For &TEAM member FUMA, Pokémon is more than just a game—it was what opened his eyes to the whole world of gaming and even a pillar to lean against during his trainee days. Now, like protagonist Ash Ketchum, the idol has embarked on a journey to explore the wider world with LUNÉ and the other eight boys who make up his group by his side. Below, FUMA shares his never-ending love for Pokémon and the importance of cherishing what you hold most dear always.

A wild Pokémon appeared!
FUMA: Wow … My first encounter was with these little figurines called Pokémon Kids. You could buy different figurines at convenience stores or supermarkets, and I think the first one I got was Pikachu. I’ve always enjoyed spending time collecting things like that. (laughs) Then I started watching the anime, and from there, I moved onto the games. The first game my parents ever got me was “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl,” and that’s when I became really interested in gaming, which made me like Pokémon even more. I read up all about it. When I was younger, I was into the cool Pokémon, so I liked Dragon types like Dragonite or Rayquaza.

Taking comfort in Pokémon
FUMA: It’s different now that I’m older—once I grew up, I really started to like cute Pokémon. You can just look at my very favorite one: Eevee. (laughs) Actually, there was a space of time after I grew up a bit but before I was older where I wasn’t into the games as much and only watched the anime now and then. But when I first went to Korea, I started playing the games again, this time on the Nintendo Switch. I couldn’t speak a word of Korean back then and spent a lot of time by myself. Living the trainer life and working together with those cute Pokémon by my side was therapeutic for me. It was my main stress reliever. It helped me get through tough times and keep practicing hard. It was a huge source of comfort to me.

Your very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold!
FUMA: I think the magic of the series is in how it feels like you’re growing alongside the Pokémon. That’s why I’ve always loved games where you level up your character. Pokémon starts off with a sweet and cute vibe, but as you progress through the story, it becomes more and more epic. Another thing I think’s great about Pokémon is that, since it’s so popular globally, you can share in that interest with tons of people—especially in “Pokémon Scarlet and Violet,” where you can do Raid Battles* with other players. I did battles with other people and got help from them sometimes. There were Korean players as well as lots of international players. It really made me feel how gaming transcends borders.
*Raid Battle: A game mode where trainers (players) team up to battle against powerful Pokémon

Playing favorites
FUMA: I’d say that “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl” is my absolute favorite game of all time—not only because it was the first Pokémon game I ever played, but also because I feel like its story was deeper. It wasn’t just about raising Pokémon—the characters’ thoughts and feelings were conveyed really well. For example, there’s a bad guy in “Diamond and Pearl” called Cyrus who has this unusual vision for creating a new world, and I found all the theories around him fascinating. It’s cool how the storyline was deep enough to dig into like that, and that’s why it’s my favorite.

The FUMA way to play
FUMA: Anytime I play any game, including Pokémon, I always just play it on my own first. I avoid walkthroughs entirely and finish the story start to finish by myself. After that, I delete my save data and replay the game, but this time, I look things up online for convenience and efficiency. Honestly, I think the real starting point for Pokémon is after you finish the story. You enjoy the story for what it is, then comes the fun of catching and raising more Pokémon. And leveling up isn’t the only thing I like—I’m really into collecting Shinies [Pokémon with alternative color schemes]. It’s hard to find Shinies on your own, so I use the Internet to help make it a little easier.

Lots of love for Eevee
FUMA: Legendary Pokémon like Dragonite feel like they exist in a whole other dimension, but Eevee seems like a Pokémon that could actually exist in real life. You know what I mean? (laughs) I guess the appeal is in how friendly it looks. I love Eevee so much that I’ve used teams made up exclusively of Eeveelutions for battles. So not only is Eevee adorable, but it also has lots of options to choose from when you evolve it. Eevee isn’t very strong and starts out cute, but I love watching it grow stronger with me and evolve into something like a Sylveon or an Umbreon. I want to experience that journey alongside with it. (laughs) What makes Eevee so special is it has the potential to turn into so many different things.

I choose you!
FUMA: I like to switch up my keyrings based on the season or the weather. When I went to Korea in the winter last year, I had Glaceon on me. Oh, and I’ve been really into Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket lately, and Charizard’s super strong, so I’ve had Charizard on me lately! The plushies I take with me depend on how I’m feeling. Most of the time, I’ve got my Eevee with me. (laughs) When I was really into Pokémon Sleep, I had my napping Eevee plushie with me. It looks so realistic, too. It’s like carrying around a real-life Pokémon. At the end of last year, I was binge-watching Pokémon episodes with Rayquaza in them, so I went around with a black Rayquaza plushie as my partner Pokémon. The piece of merchandise I want to show off to LUNÉ the most is the Eevee I got for my birthday! You can only get that one at the Pokémon Center in Okinawa, and it’s extra special because it’s dressed up as Arcanine.

