The BEST episodes of Pokémon season 3

Every episode of Pokémon season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Pokémon season 3!

A young boy named Ash Ketchum embarks on a journey to become a "Pokemon Master" with his first Pokemon, Pikachu. Joining him on his travels are Brock, a girl-obsessed Rock Pokemon Trainer, and Misty, a tomboyish Water Pokemon Trainer who may have a crush on him. Ash and Co. end up traveling through various regions, including Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, and then enter the Pokemon League competitions there. Along the way, they run into many confrontations with Jessie, James, and Meowth, a trio of Pokemon thieves who are apart of an evil organization called "Team Rocket". But everytime Team Rocket try to do their evil deeds, they fail thanks to Ash and his Pokemon.

Last Updated: 11/30/2024Network: TV TokyoStatus: Continuing
Gettin' The Bugs Out
star
8.04
158 votes

#1 - Gettin' The Bugs Out

Season 3 - Episode 28 - Aired 4/20/2000

Ash and friends have delivered the GS Ball safely to Kurt and are heading to the Azalea Town Gym for the next badge. Misty thinks Ash will have a tough time with without Charizard but Ash is confident that Cyndaquil has the firepower he needs.The Azalea Gym is a large dome with a forest-like environment inside. Misty becomes nervous, then a Caterpie drops down in front of her and she freaks. A boy standing up on a tree branch says that this is in fact the Gym and that bug Pokemon are the best. Misty isn't thrilled. Ash introduces himself and the boy says he's Bugsy, the Gym leader.

Watch Now:Amazon
Hour of the Houndour
star
8.03
155 votes

#2 - Hour of the Houndour

Season 3 - Episode 34 - Aired 6/1/2000

Ash and friends befriend a group of wild Houndour.

Watch Now:Amazon
Hot Matches!
star
7.93
161 votes

#3 - Hot Matches!

Season 3 - Episode 36 - Aired 6/15/2000

When Ash and friends hear of a virtually undefeatable trainer operating nearby, they seek her out, only to see first Brock's Vulpix and then Ash's Cyndaquil take heavy abuse from her Skarmory-despite its disadvantage against the Fire element.

Watch Now:Amazon
Charizard's Burning Ambitions
star
7.92
205 votes

#4 - Charizard's Burning Ambitions

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/10/2000

When Ash hears of the nearby Charicific Valley, he is sure a quick trip would be just the thing to reignite his Charizard's flagging spirits. When they reach the valley, though, they find its dragon denizens anything but cordial. Judged weak, and denied entrance to the valley, Charizard is left more dejected than ever.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Totodile Duel
star
7.92
168 votes

#5 - The Totodile Duel

Season 3 - Episode 35 - Aired 6/8/2000

Ash and Misty's "friendly" rivalry is tested when they both try to capture a Totodile at the same time. Unable to determine whose Pokéball had captured the wild Pokémon, the two must battle it out to determine the Totodile's new master.

Watch Now:Amazon
Fighting Flyer with Fire
star
7.91
177 votes

#6 - Fighting Flyer with Fire

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/20/2000

As our heroes stare in amazement at the Violet City gym, Jessie and James, in a rather pathetic disguise, make their appearance pretending to be conducting a survey on behalf of the Pokémon Bureau. Although Ash, Misty and Brock have never heard of it, they let Jessie examine Pikachu to see if he meets the official Violet City gym standards. Jessie and James confiscate Pikachu and run off.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Goin' Apricorn
star
7.88
158 votes

#7 - Goin' Apricorn

Season 3 - Episode 27 - Aired 4/13/2000

Ash, Misty, Brock and the girl are walking through the woods, the girl explains that getting PokeBalls is a lot more complicated than people think. They approach a large tree but fall into a covered hole. Team Rocket comes and Meowth lassos Pikachu with a rope, then Jessie puts him into an electric-proof jar.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Fortune Hunters
star
7.86
153 votes

#8 - The Fortune Hunters

Season 3 - Episode 41 - Aired 7/27/2000

A Pokémon Fortune Telling boom turns out to be a Team Rocket plot to steal Pokémon from local trainers. The engineers of this plot, though, are not the Team Rocket regulars, but by the formidable Butch and Cassidy.

The Psychic Sidekicks
star
7.76
157 votes

#9 - The Psychic Sidekicks

Season 3 - Episode 40 - Aired 7/13/2000

Ash and co. are wandering through a forest, as they slowly make their way to Goldenrod City. They’d prefer to be quickly making their way to Goldenrod City, as, according to rumor, this forest is full of Ghosts. As a precaution, Misty sends out Psyduck to protect them, since it’s the only one who knows any Psychic attacks. The kids are pushing their way through the underbrush, when a dark, grinning face pops out of the bushes, terrifying them all! Misty shoves Psyduck in front of her, but it runs back behind her, and retreats into its Pokéball. Ash approaches the supposed Ghost, who Bites him hard on the hand... but then it raises its other head from the bushes - it’s not a Ghost Pokémon at all, it’s a Girafarig!

Tanks A Lot!
star
7.69
192 votes

#10 - Tanks A Lot!

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/3/2000

Team Rocket's most recent super vehicle, the Arbotank, is their ticket to world domination - until Togepi and its newfound Sentret buddy climb inside and inadvertently initiate a cross-country joyride that wreaks unstoppable destruction on everything in their path.

