Pokemon Anime to Celebrate 25th Anniversary With New One-Hour Special

Pokemon Journeys will be celebrating the anime’s 25th Anniversary with a new one-hour special! The newest iteration of the anime has been a huge celebration of the franchise’s past as Ash Ketchum and new hero Goh have adventured through every region of the franchise introduced thus far, and this has put them up against some of their toughest challenges so far. At the same time, there has been a ton of room for all kinds of fun as this anime has brought back a ton of familiar fan favorite friends and foes from the past for a big return.  

To celebrate the Pokemon anime’s 25th Anniversary, the April 1st broadcast of Pokemon Journeys in Japan will actually feature a special one-hour event. These will be two episodes that coincide into a mini-arc of their own featuring the returns of Ash’s companions from the X and Y iteration of the series, Clemont (who will be voiced by a returning Yuki Kaji) and Bonnie (who will be voiced by a returning Mariya Ise). You can check out the teaser images from the new one-hour special anime event from the series’ official Twitter account below: 

4/1(金)は #アニポケ 25周年🎊

4月1日(金)よる6時55分から
豪華2本立て「VS四天王1時間バトルスペシャル」の放送が決定‼

アニメ「ポケットモンスターXY」「ポケットモンスターXY&Z」でサトシと一緒にカロス地方を旅したシトロンとユリーカが再登場します✨ pic.twitter.com/gvXe4HJSA6

— アニメ「ポケットモンスター」公式 (@anipoke_PR) March 12, 2022

This special will feature two different episodes. The first is titled “[Ash and Clemont]! Friendship Super Special Training!” and the second is titled “[Ultra Class!] Vs Kalos Elite Four [Drasna]!” The special event will feature Ash heading to Lumiose City as he ends up needing to face off against a member of Kalos’ Elite Four for his next battle in the World Coronation Series, and thus has to do some training before he takes on his next tough challenge. Given that Ash is closer to the Master Class’ Top 8 than ever before, it only makes sense that his battle will be tougher than ever. 

The series is gearing up for even more comebacks from the past as Ash continues to climb his way up through the rankings of this tournament, so this might not be the only way the anime is preparing to celebrate such a monumental anniversary! What do you think? What are you hoping to see in Pokemon Journeys’ new one-hour special? What other characters are you hoping to see make their return to the anime next? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!