Pokemon SwordandPokemon Shield’s most popular new character isn’t Grookey, Sobble, or Scorbunny. It’s not Marnie, Bea, or Leon, either. At least for today,Pokemon SwordandShield’s most popular character is the Ball Guy. The Ball Guy is so popular that he has even received their own unique emoji on Twitter, paired with his trending hashtag. But while Ball Guy is certainly an interesting figure, it’s worth asking howPokemon SwordandShield’s weird mascot is suddenly so popular.
Ball Guy’s path to popularity is due to a variety of reasons, but there’s one specifically that’s led to this sudden surge of excitement. Over the past few days, starting with the Japanese Twitter account forPokemon, Game Freak has run a contest. Basically, if fans could get Ball Guy trending then Game Freak would share Mystery Gift codes forPokemon SwordandShield. Japanese fans delivered exceptionally well and Game Freak provided severalMystery Gift codes filled with PokeBalls.
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That’s just how this wave of Ball Guy love got started, however. From there, fans really ran with whatGame Freakstarted. It wasn’t about free Mystery Gifts anymore, but rather celebratingPokemon SwordandShieldin a unique and fun way. Fans starting posting fan art and clips from the game. Then the North AmericanPokemonTwitter account got in the fun and rebranded as the Ball Guy’s account. It’s been a snowball rolling down a snowy mountain type of situation.
As if things weren’t already going crazy with regards to Ball Guy trending, theSuper Smash Bros. Ultimatecommunity then decided to join in on the fun. A new source of fans have added their voices to the fanfare, demanding Ball Guy be added to theSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateas a DLC fighter. It isn’t likely to happen in the slightest, but it is still fun to think about.
Ultimately, there isn’t anything particularly exciting about Ball Guy trending on Twitter. The newPokeBallMystery Gifts codes are great, but no new content is coming toPokemon SwordandShieldor anything. There aren’t any events being announced, and Ball Guy definitely isn’t coming toSuper Smash Bros Ultimate. It’s just an opportunity to fans to relax and have some fun on social media. It’s an opportunity to be a part of the community.
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