Pokémon World Championships 2023 Yokohama Report

The Pokémon World Championships this year were held from August 11 -13 in Yokohama, Japan. It was the first time ever the Championships had been held in Japan or Asia. I applied for the spectator pass lottery and was lucky enough to get in.

Held in Yokohama, Japan, it was a perfect setting for the World Championships with competitors from around the globe gathering to participate in various Pokémon competitions. Tournaments were held for the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet video games, Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The competition was fierce but it was a friendly and fun environment that saw Pokémon fans from Japan and travelers for all over the world unite to celebrate and share their passion for the series.

I was able to attend Day 1, which kicked of the World Championships with an exciting opening ceremony. The ceremony started with a Japanese Taiko drum performance and then a speech from The Pokémon Company CEO, Tsunekazu Ishihara. Afterwards, the competitors headed to the tournament areas and the battles began. There were areas for the Pokémon video games, however the largest area was for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. There were separate areas for the junior competitors in the Trading Card Game and video game. There was an area for spectators and the general public where they could register to battle other trainers in the card game as well.

A giant inflatable Pikachu was placed in the center of the Championships Hall and there were banners of various Pokémon decorating the entire venue. The main stage had a traditional Japanese theme with artwork of Yokohama landmarks behind the stage. There was also a lounge area with bean bags that trainers could relax in and a number of photo spots with Japanese themed decorations and cut outs of different Pokémon. 

The most fun part of the Championships was watching the different tournaments. There were a lot of hype and excitement from sitting in the crowds and watching the large scenes as trainers battled it out. Pokémon Unite seemed to have some of the most passionate crowds and it really felt like an e-sports event. Pokémon Go was also exciting to watch and the live commentary at the event was very impressive. Overall, the Championships were a very special event for all the competitors that traveled from around the world to compete. As a spectator, it was a lot of fun watching the tournaments and absorbing all the hype. 

A special limited time Pokémon Center for the Championships was opened with exclusive items from the event. All of the events needed special lottery tickets to be able to enter, including the Pokémon Center store. It was massive and extremely crowded, with exclusive items selling out almost instantly. I picked up a few plush dolls and an exclusive Switch case but many of the items sold out very fast.

There were also a bunch of other events in the surrounding Yokohama area to celebrate the Championships in Japan. The local train stations were decorated with Pokémon. There was a special cruise ship in which trainers could battle on board in the Trading Card Game or video game. It really felt like being on the S.S. Anne from the original Pokémon games. There were also starter Pokémon dotted around the venue which would in the end be foreshadowing all the starter Pokémon coming to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Numerous Pokémon photo spots packed with huge lines of passersby were in the area as well.

In all, it was a great experience to see the passion Japan and the world have for the Pokémon series. There were so many Japanese fans with Pokémon clothing and plush dolls strapped to their bags. You could really get a sense of the enormous popularity of Pokémon in Japan. At the end of the Championships, numerous game announcements were shown including a new trailer for part two of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC called "The Indigo Disk" and the next Pokémon Championships was announced to take place in Honolulu, Hawaii for 2024. Congratulations to all the winners of all the tournaments and I hope the Championships can return to Japan again in the future.