You Can Explore the Hisui Region in an Upcoming 'Pokémon Legends: Arceus' Anime

Pokémon is one of the most iconic franchises of all time. Over the years, there have been tons of video games and animes based on the different regions. So many of us grew up following Ash Ketchum on his journey to becoming a Pokémon Master. But now, we're getting a brand new show to follow based on one of the newer games of the series.

On Jan. 28, 2022, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released worldwide exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Now, an anime based on the game's location is going to premiere. But when is the release date? Is it exclusive to Japan or will fans in the U.S. eventually get the chance to watch it?

According to a "Pokémon Presents" on Pokémon Day 2022, the Pokémon Legends: Arceus anime is coming out in the summer of 2022. Not much is known about the project just yet, but it's an online series that is currently in production. Because it's web-based, it may be hosted on the official Pokémon YouTube channel where full episodes and clips of other shows are posted.

Set in the Hisui region, the new anime will take place years in the past. In the game, we learn that this is a time period where Pokémon and humans have not yet learned to co-exist. In fact, there isn't much general knowledge about Pokémon, and that's where the main character (played by the user) comes in.

In Arceus, it's our job to complete the Hisui region's very first Pokédex so that humankind can understand more about the Pokémon in the area. In the present day, the Hisui region is now the Sinnoh region, which is featured in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. In the announcement, it wasn't specified that the anime would be based directly on the game, however, so there may be creative differences between the two projects.

The Arceus anime will feature an original storyline, but there's no word just yet on what that storyline is or how things will develop. The Pokémon Company said more updates will be available as we get closer to a release date, but playing Arceus should give fans an idea of what to expect going forward.