Pokémon Celebrates 30 Years with Japanese Pro Baseball Collab

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:28 JST, February 26, 2026

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular Pokémon video game series, a press event was held on Thursday at Tokyo Midtown Hall in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

Since the first game launched on Feb. 27, 1996, Pokémon has gained widespread popularity, including the anime and card games inspired by the game. “Pokémon has remained beloved without fading thanks to the support of fans worldwide,” Takato Utsunomiya, The Pokémon Company COO, said at Thursday’s event.

As part of the 30th anniversary celebrations, the launch of a special collaboration with teams of Nippon Professional Baseball Organization, “Pokémon Baseball Festa 2026,” was announced, with Pokémon livening up games throughout the season.

Multiple Pikachu appeared at the event wearing the uniforms of all 12 Japanese teams. Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka of the Yomiuri Giants shared a video of him saying, “I’m delighted to be able to share the appeal of baseball and Pokémon together.”