Japan's first permanent outdoor Pokémon theme park, PokéPark Kanto, is set to open in Yomiuriland, Tokyo, on February 5, 2026, featuring attractions like a Pokémon Forest, Sedge Town, and shows including Pika Pika Paradise with Pikachu, with ticket lotteries starting in December.
CMLL's collaboration with Pokémon for the Pokémon Legends: Z-A event on September 25 has been highly successful, with tickets nearly sold out, highlighting Pikachu's popularity. The event will feature lucha-inspired Pokémon characters and will be streamed on CMLL's YouTube channel, promising an entertaining crossover for fans of both wrestling and Pokémon.
A new Pokémon TCG card, the Pikachu ex Special Illustration Rare, is currently selling for $500, driven by its debut in the ex-era and its appealing artwork. Despite its high price, experts advise against purchasing cards immediately after release due to typical price spikes followed by declines. The card's popularity is part of a self-perpetuating cycle of demand and rarity, with other cards in the set also seeing high prices. The upcoming Prismatic Evolutions set, featuring Eeveelutions, is expected to further fuel the Pokémon TCG market frenzy.
Players have been using Dragon's Dogma 2's character creator to recreate familiar faces such as Kratos and Pikachu, as well as experimenting with unusual physique options. The character creator was released by Capcom last week, allowing players to create their Arisen and pawn before the game's release on March 22nd. Some players have managed to create highly accurate versions of characters from other games, while others have opted for more humorous and unconventional creations.
The Pokemon Company plans to mass reprint the rare Pikachu card that caused chaos at the Van Gogh museum in The Netherlands last year, after scalpers swarmed the museum to resell the card for profit. The special promo card, "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat," will be given to customers for free after purchasing any item at select stores in The Netherlands, in an effort to deflate its after-market value.
A Palworld player has created a Pokemon mod featuring iconic characters like Ash, Pikachu, and others, despite the game's lack of official mod support. The mod allows players to assume the role of Ash Ketchum and engage in battles with characters like Venusaur and Team Rocket. The mod has sparked interest and will be showcased in a video on January 23, 2024, with hopes of a release link.
Walmart is offering a Black Friday deal on the Crown Zenith Special Collection featuring Pikachu VMAX, with a 50% discount online. The collection includes various promo cards, booster packs, and extras, making it a great gift for Pokemon players and collectors. The Crown Zenith set is known for its higher pull rates and features rare cards like Giratina and Mewtwo. Best Buy also has Black Friday deals on Pokemon TCG products.
Giant 20-inch Pikachu and Piplup Squishmallows, part of the Pokemon x Squishmallow crossover, are now available for purchase on Amazon. These plushies are an expansion of the existing line, which includes Pikachu, Gengar, Snorlax, Togepi, and Piplup in their standard 14-inch versions. The larger Squishmallows are priced at $49.99 and are currently in stock, making them a great addition to any Pokemon fan's collection or a holiday gift option.
A collector and archivist named Grace Klich owns one of the 20 Volkswagen Beetle cars that were transformed into Pikachu-themed vehicles to promote Pokémon in the late 1990s. These cars were used at events and given away in contests, and Klich has spent years and thousands of dollars restoring her car, known as Pikabug #7. She has also connected with other collectors who own the remaining cars and uses her online platform to preserve and document Pokémon's forgotten history, including old promotional events and merchandise. Klich hopes to encourage others to come forward with their own pieces of Pokémon history for preservation.
Detective Pikachu Returns, the narrative adventure game that transforms Pikachu into a gruff private investigator, is set to release on Nintendo Switch on October 6th, 2023. The game reunites Pikachu with his pal Tim Goodman, and the debut trailer promises hijinks. The original game came out worldwide in 2018, and the new installment is available to wishlist today.
Only three Pokémon, Magikarp, Psyduck, and Magnemite, are catchable in at least one of every mainline pair of Pokémon games, while Pikachu is not. The reason for Pikachu's absence in some games is due to the controversy surrounding the release of Black and White, which only featured brand-new Pokémon. Magikarp is obtainable through a salesman on Marvelous Bridge in Black and White, while Psyduck and its evolution Golduck are available in Unova. Magnemite can be found in White Forest in White-exclusive locations.
The final episode of the Pokémon anime, featuring Ash and Pikachu, aired in Japan. The episode doesn't provide a conclusive ending to their story, but rather confirms that they will continue on their journey. Ash parts ways with Misty and Brock, visits Professor Oak, and reunites with his old rival Gary. He also concludes that being a Pokémon master means being friends with all Pokémon. The episode ends with Ash and Pikachu walking along a new path, with Team Rocket following them. The next season, called Pokémon Horizons, will premiere on April 14 in Japan.
Ash Ketchum and Pikachu retire as the protagonists of the Pokémon series after a journey that spanned multiple shows and movies. Their final episode, which aired in Japan on Friday, ended where their journey began and incorporated several callbacks to the series’ early episodes. The episode also reflected on what it means to be a Pokémon Master and ended with Ash and his friend Gary setting upon a new adventure and running towards the horizon.