# Pokémon: Twilight Wings

Pokémon: Twilight Wings (薄明の翼, Hakumei no Tsubasa) is a Japanese original net animation (ONA) anime series produced by Studio Colorido and released on YouTube by The Pokémon Company. It is a series inspired by the Pokémon Sword and Shield titles of the Pokémon video games, but it is not a part of the television series. A total of eight episodes, were announced for the series on December 12, 2019. The first episode was released on January 15, 2020, and further episodes were planned to be released on a monthly basis, however the fifth episode was delayed from May to June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This series, for the first seven episodes, also serves as a prequel to the Sword and Shield titles.
The series initially concluded on August 6, 2020, when the seventh episode was released. However, a special episode titled "The Gathering of Stars" (EXPANSION ～星の祭～), based on downloadable content for the Pokémon Sword and Shield games, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, premiered on November 5, 2020 in Japanese, and later on November 17, 2020 in English.

## Episode list

| No. | Title | Original release date | English air date |
| 1 | "Letter" Transliteration: "Tegami" (Japanese: 手紙) | January 15, 2020 (2020-01-15) | January 15, 2020 |
| John, a hospital-ridden boy in the Galar region and a fan of the Pokémon Champion Leon, writes and delivers a letter to Chairman Rose, who runs Galar's Pokémon League. |||||
| 2 | "Training" Transliteration: "Shugyou" (Japanese: 修行) | February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18) | February 18, 2020 |
| The episode follows Pokémon Gym Leader Bea in her training preparing for a future rematch against Champion Leon. |||||
| 3 | "Buddy" Transliteration: "Aibou" (Japanese: 相棒) | March 17, 2020 (2020-03-17) | March 17, 2020 |
| Hop's admiration for his big brother Leon and his Charizard leaves his Wooloo feeling unimportant. Wooloo runs off and Hop sets out to find his friend. |||||
| 4 | "Early-Evening Waves" Transliteration: "Younami" (Japanese: 夕波) | April 17, 2020 (2020-04-17) | April 21, 2020 |
| Gym Leader Nessa who specializes with Water-type Pokémon reflects on her accomplishments after losing a match against Gym Leader Milo. |||||
| 5 | "Assistant" Transliteration: "Hisho" (Japanese: 秘書) | June 5, 2020 (2020-06-05) | June 4, 2020 |
| A day in the work life of Macro Cosmos's Vice President Oleana, assistant and secretary to Chairman Rose who keeps the company running in the Chairman's absence. |||||
| 6 | "Moonlight" Transliteration: "Tsukiyo" (Japanese: 月夜) | July 3, 2020 (2020-07-03) | July 2, 2020 |
| After getting into an argument with his friend John, Tommy wants to make amends. He enlists Allister, Galar’s Ghost-type Gym Leader, to help in a most unusual way. |||||
| 7 | "Sky" Transliteration: "Sora" (Japanese: 空) | August 6, 2020 (2020-08-06) | August 6, 2020 |
| The day of Leon’s Championship match has arrived, and thanks to John’s letter, all the kids at the hospital are invited to attend! But in his excitement, John oversleeps and almost misses his chance to go to the stadium. |||||
| 8 | "The Gathering of Stars" Transliteration: "Hoshi no Matsuri" (Japanese: 星の祭) | November 5, 2020 (2020-11-05) | November 17, 2020 |
| Having lost his title as Champion, Leon visits his old master for advice. He then proceeds to participate in the most exciting Pokémon battle tournament yet. |||||

## Characters and voice cast

| Character | English | Japanese |
| John | Julia McIlvaine | Aoi Yūki |
| Oleana | Julia McIlvaine | Ayumi Nagao |
| Chairman Rose | Keith Silverstein | Kazuhiro Yamaji |
| Tommy | Morgan Berry | Kei Shindō |
| Bea | Laura Stahl | Eri Kitamura |
| Hop | Griffin Puatu | Yūko Sanpei |
| Milo | Zach Aguilar | Tarusuke Shingaki |
| Leon | Kai Jordan | Takahiro Sakurai |
| Sonia | Allegra Clark | Lynn |
| Nessa | Anairis Quinones | Sora Amamiya |
| Allister | Casey Mongillo | Ryō Hirohashi |
| Raihan | Nazeeh Tarsha | Kohsuke Toriumi |
| Cabbie | Edward Bosco | Seiro Ogino |
| Mustard | SungWon Cho | |
| Nurse | | Yuna Ogata |
| Corviknight | | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Charizard | Edward Bosco | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Machop | Laura Post | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Machoke | | Tsuguo Mogami |
| Machamp | | Masaaki Ihara |
| Wooloo/Dubwool | Erica Mendez | Rikako Aikawa |
| Yamper | Laura Post | Rikako Aikawa |
| Advertising staff | Allegra Clark | Miyari Nemoto |
| Gastly | Kai Jordan | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Haunter | Casey Mongillo | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Gengar | | Kiyotaka Furushima |
| Opal | Laura Post | |
| Melony | Laura Post | |
| Piers | Edward Bosco | Kisho Taniyama |
| Goodra | Allegra Clark | |
| Wingull | Dawn M. Bennett | |
| Avery | Christopher Hackney | |
| Klara | Erica Mendez | Yui Ishikawa |
| Amoonguss | Amber Lee Connors | |
| Krookodile | Amber Lee Connors | |
| Lycanroc | Christopher Hackney | |
| Honey | Amber Lee Connors | |
| Bede | Brandon Winckler | |
| Marnie | Dawn M. Bennett | Yui Ishikawa |
| Morpeko | Allegra Clark | |
| Grimmsnarl | Christopher Hackney | |
| Peonia | Heather Gonzalez | |
| Peony | Nazeeh Tarsha | |
| Arctozolt | Dawn M. Bennett | |

## Criticism

Certain species of Pokémon that were initially cut from appearing in the Sword and Shield games (such as Dewgong) appeared in the fourth episode of the animated series, resulting in various fans feeling misled. In response, The Pokémon Company issued a public apology.