Pokémon Bets on POKÉTOON With New Wartortle Short

The Pokémon Company released a new POKÉTOON short titled Kameil to Natsu no Tsuzuku (Wartortle and the Ongoing Summer) on its official YouTube channel on Aug 13, 2026. Industry veteran Shingo Yamashita, whose previous credits include Cosmic Princess Kaguya and Chainsaw Man directed the short.

Wartortle and the Ongoing Summer follows a boy named Rikuto. He encounters a Wartortle whose tail color and moss-covered shell diverge from its standard Pokedex appearance during his visit to his grandmother at the end of summer.

What We Know About Wartortle and the Ongoing Summer 

Rather than extending an existing TV storyline, the Wartortle short focuses on a self-contained narrative centered on Wartortle. The premise blends nostalgia and memory by showing Wartortle’s connection with Rikuto’s father instead of focusing on Pokémon battles. Aya Satsuki, known for Solo Camping for Two, wrote the script. 

Riiki Miura, who has worked in the One Piece franchise, designed the characters and served as chief animation director. Cosmic Princess Kaguya, famed Studio Chromato, and veteran animation house Studio Colorido animated Wartortle and the Ongoing Summer. 

The cast includes Sayaka Senbongi and Kana Hanazawa in the roles of Rikuto and Wartortle, respectively. Yamashita’s involvement is another strategic detail. He helmed Pokémon: Twilight Wings in 2020, along with a previous POKÉTOON Yume no Tsubom in  2021.

As of Aug 13, Wartortle and the Ongoing Summer is available only in Japanese, with no confirmed date for an English dub. The franchise's previous Pokémon Day special short, Pokémon: Dragonite and the Special Delivery, is now available in English, along with many other shorts.