Pokémon Officially Unveils Pikachu Redesign To Celebrate 30th Anniversary

Published Sep 23, 2026, 7:36 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

Pokémon's 30th anniversary has been packed with exciting announcements and surprises so far, most recently with the launch of the 30th Celebration Pokémon TCG line, as well as the announcement of Winds & Waves earlier this year, not to mention dozens of unique reveals at the Pokémon XP and Pokémon Worlds 2026 events earlier this year.

Just in terms of new designs for fan-favorite Pokémon from across all nine Generations, Gengar, Mewtwo, Charizard, the Legendary Bird Trio, and various Eeveelution redesigns have popped up in different corners of the Pokémon universe through merchandise releases and unique product launches.

While the face of the franchise, Pikachu, has seen several distinct redesigns this year already through the 30th Celebration TCG set, which featured 30 different iterations of the adorable Mon, Pokémon has just unveiled a brand-new Pikachu design that we never saw coming, and it's absolutely stunning (via GoNintendo).

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Pikachu has received countless makeovers throughout Pokémon’s 30-year history, but its latest may be one of the most unexpected, and certainly one of the most extravagant. The Pokémon Company has partnered with Japanese precious-metal specialist SGC on a life-size golden Pikachu statue, completely transforming the franchise mascot with a shimmering gold-leaf finish.

Created for the upcoming Yokohama Great Gold Exhibition, it's a life-size statue measuring approximately 40 centimeters tall, matching Pikachu's official Pokédex height, or roughly 50 centimeters when its upright ears are included. More impressively, it's covered with approximately 200 individual sheets of gold leaf, giving Pikachu a luxurious appearance that puts its familiar bright-yellow design to shame.

Unfortunately, even for collectors with especially deep pockets, this particular Pikachu isn’t actually being offered for sale. The gold-leaf statue is a special exhibition piece that will be displayed at Yokohama Takashimaya during the Great Gold Exhibition, which runs from September 30 through October 5, 2026.

That doesn't make the collaboration any less over the top, though, as Pikachu will appear alongside a life-size Gholdengo covered with roughly 730 sheets of gold leaf, while SGC is also producing a much smaller Gholdengo collectible made from genuine 24-karat gold. That figure stands only around 6 centimeters tall and weighs approximately 15 grams, and carries a planned price of ¥1,540,000, or roughly $10,000.

Gholdengo is an obvious candidate for such treatment considering its gold-and-coin-inspired design, but seeing Pikachu receive the same ultra-luxurious makeover is a bit surprising. After three decades as Pokémon's unmistakable yellow mascot, Pikachu has effectively been given an absurdly lavish golden redesign for the franchise's milestone anniversary.