Although being world-renowned for its service, Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) has become especially famous in recent history thanks to its eye-catching special liveries.

The airline has just announced the latest addition to its lengthy special livery lineup throughout its history, a Boeing 777-300ER dubbed the "Eevee Jet NH".

ANA and Pokémon

ANA has had a long-standing relationship with the Pokémon franchise, understandably so since both are based in Japan.
 

As such, the carrier has painted 11 aircraft in special promotional liveries over the years, the first of which was unveiled in 1998. This was a Boeing 747-400D registered JA8965 and was painted to commemorate the release of Pokémon: The First Movie.

In the years that followed, ANA would additionally paint four Boeing 767-300s, one Boeing 747-400, three Boeing 747-400Ds, one Boeing 777-300, and one Boeing 787-9. All of the jets except the newly-painted 787 have either been retired or repainted into standard ANA livery.

The Boeing 787-9 that was recently painted into a Pokémon special livery is JA894A. It received its new "Pikachu Jet NH" livery in June 2023, becoming the first new Pokémon special jet in five years. ANA expects the aircraft will wear this special scheme for an additional five years until 2028.

ANA's relationship with Pokémon is not only reflected in its aircraft's exteriors. In fact, the Pokémon experience extends to the interior, crew, and service offered onboard. The aircraft interior, such as the seats, become decked out in Pokémon themes. The flight attendant uniforms are also themed to match the special aircraft in addition to special food containers, themed inflight entertainment, and special souvenir bags.

ANA did something similar with its special Star Wars liveries, as the interiors of its special "R2D2" Boeing 787-9 and "C-3PO" Boeing 777-200ER are specially themed.

The Eevee Jet NH

ANA's new "Eevee Jet NH" (the "NH" is simply ANA's IATA code) is a Boeing 777-300ER. The aircraft is JA784A and is 13.5 years old, having been delivered in 2009.

The "Eevee Jet NH" livery showcases Eevee, a Pokémon known for its ability to evolve into various forms. This special livery will enter service on August 31st, being deployed on ANA's various routes to Europe and North America.

It is interesting to see ANA paint JA784A instead of its newer Boeing 777-300ERs. This is the oldest Boeing 777-300ER in the fleet and it makes one wonder why this specific jet was chosen.

After all, JA789A, the famous "BB-8 Jet" and a younger airframe, was retired in 2022 after 12 years of service. Based on previous trends, ANA will most likely keep this jet in its "Eevee Jet NH" livery for around five to six years, meaning it will be around 19 years old once retired.

ANA has not unveiled the jet's official schedule, however, the airline has specified that its London (LHR), New York (JFK), and San Francisco (SFO) flights from Haneda (HND) will be served by this aircraft.

Airlines and Pokémon

ANA is not the only carrier to have decked out many of its jets in special Pokémon liveries. In fact, other Japanese carriers such as Air Do, Skymark Airlines, and Solaseed Air have one plane each painted in such special liveries. 

The partnership extends beyond Japan, too. Taiwan's China Airlines, Singapore's Scoot, and South Korea's T'way Air also have one Pokémon jet each.

In other ANA news, the carrier walked out of the 2023 Paris Air Show with some serious hardware. The most notable awards the airline won included "World's Cleanest Airline" and the third-best airline worldwide.