Pokemon Day: pokemon day prompts fans on what the series means as it turns 30
pokemon day has become a focal point as the Pocket Monsters franchise marks its 30th year. Fans, game organisers and industry figures pointed to familiar themes — collecting, battling and community — alongside recent reveals that have kept the series in the spotlight.
Battles between rival trainers remain central
Battles between rival trainers have always been at the heart of Pokémon games, with the core loop built around playing the part of a trainer, catching and collecting monsters and then battling them against others. That emphasis on competition and collection was present from the series' earliest days and remains a defining feature.
How Pocket Monsters began in 1996
It is 30 years since the little game called Pocket Monsters launched in Japan. When the first games were released on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld in 1996, they weren't expected to be a huge hit. Strong word-of-mouth and the console's low price helped it to sell more than one million copies in its first year on sale.
Pokémania, cards and school bans
A popular animated TV series, movies and the spin-off Trading Card Game (TCG) helped to turn Pocket Monsters into a full-on craze so huge the press gave it a name: "Pokémania". It became such a sensation that schools started to ban children from bringing the cards to the playground.
Pokemon Day live stream and reveals
The Pokémon Company unveils its plans for the coming year with a live stream every February. President Kenji Okubo said this year's Pokémon Day was "extra special as we kick off the celebration of 30 years of Pokémon". This year the event introduced the tenth generation of characters and unveiled upcoming games Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves.
Pokémon GO, downloads and the pandemic boost
The brand sparked a second global trend with the launch of the mobile phone game Pokémon GO, which used a device's GPS and camera to place monsters in the real world in 2016. That app has since been downloaded more than a billion times. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, there was an explosion in Pokémon-related content, and Pokémon TCG in particular saw a big increase in interest.
New starters: Browt, Pombon, Gecqua
Fans got their first glimpse of the Gen 10 Pokémon new starters Browt, Pombon and Gecqua. The three starter Pokémon were shown as Bean Chick Browt, Puppy-type Pombon and Water Gecko Gecqua, marking the introduction of the tenth generation of characters.
Tell us what Pokémon means to you
As the series turns 30, an invitation has been extended asking what the franchise means to people after three decades. The request asks contributors to include as much detail as possible and to use a submission form. Please note the maximum file size is 5. 7 MB. Contributors are asked that, if they include other people's names, they should ask those people first. Contact details are requested so organisers can follow up for more information; the invitation states those contact details will be handled by the organisation running the request.
Across generations the payoff remains recognisable: the chance to collect, to trade and to compete. On pokemon day this year, the mix of nostalgia, new games and new characters underscored why the franchise continues to reach new generations across the world.
