Pokemon Sword and Shield not only introduced a fresh new region to the franchise with Galar, but also expanded on the lore of the world as a whole. This will continue with its next set of releases as an upcoming Expansion Pass has been announced with two whole new areas inspired by Scotland and the Isle of Man. This is exciting for the video game franchise, for sure, but this new expansion is also pretty exciting for the future of the anime series as it gives it two huge potential new avenues to explore. But it might not be as long of a wait as one would think.
Videos by ComicBook.com
You might think that because this new Expansion Pass adds new story beats following the original game it would be a long time before these new regions shows up in the anime. But because this latest iteration of the series has shaken up its style of storytelling in a major way, Ash and new series hero Go can visit any region of the world they want at any time.
Rather than just simply be limited to Galar, this latest iteration of the anime has yet to see Ash and Go take on the official gym challenge of that region. Outside of an episode or two venturing through Galar towards the beginning of the series, they have instead spent their time thus far running through Kanto, Hoenn, and most recently, Sinnoh. A future episode of the series even teases Ash’s return to the Johto region too.
Because Ash is already an accomplished Champion, and because Go’s goal is more focused on collecting as many Pokemon as possible rather than taking on gyms, the two have been more open to explore. With this Expansion Pass DLC touting more Pokemon in the game, and even updated versions of Kanto’s Legendary Birds, a future episode of the series could have them visiting these strange new areas before even going through Galar as a whole.
The two of them are picking and choosing their adventures this time around, visiting a different area each week, and seem to be introduced to Galar’s new elements pretty sporadically. But as this new DLC will provide a major upgrade to the game, putting the regions in a future episode of the series would make it all the more enticing to Pokemon Sword and Shield owners.
Would you mind if the expansion areas make it to the anime before other Galar cities and gyms, or do you want to see a more traditional run through Galar before adapting this point in the game’s story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter! Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. There’s also a brand new film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco.
