In one of the most disappointing and horrific acts by a video company, the best-selling platform brand will make sure that, “you will own nothing and be happy”.
When the PlayStation 5 was released back in the fall of 2020, aka, during the madness of when the COVID-19 pandemic was running rampant and political discourse entered into free fall never seen before in American history, I told myself that I had plans to buy a PS5, and, eventually I believe I would. As the years went by, I kept telling myself the same thing that eventually I’ll buy myself a PS5, but, somehow, as my life went on, I never did. Jump to six years later, the same narrative was applied to me all the time, but I was never able to figure out why I haven’t bought myself a PS5 yet? I know it’s not money issue, because here I am completely okay with spending $300-$400 on cosplay and buying $100 tickets to attend big name anime conventions. Maybe I thought that priority for other stuff from my same passion was more important for me? Maybe it’s because as a working adult, I don’t really have free time to invest on a console that forks a lot of money and keeps getting more expensive each year? Could it be that it’s library of games didn’t convince me to buy a PS5? Maybe it’s because switching to PC Gaming four years ago made my gaming experience just- (CALM DOWN FANBOYS IT’S JUST A JOKE RIGHT?)
… Maybe?
I came up with so many theories on why I haven’t bought myself a PlayStation 5 just yet? However, today, July 1, 2026, I finally realized why I haven’t bought one, and, the move pulled by Sony only enforces it. What am I talking about? Well, here’s what Sony has done that will probably enrage you, but at the end, nothing will be done about it.
Many pop culture phenomena have made history, but something about Pokémon stands entirely apart…
On October 16, 2025, people waited in line to buy the latest Pokémon game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It didn’t matter how long the line was—all they wanted was to buy the game, play it, and experience the magical journey that every Pokémon game has to offer. (Myself included.) Young and old—the demographics didn’t really matter. Millennial Pokémon fans in their 30s or 40s, who still felt like eight-year-olds from the late ’90s, were showing their children the magical world of Pokémon. Gen Z fans in their 20s (or wrapping up their late teens) were ready to dive into the adventure, just like they did in the 2000s and 2010s. And Gen Alpha kids were gearing up to enjoy the new Pokémon journey, courtesy of their parents. All had one thing in common: they love Pokémon. As time goes by, no matter how old they get, the feeling of playing Pokémon never gets old. As a fellow die-hard Pokémon fan, I echo the same sentiment.
By the end of the first week, Pokémon Legends: Z-A had sold an impressive 5.8 million copies worldwide. This figure, announced by The Pokémon Company shortly after the October 16, 2025 launch, included sales across both Nintendo Switch and the new Switch 2 (with roughly half on the latter platform). Lines at stores, midnight releases, and massive digital downloads proved the hype was real—fans young and old couldn’t wait to dive back into Lumiose City. Never mind that this game is simply a continuation of Game Freak’s experimental Legends series, or that first-week sales were down compared to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s explosive 10 million units in just three days back in 2022 (a Nintendo record that still stands). Despite the dip—placing Z-A as the fifth-best Pokémon launch ever—these numbers once again proved just how popular and beloved the Pokémon franchise remains. Another year, another blowout success. No matter how many years go by, the popularity of Pokémon never seems to age. And with the franchise set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026 (kicking off on February 27 with special logos, animations, events, and more announcements on the horizon), the question begs to be asked: Is Pokémon pop culture’s greatest achievement in history?
