Anime

Whenever a type of media brings in the topic of doppelgängers or fake versions of the protagonist group, it’s usually treated negatively in a way. I think this latest episode of Pokémon Horizons might be one of the rare times where the topic of fakes is seen in a positive light, and I actually enjoyed that! This was surprisingly wholesome and cute!

A collaboration between Pokémon UNITE and Pokémon Horizons will take place throughout June, with characters from the animated series appearing in-game. An upcoming anime episode will see Liko, Roy, Dot, and Ult visit Aeos Island. As part of the collaboration, Skeledirge and Quaquaval will be joining the fray this month, on June 4th and June 19th, respectively.

The third batch of new episodes from Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope, the third season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, is now streaming on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. This batch consists of 9 episodes (consisting of the first half of the Rising Again arc), and will be airing one episode per day on CBBC and CBBC HD from Monday to Thursday for the next three weeks.

Episodes from the 9th season of Pokémon the Series, “Pokémon: Battle Frontier”, are now available on the Pokémon TV YouTube channel, with five new episodes being added per week. These uploads have audio tracks in a total of 14 languages and closed captions in 2 languages.

Honestly, this latest episode of Pokémon Horizons was just a relaxing way to kick off the new arc. In a way, this feels like a post-game or epilogue of a Pokémon story. Basically, what lies beyond the end of a journey. I'm excited to see more of Liko and the gang until the start of the Gen 10 games, and what lies in store for the Rising Volt Tacklers as their adventures continue.

The third batch of the third season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, “Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope” will be released on BBC iPlayer and CBBC in the United Kingdom starting May 25th, and premiere on Netflix in the United States, Latin America, the Nordics, and other territories on June 26th. The batch will consist of the first half of the Rising Again arc.

The animated special “Dragonite and the Special Delivery” is now available on the English and other western language YouTube channels. This 14-minute short was originally released in Japan in commemoration of Pokémon Day 2025. The special sees Hana, a young girl who admires the postman Dragonite, finding a letter with no address and going on an adventure with Pokémon to find the sender.

Like the episode’s title, this was a stellar finale for Pokémon Horizons! I can’t believe the main story is done! As someone who’s been following this story since day one, it’s a bit emotional to see how much Liko, Roy, and the others have come so far on their journey to stop the Laquium. Remember that this journey took at least a year in-universe, so it was super satisfying to see all that time and effort were worth it all at the end. However, the ending isn’t completely perfect, which I’ll explain.

The concept of the Laquium Core, and the final boss of Pokémon Horizons’s story, is super unique and I honestly really liked it! I feel like the games should try to make the final bosses be like this, instead of the usual evil organization boss or a Champion.

The latest episode of Pokémon Horizons is a lot better and less clunky compared to the previous episode. Once again the episode has been split up into multiple segments, but the pacing is a lot better, which is surprising.

The next arc of the Pokémon animated series, known as Pocket Monsters: Wonder Voyage (Japanese: 「ポケットモンスター　ワンダーボヤージュ」) will be debuting in Japan starting Friday, May 22nd. The new arc will see the protagonists Liko, Roy, Dot, and Ult set on a fresh adventure, joined by a mysterious new girl accompanied by a Ditto.

This episode of Pokémon Horizons is the first of a multi-part arc finale. I honestly feel a bit divided over the episode, but it’s not terrible. There were some good points and some bad. Who knows? Hopefully the next few episodes will be better!

The first half of Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope is now available for streaming on ABC iview in Australia, consisting of 25 episodes (HZ090 - HZ114). The opening theme for the season is "Evolving Again", written by Ed Goldfarb and Nataan Hong, with vocals by Haven Paschall.

I had assumed Roy's Lucario would have a disobedience arc, but I’m glad that Pokémon Horizons didn’t go that route and opted to give it some focus in this latest episode. Come to think of it, it never really had a true focus episode until now.

The second batch of new episodes from Pokémon Horizons: Season 3—Rising Hope, the third season of Pokémon Horizons: The Series, is now streaming on Netflix in the United States, Latin America, Nordics, and more territories. This batch consists of 10 episodes (consisting of the second half of the Mega Voltage arc).

It’s been a while since Pokémon Horizons had a cozy episode, which are the ones I really enjoy, so it was really nice to see the gang kick back, relax and have fun with their Pokémon and friends before the big confrontation. It does feel like some kind of rest and relaxation before the big final fight sort of thing that I usually see in JRPGs. Heck, characters we haven’t seen in a while return, so that’s a surprise in itself!

While this was a great episode, I also find it both bittersweet and a bit terrifying. It’s bittersweet to see how Coral, Sidian and Chalce were like before, how they are now, and how Hamber has witnessed this all. It’s terrifying because the Strong Spheres have now launched to the general public.

Episodes from the 8th season of Pokémon the Series, "Pokémon: Advanced Battle", are now available on the Pokémon TV YouTube channel, with five new episodes being added per week. These uploads have audio tracks in a total of 14 languages and closed captions in 2 languages.

This was a good episode! Roy finally achieved his goal, making him one of the few main characters in the anime to be able to accomplish something they set out to do. All I can say is that I’m proud of him.

I grew up watching Korean variety shows, and one of the ones I watched always had the song Step by Step by New Kids on the Block playing on some occasions. Since this episode’s title has Step by Step in it, the song was playing in my head.