LEGO Pokémon: Kanto is finally going brick-by-brick

For years, Pokémon fans have been building “totally-not-Pikachu” MOCs out of generic yellow bricks, secretly wishing for something official. In 2026 that wish finally evolves: LEGO Pokémon is real, and the first wave is aimed straight at the Kanto-trained, Pokédex-97%-ként-a-fejedben-lévő crowd who grew up on Red/Blue and now live in apartments where “display piece” is code for “adult toy.”

The partnership between LEGO and The Pokémon Company kicks off with a very clear statement of intent: this is for fans who know exactly what #001, #004 and #007 mean without checking Bulbapedia. The debut line-up is focused entirely on Gen 1 icons, with three main sets built around five Pokémon: Pikachu, Eevee, and the fully evolved Kanto starter trio of Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise. It’s less “random assortment of cute mascots” and more “your childhood team, but in ABS plastic.”

On the entry level sits a brick-built Eevee: a mid-sized, fully poseable model with a turning head, movable legs and that oversized, floofy tail you’ve been trying to draw correctly since you were ten. It’s the kind of set that looks just as good on a work desk as it does on a shelf full of game cases. You don’t need to be building a full-on Pokémon corner to justify it; Eevee works perfectly as that one subtle “yes, I still play” statement in an otherwise adult-looking room.

Pikachu, naturally, gets star billing. The Pikachu & Poké Ball set is a large display model that leans straight into the electric mouse’s mascot status: a big, detailed figure on a themed base, complete with a brick-built Poké Ball that can be posed open or closed as part of the scene. Ears, arms and tail are all articulated, so you can switch between “I choose you!” battle stance and “I’m done, put me back in the ball” mode in a few seconds. It’s very obviously designed to be the centrepiece for anyone whose Trainer journey started in Viridian Forest and never really ended.

Then there’s the final boss of the wave: a huge diorama featuring Venusaur, Charizard and Blastoise on a shared base. Each Pokémon is a fully poseable build in its own right, but together they form a multi-biome scene: jungle for Venusaur, fire-and-magma for Charizard, water cannons and waves for Blastoise. It’s the kind of set that doesn’t just say “I like Pokémon,” it says “I have accepted that this is my personality now.” Realistically, this is the one that’s going into glass cabinets next to UCS Star Wars ships and giant LEGO Marvel builds.

Because this is Pokémon, there are of course extras for the completionists. The first wave is wrapped in a Trainer Challenge event, a kind of scavenger hunt that spans LEGO and Pokémon’s online channels and throws in rewards for those willing to chase clues. There’s also a Kanto Gym Badge-style bonus for a limited period and a tiny Pokémon Center build available via LEGO’s loyalty program, tailored very obviously at the “I want the whole ecosystem on my shelf” segment of the fanbase. It’s the same loop you know from the games: what starts as “I’ll just grab one set” quietly becomes “if I get this promo, the collection will feel complete, I swear.”

All of it lands on the most on-the-nose date possible: Pokémon Day 2026. The sets launch globally on February 27, lining up with the franchise’s 30th anniversary. For Trainers who remember linking Game Boys with a chunky gray cable and arguing about MissingNo. at recess, this is a full-circle moment. You caught them, you trained them, you transferred them across generations, you paid for Pokémon HOME… and now you can finally build them, brick by brick, and give them a permanent, physical slot on your team: the display shelf.

The most exciting part, though, isn’t just these first three sets. It’s the wording around the partnership: multi-year, long-term, very much not a one-and-done collab. The opening move is pure Kanto nostalgia, but if you’ve spent any time in LEGO fandom, you know how this story usually goes. Today it’s Pikachu and the original starters. Tomorrow? Region-themed waves, Gym dioramas, proper Pokémon Centers, maybe even legendary duos and trios scaled to match that Kanto beast of a diorama. “Gotta build ’em all” started as a joke. In a few years, it might be a very real problem for your floor space.

 

Sources

• Official LEGO Pokémon product announcement

• Pokémon Company – LEGO partnership details

• First LEGO Pokémon sets – prices, pieces, release timing

• LEGO Pokémon sets and Trainer Challenge press release

• Fan/LEGO community breakdown of the first Pokémon wave