Pokémon Horizons Is Finally Ready to Explore the Most Dangerous Place in All of Paldea

Pokémon Horizons is finally turning its attention to one of the most dangerous and rarely seen locations in all of Paldea: Area Zero. The new story arc is set to introduce brand new Pokémon as well as continue the Six Heroes story that's already been developing throughout the season.

Episode 78 of Horizons saw the crew battling an Entei, only to discover it wasn't the Entei spoken of in the legends of the Six Heroes. Afterward, they received a call from Ms. Briar, who told them that an "Entei" had been spotted in the Great Crater of Paldea, also known as Area Zero. The group agreed to meet up with Briar and attempt to enter Area Zero, which will require special permission from the League. Following the episode's airing, a trailer was released teasing the content of upcoming episodes. Episode 79 shows the group battling Geeta, the League's top champion, for permission, while episode 80 will apparently see the team entering Area Zero proper.

Pokémon Horizons Introduces the Long-Awaited Paradox Pokémon

The Anime Will Introduce the Powerful and Rare Paradox Pokémon

In the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet video games, Area Zero is a large area in the center of Paldea, surrounded by massive crater walls with heavily restricted entry into the crater itself. Area Zero is home to the Paradox Pokémon, strange and powerful Pokémon from alternate timelines which resemble species that exist today. Some Paradox Pokémon originate from the past, particularly those seen in the Scarlet version of the game, while others seen in Violet come from a distant future.

The preview clearly shows Liko, Dot, Roy, and Friede exploring Area Zero and meeting with Briar, who explains to them what they'll be looking for in the crater. Several Paradox Pokémon are shown in quick succession. However, it turns out that the "Entei" they've been searching for isn't an Entei at all, but rather Gouging Fire, a Paradox Pokémon that closely resembles Entei. Dealing with such an unknown Pokémon is likely to be highly dangerous for Liko and the gang, and marks a distinct and interesting twist on what Pokémon the Ancient Adventurer Lucius was said to have possessed.

The Anime Continues Favoring Scarlet

The Trailer Uses Only Scarlet-Exclusive Pokémon

One issue with introducing the Paradox Pokémon that many fans have been curious about is the fact that the Pokémon differ between different versions of the game: Scarlet's past Pokémon vs. Violet's future Pokémon. So far from the trailer above, only past Paradox Pokémon have been shown, indicating that the anime is once again taking after Scarlet, something it also did when it came time to establish the Academy's name as Naranja Academy.

The favoritism towards Scarlet is certainly an interesting if slightly confounding turn for Violet version fans. There has been some other material released in Japan which indicates that Violet's Paradox Pokémon may still appear, but this remains to be seen in the anime proper. It seems fans will just have to tune in for the Pokémon Horizons episode's Area Zero debut on January 17, 2025, in order to know for sure.