Thirty years on, Pokémon is still a monster hit

Pokémon just turned 30 and celebrated by opening PokéPark Kanto in Tokyo, the first permanent Pokémon theme park—and yes, tickets for the first three months vanished faster than a rare shiny. But the real show is in the comments, where a nostalgia brawl broke out between superfans and skeptics.

One camp is throwing Pokéballs at doubt: a parent calls it “one of the few franchises that spans generations,” comparing family playtime to Star Wars movie nights. Another declares it “the ultimate millennial throwback,” leaning hard into the cozy vibes of Pikachu plushes and Game Boy memories. Then someone crashes the party with the classic hot take: “It’s just a fad.” Cue eye-rolls, memes of Eevee sipping tea, and a thousand replies saying, “Buddy, the fad survived your entire childhood.”

A wistful note appears too: “It was a labor of love originally,” hinting at a tug-of-war between heart and hype as park photos of grinning Pikachu climb trees and Diglett pop up like whack-a-mole. Meanwhile, retro gamer energy is off the charts—one user strapped a controller to their phone to replay Crystal and Emerald, asking if the 3D games still have that old-school charm. Verdict from the crowd: nostalgia evolves, but the catch stays addictive.