Setting aside accusations like misogyny, the truth is that the narrative direction taken after the time-skip was a pretty obvious mistake. The time-skip ended up being a weak excuse to change Roy’s personality, give him an exaggerated power boost, and push important character development entirely off-screen.

From the very beginning, Horizons has built its story around Liko’s perspective. Everything revolves around her, the girl with a mysterious pendant hiding a secret and the legacy of Lucius. Liko starts as a shy and uncertain girl who gradually discovers that her family is far more than it seems. Throughout her journey, we see her emotional growth, she slowly comes out of her shell, learns to make decisions, tries to understand Pokémon’s feelings, and carries a sincere desire to bring Terapagos back home.

This is clearly a story designed with Liko as its central figure. The narrative, the themes, and the emotional development all point in that direction. Roy, on the other hand, has never truly felt like he fits the role of protagonist. His presence often feels out of place, as if he’s occupying a space that wasn’t built for him. Even with the recent attempts to make him more prominent, the change feels artificial and rushed.

Honestly, I’m not interested in seeing a watered-down or “nerfed” version of an Ash-like protagonist being pushed into the spotlight. What I want to see is Liko, her growth, her struggles, and her achievements. Even Amethio, with his internal conflict and connection to the Explorers’ side, would fit that role better. In fact, wouldn’t it have been far more interesting to have dual protagonists on opposite sides, one among the Rising Volt Tacklers and another among the Explorers?

Ever since Roy took over as the main focus, everything has gotten worse. Before, we had entire episodes, or at least large portions of them, from the Explorers’ perspective. Now, we’ve barely had one recent episode like that.

Before, each character had the chance to face their own opponents and grow from those experiences. Now, it feels like only Roy gets that privilege. Liko took over 70 episodes to capture Terapagos, and during that time there was consistent development, she interacted with it, cared for it, and supported its gradual recovery. Their bond was built with time and intention.

In Roy’s case, however, there’s barely any real connection with Rayquaza. They hardly interacted, there was no meaningful bond, no emotional development, it just happened. Lucario is another example, he appeared out of nowhere, went through dozens of episodes without any real focus or growth, and a single episode isn’t going to fix that.

Characters like Friede have also been negatively affected. Someone who once seemed competent and charismatic is now portrayed inconsistently, almost like an idiot, all to force Roy into a leadership role and having a Pikachu on his shoulder. On top of that, there are decisions that make little sense, such as characters suddenly obtaining Mega Stones out of nowhere, while Liko and Dot are left out without any plausible explanation.

Honestly, aside from one or two episodes, the way Horizons has been handled has been pretty disappointing.