The latest season of The Pokémon Company‘s long-running anime show is due to debut later this month. While series star Ash Ketchum returns, once again, to continue his quest of becoming a Pokémon Master, fans are exceptionally excited about his upcoming adventures for several reasons. First and foremost, this season is being marketed as a soft reboot, of sorts, for Ash and his partner in crime Pikachu, as the Trainer will be returning to where it all began – Pallet Town.
From his hometown, Professor Oak’s protégé will retrace his footsteps on a globetrotting journey from Kanto back to Alola (where Ash finally won a League title) alongside new protagonist Gou and his Scorbunny. But before all of that, the show’s creators appear to have a special episode planned in what’s sure to be the ultimate fan service.
A new trailer released yesterday confirmed that the series’ first episode will air on November 15th and be titled “Pikachu is Born.” According to Serebii, the special will presented in the form of a flashback that explores the origins of Pikachu – as its pre-evolved form Pichu – before he met Ash.
As of writing, it remains to be seen if the episode is intended to be part of the anime’s new season or whether The Pokémon Company intends for the side story to be a standalone piece. The series’ official start date isn’t until later this month, after all, and the decision to have Pikachu’s solo adventure air on the exact same day as Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s long-awaited release day surely isn’t a coincidence. Whatever the case, color us excited.
As for Sword and Shield, you can brush up on all the latest news for this year’s Switch exclusives by heading over here.
