Pokémon TCG Plagiarism: Ho-Oh ex Card Art Controversy

On July 29, 2025, fresh evidence surfaced suggesting that the artwork featured on the new Ho-Oh ex card in Pokémon TCG Pocket may have been directly copied from existing fan art.

Plagiarism remains a persistent issue across various media, as highlighted by past controversies. Earlier this year, Bungie faced backlash and had to cancel a Marathon marketing campaign due to copied artwork. Similarly, games such as Marvel Snap, The First Descendant, and Call of Duty have all encountered plagiarism allegations in recent years.

The current situation involves Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket's upcoming expansion, Wisdom of Sea and Sky, which focuses on the Johto region. An artist known as Lanjiujiu claims that the Pokémon Company and DeNA appropriated their original artwork for the new Ho-Oh ex immersive rare card.

Back in December 2021, Lanjiujiu posted Pokémon Gold and Silver-inspired fan art on social media featuring Ho-Oh prominently, surrounded by various flying-type Pokémon from the first two generations, including the iconic Kanto legendary birds.

The Ho-Oh ex card released in the latest expansion bears a striking resemblance to this fan art. The pose of Ho-Oh—head tilted and wings curved in a highly distinctive manner—matches Lanjiujiu’s piece almost exactly. Upon spotting the card, the artist shared a side-by-side comparison with their original work, accompanied solely by question marks, sparking immediate attention.

Within two hours, Lanjiujiu’s post attracted nearly one million views, with many users accusing the Pokémon Company of blatant plagiarism. Some voices on Twitter noted the complicated legal terrain, pointing out that since Pokémon holds the intellectual property rights to all Pokémon characters, they may have the leeway to use fan art-derived designs, regardless of who created the original.

Additional proof emerged on social media as Twitter user Lewtwo posted a video strongly indicating that the Ho-Oh ex card was likely traced directly from Lanjiujiu’s art. Furthermore, it was revealed that Lanjiujiu’s artwork had previously been used as the basis for an unofficial Pokémon figure, which might have introduced the image to the card artist initially.

It is important to mention that the angle and pose of Ho-Oh on the card are somewhat similar to the official Pokémon renderings, adding nuance to the accusations.

This controversy unfolds amid Nintendo and Pokémon’s ongoing legal dispute with Pocketpair, the creator of Palworld. Pocketpair alleges "patent infringement," accusing Pokémon of copying core gameplay mechanics, such as creature capture using balls.

TheGamer has contacted both Pokémon Company and DeNA for responses regarding these claims.

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