In short: The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon: Wild Card on August 30, 2026, during the closing ceremony of the World Championships in San Francisco. The film follows a Pokémon Trading Card Game player and his Mimikyu, with a release planned for 2027. Animation moves from OLM to CloverWorks, a first in 24 films.
What is Pokémon: Wild Card?
It is the next animated Pokémon feature, the 24th in the series, and the first since Secrets of the Jungle, released in Japan in December 2020. It was unveiled on August 30, 2026 in front of the Moscone Center crowd, at the very end of Worlds, with a teaser posted right afterwards in English and Japanese.
The synopsis fits in two sentences in The Pokémon Company's announcement: the film tells the story of a Pokémon TCG player and his partner Mimikyu, and asks whether, when the time comes to play their cards, they will have what it takes to reach their goals. Everything else has to be read from the teaser and the poster.
The poster released on August 30: directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, character design by Akemi Hayashi, animation by CloverWorks, produced by STORY inc.
The venue was no accident. Announcing a Trading Card Game film in front of the TCG finalists means speaking to its first audience. We followed those three days of competition closely, the recap is in our page on the 2026 Pokémon World Championships in San Francisco, and the room reacted exactly as hoped: the teaser was replayed on loop on the screens in the hall.
The Moscone Center dressed up for Worlds 2026, where the film was announced.
What does the teaser show?
One minute of city at night, without a single line of dialogue. A teenager in a yellow hooded parka, Mimikyu ears sewn onto the hood and headphones over his ears, plays a solo game of cards at a table beside a canal, in a city packed with neon signs. Above him, perched on the bridge railing, a Mimikyu watches.
Click the image to watch the teaser on the Pokémon YouTube channel.
What stands out is the tone. No packed stadium, no trainer shouting their Pokémon's name: a kid on his own, hood pulled down over his eyes, laying down a card as if it were his last chance. The night-time cinematography and the yellow graffiti title card break with everything the series has done in cinemas. Had I been shown these shots blind, I would have bet on an arthouse film, not a Pokémon movie.
Mimikyu under the moon, the most shared shot from the teaser.
When does Pokémon: Wild Card come out, and where can you watch it?
In 2027, and that is all that is confirmed. No day, no month, no list of countries: the poster just says “Coming Soon” and the announcement sticks to the year. In Japan, distribution is handled by Toho, which has released the Pokémon films since Mewtwo Strikes Back in 1998.
Outside Japan nothing has been announced, and recent history suggests caution before promising a cinema release:
| Film | Release in Japan | Release outside Japan | Animation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution | July 2019, cinemas | February 2020, Netflix | OLM |
| Secrets of the Jungle | December 2020, cinemas | October 2021, Netflix | OLM |
| Pokémon: Wild Card | 2027, details to be confirmed | Not announced | CloverWorks |
The last two films reached audiences outside Japan straight on streaming, ten to sixteen months later. My personal bet, for what it is worth: the seven-year gap, the change of studio and a simultaneous worldwide announcement look like a project built for cinemas everywhere, not a quiet release. But until anything is signed, this page will say “not announced”.
Which studio is animating Pokémon: Wild Card?
CloverWorks, and that is the detail that made long-time fans do a double take: the 23 previous films all came out of OLM, the studio behind the TV series since 1997. Handing a Pokémon feature to another studio had never happened before. CloverWorks is behind Spy x Family and Bocchi the Rock!, two benchmarks for expressive animation.
| Role | Name | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Katsuhiko Kitada | Unit director on The First Slam Dunk, animation director on Attack on Titan |
| Character design | Akemi Hayashi | Banana Fish, Lazarus |
| Animation | CloverWorks | Spy x Family, Bocchi the Rock! |
| Production | STORY inc. | Film production, with The Pokémon Company |
| Distribution in Japan | Toho | Every Pokémon film since 1998 |
The film's logo: the usual yellow lettering, but a spray-painted subtitle. The tone is set.
The director's track record deserves a closer look. Katsuhiko Kitada learned his craft on productions where the animation carries the emotion, The First Slam Dunk first among them, a sports film that became a box office phenomenon in Japan. Anime News Network also credits him as animation director on Attack on Titan. A profile like that on a card game film promises duels shot like matches.
