Pokémon Horizon once again set things apart from everything before by taking a moment to evaluate Riko’s development as a character. All of Riko’s advances so far have revolved around one question: Should she stay with the crew and continue the adventure, or go home and live a safe and quiet life?
In the first place, this adventure is not Riko’s choice. She is first pursued by the Adventurers and only later rescued by Friede and the Rising Volt Tackers. They were hired to take her home to Paldea, so she had no choice but to go with them. Even the events on the island left her with no choice but to fight back. So when it comes to Paldea, Riko finds that she doesn’t want to part with the Rising Volt Tacklers. If she wants to continue the adventure, this time she will have to make a conscious choice to do so.
Riko’s growth in Pokémon Horizons is much larger than that of Ash
While it took a while to muster up her courage, Riko finally told her father and Professor Friede that she wanted to stay with them on the spaceship and continue the journey. It was a pivotal moment for her character to be able to clearly say what she wanted, instead of silently accepting what was happening around her. Standing up for her own desires is something she simply can’t do in the first episode, but through their adventures, Riko learns how to do it.
That kind of growth marks a big contrast to Ash. Anime has changed a lot since the 1990s, but that doesn’t change the fact that by the ninth volume of the original series, Ash hasn’t even caught Bulbasaur. While Ash and Pikachu did grow throughout the first episode, he didn’t grow much since then until Charmander came along, or Butterfree was released. Riko’s character development is more subtle and spans multiple episodes rather than taking place all at once. She’s learned to fight and make new friends, and she’s seen great things, so, of course, she wants to stay.
Pokémon Horizons has certainly proven at this point that it’s going to be both more story-driven and character-driven than the Ash-era anime ever has been, and Riko’s decision gives her a degree of autonomy that she doesn’t have. she never had until now. Now Riko, like Ash, has chosen the call of adventure. From here on out, whatever happens in Pokémon Horizon will be the result of Riko’s decision to go out into the world, and it’s an important step forward for her character.