Axew’s Metal Charm and Why the National Pokedex Series Matters

Axew National Pokedex Metal Charm — Pokemon Center Japan

The National Pokedex Metal Charm Series

Pokemon Center Japan operates a product line called the National Pokedex Metal Charm series — an ambitious collection designed to cover virtually every Pokemon in the National Pokedex by number. Each charm is die-cut from metal and filled with colored enamel, a manufacturing method that renders fine details in a compact, durable piece. A lobster clasp and jump ring come pre-attached for easy use on a keychain, bag strap, or accessory. These charms were sold individually at Pokemon Center retail stores: the official flagship shops run by The Pokemon Company across Japan, not through gashapon machines, food premiums, or lottery draws. That direct retail origin matters to collectors who pay attention to how a piece entered the market.

This charm features Axew, National Pokedex #610, a Dragon-type Pokemon introduced in Generation V. Within the series, it holds its numbered place alongside the hundreds of other charms that together compose the full lineup.

Axew in the Games and the Best Wishes Anime

Axew — known in Japanese as Kibago — is a small green dragon Pokemon with a single tusk-like spike growing from its forehead and white fangs at the corners of its mouth. Its Pokedex lore describes it using those fangs to score marks into tree bark and fruit as a way of marking territory. It evolves through a three-stage line: Axew (#610) into Fraxure (#611), then into Haxorus (#612), a final form with notably high Attack that has found a place in competitive play.

Generation V is anchored by Pokemon Black and White, released in Japan in September 2010. Axew’s ties to that era run well into the anime: the accompanying series, broadcast internationally as Pokemon Black and White and known in Japan as Best Wishes, aired from 2010 to 2013 and featured Axew as the partner Pokemon of Iris, one of the main traveling companions. Tucked into her hair and present across hundreds of episodes, Axew became one of the defining small faces of that generation’s cast. Fans who followed Best Wishes in any region tend to carry a clear memory of it.

Why Collectors Seek Out Pokemon Center Exclusives

Metal enamel charms occupy a recognized position in Japanese character merchandise. Their physical weight and polished surface set them clearly apart from acrylic charms and standard badge pins — a distinction that collectors treat as meaningful. Pokemon Center goods carry additional status: the stores function as official themed destinations rather than general retailers, and their exclusives were never stocked through ordinary shops. For anyone outside Japan, acquiring one meant traveling, using a forwarding service, or relying on a proxy agent.

The National Pokedex series also creates its own momentum toward completion. Because it aims to account for every Pokemon by number, collectors building a full set need each entry regardless of individual character popularity. Dragon types bring a layer of their own appeal: within the games’ lore, Dragon-type Pokemon are presented as rare and powerful, and that in-world reputation has sustained consistent fan interest in Dragon-type characters across the franchise for decades.