After 26 years, Ash Ketchum’s journey into pokemon came to an end. The story of the boy who left Pallet Town at just 10 years old alongside a rebellious Pikachu to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon master began in 1997 and marked generations, left great marks on pop culture and was an important part of childhood. many people.
Photo: The Pokémon Company / Canaltech
For this very reason, the news that this plot that seemed endless would end was a shock for many people. After all, with 1,234 episodes and 24 movies, nothing seems to be able to take Ash and his Pikachu out of the spotlight in the series. The boy followed for an incredible 25 seasons as the hero and, even so, it was time to say goodbye.
The reason for this change is more than obvious. although the franchise pokemon stronger than ever, the animation was already showing signs of fatigue and the Pokémon Company had been signaling attempts to breathe new life into these adventures for some time.
In recent years, we’ve seen Ash become a student at a school in the Alola islands and, more recently, share the spotlight with a new hero inspired by the players of Alola. pokemon go. All this already indicated that more radical changes were to come. And, well, they arrived.
Ash’s Farewell
You can’t ignore the fact that Ash’s departure from the anime pokemon is a staple of pop culture as a whole. Although franchise games have been phenomena since their first generation, what really introduced the world of pocket monsters to the general public and boosted all this popularity was the young boy’s journey alongside his Pikachu.
ポケモン最終回、20年振りにEDでタイプワイルドが流れ、感動するサトシと共に肋ったアニポア…
(1993年生まれわし号泣)#アニポケ #anipoke #最高のボロボロ靴 #サトシの最後 #ポケモン pic.twitter.com/VqVJm7NMaB
— ゆっぺ@日本一周完 (@yuppetabi) March 24, 2023
Not by chance, the announcement of his departure was news everywhere, reaching even those who did not follow the cartoon. A sign that the Pokémon Company’s strategy was very successful: more than being the end of an era for animation fans, it was the perfect marketing to attract the world’s attention to this story again.
And this farewell took place on March 24th, when the last episode starring Ash and Pikachu aired. christening of The Rainbow and the Pokemon Master! (The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master, in a free translation), in reference to the initial chapter of the series, he closes the hero’s cycle in a very cute way, mirroring many of the events of his beginning of the journey.
Interestingly, the story does not carry this tone of closure. So much so that it ends with Ash and Pikachu continuing their journey in search of new adventures on their way to becoming the Pokémon Master that the boy always dreamed of being. Thus, the end suggests that, even after being champion in the Galar tournament, the young man still wants to explore much more. The difference is that, this time, we will not follow in his footsteps.
The Pokémon Company does not rule out the possibility of the hero reappearing in the future of the series. Without giving too many details of how and if this will actually happen, the studio just says that we can meet the boy at some other time. And you can bet it’s going to happen and it’s going to be a big event.
A new horizon to be explored
With Ash’s departure, the big doubt arises: how is the future of the series of pokemon? Because a successor already has a name, face and even a release date.
 
The new season of the anime premieres on TV Tokyo on April 14th and will be called pokemon horizons. But the great highlight of this premiere is the existence of two new protagonists, who arrive to fill the gap left by the boy from Pallet Town.
Based on the games pokemon scarlet/violet, the new anime will follow Lika, a girl from the continent of Paldea — the same region as the Switch games —, who receives the Pokémon Sprigatito and moves to the Kanto region to begin her studies at Indigo Academy. For this, she will have the company of a new best friend: Rain, a young man who also started his journey alongside a Fuecoco, the fire starter Pokémon of the current generation.
But we wouldn’t be talking about a shōnen anime if there weren’t some mysteries making these characters special. Thus, the story must delve deeper into the riddle surrounding the strange pendant that Lika received from her grandmother and which seems to have some kind of magical power. In parallel, Rain has a different type of Poké Ball and has no idea what’s inside it.
These two issues should be the central point of the new plot, which will also feature a new team of villains. As Team Rocket also said goodbye to the cartoon, pokemon horizons will feature a group known only as the Explorers as these antagonists on the trail of the heroes.
It has not yet been disclosed what the motivation of this group is, but let’s agree that the screenwriters did not try very hard to keep this secret. With the villains being called Amethito, Zir and Conia, it is clear that their interest is related to the mysterious stone that Liko carries and this will lead the new protagonist to discover the existing power in the accessory.
Pikachu’s future
Anyone who thinks that Ash’s departure and the arrival of new heroes is going to make pokemon horizons give up the great mascot of the entire franchise. The new anime hasn’t even premiered, but it’s already been confirmed that she’ll have a Pikachu to call her own.
In this case, the little yellow mouse that became the face of the series for more than 25 years will continue to appear, but no longer in such a central way. That’s because he will be the companion of one of the new supporting characters in the drawing.
This time, the protagonist children will have the help of a responsible adult to monitor what they are doing. Friede is the Teacher of the season and will help the youngsters not only with his knowledge and experience, but also with his little Pikachu. Or, better said, Captain Pikachu, as the Pokémon now carries a hat to show off its new rank.
It’s not the same Pikachu that we know, but you can bet that the anime won’t make much effort to tell them apart. In fact, it is very likely that we will see another avalanche of licensed products from the little monsters, this time with their new prop. It’s proof that even after 26 years and the end of some milestones, certain things don’t change.
When Pokémon Horizons arrives in Brazil
No word yet on when pokemon horizons arrives in Brazil, but the Pokémon Company itself has already started releasing the trailer in Portuguese and with the names already localized in our language, making it clear that it shouldn’t take long for the season to arrive here.
In this initial disclosure, the company highlights that the launch takes place in 2023, but does not deliver a precise date. So, taking into account that the first episodes will air in Japan on April 14th, it seems a safe bet that we will see Liko and Rain starting their journey in the middle of the second half.
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