Pokemon Teams Up With One-Punch Man Artist

The Pokemon Company is collaborating with Yusuke Murata, the illustrator of the One-Punch Man manga, on a new Japanese merchandise line. Murata illustrated multiple pages of manga featuring a group of Pokemon and trainers battling against Ultra Necrozma, the most powerful Pokemon in the franchise. The artwork will be featured on an entire line of merchandise, including shirts, bags, towels, and laptop carriers, available only in Japan starting on May 25th.

Interestingly, Murata's story features Pokemon and trainers from multiple generations, including Brendan from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and Rosa from Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. Pokemon involved with the battle include Mega Blaziken, Lucario, Charizard, Meloetta, Metagross, Suicune, Garchomp and Serperior. It's unclear where the battle takes place, as it looks to be some sort of ancient ruin in the middle of a crowded city. The entire battle looks intense, which makes sense as its illustrated by the artist responsible for some of the city-leveling battles in One-Punch Man.

As part of the promotion, The Pokemon Company also released a full video showing Murata illustrating his Pokemon comic for nearly two hours. You can check out the video above.

This isn't the first time that the Pokemon franchise has collaborated with a famous manga artist. Horror legend Junji Ito illustrated several pieces for the Pokemon Company and several manga artists gave Eevee and its evolution a makeover for a promotion last years. The Pokemon Company also has several ongoing manga series, including the long-running Pokemon Adventures series.

Does Murata's art make you wish for an even bigger Pokemon manga series? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCbus to talk all things Pokemon!

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