Pokémon

Normally, A Competitive Pokémon Match Between These Top Players Wouldn’t Happen

There are many ways to play competitive Pokémon, and each format has its own group of top players. These groups usually don’t cross paths, but YouTubers created an online league to remedy that. Last weekend, two elite trainers from the singles community took on their “doubles” counterparts in a clash of the titans. Joey “pokéaimMD”…

Pokémon Sun and Moon Mod Is A Hardcore Overhaul 

Pokémon Nova Sun and Umbra Moon is a mechanical rework of last year’s big Pokémon releases meant to give fans a challenging Pokémon experience. Battles in this mod are tougher thanks to a combination of high levels, a more intense difficulty curve, and an AI that uses actual competitive strategies. Here’s the trailer: Created by…

Designer Pokémon Watch Costs $258,000, Is Ugly

Luxury Swiss watchmakers RJ-Romain Jerome have made meticulous, fascinating watches since 2004. Now, they’re collaborating with Pokémon. The results aren’t so pretty. If you want quickly understand what kind of watches RJ-Romain Jerome makes and who those watches are for, let this sentence wash over you: In 2012, they made a watch that contained materials…

Now This Looks Like A Pocket Monster

Here’s a Squirtle cushion that’s about as phallic as they come. This incarnation of the popular Water type was apparently spotted in Indonesia. I’ve seen Squirtle cushions before, but I’ve never quite seen one that looks like this! It looks even worse when isolated: See? No, this is worse. Much worse. Kotaku East is your…

Beating Pokémon Ruby with Magikarp Took Nearly Six Years

Back in 2011, a live-streamer named Leomon began playing with a Shiny of the most useless Pocket Monster. Almost six years later, the trainer has finally become a champion with that fish. After the stream, Leomon posted on Twitter that it didn’t matter if you had a strong or a weak Pokémon, that if you…

Rapidly Deflating Pikachu Rushed To Safety By Small Horde Of Suited Men

Tragedy struck in mid-dance number during the Pokemon World Festivalin Incheon, South Korea earlier this week, as the lead Pikachu sprung a leak during “You Can’t Stop The Beat.” Fortunately an elite squad of suited men was standing by. The incident occurs at the 1:00 mark in the video below, posted by YouTube user Green…

Donkey Kong, Halo: Combat Evolved, Pokémon Red and Green, and Street Fighter II have been inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. They were picked out of twelve finalists that included Final Fantasy VII, Mortal Kombat, Portal, Resident Evil, and Wii Sports. 

Russian Man Facing Prison For Making Pokémon Go Video Inside A Church

A Russian man might be spending years in prison after his trial wrapped up last week, after being arrested in 2016 for making a video about Pokémon Go while inside a church, a violation of the country’s laws against “inciting religious hatred”. Last year, Ruslan Sokolovsky made a video inside the famous Church of All…

The World of Pokémon Fan Games Has Become A Minefield

Some of the people who make Pokémon fan games are scared, if not a bit angry. They’ve been crafting amazing Pokémon games that rival the official releases for a decade, dodging lawsuits and relying on increasingly dated tools. It’s never been easy, but it’s also never been as stressful as it is today. Pokémon fan…

Pokémon Player Uses ‘Explosion’ On Veteran Competitor, Leaving Him Speechless

Pokémon Sun and Moon’s online Battle Spot ladder is full of wild teams. Since all games are best-of-one (unlike live tournaments, which are best-of-three), many players bring gimmicks to steal the win in unexpected ways. Even the best competitive player can be caught off guard, because they never know what to expect. Take this episode…

Latest Figures Capture Pokémon At The Height Of Their Powers

The second wave of Pokémon Gallery figures have hit The Pokemon Company’s online store, giving Psyduck, Cubone, Jigglypuff and Vulpix a chance to show off their signature moves in style. The Pokémon Gallery figure linelaunched back in February as part of the celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary. The idea is to portray Pokémon as…

Pikachu Is Now Selling KFC In China

Last year, KFC rolled out a special Pokémon campaign in Japan, complete with Pikachu on the bucket. And this year, the character is coming to KFCs in China. Redditor Maxtch spotted the above ad at Xujiahui Station in Shanghai. Those who buy one of the meal deals get a collectible Pikachu figurine. Kotaku East is…

Baseball Stars Are Signing Pokémon Cards

“I just thought it would be cool if professional athletes would sign Pokémon cards”, says Addison Russell, one of the best young talents in baseball. Russell, an infielder for the Cubs, started collecting Pokémon cards during the offseason as a way of connecting with the younger members of his family. Then he had an idea.…

This Is How You Fix A Really Busted Copy Of Pokémon Red

Grant Haack, who goes by Snip3r95 on Imgur, found an old Pokémon cartridge while wandering around a flea market. The game only set them back $5, but actually getting the Game Boy classic up and running required some serious elbow grease. “It was at the bottom of a bin and in pretty bad shape,” Haack…

Competitive Pokémon Players Sometimes Change Teams At The Last Minute

It’s night before the Dallas Regional Championships, and Drew Nowak is trying to squeeze in some practice with a last-minute Pokémon team. Despite not fully understanding the intricacies of the new team, he rises above hundreds and wins the entire tournament. A couple months later, he uses a last-minute team again and takes top four…

For Poké Ball Candy Containers, These Seem Nice 

In Japan, Bandai is releasing a set of Poké Ball. There’s a total of 11 different Poké Balls in the set, and while they’re designed to hold candy (and not, you know, Pocket Monsters), these replicas are rather handsome. Over the years, Japan has seen an array of mock Poké Balls. They’re typically sold at…

Here Is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Dressed Up As Pikachu

Yesterday, on Easter, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson chased his daughter around the house wearing a Pikachu costume. And how did you celebrate? Eggs? The 6’5″, 260-pound wrestler was playing his daughter’s favorite game, “I run away and you chase me Pikachu,” according to The Rock’s Instagram. Adorably, his daughter pronounces “Pikachu” like “Peekyu.” “The Rock”…

Pokémon Hunter Gets Rare Shiny On First Try, Freaks The Hell Out

In modern Pokémon games, there is only a 1 in 4,096 chance you’ll find a monster in a special coloring. People can spend hours, days, weeks, sometimes even years searching for shiny Pokémon to no avail, just resetting a game over and over again. Here’s what happens when you find a legendary shiny on your…

The New Mythical Pokémon Isn’t Only In Sun And Moon

There is a new Mythical Pokémon in Sun and Moon. The character, however, is also appearing in the upcoming Pokémon reboot feature film. Titled Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You!, the movie shows how Ash and Pikachu teamed up and goes from there. As the latest trailer shows, it also features the new Mythical Pocket…

The Latest Pokémon Anime Episode Was Depressing As Hell

You thought the Pokémon Sun Moon was all silliness and sunshine? Wrong! Yesterday’s episode was a real tearjerker. Warning: Spoilers ahead! This week was an hour special with back-to-back episodes. The second episode, number 21, was a doozy. Sun Moon continues to surprise, because this isn’t the only weighty episode of this season. (That Mimikyu…