Pokémon anime relaunches, reveals all-new species
Move over Ash and Pikachu, there's a baby turtle.
The long-running Pokémon anime returned to Japanese TV screens today following a brief hiatus - as previous series stars Ash Ketchum and Pikachu have now departed after more than two decades.
The revamped show features a fresh cast of characters lead by dual protagonists Liko and Roy - but it wasn't just these new human faces who made their debut.
Today's episode also features our first glimpse at an all-new Pokémon species not yet available in any game - a baby turtle, which remains unnamed (thanks, Serebii).
Eagle-eyed fans will note this tortoise Pokémon looks like a younger evolution to Terapagos, the jewel-encrusted larger Legendary tortoise Pokémon set to make its debut on Nintendo Switch later this year, in Scarlet and Violet's second DLC expansion The Indigo Disk.
Today's episode, titled "The Pendant It All Started With" is listed as episode one of the relaunched series - which previously featured over 1200 episodes with Ash Ketchum in its lead role.
The glimpse of an as-yet unrevealed new Legendary creature mirrors Ash's glimpse of the then-unknown Ho-Oh in his first episode, all the way back in April 1997. At that point, Ho-oh would not be available to catch for another two years, until 1999's Japanese release of Pokémon Gold and Silver.
