August 19, 2023, 11:26 AM
The Pokémon World Championships event, held in the Minatomirai area in Japan's Yokohama City, concluded recently on Aug. 14, and saw players from all over the world competing in mobile and console Pokémon games, as well as the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG).
While many of us associate the Pokémon series with cute critters and nostalgic pastimes, for Dionsius Lee and the other nine Singaporeans who participated in the event, there's an extra competitive dimension to the games which saw more than a million dollars in prize money this year.
Team Singapore at Pokémon World Championships
Lee, 23, attained a top 8 finish in the Pokémon TCG competition, which was an invitation-only event.
Dionsius Lee. Photos from Toys Terminal's and Pokémon Singapore's Facebook pages.
There were around 170 players in the Masters category (born 2006 or earlier), which Lee fell under. He lost in the quarter finals to American player Azul Garcia Griego.
According to The Trainer Shed, a local group dedicated to helping players develop in the competitive scene, Lee bagged US$5,000 (or around S$6,800) in prize money, along with free Pokémon merchandise.
Lee also won the Pokémon Championships 2023 Singapore.
In an interview with Pokémon Singapore, Lee found his feat to be quite unexpected as he was "fairly new to the competitive scene", with this being only the third major tournament he participated in.
Other Singaporeans who participated in this year's Pokémon World Championship include:
Pokémon TCG event: Kashvinder Singh Mann, Lim Jit Min, Tan Yong Siang, Kang Yu Xian,and Jken Hoh
Pokémon video game event: Melvin Keh, Daanvir Singh Narula, Carilynne Ng, and Martin Teo
Singaporeans at Pokémon World Championships. Photo courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Drone shows, cruise ships, and lots of lots of Pikachus
During the event, which started on Aug. 8, the Minatomirai area was transformed into a Pokémon paradise.
Photo courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Pokémon could be seen in the streets, on the seas, and even in the sky as part of the festivities.
Pikachus... so many Pikachus. Footage courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Pokémon Trainers could board a special Pokemon-themed luxury cruise docked in Yokohama during the event. Footage courtesy of the Trainer Shed.
Legendary Pokémon Ho-oh and Lugia hover in the sky during a drone show. Footage courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Photo courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Of course, more Pikachus. Footage courtesy of The Trainer Shed.
Top photos from The Trainer Shed.
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