Pokémon fans get a whole new way to celebrate their favorite franchise this summer.
The Pokémon Center has just added a whole new slate of merchandise and apparel to help fans stay cool this summer. Among the available items are tropical-themed button-downs, t-shirts, tank tops, shorts, beach towels and bags, all emblazoned with images and iconography pulled straight from the most lush and luxurious corners of the Pokémon franchise. These new looks join previous entries in the Pokémon Center’s tropical shop section, and are almost entirely available in sizes ranging from XS to 4XL. Official images can be seen below.
International Pokémon Fans Can Get Beach-Ready With Official New Clothing Collection
The Pokémon franchise has been a mainstay of pop culture since it debuted in 1996 with the original Gameboy Games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green (Pokémon Red and Blue outside of Japan). Over the past 29 years, the franchise has maintained its place as a multimedia sensation, releasing countless games, manga, comics, anime, live-action films and of course, the latest additions to the Pokémon Center’s tropical shop offerings — over 20 in total — double the number of items previously available from that specific corner of the Pokémon merchandise available on the site.
However, fans have plenty besides just new threads to look forward to when it comes to Pokémon in 2025, especially in terms of gaming. During Nintendo Direct in March, players got an early look at Pokémon Legends Z-A, the upcoming follow-up to 2013’s Pokémon X and Y, which were originally released for the Nintendo 3DS. Pokémon Legends Z-A will seemingly prominently feature a day-night cycle that will help determine not just when players are best able to seek out new Pokémon to capture, but also when they are best able to find other Trainers to hone their skills against in battle. Currently, Pokémon Legends Z-A is expected to be released for the Nintendo Switch sometime later this year.
Beyond the world of video games, Pokémon fans of every ilk can also look forward to what seems to be a completely new rarity type for the long-running Pokémon TCG. Recent leaks indicate that the next Pokémon TCG sets, Black Bolt and White Flair, will feature not just 156 Unova Pokémon, each of which will receive an Illustration or Special Illustration Rare version, but an entirely new rarity level current known as BWR. These BWR cards appear to come in either black, white or red monochromatic textured foils, with leaked versions of Zekrom, Reshiram and Victini having been spread about online in each of the three respective colors. Black Bolt and White Flair are currently slated to arrive in stores in Japan on June 6, and will make their way to North America sometime later this year.
