On February 27, 1996, Pocket Monsters Red & Green launched in Japan, and this year the Pokémon franchise marks its 30th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, a landmark music project was born: “Pokémon All Stars 1025” — a single song that names every one of the 1,025 Pokémon.

The man behind the lyrics, composition, and vocals is Oishi Masayoshi, one of Japan’s most prominent anime song artists. On September 3, he took the stage at the MV premiere event alongside guests Ann Mika and Yagi Yukimasa (FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE) to talk Pokémon love and reveal his personal top-3 favorite moments in the MV. Anime! Anime! also sat down with Oishi for an exclusive one-on-one interview the same day.

“Whoever proposed this must be out of their mind” — First Impressions

When Oishi first received the offer to write a song containing the names of all 1,025 Pokémon, his gut reaction was: “This person is not sane (laughs).” He never imagined a project of this scale would land on his desk. What won him over was the sincerity of the Pokémon team, who told him they specifically wanted him for the job. Sensing their passion, he agreed enthusiastically — while immediately recognizing he couldn’t do it alone.

He began by assembling a team of trusted music creators alongside the Pokémon staff, building the collaborative framework before a single note was written.

“Everyone is the star — there are no supporting roles”

The Pokémon team’s initial brief was to create something like “a Reiwa-era version of Pokémon Ieru Ka Na?” and to treat every Pokémon equally. That goal already matched Oishi’s own vision, so he proposed the chorus hook himself: “Saa, minna ga shuyaku da, wakiyaku wa doko ni mo inai” (“Come on, everyone is the star — there are no supporting roles anywhere”). This line became the thematic backbone of the entire song.

The opening homage to the original Pokémon Ieru Ka Na? — “Pikachu, Kairyu, Yadoran, Pigeon~” — was also Oishi’s own idea, designed to give longtime fans a warm sense of continuity. He noted that even at anime song festivals where he performed a 213-Pokémon version, audiences could immediately do call-and-response on that passage alone. “That,” he said, “is the DNA of Pokémon.”

The Enormous Challenge of Ordering 1,025 Names

Oishi described the task of arranging all 1,025 names as having “hundreds of billions of possible combinations.” He frequently found the perfect Pokémon for a spot — only to realize he’d already used it. The team built a spreadsheet to track which names had been used. His guiding principle was the feel of the names when spoken aloud, supplemented by grouping Pokémon by evolution lines, types, or regions. He also discovered, to his delight, that Pokémon names are surprisingly rich in rhyme potential.

As for singing the finished song, Oishi warned that even with lyrics on screen — as in karaoke — it’s nearly impossible to follow along. “Miss one word and you just keep falling,” he said, calling it the hardest song he has ever written. Still, he encouraged Pokémon fans to take on the challenge: mastering it means you’ve memorized all 1,025 Pokémon names.

His Favorite Pokémon: Palpitoad

Asked about his most personally meaningful Pokémon, Oishi chose Palpitoad (Gamagaru). The reason: a fan who attends his live shows covered head-to-toe in Palpitoad merchandise, shouting “Gamagaru!” while everyone else calls Oishi’s name. At a signing event, that same fan asked with desperate sincerity, “What’s your favorite Pokémon!?” Oishi answered “Palpitoad,” and the fan left overjoyed. Since then, Oishi has grown genuinely fond of the Pokémon — including its Hydration ability.

Oishi’s Top 3 Favorite MV Moments

No. 3 — The sections where the music style changes for each Pokémon type

All 18 Pokémon types get their own distinct musical style and vocal approach, crafted by a team of Pokémon-loving music creators. Oishi’s personal favorite is the Ghost-type section, which he described as immersive — like stumbling into a musical theater performance or a theme park attraction. Yagi praised Oishi’s work effusively, saying he “keeps surpassing his own best,” and said he couldn’t wait to try it at karaoke — prompting Ann Mika to quip that anyone attempting the song in karaoke should warn their friends in advance: “I’m going to sing for 22 minutes!”

No. 2 — Cut-in footage from 30 years of Pokémon anime and games

The MV weaves together clips from across the entire Pokémon multimedia franchise — anime, games, and more — spanning three decades. Oishi called it “remarkably rare” to unite content from so many different divisions in a single video, and said seeing it realized moved him deeply. Ann Mika noted the MV stirs emotions in both longtime fans and children just discovering Pokémon. Yagi said it “calls up memories and fills you with a sense of preciousness.” Oishi himself admitted he cried watching it — three times.

No. 1 — The phrase “Everyone is the star — there are no supporting roles”

This line, which Oishi proposed himself, is woven throughout the full 22 minutes to reinforce that every Pokémon matters equally. He also revealed that when he recorded the name of the 1,025th and final Pokémon, he broke down in tears in the recording booth. He considered re-recording the take, but ultimately kept it to preserve the raw emotion of that moment. Yagi observed that this recurring phrase is “the axis that keeps the song from ever losing its way, no matter how many names or styles fly past.”

A Message to Pokémon Fans

Oishi closed by saying he poured what he would call his entire musical life into this project. He hopes fans will listen, memorize it, and eventually sing every phrase. He plans to perform the song at venues everywhere, sharing his love of Pokémon with audiences together.

He also reflected that the 30th anniversary is not a finish line but a new starting point — and joked that if Pokémon ever reaches 10,000 species, he’ll be ready to take on “Pokémon All Stars 10000.”