TOKYO — Few airlines worldwide are as celebrated as All Nippon Airways (NH) for its special liveries. From Star Wars to Pokémon, the Tokyo-based international carrier has often offered its aircraft as canvases to iconic brands.
ANA launched the world’s first Pokémon-themed aircraft back in 1998, when the introduction of three aircraft celebrating Pokémon matched a popular movie release. The widebodies, a Boeing 747 and two Boeing 767s, celebrated the fastest-growing culture at the time: in 1996, the first Pokémon game for the Nintendo Game Boy became a huge success in Japan.
ANA currently operates the “Pikachu Jet NH” and “Eevee Jet NH” as part of the Pokémon Air Adventures project, an initiative dedicated to connecting people and communities worldwide. To date, eight aircraft have featured special Pokémon liveries.
With the latest aircraft designs, NH is celebrating a double anniversary: 30 years of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, and the 40th anniversary of the launch of NH international flights.
Three special liveries were announced in February 2026, inspired by the classic Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue games: the Red Pokémon Jet, the Green Pokémon Jet, and the Blue Pokémon Jet. At the time, Keiji Omae, Executive Vice President of Customer Experience at ANA, commented:
“This project goes beyond just a livery; it’s about creating an immersive world that sparks imagination, inspires curiosity and brings the joy of discovery to our passengers throughout their journey.”
Two aircraft, the Red Pokémon Jet, a Boeing 787-8, and the Blue Pokémon Jet, a Boeing 737-800, will be dedicated to domestic routes, while the Green Pokémon Jet, a Boeing 787-9, will be found on international routes.
Hello from Tokyo Haneda
To celebrate the launch of the Red Pokémon Jet, we joined ANA in its maintenance facilities at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). Painted in Okinawa (OKA) in around 50 days, the aircraft, JA819A, arrived yesterday at the airline’s hub and was towed inside NH’s hangar between the airport’s parallel runways.
At the airline’s Airframe Maintenance Building, it was possible to visit the outside and inside of the aircraft ahead of the public event for which ANA selected up to 80 participants.
The brand new livery features ten Pokémon in addition to Pikachu - the most iconic and recognizable Pokémon- which will appear on all three aircraft, independent of the theme. The fire-type Pokémon are represented on the Red Pokémon Jet from each title in the series.
We boarded through door 4L, stepping inside the partially revamped cabin. As part of the themed travel experience, NH is also offering dedicated napkins, glasses, and headrest covers on board. Together with national media, we had plenty of time to capture videos and pictures of the livery and seat details.
ANA was the launch customer of the Boeing 787 and operates a large fleet of 91 units, with 81 in active service. Thanks to its diversified onboard layout, the airline operates the type on short-haul domestic flights as well as long-haul flights.
This Boeing 787 features two rows of Premium Class cabin in a 2-2-2 layout, for a total of 12 seats, and 39 economy class rows arranged in a 3-3-3 layout, for a total of 335 seats on a Boeing 787-8, a high-density domestic configuration. On the other hand, NH’s international layout for the same aircraft is equipped with only 184 seats for a premium-heavy offer.
After our photography session, the public event started with a detailed video showcasing how the paint job was applied. All the Pokémon mascots then showed up, commemorating the first livery from the double anniversary, and one of the most beautiful special liveries in the skies worldwide.
The Red Pokémon Jet will enter commercial service on July 29 as flight NH243 from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Fukuoka (FUK) - stay tuned for more!
Featured/All images: Simone Chellini/Airways
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