Pokemon Jets of the Past, the Present & the Future: Gotta Catch ‘Em All

As I not only love aviation but am also a Pokemon fan, Pokemon Jets are some of my favorite aircraft. The first of those which I, unfortunately, didn’t have a chance to see was ANA’s Pokemon Jet 1998. All in all, ANA operated a total of ten Pokemon Jets at one point or another.

More recently, other airlines started introducing Pokemon-themed aircraft too. Even more recently, ANA put into service a Pokemon-themed 787-9. With that, Pokemon Jets have come full circle. In this article, I take a detailed look at all 21 Pokemon Jets of the past and present, as well as the future – there are three confirmed ones!

ANA’s Original Pokemon Jets: The Aircraft That Started It All

Without a doubt, when it comes to Pokemon Jets, the first airline that comes to most aviation enthusiasts’ minds is Japan’s ANA. After all, ANA was the first airline to fly Pokemon Jets. It also operated the most Pokemon Jets out of all airlines and flew them the longest so far.

Between 1998 and 2016, ANA aircraft could be seen in a variety of Pokemon-themed liveries spread across four “generations.” In total, at one point or another, there were 10 ANA aircraft painted in a Pokemon livery. The service onboard these aircraft, like on all of the other Pokemon Jets in this article was to one extent or another Pokemon-themed as well.

Pokemon Jet 1998

Airframes: JA8578, JA8569 (Boeing 767-300); JA8965 (Boeing 747-400D)
Active: 06/1998 – 03/2000

The history of Pokemon started to be written in 1996 when the Game Boy games Pocket Monsters Red and Green were released. That said, it took another two years or so for the franchise to partner with ANA and give birth to the now-famous Pokemon Jets. 

Unlike the later Pokemon Jets, the Pokemon Jet 1998 livery was based on the regular ANA livery.

On the tail, it featured a Flying Pikachu which could also later be found on multiple promotional Pokemon cards related to the Pokemon Jets. On the fuselage, it featured a variety of first-generation Pokemon including Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Psyduck, and Pikachu. Lastly, on its engines it featured PokeBalls.

The livery was worn by three aircraft – two 767-300s (JA8578 and JA8569) and one 747-400D (JA8965). All three Pokemon Jet 1998s were deployed exclusively on domestic routes around Japan.

Pokemon Jet International

Airframe: JA8962 (Boeing 747-400)
Active: 02/1999 – 05/2006

As Pokemon continued to gain popularity not only in Japan but worldwide, the partnership yielded ANA’s first and, until the upcoming release of Pikachu Jet NH I talk about below, only international Pokemon Jet.

While the livery was based on the original Pokemon Jet 1998 livery, there were a few differences:

• The titles on the fuselage were English rather than Japanese
• The tail remained unchanged from the standard livery, featuring big ANA titles on blue background
• Being a standard version of the 747-400 rather than the domestic version, the wings were equipped with winglets featuring the same design as other ANA 747-400s

The aptly named Pokemon Jet International operated its first flight in February 1999 on ANA’s Tokyo-New York route. Then it went on to serve other destinations in the airline’s network such as Paris and London as well. It operated in the Pokemon livery until 2006 when it was repainted into ANA’s standard livery.

Pokemon Jet 1999

Airframes: JA8357, JA8288 (Boeing 767-300); JA8964 (Boeing 747-400D)
Active: 06/1998 – 03/2000

The second generation Pokemon livery, the Pokemon Jet 1999, flew for the first time on June 21, 1999, on a Boeing 747-400D. In July and August of the same year, it was followed by a pair of Boeing 767-300s. As such, for a brief period of time, the first and second generations of Pokemon Jets were operating simultaneously.

For this livery, rather than designing it themselves, ANA and Pokemon solicited designs from children.

Ultimately, they ended up choosing one featuring the Flying Pikachu on the tail and a number of Pokemon including Togepi, Meowth, Jigglypuf, Dratini, and Lapras on the fuselage. While the base of the livery was still mostly white with some blue, it wasn’t based on the regular ANA livery.

The 747 operated in the Pokemon livery until February 2006 and the 767s operated in the livery until January 2001 and May 2007 respectively. Interestingly, one of the 767s – JA8357 – was later painted into a special livery promoting Universal Studios Japan.

