Pokémon's 25th anniversary anime series features return of Ball Guy
Galarrrrgh.
A new eight-episode anime series will celebrate Pokémon's 25th anniversary - and also see the return of fan-favourite character Ball Guy.
Pokémon Sword and Shield's Ball Guy is not to be trusted. We've covered this already. He may jump, cheer and dance to encourage you through gym battles, but underneath that head lies Pokémon's true monster.
Watch out, then, for Pokémon Evolutions. This limited-run series will debut next week on Pokémon's YouTube channel and Pokémon TV app, and feature each of the franchise's eight regions to date in reverse chronological order.
This means an episode set in Ball Guy's Galar region is up first, on 9th September, before subsequent weeks explore Alola, Kalos, Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto and finally Kanto on 23rd December.
This isn't the first time Pokémon has produced an event series separate from Ash Ketchum's ongoing adventures. Last year's enjoyable Pokémon: Twilight Wings centered squarely on Galar region, and the various characters featured in Sword and Shield. Thankfully, Ball Guy was nowhere to be seen.