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| Season | Pokémon Horizons: Rising Hope (Horizons Season 3) · The final battle at Laqua arc (HZ133–HZ136) |
| Episode | Horizons Season 3, episode 44 · English episode 1357 · Japanese episode 1366 · Bulbapedia code HZ133 |
| English title | The Final Battle Is Near |
| Japanese title | 最後の戦いへ Saigo no Tatakai e — “To the Final Battle” |
| First aired (Japan) | 10 April 2026 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 18 September 2026 · Netflix |
| Screenplay | Kureha Matsuzawa |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Aioraito (Iolite) – Eve · Nete mo Samete mo (Asleep or Awake) – Polkadot Stingray |
| English opening | Evolving Again – Haven Paschall |
| Previous episode | Lucario’s Challenge! (HZ132) |
| Next episode | One Step Closer (HZ134) |
Plot episodeThe assault on LaquaMega admins
The Final Battle Is Near is the 44th episode of Pokémon Horizons: Rising Hope, the third season of the Pokémon anime, and the 1357th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 1366, Bulbapedia code HZ133). It first aired in Japan on 10 April 2026 and in the United States on 18 September 2026. It falls within the season’s The final battle at Laqua stretch (EP133–EP136).
Released on Netflix in the US on Friday 18 September 2026 with the rest of Part 4; BBC iPlayer had premiered it in the UK on 20 July 2026 and ABC iview released it in Australia on 4 September 2026.
Synopsis
The Tacklers and their allies launch their assault on Laqua, splitting up as the Explorers intercept them: Dot, Nemona and Penny beat Indi and Rubina’s Destiny Bond trap with Hamber’s help, while Roy, Ult and Friede begin a Mega Evolution battle against Coral, Sidian and Chalce. As the Brave Olivine nears Mount Pericarp, the plan is set: Roy, Ult and Friede will fly in as decoys while the eighteen Tera Type Trainers advance on foot towards the Laquium Core, joined by Amethio and the Six Heroes; the rest stay with the ship. Dot stresses that none of the eighteen Pokémon may faint, or Pagogo will lack the power to erase the Core. In Pericarp Town, anxious residents spot the ship, but Yuha angrily declares his complete trust in Liko and her friends. Pagogo fires a beam of light into the sky to guide the Heroes, and Spinel, unsurprised, sends his agents out. Coral and Sidian intercept the flying trio and lure them away.
On the ground, a barrage of Dark Pulses halts the land team; Diana’s Arcanine and Cap block them, and Liko, Diana, Ann and Cap ride ahead on Arcanine to keep Pagogo safe while Dot, Nemona and Penny stay to fight. Decidueye and Jolteon easily knock out a Runerigus and a Cofagrigus — too easily, since both fell with Destiny Bond, taking their attackers down. Indi and Rubina emerge, and with Ribombee and Vaporeon held back for fear of more Destiny Bonds, three of their Pokémon use Curse while a Runerigus’s Mean Look prevents switching. Gholdengo, immune to Curse through its Good as Gold Ability, breaks the stalemate; Dot hesitates over the strain, but Gholdengo is willing, and Make It Rain knocks out all four opponents, Gholdengo alone falling to Destiny Bond. Indi and Rubina send in fresh Cofagrigus and Runerigus with Strong Spheres against Quaquaval, Pawmot and Flareon.
Before Curse can take effect, an attack from the woods strikes a Ghost type and a Dusknoir rises to cancel the Curse; Pawmot’s Double Shock knocks out the Cofagrigus, the arrival of a Bloodmoon Ursaluna intimidates the Runerigus out of Destiny Bond, and Flareon’s Heat Wave finishes them. Hamber has come to repay his debt to Dot; he holds off a squad of Explorers agents while the girls run on. Elsewhere, Chalce teleports in with Xatu, revealing that the Explorers know the Tacklers’ plan, and switches to Medicham while Coral sends out Glalie and Sidian an Aerodactyl. Friede swaps Charizard for Starmie, Roy sends Lucario and Ult Sableye, and all six Trainers Mega Evolve. Glalie’s Blizzard blinds the field, Starmie’s Agility clears the snow, Sableye jams its gem into Glalie’s mouth, Starmie returns the gem after Ice Spinner knocks it loose, and Sableye shields Starmie from Sheer Cold as Liko’s group nears the heart of Laqua. Curse is used in the anime for the first time.
Major Events
- The final battle begins. The assault on Laqua
- Dot, Nemona and Penny beat Indi and Rubina’s Destiny Bond trap with Hamber’s help
- Gholdengo’s Good as Gold
- Roy, Ult and Friede begin a Mega Evolution battle with Coral, Sidian and Chalce
- Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Glalie appear
- Curse is used in the anime for the first time
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Kureha Matsuzawa.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Rising Volt Tacklers storyline.
Part of our Pokémon Horizons: Rising Hope guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.