Liko and Roy’s journey to become Pokémon Masters continues in a brand-new season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series. However, their Pokémon won’t be the only ones evolving.
For the first time in official Pokémon anime franchise history, a time skip will be introduced for the upcoming new episodes of Pokémon Horizons: The Series. While a time skip is a standard storytelling device used to age up a series’ main cast, such as in One Piece or Naruto, it’s one that the Pokémon anime franchise has intentionally avoided for nearly 30 years. Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japan), the original anime protagonist for Pokémon, was infamously depicted as a 10-year-old for his 26-year run that ended in Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (2023).
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Pokémon Anime Introduces a Time Skip for the First Time in Nearly 30 Years
The new Pokémon anime series will go by Pocket Monsters: Mega Voltage. The original Japanese titles for Pokémon Horizons are Pocket Monsters: Liko and Roy’s Departure and The Sparkling of Terapagos. However, the English localization may take a different route when the series premieres in North America, especially if the new anime is rebranded as a new season of Horizons. In addition to the aged-up appearances of Liko, Roy and Dot, a new green-haired character appears to be joining the cast.
Most interestingly, Captain Pikachu, the partner of Pokémon Professor Friede, is teased as Roy’s new partner. The fact that Captain Pikachu is wearing Friede’s goggles around his body and is now working with Roy seems to indicate that something might have happened to his longtime owner. Additionally, Mega Evolutions of various Pokémon are present in the new anime visuals — some of which were recently showcased in Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Considering the “endless summer” framing device of the previous Pokémon seasons with Ash, the decision to move time forward in Pokémon Horizons: The Series is significant. As Taito Okiura, vice president of marketing of The Pokémon Company International, said in 2024, “Horizons invites a new beginning.” Aging up the protagonists — even by a few years — is a decisive creative decision that shows Horizons is willing to go against the norm for its new animated era, perhaps partially in response to criticism of sticking to the same formula that has plagued the previous Pokémon anime seasons and current games.
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A will be released for the Nintendo Switch in late 2025. A Switch 2 release has yet to be announced. New episodes of Pokémon Concierge will premiere on Netflix in September 2025.
New and previous episodes of Pokémon Horizons: The Series are available on Netflix. The official synopsis reads: “Two young adventurers on a thrilling quest visit new lands, unravel ancient mysteries and encounter Pokémon — and Poké Balls — they’ve never seen before!” Previous Pokémon anime TV series, specials and movies are available on numerous streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube.
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
