Reported Pokemon Anime Artwork Surfaces with Sword and Shield Starters

Pokemon fans are in for a big few months. Not only is the franchise set to debut its next video games this November with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but there is more to come on the small screen. After all, the Alola League is coming to a close, and fans are eager to see where the Pokemon anime goes next. And if a recent promo image has anything to say, it is that Pokemon is about get real interesting.

Over on Twitter, Pokemon fans had their curiosity piqued when the owner of Pokeshopper shared a promo image. Paul Ryan posted the cover artwork of the official Pokemon 2020 calendar, but fans immediately questioned its use of anime graphics.

As Ryan notes, the artwork uses the anime logo cover, and that has fans questioning whether the cover is meant to tie in to the upcoming season of Pokemon. For those of you unaware, The Pokemon Company came out this month with a major tease about the anime. Next year will welcome a new take on the anime simply titled Pokemon that houses all of the series' many monsters. Featuring every region, this upcoming Pokemon anime will be unlike any before it, and fans are curious if this calendar is meant to hype its release.

The official Pokémon 2020 with anime logo cover.

Features SwSh starters, Sylveon, Shaymin and Alolan Vulpix! pic.twitter.com/wdOWDp9M10

— Paul Ryan (@Paulrobertryan) September 6, 2019

After all, the starters of Pokemon Sword and Shield can be seen on the cover. Grookey, Sobble, and Scorbunny look super cute next to Pikachu in all their anime style. For now, fans can only speculate whether this cover art does tie into the anime and what it may mean for the anime.

For those curious about the upcoming anime, fans can expect to learn more about it soon. The Pokemon Company confirmed new details about the project will be released on September 29. Currently, the series' anime is working through the Alola League arc, and Ash Ketchum has found himself in the finals. Audiences are hopeful the trainer will finally become a champion through this arc, so here's to hoping all goes well for Ash this time around.

So, what do you think about this curious Pokemon cover? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!