Chikorita's Big Upset
star
7.68
222 votes

#11 - Chikorita's Big Upset

Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/24/2000

Ash is battling some kid in the neighborhood he was in. Ash used Chikorita while the kid used Raticate. Chikorita took quite a beating but still would not give up. Ash, seeing that Chikortia is a bit to exhausted tries to calls it back and uses Pikachu. Chikorita refuses to go in its Pokeball. Ash was holding up the battle until dark all because he could not call back Chikorita.

Ignorance Is Blissey
star
7.53
172 votes

#12 - Ignorance Is Blissey

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/6/2000

Team Rocket can't believe their luck when the Blissey employed in a Pokémon Center willingly gives them the center's entire food supply. As they abscond with the grub, however, an collective pang of conscience tells them to return their ill-gotten booty. However, they are ashamed lest this act of decency ruin their carefully cultivated reputation as troublemakers.

Watch Now:Apple TV
A Sappy Ending
star
7.46
207 votes

#13 - A Sappy Ending

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/1999

Ash and friends discover a forest where Pinsir invaders are causing heavy deforestation. Investigation reveals the root of the problem: Team Rocket is carelessly harvesting sap from a nearby wood, thereby upsetting the balance of nature.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Chikorita Rescue
star
7.44
215 votes

#14 - The Chikorita Rescue

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/16/1999

Ash encounters a wild Chikorita and engages it in battle, thinking to add it to his team, but as Team Rocket watches the battle from afar, they decide the Chikorita would be better suited to their own nefarious uses.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Good 'Quil Hunting
star
7.44
167 votes

#15 - Good 'Quil Hunting

Season 3 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/30/2000

Our heroes are walking through a thick forest, Brock thinks there's something wrong with his map but Misty thinks they're just lost again. A tall kid comes up to them and asks if they've seen any Cyndaquil around, which are supposed to be all over this area. Ash gets excited and starts to look around for one.

Forest Grumps
star
7.43
123 votes

#16 - Forest Grumps

Season 3 - Episode 39 - Aired 7/6/2000

When an Ursaring attack leaves Team Rocket and our heroes in compromising positions, compromise they do, members of each team being paired with members of the other. But such a pairing one would guess to be doomed from the start… and one would be right this time.

Roll On, Pokémon!
star
7.42
225 votes

#17 - Roll On, Pokémon!

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/4/1999

Ash and friends are fortunate enough to stumble into a small valley where Donphan are used to harvest precious stones. Not so fortunate are the valley's residents; Team Rocket is on the heels of the young trainers and already hatching a plan to steal the stones for themselves.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Fire-ring Squad
star
7.40
164 votes

#18 - The Fire-ring Squad

Season 3 - Episode 31 - Aired 5/11/2000

Our friends have stopped at a Pokémon Center. Ash calls Professor Oak, he's going to send his Tauros back. Professor Oak says that's okay, but he wants to keep Heracross a while longer. Ash tells Heracross to do whatever the Professor tells it.Nurse Joy complements Ash on taking such good care of his Pokémon. Brock flirts with her, but she says she has to examine more Pokémon for the upcoming Fire and Rescue Grand Prix and she goes, leaving Ash wondering what the Grand Prix is.

Wired for Battle
star
7.39
158 votes

#19 - Wired for Battle

Season 3 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/23/2000

When the most promising trainee at a Pokémon dojo abandons battle altogether, opting to gather information for his comprehensive Poké-database instead, it's up to Ash and friends to convince him that battling, and life for that matter, is more than just a matter of probability.

The Little Big Horn
star
7.38
213 votes

#20 - The Little Big Horn

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/9/1999

Brock saves a lost and frightened Stantler fawn and carefully nurses it back to health before releasing it. Little does he know that Team Rocket lies hidden nearby, waiting to capture the defenseless fawn.

Watch Now:Apple TV
The Superhero Secret
star
7.36
135 votes

#21 - The Superhero Secret

Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/9/2000

The legendary Gligarman grows old and begins to bend under the weighty task of fighting crime. When Ash and friends wander into town, they bring with them a challenge that threatens to be Gligarman's last - Team Rocket.

Fowl Play
star
7.36
165 votes

#22 - Fowl Play

Season 3 - Episode 38 - Aired 6/29/2000

Ash has his sights set on a rare and brightly-colored Noctowl, but this Pokémon's hypnosis leaves Ash's team unable to tell reality from illusion, much less stand up to another Pokémon in battle.

Once In A Blue Moon
star
7.35
171 votes

#23 - Once In A Blue Moon

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/23/1999

Professor Oak's errand - to deliver the mysterious GS Ball to a Pokéball expert - is interrupted when a Quagsire with a penchant for spherical objects steals the GS ball for use in a nocturnal ritual.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Mild 'N Wooly
star
7.34
163 votes

#24 - Mild 'N Wooly

Season 3 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/16/2000

The group meet Mary, a girl who lives on a Mareep farm and wants to compete in the upcoming Mareep Festival.

A Bout With Sprout
star
7.32
169 votes

#25 - A Bout With Sprout

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/13/2000

As Ash, Misty and Brock are walking through town looking for the Violet City gym, a little girl and boy are seen fighting over Pikachu. The kids, by continually grabbing and poking Pikachu, make him launch an all-out thunderbolt attack. Ash quickly picks him up, but although saving the kids from Pikachu's attack, he takes the full brunt of it. A rather attractive woman then comes running out, calling for Zackie and Lizy (the boy and girl fighting over Pikachu). Upon learning that our friends were on their way to the Violet City gym, she introduces herself as Miss Priscilla, a teacher from the Pokémon Academy.

Watch Now:Apple TV