The Pokemon anime has had some real bangers of opening and closing songs over the years, especially in Japan, but the latest opener for Pokemon Horizons in Japan might be one of its best yet. Have a listen:
アニポケ新章、いよいよスタート！
— ポケモン公式 (@Pokemon_cojp) October 27, 2023
“yama × ぼっちぼろまる”さんが歌う、新オープニングテーマ「ハロ」のノンクレジット映像を公開！
公式YouTubeチャンネルでも見られるよ。https://t.co/qe0yqzUsfS #アニポケ #リコロイ #yama #ぼっちぼろまる pic.twitter.com/t4B3j7Zxpv
It's good, right? Feels super adventurous and magical, especially with the inclusion of new Pokemon Terapagos and the focus on Liko's emotional growth. The song itself is called "Haro" by yama x BotchiBoromaru, and it's the second opening theme following Heart-Pounding Diary by asmi, which has introduced the series in Japan since April.
If you're over here going, "wait, hasn't Pokemon been running for 25 years?" you're correct, but the anime ditched its protagonist of that era, Ash Ketchum, just last year. While the new saga hasn't debuted in the U.S. yet, Japan is already well-acquainted with new protagonists Liko and Roy and their respective Sprigatito and Fuecoco.
The one major bummer about this incredible opening theme is that when Horizons does eventually make it over here, U.S. audiences probably won't get to hear Heart-Pounding Diary, Haro, or any of the Japanese openings. Pokemon's anime series has historically had separate themes in Japan, and while its initial "I wanna be the very best" and several subsequent themes have gained fame over here, they often don't hold a candle to how good Japan's tunes are. Like, come on. There's a whole closer for the Japanese version of the show from years ago that's just Pikachu obsessing over ketchup! Why can't we have this?
Hopefully whatever anthem Liko and her pal Roy get in the U.S. is worthy of their fabulous protagonist energy. I'll be over here eagerly awaiting the debut of Pokemon Horizons in the U.S. and enjoying the fantastic bop that is Haro.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
