After two and a half decades, Ash & Pikachu have officially left the building. The Pokémon Anime that started on the 1st April 1997 has now effectively come to a close, with the final episode of the Aim To Be A Pokémon Master mini-series airing in Japan this morning. After a few weeks of a brief pause, a brand new Pokémon Anime will begin in Japan on the 14th April, Pokémon Horizons: The Series – as it will be known in English – will follow the adventures of brand new characters Liko and Roy as they explore the Pokémon World.

Although previously expected to be an adaptation of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, it seems that Pokémon Horizons will follow Pokémon Journeys’ lead in exploring the entire Pokémon World, rather than just the Paldea Region. By teaming up with The Rising Volt Tacklers, led by Friede and his partner Captain Pikachu on their airship, Liko and Roy will explore “new wonders and [make] fascinating discoveries about the Pokémon World”.

Joining Liko and Roy in the Rising Volt Tacklers group will be an additional cast of characters including Orla, who enjoys mechanical and electrical work and is accompanied by her partner Pokémon Metagross; Murdock, who is skilled at cooking, and his partner Pokémon Rockruff; Mollie, who specialises in healing treatments alongside her partner Chansey, and Ludlow, a character who looks enough like a Drampa himself that he apparently doesn’t need a partner Pokémon.

Meanwhile, a rival group called the Explorers, featuring the mysterious Amethio and his partner Ceruledge and a costumed video streamer known as Nidothing, will serve as antagonists to Liko and Roy’s group throughout their adventures.

Although The Pokémon Company has released today’s trailer and information in English alongside the original Japanese vocals, there is currently no indication that the series will be officially subtitled or simulcasted, which is a huge shame. Instead, details on the series’ broadcast outside of Japan will be shared at a later date, with only the promise that they will air this year having been made so far.

We’ll be adding characters from Pokémon Horizons to the Trainer Card Maker over the coming weeks ahead of the series’ premiere in Japan on the 14th, but in the meantime if you wish to celebrate Ash & Pikachu’s adventures as they draw to a close, we recently updated the Trainer Card Maker with a bunch of new backgrounds and Trainers to do just that.