Pokémon Champions PJCS2026 Junior Champion Interview: No Fist Pumps?
Pokémon Champions (ポケモンチャンピオンズ) took center stage at PJCS2026, the annual Pokémon Japan Championships that crowns Japan’s number one battler and awards top finishers invitations to the Pokémon World Championships (WCS). This year’s event marked Pokémon’s 30th anniversary, and the game division featured Pokémon Champions — with the Nintendo Switch version arriving in April and the smartphone version in June — generating the biggest excitement in the tournament’s history. In the Junior category (players born in 2014 or later), Uezu Hideo claimed another national title, making it three straight finals appearances, two consecutive Japan championships, and a win at the 2026 Pokémon Europe International Championships. In an interview with Famitsu, he broke down the finals, his journey, and his no-fist-pump rule.
Game 1 saw Hatabori grab the early momentum, switching his Floette (Eternal Flower) for Garchomp while Incineroar’s Parting Shot lowered Mega Charizard Y’s Special Attack. Three turns later, Uezu struck back: because his own Incineroar had lowered Hatabori’s Garchomp’s Attack with Parting Shot the previous turn, he confidently predicted a switch and punished it with Aerodactyl’s Rock Slide plus Garchomp’s Earthquake, knocking out the incoming Incineroar. Game 2 opened unfavorably when Uezu expected a Garchomp lead but faced Charizard and Aegislash instead. Yet Aegislash lacked Steel-type attacks and Protect/King’s Shield, so after a Close Combat self-debuff, Uezu pressed with Moonblast and closed the set with Garchomp’s Rock Tomb and Floette’s Moonblast, winning without letting his opponent act.
Uezu admitted he looks far calmer than he feels, especially during the single-elimination finals, crediting his Garchomp’s Jolly nature and the coach who advised him. His friendship with Kazutaka began at the PJCS2024 quarterfinals, when their fathers connected; that circle later grew to include Shimanuki Tatsumi, the WCS2024 Junior runner-up, and Fukue Yudai, the PJCS2024 Junior champion. Both he and Kazutaka train under the same coach, which Uezu says explains their similar thinking. Serious training began after his PJCS2024 runner-up finish, when his father contacted a streamer he followed; sessions reached five per week before WCS2024, where Kevin Han eliminated him in the quarterfinals. His first Pokémon memory is an arcade title from kindergarten, and his competitive start came after a 2023 in-game notice led him to the Makuhari Messe event.
Uezu said he avoids fist pumps for two reasons: respect for his opponents, and a drive to keep climbing, noting a Junior title still trails the Master category. His father’s emphasis on staying humble and never slacking has shaped that mindset. When Uezu won the 2026 Pokémon Europe International Championships, it was his father who fist-pumped on camera — later explaining a photographer had prompted the gesture. Now entering his final Junior WCS, Uezu aims to win it before moving to the Senior category next year alongside Kazutaka and Naoyoshi, where he looks forward to reuniting with Yudai and Tatsumi and, eventually, a rematch with Kevin Han. A champion this grounded is definitely one to watch as he climbs the ranks.
