Pokémon Horizons began airing in Japan on April 14, 2023, and fans have now had over a year to get to know the series’ new setting and characters. While it’s tough to step into the shoes of a legend like Ash Ketchum, Liko, Roy, Friede, and the rest have quickly become as comforting and familiar as the cast of the original series was. The series is packed with adventure, and a mystery storyline has been slowly unraveling as the heroes uncover the truth about Liko’s pendant and its connection to an ancient adventurer by the name of Lucius.

Over 50 episodes in, and the story of Pokémon Horizons is going stronger than ever, while some clear and undeniable progress has been made in solving the mysteries of Lucius and Terapagos. The series has set up compelling villains, given its heroes personal motivations for getting involved in this quest, and showcased the true power that Pokémon possess. These facts have led to some truly awesome episodes over the past year, and here are 10 of the best episodes of Pokémon Horizons–so far.

10

Pokémon Horizons’ Opening Kicked Off An Epic Adventure

Episodes 1 and 2, “The Pendant That Starts It All”

Pokémon Horizons really didn’t waste any time getting off to an exciting start. While things initially look simple, with Liko going to a new school far away from home to learn about Pokémon, the situation quickly grows more complicated as intruders attempt to get Liko to come with them, and then another set of strangers appears to protect her from the first. Who should Liko trust? The episode also debuted the first appearance of Terapagos, a then-unknown Pokémon, continuing the tradition of first episodes featuring a mystery Pokémon.

Friede and Captain Pikachu also get a chance to impress, and certainly manages to make an impact in his first battle, even if the Explorers ultimately escaped with Sprigatito. The episodes do a fantastic job of introducing the new main characters, Liko and Friede, without making the villains look completely inferior like Team Rocket.

9

Dot Steps Up As The Series’ Third Hero

Episode 16, “Quaxly, We Can Do It!”

Episode 16 follows on directly from the previous episode, which ended with Liko being hypnotized by Spinel of the Explorers, leading to her pendant being stolen. As the Rising Volt Tacklers struggle to track him down and retrieve the pendant, the ship’s shut-in, Dot, ends up getting drawn into the events and is forced to leave her room for the first time in the series. Dot has had a close relationship with a wild Quaxly living aboard the ship, and Friede gives her the chance to catch it here, making her an official trainer and upgrading her role in the show.

The episode also features some fun action as Liko, Roy, and Dot battle against Spinel, outmaneuvering the villain and recovering the pendant. The pendant even lets them summon the Titan Arboliva, which aids in their escape.

8

Black Rayquaza Proves Its Power Against Amethio

Episode 33, “The Roaring Black Rayquaza” (Japanese Title)

This episode has both Amethio and the Rising Volt Tacklers encounter Rayquaza by surprise, with Amethio eagerly engaging the legendary Pokémon in battle. It features an impressive battle between Amethio’s Ceruledge and Rayquaza, with the former getting shredded by the Sky High Pokémon’s incredible power. When a stray attacks comes towards Liko, Terapagos transforms into a new form, its Terastal Form, and is able to protect Liko using its abilities. It fires off a Tera Starstorm attack, canceling out Rayquaza’s Draco Meteor before collapsing back into its normal form.

The debut of Terapagos’ true form is enough to earn this a spot, but every appearance by the Black Rayquaza is a highlight in Pokémon Horizons. While Amethio is ultimately defeated by Rayquaza, he puts up a very entertaining fight, making this episode stand out.

7

Sprigatito Reveals Its Origins

Episode 40, “Farewell, Sprigatito” (Japanese Title)

After accidentally injuring Liko, Sprigatito spots a familiar house in the distance and wanders off, finding itself having returned to the breeder who originally raised it before it was given to Liko. While out searching for Sprigatito, Liko stumbles across the house and gets to meet the breeder, who remembers Liko’s Sprigatito fondly. It turns out that Liko’s Sprigatito is quite a lot like her, having had a hard time associating with her own kind; her attempts to defend them from a wild Pokémon led to an accidental injury, causing the other Pokémon to fear her. Sprigatito was just as alone as Liko was when they met.

While this episode isn’t exactly action-packed, it’s a good character episode for Liko and Sprigatito, and it offers a glimpse at where first partner Pokémon actually come from, something that fans have wondered about for years.

6

Quaxly and Dot Pass Their First Major Challenge

Episode 50, “Shine, Terastal! Dance, Dance Quaxly!” (Japanese Title)

Another good character episode, this one sees Dot, who has entered the Terastal Basics course alongside Liko and Roy, presented with her test, wherein she must battle against her friend and mentor, Iono. Dot struggles with performance anxiety at first, and initially planned to take the test as her alter ego, Nidothing. With a confidence boost, Dot was able to face down Iono on her own, and fared well in battle despite being at a type disadvantage. While Dot ultimately lost the battle, her performance and use of Terastallization was good enough to pass the exam.

