“Is this even the same game I play?”

Like most competitive games, Pokémon has had many tournaments over the years, both within Japan and internationally. However, despite being an obsessive fan of Pokémon Go, our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun had never attended the Pokémon Japan Championships, also known as PJCS, which originally started back in 2009.

PJCS was held on June 21 and 22 at Pacifico Yokohama, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture,  as the official tournament to decide the top Pokémon trainers in Japan across four divisions: the Pokémon video game, the trading card game, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite. At its most fundamental level, the Pokémon games are focused on “collecting,” “training,” “battling,” and “trading,” but at these tournaments the focus is specifically on the battling aspect.

P.K., however, generally avoids battling in Pokémon Go, unless it’s absolutely necessary, and so has never taken much of an interest in the competition. This year, a high school student who he knows was competing, so he decided to tag along as a sort of guardian.

▼ Participants in the games receive a sticker.

Having gathered competitors from across Japan, who had successfully made it through the regional qualifiers, the venue was brimming with an intense fighting spirit, which in combination with many thoughtful touches by the organizers scattered about, created an exciting environment for both players and spectators alike.

Even though everyone was there to cheer and compete in the matches, there were plenty of things to keep people occupied during any downtime.

▼ If you place a trading card on the device, it will display an enlarged version on the screen next to it—perfect for a photo opportunity with your favorite partner Pokémon.

While keeping an eye on the preliminary rounds of the high schooler he was accompanying, P.K. wandered around the venue until he heard thunderous roars erupt from one section.

Going over to investigate, he discovered that the source of those cheers was Pokémon Unite. Throughout the entire day, the most visibly hyped area was undoubtedly the Pokémon Unite zone. P.K. wasn’t all too familiar with the game, and being a relatively recent addition to the franchise, he’d assumed it might have had the fewest spectators of the four areas. However, just based on the sheer energy emanating from the crowd, it was incredible.

According to a Pokémon Company staff member P.K. spoke to, “Unite always gets super hyped like this,” suggesting that it’s nothing out of the ordinary for fans of the game. Perhaps it’s in part due to the pro teams who also compete? Nevertheless, he was impressed at the scene of all of the fans cheering with towels that bear their favorite team’s names.

In terms of short peaks of excitement, though, Pokémon Unite couldn’t hold a candle to the Pokémon video game division. The crowd numbers were through the roof, which is to be expected from the original core of the franchise, and the video game section being the main event was an undisputed fact.

On the other hand, the trading card division felt less like something that would have had people jumping out of their seats, but more like something people watched with deep concentration. Naturally, there were cheers and applause, but despite the impressively-sized audience, the atmosphere wasn’t full of squeals of excitement. Instead, the surroundings resonated with deep rumbles of appreciation.

P.K.’s beloved Pokémon Go had perhaps the most subdued of all of the crowds.

In terms of numbers, the fans watching the Pokémon Go division were clearly in last place. If someone unfamiliar with the event happened to walk by, they might assume that it was the least heated part of the competition, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The battles were seriously intense. P.K. was captivated by the mental warfare and mind games that were underway before the match had even started, and was blown away by the elite techniques on display and incredible pressure where not a single mistake was allowed. It was almost inconceivable to him that these top competitors were playing the same game he plays every day.

The quality and intensity of matches just didn’t correspond to the energy exhibited by the crowd. P.K. could understand the low hype if the battles were boring, but with the skill on display, it simply didn’t make sense. As a fellow Pokémon Go trainer, P.K. hopes that everyone can rally together in the future to hype up the battles more.

The winner of the Pokémon Go tournament, Takumi Tanaka, commented, “Once you start battling, catching and trading Pokémon becomes even more fun.” Takumi also hoped that the tournament format—playing nine rounds and the people with six wins going through to the next stage (known as the 6-3 format or Swiss rounds) will be available to play in the game itself sometime in the future.

Summing up his experience at PJCS, P.K. was surprised at the level of excitement around Pokémon Unite, and comparatively how underwhelming the crowd at the Pokémon Go matches were. Overall, though, he was moved by the thought of how thousands of people in a single space shared their love for Pokémon.

If you didn’t happen to catch any of the championships in Japan, the World Championships will be held in Anaheim, California, from August 15-17. However, spectator tickets are no longer available, so if you’re looking to join in the excitement, you’ll need to catch one of the livestreams through the official Pokémon account. If beating down the competition to become a Pokémon Master is more of your thing, it’s never too early to start brushing up on your skills for next year’s championship. I’ve already started practicing in the hope that Pokémon Sleep gets added to the roster of games to compete in; I’ve a good feeling I’ve got a chance at first place.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]