Pokémon Horizons: The Series is heading toward a major broadcast milestone as the 150th episode premieres in Japan on September 18, 2026. That installment also launches a collab with popular mobile game Pokémon GO, tying the Rising Volt Tacklers’ latest outing to a limited celebration inside the long-running augmented-reality title.
A newly released trailer treats the crossover as a collision of two familiar worlds, opening on the Pokémon GO logo and a Poké Ball resting in a city park before cutting to the anime cast moving through a bright forest under joint branding. The preview later shows a crowded woodland campsite, a close-up of startled golden eyes, and a young Charmander meeting the person who will become its trainer, then flashes title cards of Charmander and Charmeleon already wearing Friede’s goggles. Additional footage leans into the mobile game’s iconography, including Captain Pikachu spinning a PokéStop for Poké Balls and berries and a Kecleon that had been hiding in plain sight.
9月18日（金）18時55分から、『Pokémon GO』とアニポケのコラボエピソード放送が決定！
— ポケモン公式 (@Pokemon_cojp) September 2, 2026
『Pokémon GO』内でも、テレビアニメコラボが開催されるよ。
コラボPVが解禁されたから、チェックしてね！https://t.co/VzJHnpeL7y #アニポケ #ポケモンGO pic.twitter.com/TWKMfTl5Wa
The television episode will send the heroes out on field research instead of a conventional battle circuit. It will also slip in a flashback that explains how Friede first met the Charizard that now travels and fights beside him.
From September 16, Pokémon GO players will have several chances to catch a Charmander wearing Friede’s goggles, matching the costume seen in the episode. The new costumed Fire-type can appear in the wild, through Field Research, from Lure Modules, or as a GO Pass reward. Shiny and Special Background versions are in the mix, and Charmander Candy can evolve the catch into Charmeleon and Charizard that keep the same goggles on every stage.
The event week also layers on extra bonuses, including a higher likelihood of encountering Kecleon at PokéStops. Special raids will feature Charmander wearing Friede’s goggles, Captain Pikachu, and other highlighted Pokémon. Trainers who take snapshots during the window may even run into characters and Pokémon from Pokémon Horizons: The Series.
Further encounter lists, pass rewards, and raid details are posted on the official Pokémon GO website. The in-game event runs from Wednesday, September 16, at 10:00 a.m. to Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. local time, giving trainers a six-day window to collect the costume line and finish the extra tasks.
The current Pokémon anime, titled Pokémon Horizons: The Series in English, is the first mainline television run in the franchise to introduce an entirely new set of protagonists rather than continuing Ash Ketchum’s journey. It premiered in Japan on April 14, 2023, with Saori Den directing the series at animation studio OLM.
The show reached English-speaking audiences in the United Kingdom on BBC iPlayer in December 2023 and arrived in North America on Netflix on March 7, 2024. The second season, titled Pokémon Horizons: The Search for Laqua in English, premiered on Netflix on February 7, 2025. Part 1 of Season 3, titled Pokémon Horizons: Rising Hope in English, premiered on Netflix on January 6, 2026, and the latest part followed on June 26.
