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Pokémon Journeys: The Series Anime Casts Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Kibana/Raihan

The official Twitter account for Pokémon Journeys: The Series, the new Pokémon television anime, revealed on Wednesday that Tatsuhisa Suzuki will play Kibana (Raihan in English), a Dragon-type gym leader in the Galar region. As one of the top eight in the Pokémon World Championships, he is a rival of Dande (Leon, played by Daisuke Ono).

The show premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on November 17, two days after the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games shipped worldwide. The first 12 episodes of the anime will debut in the United States on Netflix on June 12, and the service will add new episodes quarterly. The anime will also premiere on the Canadian television channel Teletoon on May 9, and it will then debut on Télétoon in French later this year.

The anime's staff announced last month that they are temporarily suspending part of its production of the series due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation and the state of emergency declared in Japan. As a result, new episodes are delayed, and channels are re-airing old episodes. The staff will reveal at a later date when the anime will return.

Netflix describes the anime:

Pokémon Trainer Ash Ketchum has a new plan: see the world! But first, he and his partner Pikachu are headed to the opening of the Cerise Laboratory, a research facility dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of Pokémon in every region. Ash meets Goh, another boy with boundless curiosity about Pokémon, and both are overjoyed when Professor Cerise asks them to become official research fellows. With Ash as determined as ever to become a Pokémon Master, and Goh aiming to catch one of every Pokémon (including the Mythical Mew), our heroes are in for adventure and excitement as they explore the wide world of Pokémon! “Pokémon Journeys: The Series” arrives June 12, only on Netflix!

The new series features two protagonists: Satoshi (Ash) and the new character Goh. Goh's partner Pokémon is the starter Pokémon Hibunny (Scorbunny) from the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield games. Daiki Yamashita voices the character Goh. Goh is 10 years old, and his dream is to capture all Pokémon.

Daiki Tomiyasu (Pokémon Sun & Moon) is serving as chief director of the anime at OLM, and Maki Odaira (Pokémon Sun & Moon episode director) is directing the series. Kunihiko Yuyama is the creative supervisor, Shoji Yonemura is in charge of series construction, and Shūhei Yasuda is the character designer. Yuki Hayashi is composing the music, and Masafumi Mima is the sound director. Scriptwriters include: Reiko Yoshida, Shoji Yonemura, Deko Akao, Jun'ichi Fujisaku, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Touko Machida, Yuka Miyata, Aya Matsui, Atsuhiro Tomioka, and Akemi Omode, among others.

The new series features all of the regions covered in the franchise so far, from the Kanto to the Galar region. Machito Gomi is drawing a manga adaptation of the new anime.

Source: Pokémon Journeys: The Series' Twitter account, Anime! Anime! (酒井靖菜)