“Pokémon Encyclopedia” preview offers a sneak peek at 10 illustrated pages
Shogakukan is set to release the official “Pokemon Ecology Encyclopedia”, with a new preview showing just what Pokémon fans can expect from the book.
This highly anticipated book promises to offer fans a unique, scientific perspective on the lives of over 1,000 types of Pokémon, moving beyond trainer battles to explore their daily habits, interactions and evolutionary characteristics.
The Pokémon franchise, created by Satoshi Tajiri and Game Freak, began in 1996 and has since grown into one of the world’s highest-grossing media franchises.
While the “Pokédex” within the games provides basic information on each Pokémon, the “Pokemon Ecology Encyclopedia” aims to delve much deeper, presenting information from an expert’s perspective on their physical characteristics, diet, sleep patterns, relationships with other Pokémon and diverse movement abilities.
One featured page compares the flying speeds of various airborne Pokémon, offering a visual and data-driven comparison.
In other exciting news for collectors, The Pokémon Company has also announced that merchandise based on the “Pokemon Ecology Encyclopedia” will be released concurrently with the book’s launch at Pokémon Centers and on Pokémon Center Online.
The encyclopedia was announced earlier this year and Shogakukan have now released a 10-page preview of the encyclopedia, showcasing its detailed content.
Let’s take a look at what the preview pages show us about each chapter of the encyclopedia!
Chapter 1: Pokémon Forms and Shapes
This chapter explores how physical characteristics relate to ecology, covering male/female differences, regional forms, habitat-dependent appearances and the secrets behind form changes and evolution.
Chapter 2: Pokémon Life
The second chapter delves into feeding methods, body temperature regulation and daily rhythms influenced by day/night cycles, moon phases, seasons as well as sleeping habits.
Chapter 3: Relationships between Pokémon
The third chapter examines inter-Pokémon dynamics, including cooperative relationships, deceptive strategies, territorial disputes, flock behavior and their coexistence with humans.
Chapter 4: Pokémon’s Movement Ability
The final chapter compares and analyzes various movement methods like running, swimming, and flying, linking them to ecological differences.
The scientific rigor of the encyclopedia is underscored by its contributors.
The ecology explanations are provided by Yoshinari Yonehara, a Doctor of Agriculture specializing in the flight mechanisms and behavioral ecology of seabirds.
Dr. Yonehara, who earned his doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, joined The Pokémon Company in April 2019, bringing a serious observational perspective to Pokémon behavior.
The full-color illustrations are drawn by Chihiro Kinoshita, also a Doctor of Agriculture from the University of Tokyo, specializing in the behavioral ecology of marine animals.
Kinoshita is an accomplished illustrator of animal ecology books who lends an authentic scientific and artistic touch to the visuals.
Both experts’ backgrounds in animal behavior and ecology promise a uniquely insightful and factual approach to understanding the world of Pokémon.
The “Pokemon Ecology Encyclopedia” will be released in Japan on June 18th, 2025 and will be priced at 1,430 yen (approx. $10 USD / £7.34 GBP).
Source: Shogakukan
Images: © 2025 Pokémon. © 1995-2025 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc
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