The Pokémon 30th anniversary celebrations continue as McDonald’s launched a summer menu collaboration featuring all three OG starter Pokémon and Pikachu themed items! In addition they’ve added a lot of other fun themed elements and are rolling out more throughout the month of July.
We of course had to check out how the starter burgers were first. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle all were unique burgers of which only one was an actual beef burger patty.
The Bulbasaur themed burger is a thick-cut 100% beef patty marinated in a rich demi-glace sauce and topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tartar sauce.
The wrapper features Bulbasaur and all the other grass starter Pokémon including Chikorita, Treeko, Turtwig, Snivy, Chespin, Rowlet, Grookey, and Sprigatito.
Of course you can’t go wrong with a more traditional beef burger especially with demi-glace sauce slathered on too.
The Charmander themed burger is a spicy and juicy chicken patty topped with lettuce and pepper garlic mayonnaise.
The wrapper features Charmander and all the other fire starter Pokémon including Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Tepig, Fennekin, Litten, Scorbunny, and Fuecoco.
I couldn’t handle the spicy chicken at all but that’s okay since my partner was the one who wanted it anyway.
The Squirtle themed burger is a shrimp cutlet filled patty topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, and a flavorful roasted sesame tartar sauce.
The wrapper features Squirtle and all the other water starter Pokémon including Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup, Oshawot, Froakie, Popplio, Sobble, and Quaxly.
It was actually my first time trying the shrimp burger and it was not how I expected it to taste but in a good way.
The burgers were all delicious in their own ways and I would definitely not mind trying them again. I admit I usually only get chicken nuggets when I eat McDonald’s these days or their special desserts but it was nice to try the different burgers.
We also picked up the 15 piece chicken nuggets with the two special sauces along with shaka shaka fries with salted seaweed flavoring. The chicken nugget box is also themed with all the starter Pokémon and Pikachu while the shaka shaka fries bag has Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.
For those who are new to the McDonald’s Japan menu shaka shaka fries are French fries that you mix with seasoning in a bag the word shaka is the Japanese onomatopoeia for shaking. They also have a chicken version that generally comes with cheese or spicy flavor packs. The shaka shaka fry seasoning changes depending on the season like the extra chicken nugget sauces.
Fun fact they hired an Esports player and streamer named SHAKA to help promote the fries with a lovely video demonstrating the proper shaka shaka form and sound.
As if we needed to add more Pokémon theming to our lunch I brought out the 3 Coins Pokémon plates from yesteryear back when Pokémon Sun and Moon first released. Also we didn’t buy drinks but I had our special Pokémon labelled melon soda and C.C. Lemon at the ready for the meal too.
There are still a few more menu items we haven’t tried yet but hope to while the campaign is still going. On Friday, July 31 they plan on announcing a Happy Meal set so we also want to get that for our little one.
Here’s to hoping it’s nothing at all like the last time Pokémon did a Happy Set collaboration with McDonald‘s since here shouldn’t be any exclusive cards that people are fighting for. As always, please always be respectful of the staff and also not to waste food for collaborations if you want collectibles that come with menu items.
So far with just the themed food menu items things have been going smoothly and it’s been a fun experience for all Pokémon fans to join in!
Which Pokémon starter burger would you choose and is it the same as the starter you chose playing the games? Have you tried the new Pokémon collaboration menu and McDonald’s Japan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Useful Links
McDonald’s Japan News: https://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/company/news/2026/0716a/
Pokemon 30th Anniversary Website: https://www.pokemon.co.jp/30th/