Flying solo at POKÉGENIC
FUMA: There was this event in Tokyo last November called POKÉGENIC in Shibuya where you could take pictures with all these different Pokémon, and I posted about it on Weverse so LUNÉ would know about it. I wanted to show how I’m not just all talk about liking Pokémon—I truly love it, in the way that LUNÉ loves &TEAM. I usually try and attend Pokémon events in person whenever I have the time. I just happened to have a bit of free time before my next plan that day and thought, “It’s now or never!” So I went to check it out. I went alone, but most of the people there were with family or friends. I hardly saw anyone else who came alone. (laughs) I remember feeling super awkward taking pictures with the Pokémon there.

Pulling a rare Sylveon ex SAR with LUNÉ
FUMA: Honestly, I have terrible luck when it comes to pulling Pokémon cards. I never pull anything good when I do it alone. (laughs) That’s why I was practically shaking when I pulled a Sylveon ex SAR* with LUNÉ watching. I wanted that card so badly! I’d never pulled a rare card before, so I almost couldn’t believe it when it happened. It was really emotional for me. (laughs) As a Pokémon fan, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime moment. But there’s people who love Pokémon even more than me who buy way more packs, and some of them specifically have rare cards in them more often. (laughs)
**SAR: Special Art Rare, a type of Pokémon Trading Card rarity

When life gives you games
FUMA: Honestly … I feel like my life is a game. (laughs) When I’m studying Korean, every time I memorize some vocab, it feels like I’m gaining XP. The same goes for dancing and singing. I know I’m a real person, but life feels similar to the RPG [role-playing game] aspect of Pokémon—how you fight with other trainers to gain experience. And in the games, you take six Pokémon into battle with you, which makes me think of &TEAM. There’s something uniquely appealing and full of energy about us performing onstage as a group of nine rather than alone.

&TEAM’s Pokédex entries
FUMA: If the &TEAM members were all Pokémon, EJ would be a Quagsire. I talked about this on Weverse LIVE before, but he really looks like one! (laughs) As for me, I’d love to be an Eevee, but I personally think I’m more similar to Zoroark. K’s incredibly athletic and fast, so I feel he’s like a Blaziken. I mean, Blaziken has the Speed Boost ability and everything. NICHOLAS is a Grimmsnarl. He loves pink, for one thing, and his sense of style fits as well. And I think YUMA looks like he’s a Gible. I think he’s the closest to his Pokémon of any of the group in terms of appearance and personality. (laughs) JO’s like a Trevenant. When I first met JO, I thought he was very tree-like. (laughs) His whole vibe’s really unique. HARUA’s a Scorbunny, a cute Pokémon that looks like a rabbit. TAKI’s a Toxicroak! I’m choosing that because it’s the evolved form of Croagunk and I feel like TAKI is going through his own evolution as he enters his twenties this year. And MAKI—he used to be a Growlithe, but now he feels more like an Arcanine. He used to be shorter than me and had a strong cute streak, but he kept growing and now he’s taller than me. That sure sounds like evolution to me! (laughs)

What Pokémon means to FUMA
FUMA: I see Pokémon as my partner. First I thought it was life itself, but that felt like a bit much. (laughs) Having Pokémon with me just makes me so happy. It’s a stress reliever because I’m giving my love to something I care about, and it gives me a happy life in return. That’s why I think of Pokémon as a partner that is always by my side, like my family, friends, or the other members of &TEAM.

To new LUNÉ trainers
FUMA: First of all, the fact that they’re doing the same thing as me is so cute and makes me so happy! Pokémon is something I’ve loved on my own for so long, but I feel so happy whenever LUNÉ shares their interest in and love of Pokémon with me. I’d love to make time someday to talk with all the fans who got into Pokémon because of me and talk endlessly about it. And if they keep studying up on their Pokémon, I’d like to take them on in battle someday. (laughs)

By your side, like Pokémon
FUMA: Even though I love Pokémon, they can’t actually interact with me—not in real life, anyway. But I know how much LUNÉ loves us, so I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can express my feelings in return. I’m not the best at expressing myself, so I’ve thought about what I can do for them. I felt like sharing my love of Pokémon and my drawings with LUNÉ is one of the ways I can express my love. And I tend to focus more on outcomes than how to get there, so seeing LUNÉ’s reactions helps me realize how much I’ve grown. For now, I want to keep practicing my vocals so I can improve, and then I want to share that personal growth with LUNÉ—that’s my goal.

True passion is like save data
FUMA: When I was younger, I would try out all sorts of new things but would lose interest after around three days. But dancing was the first thing I kept loving for a long time, and I ended up liking Pokémon a long time, too. I’m actually more passionate about the things I like the older I get. I know there can be times when you feel indifferent about your hobbies and don’t want to do them anymore, but even if you stop, you never really stop loving them—it’s always there somewhere inside you. I think the key to keeping that love alive is to choose something you’re truly passionate about. And I hope that will have a positive influence on LUNÉ, too. It goes for more than just hobbies, too. I think you can apply that experience to your work and to making your dreams come true as well—just like how I’ve never wavered in my goal of becoming iconic like SHINee from the moment I first dreamed of being an entertainer. I hope LUNÉ will hold onto that feeling of being passionate about something and that they can achieve their goals and dreams. Because that’s a feeling that you’ll never want to let go of.