BODY: Pokémon is celebrating three decades of the franchise with a new merchandise line built around this year's anniversary keyword: "つながる" ("Connection"). The Pokémon Timeless Adventure collection lands at Pokémon Center stores nationwide on October 3, with Pokémon Center Online opening orders slightly earlier, at 10:00 a.m. on October 1.
The debut wave leans on Pokémon Sword and Shield's Galar region. The lineup runs from everyday stationery to display pieces: an A4 clear file (¥495), a sticker set (¥770), an acrylic block (¥2,860), an acrylic keychain with a carabiner ring (¥935), and a roll cookie (¥1,760). The keychain gets a standout finish — an iridescent "aurora" treatment — and is designed to accept additional charms so fans can build out their own arrangement.
The headline item, though, is the Gym Badge Collection Galar, a ¥26,400 set sold exclusively through Pokémon Center Online. Rather than a simple pin set, the badges are shaped like puzzle pieces that interlock into one large composite badge when assembled — a physical nod to the collect-them-all badge progression at the heart of the Galar games.
That "connection" motif ties directly back to the 30th-anniversary theme, threading a franchise-wide message through both the artwork and the way the products physically fit together.
The insider take
Pokémon Center's habit of leading anniversary rollouts region-by-region is a smart play on nostalgia cycles — Galar first suggests older generations will follow, giving collectors a reason to keep coming back through 2026. The ¥26,400 badge set is squarely aimed at Japan's adult collector market, where high-ticket, display-focused goods routinely sell out online within minutes. Expect the puzzle badges to be the resale flashpoint here; the cookie and clear file are the impulse buys that keep foot traffic flowing through physical stores.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).