A new t-shirt line for Pokemon called “Pokemon 151″ has been released in Japan. The line will cater to adult Pokemon fans and will only feature t-shirts with Pokemon from the original generation. This is the first time the Pokemon Company has targeted adult audiences with exclusively adult products, so it is definitely a step toward recognizing that older fans do in fact exist. Using only the first generation will probably satisfy many older fans who only acknowledge the original 151 Pokemon, which may be why the Pokemon Company is marketing this line in such a fashion.

The Japanese website for Pokemon 151 just opened less than an hour ago. Each shirt costs 4,530 yen (or about $42.00 - yikes!) and comes in small, medium, large, and extra large sizes. As of now, only four designs are available - Hypno (Japanese name: Sleeper), Cubone (Kodoku), Articuno (Freezer), and Mewtwo (same name in Japanese). The website promises that more designs are to come. Will these shirts be released in the United States? Perhaps if older fans demand they do and Pokemon USA recognizes it, we may see them one day. As of now, the website only allows you to buy a shirt if you are a resident of Japan.

Click the thumbnails below for larger images. The first images are close-ups of the design on the shirts, while the second images show the artwork by itself and both the front and back views of each shirt.