Pokémon has an interesting history of cancellations and bans in its entire franchise, including the anime and the collectible card game (Pokémon TCG). Well, one of the most curious is the banning of a creature for more than 20 years, but that will finally break its curse and soon return to the cards.
If you’re a fan of the franchise, you surely know we’re talking about Kadabra, from the evolutionary line of Psi Pokémon, conformed by Abra, Kadabra and Alakazam. Well well, the designs of these 3 Pokémon are based on real life magicians or illusionists, Edgar Cayce (Abra), Uri Geller (Kadabra) and Howard Houdini (Alakazam).
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Why was Kadabra banned from the Pokémon TCG and the anime?
Because the latter was not happy about this, he sued Nintendo for $100 million in 2002 alleging that Game Freak had relied on his appearance to create Kadabra, known as Yungerer in Japan, a clear play on Uri Geller’s words. In the end, the lawsuit was dismissed, but Geller filed others in several regions, preventing the character from not only leaving the Pokémon TCG circulation, but also from the anime.
This is why since 2002 Kadabra does not appear on Pokémon TCG cards; in fact, it is one of the Pokémon with the fewest cards, precisely 7 cards. The last appearance of this creature occurred on the Skyridge set.
Abra and Alakazam returned in 2007 as part of the Mysterious Treasures expansion, leaving out Kadabra, of course. Since then, The Pokémon Company also ignored Abra to continue releasing Alakazam cards (third and final evolutionary phase of Abra and Kadabra) as basic Pokémon so as not to have the need for its precursor phases to summon it in a game.
After 21 years, Kadabra will return to the Pokémon TCG!
Well, as we told you in 2020, Geller revealed that he had contacted The Pokémon Company in Japan and anticipated that “Kadabra might have a new card soon.”
Time passed, but the return of Kadabra in Pokémon TCG was not carried out. However, he took this creature out of anime retirement 1 year earlier, at the end of 2021, when Kadabra appeared in episode 7 of the great Pokémon Evolutions miniseries.
This was an omen, since today it was confirmed that Kadabra will finally return to the Pokémon TCG as well. We know this because The Pokémon Company announced that it is working on a new expansion called Pokémon Card 151, which will be a set focused, as the name implies, on the first 151 species with which Pokémon debuted, and of course it is included! Kadabra!
In case you missed it: the new Pokémon TCG cards will be more expensive, but also better.
This set will go on sale on June 16 and will include 165 cards without counting those of secret art, curiously in the context of the end of the Pokémon anime as we know it, with Ash Ketchum as the protagonist, so there is no doubt that it will do all this change even more nostalgic. In fact, we do not rule out that there is one with an illustration of Ash.
Other expansions will go on sale before. One called Triple Beat is scheduled to debut on March 10 and a dual called Snow Hazard and Clay Burst will debut on April 14. After Pokémon Card 151, Raging Surf is expected to debut, precisely in July or August, according to PokéBeach.
Let’s remember that Scarlet ex and Violet ex were released in Japan on January 20, the first sets inspired by Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.
Uri Geller apologized to Nintendo, The Pokémon Company and Pokémon fans
“Hello, my dear friends. I am delighted that Pokémon fans are excited to see Kadabra return to the card game. Look, I want to thank the Pokémon fans who have contacted me in recent years. (…) So that basically it was you and my granddaughters that made me change my mind. Now we all get to see Kadabra meet Pokémon in the card game this summer. I love you all.”
The most interesting thing is that the psychic took advantage of the message to once again acknowledge that he was wrong and apologize for suing those in charge of the franchise, because he finally understood that The Pokémon Company did not want to take advantage of his fame, but that it was a tribute to his image as an illusionist.
“And I admit, totally honest and open, that I was a fool. It was a devastating mistake for me to sue Pokémon. (Kadabra) was a tribute to Uri Geller. But that’s in the past. Forgive me. I love you all. Much love and energy”, expressed regretful Geller in the message he shared with PokéBeach.
You can see the message he shared on his social networks.
In one of his letters (via PokéBeach), Geller says that he was not asking for remuneration or compensation and, in case The Pokémon Company decided to offer him money, Geller mentioned that he would donate it to sick children.
According to Geller, he was originally upset that his name appeared in a letter “out of the blue” without asking his permission. But in the last 20 years, he became a grandfather and his granddaughters convinced him to allow Kadabra’s return, to which Geller agreed, sending Nintendo a letter notifying management, who responded with gratitude.
“We are also happy to hear that you do not object to the continued use and development of the character (Kadabra). We appreciate your continued kindness and support regarding this,” said The Pokémon Company president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, in a letter shared by Geller. with the fans.
Letter from The Pokémon Company to Geller (image via PokéBeach)
What do you think of this curious case of Kadabra, Uri Geller and Pokémon? Tell us in the comments.
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