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10 Years Later, Pokémon Go Is Officially Getting Some Love from the Pokémon Anime
Pokémon Go is finally crossing over with the Pokémon anime for the first time in its ten-year history, with a special in-game event tied to the ongoing Pokémon Horizons series. The Pokémon Company announced the collaboration on X, revealing that players will be able to catch an exclusive Charmander wearing the goggles worn by Horizons character Friede, which it keeps even when evolved into Charmeleon and Charizard. It marks a notable moment of recognition for the mobile game from its parent franchise's flagship animated series.
The event runs from 16 to 22 September and includes tiered bonuses such as double candy for catches, extended Lure Module durations, and bonus Stardust for Hatenna and Wattrel, alongside One-Star Raids featuring a Pikachu in Cap's hat and Three-Star Raids offering event-exclusive Charizard, Meowscarada, Skeledirge and Quaquaval. Pokémon Go remains one of the most popular free mobile games a decade on, and was sold by Niantic to Scopely, a company owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, in a $3.5 billion deal in March 2025. Pokémon Horizons, streaming on Netflix, is the first mainline Pokémon anime not to feature Ash Ketchum, instead following new protagonists Liko and Roy.
In short
- Pokémon Go gets first-ever crossover event with Pokémon Horizons anime
- Exclusive goggle-wearing Charmander catchable from 16-22 September
- Event includes bonus raids, candy, Stardust and Lure Module perks
Explained simply
Pokémon Go is a free mobile game in which players use their phones to find and catch Pokémon in the real world. It launched in 2016 and is part of the wider Pokémon franchise, which also includes games, television series and films.
The Pokémon anime has followed different characters and journeys over the years. Pokémon Horizons centres on Liko and Roy, rather than Ash Ketchum, the long-running earlier lead; Friede is one of the characters in the series.
The game and the anime are both parts of the same franchise, but they have not previously had this kind of direct crossover. Pokémon Go was sold by its developer Niantic to Scopely in 2025, while the Pokémon Company continues to oversee the franchise.