Why Mimikyu rather than Pikachu?
Because the symbolism is perfect. Mimikyu first appeared in Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016: a Ghost and Fairy type Pokémon that hides under a handmade Pikachu disguise, because its real form scares people and it wants to make friends. For the first film in the series without Ash and Pikachu at the top of the bill, the studio picked the very Pokémon that dreams of being Pikachu. Hard to think of a smarter handover.
The key visual: the player and his Mimikyu, each in disguise.
The parallel with the hero is obvious from the poster: he too goes around masked, his hood with Mimikyu ears pulled tight over his head. Two shy characters teaming up to go after something bigger is a premise that speaks to any player who has walked into their first tournament.
In the shop, the choice came as no surprise: Mimikyu has been a favourite for years. Our Mimikyu plush at €19.99 holds 5/5 across 29 reviews, one of the best scores in the Pokémon range, ahead of heavyweights like the Snorlax plush and its 80 reviews. When the film comes out, I would not bet on the stock lasting.
A TCG film: why now?
Because the Trading Card Game has never carried so much weight in the franchise. The series turns 30 in 2026, we covered the celebrations in our page on 30 years of Pokémon, and new expansions keep arriving with record print runs and still sell out. The most sought-after cards trade at prices that separate players from investors, and we keep the ranking of the 20 most expensive Pokémon cards up to date.
The player's smile before he lays down his card, the last shot of the teaser before the title.
A feature film built around the card game is also an admission: the TCG has become the main way into the franchise, ahead of the anime. We see it in our orders, where binders and boxes from our Pokémon card storage range leave alongside plushies. A film that shoots card duels like sport is not going to calm things down.
What has not been announced yet
The list is long, which is normal for an announcement teaser. No precise date and no release countries, as covered above. But also: no name for the hero, no voice cast, no composer, no running time, and not a word on which Pokémon will join Mimikyu. The announcement does not even say whether the story takes place in a region from the games.
We will update this page with every announcement, as we do for our other news pieces. The likely next windows: Pokémon Day in February, traditionally the stage for big announcements, and the Japanese summer, the historic release period for the series' films. Until then, the shop's Pokémon range stays open, Mimikyu plushies included.
Frequently asked questions about Pokémon: Wild Card
When does the Pokémon: Wild Card film come out?
In 2027, with no further detail for now. No day, no month, no country-by-country schedule: the poster only says “Coming Soon” and The Pokémon Company's announcement sticks to the year. This page will be updated as soon as a date is confirmed.
Where can you watch the Pokémon: Wild Card teaser?
On the Pokémon YouTube channel, where it was posted on August 30, 2026 in English and Japanese, right after the announcement at the closing ceremony of the World Championships in San Francisco. It runs for about a minute and has no dialogue.
Which studio is animating Pokémon: Wild Card?
CloverWorks, the studio behind Spy x Family and Bocchi the Rock!. It is the first animated Pokémon film not produced by OLM, the studio behind the 23 previous features and the TV series since 1997. It is directed by Katsuhiko Kitada, unit director on The First Slam Dunk.
Do Ash and Pikachu appear in the film?
Nothing suggests so. The announcement presents a Trading Card Game player and his Mimikyu as the lead duo, which makes Wild Card the first animated film in the series without Ash as the hero. No legacy character has been mentioned so far.
Will the film get a cinema release outside Japan?
That has not been announced. The two previous films, Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution and Secrets of the Jungle, were released in cinemas in Japan but arrived elsewhere directly on Netflix, ten to sixteen months later. For Wild Card, distribution outside Japan has not been detailed.
Who is Mimikyu?
A Ghost and Fairy type Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon in 2016. It hides under a Pikachu disguise it sewed itself, because what lies underneath scares people and it wants to make friends. Being both masked and misunderstood has made it a fan favourite.
Antoine, founder of Bakashop. Facts checked on September 2, 2026: The Pokémon Company's announcement and teaser of August 30, Anime News Network of August 31. Prices and reviews taken from the shop's product pages the same day. Images: ©Pokémon. ©Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. ©Pokémon: Wild Card Project; Moscone Center facade dressed for Worlds 2026, ©The Pokémon Company.
