Pokémon Horizons’ timeskip has changed a lot about the series and what fans can expect from Pokémon, allowing its protagonists a chance to grow up a bit. Growing up has some unexpected side effects, though, which could affect the anime moving forward—side effects like a newfound interest in romance.

Whether one is talking about Pokémon Horizons or the original series with Ash, romance has never been a big part of the Pokémon anime. Ash and Misty had some very early hints at a potential relationship, but it never really went anywhere. The anime was far more explicit with Serena’s romantic interest in Ash during the XY era, but Ash never really returned her feelings and remained oblivious right up until the end of the series. Liko and Roy’s relationship has been overwhelmingly platonic as well, but as the series protagonists get older, could that be something that changes?

Ash Was Never a Good Candidate for Romance

Ash Had Very Little Interest in Romance of Any Sort

Despite teasing the idea now and then, the Pokémon anime has been pretty firmly against the idea of Ash having a romantic relationship, almost since the beginning. Ash’s only real ion is Pokémon, and he never really shows any interest in any of his female companions (or male ones, for that matter). Having traveled with so many people over the years, it ultimately amounts to a massive amount of evidence that Ash just isn’t interested in a relationship, and that makes sense. If Ash is 10 years old throughout the series, after all, then it’s no wonder he’s not interested.

Because of this, Ash tends to have a very different sort of relationship with his female companions. Many of them end up looking to him as a mentor, as he’s so much more experienced with Pokémon than they are. A lot of them had more of a sibling-like relationship with Ash than a romantic one, such as May and Dawn. Others were just unambiguously friends, with no particular emotional intensity attached at all. This helped to change up the character dynamics quite a bit as seasons progressed.

Liko and Roy don’t have clearly defined ages, but at least a year has ed in-universe since the beginning of the series, and most signs point to them being around 13 years old after the timeskip. That’s a much more reasonable point at which to start developing an interest in romance, and the show seems to have acknowledged that already, with Ult hesitant to interrupt their private discussion in episode 3, fearing it was a romantic moment. That wasn’t the case at all, though, and so far there’s no romantic element to Liko and Roy’s relationship.

Could Liko and Roy’s New, Older Looks Mean Romance Has a Home in Pokémon?

Would Pokémon Horizons Dare Include a Romance Plot?

There are certainly some fans out there who are cheering for the idea of a romance plot to become canon to Pokémon Horizons, especially if it centered on Liko and Roy. Even in just a few short episodes, it’s already clearer that both of our heroes are older and more mature than they were previously. While there might not have been much reason for either of them to be attracted to the other before the timeskip, the growth that they’ve shown just might change that.

Including a romance element to Pokémon Horizons would certainly be odd. While Ash always had a male companion around to act as a third wheel, Liko and Roy are primarily traveling alone together at this stage, which would make the romantic element a little difficult to work in without just making everything awkward. Having Ult dropping in periodically and ruining the mood would also be a problem, so there’s no real reason to expect romance at this particular stage of the story. It might also risk being a little much for a show like Horizons, with its younger demographic.

That said, though, it’s impossible to rule out a romance angle entirely. If the series were to go through another timeskip, that would make romance an even bigger elephant in the room, something that would have to be addressed sooner or later, even if it was ultimately just to disprove that there were romantic feelings at all. This is also an early juncture in the story as well, with Liko and Roy having only just reunited. It’s possible that it will take time for romantic feelings to build up, and that this won’t become a problem for the story until later.

In the End, Pokémon and Romance May Just Not Mix

Embracing Romance Could be a Mistake for the Series

It’s extremely common for adventure series to have a romance element that goes along with the main plot, in shonen anime and even sometimes in anime aimed at younger demographics than even that. Pokémon Horizons doesn’t quite meet the definition of shonen, though; and, with the series having avoided romance for 25 years under Ash, it just feels a bit weird to consider changing that fact now. Liko and Roy are new characters, ittedly, but they haven’t been any more romantically coded than Ash was.

In a lot of ways, romance may just end up being a distraction from the main plot, and that’s something that Pokémon Horizons doesn’t need. The story is already at its best when it sticks most closely to the main plot, and that plot hasn’t had anything to do with romance so far. It’s okay if Liko and Roy are friends and nothing more, after all.

Pokémon Horizons’ older protagonists definitely open the door for romance to make an appearance in the anime, but looking back on the franchise’s history, it still feels like a bit of a stretch, and the series may be better off choosing not to explore this particular area of the story. Liko and Roy aren’t any better at romance than Ash was. Perhaps Pokémon Horizons will embrace fan desires for romance, but only time will tell.