Pokémon TCG Plagiarized Cards Removed Following Accusations of Fanart Theft

Two Pokémon TCG plagiarized cards were abruptly removed from Pokémon TCG Pocket after fans discovered that the illustrations closely resembled a fanart created by a Chinese artist back in 2021. The controversy led The Pokémon Company to take immediate action and release an official statement addressing the issue.

Pokémon TCG Plagiarized Cards Removed Following Accusations of Fanart Theft

According to the company, the problem occurred during the creation of a new card featuring the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh. Their internal investigation revealed that the design team had mistakenly provided the illustrator with the wrong reference materials. As a result, both the Ho-Oh EX (3-Star) and Lugia EX (3-Star) cards were temporarily pulled from the game and replaced with placeholder cards. New official artwork is currently in production.

Currently, the Pokémon TCG plagiarized cards appear in-game as simple placeholders with the message “New Art Coming Soon.”

The company also confirmed that it has launched a wider investigation to ensure no similar issues exist elsewhere in the game.

The situation gained attention after artist Lanjiujiu posted on X (formerly Twitter) on July 29, comparing the Ho-Oh card to a fanart they had published over three years ago. The images overlapped almost perfectly, sparking widespread discussion among fans and raising concerns about art plagiarism.

While The Pokémon Company didn’t confirm that Lanjiujiu’s work had been used directly, it did state that incorrect visual references were sent to the illustrator, implying that fanart may have been mistakenly used as official material. In their message, the company apologized to the artist and the broader Pokémon fan community. Lanjiujiu thanked them for the quick removal of the artwork.