Speculation: Ways Legends Z-A could affect Horizons?

[SammyW27]

I know it'll be next year, but wanted to strike while the iron's hot.

Here are some things they could do:

-A trip to Kalos

-The Rising Volt Tacklers cross paths with at least one Kalos character

-Liko or Roy get a Z-A starter, or at least someone gets a Kalos Pokemon

-Fride gets Mega-Charizard Z???

-Zygarde???

What do YOU guys think could happen when the time comes?

 

[SatoSerefan5229]

I know it'll be next year, but wanted to strike while the iron's hot.

Here are some things they could do:

-A trip to Kalos

-The Rising Volt Tacklers cross paths with at least one Kalos character

-Liko or Roy get a Z-A starter, or at least someone gets a Kalos Pokemon

-Fride gets Mega-Charizard Z???

-Zygarde???

What do YOU guys think could happen when the time comes?

Interesting but I wouldn’t see them staying in Kalos for long. Plus I don’t see them visiting a Kalos character other than Professor Sycamore.

 

[TheMindOfThomas]

Quoting my message on this topic from the Horizons general thread here. In short, I think they're going to bring back characters from the XY series, just without Ash. Beyond that, it's hard to tell exactly since we don't know what new things this game will introduce alongside returning elements.

I do think some XY anime characters can and will show up for Legends: Z-A promotion, even without Ash in the picture. When Ash was announced to leave the anime, they never said anything about other characters not being able to come back. Nobody outside of the Original Series cast was featured in a way that made it feel like they had full closure anyways. And I think the majority of them would work in Horizons:

First off, I think Clemont and Bonnie have to return if they visit Lumiose for a Legends: Z-A arc. They're too intertwined with the city itself not to show up. Plus I could see them working well with the Horizons cast. Clemont and Orla bonding over machines would be cool for instance. Also maybe Bonnie can finally reunite with Squishy/Zygarde this time around.

I would love Serena to make another return too. Given that they let Dawn have 4 returns in Journeys for the Sinnoh games, it's only fair they let Serena have time in the spotlight for a Kalos game. She is a bit trickier to make work without Ash, and I can't see any of the Horizons characters doing performances so she can mentor them like she did for Chloe. My best guess is that if she returns they'll have Dot want to interview her for the channel because of her fame as an idol performer as teased in JN105.

Alain also feels like a great dark horse candidate, given that he originated in episodes that were standalone from Ash to begin with. He would definitely mesh well with the current plot line and characters too. I'd love to see him take on Amethio or something.

 

[LightningTopaz]

Clemont and Bonnie (or Legends era counterparts of them) make perfect sense given we are exploring ancient Lumiose. But I would be pleasantly surprised (and happy) to see the heroine be Serena's ancient counterpart (with the boy being Calem's counterpart.)

 

[Hidden Mew]

I know it'll be next year, but wanted to strike while the iron's hot.

Here are some things they could do:

-A trip to Kalos

-The Rising Volt Tacklers cross paths with at least one Kalos character

-Liko or Roy get a Z-A starter, or at least someone gets a Kalos Pokemon

-Fride gets Mega-Charizard Z???

-Zygarde???

What do YOU guys think could happen when the time comes?

I think a trip to Kalos is pretty likely. Maybe not a full arc, but I could see a few episodes in Lumiose City to tie in with Legends Z-A. Depending on the characters in the games, I could see them maybe running into Clemont and Bonnie. I could easily see their ancestor playing a role in Lumiose City's redevelopment, assuming that the game takes place in the past. It would also be a cool way to confirm that Horizons is indeed set in the same continuity as all of the other series.

While I could se someone in the Rising Volt Tacklers a Kalos Pokemon, I don't see Liko or Roy getting another starter. I can't really see either of them with more than three Pokemon and having another starter when they're so tied with Sprigatito and Fuecoco respectively just feels unlikely. Goh never properly caught one of the Legends Arceus starters and that would have been easy with his goal in mind. Friede getting a Mega Charizard Z does sound pretty plauisble though. Zygarde will probably be featured to some degree.

I don't know how much promotion I could expect Horizons to do, but I hope it's more than what we got for Legends Arceus. I can understand why they didn't adapt the storyline. As cool as that would have been, it also would have effectively put all of the other storylines on pause for quite awhile. It still would have been cool to ge a time travel arc or even just getting to see all of the Hisuian forms. I always thought that the latter would have been extremely easy to do with showing that these forms still existed in some remote areas in Sinnoh. It's pretty likely that they'll have new Mega Pokemon in Legends Z-A, so it would be cool to see them featured in the anime if that does happen.

