The “Rising Again” arc of Pokémon Horizons, which launched on October 31, 2025, introduces three significant new characters who represent a shift in the show’s setting and direction. Seiran Kobayashi voices Lacey (known as Taro in Japanese), while Hiroyuki Yoshino brings Drayton (Kakitsubata) to life, and Shinya Ōwada portrays Cyrano (Cyano), the director of Blueberry Academy. These additions come as the show relocates to Blueberry Academy, the setting based directly on the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet “The Indigo Disk” DLC, marking a notable transition from the show’s previous storyline.
For fans who’ve been following Pokémon Horizons since its inception, understanding who these new characters are and their roles is essential to appreciating the narrative shift. Lacey and Drayton both serve as members of the BB League’s Elite Four, meaning they’re positioned as significant competitive threats and potential allies throughout the upcoming arc. Cyrano’s role as the academy director establishes him as an authority figure who will likely influence the pacing and tone of the show during this new era. Netflix officially released Season 3 in June 2026, giving fans access to this new arc on the platform, though the shift in creative direction has sparked considerable discussion in the community.
Table of Contents
- Who Are the New Elite Four Members and How Do They Differ From Previous Rivals?
- Blueberry Academy as the New Setting and What It Means for the Series
- How the New Arc Changes the Competitive Landscape and Character Development
- The Production Side—New Opening and Ending Themes and What They Signal
- Potential Misconceptions About the New Characters’ Roles and Relevance
- Season 3 on Netflix and Accessibility for International Audiences
- What This Arc Means for Pokémon Anime’s Future Direction
- Conclusion
Who Are the New Elite Four Members and How Do They Differ From Previous Rivals?
Lacey and Drayton’s introduction as Elite Four members sets them apart from the rival characters who dominated earlier seasons of Horizons. Rather than serving as one-off challengers, both characters bring established rank and prestige to their encounters with the main characters. Seiran Kobayashi’s voice work for Lacey and Hiroyuki Yoshino’s portrayal of Drayton establish distinct personalities that differentiate them from each other despite their similar status. Drayton’s character in particular has drawn attention from the community for his specific dialogue and battle approach, as fans analyze how his competitive style might influence the show’s battle sequences compared to previous rival encounters.
The voice casting choices matter more than casual viewers might realize, as established voice actors like Yoshino bring credibility and emotional depth to their characters. Fans familiar with Yoshino’s previous roles often recognize his distinctive delivery, which can shape how audiences perceive a character before they’ve even been fully developed in the narrative. Lacey’s character development through Kobayashi’s performance will likely follow a different trajectory than earlier rivals, given that she’s introduced with explicit status rather than having to earn recognition throughout a season. This represents a limitation in storytelling flexibility—the show must now justify her elite status through her battles and interactions, rather than building her reputation organically as the arc progresses.
Blueberry Academy as the New Setting and What It Means for the Series
Moving to Blueberry Academy fundamentally changes the show’s premise from traveling across regions to focusing on an academic institution, a significant departure from previous horizons storytelling. The academy setting is directly inspired by the pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, “The Indigo Disk,” which means longtime game players will recognize elements of the environment and potentially understand character motivations tied to that DLC’s storyline. Cyrano’s role as academy director adds institutional structure to the narrative—there are rules, hierarchies, and administrative constraints that didn’t exist when characters were traveling freely. This setting shift brings both advantages and limitations.
The advantage is that the academy creates natural opportunities for structured competition, skill progression, and ensemble cast dynamics that can sustain longer story arcs. However, the limitation is that the setting also reduces the exploratory, discovery-based gameplay that characterized earlier Horizons content. Fans who enjoyed the traveling narrative format may find the shift to a more stationary setting less dynamic, even if the competitive intensity increases. Additionally, the academy backdrop mirrors elements from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s endgame content, which means spoilers or direct narrative connections from those games could affect how fans experience the anime arc.
How the New Arc Changes the Competitive Landscape and Character Development
The “Rising Again” arc recontextualizes what “strength” means in the Horizons universe by introducing characters who already possess established power rather than earning it during the narrative. Lacey and Drayton’s membership in the BB League’s Elite Four means they represent an apex level of competitive excellence that the main characters must either match or overcome. This differs substantially from earlier seasons where rival strength developed alongside protagonist growth—here, the protagonists must close a gap that’s already explicitly defined.
The introduction of these elite-level characters creates a practical narrative challenge: the show must demonstrate their superiority credibly without making the main characters’ development feel undervalued. Previous rival encounters in Pokémon anime have struggled with this balance when introducing characters of presumed higher skill. The stakes are particularly high here because the Elite Four title carries game-specific connotations that fans will compare against their own game experience with these roles. Character development for Lacey and Drayton will likely focus on humanizing them beyond their rankings, showing vulnerabilities or alternative motivations that prevent them from becoming one-dimensional obstacles.
