The name “Universal Studios Japan” – USJ for short – conjures up a whole panoply of amazing stories and exciting images, and people all over dream of visiting the Park and having fun like they have never experienced before. In 2023, the thrills of USJ got even more thrilling with the start of an all-new collaboration with The Pokémon Company.

The collaboration came about on a suggestion from Universal Studios Japan. Staff at the Park were sure that adding the quintessential elements of the Pokémon realm, which has an astonishingly wide fanbase not just in Japan but all over the world, would take the excitement of visiting the Park to all-new heights. They were right.

To begin, the new partners focused on the Park’s Parade, a wildly popular feature and symbol of every visit to USJ. In 2024, the excitement of the Parade made a quantum leap with the launch of a summer-only water splashing festival: the “NO LIMIT! Summer Splash Parade.” In its new iteration, the Parade’s entertainers do their best to get the Park’s guests refreshingly wet – and guests return the favor.

In keeping with the Parade’s new theme, Water-type Pokémon have been recruited to be on hand and help make the festivities all the more festive. The Parade’s entertainers play the role of Pokémon Trainers. Using Water Shooter tools  created specially for this summer event, they douse anybody and everybody with a constant shower of water. They are joined by Water-type Pokémon exercising their “Water Gun” moves. No one escapes the collective dousing, getting happily soaked to the bone!

Above all else, the highlight of the USJ Parade is the participation of phenomenally realistic Pokémon. But achieving their level of realism took time and effort. Ultimately, staff from The Pokémon Company and USJ worked closely together and came up with a slate of unique ideas to make the featured Pokémon as “true-to-life” as possible.

Gyarados, for example, appears at USJ for the very first time in the NO LIMIT! Summer Splash Parade. To express Gyarados’s characteristic fierceness, three entertainers flawlessly blend their physical skills to achieve stunningly dynamic movements.

Charizard is on hand too, soaring high above the Parade’s Pokémon float. Here, the task was to make the plumes of white smoke emerging from Charizard’s mouth realistic in the exact way Pokémon fans would expect. How much smoke should there be? At what angle should it emerge from Charizard’s mouth? These and other considerations were tested over and over again, taking possible impact from wind into account, until just the right combination was achieved to make Charizard totally realistic.  

Gyarados and Charizard are but two of a whole cast of Pokémon taking part in the NO LIMIT! Summer Splash Parade. All of them recreate their virtual forms down to the minutest detail.

The cast of parading Pokémon was drawn from many different “Pokémon” game series. Universal Studios Japan attracts visitors of all ages, and the choice of Pokémon Parade participants was made with a wish that visitors, both children and adults, would take pleasure in meeting Pokémon they never knew before.

At the same time, special measures were taken to ensure optimal enjoyment by core Pokémon fans too. One example is Vivillon, a Pokémon appearing in the NO LIMIT! Parade from March 2023 to April 2024. In “Pokémon GO,” Vivillon’s wing patterns differ depending on where the game is being played. Inspired by this, two varieties of Vivillon took part in the Parade at USJ: one with the Elegant Pattern, which is catchable only in Japan, and one with the High Plains Pattern, found along the West Coast of the U.S.

Collaboration between USJ and The Pokémon Company isn’t limited to just the Parade. Numerous Pokémon also appear in merchandise and food sold at the Park. Pikachu mascot Hats and drinks in Pokémon motifs are two examples.

New to the menu this summer is the “Gyarados Whirling Smoothie – Soda & Pineapple.” To express Gyarados’s wild nature, these smoothies are served in cups with the Park’s largest sleeve ever, emblazoned with a bold and powerful depiction of Gyarados. Gyarados Whirling Smoothies feature carbonated ice giving them a crackling texture, plus soda in sparkling colors. Here, USJ’s wisdom in knowing which drinks and flavors are most popular in summer meshed perfectly with Pokémon, resulting in this and other drinks ideal for the summer season.

For The Pokémon Company, collaborating with Universal Studios Japan has yielded real-life Pokémon of a level of quality not possible had we worked on a project like this on our own. Results of this remarkable caliber were achieved thanks to the input of USJ’s creative powers and overwhelming strengths in entertainment.

For USJ, blending its strengths in entertainment with the captivating appeal of Pokémon has produced synergies of supreme fun,enjoyment, and the immersive experiences in the world of Pokémon. From their close encounters with members of the Pokémon realm, guests to the Park are assured that every visit will be amazingly exciting, deeply moving, and always memorable.

All the images provided by Universal Studios Japan

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