The Pokémon Anime Is Finally Aging Up Its Main Cast After Almost 30 Years

After 26 years of adventures in the Pokémon anime, the perpetually 10-year-old Ash Ketchum has finally hung up his hat. But after decades of refusing to age its hero, The Pokémon Company is finally doing the unexpected in Pokémon Horizons, allowing its new protagonists, Liko and Roy, to grow up.

The recent CoroCoro reveal of the next Pokémon Horizons arc, "Mega Voltage," confirmed a three-year time skip for Liko and Roy. New character designs showcase a noticeably taller and more mature Liko, Roy, and Dot. A Reddit post showcasing the CoroCoro reveal highlights these changes:

All the new arch 5 pages from coro coro today!
byu/BikeOk4256 in pokemonanime

This time jump impacts the entire shared universe, meaning Ash, Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena, and the rest of the supporting cast have also aged three years off-screen. Will we see a grown-up Ash? Only time will tell, but fan speculation is already running wild.

Mega Voltage also marks the return of Mega Evolutions, likely coinciding with their return as a mechanic in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We see Liko's Floragato has evolved into Meowscarada, and Roy boasts a shiny Mega Lucario.

One notable absence is Friede, captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His partner Pikachu is shown wearing Friede's goggles, which appear cracked, hinting at potential trouble for Friede.

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The Mega Voltage arc premieres in Japan on April 11th, with the English dub expected later. Previously, we gave Pokémon Horizons Season 2 a 5/10 rating for its inconsistent execution. This time skip could inject much-needed energy into the Rising Volt Tacklers storyline.