Ash may be leaving the Pokemon anime, but Captain Pikachu is joining him

Ash and Pikachu may be leaving pokemon anime, but a new marine take on the pocket monster with an electric mouse is set to join the new main cast.

It’s been a long journey, but the Pokemon anime is finally getting ready to say goodbye to everyone’s favorite trainer, Ash Ketchum. In Japan, the anime is now wrapping up with Ash galavanting with his original pair of friends, Brock and Misty, and there are a few reunions of old favorites. But since Ash will no longer be the main character of the Pokemon anime, there is also the problem of Pikachu not being in the main story. It turns out that The Pokemon Company has solved this by introducing a new Pikachu: Captain Pikachu.

Pikachu is the main mascot of the series, so it would be weird to have an anime without him. But as it became known in the official Pokemon Twitter, a new character is introduced, whose partner is Captain Pikachu. This trainer, Friede, will be traveling with new main characters Liko and Roy, but nothing else has been announced.

“For 27 years, Pikachu has been synonymous with the Pokémon franchise, and we look forward to seeing this beloved Pokémon continue to have a significant presence in the animated series and remain an icon for the brand,” said Taito Okiura, vice president of marketing for The Pokémon Company International, in statements (thank you Polygon).

Keeping Pikachu in the anime seems like a smart move to get people to watch, as he’s one of the best parts of the series just because of how genuinely cute he is.

There’s also a chance we’ll learn more about the new Pokemon anime series soon, like tomorrow (February 27), Pokemon Presents is broadcast for Pokemon Day. We probably won’t see a new main series game announced, although maybe we’ll finally see Detective Pikachu 2 or Pokemon Sleep in there? Or better yet, a new Mystery Dungeon game.