Pokémon World Championship 2025

14 Sep Pokémon World Championship 2025

The Pokémon World Championship 2025 reached the end of its third day of competition, where we witnessed the finals of each division. On Sunday, August 17, in Anaheim, California, the Video Game Championship took place for the first time in a stadium with over 7,000 spectators and a weekend attendance exceeding 25,000 visitors.

Juniors Division
The Juniors, born after 2013, kicked off the finals of the 2025 competition. American player Luke faced young Japanese competitor Sosuke in a best-of-three match. To reach the final, Luke had defeated New Zealander Damon 2-0 and Danish player Ismael 2-0. Sosuke reached the final by defeating American Zach and his compatriot Hideo in the quarterfinals.

The grand final started strong: Luke earned the first point by efficiently defeating all four of Sosuke’s Pokémon, landing a critical hit with Iron Hands to take down Calyrex. The second game was quicker; Luke lost only his Farigiraf and secured the second point, becoming the new Junior VGC 2025 Champion.

Seniors Division
The Seniors, born between 2009 and 2012, are the middle tier and future Masters players. The final was between Korean Sian Lee and American Kevin Han, who had won the Junior division the previous year in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kevin defeated his fellow Americans Leland Smith and Conner Pietrusinski 2-0 to reach the final. Sian Lee also secured 2-0 victories over Japanese player Sota Tamemasa and Ukrainian Vikram Thiagarajan.

From the first match, Kevin dominated the best-of-three series. In the opening game, he achieved an Ace by not losing any Pokémon, earning the first point. In the final match, Sian Lee couldn’t turn the tide, as Kevin completed an Ace in the entire tournament, losing no games and claiming the VGC Senior Championship.

Masters Division
The Masters, for players born before 2008, are the adults and the last to compete in the World Championship. This year’s final was an all-American showdown between 2018 Seniors World Champion James Evans and Giovanni Cischke. James reached the final by defeating Japanese players Naoto Kishida and Ko Tsukide 2-1, and Montana Mott 2-0 in the semifinals. Giovanni arrived nearly undefeated, beating French player Theotime Massauty 2-1, and Japanese players Mao Harada and Hirofumi Kimura 2-0.

The first game was fast-paced and intense. Giovanni, on the verge of losing, capitalized on a strong performance from Koraidon and Flutter Mane to secure the win. In the second game, James took victory by hitting an Encore with Calyrex on Giovanni’s Brute Bonnet, forcing him to use Rage Powder again without dealing damage. In the third match, Giovanni’s Chi-Yu performed brilliantly, scoring a double K.O. and winning the series 2-1, becoming the new Pokémon World Champion VGC Masters 2025 and taking home the $30,000 prize.