A new Pokemon anime all about trading cards in the real world has everyone making the same joke

Pokemon: Path to the Peak
(Image credit: Pokemon)

At the Pokemon Presents August showcase, the company had a surprise announcement about a new TCG anime. Called Pokemon: Path to the Peak, the new short follows a young girl called Ava who joins her new school’s Pokemon club.

The first trailer for the series looks very wholesome as the young girl struggles to adjust to her new home, before discovering the joy of the trading card game. It seems the animation will lean into the fantasy world too as the players invasion their Pokemon battles on a huge scale.

The response to the new show has been pretty positive so far, with many people sharing how they’ve wanted to have a TCG anime for a long time. However, there has been one sticking point among fans – the name. It’s fair to say that Path to the Peak is not the most beloved card around…

"Pokémon TCG animation? Actually so sick, love that it's named after one of the most annoying cards in the game though, Path to the Peak," tweeted one. "It's a fitting name ignoring this though for sure."

"Path to the Peak!?" writes another, "But I hate that card!!!" While a third quipped, "I can’t believe that Path to the Peak is such a strong card that they decided to give it its own anime."

Although not everyone is opposed to the name. "I really like the idea for Pokémon Path to the Peak (even the name is a cool TCG reference)," tweeted another. "Gonna take a while for the art style to grow on me, but this definitely something I’ve been wanting. I even got comments telling me about it because I mentioned wanting it recently, lol."

Pokemon: Path to the Peak arrives on August 11 on YouTube. For more anime, check out our round-ups of the best anime shows and all of the new Netflix anime series we're looking forward to.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.