Pokémon Replaces Anime Cast After 30 Years

After 26 years of journeying through the Pokémon anime, its protagonist Ash Ketchum has finally concluded his adventures—remaining, as ever, eternally ten years old. However, after steadfastly keeping its hero from aging throughout most of the series, The Pokémon Company now appears to be taking an unexpected step in Pokémon Horizons by allowing its new protagonists Liko and Roy to grow up a little.

This development follows the recent CoroCoro reveal of the next story arc in Pokémon Horizons, titled Mega Voltage, which confirms a "time skip" advancing Liko and Roy’s ages by about three years. Along with the time jump comes fresh designs for the main cast, depicting Liko, Roy, and Dot noticeably taller and more mature than before:

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

Interestingly, these characters share the same world as Ash Ketchum—even if he’s not currently appearing in the series. That means Ash has also aged three years off-screen, alongside other familiar faces like Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Serena, and the rest. Could this arc or a future season give us a glimpse of an older Ash? Only time will tell, but fans are already buzzing with speculation that the story could be headed that way.

Mega Voltage will also mark the return of Mega Evolutions, likely aligning with the revival of this battle mechanic in the upcoming game Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We can also see that Liko’s Floragato has evolved into Meowscarada, while Roy now has a shiny Mega Lucario.

One notable omission in the reveals is Friede, captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His partner Pikachu appears in the artwork wearing Friede’s goggles—which fans have pointed out appear to show cracks along the sides, suggesting that something may have happened to Friede. Not a good sign.

Which Mainline Pokemon Game Is The Very Best?

Pick a winner

New duel1ST2ND3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee results

The Mega Voltage arc is scheduled to begin airing in Japan on April 11 this year, though it will be a while before it reaches the United States, as the English dub lags significantly behind. Our reception of the anime since its premiere has been lukewarm—we rated Pokémon Horizons Season 2 a 5/10 for “repeatedly failing to lean into its strengths.” Here’s hoping the time skip brings new energy to the Rising Volt Tacklers' journey.