A Tattoo Artist Is Inking Every Original Pokémon for Charity

Here’s a heartwarming story for you on Valentine’s Day: a tattoo artist has challenged himself to ink all 151 original Pokémon to benefit the Blue Cross animal welfare charity.

William Langford of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England, spoke to BBC about his charitable endeavor. The artist said he came up with the idea after learning that longtime Pokémon anime protaganist Ash Ketchum was leaving the series. Langford said he’s been tattooing for over a decade, and decided to spend 2023 doing something good for people and animals.

“I’m aware many animals got rehomed or given away during the [COVID] lockdowns and it always happens around Christmas time too, so I chose to raise money for the Blue Cross,” Langford said.

So far, Langford has tattooed eight of the original 151 Pokémon, with 10 more booked at his studio. On Langford’s Instagram, you can see some of the completed tattoos, which include classic Pokémon from Red, Blue, and Yellow. Langford has posted pictures of completed tattoos of Pikachu, Snorlax, Mew, Slowbro, and Bulbasaur.

Langford hopes to raise £4,000 for Blue Cross through this project.

Ash’s farewell tour will follow Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, where the beloved trainer finally became the very best. A series of special episodes will send Ash and Pikachu off into the sunset, and include cameos from classic characters like Brock and Misty.

2023’s new Pokémon series will star dual protaganists named Liko and Roy. It will also feature the three starter Pokémon from Scarlet and Violet’s Paldea redion: Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for Ash’s time on the show, check out our interview with the longtime voice of Ash Ketchum.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.