(released in Japan as Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā: Kimi ni Kimeta! ) is the 20th theatrical film in the Pokémon franchise. Released in 2017 to commemorate the anime’s 20th anniversary, the movie served as a bold, out-of-continuity reboot. Instead of adding onto the concurrently running television series, it transported audiences back to the very beginning of Ash Ketchum’s journey in the Kanto region, providing a modernized and highly emotional retelling of his origin story. 🎬 The Premise
: The classic rival Gary Oak is replaced by Cross, a ruthless trainer who values raw power above all else and abandons the Charmander that Ash later adopts. Gekijouban Poketto monsutГў: Kimi ni kimeta!
As they recover, they witness the legendary Rainbow Pokémon, Ho-Oh, flying across the sky. Ho-Oh drops a mystical artifact known as the . Ash is chosen by the artifact to become the "Rainbow Hero" destined to seek out and battle Ho-Oh at the summit of Mount Tensei. 🌪️ A Fork in the Timeline (released in Japan as Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā: Kimi
While the film masterfully recreates emotional touchstones from the original 1997 anime—such as Ash rescuing a neglected Charmander in the rain and the bittersweet release of his Butterfree—it diverges drastically from the established canon: Instead of adding onto the concurrently running television
Gekijōban Poketto Monsutā: Kimi ni Kimeta! remains one of the most polarizing yet visually stunning entries in the franchise's cinematic history.