It’s every fan’s dream to ride a Pokémon. After all, that certainly looks and sounds cooler than going everywhere on foot, car, train, and other forms of mundane transportation, and Toyota is one step closer to making it a reality.
As reported by Famitsu, the Toyota Engineering Society, an arm of the Japanese vehicle manufacturer dedicated to prototyping and testing its technology, has built a real-life motorcycle version of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet‘s Legendary critter Miraidon. Details are scarce, but it’s presumably only meant to be a display piece and won’t be available for purchase.
The project was announced on X/Twitter, alongside a simple piece of concept art showing the electric / dragon-type Pokémon. In the game, Miraidon serves as the player’s primary means of transportation, able to switch into different forms to climb, swim, fly, and roam around like a motorcycle. Koraidon is the mascot for its sister title Pokémon Scarlet, and comes equipped with the same maneuvering abilities.
Between the two, the company has made the right decision to turn Miraidon into an actual vehicle. The latter is arguably more adorable, but it doesn’t use the wheels on its chest and legs when moving about. It’s a pity that the prototype will likely remain a pipe dream, but at least it looks the part — and impressively so, might we add.
Toyota’s Miraidon project joins The Pokémon Company’s other collaborations with vehicle manufacturers, including official blind bag skateboards and Pikachu-themed commercial planes. Interestingly, the Toyota Engineering Society have also worked on several projects outside of the automobile sector, such as a soccer-playing robot.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
