Toyota engineers have turned Pokemon Violet's legendary Pokemon into a prototype motorcycle, and I just want to know how fast it can go
Mar. 7, 2024It feels like we’re a step closer to Pokemon in real-life with Toyota’s recreation of Miraidon
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
In the words of that one recurring Pokemon NPC, technology is incredible, but just in case you needed any convincing, this real-life recreation ofPokemon Violet’s legendary mascot Miraidon as some sort of fancy prototype motorcycle might do the trick.
Meet the Miraidon Project, created by the Toyota Engineering Society. Images and videos of the creation have been shared around on Twitter and Reddit, and there’s no doubt that it’s seriously impressive. Details are very light on the ground right now, but from what we’ve seen so far from its first prototype appearance last year, it appears to be life-size. All of the details, from its light-up eyes to the different colors on the outer of its wheels are on point, but it’s not clear if it’s actually functional as a vehicle right now. If it is, we’vegotto see how fast this thing can go. For science, obviously.
Let’s face it: Miraidon’s design feels like it was made for this. The robotic bike-like lizard serves as your main form of transportation around generation nine’s Paldea region (unless you’re playing Scarlet, in which case it’s the crimson counterpart Koraidon). Its sleek in-game appearance means that when recreated in real life with smooth, metallic materials, it genuinely looks like it was pulled straight out of the Pokemon world.
No clips have been shown of the prototype in action, and it also doesn’t appear that there’ve been any plans shared by Toyota to sell the Miraidon, so our dreams of taking to the road on a Pokemon aren’t quite reality yet. It feels like we’re a step closer to having actual Pokemon companions though, which can only be considered a win.
Even though both Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature legendary Pokemon that you can ride around on, you can see why Miraidon was the one that Toyota went with for this project, and it’s not just because of its machine-like appearance. Koraidon, despite having wheels, moves around in the game by sprinting everywhere on all fours, which sounds far harder to recreate if you want it to actually function. It’d be incredible to see it happen, though.
Be sure to check out our ranking of thebest Pokemon gamesto find your next adventure.
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
Pathfinder: The Dragon’s Demand devs say Baldur’s Gate 3-style level caps help make games shorter, because not everybody has “time for 100-hour RPGs”
Cyberpunk 2077’s surprise car customization update was co-developed by the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake devs, lets you lower your wanted level on the fly GTA-style
Get hundreds of hours of RPG goodness for $30 with this bundle of 8 games that includes the first two Baldur’s Gate games, which are absolutely worth playing
