On December 16, 2022, The Pokémon Company group announced that, after 25 seasons and almost 1300 episodes, Ash and Pikachu’s journey will end in 2023, with two new main series protagonists taking their place.
Ash’s journey started in 1997, when a clumsy boy from Pallet Town met his partner Pokémon Pikachu, and set of on a journey to become “the very best, like no one ever was”.
Ash and Pikachu took their time, but eventually did become the Pokémon World Champion in the series’ latest season called “Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series”. Since then, fans have been wondering what’s next for Ash and Pikachu.
The Pokémon Company announced that the final chapter in Ash and Pikachu’s story will start airing on Friday, January 13, 2022, in Japan, featuring 11 special episodes that set the stage for an all-new animated Pokémon series.
This final 11 episode mini series is called “Pokémon Aim To Be A Pokémon Master”, and will feature fan-favorite Pokémon and characters, including Misty and Brock. One final farewell to Ash and Pikachu.
A new chapter in the Pokémon anime series
Following this 11 episodes special, a new series will debut after the current season of Pokémon anime ends. The new Pokémon animated series will follow a never-before-seen storyline and characters — including dual protagonists named Liko and Roy in the Japanese version of the series.
The new series will premiere across markets in 2023 and beyond, and it will feature Paldea first partner Pokémon Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly from the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games, as well as the Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza in its Shiny form.
The new series is simply called “Pocket Masters” in Japan, and it ties into the 9th generation of Pokémon. To the best of our knowledge, the series will run from April 2023.
