The 2023 Pokemon World Championships hosted by The Pokemon Company International have come to a close following three days of intense matches and friendly competition in Yokohama, Japan. The event was attended by the best trainers from around the world who took part in the premier tournament for Pokemon video games and the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG). This year’s event featured the Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet video games, the Pokemon TCG, Pokemon GO, and Pokemon UNITE. With the conclusion of the championships, the official winners of the 2023 Pokemon World Championships have been crowned as well.
The event attracted more than 10,000 fans and players from around the world who gathered at the PACIFICO Yokohama Convention Center. The winners of the 2023 Pokemon World Championship in different categories are:
Pokémon TCG
- Masters Division Champion: Vance Kelley
- Masters Division Runner-Up: Tord Reklev
- Senior Division Champion: Gabriel Fernandez
- Senior Division Runner-Up: Sydney de Bruijn
- Junior Division Champion: Shao Tong Yen
- Junior Division Runner-Up: Gabriel Borges Torres
Pokémon VGC
- Masters Division Champion: Shohei Kimura
- Masters Division Runner-Up: Michael Kelsch
- Senior Division Champion: Tomoya Ogawa
- Senior Division Runner-Up: Robbie Schaaij
- Junior Division Champion: Sora Ebisawa
- Junior Division Runner-Up: Kohei Ukai
Pokémon GO
- Champion: ItsAXN
- Runner-Up: xXRubixMasterXx
Pokémon UNITE
- Champion: Luminosity
- Team Members: Elo, Overlord, Kyriaos, Slash, Rhinne
- Runner-Up: OMO Abyssinian
- Team Members: Luisss, Tempezt, Shua, Jrabsent, Miva
Apart from the championships and the winners’ ceremony, the 2023 Pokemon World Championships Closing Ceremonies featured new announcements and experiences across the brand. Below, you will find some of the highlights from the ceremonies:
Ancient and Future Pokemon ACE SPEC Cards are coming soon to the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Some new cards and mechanics for TCG were also announced. Starting fall 2023, Trainers can look forward to seeing Ancient and Future Pokemon in the Pokemon TC including Roaring Moon ex, Iron Valiant ex, and Illustration rare versions of Brute Bonnet and Iron Moth. In addition to this, ACE SPEC cards which were first introduced in the Black & White series will return to Standard format in 2024 as well. Additional details will be announced in the future.
The Pokemon Company International also debuted a new animated series called Pokemon: Path to the Peak. This new series will follow Ava and her partner Pokemon Oddish on their journey to rise to the top in the world of Pokemon Trading Card Game. The first episode of the series is now available on the Official Pokemon YouTube channel.
Apart from this, the location of the 2024 Pokemon World Championships was also announced. Trainers from around the world can look forward to the next exciting Pokemon World Championships to be held in Honolulu, Hawai’i. Colin Palmer, vice president of Premier Events at The Pokémon Company International commented:
Our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted by the devastating wildfires in Hawai’i. Our priority is to aid children, families, and their affected communities. To support relief efforts, The Pokémon Company International is making an immediate monetary donation of $200,000 to its partners at GlobalGiving through their Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund.
The Pokemon Company International has also announced that the company will match employee donations dedicated to Hawai’i wildfire relief efforts.
Are you looking forward to next year’s championships and what do you think about the winners of the 2023 Pokemon World Championships? Let us know in the comments section below.
