Pokémon Horizons – The Search for Laqua, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters: Terastal Debut, Pocket Monsters: Rayquaza Rising and Pocket Monsters: Mega Voltage is the twenty-seventh overall season of the Pokémon animated series and the second season of the new Pokémon series titled Pokémon Horizons: The Series, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā). It is directed by Saori Den and produced by OLM. The season began broadcasting in Japan on TV Tokyo on April 12, 2024, and was distributed by Netflix in the United States, beginning on February 7, 2025.
The season contains three story arcs. The first arc, "Terasutaru Debyū" (地上波デビュー, lit. Terastal Debut), which makes up the first 22 episodes, focuses on Liko, Roy, and Dot as they attend Orange Academy in the Paldea region from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to learn about the Terastal phenomenon and battles Gym Leaders under Terastal Training. From the 23rd episode to the 44th episode is the second arc, "Rekkūza Raijingu" (レックウザライジング, lit. Rayquaza Rising), which deals with Rising Volt Tacklers to search for the remaining Six Heroes from Lucius and eventually go on the path to Laqua. Meanwhile, the organization Explorers continue to follow the group, seeking for Liko's pendant, which is a Terapagos. The third arc, "Mega Voltage" (メガボルテージ, Mega Borutēji), begins with the 45th episode and follows the continuing adventures of the main protagonists and Ult, a young boy from the Kalos region, over a year after the collapse of Laqua.
Episode list
Release
On November 20, 2024, The Pokémon Company reported that a second season of Pokémon Horizons, under the title of Pokémon Horizons: Season 2 – The Search for Laqua was scheduled for release on the streaming service Netflix. In the United States, The Search for Laqua was officially released on February 7, 2025, while in Canada, the season began airing on Cartoon Network and Télétoon the following day on February 8 of that year. The Search for Laqua was released earlier in the United Kingdom with episodes releasing on January 13 and February 17, 2025, respectively, on BBC iPlayer. In Japan, The Pokémon Company announced on March 21 that a new arc of the Pokémon anime, which teased a timeskip, would begin airing in Japan on April 11 of that year, toward the near-conclusion of the previous "Rayquaza Rising" storyline. A new trailer and poster were released a week later on March 21, showcasing the return of Mega Evolutions and a new male character named Ult.
Music
The Japanese opening themes are "Will" (意思, Ishi) by Ive for 22 episodes, "Only One Story" (たったひとつの物語, Just One Story) by Zerobaseone for 22 episodes and "Get Back" (ゲット・バック, Getto bakku) by Yuzu. The Japanese ending themes are "Let Me Battle" (バトルさせてください, Batoru Sasetekudasai) by 9Lana for 22 episodes, "Sparkle!" (ピッカーン！, Pikkān!) by Giga, TeddyLoid and Sakurazaka46 featuring Rina Matsuda and Hikaru Morita for 22 episodes and "Ready Go" by Me:I. The English opening theme is "My Favorite Pokémon" by Isaiah Tyrell Boyd and Haven Paschall.
Critical reception
In a February 2025 review for IGN, Kirsten Carey gave the first half of The Search for Laqua a score of 5 out of 10, saying that the season "largely ditches the series' innovations in favor of a format that's as old as Ash, Misty, and Brock's tussles with Team Rocket". The first eleven episodes of the season received a "A" score at Anime News Network.
Notes
References
