Fans of the Game Freak series have reacted angrily to Logan Paul’s record-breaking $5 million Pokemon cards. The YouTuber was chastised by Pokemon fans for calling it the “pinnacle” of the Nintendo franchise.
Logan Paul has never been shy about his love of Pokemon, but recently, he shocked the Pokemon Trading Card Game community when he revealed he had paid over $5 million for a Pikachu Illustrator.
The Japanese promo is so rare that only one graded 10 exists in the entire world, which Paul now owns. While the world-record-breaking purchase made headlines, it has now enraged some Pokemon fans who believe the entertainer is harming the hobby.
A drawing competition was held by the Japanese magazine CoroCoro in 1998. A one-of-a-kind Pikachu Illustrator Pokemon card was given to the few contestants who won. Only 30 are thought to have survived by 2022. So it came as no surprise to Nintendo fans when Logan Paul revealed that he had obtained the rare TCG collectible at Wrestlemania 38.
The community was shocked even more when Guinness World Records confirmed that the card was not only a PSA 10 but also the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold in a private sale. Paul detailed the insane lengths he went to secure the item in a series of social media posts, including a multi-million dollar trade and a flight to Dubai.
Pokemon fans on Twitter reacted angrily after seeing the one-of-a-kind collectible, which is now housed in a $80k diamond necklace.
Fans were incensed by Paul’s statement and took to social media to express their outrage. ‘professsorpoke,’ a competitive PTCG player, also tweeted about the Pikachu Illustrator card and expressed similar sentiments.
This isn’t the first time Logan Paul has been chastised by the Pokemon community. Some fans blamed the YouTuber in 2021 for rising prices and an increase in scalpers, resulting in product shortages.
Critics of the influencer claim that he shifted the family-friendly hobby away from being fun and toward profit. His $5 million purchase of the rarest Pokemon card ever is unlikely to sway their opinion anytime soon.