Today, Pokémon is loved and embraced by fans both young and young at heart in regions all across the globe. But even now there are areas in Asia where Pokémon remains little known. To change this situation, The Pokémon Company is making focused efforts to boost Pokémon’s presence throughout Asia.
Overseeing this push in Asia is the Asia Business Division. With a staff exceeding 60 dedicated employees, the Division is in charge of business development, market promotion, TCG production, design supervision and accounting duties for the Asian region: mainly Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. For optimal results, many employees in the Division hail from locations throughout Asia. With their deep understanding of their home regions, coupled with their strong desire to make Pokémon popular in the countries and regions where they were born and grew up, today The Pokémon Company’s Asian staff are contributing significantly to boosting Pokémon’s presence in Asia.
One of the markets which the Asia Business Division is focusing on today is Indonesia. Indonesia boasts Southeast Asia’s largest population and ranks as the region’s biggest economic power, yet Pokémon’s name recognition in the country isn’t very high. We entered the Indonesian market in earnest in 2019 with the release of Pokémon trading cards in the Indonesian language. But largely owing to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic soon thereafter, little progress was made in boosting Pokémon’s presence. Now that pandemic-related restrictions have largely eased, the Asia Business Division is implementing measures aligned with Indonesia’s culture in a renewed effort to convey the many exciting and enjoyable aspects of life with Pokémon.
One new undertaking being conducted in Indonesia starting in 2024 is “Pikachu’s Indonesia Journey.” This program evolved out of our globally expanding “Pokémon Air Adventures”project launched in 2020 based on an idea proposed by Company staff. The project seeks to “connect skies across the world, serving passengers a truly memorable air journey.” To achieve that aim, a growing fleet of Pokémon-themed “Pikachu Jets” designed by The Pokémon Company has taken to the skies in a number of countries and regions. In 2024, a new collaboration was achieved with Garuda Indonesia, the flag carrier of Indonesia. Today, the airline’s “Pikachu Jet GA” operates on domestic routes throughout Indonesia.
Inspired by the launch of Pikachu Jet GA, a variety of related events have been held throughout Indonesia – not just in the capital Jakarta but in various major cities around the archipelago as well.
The first event took place in Bali in March 2024. Among the highlights were an exciting stage show featuring Pikachu together with JKT48, a phenomenally popular Indonesian girl group, and Pikachu performing on stage with a group of dancers. The audience’s excitement was palpable, especially among young children, who squealed with delight the moment Pikachu appeared. The show in Bali was followed by similar events in Surabaya in May and Yogyakarta in August. These took place mostly in large shopping malls, and visitors were especially thrilled by the dance performances, which were greatly enhanced by their atrium setting, and by opportunities to learn and play TCG, among other offerings.
Other events held in Indonesia so far are the “Pokémon RUN” marathon race, a sport extremely popular throughout Asia, and events relating to "Pokémon GO," a smartphone game that began supporting the Indonesian language in 2022. By linking events like these which players have enjoyed in the game realm with corresponding events in the real world, not only has Indonesia’s Pokémon fanbase expanded, more intense too has become the feeling of excitement that participants derive from playing with Pokémon in real life.
In Jakarta, a special live event was held that featured an amazing 1,600 drones. Because we had never carried out an event on this scale in Indonesia before, bringing it to reality required overcoming numerous challenges. But thanks to the close cooperation of our corporate partners in Indonesia, the event took place with resounding success.Many fans were on hand to witness and cheer on this masterfully executed event.
The drone show in Jakarta was not only unprecedented in Indonesia, it was also on a scale never attempted before by Pokémon’s Asia Business Division. To make this challenging undertaking a complete success, a flexible approach was adopted and the Asia Business Division received cooperation from many departments throughout the Company. This stance was a major factor enabling the event’s success.
For the staff member from the Asia Business Division in charge of the various events held in Indonesia, perhaps the most lasting impression was the joy expressed by the local people when they saw Pikachu appear on stage wearing a batik shirt, Indonesia’s traditional attire. Many expressed great happiness seeing how The Pokémon Company was taking great care to integrate the local culture into its presentations. “Our long-range goal,” the Division member said, “is to nurture love of Pokémon throughout Southeast Asia. At times we face difficulties owing to differences in language and culture, but when we overcome those differences, it’s both satisfying on a personal level and enjoyable in a way possible only by being part of the Asia Business Division.”
Encouraged by the successful experience of “Pikachu’s Indonesia Journey,” moving forward we will continue to take up exciting and surprising new challenges in Southeast Asia and many other places around the globe.
