Ash Ketchum and Pikachu to leave Pokemon anime show after 25 years.

Pokemon main man Ash Ketchum and his loyal Pikachu are set to leave the anime show after 25 years.

On Friday, producers said a new-look series will begin in April 2023.

The Japanese anime show, which has also spawned several movies, has followed Ash in his quest to become a Pokemon master trainer since 1997, when the character met electric mouse creature Pikachu on his 10th birthday.

And last month, he finally completed his quest when he won the Pokemon World Championship.

The show will introduce two fresh protagonists from next spring – a young girl named Liko and a boy named Roy, who will be accompanied by three Paldea starter Pokemon.

“It will represent everything [fans] love about Pokemon animation, including action, adventure, friendship and Pokemon,” the producers said.

Before that, on 13 January, an 11-episode epilogue series to the current run, titled Pokémon Journeys in the West, will tell the final chapter of Ash and Pikachu’s story.

Read more via BBC/Variety