With Ash And Pikachu Gone, Here's What’s On The Horizon For The 'Pokémon' Anime

The international title for the new series has been revealed

In December, it was announced that Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, and presumably his closest support circles, would be retiring from the Pokémon anime, and with it, the next anime was announced as well, giving a first look at new protagonists Liko and Roy, as well as her Sprigatito and a mysterious shiny Rayquaza.

At the start of March, the first standalone trailer was released, spotlighting Liko’s “awe-inspiring” pendant and her longing for adventure. Roy wants to battle Legendary Pokémon and has a mysterious bejeweled Poké Ball, in a hopeful fully-explored second chance at the GS Ball storyline. We were then introduced to Friede, a Pokémon Professor with a penchant for flying, and his partner Captain Pikachu, keeping the franchise mascot onscreen in a new way. An April 14 premiere date was also revealed.

A fuller trailer was released following the airing of Ash’s final episode in Japan on Friday, which revealed the international title for the series: Pokémon Horizons: The Series. The international rollout is still imprecise but it’s great to know so far in advance. The remaining 26 episodes of Ash’s journey and the start of Horizons will all happen before the year is out, at least, so the gaps are seeming to shrink. The trailers didn’t explain much, but it turns out Friede leads a team called the Volt Tacklers: Orla the machine enthusiast, and her Metagross, Murdock, the cook and his Rockruff (someone needs to be there to eat what he drops on the floor!), Mollie the healer with a Chansey (of course), and Ludlow, who’s a fisher. The trainer with the Ceruledge is named Amethio and belongs to an organization known as the Explorers. There’s also an apparently popular streamer named Nidothing, who dresses in a Nidorina costume.

In the leadup to the April 14 Japanese premiere of Horizons: the Pocket Monsters Music Festival next week, which will see performances of many of the series’s Japanese opening themes, including the debut of the first for the new series, titled "Heart-Pounding Diary". On April 7, "New Series Pocket Monsters Pokémon Investigation Team" will air, however no details about it are currently available.

Source: Variety