This week on That Pokémon Podcast, Jim Viscardi and Christian Hoffer dive headfirst into the absolute chaos surrounding Pokémon collecting right now. From empty Target shelves and scalpers flipping Pokémon starter jackets and Pop-Tarts for ridiculous prices to the ongoing insanity around Pokémon cards, vending machines, and collector culture, things are getting wild out there.

The guys also break down the growing collectibles bubble, why Pokémon still shows zero signs of slowing down, and how manga collecting is starting to follow the same path. Plus: Pokéopia bundles, new DLC rumors surface, Pokémon Go gets a bizarre new raid mechanic, Bangkok lands a massive new Pokémon Center, and Shiny Volcanion finally becomes officially obtainable.

Oh, and the Pokémon Fact of the Week somehow turns into an existential breakdown about Dodrio anatomy.

On this episode, Jim and Christian break down a wildly chaotic week in the world of Pokémon news. From Pokopia reportedly driving massive profit revisions at Koei Tecmo to speculation about Nintendo’s hardware tailwinds, the guys dig into why this game has become a cultural and financial juggernaut. They also get into Pokémon Night Out, an EDM concert event featuring Marshmello that pushes the franchise further into live music crossover territory.

From there, things only get weirder: Target’s Pokémon collaboration rolls out starter jackets, Pop-Tarts, Sour Patch Kids, and even Pikachu-shaped snacks, while the question of over-commercialization starts to creep in. Competitive talk hits with Incineroar continuing to dominate the Pokémon Champions meta, and the duo also touches on Silicobra’s regional spawn controversy in Pokémon GO, a new Pokémon footbath experience in Japan, and the oddly deep cultural roots of Farfetch’d.

After a week off, we return to a pile of Pokémon news… and unfortunately, not all of it is good.

Pokémon Champions is finally here, but the launch has been rough. We’re talking missing features, weird limitations, technical issues, and whether this whole thing feels more like a beta test than an actual release. Is this a misstep, or is The Pokémon Company quietly trying to reset competitive play?

From there, we shift gears to something a little lighter… and somehow just as disappointing. The new Pokémon pinball machine is out in the wild, and it’s not exactly lighting the world on fire. We break down what works, what doesn’t, and why it feels like a missed opportunity.

We also hit on:

• Pokémon GO teaming up with MLB (and somehow also helping people get engaged)
• A LEGO Pokémon contest that’s about to get very competitive
• The ongoing chaos around Pokémon cards
• And a surprisingly heated debate about Pokémon evolutions that spirals in the best way possible

It’s a fun one, it gets a little unhinged, and yeah… we definitely go off the rails at the end.