Pikachu Jumbo

Airframe: JA8957 (Boeing 747-400D)
Active: 05/2004 – 09/2013

The third generation of ANA’s Pokemon Jets started flying in 2004 and consisted of two very colorful Boeing 747-400Ds. What was notable about this generation is that the two aircraft wore completely different Pokemon liveries. On a personal level, this generation is special to me because it was the first one I got to take photos of.

In May 2004, the first of the two third-generation Pokemon Jumbos entered into service. It first flew on the Osaka-Tokyo route and then could be seen mainly on routes between Tokyo and other major airports in Japan.

Being painted in bright yellow and featuring a large profile of Pikachu’s face on its tail, the aircraft was named the Pikachu Jumbo. On its fuselage, it featured pokemon like Pichu, Latias, Latios, Torchic, Celebi, and Entei.

It remained in service until September 2013 which makes it the last Pokemon Jumbo Jet to retire (even though the Ohana Jumbo I will talk about next entered into service after this one). It’s also worth noting that, unlike the previous Pokemon Jets which were repainted, this one and the next one were retired completely as part of ANA’s fleet modernization.

Ohana Jumbo

Airframe: JA8956 (Boeing 747-400D)
Active: 12/2004 – 11/2012

Being the first Pokemon Jet I ever photographed and also my favorite design-wise (other than the original Pokemon Jet 1998 which I didn’t have a chance to see in person), the Ohana Jumbo (“Flower Jumbo” in English) is the Pokemon Jet I like the most.

Some of the Pokemon featured on the Ohana Jumbo – including Pikachu, Pichu, and Mew – overlapped with those on the Pikachu Jet. Others including Bellossom, Popocco, and Roselia – all flower-like Pokemon which gave the aircraft its name – were unique to this livery.

Ohana Jumbo was introduced into service in December 2004 and could be seen on domestic routes around Japan until the end of November 2012. After that, it was sent to the US for scrapping.

PEACE★JET

Airframe: JA754A (Boeing 777-300)
Active: 07/2011 – 04/2016

The last, fourth generation of Pokemon Jets included only one aircraft, the PEACE★JET. For the first time, a Boeing 777-300 was used for a Pokemon livery rather than a 747 or a 767.

This livery’s story is intertwined with two natural disasters. Originally, the livery to be worn by this aircraft was to be chosen by the public through voting to choose the favorite of three different designs. Just a couple of days before the voting started on March 13, 2011, however, Japan was hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

As the extent of the disaster became clear, ANA canceled the voting. Luckily, though, it did not cancel the planned Pokemon Jet. Instead, it chose the PEACE★JET livery. The name reflects the fact that the Pokemon featured on the aircraft showed the peace sign with their hands.

The aircraft entered into service in July 2011 – as such, it overlapped with both of the third-generation Pokemon Jets for a while as can be seen in the photo at the very top of this article. With the contract between ANA and Pokemon expiring in March 2011, that was when onboard service ceased to be Pokemon-themed.

The aircraft flew in the livery until mid-April 2011, though. Its last flight was meant to be a flight from Naha to Tokyo on April 15, 2016, which I had a chance to join (see my report here). It operated for an extra day, though, to provide air service on routes where the bullet train was put out of service by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake.

Pokemon Air Adventures: Pikachu Jets Go International

The Pokemon Company launched a project called Pokemon Air Adventures in June 2021. With the project, Pokemon aims to support the recovery of air travel and tourism which were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. While there are multiple intiatives within the project, the one that stands out the most are Pikachu Jets – aircraft painted in Pokemon liveries and, like ANA’s first two generations of Pokemon Jets, featuring the flying Pikachu as one of the main stars.

Skymark Airlines was the first airline to paint not one but two aircraft in a special Pikachu Jet livery. It was followed, for the first time ever, by three non-Japanese airlines releasing their Pokemon Jets. Most recently, it was announced that later in 2023, ANA will also release a Pikachu Jet – with that, Pokemon Jets will have come full circle.

It’s worth noting here that each of the aircraft is named Pikachu Jet followed by the airline’s two-letter code (e.g. Pikachu Jet NH for ANA).

Pikachu Jet BC1 (Skymark Airlines)

Airframe: JA73AB (Boeing 737-800)
Active: 06/2021 – Present

Skymark Airlines’ Pikachu Jet BC1 was the first in this series of Pokemon Jets. It was also the first full-scale Pokemon livery to fly since PEACE★JET’s retirement in April 2016 and the one ever to be painted on narrowbody.

