Summary

  • Pokemon Horizons new season debuts Feb 7, 2025 in US, not simultaneous with Japan.
  • Main characters are Liko & Roy, no Ash Ketchum appearance so far in the story.
  • Fans initially mixed about no Ash, but new series gaining popularity with high-quality animation.

More Pokemon Horizons: The Series recently debuted on Netflix, and, for those who want more, the next season now has a official date to be released in the US. Pokemon Horizons i s airing in Japan from March 2023, but the international release is not simultaneous to the Japanese broadcast.

Pokemon Horizons is the first anime main series (the one broadcast on Japanese TV) that does not feature Ash Ketchum as the main character. Some fans still speculate Ash will eventually show up as a special guest in the future, but so far he is not present in the story. The main characters this time are Liko and Roy (Rain in the Japanese version).

thumbnail image for more competitive ash
If Ash Ketchum Trained Like a Competitive Player

Just because it's your starter Pokemon doesn't mean it's your forever Pokemon.

By 

So far, 45 episodes are available on Netflix, but the second season is slated to debut on February 7, 2025. It is likely 11-12 episodes will premiere in February, following the pattern of previous parts. Check out the new trailer for the new season:

Pokemon Anime Without Ash Ketchum

Beloved and hated at the same time

Fans were sad when it was announced Ash would not return for a new season after 25 years of Pokemon animation. It was the end of an era. But there was some expectation for this brand-new series. The initial reception was mixed. Some fans loved it, but others hated it, as it would actually be expected of a successor to a well-established story with a globally known character.

The episodes that have just landed on Netflix amazed some viewers, delivering high-quality and beautiful animation. Fans now seem to be enjoying the new story. After all, Ash might not be in the series, but Pikachu is still a main character (a different Pikachu, but anyway).

Pokemon Horizon's plot focuses a lot on adventure. In the story, Liko and Roy team up with a group of adventurers, the Rising Volt Tacklers, to explore the world, including the new Paldea region. As usual, this series started right after the release of Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet, the latest Pokemon generation. So far, 74 episodes aired in Japan.

The international release of this new anime got a different path compared to the previous seasons. Pokemon would usually air on American TV before landing on streaming platforms, but Horizons is a Netflix-exclusive continental release (in all the Americas). This change upset some fans, but was well-accepted by others.

Pokemon Horizons is available to stream on Netflix. It features English as the original audio.

Source: Variety

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    Pokémon
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    TV-Y7
    Animation
    Adventure
    Anime
    Fantasy
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    Release Date
    1997 - 2023
    Network
    TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
    Directors
    Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
    Writers
    Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
    Franchise(s)
    Pokemon
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    Cast

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      Rica Matsumoto
      Satoshi (voice)
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      Ikue Otani
      Pikachu (voice)

    WHERE TO WATCH

    Streaming
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    Pokemon Scarlet
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    RPG
    Adventure
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    Systems
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    Released
    November 18, 2022
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    e
    Developer(s)
    Game Freak
    Publisher(s)
    Nintendo
    Engine
    Proprietary Engine
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    WHERE TO PLAY

    PHYSICAL
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    Genre(s)
    RPG, Adventure
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    Pokemon Violet
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    RPG
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    Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 48%
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    Released
    November 18, 2022
    ESRB
    Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
    Developer(s)
    Game Freak
    Publisher(s)
    Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
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    Latias Using Mist Ball In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
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    Latias Using Mist Ball In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
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    A screenshot from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet showing Tepig, Litten, Squirtle, and Turtwig.
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    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Record-Setting Sales Put a Ton of Pressure on Gen 10
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    Pokemon Scarlet and Violet characters
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    WHERE TO PLAY

    DIGITAL
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    Genre(s)
    RPG