New season of Pokémon will now continue without Ash Ketchum and Pikachu

After a quarter of a century, Ash Ketchum has finally succeeded: he has become the very best and that means that the eternal 10-year-old is finally retiring. The next Pokémon season will no longer feature the well-known protagonist for the first time. Pikachu also leaves the anime.

The producer of the long-running, popular anime to write that the series will continue with two new main characters from next season. These are Liko and Roy, a girl and a boy who will travel through a new world. Not much information about the new season is known, except that it will feature the Pokémon Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly from the Scarlet and Violet games. The legendary Pokémon Rayquaza also appears in the story.

An eleven-episode epilogue series will follow in January. It’s called Pokémon: Journeys in the West. Ash and Pikachu still play in it, but the other two will take over in the following season.

That season marks the end of 25 years of the well-known protagonist and his loyal yellow follower. Since 1997, Ash Ketchum was the main character who traveled the world with his first Pokémon Pikachu to catch and train new Pokémon. His end goal was always to become the best trainer in the world. That goal was often just within reach, but then slipped away at the last minute because there turned out to be a stronger trainer. However, last month, Ash achieved his pinnacle achievement by winning the Pokémon World Championship. Mission accomplished, so it’s time for a story with new trainers.

The new season will start in April of next year. Sarah Natochenny, who voiced Ash Ketchum for the past 17 years, says on Twitter that it was a privilege to do that voice. It is not yet known what Ash and Pikachu’s retirement means for Team Rocket’s nefarious plans.