No one knows Mr. Masuda better than Mr. Masuda...right? Watch GAME FREAK’s Kensaku Nabana transform—Ditto style—into Junichi Masuda to take a quiz about the iconic Pokémon developer! Who do you think knows Mr. Masuda better—his colleague or his fans?

There are plenty of ways to let people know you are a fan of Pokemon. Little things you can do throughout your day to share your love for pocket monsters. Then there's something a bit more grandiose, like this custom Bulbasaur paint job on a car. Now that's a way to turn some heads on the road!

Pokémon GO Raid Battles are heating up once again—the Fire- and Steel-type Legendary Pokémon Heatran is finally blazing a trail into Pokémon GO Gyms. Originally discovered in the Sinnoh region, Heatran makes its dwelling in volcanic caves and is sure to be one of the most coveted Fire-type attackers in Pokémon GO. Be sure to add it to your lineup before it disappears from Gyms on January 15, 2018, at 1:00 p.m. PST.

To catch Heatran, you can use only the Premier Balls you earn from defeating it, so it's crucial to be prepared. Help your team take over the Gym before the raid starts, battle alongside your friends, and pick Pokémon that will perform well in battle to maximize your chances. Check out our guide to training Pokémon in Pokémon GO to get your team up to speed, and then read on for some tips specific to the Lava Dome Pokémon.

Starting early January of 2019, Pokémon fans will be able to take part in a Berry exciting event (see what we did there?). Players of Pokémon Ultra Sun, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Pokémon Sun, and Pokémon Moon will have the opportunity to get a Mystery Gift containing a selection of special Berries that have previously been unavailable in the games. The Mystery Gift contains an Enigma Berry, a Micle Berry, a Custap Berry, a Jaboca Berry, and a Rowap Berry.

Each of these rare Berries has useful effects when held by a Pokémon, but you may not want to use any right away. By traveling to Poké Pelago in your game, you can plant the Berries to grow more of them. With proper maintenance, your supply of these handy items will never run dry.

Competitive players will be pleased to learn that these Berries can be used in Pokémon Global Link Rating Battles and Online Competitions (unless the regulations state otherwise). They can also be used for the 2019 Video Game Championship Series from the Moon Series onward.

This Berry distribution runs from January 7, 2019 (8:00 p.m. PST), to September 2, 2019 (4:59 p.m. PST), so don't miss out on adding these valuable items to your game!

To get your Berries via Nintendo Network:

Select Mystery Gift on the main menu.

Select Receive Gift.

Select Get via Internet, then Yes, and then Yes again to connect to the internet.

Watch as you receive your Berries.

Speak to the delivery person in any Pokémon Center to add the Berries to your inventory.

Be sure to save your game!

Wireless internet access is required for online features. For more info, go to support.nintendo.com.

Do you love Pokemon AND torturing your cat? We've got the perfect product for you! These officially-licensed Pokemon Cat Hats are shipping in Japan this January. The lineup of hats includes Pikachu, Eevee, Meowth, Vulpix, Jigglypuff, and Snorlax. If an import retailer offers them up, we'll be sure to link you in!

If you made the rankings in the 2018 International Challenge November Online Competition, you can claim your participation prize of a Shiny Tapu Lele now.

Log in to the PGL, using the game that you used to participate in the 2018 International Challenge November, and then click here. To redeem the code in your game, select Mystery Gift from the main menu, then select Receive Gift, select Get with Code/Password, and then follow the prompts to enter your special code in your copy of Pokémon Ultra Sun or Pokémon Ultra Moon.

Visit the Online Competitions page for 2018 International Challenge November Trainer and Pokémon rankings.

- Ultra Challenge Stage is a stage for Guzzlord
- Great Challenge Stages are Hitmonchan, Gardevoir (Shiny), Landorus Therian Forme, Fennekin (Winking) & Araquanid
- Daily Pokémon are Oricorio Pom-Pom Style, Wishiwashi, Komala, Fomantis & Torracat
- One Chance Per Day stage for Jellicent (Female)
- Competitive stage for Mega Gardevoir
- Pokémon Safari containing Sewaddle, Cottonee (Winking), Cutiefly, Flabébé (Winking), Swadloon, Snubbull (Winking), Whimsicott (Winking), Floette (Winking), Chansey (Winking) & Leavanny which will last two weeks

The DNA Pokémon, Deoxys, has tested the strength of Trainers in EX Raids and has now changed form! Attack Forme Deoxys will be in EX Raid Battles, with more power than previously seen, so make sure your team is prepared. This Psychic-type Mythical Pokémon will be available to challenge beginning with the next cycle of EX Raid invitations, after December 20.

Are you new to EX Raids? You can become eligible to receive an EX Raid Pass when you win a Raid Battle at a qualifying Gym. You’ll be able to see which Gyms can host an EX Raid through a handy tag when you look at the Gym details. EX Raid Passes will give you the date and time when you’ll be able to challenge Attack Forme Deoxys, so mark your calendar and prepare your Pokémon for an epic battle!

Battling Attack Forme Deoxys will be a difficult challenge that requires Trainers to take advantage of every opportunity—so don’t forget to invite a friend to go along with you! Remember: invites can only be sent to an Ultra Friend or Best Friend, so don’t forget to battle with friends, send Gifts, and trade Pokémon to build up your Friendship level.

Do you have what it takes? Best of luck, Trainer—Attack Forme Deoxys won’t back down!

The Japanese strategy guide for Pokemon: Let's Go includes an interview with director Junichi Masuda. In the interview, Masuda touches upon his original concerns when developing Let's Go. Turns out he wasn't worried about the game itself, but rather, the consumer reaction to Switch. Check out the translation from NintendoEverything below.

“We have always decided a keyword for our projects, but the truth is that we didn’t have a single definitive keyword this time. Instead we had the idea of creating a game that wouldn’t be frightening and that everyone could play together in their living room. That’s because these games started off from the desire to rebuilt the Pokemon series for the new home gaming console – Nintendo Switch – based on the 1999 Game Boy title Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition. If we simply brought Pokemon Yellow to Nintendo Switch as it was, though, we would only see a limited number of people play the game. That’s why we forged ahead with adding Pokemon-catching mechanics from Pokemon GO and the two-player Support Play feature, and we really included as many new ways to play as we could manage. The major concern we had when development first started was how well Nintendo Switch would sell. After all, we were working on development before the hardware had even been released, so we really couldn’t predict at all whether the console was going to sell well or not. Of course, we were all quite relieved to see it hit record sales figures after its release! (Laughs.)”

Masuda also explained why the team decided to reference Pokemon Yellow when creating Let's Go.

“Pokemon Yellow is the one title in the Pokemon series that has the closest ties to the animated TV series. That TV series is broadcast in over 80 countries around the world. There are quite likely people who watch the TV series even though they’ve never played a Pokemon game – including Pokemon GO. I felt it would be important to include elements of the TV series to try to get those fans to feel like they would want to play the core Pokemon series, too. In Pokemon Yellow, the player had Pikachu following behind him, right? When we were wondering whether we could depict that in some new fashion, we decided we could have it ride on the player’s should, just like how Ash’s Pikachu does in the TV series. I thought that seeing your Pokemon riding right there on your shoulder would make it feel more like a partner in your adventure – really promoting that sense of closeness. ‘You can become Ash!’ That idea was the real starting line for our development.”