Top 10 Darkest/Creepiest Pokemon Episodes
Sure, Pokémon isn't exactly known for its horror, but every now and then, the series takes a sharp turn into eerie territory. Sometimes, it's a ghostly legend that lingers just a little too long in your mind. Other times, it's a psychic nightmare that leaves you questioning how this was ever meant for kids. And once in a while, an episode leans so far into the unsettling that you might find yourself checking over your shoulder.But when Pokémon does get dark, it doesn't hold back. Haunted mansions, twisted illusions, soul-stealing spirits; there are moments that could give even the bravest trainers a reason to hesitate. Some of these stories lean into supernatural horror, while others tap into psychological unease, playing with reality in ways that feel surprisingly disturbing. Maybe it's a glimpse of something lurking just out of sight or a character's fate that seems just a little too grim for a Saturday morning cartoon. Either way, these episodes stand out for pushing the usual lighthearted adventure into something far more chilling.

This is, without a doubt, the darkest episode of Pokémon I've ever seen. In this episode, Ash, Brock, and Misty travel to Maiden's Peak. There, they learn about a maiden who lived 2,000 years ago. Her lover left to go to war, and she has been waiting for him ever since. Eventually, she turned into stone.
Every year at this season, the ghost of this girl steals the spirit of a young man. The music is also pretty depressing and quiet. The Ghost of Maiden's Peak is dark, sad, and somewhat beautiful to watch. Also, this introduced Pokémon fusion. Ewww, gross.

This episode is really spooky. Ash and his friends go to Sabrina's gym so Ash can try to get the Marsh Badge. They are soon turned into dolls and become Sabrina's playthings for all eternity. The thought of being turned into a doll just sends chills down my spine, and her motives are pretty messed up. Also, Sabrina's doll is pretty creepy. Fortunately, Ash and his friends are brought back to normal, but it doesn't make the creepiness of this episode go away.

This episode takes place during the Sinnoh saga. The students must partner up and head for the ruins at night. There are ghosts out at this time. Conway finds a partner, but it turns out she is a ghost. And this ghost is horrifying. She possesses Conway and causes mischief, such as, you know, nearly committing suicide because that's for kids!
A Dusknoir tries to stop her from causing mischief, but everyone is horrified by Dusknoir instead. Personally, I would be horrified by the ghost girl rather than the Dusknoir. Ash and his partner reach the ruins, but the girl is there too. She tries to suck them into a portal which leads to the spirit world (although it was called the underworld in the Japanese version, so she's literally trying to take them to hell).
Fortunately, Dusknoir stops her, sends her back through the portal, and closes the portal. There is no explanation of who the girl was. I think the creepiest part of this episode is the atmosphere.

Jessie, James, and Meowth are hiding in a mansion that Ash and his friends are going to enter for shelter, as it is raining outside. Team Rocket is making a plan to catch Pikachu. They enlist some Litwicks to capture Pikachu and scare away the twerps.
Little do they know, the Litwicks are draining Jessie's, James's, Meowth's, Cilan's, Iris's, and Ash's life energy slowly. The imagery in this episode is pretty disturbing. Literally, everyone almost dies in this episode. I think that Scare at The Litwick Mansion is one of the creepiest Pokémon episodes.
It starts out the same as Scare at The Litwick Mansion but without the Litwicks planning to kill. In the mansion, Ash and his friends find an Espurr. The Espurr has a pendant on its neck. The Espurr wants to return it to an old lady who used to live in the mansion. However, it was too late. The woman had passed away. I really love this episode. It's both emotional and horrifying.
Pretty creepy episode. A Yamask lost his mask and attacks the co-curator of the museum because he mistakenly thought his mask was a replica and took the mask away. Yamask is being an angry spirit in this episode and even attacks Ash and his friends when they stay a night in the museum.
Cilan thinks it's a scientific thing, though, but he is actually wrong. Later in the episode, Yamask takes control of Cilan's spirit and attacks the others, which is the creepiest part of the episode in my opinion. ~ Userguy44
Now, I'm sure a lot of you might not remember this episode. It's honestly not a surprise if you don't know what this one is, considering there are over 1,000 episodes of this anime now!
Anyway, Ash, May, Max, and Brock try to help a girl find a Sandshrew that's been in a school in an abandoned city underwater for Arceus knows how long! I really like the concept of a city underneath the water. I think it's very interesting, and I wish something like this was done more in animated TV shows.
I think the thing that makes this episode dark is that the Sandshrew has been all alone for who knows how long, waiting, and unable to do anything.

The episode itself isn't dark or creepy. It's the story that goes with it. Its only broadcast was in Japan on December 16, 1997. The episode had a scene where Pikachu used Thunderbolt on a missile, producing flashing strobe lights. This made over 600 children in Japan have seizures, and they were taken to hospitals immediately. The episode has never aired again in Japan or anywhere outside of Japan since.
The Newcomers
Bro, you will hate the antagonist in this episode after you finish it. Sabrina is the one character I want to go to purgatory and never return.
I don't know why, but this episode reminds me of the game Doors.
