Netflix Gets Exclusive Rights To Pokémon Journeys Season 23 In US

Netflix has scored the exclusive rights to the upcoming season of Pokemon Journeys in the United States, the Pokémon Company has announced. The anime is returning for its 23rd season, bringing back maintain character Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, as well as new characters and more. The new season will arrive with an initial 12 episodes in June, followed by additional episode drops in coming months.

Under this new arrangement, the 23rd season of Pokémon Journeys: The Series will be listed as a Netflix Original on the streaming platform for users located in the United States. Fans will get access to the first dozen episodes on June 12, followed by another 12 episodes scheduled to drop every three months throughout the season.

The latest season will bring a new theme song from Walk of the Earth; Netflix has published its own trailer for the upcoming season, teasing Ash's continued journey to become a Pokémon master. According to The Pokémon Company, this season will show Ash leaving Alola to travel the world with Goh, a new friend described as having a similar interest in Pokemon.

Fans located outside of the United States won't need a Netflix subscription to enjoy the new season. The UK will offer season 23 on the POP channel from Sony, while fans in Japan can already watch the season, though not every episode has been aired at this time.

The trailer and details follow news that production on the anime has been temporarily paused due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has already caused hundreds of TV show and movie projects to shut down as staff isolates themselves.

The Anime News Network reports that old episodes are being aired in Japan to make up for the lack of new episodes; this may explain why only the first half of the season will arrive on Netflix in June, but questions remain.