ThePokemonanime is in the process of saying goodbye to longtime protagonist Ash Ketchum, but when the show comes back on in April, fans can look forward to meeting his replacements, Liko and Roy. ThePokemonanime has featured Ash and his adventures for decades now, but it seems it’s finally time for the long-running series to move on and put fresh faces in the spotlight.
The Pokemon Company first revealed the designs for the new protagonists a couple of months ago, leading to widespread fan theories and speculation as to their identities. One popular theory is that thenew female protagonist in thePokemonseries is actually Ash’s daughter, though that has yet to be confirmed. WhilePokemonanime fans are still waiting on confirmation on that particular theory, a new trailer has revealed more information about the new heroes.
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The newPokemonanime series will premiere April 14 in Japan with an hour-long special introducing the new heroes and their adventures in thePaldea region. The female protagonist in the newPokemonanime series is Liko, who is equipped with an “awe-inspiring pendant,” while the male protagonist is named Roy, equipped with a mysterious Poke Ball. They will be joined on their journeys by a Pokemon Professor named Friede, alongside Captain Pikachu.
Based on the trailer, it seems Liko’sstarter Pokemon will be Sprigatito, the Grass-type starter fromPokemon Scarlet and Violet, while Roy will be paired with Fuecoco. The official art at the end of the newPokemonanime trailer shows Quaxly front and center as well, flanked by a variety of other Pokemon from various generations. Notably, Friede can be seen riding on the back of a Charizard.
The newPokemonanime will be set in the Paldea region and be based on the recently-releasedPokemon Scarlet and Violetgames. The shift from Ash to new protagonists is a massive gamble, but it could very well pay off. Those in Japan can find out when the newPokemonanime series premieres in April, but everyone else will have to wait for the dubs to be distributed worldwide. Official release date information for thePokemonanime dubs are not available at the time of this writing, but it’s likely that the English language version of the show will hit the Netflix streaming service a few months after it makes its big debut in Japan.
Some fans may be sad to see Ash go, but others may be excited for new protagonists to take charge. Fans will have to tune in to see if the cast is 100% new, or if the newPokemonanime series includes some familiar faces.
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