Summary
Pokémon Horizons introduces a new, edgier side to the character of Captain Pikachu, who runs his own Pokémon fighting club in a hot air balloon. The fight between Polteageist and Shuckle shows that Pokémon really enjoy testing their skills against each other. Captain Pikachu’s rugged personality and appearance contrast with Ash’s Pikachu, making him a unique and appealing character in Pokémon Horizons.
Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon Horizons Episode #30Pokémon Horizon‘ Captain Pikachu has proven to be a very different character than Ash’s Pikachu, but the latest episode took that to the next level, revealing that Captain Pikachu has his own Pokémon fighting club. It’s a very different side of Pokémon than the anime has shown before, and it sounds bizarre and fun.
In episode #30 of Pokémon Horizons, a mysterious purple liquid appears on the spaceship, and Riko and Roy decide to investigate the source. After having no luck for most of the day, the culprit is revealed to be a Polteageist who has somehow wandered onto the ship, and this Polteageist is at odds with the crew’s Shuckle.
Captain Pikachu sees the challenge and invites Polteageist below deck, where a circle of Pokémon awaits. Captain Pikachu signals to Shuckle and Polteageist that they can fight here, and the two immediately face off.
The English dub of Pokémon Horizons has yet to be released but is expected to launch before the end of 2023.
Captain Pikachu runs his own fighting club in Pokémon Horizons
Since most of the Pokémon on the ship are members of this club (including Terapagos), the episode gives the impression that this is a regular occurrence on airships. Polteageist and Shuckle actually begin their duel as if they were boxing, with Polteageist raising its fist and Shuckle with its tentacles. However, the situation escalates and Shuckle ends up using a move that appears to be deploying, which at first hits, but eventually misses Polteageist and crashes into a berry crate. While they initially seemed to want to continue fighting, the surrounding Pokémon cheered wildly, and Polteageist earned their respect.
The idea of a Pokémon fighting club is certainly a strange one, but it seems to show how much Pokémon enjoy fighting. While Pokémon is sometimes criticized for having creatures battle each other, it’s clear here that they’re simply having legitimate fun testing their skills against each other, whether that involves human or not. Still running a fight club definitely something one would never see Ash’s Pikachu do, further highlighting Captain Pikachu’s personality compared to his predecessor. Ash’s Pikachu is usually the peacemaker between other Pokémon, while Cap here has decided that letting them fight each other is what’s best for Polteageist and Shuckle.
Captain Pikachu certainly brings a whole new attitude to the electric mouse, with a rougher, edgier personality than the family-friendly Pikachu that once belonged to Ash. At the end of the day, though, he’s still a Pikachu, so he really only has so many advantages. However, the contrast between Cap’s personality and appearance is certainly an important part of the character, and this Pokémon fighting club is just another way to exaggerate that contrast. One can’t help but wonder what other bizarre shenanigans there are Captain Pikachu may be achieved in future episodes Pokémon Horizon.
Pokemon
Summary: Spanning over 25 years, Pokemon, also known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is a multimedia franchise co-created by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. Conceptualized by Satoshi Tajiri in conjunction with Ken Sugimori and Junichi Masuda, Pokemon is set in a fictional world where humans live alongside tameable creatures called Pokemon. People who catch, raise, and battle these creatures are called Pokemon Trainers. They embark on cross-continental journeys to raise their Pokemon with the ultimate goal of competing in tournaments to become champions. Pokemon spans a massive range of properties, from a long-running animated series to a successful card game to the medium that started it all, the video game. Additionally, Pokemon started the “two games” trend, where two versions of a game would release and include different Pokemon/features between versions, encouraging players to meet others and trade so they can “catch them all.”
Created by: Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda
First movie: Pokemon: The First Movie
Latest movie: Movie Pokémon: Secrets of the Jungle
First TV show: Pokemon
Date of first episode airing: 1997-04-01
Current line: Pokemon
TV program): Pokemon
Video games): Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Snap, Pokemon GO
