Tattoo artist will ink the 151 original Pokémon for charity

UK-based tattoo artist William Langford is aiming to ink all 151 original Pokémon in 2023, with money raised going to charity.

“It’s been a strange time for everyone since Covid and now the cost of living has gone up,” Langford told the BBC. “[I wanted to] spend the year doing something good for people/animals”.

Langford, who has a tattoo studio in Suffolk, has already inked eight Pokémon on customers including Bulbasaur, Slowbro, Mew, Snorlax, Cubone and Pikachu with another seven already confirmed.

“I’m aware many animals got rehomed or given away during the lockdowns and it always happens around Christmas time too, so I chose to raise money for the Blue Cross,” continued Langford. The animal welfare charity offers pet food banks, veterinary services and bereavement support.

Langford got the idea for the fundraiser after it was confirmed Ash Ketchum was set to retire from the Pokémon anime after he won the Pokémon World Championship at the end of last year.

Announcing the project on Instagram, Langford wrote: “This season of Pokémon is the last one with Ash Ketchum as the main character. With Ash retiring from kidnapping wild animals and forcing them to fight, I have decided to do some charity work,” with the tattooist looking to raise £4000.

Langford went on to tell the BBC that he liked the “nostalgia” of the original Pokémon. “They were very popular when I was little so they’ve always been an interest of mine.”

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu will be replaced in the show by two new protagonists named Liko and Roy, who will be joined by the three Paldea starter Pokémon introduced in the recently-released games Scarlet & Violet.

Sarah Natochenny, the long-time voice actor for the English version of Ketchum among other characters in the show, paid tribute to Ash in a Twitter post.

She wrote: “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to have been the English voice of Ash Ketchum for what will be 17 years.

“No matter what lies beyond his final chapter, he’ll live forever in the hearts of many generations to come. I’ll keep him present for all of us in every way I can.”

In other news, one fan has used The Last Of Us Part 2 to locate their seats for Beyoncé‘s 2023 ‘Renaissance’ tour.