Pokemon Horizons Execs Tease the Anime's Long Future
Higher-ups in The Pokemon Company are hinting at what the future holds for the anime and Ash Ketchum.
Pokemon Horizons has finally arrived on Netflix, giving North American fans the opportunity to say hello to new trainers Liko and Roy. With Ash becoming the World Champion, it appears as though his time as the show's protagonist is over, but executives at The Pokemon Company aren't exactly completely closing the book on the long-time protagonist. With Liko and Roy now in the driver's seat, the executives hint at what is to come for Pokemon Horizons' future.
Senior Director of Media Production for The Pokemon Company, Andy Gose, stated the following when it came to both Pokemon Horizons' future and the commitment that the producers have made to the series, "It touches on this sweeping sort of adventure of the show. It's a really grand adventure, and it tells a story with an arc. They're on an airship in the show, and it connects to that as well. That sense of adventure and growth, "Horizons" kind of bundles all that up neatly. We are committed to this show for now, and as viewers see that the story follows kind of an arc, I think that we'll likely tell the story until the story is complete. That can be any number of seasons."
Will Ash And Pikachu Return?
Also in terms of the anime's future, both Gose and Taito Okiura, Vice President of Marketing for The Pokemon Company, discussed whether Ash and Pikachu would be making a comeback. Okiura started by confirming that the Pokemon partners are still out in the anime world despite no longer being front and center, "We hope Ash and Pikachu continue in their journey. Their journey is ongoing somewhere in the Pokémon world. It's totally up to our fans' imagination. For the time being, we would love to focus on the new story of the Liko and Roy. "Horizons" invites a new beginning.
Gose also added that while everyone has said their farewells to Ketchum and his right-hand "mon", anything is possible in the anime's world, "We've said farewell. Ash is still in the world. Anything is possible, I suppose. In the world of Pokémon, there's so many possibilities."
Do you think Ash should return or do you feel that his time in the anime is done? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Pokemon.