Kadabra returning to Pokémon TCG in June after two-decade absence
Following end of Uri Geller lawsuit.
Spoon-wielding Pokémon Kadabra will be returning to Pokémon: The Card Game for the first time in over two decades this June, following illusionist, magician, and spoon-bender Uri Geller's decision to drop his long-running lawsuit against the character.
Geller first sued Nintendo in November 2000, claiming the spoon-bearing Kadabra - known as "Yungerer" or "Yungeller" in Japan - was an unauthorised appropriation of his identity. That initial California lawsuit was dismissed in 2003, but additional lawsuits reportedly continued outside the US, and Kadabra has remained absent from Pokémon: The Card Game since 2002.
Then, in 2020, Geller had a change of heart, dropping all remaining legal action and "giving [Nintendo] permission to relaunch the Uri Geller Kadabra/Yungeller worldwide." He also told fans, "I am truly sorry for what I did 20 years ago...I am releasing the ban. It's now all up to Nintendo bring my Kadabra Pokémon card back."
Two years on from that announcement, Kadabra's imminent return to Pokémon: The Card Game after a two-decade absence has been made official. As reported by PokéBeach (thanks PC Gamer), Kadabra is making his long-awaited reappearance in June's Pokémon Card 151, which, as its name suggests, will feature the original 151-strong Pokémon line-up.
Following the news, Geller contacted PokéBeach directly, telling the website he was "excited to see Kadabra return to the card game".
"Look, I want to thank the Pokémon fans who reached out to me over the last [few] years," he explained. "Including the ones from PokéBeach, who kept contacting me nonstop. So basically, it was you and my granddaughters that got me to change my mind."
"Now we can all see Kadabra reunited with the original Pokémon in the card game this summer," Geller continued. "I love you all. And I admit, totally open and honest. I was a fool. It was a devastating mistake for me to sue Pokémon. [Kadabra] was basically a tribute to Uri Geller. But it's back now. Forgive me. I love you all. Much love and energy."