The Pokémon Company has released two new music videos in the Pokemon x Hatsune Miku collaboration to celebrate the gaming series’ 30th anniversary [1]. Japanese songwriter ryo of supercell wrote, composed, and arranged both tracks, teaming up with Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku and guest session musicians for the debut. Both songs celebrate classic games. The first animated video, titled Legends, debuted on Thursday, and a second video called 1996 arrived on Friday morning [2]. Together, the two releases blend modern studio recording techniques with early handheld nostalgia to honor three full decades of creature collecting across global gaming communities [1].
Pokemon x Hatsune Miku Anniversary Tribute
The music video for 1996 follows two young boys who encounter Pokémon games for the very first time on Nintendo hardware [2]. They explore the Kanto region as they trade pocket monsters in their bedroom. Ryo composed both tracks. The video features the original 150 Pokémon released on Game Boy in 1996, when the games first started [1].
Animators included period-accurate details from the late nineties throughout the boys’ journey, showing a Super Famicom console running Pokémon Red and Green through the Super Game Boy add-on peripheral on an old cathode-ray tube television set. The scene contrasts handheld play on standard Game Boy hardware with home console gaming on a television set using the color borders and custom sound options provided by the cartridge adapter. The video uses hand-drawn art. Viewers watch the children trade monsters through a link cable as they check handwritten notes spread across the floor. Fans celebrated the Pokemon x Hatsune Miku crossover as a faithful homage to early Nintendo experiences. Quiet domestic scenes show how simple multiplayer features created lasting social bonds among players who grew up before online gaming existed [2].
The story in the video unfolds eleven years before Hatsune Miku made her own debut, anchoring the tribute firmly in early video game history [2]. It reminds older fans of the initial excitement surrounding Game Boy cartridges. Machigerita and the audio crew earned a special thanks credit in the production notes for supporting the team [4].
Studio Production for Legends
The companion video, Legends, takes an entirely different approach by placing Hatsune Miku inside a recording booth with two Pokémon musicians [1]. Drummer Pokémon Rillaboom and electric rocker Toxtricity join her as studio bandmates. Ryo handled songwriting, lyrics, piano contributions, and instrument programming, and he also oversaw mixing and mastering to give the finished track a bright and energetic rock sound [3].
Session musicians gathered at STUDIO Dede and VICTOR STUDIO 302 to track live instrumental layers for Legends, where guitarist Hiroki Matsumura supplied energetic riffs, Manabu Nimura played bass, and Taichi “Shobon” Ito provided the live drum foundation. Ryuto Suzuki recorded the audio. Keisuke Fujimaki of studio MSR served as the strings recording engineer at VICTOR STUDIO 302, capturing live performances from an ensemble led by violinist Koichiro Muroya with violinists Rina Odera, Yuya Yanagihara, Ayaka Notomi, Tetsuo Tsushima, Emiko Ujikawa, Eriko Ukimura, Teruka Murata, Ayaka Nishino, and Hideki Imaoka, along with violists Shoko Mabuchi, Tomoko Shimaoka, and Kana Takeichi [3].
Production management for the song involved coordination between partners in the Japanese vocal synthesizer industry. Tomoharu Hori and Seiji Noro from INCS toenter oversaw artist management, and Hori supervised studio schedules. Executive producer Yu Tamura supervised business operations for INCS toenter, and Machigerita received special thanks for helping guide the creative direction [3].
Creative Team Behind the 1996 Video
Ryo wrote and arranged the music for 1996, and he also crafted the story concept with creator Machigerita. The two artists wanted the animated short to capture the authentic feeling of trading Pokémon with childhood friends and sharing playground rumors during elementary school days. The story concept gave the video an emotional core that sets it apart from standard promotional clips [2].
Director Shunsuke Takarai led the work at Studio Hare, where he personally managed character designs, storyboards, and technical direction for the animated short. His visual team created hand-drawn character animation that recalls classic television anime with crisp modern digital lines. Akiko Saitō served as the color key artist, carefully selecting nostalgic palettes that match vintage game packaging, and Lee jooyuong directed the detailed background art depicting retro nineties rooms filled with CRT televisions, game boxes, and school desks. Production company BLUE RIGHTS produced the entire animated sequence, with Makoto Kimura serving as the lead producer who guided the visual staff from initial concept sketches and color keys to the final digital compositing stage [2].
