Pokémon

The Pokémon Anime’s New Ending Theme Is Nuts  

Here’s the new closer for anime Pokémon: XY & Z. Get ready to overdose on Pikachu, ketchup, and cuteness. Above is a 33-second sample from the official site. Here’s the full song via Twitter user Maru_run33: The track is Pikachu’s Song, which Kotaku previously introduced. Its bonkers lyrics are only surpassed by this ending animation.…

This is cosplayer Shan Claw as Umbreon. You know, the hunky, Ancient Egyptian Pokémon.

Niantic Says It Had A Good Reason For Shutting Down Pokémon Go Trackers

Over the last week, Niantic has been chewed out by the public for not being open enough about what was going on with Pokémon Go. But now, it seems like they’re finally turning all of that around. Not only have they been posting more on social media, today Niantic also blogged about one of the…

Pokémon Go’s Battery Saving Mode Is Coming Back To iOS

One of the more puzzling decisions made recently in Pokémon Go was the removal of the game’s handy battery saving mode for iOS users. Turns out there was a very good reason for that: it was busted. Niantic have said today “We had removed this feature as several users were experiencing it to be buggy,…

Niantic Takes Away Legendaries From Pokémon Go Players

When news broke thata couple from Ohio suddenly had a legendary Pokémon yesterday, the most common response from other players was that something fishy was going on. Today, Niantic confirmed the shenanigans, and says it has rectified the situation. In a statement sent to IGN, a Niantic rep said the following: We recently noticed that…

Pokémon Go Pisses Players Off Again By Making Pokémon Harder To Catch [Update]

Over the last week, Pokémon Go underwent a couple of mechanical changes that players really, really don’t like. The first, as has been widely reported by now, was a tweak in capture rates for Pokémon Go. If you’ve noticed that monsters are moving around more, and in general are harder to catch, you are not…

Giant Ditto Pokémon Cushion You Can Cuddle 

Ditto is one of the cutest Pocket Monsters ever created. And now, there is a big stuffed Ditto you can snuggle. Priced at 13,000 yen (US$129), the Ditto plushie cushion thingy weighs a whopping 8 pounds! Ditto goes on sale August 6 in Japan. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Pokevision Creator Pens Heartfelt Letter To Niantic About Pokémon Go

When tracking service Pokevision was initially shut down last weekend, Yang Liu, the proprietor, didn’t say much about what was going on. Today, he breaks his silence with a long letter that pleads Niantic to change its stance on Pokémon trackers. You can read the whole thing here, but one of the most shocking things…

When Catching Every Pokémon Is Interrupted By A Turkish Military Coup

Aras Scimemi has caught all 145 Pokémon currently available in Pokémon Go. He’s not the first to do so, but the story of how he got them is a little more harrowing than others. A 20 year-old computer science student at the University of Virginia, Scimemi started playing Pokémon Go as soon as it was…

Pokémon Sun And Moon Leak May Reveal Starters’ Evolutions [UPDATE]

Earlier this year, a leak appeared online alleging to contain some new, unconfirmed information about Pokémon Sun and Moon. There was even some concept art floating around. At the time, it seemed like bunk. But with yesterday’s big reveal, it seems more likely that the leak was true all along. As PokeJungle reported early in…

Legendary Articuno ‘Appears’ In Ohio, Tears Pokémon Go Community Apart [UPDATES]

UPDATE 8/3 2:14 PM: Niantic has now taken away the legendaries these Pokémon Go players. Original story below: Legendaries are supposed to be the rarest, most unique monsters available in Pokémon Go; the sorts of creatures you would expect to only show up during special events announced by Niantic. And yet, a couple has unbelievably…

Pokémon Sun and Moon Is Getting A Bracelet Peripheral

It’s called the Z Ring, and it’s supposed to be worn while playing Sun and Moon Japanese toy-maker Takara Tomy is releasing the kiddy-friendly peripheral. Children wear the bracelet, which blinks, makes noise and vibrates when characters do in-game Z-moves that can be unleashed only once per battle. There are 18 different Z Ring crystals…

Even Pokémon Go’s Biggest Fans Are Turning Against It Right Now [Update]

In the course of a few weeks, Pokémon Go has gone from a mega hit, to a broken game even its most ardent fans cannot defend. This shift in the community is due to mostly one thing: a lack of communication from Niantic. It’s been like this since the beginning, really. When Pokémon Go originally…

Pokémon Fans Think Sun and Moon’s New Exeggutor Is Hilarious

Given that its first evolutionary form is literally just a bunch of eggs, Exeggutor has always been one of the sillier Pokémon designs in the compendium. But the introduction of Sun and Moon’s new Alola Form takes things to a whole new level. Meet Sun and Moon’s version of Exeggutor, which turns the critter into…

Classic Pokémon Can Transform Into Something New In Pokémon Sun and Moon

Fire Pokémon turning into ice Pokémon. New colors for old favorites. Introducing “Alola Forms,” which will debut in Pokémon Sun and Moon Here are some more OG Pokémon with new forms featured in the trailer, courtesy of Serebii: There are also new monsters with something called “styles,” and these depend on what island you encounter…

Japan Has Pokémon Fireworks

Of course it does. During the summer in Japan, there are firework displays across the country. Naturally, at some places, Pokémon fireworks are being shot into the air. Previously, Kotaku introduced these Pokéball fireworks way back in 2011. Since then I think they’ve become better? Or maybe it’s just the photos of them have improved.…

A Requiem For Australia’s Best Pokémon Go Spot

We’ve been hearing multiple reports that the infamous Pokestops in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes have been changed. It’s no longer what it once was. But last Thursday, we visited this hive of villainy. This is a requiem for Rhodes. A silhouette. A light in the darkness. A voice. Barely audible. ‘Jynx’. A 10 decibel…

Pokémon Go Boss Gets His Twitter Account Hacked

The people are not pleased. John Hanke, boss of Pokémon Go developers Niantic, had his Twitter account hacked earlier today. It looks like the group Our Mine are responsible, using the hack to post messages about…the game not being out in Brazil yet. It’s the same group responsible for other high profile 2016 hacks, including…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Being Detective Pikachu: Winners! 

Last week we asked our ‘Shop-savvy readers to show us who could play Detective Pikachu in the upcoming live-action film. It all came down to a coin-toss. I couldn’t decide between Hans Maulworf’s excellent Magnum P.I.K.A.C.H.U. entry and MrDeadScott’s equally amazing Chu Detective. And so I flipped a coin. Magnum won. Then I flipped again,…

Pokevision And Other Pokémon Go Trackers Shut Down For Unclear Reasons

Last week, Niantic’s John Hankewarned Pokémon Go players that popular tracking websites may no longer work in the future. It seems that moment has now arrived. Yesterday, Pokémon Go received a new update that, among other things,got rid of the “footsteps” mechanic that alerted players of how far away other monsters were spawning. The mechanic,…