Yo-kai Watch Movies

A Yo-kai Watch movie is a theatrical release that is usually based on the anime series, but have a greater length of detail to them compared to the episodes. Some of the other ones are based on different adaptations of the franchise and usually have a tie-in of some sort in the corresponding game released around the time.

Every movie usually comes out during the winter in Japan, along with an announcement in the spring and summer season, and a home video release in next summer. So far, only one of the movies has been dubbed into English.

There are currently a total of five movies released.

Connection with the anime
There have been instances where the Yo-kai Watch movies connect with the anime or not, depending if there's a setup or anything else.

The timeline placement of Yo-kai Watch: The Movie in the anime series has been debated, with the placement usually taking place between EP049 and EP050 (which is around the time of the movie's theatrical release in Japan), or after Whisper's Secret Past, as Kin and Gin never appear in the anime ever again. Elements related to the movie would be mentioned later on in the anime such as Nathaniel shown to have created the first watch, confirming that the movie does canonically take place in the anime series.

However, Christmas Blackout! Time for a Yo-kai Watch Update! serves as a proper prologue to M02, with Duke Doggy and Aristokat being the antagonists of the episode, Lord Enma's human form making a cameo at the end and Nate and Hailey welding the upgraded watches in the movie. The movie's Japanese release after the episode's original airing further confirms it.

The events of M03 have not been confirmed just like the first movie, but EP200 has a plot where Komasan is a giant whale that makes wishes come true, in a similar vein to the one in the movie. The movie's television premiere followed afterwards, suggesting that the events of the movie happen after that episode.

M04, M05 and M06 are stories that don't focus on Nathan Adams, Jibanyan and Whisper, but rather with a different cast of characters instead. the fourth movie serves as an overall prologue to the Yo-kai Watch Shadowside anime, with the events of it being recapped in the first episode of the series. The same also applies to M06, with the series taking place after the movie.

Tie-ins with the video games
In most of the Yo-kai Watch video games, content from the movies are occasionally included for promotional purposes.

The entire plot of Yo-kai Watch: The Movie is based on Yo-kai Watch 2, with several elements taken from Psychic Specters like Dame Dedtime's backstory and the presence of Bronzlow. The movie itself was also released in Japan around the time Psychic Specters came out. Unlockable concept art from the movie can be found by completing a Quest exclusive to that version.

The Moon Rabbit Crew expansion for Yo-kai Watch Blasters, adds several new Yo-kai, Missions and Big Bosses that appear in M02. Some of the missions are also loosely based on the story's plot, with the Zazel battle being the most reminiscent of the movie.

Exclusively in Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki, there is a quest that is loosely based on M03, that makes the characters and Yo-kai look more real based on a mysterious flying whale.

M04 ties into two games, which are Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 and to an extent Yo-kai Watch 4, despite the latter basing it more from the anime series. Jaou Kaira and Fudou Myouou can be befriended in Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 by obtaining certain key items, which will allow the player to battle them.

Trivia

 * Before the Zazel Boss fight in Moon Rabbit Crew, Spoilerina breaks the fourth wall by warning everyone that the next mission will "contain spoilers for the next movie". However, the line is fully translated in all European languages, even though the second movie has yet to get an English dub.
 * However, M02 eventually got dubbed into Latin Spanish which was released on Disney XD on December 7, 2019.
 * When asked about an English dub of the other Yo-kai Watch movies at the Anime Expo Level-5 Panel in 2019, they said they were interested in doing it, as some of the movies (especially M04) are necessary to understand the story of the series.