Pokémon Anime Updates Main Cast After Decades

After 26 years of animated adventures, Pokémon protagonist Ash Ketchum finally retired while remaining eternally 10 years old. However, in a groundbreaking shift for the franchise, Pokémon Horizons appears to be allowing its new protagonists Liko and Roy to actually grow up.

The recent CoroCoro magazine reveal of the upcoming Mega Voltage story arc confirms a three-year time skip, showing visibly older versions of Liko, Roy, and Dot with more mature character designs:

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

Interestingly, these characters inhabit the same universe as Ash Ketchum, meaning that although unseen, Ash and classic characters like Misty, Brock, and others would logically have aged three years as well. Fans are already speculating whether we'll eventually see these grown-up versions of the original cast.

The Mega Voltage arc will reintroduce Mega Evolutions, likely complementing their return in Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The character redesigns reveal that Liko's Floragato has evolved into Meowscarada, while Roy now sports a shiny Mega Lucario.

Notably absent from promotional materials is Friede, captain of the Rising Volt Tacklers. His Pikachu appears wearing Friede's goggles - now with visible cracks - fueling speculation about the character's fate.

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The Mega Voltage arc premieres April 11 in Japan, though English-speaking audiences will need to wait as the dubbed version trails behind. While our review of Pokémon Horizons Season 2 gave it a middling 5/10 for inconsistent storytelling, this time jump potentially offers fresh energy to the series.