Key Takeaways
- Pokemon Horizons new season debuts Feb 7, 2025 in US, not simultaneous with Japan.
- Main characters are Liko & Roy, no Ash Ketchum appearance so far in the story.
- Fans initially mixed about no Ash, but new series gaining popularity with high-quality animation.
More Pokemon Horizons: The Series recently debuted on Netflix, and, for those who want more, the next season now has a official date to be released in the US. Pokemon Horizons is airing in Japan from March 2023, but the international release is not simultaneous to the Japanese broadcast.
Pokemon Horizons is the first anime main series (the one broadcast on Japanese TV) that does not feature Ash Ketchum as the main character. Some fans still speculate Ash will eventually show up as a special guest in the future, but so far he is not present in the story. The main characters this time are Liko and Roy (Rain in the Japanese version).
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So far, 45 episodes are available on Netflix, but the second season is slated to debut on February 7, 2025. It is likely 11-12 episodes will premiere in February, following the pattern of previous parts. Check out the new trailer for the new season:
Pokemon Anime Without Ash Ketchum
Beloved and hated at the same time
Fans were sad when it was announced Ash would not return for a new season after 25 years of Pokemon animation. It was the end of an era. But there was some expectation for this brand-new series. The initial reception was mixed. Some fans loved it, but others hated it, as it would actually be expected of a successor to a well-established story with a globally known character.
The episodes that have just landed on Netflix amazed some viewers, delivering high-quality and beautiful animation. Fans now seem to be enjoying the new story. After all, Ash might not be in the series, but Pikachu is still a main character (a different Pikachu, but anyway).
Pokemon Horizon‘s plot focuses a lot on adventure. In the story, Liko and Roy team up with a group of adventurers, the Rising Volt Tacklers, to explore the world, including the new Paldea region. As usual, this series started right after the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet, the latest Pokemon generation. So far, 74 episodes aired in Japan.
The international release of this new anime got a different path compared to the previous seasons. Pokemon would usually air on American TV before landing on streaming platforms, but Horizons is a Netflix-exclusive continental release (in all the Americas). This change upset some fans, but was well-accepted by others.
Pokemon Horizons
is available to stream on Netflix. It features English as the original audio.
Source: Variety