The Pokémon franchise is on the precipice of an unprecedented change: The two-and-a-half-decade-old anime adaptation of the game series is preparing to leave behind its protagonist, Ash Ketchum (known as Satoshi in the Japanese version of the show). And now we know just when its new generation will begin their own Pokémon journey.
The Pokémon Company has released the first footage from the new iteration of the Pokémon anime, ahead of an hour-long special that will kick off the series in Japan next month. The footage introduces us to the two main protagonists of the series, Liko (a young girl from the Paldea region, which was just introduced in last year’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games) who has a mysterious pendant, and Roy (a young boy from Ash’s own home region of Kanto) with a peculiar Pokéball and a desire to challenge the legendary Pokémon of the world.
Liko and Roy will be joined by the recently introduced Professor Friede — along with his own partner Pokémon, Captain Pikachu — and it looks like he’ll be joined by another franchise staple, as he’s seen flying into battle on a Charizard in the new footage. That new footage also teases a mysterious antagonist with two-toned hair that uses the Paldean Pokémon Ceruledge, so if you were maybe holding out hope that Team Rocket’s Jesse and James were going to menace a new generation of Pokémon heroes, it seems like they’re retiring, too.
The new Pokémon anime will begin in Japan on April 14, with its English-language debut expected sometime later this year.