This Whole Thing Started When I Was A Kid" - How The Pokémon Worlds 2026 Theme Was Crafted

Published Sep 11, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.

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Pokémon Worlds 2026 just wrapped up in San Francisco, California, this past week, and in addition to hosting worldwide tournaments for multiple Pokémon games and making announcements for the future of the franchise, it was also the proving ground for the first-ever Pokémon XP convention.

Ichiban musically bookended the entire experience as the new official theme song of the Pokémon World Championships. Ichiban played constantly throughout the weekend for Worlds, typically at dramatic moments between matches at the Chase Center or during some of the more heated battles.

In a perfectly timed-to-Worlds interview, we had the opportunity to speak to A.J. Sealy, the composer behind Ichiban, and dug into the history of Pokémon in the process.

Naturally, the first thing we asked was about their favorite Pokémon (Zapdos and Rayquaza are currently battling it out for me), and Sealy was happy to oblige:

"Definitely Cyndaquil from Gen 2! I started my Pokémon journey on Game Boy Color with Gold and Silver. My parents got me the GBC for Christmas that year, and with it, the Gold and Silver cartridges. And 10- year-old me figured burning everything up would be the most logical way to win battles, so I immediately went with the Gen 2 fire starter, Cyndaquil."

Sealy got their start in music pretty early, as it turns out: "I’d have to say this whole thing started when I was a kid! I was interested in piano from a very young age, played as many instruments as I could growing up, and eventually wanted to write and arrange my own music."

Once high school came around, A.J. was involved in a marching band, a jazz band, a concert band, and an orchestra, among other activities:

"Outside I was always busy with private lessons, gigs with a band I was in, or the youth orchestra at New England Conservatory. As far as writing goes though, I more or less chose that path when I was listening to one of my dad’s CDs called 'Pops in Space.' It was an album by John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra, which he was the conductor of in the early 80s.

The music featured excerpts from his film scores that took place in space – Star Wars, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, to name a few. I specifically recall hearing 'The Asteroid Field' (from The Empire Strikes Back) and being completely amazed that the orchestra could be this exciting and tell me the story without seeing anything; I had not watched a single Star Wars film yet. After this, I sort of shifted gears and pointed all efforts to this distant goal of becoming a media composer. It’s been quite a journey since then, but I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked on/written for/contributed to some really cool projects like 'Luminous, the Symphony of Us' at Epcot, Star Wars Outlaws, many collaborations with Pentatonix, Netflix, and now Pokémon!"

Speaking of Star Wars Outlaws, Sealy shared what that experience was like to perform on the soundtrack, and how it was different from getting into the mindset for Pokémon:

"I, of course, used a different skill set to tackle this one, and it was certainly challenging at times - space music is wild! Even though my role in these two projects were very different, a common denominator between them was trust. Being able to trust that I’m able to deliver what’s asked, is critical to massive projects and IPs like these, and I’m so grateful that I built that trust among those in my field and am able to help out when asked!"

So how did this all come about? Well, beyond Sealy's years of experience in the music industry, it was a natural fit for several reasons:

"I can happily say that this happened pretty organically. Through a mutual friend, I met the event’s Music Director, Nick Seeley, a few years back. Over time we’ve worked on a handful of projects together and have also become really close friends outside of ‘work’. He ended up bringing me on as a musician for the event last year, which was great because in addition to recording the bass guitar tracks for the album, I got to perform for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Around that time, Nick informed me that Pokémon was interested in potentially having a sort of anthem specifically for Pokémon Worlds that would function similarly to major sports televised broadcasts - a broadcast theme.

That’s more or less how that happened, and the sonic inspiration for 'Ichiban.' For 'Pokémon Theme (Gotta Catch Em All),' that was a surprise for me to be honest. I was already working on composing 'Ichiban' when Nick asked if I’d be interested in arranging that song for Worlds as well - and I couldn’t believe it at first. This song is arguably one of the most famous songs of our generation (I’m a millennial) and on top of that, we’re commemorating the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. It felt like being handed an incredible creative opportunity! Having worked with Nick on a few projects before though, I think that definitely played a part – the trust was there, and he knew I’d do my very best."

The inspiration behind Ichiban makes perfect sense, and I think it accomplished all its goals based on the pumped-up crowd reactions at Worlds:

"For sure! Ichiban is a Japanese word that translates to 'the best' or 'number one.' And this being the Pokémon World Championships, I thought of no better place to lean into the spirit of competition than this piece. It’s meant to follow the many emotions one has in such a fierce setting - the anxiety and nerves before matches, the adrenaline, the glory - but also the community, the camaraderie and the competition itself. Inspiration came from other notable broadcast themes like NFL on Fox, 'Roundball Rock,' the classic NBA theme, and really anything in that realm where we’d hear and easily recognize a theme for those sports events."

I experienced Worlds 2026 firsthand and attended every match at the Chase Center. During the day, I heard Ichiban echoing throughout the arena. When I shared that the audience was pumped, Sealy couldn't have been happier:

"It’s one of the best forms of feedback a composer/arranger can get, I think. When we work, especially for live shows and entertainment, the goal is to leave the audience with something they can remember positively, something that helps them connect with whatever event is taking place, and if possible, something that they can be a part of. Hearing the crowd roar when we began 'Gotta Catch Em All' will be a moment I never forget – I don't think they knew what was happening at all until that moment, and that was the intention. Hearing the realization turning into an audible seal of approval, and ultimately a sing-along tells me that we got it right! As a ‘Pokéfan’ myself, the work was just as much for me as it was for them, and so the process was that much easier by creating something the community as a whole could appreciate."

I could leave without figuring one thing out, though. My favorite part of the song is the guitar solo (listen to it above if you haven't already), and Sealy was happy to share how that came about:

"That’s Myrone! He’s a phenomenal shredder and I picked him specifically for these tracks. It can get tricky when you’re working with multiple instruments because there are just so many factors when it comes to sound. For example, you might have a small section of a piece you’re working on. 'First, which instrument or instruments are playing the melody? What about the harmony? How many harmonies? Do these instruments work together, are their dynamics going to clash with each other? Is this even playable by a human?' These are all surface level questions that I ask and answer myself while working, and it becomes a lot like putting a puzzle together. It certainly helps when you know the players you’re going to have at your session/performance are professional and talented!"

Pokémon's 30th anniversary has been pretty lively so far, especially when compared to other Nintendo properties. With a new report showing that The Pokémon Company International has been as successful as ever in recent years, Ichiban will serve as a battle cry for what's to come from Pokémon​​​​​.

Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history.