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Review HZ136: Stellar Finale

What an epic conclusion episode for the Arc. Which pagogo and the remaining six heroes remain there to safe guard the Laqua if the Pink Crystal crisis ever come back again.

Also for Spinel, he got what he deserve in the most cruel way for his Umbreon abandon him that hurt him more than that for trying to enforce the effect of Laquium. Thankfully, it a cheerful farewell. I'll really hated, if Liko cry again.

Overall rating: A+
 
Yeah, I think I've officially hit fatigue with the anime because this was such a disappointing and underwhelming finale to a disappointing and underwhelming Laqua finale arc.


Rayquaza and Zygarde mega evolving was dull and I hate how we didn't get to see Amethio collect more Zygarde cells which would have made this felt much more earned, the battle with Liko and Spinel was underwhelming and should have been way more epic than it was and there's just a genuine feeling of tiredness all around as if the writers are so bored of their own story they just want to wrap it up as quickly as possible.

Also what was the point of Perrin and the Wynaut guy going with them? I thought they would have helped to get the truth out that the RVT are good people but instead these two did absolutely nothing and should have just stayed behind in Paldea.

Lucius, Gibeon and Rystal's cameos were cool (and very likely the last time we will see them), Terapagos's departure was handled well, seeing a young Spinel was nice though too brief and Coral is well Coral but this really did not hit the way I thought it would and I think I'm done with HZ to be honest. These past two arcs have been so lacking across the board that it's sapped any enjoyment I once got out of the series and asides from any non-episode review threads (and maybe the last last episode) I wanna leave you all in peace to enjoy the rest of the show. Hopefully you all will get much more enjoyment over what's to come.
 
WTF even was this XD I have no words

I mean the action itself was cool
There were some cool moments
A lot of them actually
but

AAAAA

I can't even articulate this XD

We learned Spinel. Had an Eevee.
That's it
Like
What
Yeah.
Oh well...

He was done so dirty, ans i don't mean the fact that he lost. He obviously should have lost, that is good. But.
Asjfkfmgkgmg
 
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NumberOneSpinelApologist said:
WTF even was this XD I have no words

I mean the action itself was cool
There were some cool moments
A lot of them actually
but

AAAAA

I can't even articulate this XD

We learned Spinel. Had an Eevee.
That's it
Like
What
Yeah.
Oh well...

He was done so dirty, ans i don't mean the fact that he lost. He obviously should have lost, that is good. But.
Asjfkfmgkgmg
Click to expand...
and he got arrested, which means cervantis is the new head of exceed, and they must erase their evil spinel era
 
The ending was a little bit telegraphed, but all this episode proves is that the series was missing a few episodes. And another one for the aftermath. Or at least extra 10-15 minutes today because oh was this rushed at points.

It's cute and good to see the protagonists' closure. It's frustrating to see such little closure and explanation for the antagonists. What was Spinel's motivation and goal all along? What was Chalce's deal with Spinel, Hamber, Exceed? I guess it was about the school but we never learned. What does her last scene mean? She changed her outfit so it's "good bye old, evil Chalce" but she also turned around so...? Who funds the new school, Hamber? Is that Spinel's fulfilled promise or the renewed Exceed charity-washing their corporate image?

Coral and Sidian seem to enjoy themselves but then again, why were they with Explorers at all? If we got half an episode to explain how did they get mega-bracelets we could have this explained.

Is Spinel in jail? it's hard to tell really. Maybe he's hiding in the remains of the Exceed compound on Kumuri? We did not see a single frame with Spinel in handcuffs or in a courtroom, so eh, if I think really hard about the context he was in jail (Exceed would probably try to clean up Laqua now, Spinel would probably not try to show up at the site again) but then how did Umbreon get back to civilization? Again I guess once Spinel was found Umbreon would be also taken care of, but apparently it's free to roam the night so... maybe it evaded the police? Because it avoids Spinel now? Maybe Umbreon would even help the investigators? An insane pipe dream, but hey, drop a 30-sec scene with Looker and Emma (and Uruto) on the hunt meeting Umbreon in the forest and together they find Spinel. But eh no, no fanservice for us.

It's infuriating because now we won't get these answers and it wouldn't really take that much. All of this could be resolved with single lines of dialogue or with one or two extra slides in the "post-Spinel world slideshow". But then the word "Reboot" was written with huge text so this kind of kills the hope of us ever learning this.
 
Considering that they managed to make an absolutely bonkers fan like me feel disappointed in this series and make me seriously complain, well, that really means something LOL

There were so many interesting themes that could be explored through thout the series. Some could have had meaningful conclusion in the finale. We definitely needed more of an epilogue here.

