Warning: SPOILERS for episode #10 of Pokémon HorizonsPokémon Horizon saw its characters have their first encounter with a gym chief from the Paldea region, and since then, the anime has become an exacting adaptation of the Scarlet and Violet games. The anime has never been directly adapted from previous Pokémon games, but Horizon’s take on Brassius’ gym challenge is almost a one-on-one translation, even borrowing some dialogue from Scarlet and Violet.
Riko and Roy initially decided to visit Brassius because they heard he encountered the Black Rayquaza they were after and hoped he could provide a clue as to its location. However, by the time they get to episode #10 of Pokémon Horizons, Brassius is falling into a slump, and as a result the kids in town are intent on cheering him up by rallying Sunflora from across the region. Those who have played the game Scarlet and Violet will immediately recognize this as the Artazon gym fitness test, a challenge that must be completed before the player can challenge the head of the gym. sex in a battle.
Pokémon Horizons adapts Scarlet/Viole like never before
Riko and Roy (and Nemona, also introduced in this episode) go out and collect Sunflora to learn about Brassius’ encounter. Later, when Brassius considered whether he should tell them about Black Rayquaza, he challenged Roy to a duel, just like in the game. Brassius uses his ace Pokémon, Sudowoodo, to jump from the windmill and utter some of the same lines to Roy he said during the Scarlet/Violet battle. As the battle progresses, Brassius Terastall transforms his Sudowoodo into a Grass type, which is both accurate for the game and serves as the signature ninth-generation mechanic’s anime debut.
Although Roy ultimately loses the gym battle, he still has the same gym experience as the players did when they challenged Brassius. This is quite rare for the Pokémon anime; Ash deviated from the game from the start by letting Pikachu be the starter, which was not possible until Pokémon Yellow (anime based) and not vice versa. While anime often take generic names, locations, etc from the game, the regions themselves tend to look very different. The characters are generally consistent in their personalities for the two, but even that isn’t always the case – the Sabrina character in the anime is completely different, for example.
Brassius launch proves Pokémon Horizons will faithfully adapt the game
In contrast, Artazon is a near-perfect re-enactment of the environment seen in Scarlet and Violet, and Brassius’ words and behavior fit perfectly into the game. It looks like Pokémon Horizons will return to its own storyline in the next episode, heading to a forested area where Brassius claims to have seen Rayquaza with Nemona still with them. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues, like Pokémon Horizon spend more time in Paldea and meet more characters and locations in the game.
