Pokémon Horizons: The Series, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters: Liko and Roy's Departure[a] and Pocket Monsters: The Sparkling of Terapagos[b] is the 26th season of the Pokémon animated series.[1] It premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 14, 2023, and will be distributed by Netflix in the United States. It is directed by Saori Den, with Daiki Tomiyasu as creative director, Tetsuo Yajima as action director, and Dai Satō supervising the scripts. Character design is handled by Rei Yamazaki, music composed by Conisch, sound editing by Naotsugu Uchida and Akane Yamago, who replace Ryōko Nashimoto, Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic and Gakushu Yochien are no longer credited as publishers, and Junichi Masuda and Ken Sugimori are no longer credited as creators.[2] In contrast with previous series, which featured Ash Ketchum as the protagonist, this series introduces two new protagonists, Liko and Roy,[3][4][5] who team up with the Rising Volt Tacklers, a group of adventurers that explore the Pokémon world and visit various regions, including the Paldea region, which was introduced in Scarlet and Violet.[6][7] As they do, they are pursued by the Explorers, a mysterious organization who seeks Liko's pendant for unknown reasons.