A Different Kind of Pokémon Story
The teaser shows the card player dressed in a yellow hoodie, echoing his partner. Mimikyu, a ghost and fairy type introduced in the seventh-generation games "Sun" and "Moon," is the franchise's saddest joke: a creature that crudely disguises itself as Pikachu with a yellow rag, hiding whatever its true form actually is. Building a film around the card game rather than a journeying trainer is a first, and pairing it with the anti-Pikachu suggests the tone will not be standard-issue.
The Team Behind It
The credits carry weight for anime audiences. Katsuhiko Kitada, whose work includes "The First Slam Dunk," "Attack on Titan" and "Naruto: Shippuden," directs. Character design goes to Akemi Hayashi, known for "Banana Fish" and "Lazarus." CloverWorks, the studio behind "Spy X Family" and "Bocchi the Rock," produces.
That is a notably prestige-leaning lineup for a franchise film, and a signal that "Wild Card" is aiming beyond the traditional children's-matinee slot.
A Long Absence From Cinemas
"Wild Card" is the first Pokémon movie since 2020's "Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle," which opened theatrically in Japan and went worldwide on Netflix in 2021. For a proper global theatrical release you have to go back further still, to 2018's "Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us," which reached cinemas outside Japan only through a limited Fathom Events run.
2027 will be a crowded year for the franchise: "Winds" and "Waves," the tenth generation of mainline games, arrive the same year, following the 30th anniversary celebrations that ran through 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does "Pokémon: Wild Card" come out?
- Worldwide in 2027. A specific date has not been announced.
- What is the movie about?
- The teaser shows a trading card game player partnered with Mimikyu, a ghost and fairy type Pokémon that disguises itself as Pikachu. Full plot details have not been released.
- Who is making the film?
- Katsuhiko Kitada ("The First Slam Dunk," "Attack on Titan") directs, Akemi Hayashi ("Banana Fish") handles character design, and CloverWorks ("Spy X Family") produces.
- When was the last Pokémon movie?
- "Secrets of the Jungle" in 2020, released in Japanese theaters and globally on Netflix in 2021. The last worldwide theatrical release was "The Power of Us" in 2018.
