Pokémon and Fender Reveal Red and Green Anniversary Guitars for 2027

Pokémon's 30th anniversary plans are extending well beyond the screen. The Pokémon Company and Fender have announced a collaboration built around the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green video games, with two limited-looking Made in Japan electric guitars planned for 2027.

The collection consists of the Made in Japan Pokémon Red Version Stratocaster Electric Guitar and the Made in Japan Pokémon Green Version Telecaster Electric Guitar. They are designed to unite two immediately recognizable pieces of pop-culture history: Fender's enduring electric-guitar silhouettes and the pixel-art look of Pokémon's Game Boy-era beginnings.

Neither a firm release date nor pricing has been announced. Preorders are expected to open soon, while both instruments are currently scheduled to arrive sometime in 2027. That timing places the collaboration in the wider celebration of the games that began Pokémon's journey from a pair of Japanese role-playing games to one of gaming's most influential global franchises.

Red Gets a Stratocaster, While Green Takes the Telecaster

The decision to make two distinct models is more than a simple color swap. Pokémon Red Version is represented by a Stratocaster, one of Fender's most versatile and widely used guitar designs. Pokémon Green Version, meanwhile, is paired with the Telecaster, Fender's original solid-body electric guitar design and an instrument famous for its direct, distinctive sound and straightforward visual identity.

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That split gives fans a choice rooted in both Pokémon history and player preference. A guitarist who has always gravitated toward Stratocasters can choose the Red Version model, while Telecaster players have a Green Version counterpart rather than an accessory treatment applied to just one body shape. For collectors, the pair also forms a deliberate nod to the original version-based structure of the series.

Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green launched in Japan in 1996. The international release history was different: many regions received Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue instead. Green has nevertheless remained fundamental to the franchise's origin story, and its inclusion in this anniversary project appropriately looks back to the two games that started it all in Japan.

The visual presentation is expected to foreground old-school Pokémon pixel art alongside Fender's classic styling. That combination matters because the earliest Pokémon games were defined by compact sprites, limited color presentation, and the instantly evocative sound of handheld hardware. A Fender guitar is a very different kind of object from a Game Boy cartridge, but both have design identities that are recognizable at a glance.

A Toggle Intended to Take Players Back to 8-Bit Sound

The most unusual announced detail is a special toggle described as capable of shifting to 8-bit audio. Pokémon framed it as a "time-warping" feature meant to give players a retro, Game Boy-inspired sonic character. In other words, this is not solely a visual crossover: the guitars are also intended to acknowledge the sound palette associated with Pokémon's earliest adventures.

Exactly how that feature works in practical musical terms has not yet been detailed. Fender's standard electric-guitar controls, pickups, wiring choices, amplifiers, pedals, and playing technique can all shape a guitar's final voice, so prospective buyers will likely want to wait for full technical specifications before drawing conclusions about the 8-bit mode. Still, the idea is a fitting one. Pokémon music is inseparable from the bleeps, square-wave textures, battle themes, and town melodies that introduced countless players to Kanto.

The collaboration combines Fender's established guitar designs with Pokémon's classic pixel-art era, including a feature intended to evoke 8-bit audio.

Both guitars will also have a special neck-plate design recognizing Pokémon's 30th anniversary and the joint project with Fender. Neck plates are small details, but they are often meaningful to instrument collectors because they mark a particular production run or commemorative edition without disrupting the primary design of the guitar.

For a product line celebrating vintage games, that emphasis on a physical anniversary marker makes sense. The appeal is not only in owning an instrument with Pokémon-inspired artwork. It is also in owning an item explicitly tied to a milestone that few game series ever reach.

A Collaboration That Speaks to Pokémon's Many Generations of Fans

Pokémon collaborations have long ranged from toys and apparel to food, cards, animation, and premium collectibles. A Fender guitar collaboration occupies a somewhat different space. It targets musicians, gear enthusiasts, and adult fans who may have played the original games as children and now have an interest in a playable collectible rather than a display piece alone.

That distinction is important. A guitar has to meet two expectations at once. Its Pokémon elements need to be appealing enough for fans who love the franchise, while its construction and sound need to be credible to people who care first about the instrument. The Made in Japan designation will therefore be a major point of interest when Fender shares the complete specs, including hardware, pickups, finishes, neck profiles, and any other special electronics beyond the announced 8-bit-oriented toggle.

There is also a natural thematic overlap between guitar culture and Pokémon nostalgia. Both are fields where people form attachments to particular eras, designs, tones, and personal memories. For one player, Pokémon Red might recall an early handheld adventure, link-cable trades, and the excitement of choosing a first partner. For another, a Stratocaster or Telecaster can be tied to a favorite artist, a first band, or years spent learning songs. The collaboration is clearly aiming at that shared sense of enduring connection.

It also reflects how the Pokémon audience has changed across three decades. The people who discovered the series in the 1990s are no longer just buying game cartridges. Many now collect trading cards, watch new animated projects, attend competitive events, play on modern hardware, and seek out memorabilia with more specialized appeal. A full electric guitar is a substantial expression of fandom, but it is an understandable one for a brand with Pokémon's longevity.

2027 Is Already Shaping Up as a Busy Pokémon Year

The guitar announcement arrives amid several major developments across the wider Pokémon world. The animated film Pokémon: Wild Card was announced at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships and is also due in 2027. Its arrival will give the anniversary period a major screen project alongside the Fender collaboration's physical celebration of the franchise's past.

On the game side, Pokémon Pokopia has been a major success on Nintendo Switch 2 this year, demonstrating that the series can still find enthusiastic audiences through new formats and hardware. Pokémon has always had an unusually broad reach, but the continued appetite for fresh game experiences makes its anniversary activity feel less like a retrospective alone and more like part of an active, evolving period for the brand.

There is one notable closure on the horizon as well. Pokémon Unite, the multiplayer online battle arena game, is set to shut down on Nintendo Switch and mobile on March 23, 2027. Its final competition, Aeos Crown 2027, will take place before service ends. The retirement of one live-service title underscores the changing nature of the franchise's gaming lineup, even as new games, films, and collaborations continue to appear.

What Buyers Should Watch for Next

For now, the central facts are clear: there will be two Made in Japan Fender electric guitars, one based on Pokémon Red and the other on Pokémon Green; both are planned for 2027; and preorders are expected to begin soon. The remaining questions are the ones that matter most to guitar buyers and dedicated collectors.

• What will each guitar cost?
• Will either model be limited by production number or region?
• What pickups and electronics will each use?
• How will the 8-bit audio toggle function?
• Will Fender offer matching cases, straps, picks, amplifiers, or other accessories?
• Which territories will receive preorder access?

Until those details arrive, the collaboration stands as one of the more unexpected ways Pokémon is recognizing its 30-year legacy. Red and Green began as portable role-playing games with modest pixel graphics and memorable chiptunes. In 2027, their anniversary will also be marked by two full-size Fender instruments built for players who want to bring a little Kanto nostalgia into a rehearsal room, recording setup, or collection.

Whether the Red Stratocaster and Green Telecaster become prized playable guitars, display centerpieces, or both will depend on their final specifications and availability. But as a concept, the pairing is easy to understand: Pokémon's original journey was powered by a sense of discovery, and Fender's most famous instruments have spent decades helping musicians find a sound of their own.