attempting to right this wrong to avoid Arceus’s wrath.

3 Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai - 6.4 (2007)

The first in a trilogy of films (two of which we’ve mentioned above), was the strongest of the three as it focused squarely on the path of destruction laid by the Pokémon seen in action while leaving the confusing bits for later.

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While the film initially wants you to believe the titular Pokémon is bad, this turns out not to be the case, and we’re in for a fun surprise as it arrives to help out the heroes and begin proceedings toward uncovering the inter-dimensional plotline in the Pokémon world.

2 Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns - 6.4 (2000)

While Mewtwo had turned over a new leaf in the first movie, he made a mistake of making everyone forget about him as Team Rocket came back to capture him and the Pokémon once again. Here, we also got to finally see what Giovanni was capable of.

The result was a fun, albeit short, film where we saw a different personality of Mewtwo as he struggled to maintain his more benevolent side against Giovanni, who proved to be an adept villain worthy of being a genuine threat.

1 Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew - 6.9 (2005)

In what is another entry in the sad storylines within the Pokémon series, the Mystery of Mew turns out to be surprisingly adult in its message as kids will learn the impact of abandonment issues as Pokémon are used to illustrate this point.

Here, Mew unwittingly takes Pikachu hostage by figuring he’s just playing with the latter, triggering a search by Ash and his friends to get Pikachu back. Along the way, they encounter Lucario, who has abandonment problems of his own and begins a story set across time.

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