International Business

Pokémon’s first marketing outside Japan was in the United States. In those early days, we were unsure whether Americans would embrace cute little characters like Pokémon. We also worried they might be put off by a role-playing game that required a large amount of preliminary reading. Ultimately, we came up with a plan to introduce American audiences to Pokémon first through the format of a televised anime. In Japan, the game had come first, followed by the card game, and then the TV anime. Our plan brought success, for in very little time Americans came to embrace and love the visually adorable Pokémon, and the anime’s story as well, resulting in a huge surge in popularity. Fans of Pokémon showed equal excitement and enthusiasm when we next introduced the video game, and then the card game. After this success in the U.S., we proceeded to take Pokémon to Europe, Latin America, Oceania and Asia, resulting in phenomenal popularity among ever more fans.

The Pokémon Company operates across the Asian market, including India, a huge and promising market of over 1.4 billion people. However, the lifestyle, language, culture, and business practices of India differ from those of Japan. There is a clear contrast between what the people in South and East Asia are accustomed to, both geographically and psychologically. To make inroads into the region, we formed a marketing team in 2023 and began arranging collaborations and promotional campaigns with local businesses. In 2024, we became the official partner of the Mumbai Indians, one of the country's premier teams in the national sport of cricket. The following year, we also became an official partner of the national soccer league. To further bolster cultural awareness, we released multiple music videos featuring well-known Indian artists, as well as the videos for the game app "Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket." We now stand at the start of a new chapter of developing an environment in which Pokémon will be loved for decades to come, and will endeavor to help the many Pokémon find a place within the hearts of people across India.

For a very special occasion, Pikachu was seen wearing a grey felt hat just like the one worn by Vincent van Gogh in the artist’s famous self-portrait. The occasion was the 50th Anniversary of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and The Pokémon Company oversaw the creation of the Pikachu version of this painting, along with five other paintings featuring Pokémon, as part of an official collaboration planned by The Pokémon Company International for the special exhibition “Pokémon at the Van Gogh Museum.” Linking the past with the present through Pokémon-themed paintings simulating master works by van Gogh, the show attracted huge numbers of Pokémon fans of all ages. A whole program of activities was offered, including a workshop where visitors could learn how to draw Pikachu. Online learning material also described how van Gogh had admired and been inspired by Japan and Japanese art. For children especially, the participation of Pokémon provided an enjoyable opportunity to learn about art.

In the U.S., the fourth Thursday of November each year is Thanksgiving, a special holiday when, by tradition, family and friends gather together to give thanks for that year’s harvest. Since 2000, The Pokémon Company International has taken part in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a hugely anticipated event sponsored by one of New York City’s leading department stores. The parade, which was first held in 1924, features giant helium balloons, colorful floats, marching bands and captivating dance performances that gradually thread their way through the streets of Manhattan in a shimmeringly eye-catching spectacle. Every year tremendous excitement is generated by the participation of Pokémon like Pikachu and Eevee riding atop a Poké Ball-inspired sled – a now familiar highlight eagerly awaited by fans along the parade route as well as viewers at home watching in real time. The arrival of America’s holiday season is the perfect time for Pokémon and Pokémon fans to share in the joy and revelry.

“Sean’s Kitchen” is a phenomenally popular YouTube channel launched in China featuring videos of Lao Dao, the founder of Cat’s Kitchen, turning his culinary magic and amazing agility into delicious delights. In 2022, special collaboration videos, “Pokémon Sweets Paradise,” were started on the channel that features Pokémon. The series, while retaining the channel’s overall homey atmosphere, was developed to make a dream shared by many Pokémon fans come true: living together with Pokémon. To bring this idea to fruition, The Pokémon Company partnered with Original Force, China’s foremost producer of 3D computer graphics. Original Force’s superior technological capabilities are well demonstrated by the company’s provision of computer graphics to DreamWorks Pictures, the American film company founded by, among others, Steven Spielberg. With Original Force’s sensational technological skills added into the mix, fantastic videos have been created that make it seem like Pokémon are right there alongside Lao Dao in his kitchen. In 2023, new episodes were added to the series, and as of this writing, collaboration video series have racked up more than 400 million views^※.