And:
Where the fuck are Beheeyem and Magnezone now?


So. many. plotpoints. that were just reduced to like. Either a single meaningless flashback. Or just:

Ok. Amethio just knows how to mega 100% Zygarde now. Whatever.

And I kind of finally related to the critique of the girls not having megas. Because in this finale, they really did feel outshined a bit.

Good at least that Liko still was shown as the leader of the purification ritual operation, thanks to Pagogo.
RetroPokeFan said:
I think I'm done with HZ to be honest.
Click to expand...
I never thought anything ever would make me say this, but
This episode made me relate to this sentiment as well.

I will keep watching because reasons, but I will be radically revising my expectations and what this series will mean to me from now on
 
Three weeks from Now, We go into the Fun Arc, For Now, we can reflect on what happened and TX will play some more Top 40 Moments (This worked when Anipoke took breaks in the past)
 
Well, save Spinel getting what he deserves, it was a bit of an underwhelming finale. However, the way it was set up, the finale did what it was supposed to do. I just hope that the next sequence of episodes have some fun and interesting adventures before we move to whatever is next for the anime.
 
I can't calm down LOL
They did not want to give him a tragic backstory (decent move)...but in the finale only! they made him act like he had a tragic backstory.
And so they gave no backstory at all. Its like they wanted to have the cookie and eat a cookie but instead there was no cookie all along
 
Hamber and Chalce have left the Explorers, Cervantis took over and they got the Drugged Spheres Recalled and they are collecting them
 
The finale to the main story was just okay imo
but yeah, it definitely feels like HZ was supposed to initially end here with maybe a few more episodes afterward to setup where the RVT will go next and the conclusion of the series but oh well

I’ll give the first handful of Wonder Voyage episodes a shot and if it doesn’t click, I’ll just pick and choose what to watch and skip until HZ ends
 
Wy-Wes and Perrin were represented by the Occulture edition seen at the end of the episode.

vlcsnap-2026-05-01-13h22m03s739.png


Which means they fulfilled their promise to clear the name of the Rising Volt Tacklers.

The writers were responsible for wrapping up the stories of nearly 30 characters in this episode, so there wasn't enough time for anything more detailed. Much was left unsaid through dialogue and transition scenes.

I think from now on, the next episodes will be mostly filler until the new series arrives. Which means some of these characters said their goodbyes today. As the first attempt without Ash, I thought it was a good anime; nothing spectacular, but it had its positive points. I still think Diamond & Pearl, XY, and Journeys are better, but I thought they did a good job with what they had.

LegendsCelebi said:
It's cute and good to see the protagonists' closure. It's frustrating to see such little closure and explanation for the antagonists. What was Spinel's motivation and goal all along? What was Chalce's deal with Spinel, Hamber, Exceed? I guess it was about the school but we never learned. What does her last scene mean? She changed her outfit so it's "good bye old, evil Chalce" but she also turned around so...? Who funds the new school, Hamber? Is that Spinel's fulfilled promise or the renewed Exceed charity-washing their corporate image?
Click to expand...
Evil-Chalce vanished when she realized the sacrifices Medicham was making for her.

Theoretically, all the Explorer Admins have been shown to have a good side, except for the duo from Indy and Rubella who nobody cares about.
 
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I'm somehow not as disappointed as I expected to be. There was too much to wrap up in a 20 minutes episode anyways, that's often the issue when you have to conclude a story. If anything, I'm happy we got to see the conclusion of many characters from the arc, even shortly.

I thought the "powerful attack" needed to break the core would be a Stellar-type move from Terapagos (in addition to the two megas), but instead they made Liko 1VS1 Spinel. Honestly I'm fine with that. This is the overwhelming victory of the girl for whom bonds with Pokemon mean everything, against the man who never believed in those bonds. I'm just happy that Liko had something special to do, defeating the human antagonist while showing the proof of her beliefs.
I do find it poetic how they solved the issue of leading Spinel towards a redemption, but "it was too late". After being told for so long about the consequences of Rakurium, we've finally seen it with our own eyes: Umbreon abandoned her trainer. We never learned much about Spinel and why he was like this, but I'd say his ending was fitting. All alone in a dark cell.

I'm curious about the meaning of "reboot" for the RVTs. For starters, it looks like they got rid of the upgrade thrusters on the Asagi... but asides from that, what would a "reboot" be? I doubt they're getting rid of the adult RVTs, and we already did the schtick about Roy becoming the new leader over Friede. Will this be about finding a new meaning to the RVTs? I can barely remember the original reason why Friede created the group, was it just to travel around the world and research more on Pokemons?
We're gonna have to wait a few weeks before we know where we're going with Wonder Voyage.

