After it was announced back in January that Ash Ketchum’s story would be coming to an end, we thought it was the end of the line for the Pokémon franchise as a whole, as well. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before new projects were in the works, albeit without our hero from Pallet Town. A few months later, in April, TV Tokyo began airing Pokémon Horizons: The Series, which would focus on new protagonists Liko and Roy, as well as the Generation IX starters, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.
So far, Pokémon Horizons is off to a promising start. Almost 20 episodes have aired since April, although none of these episodes have received English dubs as of yet. In the last few days, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company has revealed two more animated series on the way, one of which is a four-part web-exclusive series and the other an iteration of the famous Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Pokémon Horizons: The Series
As we mentioned, Pokémon Horizons has been airing since April and has released 16 episodes thus far at the time of writing. Based on the video game series Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the series features Liko, a girl from the Paldea region accompanied by Sprigatito, and Roy, a boy from the Kanto region accompanied by Fuecoco. The pair are joined by the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers led by Friede, a Pokémon professor, and his partner Pokémon Captain Pikachu.
The English version’s release date is unconfirmed as of this writing.
Pokémon: Paldean Winds
There was once a time where Pokémon adventures were confined to the original anime, following Ash and Pikachu, without other ongoing series parallel to it. Now, we not only have Pokémon Horizons currently airing, there’s also Pokémon: Paldean Winds, a four-part miniseries focuses on academy students looking to find their own futures within the world of Pokémon.
Pokémon: Paldean Winds will consist of four episodes and will premiere on the Official Pokémon YouTube channel on Sept. 6, 2023.
Pokémon: Path to the Peak
Another out-the-box expansion for the Pokémon franchise, Pokémon: Path to the Peak will take place outside of the main Pokémon continuity (Liko and Roy’s timeline, as it stands) and will follow a young girl named Ava who competes in Pokémon Trading Card Game tournaments. The series premiered at the 2023 Pokémon World Championships.
Viewers can expect to the first episode to debut on the official Pokémon YouTube channel on Aug. 11.