We've known for a while now that the Pokemon anime is about to say farewell to its protagonist of 25 years, Ash Ketchum, and his pal Pikachu. Their farewell has already been broadcast in Japan, but today at San Diego Comic Con we learned that the grand finale of his arc will debut in English on Netflix on September 8 of this year.
The date was revealed during a panel at SDCC today, which also showed a teaser trailer including clips from Ash's past such as him meeting Pikachu, saying goodbye to Butterfree, and other characters such as Lapras, Sceptile, Infernape, and others. We also got some quick looks at what's to come, including reunions with Brock and Misty, Gary Oak, the Squirtle Squad, and of course, Team Rocket. There's even an episode that will honor some of the Pokemon movies.
Ash's journey has already been on its final leg on Netflix for a while now via Pokemon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, with parts 1-3 already available to watch. Part 4, which airs on September 8, will be the final segment, and has already aired in Japan. We wrote a little bit about how it goes here, if you want the tiniest of spoilers, but given that I'm tearing up while writing this, you might want to wait.
Pokemon isn't done as an anime, though. Pokemon Horizons is the brand new anime series that will follow Ash's 25-year journey. It stars protagonists Liko and Roy, who are partnered with a Sprigatito and a Fuecoco, and it also is set to include a new Pikachu - Captain Pikachu, to be precise. There's even a never-before-seen new Pokemon being teased.
We don't yet have a release date for Pokemon Horizons in the States, but it's likely to follow Ash's final curtain call sometime either late this year or early next. For more from San Diego Comic Con, we've got a roundup of everything being announced right here.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