 

[UxieLover1994]

The anime's promotion for PLA was more like a promotion for BDSP, as only the first episode and the final part had Hisui as a topic. The special would've worked better as yet another run-of-the-mill episode where Ash and Goh visit Sinnoh, learn about its past from Cynthia, Team Rocket makes another attempt to steal the featured Pokémon of the week or/and Pikachu, with Goh's Stantler evolving into Wyrdeer in a DEM to stop them (and Pikachu blasting them off).

Could we also see another four-parter where the topic of PLZA is covered only in the first 12 minutes before the story changes to the remnants of Team Flare using a Legendary Pokémon for an attempt to bring back Lysandre with Clemont, Bonnie, Puni-chan, and Z2 (and maybe Ash's Greninja) teaming up with the Rising Volt Tacklers to stop them? I hope not; they can do a better job than a bait-and-switch.

The anime isn't one to ignore newer games mid-series. Advance Generation had the group return to Kanto and May obtain a Bulbasaur and Squirtle to promote FRLG, for example. My best bet is a wild Pokémon introduced in PLZA joining the Rising Volt Tacklers, but a capture would be nice. Also, they've got a Snorunt in their ranks, and Glalie can Mega Evolve...

 

[TheMindOfThomas]

I'm not sure if this fits with the theme of affecting "Horizons" specifically, but there is also the possibility they could do a special focused on the XY characters, without the Horizons cast present at all.

They could even do a full episode set during the events of XYZ involving a side-adventure Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had that involves new elements from Legends: Z-A. That way they could have the promotion/nostalgia factor of using the full XY cast (like they did for Sinnoh in Legends Arceus special), without cheapening Ash's departure from the anime (because it would be set before that happened).

 

[Eitarou]

Maybe AZ can finally show up.

He’d be old enough to have potentially met Lucius. Or be involved in whatever plotline they’re doing at that point.

 

[XavierAnime]

I know it'll be next year, but wanted to strike while the iron's hot.

Here are some things they could do:

-A trip to Kalos

-The Rising Volt Tacklers cross paths with at least one Kalos character

-Liko or Roy get a Z-A starter, or at least someone gets a Kalos Pokemon

-Fride gets Mega-Charizard Z???

-Zygarde???

What do YOU guys think could happen when the time comes?

I think they cheated. Confession cameras revealed that it was the fans who manipulated Kalos' votes in Pokemon Legends to get revenge on Johto and Unova for continuing to ruin him in Pokemon Presents.
Do you think they cheated?

 

[Karakuri18]

I don't think there will be any promotion. I think it will be the same as Hisui's arc in "Arceus Chronicles".

Although it would be nice to see Liko and Roy catch at least one Pokémon each from Kalos (maybe some new ones will be added).

-I don't expect any characters from "Ashverse" either, since the game is probably set in the past.

I don't see Liko or Roy getting another starter. I can't really see either of them with more than three Pokemon and having another starter when they're so tied with Sprigatito and Fuecoco respectively just feels unlikely.

1. I can't imagine Roy facing off against Rayquaza with only three Pokémon.

2. I don't understand why a strong bond with a cat and a crocodile would prevent the MC from catching the other starters (somehow May and Goh had no problems with this).

 

[Hidden Mew]

1. I can't imagine Roy facing off against Rayquaza with only three Pokémon.

I don't see Roy getting a full team to face off against Rayquaza though. With all of the cast members and other Pokemon on the ship, it would be really difficult to pull off a bigger team for either Liko or Roy. And apparently, Wattrel hasn't really done much if the reactions here are any indication. If they can't really handle Roy's team of two Pokemon, that doesn't give me much hope that they'll be able to handle a much bigger team for him.

2. I don't understand why a strong bond with a cat and a crocodile would prevent the MC from catching the other starters (somehow May and Goh had no problems with this).

I never said anything about their strong bonds. I was talking about how Liko and Roy are so associated with their respective starter, especially in regards to the marketing of the series. Yes, other main characters have gotten multiple starters before, so it wouldn't be impossible for that to happen again, but I just don't see them going in that direction right now.

 

[Articfoxgamez]

1. I can't imagine Roy facing off against Rayquaza with only three Pokémon.

To be fair, the Rayquaza fight is probably going to be a team up not Roy solo.
The fight against Diana's Arcanine had them only winning due to Sprigatito and Fuecoco working together and I expect something similar for Rayquaza (Maybe including Dot?)

