Gyarados makes a big splash even when showing up late to the Pokéfuta party.

Each major Pokémon sequel is a chance to visit a new region of the game/anime franchise’s world. In the same way, a new round of the Pokémon manhole cover project is an opportunity for fans to visit a new part of Japan, and with the latest batch Pokéfuta, as the special covers are called in Japanese, have finally come to Japan’s central Kinki region.

While Kinki includes travel hot spots like Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures, the Pokéfuta project likes to help give a tourism bump to often overlooked destinations when it can, and that continues as Kinki’s first Pokéfuta were installed on Saturday in Shiga Prefecture. And unlike many previous rounds in which multiple Pocket Monsters species would share space on the covers, this time there’s only room for the star of the show: the great and mighty Gyarados!

▼ Pikachu himself was on hand to commemorate the installment, as part of his tireless Pokéfuta-related travel schedule.

The two Gyarados Pokéfuta can be found at opposite ends of Otsu Kogan Nagisa Park, on the southern shore of Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake. Given Gyarados’ aquatic nature, it seems like a good home.

On the north side of the park you’ll find a regular Gyarados and its red/shiny alternate…

…and at the east tip of the park, near the Oumi Ohashi Bridge, there’s a Gyarados who looks to be all alone…

…but if you look closely, you’ll spot the silhouette of Magikarp, the pathetically weak Pokémon that Gyarados evolves from.

▼ We’re getting hungry just looking at it.

▼ The location of the Gyarados Pokéfuta within Shiga Prefecture (exact location data can be found on the project’s official website here)

With Kinki now joining the Pokéfuta club, Chubu remains the only region in Japan without any, making Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi Prefectures the most likely candidates for future Pokémon manhole covers.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Pokéfuta official website
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he always roots for Magikarp.