Pokémon: Advanced Challenge is the seventh season of the Pokémon anime series and the second season of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation (ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション, Poketto Monsutā Adobansu Jenerēshon). It originally aired in Japan from September 4, 2003, to September 2, 2004, on TV Tokyo, and in the United States from September 11, 2004, to September 10, 2005, on Kids' WB.
The season follows Ash Ketchum as he continues travelling across the Hoenn region with Brock, May, and Max.
The episodes were directed by Masamitsu Hidaka and produced by the animation studio OLM.
Music
The Japanese opening songs are "Advance Adventure" (アドバンスアドベンチャー, Adobansu Adobenchā) by GARDEN for 30 episodes, and "Challenger!!" (チャレンジャー！！, Charenjā!!) by Rica Matsumoto for 22 episodes. The ending songs are "Polka O Dolka" (ポルカ・オ・ドルカ, Poruka O Doruka) by Inuko Inuyama and Nolsol Chorus Group for 4 episodes, Toshiko Ezaki performed "Because the Sky is There" (そこに空があるから, Soko ni Sora ga Aru Kara) for 7 episodes, and "Smile" (スマイル, Sumairu) for 42 episodes, "Full of Summer!!" (いっぱいスーマ!!, Ippai Sumā!!) by Naomi Tamura and Himawari Chorus for 8 episodes, "Smile" (スマイル, Sumairu) by Toshiko Ezaki for 1 episode, and the English opening song is "This Dream" by David Rolfe. A shortened version is used as the end credit song.
In the United States, the series was released on 10 DVD volumes by Viz Media between 2005 and 2006.
Viz Media and Warner Home Video later released Pokémon: Advanced Challenge – The Complete Collection on DVD on December 5, 2017.