Time to feel old everyone. The Pokemon Company have shared an official English language trailer for the next Pokemon anime, called Pokemon Horizons.
The current Pokemon anime, Pokemon: I Wanna Be A Pokemon Master, is ending soon. With Ash having already achieved his dream of being the Pokemon World Champion, his 26 year journey is mostly over, with the final episodes serving to fill in whatever story gaps are left.
The next anime, Pokemon Horizons, is starting with a completely new story, based on the Paldea region in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and features two protagonists. A lot of the details about those new protagonists, Liko and Roy, and their professor, Professor Friede, have already been shared before, but this new trailer puts it all together in a way we can all understand.
Liko is seen taking her mysterious pendant, and then there are other scenes showing her with her Sprigatito (that’s the green cat).
We then cut to Professor Friede, and Captain Pikachu just behind him, as they navigate a massive airship over Paldea. The camera then pans to Friede’s crew, before moving back to Liko.
Apparently her mysterious pendant holds mysterious powers, as the camera pans to an extreme close up of Miraidon.
We then get a shot of Professor Friede riding what looks like a Charizard in the air, before the camera pans to Roy.
We don’t know as much about Roy, but he seems to be a lot like Pikachu, an earnest young boy who only dreams of becoming a Pokemon master. Roy has a Fuecoco, whose orange fur (or is it feathers? Scales?) somehow matches well with the red of his shirt.
Finally, Liko is seen challenging a mysterious antagonist, who may be a member of this anime’s version of Team Rocket.
Nintendo also shared production art of Liko and Roy, officially ushering in the new protagonists:
The trailer is combination of new and familiar elements, as Roy and Captain Pikachu seem to have been added to make older Pokemon fans feel at home. However, the story seems to be all about Liko, and her coming-of-age story, which looks like it will be a full bildungsroman.
Overall, though, it does feel like we should have gotten this generational change for Pokemon years ago. The kids who grew up with Ash are literally adults know. When you compare that to, say, how Yu-Gi-Oh did switch protagonists around with each new anime series, to keep the series fresh, The Pokemon Company was too conservative with their characters.
As shared by GoNintendo, you can read the official press release for Pokemon Horizons and watch the trailer below.
“ In “Pokémon Horizons: The Series,” dual protagonists Liko, whose partner Pokémon is Sprigatito, and Roy will encounter many characters during their journey, including a group led by Friede and Captain Pikachu called the Rising Volt Tacklers. Traveling across the Pokémon world on an airship, the Rising Volt Tacklers include Orla, who enjoys mechanical and electrical work and is accompanied by her partner Pokémon, Metagross; Murdock, who is skilled at cooking, and his partner Pokémon, Rockruff; Mollie, who specializes in healing treatments, and her partner Pokémon, Chansey; and Ludlow. Liko and Roy will also come across Amethio, who is joined by his partner Pokémon, Ceruledge, and belongs to an organization called the Explorers, as well as a popular video streamer known as Nidothing.
“‘Pokémon Horizons: The Series’ is set to be a thrilling journey that explores new wonders and makes fascinating discoveries about the Pokémon world,” said Taito Okiura, vice president of marketing for The Pokémon Company International. “The latest ‘Pokémon Horizons: The Series’ trailer sheds further light on the mysterious adventures that await Liko and Roy, and we invite Trainers to join in unraveling these secrets when the series begins premiering outside of Japan later this year.”