1777688634156.webp
Also looks like Liko and Dot have a fanclub of their own now (that, or they have MORE copycats).
 
Just finished watching the episode. While there was room to assume Exceed connections are how the Explorers admins suddenly got mega rings, suddenly manifesting one for Amethio out of thin air (given his reaction, it could be inferred he didn't even have one equipped at all) is bothering me more than it should. As for how Spinel got handled, there was a lot of speculation of how his past was and then culminating with a flashback that served more to provide weight to Umbreon leaving him left... a bit to be desired. Also, was he the only one arrested? His two cardboard cutout extras were a lot more complicit than most grunts so were they also punished with imprisonment or expelled? I might give this another rewatch later in the day to see if I am receptive to the episode but for now, guess I'll be in the waiting room for Wonder Voyage.
 
I love Pokémon Horizons and I always will.
This show just means so much to me.
I was there in 2023 when the show first got revealed, when those fan subs finally came out, and I was instantly enamored.
The fact that it's now 2026 and we finally saw the end to this years long epic, it's just magical.
The difference between Liko and Spinel, with Liko's love for Pokémon bringing her happiness and friends, while Spinel's focus on greed superceding his love leaves him with nothing.
Spinel is left a broken man with nothing in the end.
No money, no friends, nothing.
He loved Umbreon deep down, however that never excused how he used them for evil and the abuse he flung upon them.
The fight between Liko and Spinel in the end is beautifully animated too.

Screenshot_2026-05-02-09-49-57-752_is.xyz.mpv_1777709417078edit.webp
I love Pokémon too, Liko. I always have and I always will.
It was probably my first ever love, honestly. I remember being a little kid, playing Pokémon Leaf Green, picking Squirtle.. Watching the first anime episode in Dutch, a language I don't even understand.
Talking to everyone about Pokémon, annoying everyone who didn't care with my hyperfixiation.
Annoying my dad by watching Pokémon episodes on my iPad instead of playing hide and seek with him.
I love Pokémon!
And I love the Pokémon anime, but it's never really been one of my favourite shows until Horizons (aside from DP).
All the characters in Horizons are just made with so much love, the script writers, voice actors, animators, everyone. They all put their all into these characters and you can feel that love and effort, at least I can.
I know it's not perfect, I know Horizons is a flawed show and for some people, those flaws make it impossible for them to enjoy it. That's a valid opinion, I'm just saying that those flaws don't even come close to stopping my love for the show.
I'll always love Horizons, flaws and all.
This episode legitimately made me cry.
I'll miss Pagogo so much, I've spent years with that turtle and.. well I'm tearing up again!

I also didn't mention Sango yet! She didn't do anything this episode but what we did see of her was still great!
Her love for her Pokémon means the world to me. Sango's a fundamentally bad person, but the difference between her and Spinel, is that she would never hurt her Pokémon. Not counting silly slapstick btw.
Her idc walk at the end also made me laugh lol!! I'd attach more screenshots, but the site bugged when I did, so y'know, whatever lol.
Pokémon Horizons is so magical!
 
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Well, here we are! The finale to the story that Horizons set out to tell, presuming that Wonder Voyage wasn't initially planned, which is probably likely. I wonder myself just how much longer Horizons will continue on for. There is a real possibility that Winds & Waves won't release until November 2027, as much as that would pain me (please, I can't wait that long, early 2027 release!) But if that is the case, Horizons could go much longer than we expected. With a year and half of time to kill, they could tell another overarching story, even if it's only half the length of the original Raqua storyline. Of course, if Winds & Waves does release early in 2027, then they might just be buying time with Orange/Decolora Island style filler and this was originally going to be the end (I also assume if it was the actual end, there would be a few more episodes tying everything up to make it more fleshed out, but since they're continuing, they might be spreading all that stuff out).

