New Pokemon Anime Series Has a Time Skip

The next season of Pokemon Horizons will have a time skip, according to a recently revealed marketing material. A time skip would break a huge tradition in the Pokemon franchise, as the series’ previous protagonist Ash remained as a 10-year-old for essentially all seasons, and it’s a surprising move for the new era of the show to age its main characters.

The Pokemon anime started in 1997 in Japan and 1999 in the United States. The original show lasted for 25 seasons with Ash Ketchum as its protagonist. One of the most enduring aspects of the series, besides the presence of Ash and his iconic Pikachu, was that the anime’s protagonist simply did not age at all. In 2023, Pokemon Horizons was released with new main characters, Liko and Roy.

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Now, Centro Leaks has shared a new poster for the upcoming Pokemon Horizons: Mega Voltage, which is set to be the third season of the popular TV show. In the new poster, Liko and Roy can be seen as significantly older characters. In the first seasons of the TV show, the duo appears to be around 13 years old, while they will likely be 15 or 16 years old in the upcoming third season of the anime. At the moment, not much is known about the story, though, which will likely be aired in Japan later this year.

New Poster Indicates Time Skip for New Season of Pokemon Horizons

Mega Voltage will be a follow-up to the second season of Pokemon Horizons, which debuted early in 2025 in the United States. In the current season, Liko and Roy are enrolled into the Naranja Academy in Paldea to learn more about Terastal Training, and face new challenges there.

The new era of the TV show has introduced several new elements to the franchise. For example, a new Poke Ball recently appeared in the Pokemon anime. However, a time skip would certainly be a significant change that could be controversial among fans.

Certainly, the most controversial aspect of the time skip is that if Liko and Roy have aged, Ash Ketchum could stop being a 10-year-old, too. Previously, producers have commented that Ash could appear in the Pokemon anime again, so it would certainly be a huge event if an older version of the character made an appearance. However, the producers have also confirmed that the story will focus on Liko and Roy for the moment, so it’s also possible that the most iconic hero of the franchise may not appear anytime soon.

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Satoshi Tajiri