Pokémon

Pokémon cartridge designs by Dan Clarke

Pokémon Go Will Get Daily Quests Soon

Pokémon Go fans will soon be able to enjoy “daily bonuses” that reward you for playing the game on consecutive days. While there’s no specific ETA just yet, Niantic outlined how daily quests will work as follows: Trainers will soon be able to receive a bonus for certain daily activities, including catching a Pokémon or…

A Very Pokémon Plushie Halloween

It’s Halloween, the festive holiday when Pokémon toys dress up in costumes and sit on my desk until at least Christmas. The Pokémon Center’s line of masquerading circus pocket monsters is adorable this year. While I could not catch them all this year, The Pokémon Company International sent along a trio of trick or treaters…

The Most Hardcore Pokémon Challenge Changed How I Felt About Pikachu

As a kid, I never liked Pikachu much, preferring the softer and squishier Jigglypuff or the catlike Eevee. I didn’t see the point in capturing a Pikachu. Pikachu was the mascot. Everyone loved Pikachu. I could save my love for someone else. 20 years later, I decided to try the “Nuzlocke Challenge” in Pokémon X.…

Pokémon and Kissing: A Short History 

The current Pokémon TV anime series is ending. In the most recent episode, there might have been kissing. This, however, would not be the first time Ash has been smooched. As Kotaku previously pointed out, in Pokémon XYZ, Serena’s crush on Ash is canon. She, however, won’t be going to Alola for the Sun and…

Someone Hacked Missingno Into A Modern Pokémon Game

Missingno was never supposed to exist; it was a glitch monster that could appear in Red and Blue only under special circumstances. Despite being a mishap, even now, twenty years later, fans still love and remember Missingno. While Game Freak may never bring Missingno back, VGMoose went ahead and modded Missingno into Pokémon Omega Ruby…

Pokémon Sun and Moon Shows Us Red and Blue As Adults

Red and Blue, the original trainers from the first Pokémon games, are reappearing in Pokémon Sun and Moon. It’s been 20 years since we first saw them—how have they changed since then? In Red and Blue, Red served as a silent protagonist while Blue attempted to thwart him at every turn. While Red was your…

Here Are Pokémon Sun and Moon Starters’ Final Evolutions [Update]

After leaking multiple times, here’s the official trailer for Decidueye, Incineroar, and Primarina, your final starter evolutions. Here are the official descriptions: Decidueye Type: Grass/Ghost The Arrow Quill Pokémon Decidueye is the fully evolved form of the Grass- and Flying-type first-partner Pokémon Rowlet. Decidueye attacks with astonishing speed, plucking arrow quills from its wings to…

The Creators of Pokémon Explain Why Sun and Moon Has Ridiculous Monster Designs

Haunted sandcastlePokémon. Dugtrio with luscious hair. Garfield’s shitty blue cousin. Maybe you’ve noticed, but Sun and Moon’s creature design is actively absurd, sometimes bordering on troll-like. All of that is intentional, according to the creators. Earlier this month I spoke to Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda, producer on Sun and Moon, as well as Shigeru Ohmori, director…

Pokémon Sun and Moon Fans Are Obsessing Over A Mysterious Old Man

The Pokémon Sun and Moon demo has secrets, some of which are only viewable if you play multiple days in a row. Some players are convinced that a creepy NPC must be a part of those special events, even though he repeatedly admits there’s nothing to him. Meet the mysterious old man. That’s not a…

Pokémon Go’s Halloween Event Makes Ghosts Appear More Often

If you play Pokémon Go from October 26th to November 1st, you might notice an increase in spooky apparitions. That’s totally intentional! As the trailer for Pokémon Go’s seasonal event states, the mobile game will be celebrating Halloween. Trainers will enjoy an increase in candy rewards, which is very appropriate. Niantic says that having a…

Nobody Tells Primal Kyogre What To Do

So Archie was all like, “Kyogre! Listen to my commands!” And Kyogre was all, “Haha, whut?” That’s pretty much the plot to episode eight of Pokémon Generations, “The Cavern.” It’s also the plot of Team Aqua, the group which, depending on if you’re playing Sapphire or Alpha Sapphire, wants to make the world better for…

What It’s Like Inside A Pokeball, According To A Pokémon Developer

For years, Pokémon fans have argued over what happens when a monster is recalled into a Pokeball. The theories are endless. Does a Pokémon simply shrink down in size? Is a Pokeball just an empty prison? Does a Pokémon transform into pure energy, or perhaps information, once inside a Pokeball—meaning there’s no “inside” of a…

Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Pikachu Imposter Has A Heartbreaking Theme Song

It was sad enough to read about how Mimikyu dresses up like a popular Pokémon because it also wants to be loved. It’s another thing entirely to hear Mimikyu sing about its woes. A Japanese version of Mimikyu’s song was uploaded by the official Pokémon channel yesterday, and YouTuber Tobias went ahead and subtitled the…

A Solid Gold Pikachu Card, Only $2,000!

Only! To mark the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon trading card game, here is a solid gold Pikachu card. Priced at 216,000 yen (US$2,081), the card is 11 grams of 24k gold and is a collaboration between the Pokémon Company and jeweler Ginza Tanaka.  Nothing quite says twenty years of Pokémon like pure gold. Nothing.…

Pikachu Plushies Dressed Up As Mario And Luigi

Want. Badly. At Pokémon Centers in Japan, limited edition Pikachu-meets-Super Mario goodies are going on sale October 29. Have look! The following items are limited to the Pokémon Center Kyoto and the online shop. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond.…

Fans Are Already Improving Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Graphics

The Sun and Moon demo has only been out for a couple of days, but people are already finding ways to tweak and mod it. You know, in addition to unlocking the entire Pokedex before it was announced. KazoWAR has footage of Sun and Moon running with a “no-line” patch that was created by Shiny…

Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Devs Respond To The Popplio Backlash

Earlier this month, Kotaku asked the folks at Game Freak which starter Pokémon they prefer in Sun and Moon. Unfortunately, poor Popplio didn’t make the cut. I got a chance to speak over the phone to Junichi Masuda, producer on Sun and Moon, as well as Shigeru Ohmori, director on Sun and Moon, and they…

Here’s What The Creators of Pokémon Sun and Moon Think About Fan Games

The recent controversial takedowns of high-profile yet unofficial Nintendo-related creations paints a picture of an aggressive corporation that punishes fans. But Game Freak, the creators of Pokémon, actually seem remarkably chill about the existence of fan games based on a recent conversation with Kotaku. As some of you know, 2016 has been a fraught year…

The Internet Reacts To Pokémon Sun and Moon’s Pokedex Demo Leak

Well, the Meowth is out of the bag now. Thanks to datamining of the recent Sun and Moon demo, we now know what a good portion of the Alolan Pokedex will look like, including many monsters which haven’t even been announced yet. (Spoilers ahead.) You know what that means, right? Pokémon fans are inundating the…