A life-sized Miraidon motorcycle was spotted in the wild at the 2025 Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, California. This is the Toyota Miraidon Project, a collaboration between the Toyota Engineering Society and The Pokémon Company that brings a digital dragon to life.
Miraidon is not your average Pokémon, as this electric-dragon hybrid, introduced in 2022’s Pokémon Violet, is the player’s main mode of transportation, transforming from a quadruped to a two-wheeled motorcycle. Its futuristic look, with LED eyes and a jet engine tail, is high-tech mobility to say the least. Toyota’s engineers saw Miraidon as the perfect inspiration for a real-world vehicle. This prototype matches the in-game design to a T, down to the purple and blue color scheme and glowing eyes.
Building this thing was no easy task. Why? The Toyota Engineering Society, a group of around 300 engineers, had only six months to get ready for the 2023 Wakuwaku World event in Toyota City. They had to translate Miraidon’s slender animated form into a real structure that could hold a rider. The legs in Low-Power Mode had to house motors and wiring while looking delicate. As for the tail, it transforms into a rear wheel in Drive Mode, balancing strength with the Pokémon’s sleek shape.
The body has a multi-colored paint job that shifts under different lighting, just like Miraidon’s in-game sheen. The LED lights bring the eyes to life, making the bike almost seem sentient. Even the controls are a nod to the source material – a Nintendo Switch controller operates the bike, so kids can “drive” during exhibitions. Safety was key, with a 143-pound weight limit and a design that prioritizes stability over speed, so kids can hop on without risk.
Today it transformed from quadruped to motorcycle, tomorrow it will transform back. Visitors couldn’t ride it full throttle (it’s more of a display model than a road bike) but just seeing it was enough to be in awe. Kids and adults alike were amazed by its nearly 4-meter long, 2-meter high frame, a near perfect replica of the Miraidon game sprite brought to life.
Toyota won’t be selling the Miraidon motorcycle and it’s not meant to be a performance vehicle. But that’s exactly what makes it so cool. It’s what happens when engineers get to be kids again and turn a student from Aichi Prefecture’s design into a real life fantasy and craftsmanship. The collaboration also implies bigger things: Honda’s recent Koraidon prototype, Miraidon’s Pokémon Scarlet counterpart, means automakers are getting into the Pokémon business.
