Details on the rebooted Pokémon anime are slowly emerging, this time with a focus on the new male protagonist Roy, as well as his enigmatic Poké Ball…
Last week, the official Pokémon anime Twitter account revealed new details about Riko, the female protagonist (whose name may well change in localization). Riko was revealed to be in possession of a mysterious pendant that resembles the symbol for Terastalization, the new mechanic in the Scarlet and Violet games. Now it seems Roy is in possession of a mystery object as well, but this time it’s a fancy-looking Poké Ball.
Pokémon‘s Roy is From Kanto
In the new image released, Roy is described as “a young boy from the Kanto region with a mysterious Poké Ball.” It’s noteworthy that Roy is from the Kanto region, as Riko was established last week as coming from Paldea, the region seen in Scarlet and Violet. Kanto and Paldea are not close together, so it will be interesting to see how Roy ends up in Paldea. Odds are it’s somehow related to this Poké Ball, which has an antique, almost clockwork look to it. The ball certainly looks like it’s important, and it features unusual attributes for a Poké Ball: the two small levers near its button, with the blue and red dots on them, which aren’t seen on any other previously known Poké Ball. It may be some sort of locking mechanism, but the colors seem to align with the two version colors, suggesting a connection to legendaries.
Long-time fans of Pokémon may remember the GS Ball, a similarly special golden Poké Ball which Ash was entrusted with in the Orange Islands. While the GS Ball was meant to play a major role in the plot, the storyline was suddenly dropped and the GS Ball was abandoned with Kurt, a character who specialized in ancient Poké Ball manufacturing techniques. Roy’s Poké Ball does seem reminiscent of it, but what Pokémon might be inside is an absolute mystery. Fan speculation has included everything from Scarlet and Violet‘s “third legendary,” which has only been alluded to in the games, to a brand new mythical Pokémon, to familiar older faces like Magearna, a clockwork Pokémon and mythical. It’s worth noting that the player character of Scarlet/Violet is given a special Poké Ball containing Koraidon or Miraidon, respectively; while it looks like an ordinary Poké Ball, it’s possible it could be made more unique for the anime.
A Second Kantonian Pokémon Hero
Fans also zeroed in on the fact that Roy is from Kanto, sparking lots of speculation about his potential relationship to other characters. One immediately popular comparison was to Goh, who has a similar skintone and shares some hair characteristics with Roy. While it’s a bit premature to speculate on parentage given there’s no indication of a connection to the previous anime right now, it is interesting that Roy would be from Kanto, just like Ash. Might that be a sign that his Poké Ball contains a Pokémon more associated with Kanto, like Mew? Mew would certainly tie him to Goh, whose goal throughout Journeys was to meet (and ideally catch) Mew.
With the new Pokémon anime set to debut April 14, fans have a bit of time left to wonder before any solid answers might arrive.
Source: Twitter