Although the festivities have piped down since February, Pokémon is still celebrating its 20th anniversary year in style. There’s a pair of games heading to Nintendo 3DS in just two months, but a new series of animated shorts will take fans back through the older games before launching into the next generation.
Pokémon Generations recounts the adventures of the Pokémon handheld games, recapping them for the small screen for the first time. Until Dec. 23, the franchise’s YouTube channel will play host to the 5-minute episodes, each one focused on a different Pokémon game.
The premiere trailer above already teases some instantly recognizable moments, like the battle against Red Gyarados from Pokémon Silver and Gold and Pokémon Diamond/Pearl's confrontation with legendary titan Regigigas. The Pokémon trainer at the center of it all resembles Red, the player character from the very first games, although his face is obscured.
How each episode is divvied up hasn’t been detailed yet The whole thing calls to mind Pokémon Origins, an anime miniseries based on Pokémon Red and Blue. It’s available on YouTube and Hulu, and it should whet your appetite in the lead-up to Pokémon Generations.
Update: The series begins Sept. 16 and will run for 18 episodes, straight through to Dec. 23.
Correction: This specific Regigigas battle is from Diamond and Pearl, not Black 2/White 2. The above has been amended to reflect this.
