Pokémon Horizons’ New Arc Is The Most Faithful Adaptation Of The Games

Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon Horizons Episodes #45/46

Pokémon Horizons is ready to kick off its third story arc to date, and while previous story arcs have been driven entirely by new material, it seems that this arc will be drawing heavily from the latest Pokémon video games, Scarlet and Violet. The arc is set to heavily feature Naranja Academy, a key location in the games, as well as many characters who have yet to appear in animated form.

While little information has been revealed about the new arc, the preview for episode #46 showed that Liko, Roy, and Dot will be attending Naranja Academy for a while, as the heavily damaged airship is slowly repaired by the Rising Volt Tacklers. Liko and Roy were already attending classes remotely aboard the airship from time-to-time, and Liko, of course, received Sprigatito as part of her schooling back in the Kanto region, in the series’ first episodes.

Now, the heavily featured school from Scarlet and Violet will be the trio’s home, allowing them to meet and interact with many characters from the games.

Fan-favorite Scarlet/Violet Characters Make their Anime Debut

Popular Characters Like Clavell and Penny Are Soon to Appear

While a few characters from Scarlet and Violet have already appeared, like fan-favorite rival Nemona and gym leader Iono, the overwhelming majority of the cast has yet to be animated in any form. The preview showed Liko and friends in Director Clavell’s office, alongside the Paldea region’s champion and administrator of the Pokémon League, Geeta. They also seem to be given a tour of the grounds, where they run into teachers like Jacq and Dendra. Even the Elite Four and Penny are shown to be appearing in the next episode.

Scarlet and Violet have seen criticism for a lot of things, but one aspect of the games that few fans have taken issue with is its story and characters, who have been praised as some of the strongest in the franchise to date. The prospect of bringing over many of these characters into the world of the anime is an exciting one, and it will be interesting to see how the differences between the anime and the games affect these characters, and how their individual story arcs will be adapted to fit the anime.

Key art released to promote the new arc, known as “Terastal Debut,” showcases several more gym leaders, as well as the return of Nemona, who hasn’t been seen in around 30 episodes. The arc seems to be focused on training, as Liko and Roy declared their intention to master Terastallization at the end of episode #45. Sending the kids to Naranja Academy, where every student is given a Tera Orb, seems a great way to get them some experience with the technique quickly, especially since they can’t travel right now anyway.

Of course, not every character from Scarlet and Violet has been shown so far; curiously absent is Arven, another friend of the player character like Penny and Nemona, whose storyline is often praised as the games’ most effective. It’s likely more Academy-affiliated characters will appear as time goes on, so it may be more a matter of when Arven shows up than if. This new era of Pokémon Horizons should be an exciting development for fans of Scarlet and Violet, finally giving Paldea’s characters a chance to shine in animated form.

Watch on Netflix