Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at the Pokémon World Championships this weekend, treating spectators to a live performance of the classic Pokémon theme song. The singer took the stage on Sunday after the closing ceremony at San Francisco's Chase Center, where he first performed his 2022 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet anthem 'Celestial' before launching into an acoustic rendition of the original anime theme.
Fan-shot footage shared on social media captured the moment, showing Sheeran strumming an acoustic guitar as the crowd sang along to the beloved theme. The performance came as a surprise addition to the event, which ran from August 28 through 30 and featured competitions in the official Video Game Championships, the trading card game, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Unite.
Sheeran has long been open about his connection to the franchise. In 2022, when promoting 'Celestial,' he recalled playing Pokémon since primary school, noting that he and his brother would trade versions of the games to complete their Pokédex together. He described the games as a world he could escape into during difficult times, saying, "It kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid."
The performance aligns with Sheeran's stated approach to brand partnerships. Earlier this year, he drew praise for turning down a collaboration with Fortnite, explaining on the Warne's Way podcast that he only attaches his name to products he genuinely uses. "Whenever you see my face near any product, I want it to be something I actually do," he said. "I don't play Fortnite but I do play Pokémon, so we contacted The Pokémon Company."
The Pokémon World Championships also served as the platform for several major announcements. A new animated feature film, Pokémon: Wild Card, was unveiled during the closing ceremony. The movie, produced in partnership with Japanese animation studio CloverWorks, is set to hit theaters in 2027 and follows a trading card game player and his partner Mimikyu, a ghostly Pokémon. A short teaser was shown to attendees.
Fans also received their first look at The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu, a stop-motion series for Disney+ created by Aardman, the studio behind Wallace & Gromit. The announcements rounded out a weekend that blended competitive play with entertainment, culminating in Sheeran's unexpected musical set.