Said it elsewhere but I hope they use the chance to do something with Xerneas and Yveltal, even if it's as minor as Dialga and Palkia that one alternate universe deaging whatever two parter in Journeys. Their apperences in the X and Y anime were barely more than cameos.

 

[XavierAnime]

I think they cheated. Confession cameras revealed that it was the fans who manipulated Kalos' votes in Pokemon Legends to get revenge on Johto and Unova for continuing to ruin him in Pokemon Presents.
Do you think they cheated?

 

[Ghost Diplocaulus]

Most likely we'll get either a Gen 8 Pokemon joining the cast and/or a Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution, though the latter could just as easily be covered by Freide's Charizard (Orla's Metagross is technically also an option for this, but due to how minor of a character she is and how oddly weak and ineffectual Metagross is, that seems rather unlikely) unless they'd rather have Freide's Charizard stick to Tera as its main gimmick.

 

[Nicolas721]

The anime's relationship with the games has been a total mess in the last five years, so it's very hard to predict...

• Sword & Shield: The starters and some game characters still got focus, but it was pretty subdued compared to previous generations and the concept of the anime being based on the current generation was thrown away completely.
• Isle of Armor: Ignored, though Urshifu got a minor role eventually.
• Crown Tundra: Mostly ignored, though some locations got used for story purposes.
• BDSP: Dawn, Team Galactic and Cynthia returned and there were multiple specials about legendary Pokemon (actually, all legendaries bar Giratina and two mythicals came back).
• Legends Arceus: It did got an animated special with some elements from it but it was mostly an original story. In the series itself, the elements it did not already share with Diamond & Pearl were ignored.
• Scarlet & Violet: Mostly the same as SWSH, though the starters and Pokemon have gotten more promotion. It did not started until 5 months after the game's release though, before that the only thing available were the Team Rocket shorts.
• Teal Mask: Ignored so far.
• Indigo Disk: Terapagos was made into THE mascot of the series and one of its form actually debuted in the anime before in the games, so there was a level of synergy between the games and the anime not seen in years. The other Pokemon and locations have been ignored so far.

So there's a chance they'll be ignored, but a Kalos Arc seems like a safe bet with how Horizons has operated during the past year, though it may be given low priority as the series will probably reach its climax around the time the game is released. I don't think it will be a Lumiose City Arc completely, but some fillers about Hawlucha, Klefki or Sylveon with an appearance by the XYZ trio could take place.

 

[Articfoxgamez]

Eh I don't think itll be at its climax. Whether PLZA is early 2025 and Gen 10 late 2025, or PLZA late 2025 and Gen 10 2026, they will still have about a year of Horizons left.

 

[SatoSerefan5229]

I'm not sure if this fits with the theme of affecting "Horizons" specifically, but there is also the possibility they could do a special focused on the XY characters, without the Horizons cast present at all.

They could even do a full episode set during the events of XYZ involving a side-adventure Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had that involves new elements from Legends: Z-A. That way they could have the promotion/nostalgia factor of using the full XY cast (like they did for Sinnoh in Legends Arceus special), without cheapening Ash's departure from the anime (because it would be set before that happened).

Don’t see it happening. Plus even if Serena returned in Horizons, it wouldn’t be the same Serena from the Ashverse. More like something akin to her Evolutions counterpart.

 

[XavierAnime]

Don’t see it happening. Plus even if Serena returned in Horizons, it wouldn’t be the same Serena from the Ashverse. More like something akin to her Evolutions counterpart.

What were Serena thinking about joining Liko, Rod and the Rising Volt Tacklers as a team?

 

[SatoSerefan5229]

What were Serena thinking about joining Liko, Rod and the Rising Volt Tacklers as a team?

Again, not going to happen. Besides there’s no guarantee Serena will be the female playable character. I think the playable characters will somewhat resemble Calem & Serena but won’t be related, like Legend: Arceus.

 

[XavierAnime]

Again, not going to happen. Besides there’s no guarantee Serena will be the female playable character. I think the playable characters will somewhat resemble Calem & Serena but won’t be related, like Legend: Arceus.

So, we wait for what they announced more upcoming episodes that are missing Lucius's two Pokemon Heroes, Rayquaza returns, defeats the Villains, Terapagos with a new form and Pokémon Horizons: The Series ends so we don't forget.