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Before its upcoming expansion, Pokemon TCG Pocket is facing allegations of including a plagiarized in-game card. The controversy started when a leaked image of the Ho‑Oh card went viral. This card is expected to officially debut in the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion, but fans have pointed out that it closely resembles a 2021 fan artwork created by the artist Lanjiujiu.
This similarity has created widespread community outrage and scrutiny a few days before the expansion’s global launch on July 30 (launched in some regions on July 29).
Plagiarism is one of the most critical issues in the media industry. Still, games are often accused of plagiarizing content or posters. A high-profile example includes the suspension of Marathon marketing by Bungie for the copied art. That’s not all; renowned games like Call of Duty, The First Descendant, and Marvel Snap have all been accused of plagiarism to some extent in the last few years.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is one of the highly popular Pokemon-based card games that players love to grind. At a time when fans were all curiously looking forward to the upcoming expansion, this controversy landed. As usual, data miners have done their work perfectly and leaked over 220 cards.
The issue started when Chinese artist Lanjiujiu shared a screenshot of the Ho-Oh Card on his official X (formerly Twitter) and claimed that this card, which is currently credited to Sie Nanahara, closely resembles his design from 2021.
He shared both images for comparison, which reveal surprising similarities between these cards, including the art style, color shades, and even the drawing angle of the bird. This matter soon escalated with more than 1 million views within the first two hours of the posting.
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Fans are somewhat shocked and disheartened. On the one hand, the obvious similarities are hard to ignore, and on the other, it’s hard for fans to believe that one of the best Pokemon designers is accused of plagiarism. The backlash over this issue has gone wild. Gamers want the artists to redo their work and bring new art for this card.
After the controversy began on Twitter and Reddit, players started sharing their opinions. Some opined, “Yeah, this looks like blatant plagiarism.” However, some players are still defending the renowned artist, stating, “They don’t though… there ARE noticeable differences. They don't line up EXACTLY.”
It’s almost time for Pokémon TCG Pocket to launch the next expansion. Some regions have probably received this expansion already. The vital part is that Ho-oh is the highlight of the Wisdom of Sea and Sky expansion. Therefore, what was thought to be the key to its massive success has turned into the primary reason for this massive backlash.
If this artwork is confirmed identical or heavily similar to the fan work, the Pokémon authority has to revise it before including it in the game. However, if it’s just an accident, then TCG may ignore the Ho-Oh card controversy.
At the time of writing, there’s no official statement from the Pokémon Company or Sie Nanahara. One ironic part is that this accusation arrives when the Pokémon Company is having a legal battle with Palworld developers for similarities in world design and creature design. Until official confirmation comes from the authorities, fans can expect to get the expansion on time with this controversial card.
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