2019 is set to go down as a bumper year for Pokémon. Not only have we had the excellent Detective Pikachu, but Pokémon Go remains hugely popular, Pokémon Masters is looking like a big success, there’s a remake of the first Pokémon movie and, last but not least, there’s the launch of the next full-size adventure on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword and Shield. Now, the latest entry in the long-running anime series has been announced, with The Pokémon Company teasing what’s to come.
The upcoming show will simply be titled Pokémon and can be considered a minor reboot that will cater to both old and new fans of the franchise. As seen by the use of all starting Pokémon from across the games in the video below, the series will bring us an adventure spanning every region seen thus far, from Red/Blue‘s Kanto to Sword and Shield‘s new Galar. In what might be a sop to fans dismayed that the game will not feature every existing Pokémon, this series has the potential to include every single one of the hundreds released to date as well.
Here’s The Pokémon Company’s official press release (translated from Japanese by a helpful Redditor):
“The new “Pocket Monsters” series that was announced today will of course be set in the Galar region from the video games “Pocket Monsters Sword/Shield”, which will be released November 15th, but also in all the other regions that have appeared in the video games so far, including the Kanto region from the original “Red/Green” games and the Jouto region from the sequels “Gold/Silver.”
One aspect fans are curious about is whether longtime protagonist Ash Ketchum will continue his adventures in the show. Despite having been a popular presence in the anime for more than 20 years, some consider it time for his story to end and a new hero take up the reins.
It’s true that he’s been locked in a state of suspended animation for the duration of the show, so a shake-up might be overdue. Besides, there are rumblings that we’ll see a live-action Ash in a Detective Pikachu spinoff. In any case, here’s hoping for more details on this new Pokémon series soon.
