Comedy, action and the feeling of adventure; these core parts of the Pokémon brand have kept the highest grossing media franchise in the world in the minds of fans and the general public for 30 years. The video games provide the feeling of travel and newfound discovery, with a shared sense of wonder of seeing monsters that have never been seen before. Alongside the games and popular television series, community events are also eagerly and frequently attended by diehard fans of the franchise, alongside competitors competing in the video games, the trading card game and many more on the world stage.

The most recent championship, the 2025 Pokémon World Championship in Anaheim, had a record high attendance rate of 25,000 people, with fans all gathered together over their shared love of the franchise.

Senior Jahaad Brown has enjoyed the core elements of the Pokémon television series and the video games he watched and played growing up. Brown loved the funny scenes between main characters and the feeling of discovery tied to the series.

“For the show, it was the comedy between Ash and Misty that I found really funny. And Brock always had me on the floor sometimes. And then for the games, the visuals and how the Pokémon looked, that you can evolve them, really got my attention as a young kid,” Brown said.

Brown’s love of the franchise was heavily influenced by his uncle, who showed him the games and series he watched when he was younger. Brown’s Uncle has been a deep fanatic of the franchise, owning most of the Pokémon series’ video game titles.

“He [Brown’s uncle] was the person who actually got me into Pokemon, so I feel like if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been a bigger fan as I am now compared to if I found it on my own… Pokémon was one of the main things that got me into video games. [If] it wasn’t for him, I don’t think I’d be the same person,” Brown said.

However, Brown believes the Pokémon franchise has become stagnant, with the television series becoming more intended for younger audiences, and the video games stagnating in the content they give their audience; Brown is growing out of the franchise.

“The games are the same, there’s not really any differences besides new Pokémon… And the action is always the same… So I feel like they’re just sticking with the same thing,” Brown said.

Two of the largest announcements included further news on

Pokémon Pokopia, which was released in March 5, 2026, and included a brand new form revealed for the Pokémon “Rotom”, as well as a special reveal trailer for the next generation of mainline Pokémon titles–Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves–which are set to release in 2027.

Online reception of Pokopia has been met with excitement, with fans online eager to enjoy the laidback game focused on building your own island, while also discussing the connections of this game’s story to that of the wider world of the franchise. Pokopia has also been met with criticism, with the games $70 cost and Nintendo Switch 2 exclusivity putting off general audiences and alienating fans of the series who do not have the console.

Reviews for Pokémon Pokopia however have generally been overwhelmingly positive. With Critics and video game news sites like IGN ranking the cozy sandbox game an 89 out of 100, being the video game news site’s highest ranked Pokemon title.

The reveal of Pokémon Winds and Waves has also been met with more skepticism by the general gaming community, as the most recent Pokémon titles have suffered from lackluster graphics and prevalent glitches messing with the games enjoyment, being subpar compared to other large releases by other companies.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which released in Nov. 18, 2022, was heavily criticized by the general gaming community and Pokémon fans for its subpar graphics compared to its competition and the games numerous graphical glitches that plagued the games experience.

Winds and Waves has been more positively received by hardcore fans of the franchise. Fans are praising Winds and Waves increased graphical fidelity, compared to that of Scarlet and Violet, evident in the games ocean, sky and forest graphics. Winds and Waves brand new starter Pokémon have also started a popular debate online.

Junior Griffin Glockzin, a passionate and longtime fan of the franchise, is looking forward to the future of the Pokémon. Glockzin noted how much the series’ mainline video games have grown and evolved over the past 30 years, from Pokémon Fire Red, which released in 2004, to the most recently revealed titles.

“They’ve [games] definitely evolved, because from Fire Red to now, we have better graphics, we’re on newer consoles. It’s still insane how in 30 years, this is how much this franchise has still been kept alive and this is how much it’s changed,” Glockzin said.

Glockzin has interacted with the Pokémon community via the internet as well as his local game store. He enjoys how the community loves to interact over their shared love for the franchise.

“I’ve actually made a lot of really good friends, like down in a specific game store, just like knowing Pokemon… It’s just such a fun hobby just to do… I feel like 99% of the time anyone you’re just going to interact [with] is just going to have something to say that’s interesting or just fun,” Glockzin said.

With the Pokémon franchise evolving with the release of the quant Pokopia, and the reveals of Winds and Waves as well as the mixed opinion on past games quality between that of general audiences and hardcore fans leaves the franchise’s future in mystery. Will the franchise’s next video game installments’ new graphics give way to critics falling in love with the franchise’s key qualities and community, or will the next 30 years of the franchise be the same as what has come before it?

“It’s just an exciting [feeling] because when I think of Pokemon, it is just like a total game of mystery… You don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s just very interesting,” Glockzin said.