Pokémon Horizons begins its Season 3 story one year after the events in Laqua, marking a new phase for Liko, Roy and their companions. The official synopsis establishes the time jump; it does not connect it to Ash Ketchum or announce his return. The shift matters as a storytelling device, not as evidence of a crossover plan.
What is the Pokémon anime’s first time skip?
The relevant jump is in Pokémon Horizons: The Series. Official Pokémon regional material places Season 3 one year after the events in Laqua. Liko and Roy face a new threat, with Dot and Ult also part of the renewed action. The source establishes the interval between story events; it does not provide every character’s age or a creator’s explanation for choosing that interval.
This is distinct from the franchise’s earlier handoff from Ash and Pikachu to a new lead cast. In December 2022, The Pokémon Company announced a new animated series following the season in which Ash and Pikachu won the Masters Eight tournament. The new series was presented as the next chapter, not as an Ash-led continuation. The Pokémon Company International announced its title, Pokémon Horizons: The Series, in March 2023.
How the anime moved from Ash to Horizons
| Moment | What official material establishes |
|---|---|
| December 16, 2022 | The Pokémon Company announced a new animated series after the Ash-focused story and introduced a different direction for the anime. Official announcement. |
| March 24, 2023 | The Pokémon Company International announced the title Pokémon Horizons: The Series. Official title announcement. |
| Horizons’ premise | The official series overview centers on young trainers Liko and Roy, their Pokémon Sprigatito and Fuecoco, and their adventures with the Rising Volt Tacklers. Official series page. |
| After Laqua | The official Season 3 synopsis says one year has passed since the events in Laqua. Official regional synopsis. |
What the time skip means for the franchise
A new stage for Liko and Roy
A one-year gap lets the story start with a changed situation rather than depict every step immediately after Laqua. It can make the consequences of earlier events and the leads’ accumulated experience visible, while giving the next phase its own momentum. That is a reading of the setup, not a stated explanation from the writers or Pokémon.
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Continuity without making Ash the center
The franchise’s anime focus has shifted from Ash’s long-running journey to Liko and Roy’s story and the group around them. In Horizons, the post-Laqua transition supplies continuity within this cast: a prior major event leads into a later stage of their adventures. The official material presents Liko and Roy as the new story’s focus; it does not frame them as temporary stand-ins awaiting Ash.
This describes the direction of the anime material cited here, not a permanent retirement of Ash across every Pokémon project or medium. The announcements establish a change in the series’ leads, not the character’s future in all Pokémon media.
Does the time skip mean Ash is coming back?
No Ash return is confirmed in the official announcements and series material cited here. The 2022 announcement establishes the transition to a new series, and the official Horizons overview follows Liko and Roy. Neither announces an Ash cameo, a return to the lead role or a crossover plan.
That lack of confirmation is not proof Ash can never appear again. It means a future appearance should be described as unannounced rather than promised or ruled out. The one-year interval after Laqua, by itself, says nothing about Ash’s place in the story.
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Availability depends on territory and can change. As a UK-specific example, Pokémon announced that Season 2, The Search for Laqua, would be available on demand through BBC iPlayer, with episodes also released on CBBC beginning January 13, 2025. That announcement does not establish current availability elsewhere; check official listings in your region. UK availability announcement.
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