5 major highlights from Pokemon Presents on Pokemon Day (February 2023)

The 27th year of the Pocket Monsters franchise has passed with Pokemon Day 2023. While festivities were ongoing in Yokohama, Japan, Nintendo and Game Freak broadcast their yearly presentation to fill fans in on what's to come for the multimedia franchise this year.

The broadcast, known as Pokemon Presents, offers plenty of new information on what's to come for the franchise's games and their other projects in animation, music, and other industry forays. There was plenty to cover during the presentation, and trainers worldwide have plenty to be excited about in 2023.

No matter where fans might find themselves, the news pouring out of Yokohama was likely a delight to hear, so it doesn't hurt to brush up on the top moments from 2023's presentation.

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Announcement of new stop-motion series and other defining moments during Pokemon Presents in 2023

1) Scarlet and Violet's Two New DLCs

Ever since Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were released in November 2022, trainers have been speculating on what the games' first DLC might contain. However, fans likely weren't expecting two DLCs to be announced at once, which came as a delight to Paldean adventurers.

Game Freak confirmed that two new DLC expansions will arrive for Scarlet and Violet in a collective adventure known as the Treasures of Area Zero.

Part 1 of the adventure is known as The Teal Mask, and Part 2 has been named The Indigo Disk. The two adventures will be interwoven but will be released as two separate DLCs.

The Teal Mask will introduce players to the creatures Munkidori, Okidogi, Fezandipiti, and Ogerpon. Meanwhile, The Indigo Disk will have players encounter the species Terapagos for the first time.

Additional details on these two upcoming DLCs will likely emerge in the future, but their announcements alone are a reason for excitement in and of themselves.

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2) Paradox Suicune and Virizion's Arrival

The oft-rumored Paradox species of Suicune and Virizion are now available in Scarlet and Violet (Image via Game Freak)

After months of speculation and leaks pointing to Paradox versions of the Legendary creatures Suicune and Virizion, the two have made their way to the Paldea region.

The next 5-star raid event for Scarlet and Violet is now live and will remain so until March 12, 2023. During this time, Scarlet players can encounter Paradox Suicune (Walking Wake), and Violet players can battle and obtain Paradox Virizion (Iron Leaves), both as 5-star raid bosses.

It's unclear what the elemental types of Walking Wake and Iron Leaves are at the moment. However, in the Tera Raid battles, trainers will battle Walking Wake as a Water Tera Type and Iron Leaves as a Psychic Tera Type.

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3) Zacian's Debut and Other Pokemon Unite Updates

Zacian is making its way to Aeos Island alongside plenty of changes and new content (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Zacian's arrival in Pokemon Unite was leaked and confirmed before February 27, additional news was also announced for the popular cross-platform MOBA title.

As of today, Zacian's Unite License is available and can be acquired through gameplay instead of using Aeos Gems to purchase it. New Event Missions have been released in Unite that will allow trainers to obtain Zacian after completing them.

Additionally, the popular Boss Rush mode has been moved to Quick Play. New in-game emblems have been made depicting the species of the Johto region, and one for Zacian has also been created.

Two new Hold Items, the Slick Spoon and the Rescue Hood have been introduced, and new holowear has been made available for Zacian, Snorlax, Charizard, Duraludon, Gardevoir, and Eldgegoss. Trainers can even pick up a Pokemon Day T-shirt for their avatar.

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4) Pokemon Sleep's Return

After years of thinking that Pokemon Sleep was on hiatus, it appears that the sleep hygiene app is on the precipice of being released.

The new sleep app is slated to be released in Summer 2023 and will have functionality with the Pokemon GO Plus device. The app will be available on both Android and iOS. It will monitor players' sleep patterns and times, which will determine which Pocket Monsters appear in their app and which sleep poses they will take.

If fans connect the app to their GO Plus device, they'll receive a friendly Pikachu that will grow to know them and even sing to them on occasion.

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5) A New Stop-Motion Series

The Pocket Monsters franchise is no stranger to animation. However, a new project was announced that had nothing to do with the ongoing anime or the Detective Pikachu films, as many players expected.

Instead, in partnership with Netflix, the new Pokemon Concierge series was announced. The teaser trailer details that fans will follow the life of a concierge at a resort that caters to Pocket Monsters.

At the moment, this new stop-motion project is still in development and doesn't have a definitive release date. However, it's certainly something to look forward to, as stop-motion is a medium that the Pocket Monsters franchise hasn't explored often.