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Kotaku EastJapanThe World’s Most Expensive Pokémon Card Breaks A New Auction Record
Last year, the ultra-rare Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $195,000. That was the highest price paid for a Pokémon card. Until now. The Pikachu Illustrator card was given out to winners of a comic contest that was held in Japan in 1997-98. Thirty-nine of these cards were awarded, but only ten apparently still exist. Back…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 22, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsDad Who Doesn’t Even Like Pokémon Selling His Card Collection For $30,000
A 34-year-old father from England, who does not nor has ever liked Pokémon, still managed to get his hands on a complete set of original cards when he was a kid, and so is now selling them to someone who can maybe appreciate them a little more. Nigel Brookes was given the set as a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 21, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsOoblets Is All About Dance Battles, Cute Critters, And Chillin’
Dog fighting sucks. Not a controversial opinion, but one that always enters my mind when I see or think about Pokémon. While I understand all the reasons why folks claim it’s different, it still feels too much like that terrible “sport.” Ooblets, out now in early access, fixes this major problem with Pokémon and also…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 18, 2020 -
CulturePokemonPolitoed Hangs Out In Groups And Shouts All Night
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Politoed! Politoed Details Type: Water Average Height: 3′ 07″ Average Weight: 74.7 lbs First Added In Generation II 2020…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 18, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanPet Fish Is Trying To Finish A Pokémon Game
If you think finishing a Pokémon game takes a long time, try playing one as a pet fish. That’s exactly what one pet fish in Japan is doing. Mutekimaru Channel is tracking fish Mutekimaru (aka Maurice) as it makes its way through Pokémon Ruby. As Soranews notes, the fish is obviously not aware it is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 16, 2020 -
CulturePokemonBlacephalon Can Rip Its Head Off And Blow It Up Like A Bomb
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Blacephalon! Blacephalon Details Type: Fire/Ghost Average Height: 5′ 11″ Average Weight: 28.7 lbs First Added In Generation VII Imagine…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 11, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsThe Full Adidas x Pokémon Collab Is So Good
While the odd piece has released through 2020—a pair of sneakers here, some slides there—what looks like the full range of Adidas’ Pokémon collab has dropped on the company’s Japanese store, and it’s great There are shirts, bags, shorts and tracksuits! There are multiple pairs of sneakers, stuff for men, women and kids too. I…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 7, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsThe Last Jedi’s Director Made A Pokémon Go Trailer
Pokémon Go has made over $3 billion since launching back in 2016, and that kind of money means you can just walk out and hire Star Wars director Rian Johnson to direct a 30-second commercial for your phone game. Specifically it’s for Pokémon Go Fest 2020, and if you’re wondering whether this was a flex…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 7, 2020 -
EsportsPokémon Esports Broadcasts Are Simply The Best At Reaching Out To Newcomers
Maybe it’s weird, but I enjoy watching Pokémon far more than playing it. I haven’t seriously played a Pokémon title since SoulSilver in ‘09, and haven’t finished one since Pokémon Blue way back in the ancient yester-year of 1996. Yet despite my apparent aversion to all things Pocket and Monster I am obsessed with Pokémon…
By Ash Parrish Published July 7, 2020 -
CulturePokemonLunatone Is Probably An Alien And Has The Ability To Make People Fall Asleep
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Lunatone! Lunatone Details Type: Rock/Psychic Average Height: 3′ 03″ Average Weight: 370.4 lbs First Added In Generation III Last…
By Zack Zwiezen Published July 4, 2020 -
ReviewsMultiplatformPokémon Smile: The Kotaku Review
Maybe you thought it would be easy to write/laugh this one off as a dumb gimmick, but for real: Pokémon Smile is one of the most important video games to have entered my household in years I have two kids, one 9, the other 7, and while both are beautiful, wonderful little people, both of…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 2, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanA $3,200 Pikachu Engagement Ring That Looks Kinda NSFW
The Pokémon Company is once again teaming up with Tokyo jeweler Ginza Tanaka for a Pocket Monster-themed engagement ring. The center is a diamond, and the two things sticking out are supposed to be, um? Dicks? They look like dicks. But, they are not dicks; they’re supposed to be Pikachu ears. Available via Pokémon Center…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 29, 2020 -
CulturePokemonShiftry Is Over A Thousand Years Old And Can Read Your Mind
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Shiftry! Shiftry Details Type: Grass/Dark Average Height: 4′ 03″ Average Weight: 131.4 lbs First Added In Generation III Shiftry…
By Zack Zwiezen Published June 27, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsGrandpa Is Playing Pokémon Go In The Year 2173
We first wrote about Taiwanese grandpa Chen San-yuan back in 2018, when he was spotted with 11 phones strapped to his bike so he could play Pokémon Go. In the two years since, he has upped his game considerably. As The Verge report, Chen’s bike+ phone assemblage has slowly got more precarious, from 45 phones…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 24, 2020 -
Tips & GuidesKubfu Is The Star Of Pokémon Sword And Shield’s New Expansion
Last week, Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor expansion introduced plenty of cool new features to Nintendo’s latest monster hunting/gathering game. Some hits include the fact Pokémon that follow you (Gen IV-style) and a pair of deliciously snarky rivals. But the real star of the show is a roundhouse-kicking bear named Kubfu. You get…
By Ari Notis Published June 24, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsPokémon Café Mix Is Nothing New, But It Sure Is Cute
I’ve played many free mobile games that function almost exactly like Pokémon Café Mix, but none that prominently feature a super-adorable Charmander who I would follow anywhere and give my life to defend. Available now on Switch, Google Play, and iTunes, Pokémon Café Mix is a Disney Tsum Tsum or Yo-Kai Watch Wibble Wobble style…
By Mike Fahey Published June 24, 2020 -
CulturePokémon Unite Is A DOTA-Style Arena Battler With Pokémon
This morning The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Unite, a team-based mobile battle arena game created in cooperation with China’s Tencent. It’s free-to-play PokéDOTA for Switch and mobile devices. You read right. It’s a five-on-five team-based MOBA in which players battle as pocket monsters, evolving and gaining new powers as they level up during matches. During…
By Mike Fahey Published June 24, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanHere Are Some Official Pokémon Purses And Bags
Japanese fashion brand Samantha Vega is teaming up with Pokémon for a line of purses and bags. As seen on At Press, there are different themes in the collection, and while a couple of the bags just look like purses with Pokémon face slapped on it, that Poké Ball one is especially excellent. Ditto for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 23, 2020 -
Tips & GuidesWhy You Should Find (Most Of) The Diglett In Pokémon Sword And Shield’s New Expansion
What do you get if you take the original 151 Pokémon and replace them with carbon copies of an eighth generation reimagining of one the more forgettable ones? The Isle of Armor expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield, out last week for Nintendo Switch, answers that head-scratcher. Kinda. Early on in the DLC, as you…
By Ari Notis Published June 22, 2020 -
CulturePokemonHonchkrow Is A Shitty Boss
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Honchkrow! Honchkrow Details Type: Dark/Flying Average Height: 2′ 11″ Average Weight: 60.2 lbs First Added In Generation IV Have…
By Zack Zwiezen Published June 20, 2020