Sora Tanka
As a lifelong otaku and pop culture enthusiast, I spend my time exploring underground animation, vintage cinema, and the hidden gems of streaming media. I write about the anime conversations fans are actually having, not just the recap.
Published: August 17, 2026 | 12 min read | Last updated: August 17, 2026
On May 1, 2026, Pokémon Horizons aired an episode called "Stellar Finale," and the internet did what the internet does: it panicked. Within days, YouTube was flooded with videos claiming the weekly Pokémon anime, a franchise that has aired continuously since 1997, was quietly winding down. That fear only grew once One Piece confirmed it was ending its own 26 year weekly run. So is Pokémon Horizons actually ending? I dug through the episode data, the arc announcements, and the industry context to find out, and the answer is more interesting than the panic suggested.
⚡ Quick Answer
No, Pokémon Horizons is not ending. The "Stellar Finale" episode closed its Laqua storyline, but the anime moved directly into a new arc, Wonder Voyage, two weeks later. As of August 2026 it is still airing weekly on TV Tokyo, with no cancellation announced despite fan speculation fueled by One Piece's shift to a seasonal format.
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What Actually Happened in the Stellar Finale Episode
Pokémon Horizons has spent its entire run, since its April 2023 premiere, building toward one mystery: Liko's pendant, Roy's Ancient Poké Ball, and the paradise called Laqua that their ancestor Lucius sacrificed himself to protect. Episode 136, titled "Stellar Finale," is where that mystery paid off. According to Bulbapedia's episode record, Roy's Mega Ring reacted with the spirit of Lucius, allowing him to Mega Evolve his Rayquaza for the first time, turning the tide against the Laquium Core threatening the paradise.
📊 Key Stat: The episode that aired on August 14, 2026 was, per Bulbapedia's official episode count, the 1,377th installment of the Pokémon anime since it began in 1997, and the franchise is nowhere near stopping.
For a story arc that had been running for three years, that resolution was always going to feel like an ending. It just was not the ending of the show itself.
Why Fans Started Calling It the End
The rumor did not come from nowhere. Fan YouTube channels ran with titles like "The END of Pokémon Horizons Has LEAKED" as early as February 2026, months before the finale even aired, and the trend picked back up the moment episode 136 dropped. That kind of framing performs well precisely because it plays on a real anxiety: long running anime do end, characters do get retired, and Pokémon itself already lived through one seismic transition when Ash Ketchum's 25 year run wrapped up in 2023 to make way for Liko and Roy.
Watch the arc's own trailer below and you can see why the "ending" framing felt plausible for about two weeks, right up until the next arc was announced.
The Real Answer: A New Arc Called Wonder Voyage
Two weeks after Stellar Finale aired, CBR reported that Pokémon Horizons would begin an eighth story arc, Wonder Voyage, on May 22, 2026, continuing Liko and Roy's adventures with new inspiration from the Pokémon Pokopia game, including a new character named Navi and her Ditto companion. That is about as clear a signal as a production can send that a show is not ending: you do not announce a full new arc, new opening theme, and new characters two weeks after a "final" episode.
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"It seems that a new wind is about to blow once again."
That is not the language of a cast wrapping a series. It is the language of a cast starting one.
What "End of an Era" Actually Means for Pokémon
This is the distinction that gets lost in the panic. Pokémon has never really ended its anime, it has ended eras within it. Ash Ketchum's journey ran for 25 years and over a thousand episodes before the franchise handed the lead role to Liko and Roy in 2023, a changeover that felt massive at the time and that plenty of fans also mistook for a cancellation. Horizons closing its Laqua arc is the same pattern one level down: a major story concludes, the emotional stakes reset, and the show keeps going with a new hook.
There is a bigger number hanging over all of this too. 2026 is Pokémon's 30th anniversary year, and the franchise has been leaning into that milestone across its games and media. A franchise actively celebrating three decades of continuity is not the most obvious candidate to quietly retire its flagship weekly anime in the same twelve months.
Is the Pokémon Anime Headed the Way of One Piece?
