Pokémon Red and Blue Officially Gets New 30th Anniversary Release October 2026

The Pokémon franchise is officially returning to Kanto for its 30th anniversary. The original Pokémon Adventures manga, which expands on the story told in Pokémon Red and Blue on the Game Boy, is getting a brand-new hardcover deluxe edition coming this October.

While fans will have to wait until 2027 for a new mainline Pokémon game, this new premium edition manga is one of many special Pokémon releases coming this year. Between new collaborations and brand-new DLC for Pokémon Pokopia, 2026 has been an amazing year for fans of the Nintendo franchise.

Pokémon Is Dropping a New Red & Blue Re-Release for Its 30th Anniversary

Pokémon Adventures is the official manga adaptation of the mainline Pokémon games. The ongoing manga, first published in 1997, follows the titular trainer “Red” as he embarks on his journey to become a Pokémon Master.

“Join Red as he competes with his rival Blue, travels through dangerous zones, battles Gym Leaders for badges, and discovers the secrets of the Pokémon,” the official description for Pokémon Adventures: Red and Blue reads.

“Red doesn’t just want to train Pokémon—he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game, though independent Pikachu won’t be so easy to win over! But as Red improves as a Pokémon Trainer, so does his competition. And soon Red must team up with his biggest rival, Blue, to defeat a common enemy! And watch out for Team Rocket, Red… They’re out to get ya!”

New chapters of Pokémon Adventures continue to be released through Japanese publisher Shogakukan under its Tentōmushi Comics imprint. In keeping with the spirit of the Nintendo games, each adaptation features a new protagonist inspired by the latest release, such as Violet Lang in the manga adaptation of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Mato, who illustrated Pokémon Adventures for nine volumes, had to leave the series due to an illness that left her hand too weak to draw. Satoshi Yamamoto took over for Mato and continues to work as the series’ artist to this day. He contributed to the official Pokémon Trading Card Game and worked as a key animator on Ghost Slayers Ayashi and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

In 2016, Hidenori Kusaka and Satoshi Yamamoto were honored with the Inkpot Award at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, which recognizes their contributions to comics, movies, and other media. CBR interviewed the creative team behind Pokémon Adventures about their amazing win that day and their thought process behind one of Nintendo’s leading franchises worldwide.

“This is the first time we have received a trophy,” Kusaka said in 2016. “This project has been ongoing for 20 years. It has been received so well, in so many aspects, but we have never actually won an award for it.” “It almost feels too big for us,” Yamamoto said.

Pokémon Adventures: Red and Blue, Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 is scheduled for Oct. 27, 2026. Pokémon Winds and Waves will be released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.