Every Pokemon Movie Ranked Worst To Best

The undoubted champion of the Advanced era and one of Pokemon's most well-defined chapters on the big screen, The Mystery of Mew comes with all the trappings expected by now, yet pares them down in order to draw upon the confusion and alienation felt by its other title character, to gratifying results.

One of the best examples across the franchise of Ash's individual connection with a singular Pokemon, he is forced to team up with an ancient Lucario, freed from a staff by their shared Aura connection, in order to pursue a missing Pikachu.

It feels relatively simple when laid out like that and it plays to the strengths of both characters - without his regular partner at his side, Ash fleshes out his relationship further here, as Lucario - struggling with both personal grief and adaptation to the modern world - slowly opens up to him. It's an affecting bond - and it introduced the concept of Ash as an individual keyed in to the mystical power of Aura, one that would be revisited down the line.