Pokémon started in Japan on February 27, 1996 with Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green for the Game Boy. Catching, training, trading, and battling gave the games a social side from the start, and that idea grew far beyond the original cartridges. Thirty years later, Pokémon stretches across video games, trading cards, anime, movies, apps, and generations of people who can still name their first starter.
For the 30th anniversary, adidas Originals went back to some of the characters that defined those early years. At Drift House, the release focuses on Pikachu, Charmander, Charmeleon, and Mewtwo, spread across Superstar II styles for adults and a larger run of Superstar and Samba options for kids and toddlers.
Pikachu, Charmander, and Charmeleon Superstar II
The adult side centers on four Superstar II releases.
Charmander lands on a Cream White, Shock Yellow, and Bright Orange pair with flame-shaped 3-Stripes, Poké Ball and Charmander lace jewels, plus character artwork on the tongue and sockliner. Charmeleon pushes the evolution forward with a Preloved Scarlet leather upper, scale-like texture, claw-shaped 3-Stripes, graphics, and custom lace jewelry.
Pikachu gets two versions of the Superstar II. The white pair uses a leather upper covered in printed and debossed Pikachu artwork, black laces with Poké Ball graphics, and a hanging tail lace jewel. The yellow pair goes much further into the character, using a fuzzy textile upper, ears attached to the tongue, Pikachu’s tail at the laces, and both Pikachu and Poké Ball lace jewels.
All four sit on the Superstar’s familiar shell-toe shape, giving the character details a recognizable adidas base.
Mewtwo on the Handball Spezial
Mewtwo gets its own adult Handball Spezial, style KI8213.
The shoe comes in Ice Lavender, Ice Lavender, and Bliss Lilac, pulling directly from Mewtwo’s pale purple and pink coloring. A leather upper keeps the Handball Spezial shape intact, while Pokémon details, a metallic Poké Ball lace piece, custom tongue artwork, and a loop extending from the heel reference Mewtwo’s design.
The Handball Spezial originally came from adidas indoor court footwear before becoming one of the brand’s long-running low-profile Originals shapes. That slim profile gives the Mewtwo colors and smaller character references plenty of room without covering the shoe in oversized graphics.
Pokémon for Kids and Toddlers
The kids and toddler lineup carries Charmander and Pikachu across the Superstar II in standard lace, elastic-lace, and QuickOn versions.
The Charmander pairs use the same orange, yellow, and cream palette seen on the adult release, with character graphics and flame references scaled for smaller sizes. Some of the QuickOn versions use soft textile uppers with Charmander’s eyes, nose, and furry tail built directly into the shoe.
Pikachu gets the same treatment in yellow and white versions, with character graphics, tail details, and easier closures. The QuickOn and elastic-lace builds are made to get on and off faster while keeping the Superstar shell toe and Pokémon artwork.
Mewtwo gets its own kids’ Samba OG in Ice Lavender and Violet Fusion. The light purple leather references Mewtwo directly, with adidas describing the design around the character’s grip, speed, and mental power. Pokémon graphics and adidas branding finish the pair.
Across the Drift House lineup, adidas uses more than character colors. Flames become 3-Stripes, claws change the shape of the branding, tails become lace jewels, ears move onto tongues, textured uppers reference skin and fur, and familiar Pokémon graphics show up throughout the shoes.
The adidas x Pokémon 30th Anniversary Collection releases at Drift House on Thursday, September 24.
11AM In-store, 2PM ET Online.