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 steadfastly refusing to age its main character for most of the show's run, The Pokémon Company is finally doing something unexpected in Pokémon Horizons: letting its new protagonists, Liko and Roy, grow up.

This news comes from a recent CoroCoro reveal of the next arc in Pokémon Horizons, "Mega Voltage," which confirms a time skip aging Liko and Roy by approximately three years. New character designs show Liko, Roy, and Dot noticeably taller and more mature:

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

Interestingly, these characters share a universe with Ash Ketchum, even if he's currently absent from the anime. This implies that Ash, Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena, and the rest of the familiar faces have also aged three years off-screen. Will we see a grown-up Ash in this arc, or ever? The speculation is already rampant among fans.

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

One notable absence in the reveal is Friede, captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His partner Pikachu is present, seemingly wearing Friede's goggles which appear cracked, suggesting something unfortunate may have befallen Friede.

Which Mainline Pokémon Game Is The Very Best?

Pick a winner

The Mega Voltage arc begins airing in Japan on April 11th, though the English dub will likely lag behind. Previously, we gave Pokémon Horizons Season 2 a 5/10 rating for its inconsistent execution. Hopefully, this time skip revitalizes the Rising Volt Tacklers and injects some much-needed energy into the series.