The Boeing 737-800, JA73AB, was repainted from Skymark’s regular livery into the Pikachu Jet BC1 in Taipei from where it was ferried back to Tokyo Haneda on June 16, 2021. A few days later, on June 21, 2021, it was deployed on its first revenue flight – BC519 from Tokyo Haneda to Naha.

What makes this livery unique is that it features just one Pokemon – Pikachu. The Flying Pikachu can be seen in various poses on both sides of the bright yellow fuselage as well as on the aircraft’s belly. The aircraft’s tail is in the standard Skymark Airlines livery with a Pokemon logo included – the two fit together really nicely color-wise.

Pikachu Jet BC2 (Skymark Airlines)

Airframe: JA73NG (Boeing 737-800)
Active: 05/2022 – Present

Less than a year after the first Skymark Airlines Pikachu Jet was put into service, the airline announced that it would be releasing another one – the Pikachu Jet BC2.

Unlike the airline’s first Pikachu Jet, the second one has most of its fuselage taken up by “an almost life-size” Wailord. The Flying Pikachu, Magikarp, and Corsola are present among other Pokemon too.

Just like the first one, Pikachu Jet BC2 was repainted in Taipei. It was ferried back to Tokyo on May 28, 2022, and put into service just a couple of days later, on May 30, 2022. The inaugural flight was on the exact same flight as that of Pikachu Jet BC1 – BC519 from Tokyo Haneda to Naha. I had a chance to be onboard and wrote in detail about the experience here.

Nowadays, just like the BC1, it operates on Skymark’s routes around Japan. The schedule for both of Skymark’s Pikachu Jets can be seen here a day or two in advance.

Unlike the first Pikachu Jet, the Pikachu Jet BC2 features Pokemon other than Flying Pikachu too. It features an almost “life-size” Wailord, Magikarp, and Corsola among others. In addition to PokeBall decals on its engines, there are also Pikachu decals on the aircraft’s winglets.

The Pikachu Jet BC2 was painted into the special livery in Taipei and ferried back to Tokyo Haneda on May 28, 2022, as flight BC8014. It was put into scheduled service just a couple of days later, on May 30, 2022, on the same flight as the Pikachu Jet BC1 – BC519 from Haneda to Naha.

Pikachu Jet TR (Scoot)

Airframe: 9V-OJJ (Boeing 787-9)
Active: 09/2022 – Present

On September 9, 2022, the Singapore-based low-cost carrier Scoot became the first ever non-Japanese airline to operate a Pokemon Jet. At the same time, the Pikachu Jet TR also became the first ever Pokemon livery painted on a Boeing 787. In addition to serving the Pokemon Air Adventures goals, the aircraft is – in a way – also a celebration of Scoot’s tenth anniversary.

I like the livery as, in a way, it reminds me of the original Pokemon Jet 1998. On a simple white background, the fuselage features a few different Pokemon including the Flying Pikachu, Pichu, Shaymin, Psyduck, Lapras, and Celebi. The aircraft features the standard Scoot tail design.

The aircraft’s inaugural flight took passengers from Singapore to Tokyo Narita as flight TR808. Since then, the Pikachu Jet TR has been appearing throughout Scoot’s network. The airline publishes a part of the aircraft’s schedule two to three months in advance here.

Pikachu Jet CI (China Airlines)

Airframe: B-18101 (Airbus A321neo)
Active: 09/2022 – Present

Not long after Scoot introduced its Pikachu Jet, Taiwan’s China Airlines introduced its Pikachu Jet CI. It became the second Pokemon Jet ever to be operated by a non-Japanese airline and also the first ever Pokemon livery to be worn by an Airbus aircraft – an A321neo.

The livery is based on pink and purple – colors that are similar to China Airlines regular livery. On that background, “sprinkled with twinkling stars” as the airline’s website dedicated to the aircraft say, are Pokemon including Shaymin and Snorlax. While they are sleeping, there is also a Flying Pikachu that is wide awake.

On September 30, 2022, a couple of days before aircraft was put on regular scheduled flights, the Pikachu Jet CI operated a charter flight from Taipei’s Taoyuan airport to the city’s Songshan airport. While the two airports are just a few dozen miles apart from each other, the charter flight flew all the way to the skies above Kyushu in Japan before turning back for Taipei.

