Is he truly a Pokémon? Or is he, in fact, a human? When danger threatens the Forest of Okoya, the bonds between Pokémon and human-as well as the love between parent and child-will be put to the test.'Ī special tie-in distribution is currently underway in Pokémon Sword and Shield, which gifts trainers Zarude, the Mythical Pokémon.

But one day, a chance meeting with Ash and Pikachu leaves Koko with his first human friend. Koko has grown up never doubting that he is a Pokémon.

Deep in the jungle, far from any human settlement, is the Forest of Okoya-a Pokémon paradise forbidden to outsiders and protected by a strict code of rules. In this jungle lives Koko, a human boy who has been raised as a Pokémon by the Mythical Pokémon Zarude. 'Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle tells the story of Koko, a young boy raised by Pokémon, and the creation of a new bond between humans and Pokémon. Here's the synopsis for Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle: No hard release date has been set for the Pokémon film in the West, but it's expected to release some time in 2021. Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle was announced at the end of 2019 and scheduled for a summer 2020 release, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic pushed the film back in Japan. Not much else regarding Ash's father is talked about in the interview, so Pokémon fans will have to wait until the film comes out to learn more. It's mentioned briefly in the first season of the series that he was training to be a Pokémon Master, just like many other people in the Pokémon world. Meeting Koko and Zarude makes Ash think of his own relationship with his father, and viewers will learn that he gained a lot of his personality from his dad.Īsh's dad has never been seen in the Pokémon anime or movies. The interview then touches on how, in the new movie, Ash mentions his father, who has been absent from the Pokémon anime since the series' debut in 1997. In the film, Zarude is a strict keeper of the 'laws of the jungle,' but meeting Koko changes the Pokémon's way of thinking. Yajima told the outlet that after becoming a recent father, his 'outlook on life that had until now changed' and this new film reflects that. The spotlight Pokémon, Zarude, acts as a father to the young boy Koko, and ideas about parenthood and how to raise children are present throughout the film. Tetsuo Yajima, the director of Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, spoke to Japanese outlet Oricon about the film's themes. As exciting as it is to even imagine being able to see another Pokémon adventure on a big screen, this new film is special for another reason: A recent interview with the director reveals that Ash's father will be mentioned for the first time in 20 years. The next animated Pokémon movie is set to release in Japanese theaters on December 25.

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