A Boeing 787-9 covered in Bulbasaur, Sprigatito and friends lifted off from Tokyo Haneda at 9:58 PM bound for Honolulu, carrying 246 passengers and seven infants on a ceremonial maiden voyage. The seven-hour, 3,848-mile hop across the International Date Line marked the commercial debut of All Nippon Airways' Green Pokémon Jet, the second of three specially painted aircraft the airline is rolling out this year.

The trio is a nod to the original Game Boy era. The Red Pokémon Jet, a 787-8 with Fire-type characters, entered domestic service on July 29; the Green 787-9 (registration JA923A) handles international flying; and a Water-themed Blue Pokémon Jet, a 737-800, joins domestic routes this winter. The timing doubles as a birthday party: 30 years of Pokémon and 40 years since ANA's first international flight. It's also a revival — ANA launched the world's first Pokémon Jets in 1998, just two years after the games debuted, and by early 1999 those aircraft had already carried over a million passengers.

The Green jet's livery centres on Grass-type starter Pokémon across generations: Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, Rowlet, Grookey and Sprigatito, plus Browt from the upcoming Pokémon Winds and Waves games. The idea mirrors the games themselves — starting a journey by choosing your first partner.

Where can you catch it? ANA has pencilled the aircraft onto 15 main international routes through March 27, 2027 — ten from Haneda, five from Narita — reaching 13 destinations across North America, Asia and Australia, with Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta served from both Tokyo airports. The catch: assignments shift with operational needs and aren't confirmed until departure day, so plane spotters take note. Onboard, the theme extends to Green-version headrest covers, limited-edition paper cups, cocktail napkins, themed background music and upcoming sticker giveaways, on top of the Pokémon safety videos that have played across most of the ANA fleet since December 2024.

For families heading to Hawaii or theme-park-hungry kids, this is a genuinely fun way to start a holiday. For long-haul economy travellers it's essentially a normal 787 with better napkins — but if your route lines up, boarding a plane where half the cabin ceiling features Pikachu is a small, free upgrade to the experience. Keep in mind ANA isn't the only airline in on the trend: Skymark, Air Do, Scoot and China Airlines all fly Pokémon-painted aircraft too.

Story via Simple Flying.