2023 Pokémon World Championships: A Tournament Beyond the Convention Center

When it was announced last year that the 2023 Pokémon World Championships would be held in Yokohama, Japan, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the event. And how could it not be, for the first time in the history of the championship, it would finally come to Japan. After a week of living this experience in Yokohama, Japan, we share with you our impressions of the event.

What is the Pokémon World Championships?

Let’s break this down quickly for those who don’t know. The Pokémon World Championships began in 2004 as a tournament focused on the Trading Card Game, and had to wait until 2009 to include the video game itself as a separate competition. These tournaments divide participants into three categories, with age being the only barrier between participants. In addition to the TCG and the video game (in this case, Scarlet & Violet took the stage for the first time), Pokémon GO and Pokémon Unite are also part of the tournament lineup.

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Since its inception 19 years ago, all competitions have been held in the United States, but for 2019 it was announced that London would be the next venue. However, the old continent had to wait 2 years for this competition due to the pandemic. After the English venue, the event would change continent and finally arrive in Japan.

Yokohama gets festive

Unlike previous years, the celebration of the event was not limited to the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center, but also extended to the surrounding area. Days before the event began, the transformation was already underway, with new Pokémon-themed colander covers appearing on the street and trucks advertising the event. But that was only part of the transformation of the area.

Pokémon pop-up stores began popping up in shopping malls, selling special merchandise (but not tournament merchandise) to satisfy the craving for new accessories based on Pikachu and company. At the same time, an entire gallery of Pokémon TCG card art filled mall spaces, displaying the card art in a variety of formats, from floor prints to giant prints to better appreciate the artwork. There were also some Pokémon-related photo opportunities on walls and plazas for fans of the franchise to take advantage of. The most surprising thing was when the tournament began, as the monitors set up to advertise the event were transformed into broadcast points, attracting people to watch the competitions as if it were a sports match.

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In addition, there were activities that were announced prior to the event, ranging from small Pikachu encounters to more complex activities. One of these activities was the Matsuri Park, which transformed one of the parks near the convention center into a Japanese summer festival with games, dances, and taikos (the Japanese drum). This activity had the presence of Pikachu, Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly, who came with their dances to entertain the visitors of the event.

In the evening, there were some very special activities: Imagination! and We Move, a pair of shows that brought fans closer to Pokémon in ways never before seen. Imagination was a show featuring dance, lights, fire and water. Meanwhile, We Move was a show that gave audiences an immersive experience that combined impressive choreography, more than 30 dancing Pikachus, and ended with a drone show that lit up Yokohama Bay with an impressive display of Pikachu, Ho-oh, Blastoise, Charizard, Venusaur, and more.

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On the other hand, there was also the experience of a cruise ship decorated to represent the SS Anne, the ship we met in Pokémon Red & Blue. The experience was designed to be a meeting place for TCG and video game fans to mingle and battle. Attendees were able to stamp their tickets with seafaring Pokémon stamps located throughout the ship.

It should be noted that these events, from the entrance to the tournament, shows and Pokémon Pop-Up Store, were open to the public but were subject to a lottery to control the number of participants.

Pokémon Center, a more controlled experience

As has become a tradition, the Pokémon Center Pop-Up brought special merchandise to those lucky enough to gain access to the store. This year’s special items focused more on the culture of Japan and the port nature of Yokohama, with items such as bento boxes, Japanese food sets, fans, and Japanese-style jackets. Like the previous events, this one had a lottery system to control the number of attendees and merchandise, as well as more limited control over the number of items per customer.

Arigato Japan, Aloha Hawaii

The tournament concluded with awards for the winners, Pokémon game-related announcements, and, as has become a tradition, the announcement of the next location. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon World Championships, Honolulu, Hawaii will be the next location for Pokémon competitors to gather, marking the fourth time the Pacific Islands will host the tournament.