Dot’s struggles with battling before a crowd are very understandable, and it’s something that the Pokémon anime hasn’t really touched upon much in the past. The episode makes the perfect case for what value Dot adds to the series, making her one of the most relatable characters in the cast.

5

The Mighty G Saves the Day

Episode 42, “Transform! The Hero of the Sea, Palafin!” (Japanese Title)

A goofy, fun episode all around, this one centers on a trip to the beach with Ludlow, one of the lesser-known members of the Rising Volt Tacklers. As it turns out, Ludlow has a secret identity: he’s actually Mighty G, a hero who protects the seas and the coasts along with his partner Pokémon, Sharpedo. Mighty G works together with the Pokémon Palafin, who also has a superhero-like transformation, to defeat a group of angry Klawf and save the day.

Mighty G is pretty funny, and it’s especially surprising coming from the quiet, seemingly wise Ludlow. He clearly takes some heavy inspiration from All Might of My Hero Academia fame. It’s also just a great spotlight episode for a Pokémon, bringing the fun of superheroes along with Palafin.

4

Liko Battles and Mysteries Deepen

Episode 56, “Liko vs. Rika! Beyond the Battle” (Japanese Title)

Liko is faced with her greatest challenge so far: a double battle, alongside Gym Leader Katy, against the Elite Four member Rika. While Liko does go into this battle with some type advantage against Rika’s ground types, no Elite Four member is going to be so easily defeated, and Liko begins freezing up in the battle alongside these two highly skilled trainers. Katy and Rika are both supportive, helping Liko to awaken her fighting spirit, allowing her to make a comeback, although ultimately it’s not enough to win. Meanwhile, Terapagos wanders off, and leads Dot to a new person: Penny.

The episode introduces some lore from the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games into the series with the Scarlet Book, as well as formally introducing Penny, who had previously had a small cameo. Liko and Rika’s battle is a great watch, and Liko’s loss seems to be serving to motivate her, giving her a taste of what truly strong opponents are like.

3

The Explorers Attack An Ancient Castle

Episode 25, “Rivals in the Dark of Night!”

One of the focuses early in Pokémon Horizons is to find Liko’s grandmother, who originally gave the pendant to Liko, in the hopes that she might know more about it. While they finally find her grandmother Diana’s home and do get some valuable information from her, the Explorers have been following them and begin their assault, causing chaos at the ancient castle. It introduced two new members of the Explorers, Coral and Sidian, who would go on to have a much bigger role in the Terastal Debut arc.

This episode has a huge amount of destruction in it, and some very cool, fast-paced battles. It’s another piece of evidence that the Explorers aren’t as incompetent as Team Rocket, and that they actually pose a threat. Coral is also a very entertaining villain, with her tendency to rely heavily on self-destruct becoming something of a running joke in the series.

2

Black Rayquaza Appears for the First Time

Episode 6, “The Ancient Poké Ball”

One of the most surprising and impactful episodes of the series happens early on, not long after Liko and Roy first meet. The Rising Volt Tacklers come under attack by the Explorers once again, who clearly have the upper hand. Roy, in possession of an Ancient Poké Ball of unknown origin, suddenly finds his ball begins to glow, as does Liko’s pendant. Suddenly, a massive Black Rayquaza appears in the sky and begins rampaging, turning the entire situation on its head as both hero and villain alike scramble for survival. Rayquaza delivers a devastating attack and escapes, kicking off one of the major storylines in Pokémon Horizons.

The Black Rayquaza has proven time and time again that it’s not to be trifled with, and this episode introduced the incredibly rare shiny Legendary Pokémon well by making its power clear. While Roy has yet to truly offer a challenge to Rayquaza, he’s clearly made some great leaps since their first encounter.

1

Rayquaza Returns to Face the Explorers

Episode 45, “To a Place Far, Far Away” (Japanese Title)

One of the most densely packed episodes of Pokémon ever, this episode saw the Explorers trick Rayquaza into appearing by emulating a call from Terapagos, luring it in. They began unloading everything they had on Rayquaza, but it quickly proved insufficient. Coral dealt a massive blow to Rayquaza with Self Destruct, causing it to reel back and hit the Brave Olivine, badly damaging the airship. As the Explorers began to lose, Amethio was forced to team up with Friede to help repel Rayquaza, fulfilling something fans have been hoping to see since the two first crossed each other’s paths.

On top of that, this episode features the evolution of Sprigatito into Floragato under intense circumstances, marking a huge moment for Liko. The damage to the airship wasn’t undone easily, either; the airship is still being repaired even over 10 episodes later, proving the encounter had some major consequences. For these reasons, it’s clear that episode 45 of Pokémon Horizons is the best–or at least, the best to date.