Following a short hiatus after having emerged victorious in the Alolan League, Ash Ketchum, now a bonafide Pokémon champion, returned to TV screens over the weekend.
The brand new anime season, which aired its first episode in Japan on November 15th to coincide with the global launch of Pokémon Sword and Shield, sees the iconic Trainer return, once again, to pursue his ultimate dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. This time around, however, Ash’s adventure won’t be confined to a single region, but take him on a globetrotting journey across the known Pokémon world.
From Kanto and Johto to Kalos and even the newly-introduced Galar, Professor Oak’s protégé is expected to revisit a number of events, places and people from the past, beginning with none other than his hometown of Pallet. It remains to be seen where Ash’s quest will take him next, however, as last week’s initial episode took some time out to explore the origins of his pal Pikachu.
What’s more, The Pokémon Company has yet to confirm when fans can expect the usual localization to begin airing overseas, though you’re not forced to miss out entirely. For the first time in its 20-year history, the show will be available to watch for free on YouTube starting with its newest season. TV Tokyo intends to upload each episode to the site after their initial airing in Japan for worldwide Pokéfans to enjoy, though these too, will be available in Japanese only.
It’s fantastic news for the multilingual folks out there, of course, but for everyone else, this is certainly a happy compromise until the international dub arrives.
As and when The Pokémon Company locks in a date for that, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. For now, let us know in the comments below which location from Ash’s past you can’t wait to see him revisit.
