Pokémon Fans Can Finally Catch ’Em All in Huge New Collector’s Release [Exclusive]

For almost 30 years, Pokémon trailers have been collecting, battling, trading, exploring, and recording their kids choosing their favorite starter as they set them on the road to the Indigo Plateau. Few franchises have managed to stretch across video games, trading cards, animation, books, merchandise, and multiple generations quite like this one, and that means keeping track of every single Pokémon roaming the world. However, one new collector’s release is bringing the full lineup together in a way Pokémon fans have never had before.

Collider is excited to exclusively announce the Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide Limited Edition Box Set Collection, a premium collector’s box set from Pikachu Press, the official publishing imprint of The Pokémon Company International. Created in partnership with Dark Horse Comics, the set includes a premium hardcover collector’s edition book and will go on sale August 25, 2026. The Limited Edition Box Set Collection is available for preorder now at participating retailers in the U.S. and Canada, distributed by Simon & Schuster.

The Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide brings together all known Pokémon from the Kanto region to the Paldea region, beginning with #0001 Bulbasaur and running through #1025 Pecharunt, as featured in the National Pokédex. The book includes more than 336 glossy pages detailing Pokémon, their Evolutions, facts, and more, with sections organized by region. It also includes dedicated sections for Pikachu, recently discovered Pokémon, and Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Basically, if you’ve ever wanted one very pretty place to look up nearly three decades of Pokémon history, this is that. And we all have our favorite Pokémon, anyone who claims they don’t isn’t someone to be taken seriously.

The book is also a first-of-its-kind release for The Pokémon Company International, as it features content across the Pokémon video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and Pokémon animation. That means the guide is not only looking at the franchise through one lane. It is pulling from the wider Pokémon world, from in-game appearances and animated moments to TCG artwork and history. For longtime fans who have moved between all three worlds for years, that’s a pretty big deal.

What Comes in the Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide Limited Edition Box Set?

The Limited Edition Box Set Collection includes the premium hardcover collector’s edition book, special bonus items from the Pokémon video games, the Pokémon TCG, and animation, along with a Certificate of Authenticity. The collector’s edition book is beautifully bound with a cover design featuring Pikachu and more than 160 fan-favorite Pokémon, with gold-accented packaging and artwork that leans hard into the “please display this somewhere nice” energy. There is also a standalone Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide book being released separately.

The set also includes a foreword written by Tsunekazu Ishihara, president and CEO of The Pokémon Company. Given the scale of the franchise, that feels fitting. Pokémon started in Japan in 1996 and has since become one of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world. Now, three decades later, this release is essentially a celebration of just how much the universe has grown. A lot has happened since Bulbasaur was simply #0001 and nobody had to remember what a Pecharunt was yet.

Heather Dalgleish Parker, senior director of original merchandise at The Pokémon Company International, said the box set was designed as a celebration of the brand’s full legacy and the fans who have experienced it across different parts of the franchise.

“With artwork spanning the franchise, the ‘Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide’ Limited Edition Box Set Collection is a celebration of the brand and the many Trainers who make up the vibrant and diverse Pokémon community, who have accompanied us along the way — whether they started their journey playing the video games, collecting and playing with Pokémon cards, or tuning in to the animation,” Parker said. “As the first of its kind for Pikachu Press, this collector’s edition box set and book celebrate the legacy and breadth of the Pokémon brand while inviting Trainers to learn more about their favorite Pokémon in a beautifully crafted and thoughtfully curated format.”

Dark Horse Comics’ Brett Israel also spoke about the collaboration, noting how much care went into making the release feel worthy of the franchise.

“Having the opportunity to use our expertise to create a book for Pokémon fans has been a dream. This book reflects the thorough dedication of Dark Horse, Pikachu Press, and The Pokémon Company International, as well as our passion for Pokémon, and we hope they enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it. The ‘Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide’ features all known Pokémon in stunning detail, making it a must-have for Trainers of all types.”

That last part is really the hook. Pokémon has always been about discovery, but the sheer scale of the franchise now makes that discovery feel massive. This is not just a character guide for one era, one region, or one corner of the brand. It is a full National Pokédex-style collector’s piece that connects the games, cards, and animation into one premium release.

Why Is The Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide Being Released Now?

For Heather Dalgleish Parker, Senior Director Merchandise Development at The Pokémon Company International, the timing comes down to the scale of the fanbase and the way different generations have entered the Pokémon world. Some fans started with the video games, others with the animation, and plenty came in through the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide is designed to bring those different entry points together in one place.

Parker explained that Pokémon has spent more than 30 years at the center of “one of the most passionate fan communities in the world,” with the franchise expanding since its 1996 debut into a broad mix of games and entertainment. Because so many fans began their journey through the video games, animation, or TCG, she said there was “no better way to celebrate them than by bringing together their favorite memories in one comprehensive book.”

That community focus was central to the project. Parker described the guide as a milestone in The Pokémon Company International’s ongoing effort to find meaningful ways to engage every kind of Trainer, whether they grew up catching Pokémon on a Game Boy, collecting cards, watching Ash and Pikachu, or discovering the franchise much more recently.

“With the franchise continuing to grow, our community is more engaged and diverse than ever before,” Parker said, adding that this made it “the perfect time to combine three beloved cornerstones of the Pokémon brand.” She also described the book as a way to honor the history and legacy of Pokémon, giving Trainers “a visually stunning and carefully curated deep dive into the Pokémon that have shaped their fandom for over 29 years.”

The guide also includes a foreword from Tsunekazu Ishihara, President and CEO of The Pokémon Company, something Parker said helps set the tone for the collector’s edition. According to Parker, the team’s top priority was creating a premium experience that would resonate with fans, and Ishihara’s contribution puts the brand’s own history right at the front of the book.

“With so much history found throughout, it only felt right for Trainers to celebrate with the brand’s very own Mr. Tsunekazu Ishihara right on page one,” Parker said. Of course, putting together a guide that covers more than 1,000 Pokémon is not exactly a small Pokédex errand. Parker said the challenge was not one specific region, category, or Pokémon, but finding a way to capture the sheer breadth of the Pokémon world while staying true to what fans love about it.

“Telling the story of the world of Pokémon is both a thrilling opportunity and a unique challenge, simply because it’s so vast,” Parker said. “In the end, the challenge was also the reward – finding a way to showcase the scope and diversity of Pokémon while making sure Trainers felt their favorite Pokémon were represented.”

That same thinking shaped the Limited Edition Box Set itself. Parker said every part of the package was chosen with intention, from the exclusive Pokémon Trading Card Game playmat to the four collectible video game and animation prints, the Certificate of Authenticity, and the cover designs featuring more than 160 Pokémon. The goal was to make the set feel personal for every kind of Trainer, regardless of which region, era, or Pokémon they love most.

And if Parker had to choose just one piece of artwork from the entire guide to frame? Even that was basically impossible. “It is impossible to choose!” Parker said. “However, I think one of my favorite designs is the cover of the book. It’s such a beautiful blend of Pokémon and an amazing way to showcase the multitude of Pokémon that have been discovered.”

The Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide Limited Edition Box Set Collection and the standalone Pokémon Deluxe Character Guide go on sale August 25, 2026. The standalone book will be distributed by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and Canada, and published by Expanse, an imprint of HarperCollins, in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

Release Date

1997 – 2023

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

• 

  Rica Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

• 

  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)