On the audio side, credits for 1996 list Hiroki Matsumura on guitars and Ryuto Suzuki as recording engineer at STUDIO Dede. Hatsune Miku provided the vocal synthesizer performance, with ryo programming all other instruments and finalizing the master mix. The animated video balances nostalgic storytelling with punchy pop-rock beats that drive the boys’ journey forward from start to finish [4].
Evolution of the Pokemon x Hatsune Miku Project
The new music releases arrive as the latest chapter in Project Voltage, an ongoing collaboration between The Pokémon Company and Vocaloid music creators. First announced on August 31, 2023, the initiative began by releasing eighteen original songs matching the eighteen in-game elemental types. Vocaloid producers including Deco*27, Inaba Cloud, and MitchieM contributed custom tracks paired with special illustrations that reimagined Hatsune Miku as various Pokémon trainers [1].
Following the success of that first wave, organizers launched the sequel campaign titled Pokémon feat. Hatsune Miku Project VOLTAGE High↑ with fresh tracks and visual illustrations. This expanded phase introduced additional songs and artwork that explored different aspects of the Pokémon world beyond basic type matchups. The Pokemon x Hatsune Miku initiative continued to gain momentum in Japan as new producers joined the lineup to contribute original tracks and visual art. The campaign reached a major live event in March 2026, when the team held its first concert at the LaLa Arena Tokyo Bay in front of thousands of fans. That performance proved that the crossover had grown into a sustained cultural event with broad appeal across anime, gaming, and vocal synthesizer communities [1].
The collaboration expanded into physical merchandise in January 2026, offering apparel, stationery, and collectible goods featuring Miku alongside beloved monster companions. Licensing partners used official illustrations from the music campaign to design products that sold out quickly at retail shops. By combining gaming memories with Vocaloid music, the partnership keeps finding fresh ways to engage longtime players [2].
Streaming Schedule and Digital Release
Fans can watch both animated music videos on YouTube, where ryo published Legends on his official channel before 1996 arrived. Streaming and digital download options follow a rollout timetable designed to reach listeners worldwide in different time zones. Digital distribution for Legends opened on Friday at 12:00 a.m. Japan Time, which corresponded to Thursday at 11:00 a.m. EDT for listeners in North America [2].
For the nostalgic track 1996, streaming and digital purchases go live on Saturday at 12:00 a.m. Japan Time for listeners in global markets [2]. Listeners can find the songs on major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music, with earlier releases from the Project Voltage catalog. The digital distribution arrives as gaming enthusiasts around the world begin looking ahead to Pokémon’s official 30th anniversary celebration in 2026 [1]. That anniversary context makes the retro themes in 1996 feel especially relevant to players who still remember their very first journey through the Kanto region [2].
The arrival of these two songs shows that The Pokémon Company continues to invest in creative musical partnerships to celebrate its rich thirty-year gaming heritage with fans [1]. Pairing ryo’s songwriting with Studio Hare’s thoughtful animation bridges retro 1996 Game Boy nostalgia and modern Vocaloid fandom. Listeners who follow the Pokemon x Hatsune Miku releases can now enjoy both the energetic studio performance of Legends and the childhood journey depicted in 1996 [2].
- ONLINE NEWS Casupang, G. (2026, October 23). Pokémon feat. Hatsune Miku Project Voltage releases 2 new MVs by ryo (supercell). Anime Trending. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Iikura-Gross, K. (2026, October 23). New Pokémon x Hatsune Miku music video returns to games’ roots. Anime News Network. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Joshua, O. (2026, October 22). Pokémon X Hatsune Miku Project Voltage releases new “LEGENDS” song by ryo of supercell. Noisy Pixel. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Joshua, O. (2026, October 23). Pokémon X Hatsune Miku Project Voltage releases new “1996” song by ryo of supercell. Noisy Pixel. [Article Link]
