As we’ve documented on this website many times over, the Pokemon franchise is legendary not just for the numerous best-selling titles that it creates in both main and spinoff form, but also for the versatility of the series. After all, it may have started out with trainers trying to “catch’em all!” but it soon became a series that featured pinball titles, puzzle games, two photography entries, a “TV channel,” and so much more. The various kinds of pocket monsters can be used to promote pretty much anything if someone is willing to be creative enough, and that’s what All Nippon Airways decided to test.
We promise you that this is real. The airline company worked with The Pokemon Company to develop a nearly five-minute video that uses the various pocket monsters to highlight certain things about the airplane the people are in and what to do and not to do. For example, we see a Farfetched carefully putting its leak reed in a storage compartment without piling it onto other items. We later see a Mr. Mime wearing an oxygen mask and a passenger helping a Lucario adjust its seat to the “upright position.”
Numerous Pokemon from Gens 1-9 are featured, making it a truly special collaboration. You can watch the full video below.
So, why did All Nippon Airways do this? Well, it has to do with the fact that they wanted a video that would appeal to many people:
“With this collaboration, we aim to provide excitement to our customers and provide an in-flight safety video that can be enjoyed by people of all ages,” noted the airline in a press release.
The irony of this is that The Pokemon Company isn’t doing this randomly, per se. You see, ANA has not one but two themed planes featuring the franchise. One is a Pikachu Plane, and the other is an Eevee-themed one. They even had a themed plane two decades ago!
As if that’s not enough, the company has been more than happy to have special airline-themed merch at the airport gift shops in Japan. We noted earlier that the company is one of the top ten global licensing companies in the world, and this highlights how they achieved that ranking.
So when it comes down to it, this is just another way for the team to “flex its muscles” and make gamers of all ages happy, while making airline rides a bit more fun. Nothing wrong with that!
