Final week, controversy erupted across the artwork for an animated card in Pokémon TCG Pocket‘s newest set, Knowledge of Sea and Sky, the place a drawing of legendary monster Ho-Oh regarded nearly an identical to that of a bit of commissioned artwork by a Chinese language creator. The Pokémon Firm swiftly apologizedand introduced the artwork for each the “immersive” Ho-Oh and Lugia playing cards can be briefly pulled from the brand new set, whereas making it extraordinarily clear that the fault for the problem didn’t lie with the artist. Now, each playing cards have been added to the cellular app, with new artwork by the identical artist.
Each set of playing cards in Pocket comes with a minimum of one so-called immersive card: a card that when tapped on involves life, exhibiting a brief however elaborate animation that finally loops again round to the unique picture. They’re completely magical, and provide one thing real-life playing cards might clearly by no means do. For Knowledge of Sea, these playing cards have been meant to characteristic legendary Pokémon Ho-oh and Lugia, the 2 mascot characters from 2000’s Pokémon Gold and Silver. Nevertheless, when the artist whose Ho-Oh drawing had been so clearly been copied drew consideration to this, each immersive playing cards have been pulled from the set on the eleventh hour–the end result being each playing cards that includes nothing however some placeholder textual content and a black display screen as an alternative of an animation. It was clearly embarrassing for the corporate. TPCi made it clear on the time that the duty for the problem lay fully with themselves, offering dodgy reference supplies for the artist to work with.
It was odd on the time that each playing cards have been pulled, given no accusations had been made in regards to the Lugia artwork, however as we speak’s new playing cards characteristic a model new piece of artwork for that Pokémon too, suggesting TPCi observed one thing had been amiss there.
That’s all been fastened now, with each playing cards added to the set in a single day, that includes a model new items of Ho-Oh and Lugia artwork from the identical artist, the wonderful Sie Nanahara. Once you launch the app as we speak, a really small patch will probably be added, and if you happen to already pulled the playing cards you’ll discover the brand new artwork and animations will seem.
We would wish to share a brand new replace with you. Please have a look. 🙇 pic.twitter.com/Gh6wgL7G3Z
— Pokémon TCG Pocket (@PokemonTCGP) August 8, 2025
By sheer luck I’d pulled each immersive playing cards already, so once I began Pocket very first thing this morning, as is my routine, I used to be capable of watch each animations, they usually’re each totally splendid. Every exhibits the legendary pocket monster both descending from the sky or rising from the ocean to fulfill their counterpart, with all method of different Pokémon showing alongside the best way. (Together with, within the Lugia animation, my beloved Mantine.) Oddly sufficient, these unusual rectangular artifacts on the unique Ho-Oh card stay, the weather sliding aside because the animation begins.
Sie Nanahara is answerable for all of the unimaginable artwork in each playing cards, which is clearly a surprising quantity of labor, and features a model new rendition of Ho-Oh and Lugia. Whereas Pokémon card artwork is normally primarily based on every artist’s personal imaginative and prescient, in relation to the immersive playing cards it’s change into clear that much more exact directions are offered, and that is how issues went improper. It’s wonderful that Nanahara has been capable of react so rapidly to exhibit her ability, and hopefully this complete messy incident will end in her receiving much more work.
