The Pokémon Company International has officially announced that Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series will debut sometime this summer. The story centers on Ash Ketchum and Goh as they continue their journey catching and battling Pokémon from Kanto to Galarto, support research for the Cerise Laboratory, climb the ranks of the World Coronation Series, and search for the legendary Mew. The long-running animated series is based on the Nintendo-published game franchise of the same name and first debuted in 1997.

The animated Pokémon series has had quite the interesting rollercoaster ride across its 24 years on the air, broadcasting across seven different networks before landing at its current homes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu in the United States, and select other regions. It's also broadcast on Teletoon in Canada. Season 23, Pokémon Journeys: The Series, marked the first not to air on a conventional broadcast network in the U.S. in the show's history. The series is also generally considered to be one of the most successful video game adaptations of all time, with over 1,000 episodes aired and four spin-offs premiering at various stages.

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The Pokémon Company has confirmed that the 24th season of the animated series, Master Journeys: The Series, will premiere in select markets as early as summer 2021, though it hasn't been confirmed exactly when fans can expect its return. The studio also noted that additional markets would see the latest season premiere throughout the rest of the year, but didn't specify which would receive the latest batch of episodes first and which would have to wait. The new season will also be a part of the company's 25-year celebration of the franchise, which began with Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Blue in Japan in 1996.

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu in Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series

With fans having just begun their explorations of the Lental Region in the recently-released New Pokémon Snap, a sequel to the Nintendo 64 original, the summer premiere timing for Master Journeys: The Series is a sensible one for the studio. In addition to the photography title, players are still diving into the mainline Sword/Shield games until the release of the Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes slated for later this year. Plus with Legends: Arceus arriving in early 2022 as part of the franchise celebration, now's the right time to catch up with everyone's favorite Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum.

Even with Ash at the center of the story, the series' move away from familiar environments and introductions to new characters Goh, Chloe, and Professor Cerise has been a breath of fresh air for fans who felt the series continued to go through the motions. Not to mention a different art style creating new and exciting looks at fan-favorite characters and creatures, including iconic, villainous Team Rocket duo, James and Jessie. For the time being, audiences can head back and revisit their favorite episodes and new titles until Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series finally returns.

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Source: The Pokémon Company