Ed Sheeran gave a surprise performance of the Pokémon anime theme at the Pokémon World Championships
Sheeran also performed his Pokémon Scarlet and Violet song Celestial
Award-winning musician Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance during the Pokémon World Championships this weekend.
Sheeran appeared as a special guest during the Championship Sunday event, which took place at the Chase Center in San Francisco, home of NBA team the Golden State Warriors.
Arriving on the stage to pyros and smoke, Sheeran performed his 2022 song Celestial, which featured in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, accompanied by animations from the song’s music video, where a cartoon Sheeran interacts with Pokémon.
He then followed this with an acoustic version of the theme from the Pokémon anime series, to cheers from the audience in attendance, before leaving the stage for the rest of the event to continue.
Sheeran has collaborated with The Pokémon Company in the past, including the use of Celestial in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
While the song itself was used during the end credits of the game, the song’s official music video also saw Sheeran interacting with a number of Pokémon.
When the game’s DLC The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was released, it included a special version of the song which was remixed by Undertale developer Toby Fox.
Sheeran has spoken about his love for Pokémon in the past, and previously shared an anecdote about how he was stuck in a train station all night during his early touring days, and played Pokémon Red on the Game Boy Color for nine straight hours to pass the time.
“I’ve played Pokémon since I was in primary school,” the singer said in a statement in 2022 to announce the collaboration with The Pokémon Company for Celestial.
“Me and my brother used to have different versions of the games and would trade Pokémon together until we each completed our Pokédex. I loved the cards but the games are what I lost myself in.
“I loved the whole world they created – it kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid. It was a world I could escape into and I’ve played it ever since.”