The aircraft’s first regular scheduled flight took place on October 2, 2022, from Taipei Songshan to Tokyo Haneda. Nowadays, it operates a variety of international flights out of Taipei Taoyuan airport. China Airlines publishes the routes on which the aircraft is likely to be deployed here.

Pikachu Jet TW (T’Way Air)

Airframe: HL8306 (Boeing 737-800)
Active: 12/2022 – Present

South Korea’s low-cost airline T’Way Air is the third and so far last non-Japanese airline to paint its aircraft in a Pokemon livery. Like Skymark’s Pikachu Jets, T’Way Air’s Pikachu Jet TW livery is worn by a Boeing 737-800, the sole type in the airline’s fleet.

The theme of the livery is music with the design representing a “dazzling stage.” Pokemon featured in the design include Meloetta, Eevee, and Jigglypuff. As you can guess, Flying Pikachu is present too. The tail features the standard T’way design.

Unlike the other two non-Japanese airlines, T’way Airlines didn’t operate its first Pikachu Jet flight to Japan. Instead, the aircraft’s inaugural flight was TW667 from Seoul Gimpo to Taipei Songshan on December 28, 2022. Currently, the aircraft can be caught on both domestic flights around South Korea as well as international flights. While T’Way publishes Pikachu Jet TW’s schedule a week in advance here, it frequently changes at the last minute.

Pikachu Jet NH (ANA)

Airframe: JA894A (Boeing 787-9)
Active: 06/2023 – Present

When I checked my inbox after waking up on March 26, 2023, I got really excited – an email with the following subject line was waiting for me: ANA NEWS – ANA and Pokémon to take Pikachu Jet to the skies on “Pokémon Air Adventures” Collaboration. It turned out that Pokemon Jets have come full circle.

As promised in the email, on June 4, 2023, ANA put into service its first Pokemon Jet since the PEACE★JET. This time, the aircraft is a part of the Pokemon Air Adventures project and is named Pikachu Jet NH. It features a Rayquaza wrapped around its fuselage. Other Pokemon including Charizard, Latias, Latios, and Vivillon are featured on the fuselage as well.

The aircraft is currently being used on medium- and long-haul international flights from Tokyo Haneda. The Pikachu Jet NH can often be seen on flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Vancouver, Sydney, and Honolulu among other places. It is the first ANA Pokemon Jet used on international flights since the original Pokemon Jet International.

Eevee Jet NH (ANA)

Airframe: JA784A (Boeing 777-300ER)
Active: Not Yet (Expected from 08/2023)

Like with its original Pokemon Jets, Star Wars Jets, and Demon Slayer Jets, ANA did not stop at just one Pokemon Jet this time either. Instead, at the end of June 2023, it announced that on August 31, 2023, it will put another Pokemon Jet into service.

Rather than Pikachu being the main star of the livery, Eevee and its evolutions will take over that role. Because of this, the aircraft will be named Eevee Jet NH, hopefully setting the precedent for more such liveries. On its left side, the Eevee Jet NH will feature Eevee and five of its eight “Eeveelutions.” On its right side, it will feature Pikachu, Eevee, and the remaining three Eevee evolutions.

The aircraft is expected to operate in the special livery for about five years. Initially, it is expected to operate flights between Tokyo Haneda and London, New York, and San Francisco.

Pikachu Jet GA (Garuda Indonesia)

Airframe: TBD (Boeing 737-800)
Active: Not Yet (Expected at the end of 2023)

On May 30, Garuda Indonesia announced that partnered with The Pokémon Company and Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, and will join the Pokemon Air Adventures project. As part of the partnership, it will paint two of its Boeing 737-800s in special Pokemon-themed liveries by the end of 2023. That will make Garuda the sixth airline to operate a Pokemon Jet as part of the project.

At this point, it is not clear whether there will be two different liveries (most likely considering that is the case with Skymark and ANA) or just one livery painted on two aircraft. It is also not clear when exactly the aircraft will enter into service or what routes they will operate. As soon as Garuda Indonesia releases more information, I will update this article.

Solaseed Air and Air Do Pokemon Jets

In addition to ANA’s original Pokemon Jets and those related to the Pokemon Air Adventures project, Solaseed Air and Air Do decorated some of their aircraft with Pokemon as well. Both of these airlines used the liveries to promote the regions of Japan that they primarily serve.