The Production Side—New Opening and Ending Themes and What They Signal
The new “Rising Again” arc brought fresh production energy through new opening and ending themes. Eve performs the opening theme “Iolite,” while Polkadot Stingray handles the ending theme “Netemo Sametemo” (Whether Asleep or Awake). These musical choices matter beyond aesthetics; the opening and ending themes set the emotional and tonal foundation for how viewers approach each episode, and they often provide subtle hints about the arc’s thematic direction. Eve’s selection for the opening suggests a particular artistic sensibility that likely reflects the show’s visual identity and target audience for this arc.
Music producers and composers make deliberate choices about which artists perform anime themes based on alignment with the show’s direction and target demographics. Polkadot Stingray’s energetic style for the ending theme contrasts with the opening’s approach, potentially signaling that this arc balances intensity with moments of levity or character bonding. For collectors and longtime fans, theme songs often become cultural markers of their preferred era of a show—fans tend to develop strong attachments to the opening and ending themes of the seasons they watched during formative viewing periods. The switch from previous themes indicates a conscious production decision to signal a fresh chapter, which can affect how original art, merchandise, and fan communities organize their appreciation of different arc periods.
Potential Misconceptions About the New Characters’ Roles and Relevance
A common misconception among some fans is that introducing Elite Four members as new characters means they’ll necessarily remain rivals throughout the entire arc. In Pokémon anime history, character alignment frequently shifts—rivals become allies, antagonists develop sympathetic motivations, and competitive relationships evolve into mentorships. Lacey and Drayton may follow any of these trajectories, and fans who assume fixed character arcs based purely on their initial role will likely encounter surprises as the narrative develops. The Elite Four status provides their starting point, not their endpoint.
Another potential confusion involves the connection between the anime and the Scarlet and Violet games. While Blueberry Academy is set in the DLC’s location, the anime may diverge significantly from game canon regarding character personalities, motivations, or plot developments. Fans who expect the anime versions of Lacey and Drayton to perfectly mirror their game counterparts could be disappointed if the show prioritizes narrative freedom over game-canon accuracy. This limitation matters because the anime often uses established game locations while reimagining character details for television storytelling purposes. Additionally, fans might assume that knowing the games guarantees understanding character relationships, when in fact the anime frequently recontextualizes those dynamics entirely.
Season 3 on Netflix and Accessibility for International Audiences
Netflix’s June 2026 official release of Season 3 makes the new arc accessible to audiences worldwide on a single platform, significantly expanding who can access and discuss the new content simultaneously. This differs from previous release models where international viewers might face delays or fragmented access across different streaming services. The centralized Netflix release means fan discussions, spoiler management, and content analysis happen across a truly global audience rather than staggered regional communities.
This accessibility advantage comes with a platform consideration: Netflix’s algorithm and recommendation systems influence how audiences discover the show, and the streaming platform’s retention metrics can impact long-term production decisions. International audiences now have immediate access to the same content as Japanese viewers, eliminating the discussion delay that previously existed. However, localization quality varies by language and region, meaning some viewers’ experiences of the new characters depend heavily on Netflix’s dubbing and subtitle choices, which weren’t always equivalent across the release formats.
What This Arc Means for Pokémon Anime’s Future Direction
The shift to Blueberry Academy and the introduction of competitive, established characters suggests that Pokémon Horizons is moving toward longer, structured competitive arcs rather than exploration-focused narratives. This direction aligns with how Pokémon games and broader media have evolved toward competitive and esports frameworks. If this arc proves successful with audiences, expect future seasons to emphasize institutional settings, established hierarchies, and advancement-based competition over random encounters and discovery.
The new arc also signals that the show is integrating recent game content (Scarlet and Violet’s DLC) into anime storytelling more directly than previous seasons did with their respective game generations. This closer alignment between games and anime creates mutual promotional value and gives collectors additional narrative context for their game experiences. Going forward, fans should expect the anime to serve as supplementary storytelling for recent games rather than operating as completely standalone content, which affects how players of both mediums organize their engagement with the franchise.
Conclusion
Pokémon Horizons fans need to understand that the new cast additions for the “Rising Again” arc represent a fundamental shift in the show’s narrative structure and competitive framework. The introduction of Lacey, Drayton, and Cyrano through Blueberry Academy creates a story environment focused on institutional competition and established hierarchy rather than discovery and character growth from unknown starting points. These aren’t peripheral additions but central pillars around which this arc’s entire trajectory revolves.
Approaching this new arc requires adjusting expectations about character development pacing, setting dynamics, and competitive presentation. Fans who embrace the shift toward academic institutional storytelling will find the new characters provide meaningful challenges and relationship development opportunities. Those who preferred the traveling, exploratory format of earlier Horizons seasons should understand that this direction may not align with their original attachment to the show. Either way, the production choices—from the voice casting to the new opening and ending themes to the Season 3 Netflix release—demonstrate that this arc represents a substantial creative commitment to exploring what Pokémon Horizons becomes when it prioritizes established excellence and institutional structure over personal discovery and growth.
