Pokémon Horizons Is Finally Exploring A Region That the Games Needed More Time With

Warning: Spoilers for Pokémon Horizons episode #68

Pokémon Horizonssaw the Brave Olivine down for repairs for quite a while, putting the series' globetrotting premise on hold while Liko, Roy, and Dot entered a special course at Naranja Academy to help learn how to master the mysterious power of Terastallization. However, the Brave Olivine is finally taking to the skies again, and their next destination is one that could really use the added focus: the Land of Kitakami.

The Land of Kitakami is an area of the Pokémon world first introduced in the Teal Mask DLC toPokémon ScarletandViolet. It’s a rural area located in thePokémonequivalent of Japan, which has a single town, as well as a temple dedicated to a group of Legendary Pokémon known as the Loyal Three. Aside from seeing some familiar faces, Kitakami seems to also be the home of the next member of the Six Heroes, a group ofPokémon belonging to the legendary adventurer and trainer, Lucius, from the distant past.

Kieran from Pokemon Scarlet in Violet in front of a shop location for the DLC.

Pokémon Horizons Brings Scarlet and Violet’s DLC to Life

Horizons' Characters Will Get to Enjoy Kitakami’s Festival

While only a small glimpse of Kitakami was seen in the previous episode, in a segment focusing on Perrin, the next episode preview showed Liko, Roy, and Dot taking part in Kitakami’s festival dedicated to the Loyal Three. In the games, the festival is taking place when the player arrives, and eventually leads them to encounter the Loyal Three, as well as the “villain” of the tale, Ogerpon. Also seen in the preview is Carmine, a character introduced in the DLC who attends Blueberry Academy, but is native to Kitakami.

The Land of Kitakami has an excellent atmosphere to it in the games, and featured some very fun storylines involving the local Legendary Pokémon and the truth behind the myth. Even in the games, Kitakami has a connection to Terapagos via strange crystals found in a lake at the top of the nearby mountain, so it’s a very logical next step for Liko and Roy, who are still trying to find out more information about Terapagos and why the Explorers want to get their hands on it so badly.

At the end of the episode, Perrin was shown photographing a Kleavor, a Pokémon believed to be extinct in the modern day; this strongly suggests that the Kleavor in question is one of the Six Heroes, alongside Galarian Moltres,a titan-sized Arboliva, a giant Lapras, and the Black Rayquaza. This is likely to be a vital clue for the crew of the Brave Olivine in their quest, and may well see them teaming up with Perrin in order to get closer to this mysterious Pokémon. Aside from Perrin, Ms. Briar is also mentioned by Raifort at the start of the episode, giving Liko and Roy reason to seek out this teacher who is knowledgeable about Terapagos.

Will All the DLC Characters Appear in Pokémon Horizons?

No Sign of Kieran in Pokémon Horizons

A poster released in promotion of the new"Rayquaza Rising" story arc ofHorizonsfeatured Perrin, Briar, and Carmine, so their appearances in the series didn’t come as too much of a surprise.One character who is suspiciously missing, however, is Carmine’s little brother, Kieran. Kieran is a young trainer with an obsession towards Ogerpon, who gradually grows envious and then spiteful towards the player for their luck with befriending (and eventually catching) Ogerpon.

It’s not clear at this stage how much of a role Kitakami’s local myths will play inPokémon Horizons; the Brave Olivine is technically here on an unrelated mission, so it’s possible that Ogerpon and the Loyal Three will be left as background details related to the festival, rather than featuring heavily in the arc. If that’s the case, it makes some sense to leave Kieran out, although fans are sure to be disappointed if Kieran doesn’t at least make an appearance. This puts Kieran in a very similar situation as Arven, who only appeared in a non-speaking capacity in one episode of the last arc.

Pokémon Horizonshas the chance to breathe some additional life into Kitakami, a section of the Pokémon world which stands out for its excellent incorporation of local myths and legends into the storyline of its Pokémon. Fans who’ve played throughPokémon ScarletandViolet’s DLC and are hoping to spend a little more time getting to know Kitakami and its characters better would do well to check out the latest arc ofPokémon Horizons.