Ash Ketchum’s journey has finally ended, ushering in a new age of Pokémon, titled Pokémon Horizons. Rica Matsumoto, Ash/Satoshi’s Japanese voice actress, has bid a fond farewell to him as well. Her final voice work with Ash/Satoshi has reportedly left her choked up with emotion.
Though Ash’s adventures will never truly end, the anime series will move away from him and introduce a cast of new Pokémon trainers. The next saga, known as Pokémon Horizons in the West, will follow Liko, Roy, Captain Pikachu, and others, as shown in the new trailer.
The new series is set to air sometime this year. Until it does, let’s watch Sprigatito make cute faces.
Pokémon maintains the usual websites to follow, such as their primary home page and Twitter page. I’m sure any Pokémon Trainer already has one or two links bookmarked by now. Those websites have since shared the key visual for the new Pokémon series.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All
By now, we should all know the premise of Pokémon, going on an adventure to catch and train Pokémon. We can skip the setup and go straight to the new plot details. Pokémon Horizons is said to adapt some plot elements from the recent Pokémon games, Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, which take place in the Paldea region. Though apparently, Liko attends Indigo Academy in the Kanto region.
The trailer highlights Liko and her first Pokémon, the grass cat Sprigatito. She’s gifted with a pendant that seems to be a noteworthy item for the series.
Roy is the other half of the series’ protagonists, though he didn’t get much screen time. Besides him, there are the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group led by Friede and Captain Pikachu.
Besides the Rising Volt Tacklers, there is another organization known as Explorers, whose member Amethio, and his Ceruledge, are seen battling Liko.
We’re also shown what appears to be a Terastallized shiny Rayquaza.
Pokémon Horizons Origins
Whole books have been written, entire libraries filled with the origins of Pokémon. No sentient beings anywhere are unaware of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, or Ken Sugimori. At this point, Pokémon Horizons may be loosely based on Scarlet & Violet because the academy isn’t even in Paldea, so people can watch without background knowledge.
If you need another addition to a growing Pokémon collection, the J-List shop has you covered. The May with Mudkip 1/8 ARTFX J Figure, a figure showing a cute May with an equally adorable Mudkip, is now available at a discounted pre-order.
Are you excited to see the new chapter of Pokémon? Do you think the series can or should continue without Ash? Do you think you could catch a Terastallized shiny Rayquaza? Let us know in the comments below.