Many pop culture franchises have enjoyed tremendous success. Disney is known as an animation empire and has always summoned massive audiences. Other well-known pop culture icons—from Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars to entertainment based on comics and art like DC, Marvel, and international phenomena such as Britain’s Harry Potter—also boast iconic status and huge followings. Yet, in spite of that, their popularity and fortune don’t even compare to Pokémon’s staggering $105–$288B lifetime revenue (with the highest estimates reaching $288 billion as of late 2025, including games, merchandise, trading cards, anime, and more). This makes the Pokémon franchise the highest-grossing media franchise in entertainment history, outpacing giants like Hello Kitty ($80–$88B), Mickey Mouse & Friends ($52–$70B), Winnie the Pooh ($48–$75B), Star Wars ($46–$70B), and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (~$30–$35B from box office alone, plus merch). Pokémon’s fans remain young at heart, it keeps gaining new generations of followers, and somehow manages to retain the old audiences who grew up with it from the very beginning in 1996. The recent launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A on October 16, 2025—selling an impressive 5.8 million copies in its first week (with roughly half on the new Switch 2)—further proves the enduring power, even if lower than Scarlet and Violet’s explosive debut. So, for this article, I’ll be doing a deep analysis of today’s topic: Is Pokémon pop culture’s greatest achievement in history?
Look guys, I get tired of repeating the same topic over and over again, but, this issue is truly becoming a major problem. 2025 has been a year of massively brutal attacks on the freedom of expression regarding anime and manga. The truth is, the issue has become so tiring and bothersome that I honestly can’t stand reporting stuff like the one I’m talking about right now. Yes, once again, censorship is involved, and, like previously, this one involves the obscene material violating age verification. So, what’s going on?
If you’ve been following me for a while now, chances are, you’ve heard of the rampant attacks on freedom of the internet, as well as attacks directly involving anime and manga. It first happened in Texas, currently happening in Michigan, and, my state Florida. Yes, my home state Florida is having another epicenter of anime and manga controversy. Two years after when Assassination Classroom got banned in a school county library back in 2023. Now my beloved Sunshine State enters into another controversy and involves Nutaku, an adult gaming platform and Segpay, a secure online payment processor. So… What’s going on?
Earlier this year, I spoke about the new controversial senate bill that threatens anime, manga, and video games in the state of Texas. That bill, Senate Bill 20, was a bill that passed through both the senate and house in the Texas Legislator. Then, it was signed by governor Gregg Abbott at the governor’s mansion. Since then, the law has been passed and has been in effect since September 1.
The law wasn’t just trouble… It became a major problem for all otakus in Texas, since the bill itself was vague when it came to the definition of what defines as obscene material against those not of legal age. There was no pure definition or correct bases into what was considered legal or not. The worst part is, the determination of what is deemed legal or illegal is left up to interpretation. So exactly what’s senate bill 20? According to law, this is what it’s about. If you want to know more, then you may want to read my previous article about the bill.
Many people like to say that Fumos from Touhou are the most popular kind of plushies for otaku, and while that is true, we can’t deny that, arguably, the most popular plushies collected by otakus are none other than Pokémon plushies. Pokémon plushies aren’t just beloved. They are worldwide phenomoms that have become a collector favorite not just among otakus, but for everyone. As someone who has a good amount of Pokémon plushies, including numbers, experience, and memories, I enjoy collecting them, and I am well familiar with the feeling of collecting so many. The thing is, however, I haven’t really been collecting plushies lately as I’ve been working on collecting other type of franchise based merchandise like figures and model kits for example. The last time, up until this year, I bought plushies was back in fall of 2018. Now, nearly seven years later, plush collecting has returned, and, once again, its Pokémon. What a better way to return then to start with our favorite video game juggernaut, eh? First, it was the sleeping Pikachu. Now, its Snorlax.
Here we have our beloved fat adorable Pokémon who is known to sleep and eat only. Snorlax, also known as Kabigon in Japanese, is a massive and beloved fan favorite among many Pokémon fans. Snorlax is also one of the most well known Pokémon ever in franchise history. Cute, fat, adorable, big, lazy, you name it. Snorlax has a strong following, and tons of merchandise have featured a Snorlax. This plush here from Jazwares is a prime example. This plush, for me, isn’t just an amazing plush… It’s a plush for the ages… Well sized, soft, big, and good texture… In fact, I am so darn in love with this plush, that, have to ask myself? Is this the best plush ever…? Let’s find out?
Animangemu 