Nassy Resort in Miyazaki Jet (Solaseed Air)

Airframe: JA812X (Boeing 737-800)
Active: 12/2020 – 09/2022

Arguably, being just a simple decal rather than a full-scale special livery, this is the least impressive one on this list. Still, it is a Pokemon Jet and for a while – until the Rokon Jet I talk about further down came to be – it was the only Pokemon-themed aircraft in the world.

In August 2012, Solaseed Air launched Sorakoi Project to promote Kyushu and Okinawa – the two parts of Japan its network is focused on. As part of the project, Solaseed Air decorates its aircraft with decals promoting destinations in these regions and operates those liveries for about a year each.

The Nassy Resort in Miyazaki Jet was created after Exeggutor (Nassy in Japanse) was named the “Pokemon that loves Miyazaki” – a city in Kyushu where Solaseed Air is headquartered.

The aircraft featuring Exeggutor decals on one side and Alolan Exeggutor decals on the other entered into service on December 19, 2020. Befitting of its theme, it made a debut on Solaseed Air flight 54 from Miyazaki to Tokyo Haneda. Nassy Resort in Miyazaki Jet’s last flight took place on September 28, 2022.

Rokon Jet (Air Do)

Airframe: JA607A (Boeing 767-300ER)
Active: 12/2021 – Present

When Air Do, an airline headquartered in Sapporo, Hokkaido, announced that it would be painting a 767-300ER in a Pokemon-themed livery, I got really excited. After all, it would be the first wide-body Pokemon Jet to take to the skies since PEACE★JET’s retirement in 2016.

Rokon Jet, named after the Pokemon it was based on (Vulpix which in Japanese is Rokon), is part of a collaboration between Pokemon and Hokkaido that first started in 2018. As part of the collaboration, Alolan Vulpix and Vulpix were named the “leader and deputy leader of the Hokkaido Aficionado Expedition” in a similar fashion to Exeggutor having been named the “Pokemon that loves Miyazaki.”

The aircraft was repainted by MRO Japan in Okinawa. It features Alolan Vulpix on its starboard side and Vulpix on its port side. Both of the sides are based on Air Do’s standard corporate colors with the starboard side being light blue and the port side being yellow. With each side of the aircraft being a different color, the Rokon Jet looks quite interesting when looked at from the top or front.

With Air Do being headquartered in Sapporo, it came as no surprise that the first flight the aircraft was deployed on was Air Do flight 20 from Sapporo New Chitose to Tokyo Haneda. I was onboard the inaugural and wrote about it in detail here.

Nassy Jet (Solaseed Air)

Airframe: JA803X (Boeing 737-800)
Active: 03/2023 – Present

In a way, the concept of the Nassy Jet is the same as that of the Nassy Resort in Miyazaki Jet. It is, however, a full-scale special livery rather than just an aircraft decorated with small decals. In fact, it is Solaseed Air’s first full-scale special livery.

The fuselage design is based on Solaseed Air’s signature green color combined with sun, sea, and flower motives. Both sides of the aircraft prominently feature Exeggutor (“Nassy” in Japanese) and Alolan Exeggutor. Other Pokemon like Alolan Raichu can be seen on the aircraft too. While there are some differences between the design of the port and starboard side, they are minimal.

Like Air Do’s Rokon Jet and some other special liveries, the Nassy Jet livery was applied by MRO Japan in Okinawa. The aircrat wearing the livery is a Boeing 737-800 registered JA803X.

The aircraft was ferried to Okinawa on February 12, 2023, and it returned to Tokyo Haneda in the special livery on March 1, 2023. It operated its inaugural flight on March 2, 2023. I had a chance to be onboard – you can read about my experience here. To make Nassy Jet easier to catch, Solaseed Air publishes a part of Nassy Jet’s schedule on its website.

Summary

There’s no doubt that the Pokemon Jets introduced in this article have brought joy to countless people – kids and adults alike. While I never had a chance to see the first two generations of ANA Pokemon Jets, I feel fortunate to have seen the rest (except for the Pikachu Jet TW which came out relatively recently and the upcoming ones, of course).

To sum things up, here’s a list of all the Pokemon Jets that could be, still can be, or will be seen in the skies of Japan and the world:

 
First published on 2023/03/31. Updated on 2023/07/07 to include information about Eevee Jet NH and Pikachu Jet GA.