It’s the sixteenth birthday of Japanese vocaloid and virtual music icon Hatsune Miku, meaning there’s a tonne of new collaborations around the corner. For one birthday celebration, Hatsune Miku has become a Pokémon trainer with in a huge marketing campaign.
Working with The Pokémon Company, Miku has finally been accepted as a Pokémon trainer six years after she should’ve been. The collaboration will see a number of illustrations and music tracks involving the virtual musician as a part of the Pokémon world.
The campaign, dubbed Project Voltage, asks “What if Hatsune Miku was an X-type Pokemon trainer?” Miku’s campaign will include eighteen different illustrations imagining her as a trainer focused on a specific type, as well as an accompanying music track for each one.
Every weekday until September 28th, a new post will be revealed. The first post is already up imagining Miku as a physic type trainer with her partner Pokemon Meloetta, a singing Pokémon. Another image shows Miku as a grass-type trainer with a huge Rillaboom, aka big monkey.
All eighteen illustrations will be released in succession first. Afterwards, starting September 29th, the music tracks will release on their individual composers’ YouTube channels. Each track will also include sound effects and samples taken from the games and anime.
Despite already having huge plans scheduled for Project Voltage, Miku fans are also encouraged to produce their own illustrations, music and more to celebrate the character.
A vocaloid computer program, Hatsune Miku is undoubtedly one of the most iconic musicians in the world, even though they aren’t real. The character has been involved in numerous franchises, sells out hologram concerts and has even been married to a Japanese man for years.
It was only a matter of time before Hatsune Miku finally became a Pokémon trainer and, to be perfectly honest, we’re here for it.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are out now on Nintendo Switch. The latest Pokémon games will soon receive their first DLC, The Teal Mask, later this year.