The long-awaited US debut for Pokémon's new animated series is finally announced, and it will be popping up on Netflix in 2024.
Summary
- The hit new Pokémon anime, Pokémon Horizons, will be released in the US on February 23, 2024, and will be available for streaming on Netflix.
- Pokémon Horizons has been highly praised by fans in Japan, with a strong focus on storytelling and two intriguing objects possessed by the main characters.
- The US release of Pokémon Horizons will be ten months behind the Japanese release, which is a longer wait compared to other popular series.
The hit new Pokémon anime, Pokémon Horizons, has finally revealed its US release date and streaming platform via an announcement on the official Pokémon website. The official release is now set for February 23, 2024, and the home for the series will be Netflix.
Netflix has been the American home for new Pokémon anime episodes for a while now; the final season of Ash Ketchum's adventure, Pokémon Journeys, debuted on Netflix in the US as well, so the announcement that Horizons will also be streaming there comes as little surprise. It's not even the only new Pokémon series that will be coming to Netflix soon, with the stop-motion series Pokémon Concierge set to debut in December 2023.
It was originally announced at San Diego Comic Con that Pokémon Horizons might be out in late 2023, but the new 2024 date would indicate that's not the case (although the dub is debuting in English in other countries in December).
Pokémon Horizons' New Arc Will Explore The Origins Of Its Rarest Pokémon
Pokémon Horizons has announced the beginning of a new major story arc, focusing on the still mysterious Legendary Pokémon, Terapagos.Pokémon Horizons Has Already Made a Name For Itself
Pokémon Horizons debuted in Japan on April 14, 2023, beginning a new era for the Pokémon anime and finally moving on from Ash, the character that the series followed for over 25 years. So far, 30 episodes of Pokémon Horizons have aired in Japan, with most being very well received by fans, some of whom were nervous about the idea of an anime without Ash. The new series has proven to be far more story-driven than its predecessor, with a strong focus on two mysterious objects in the possession of protagonists Liko and Roy: a mysterious pendant for her, and an Ancient Poké Ball for him.
Given the lack of an official subtitled release, many fans have been eagerly awaiting an announcement of the series' English dub, so that they can finally give this new take on the classic franchise a try. While those who were still expecting a 2023 release are sure to be disappointed, at least there's a solid release date now. It has not been announced how many episodes will be released, but previously, Netflix has released Pokémon episodes in batches of 12-15 at a time. That will put the US release of episodes almost a year behind their Japanese release, though, which is an almost outrageously long wait compared to the near-simultaneous dubs other popular series receive.
February tends to be a big month for Pokémon, with February 27th the official "Pokémon Day," when big announcements are frequently made. The long-awaited US release of Pokémon Horizons will surely only add to that excitement, and many fans will finally get their first taste of the new anime that they've waited to see since April. Pokémon Horizons has already proven its quality to Japanese fans, so hopefully the dub will be able to live up to the original's quality and become a big hit abroad as well.
Pokémon Horizons will debut on Netflix in the US on February 23, 2024.
Source: pokemon.com
