Pokémon Winds & Waves Prequel Leaks

Pokémon Winds and Waves is set to arrive in 2027, and fans may end up waiting months to officially learn any more details about the next generation of the iconic series. In the meantime, however, leakers are filling in the gaps, and the latest information suggests that the story of Pokémon Winds and Waves will begin outside the bounds of the games themselves.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Pokémon sets up a prequel for the next generation, as the franchise is essentially a well-oiled multimedia machine where the games are only one facet of the big picture. This time, however, the approach sounds surprisingly complicated.

According to Centro LEAKS on X, a prequel anime for Pokémon Winds and Waves will tell the backstory of the Professor and the Champion. In the anime, the Professor will apparently be only 14, while the Champion will be 20. In-game, however, the Professor will end up being older, as the story of both the anime and game will be “related to time travel.”

Centro LEAKS draws a comparison between the role of the anime and Pokémon Twilight Wings, a series that wasconnected to Pokémon Sword and Shield. The information comes courtesy of another Pokémon leaker called moot. As with all leaks, it should be taken with a grain of salt, despite Centro LEAKS being an undeniably major figure in the Pokémon community.

Time travel has been playing an increasingly large role in recent Pokémon games, so it’s not that surprising to seePokémon Winds and Waves leaning into the concept. That being said, the approach will likely prove somewhat divisive within the Pokémon community. The Switch era of Pokémon games was frequently the subject of criticism, and sticking with an ongoing narrative trend as the mainline series moves to the Switch 2 for the first time may not be the shake-up that some are looking for.

It could still be a while before we get either a fresh look at Pokémon Winds and Waves or a reveal of the alleged anime. In the case of Pokémon: Twilight Wings and Sword and Shield, the anime didn’t arrive until after the game’s launch, which would mean that the backstory of the Professor and the Champion might have to wait until well into 2027. Hopefully, Pokémon‘s seemingly ambitious plans for the next generation of games and tie-ins will ultimately set up a compelling story for fans to enjoy.