But enough about all that, time to talk about the finale itself. All in all, a pretty good ending even if it needed more time to breathe. Seeing Mega Rayquaza and Mega Zygarde fight together was certainly cool, even if it could've been built up better. The combination move between Rayquaza and Skeledirge was awesome. I liked how Meowscarada toughed out the Raquium and was able to get everyone else to also push through it. I liked what they did with Spinel this episode, although it probably would have hit harder if we had gotten more development from him prior to this. I really loved the speech that Liko gave, it summed up everything about what she believed in and was fighting for, it was a really good representation of her character. I can see the thematic connection between the two and why Spinel is the main antagonist of the series, and we can see that they were always planning that Liko/Spinel dynamic since his introduction was focused on hypnotizing her and whatnot, which was very early in the series. They should have developed it more, but y'know. I'm glad that Liko got to have a 1-on-1 battle with him and win, I'm not the type of person to really complain about her not battling a ton but it showed the practical application of her philosophy that strong bonds will always beat a cheap power-up that can only work in the first place because of how it breaks the bond between trainer and Pokemon. When Liko gave her speech to Spinel about how Umbreon loved him, I was expecting him to be defeated by the power of unconditional love that Umbreon would show him and he would have a change of heart that way, but no, Umbreon really did leave him and he will spend however long left utterly alone in prison. Although, Umbreon is still watching over him, so who knows, maybe we haven't seen that last of them.

We also say goodbye to Pagogo, the Six Heroes as a whole, and Zygarde here. I was never the biggest fan of Pagogo, I think it could've gotten more development to be showcase their personality since they always sort of felt like a child mentally and didn't get to do a ton outside of what the RVTs needed at any given moment (ex. awakening the Six Heroes, purifying Raquium along the journey.) Some might call them a plot device but I'm not that cynical. I can appreciate their determination to finish what Lucius and Rystal started. Most of us probably saw that Pagogo was missing from the Wonder Voyage poster, so we knew this farewell was coming. Roy let Rayquaza go as well. Although they were only a pair for a short time, Roy accomplished his dream of capturing it. I wonder what his next goal will be.

Agate, Sango & Onyx all seem to get a relatively happy ending given what they've done throughout the series. I wouldn't be surprised if they were able to claim that Spinel was misleading them, and their assistance in destroying the Raquium Core likely would have helped their case since the RVTs couldn't have done it without them. We don't get a ton of insight into them, though. I wonder if they would have gotten some more resolution here initially, but now they might appear later down the line so they held back. I could easily see the RVTs visiting wherever Agate has her school (perhaps Exceed is funding it as part of their brand rehabilitation). At the very least I want to see Sango again because who could deny a little chaos? Maybe she and Onyx might enjoy becoming legitimate heroes. I just hope Rubella and Indi are behind bars so we don't have to see them again. Amethio is remaining at Exceed alongside his father, a nice and long-awaited reunion between them (with Zir and Conia remaining by his side as well). The Strong Spheres are being safely destroyed and the bonds between Pokemon and their trainers who used them seem to be repairing.

Overall, I like Horizons. I look forward to watching it every week and it has been a fixture in my watch schedule since 2023. It definitely isn't perfect and there is plenty you could either legitimately complain or nitpick about, but this is their first attempt at writing and producing an anime without Ash as the lead protagonist. There is a ton of experimentation needed to be done to figure out exactly how to go about doing that. I'd expect the successor to Horizons will also be something that will shake up the formula. For their first attempt at doing so, I quite like our quartet of Liko, Roy, Dot & Ult and the RVTs as a whole and will be sad to see them go when they do. I'm skeptical of Wonder Voyage and extending the series beyond what was originally planned, although they likely knew at least a little beforehand that they would be continuing and altered the story accordingly, but I'm going into it with an open mind and I'm sure that regardless of the content it won't be enough to get me to stop watching, especially this far into the series. I love Pokemon regardless. Game Freak seem to be taking a longer development/release schedule with Z-A and W&W. I wonder if that will be the new normal for them, which would mean that the anime would likely have to shift to accommodating longer-term storytelling if they have to go an extra year or so from now on (or the worse outcome being they expect a longer release date based on the previous two games, but then Game Freak go back to their prior schedule and they have to rush the story) but I'm not exactly certain about the level of communication between the game and anime teams.
 
Dragon Ascent powered by Torch Song is one of the coolest things I've seen, two top Pokemon working together :love:

Some of the music during Liko's speech sounded like the Evolving Again dub theme lol

If Liko having a 1 on 1 against Spinel doesn't beat the "ROY & LUCARIO SHOW!!!1111!!!" allegations I don't know what will.

I liked the emphasis on Spinel & Umbreon and how bad decisions can take away the things you love the most, he was a very nerdy kid as one would think. And it's clear he's at jail at the end, Umbreon probably stowed away in one of the multiple ships.

The ending was definitely rushed. We have no clue who left the Explorers and who didn't and what are they gonna do from now on. The part about clearing the RVT's name was rushed too but it was nice to see many CoTDs. Would have liked to see more clues about the next arc or more shots with the RVTs celebrating or whatever.
 
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