Years ago, Ash Ketchum departed from the Pokémon anime once he achieved his dream of becoming the Pokémon World Champion. Once the former star let go of the reins and walked off into the sunset with Pikachu, new stars Liko and Roy are leading the charge via Pokemon Horizons. In Japan, the anime series releases new episodes weekly, but fans in North America have to wait for some time to witness the latest installments. Luckily, Western anime enthusiasts won’t have to wait much longer as Netflix is set to welcome more Pokémon to its streaming service sooner than you might expect.
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On January 6th, Netflix is airing the third season of Pokémon Horizons, Pokémon Horizons Season 3: Rising Hope Part 1. While Liko and Roy are returning to their duties as the anime stars of the series, one year has passed in the universe since the last time we saw them on the streaming service. Rising Hope Part 1 not only will focus on the Pokémon trainers, but they won’t be alone, according to the new breakdown, “A year after the events in Laqua, Liko and Roy – joined by Dot and Ult – investigate a mysterious pink mist harming Pokémon across all regions.” Netflix has been the exclusive streaming service for Pokémon Horizons over the past few years, and it looks like this fact isn’t changing anytime soon.
Pokémon’s Anime Adventures
While Netflix isn’t releasing Pokémon Horizons weekly, the streaming service is covering ground in terms of keeping in step with the Japanese release. Rising Hope Part 1 is the first part of a three-part storyline, with the anime in the East still covering this arc. Based on the past releases, we have to imagine that the streaming service will have more Horizons episodes to air following this batch of installments. While the future is looking bright for Liko and Roy, many Pokémon fans have been wondering about one aspect of the anime that has been missing from the franchise for years.
Since Ash Ketchum left the series, the anime franchise has yet to return to the silver screen following 2021’s Pokemon The Movie: Secrets of the Jungle. To date, no movie has been confirmed for Liko and Roy, leaving many to wonder if the popular franchise has faith in these two stars to helm their own theatrical adventure. Luckily, the new protagonists currently have over one hundred and fifty episodes of anime under their belts, and while they still have a way to go before they can hit the same number as Ash and Pikachu, they have cemented themselves within this universe. With Pokémon still seeing serious success with the likes of its video games, card games, and merchandise, the anime franchise is still going strong regardless of a lack of movies and it will more than likely continue to do so.
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Image Courtesy of Crunchyroll -
Image Courtesy of Toei Animation