The One Piece comparison is where the "final weekly Pokémon anime" headline actually comes from, and it deserves a real look instead of a dismissal. Toei Animation ended One Piece's uninterrupted weekly broadcast, which had run since 1999, with episode 1,155 on December 28, 2025. The anime returned in April 2026 on a seasonal schedule, producer Ryūta Koike calling it a move to support "the advancement and evolution of the anime series", splitting episodes into two 13 episode cours a year with a three month gap between them.
| Aspect | One Piece | Pokémon Horizons |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly run before change | 26 years, since 1999 | Still weekly, no change announced |
| Episodes per year | Cut from 40 plus to about 26 | Unchanged, roughly 45 to 50 |
| Stated reason | Pacing and production quality | Not applicable, no format change |
💡 Pro Tip: If you want the earliest possible confirmation of any real format change, watch TV Tokyo's own programming announcements and The Pokémon Company's press releases directly, not reaction channels. Format shifts like One Piece's were confirmed through official press releases weeks before fan channels caught on.
My Take, After Watching Every Arc Live
I have sat through every Horizons arc transition live, and this is the third time I have watched this exact cycle play out. When Rayquaza Rising wrapped in early 2025, the same "is this it" videos showed up before The Search for Laqua was even announced. When Search for Laqua closed out, the same thing happened before Rising Hope was confirmed. What I think people are actually reacting to is not the anime ending, it is the discomfort of a season finale without an immediate next episode air date attached. That gap, usually two to three weeks, is long enough for a rumor cycle to fully form and monetize itself on YouTube before the announcement lands and quietly kills it. It is a pattern now, and I would bet on it repeating again when Wonder Voyage wraps.
Where Pokémon Horizons Stands Right Now
As of this week, Pokémon Horizons is airing new Wonder Voyage episodes every Friday in Japan on TV Tokyo, with episode 145 having aired August 14, 2026 and episode 147 scheduled for August 28. Netflix continues to release the English dub in staggered batches behind the Japanese broadcast, so western viewers following Rising Hope on Netflix are still a full arc behind what is airing in Japan right now.
⚠️ Important: Wonder Voyage episode titles and synopses are already circulating on fan wikis well ahead of Netflix's English release, so if you are behind on Rising Hope, tread carefully before searching arc names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pokémon Horizons ending?
No. The anime closed its long running Laqua storyline in the May 2026 "Stellar Finale" episode, then moved directly into a new arc, Wonder Voyage, on May 22, 2026. It is still airing weekly on TV Tokyo with no cancellation announced.
What happened in the Stellar Finale episode?
Episode 136 saw Roy Mega Evolve his Rayquaza for the first time to help defeat the Laquium Core threatening Laqua, resolving the mystery around Liko's pendant and the Six Heroes that had driven the show's plot since 2023.
Will the Pokémon anime go seasonal like One Piece?
There is no official announcement of a format change. One Piece's shift to roughly 26 episodes a year was confirmed by Toei months in advance through press releases, and no equivalent statement has come from TV Tokyo or The Pokémon Company about Horizons.
How many episodes does Pokémon Horizons have?
As of episode 145, which aired August 14, 2026, Horizons has produced 145 episodes since April 2023, and that same episode was the 1,377th installment of the Pokémon anime overall, dating back to 1997.
What is the Wonder Voyage arc about?
Wonder Voyage follows Liko, Roy, Dot, and the Rising Volt Tacklers on a fresh journey inspired by the Pokémon Pokopia game, introducing a new character named Navi and her Ditto companion, alongside the debut of Mega Raichu X and Y.
Where can I watch Pokémon Horizons in English?
Netflix holds the English dub outside Japan, releasing episodes in staggered batches that trail well behind the Japanese broadcast, so English speaking viewers are typically an entire story arc behind what is currently airing.
The Bottom Line
Pokémon Horizons closed a three year mystery, not a 29 year franchise. The panic made sense in the moment, a huge arc ending with no next episode date visible yet is exactly the gap clickbait lives in, but the receipts are clear: a new arc was announced within two weeks, the cast is talking about starting fresh, and the show has aired well over a hundred episodes since the supposed "end." One Piece's real seasonal shift is a legitimate industry signal worth watching, just not proof of anything happening to Pokémon yet. Until TV Tokyo or The Pokémon Company says otherwise, Horizons is exactly what it looks like: a weekly anime in the middle of its next chapter.
📚 Sources & References
- HZ136, Stellar Finale — Bulbapedia
- HZ145 episode record — Bulbapedia
- Pokémon Pokopia Reveals Next Chapter in New 2026 Anime Release — CBR, April 2026
- Pokémon Horizons Enters New "Wonder Voyage" Arc — Oricon, May 2026
- One Piece's First Season Is Finally Coming To An End — TheGamer, December 2025
- One Piece Is Becoming a Seasonal Anime After 25 Years — FictionHorizon, October 2025
