The upcoming anime reboot for Pokémon has already taken a look at the heroes and their allies, but the new characters shown this week are looking a little more like an antagonistic force–or most of them do, at least.
After the tenth episode of Pokémon: Aim to Be a Master, designs for four new characters from the reboot were revealed. According to translations from Pokémon fan site Serebii.net, three of the new characters belong to a group known as the “Explorers,” while the fourth character is a streamer in a mascot-style costume designed to look like a Nidorina, who goes by the name “Gurumin.”
Pokémon Reveals a New Rival Group?
The first of the Explorers is a face that’s already been seen before on the Pokémon reboot’s poster and briefly in a trailer, the mysterious man who owns a Ceruledge. His name is Amethyo, seemingly derived from the gemstone “amethyst.” His hair is half-white and half-black, while he dresses in a fairly formal style. His teammates include Zir, a somewhat muscular-looking man who owns a Rhydon, and Conia, a woman with a stern face who owns a Golduck. Their names together form the word “Zirconia,” another type of gemstone. The characters’ darker outfits and meaner expressions seem to indicate that, if not outright antagonistic, the group is at least going to function as some sort of rival organization for Professor Friede’s Pokémon airship crew, who were introduced in the previous episode as the “Rising Volt Tacklers.”
Given that Amethyo appears on the poster and was introduced here, it’s likely that he’s the leader of this group and will have a larger role to play. Zir and Conia also appear to be wearing matching uniforms, which would further reinforce the apparent hierarchy. Just what this group might be after is not yet clear; “Explorers” is certainly not a malicious-sounding name for a group, and definitely doesn’t fit the pattern of evil Teams that are common to Pokémon. On the other hand, Pokémon Hunters have been seen in the anime before, often with their own uniforms, so it’s possible they’re a smaller group of poachers that the new Pokémon heroes must go up against. As mysterious as these Explorers are, though, their presence makes a lot more sense than Gurumin. Pokémon had already introduced a streamer character in Scarlet/Violet, Iono, who could easily have filled whatever role Gurumin will be doing. Gurumin’s costume is pretty bizarre as well, looking home-made. And then, why introduce Gurumin alongside these characters if they’re not part of the same organization? This is one character who may remain an enigma until the series debuts.
With these four new characters included, the total of human characters in the new Pokémon series is now at 11, which is a pretty full cast compared to the 2-4 person traveling group with Ash plus Team Rocket. Hopefully, the Pokémon anime reboot will be able to balance these characters well, giving fans a chance to get to know them all in turn.
