Akira Egawa, the artist behind the Pokémon 30th Anniversary Jirachi SIR card, has shared her emotional response after seeing a video of influencer Avery the Poké Kid opening the card in his final Pokémon pack opening. Avery, a 12-year-old who had been battling pancreatic cancer, passed away on September 19, 2026.
To honor his memory, Avery's parents shared a video of him opening his last set of cards from the 30th Anniversary release. In the video, Avery pulls the highly sought-after Jirachi SIR card, an event that brought him immense joy. This moment quickly gained traction within the Pokémon community and beyond, eliciting sadness over the loss of the young influencer.
Egawa, who resides internationally, saw the viral video and expressed her deep emotional impact. "I’m so deeply moved. I’m so glad I kept drawing. I’ve honestly been in tears ever since I saw this," she wrote on Twitter/X. She further added, "'I want my art to bring happiness to people.' That’s one of the reasons I draw. I’m so glad I put that wish into this piece," connecting her artistic intent to the joy Avery experienced.
Fans have noted the poetic significance of the card's imagery, as Jirachi is a Legendary Pokémon known in the lore to awaken only for seven days every thousand years when sung to with a "voice of purity." Avery, who had stage four pancreatoblastoma for over seven years, was a prominent figure in the Pokémon community, amassing 313,000 followers with his passion for the trading card game.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist Avery's family with medical expenses, nearing its $130,000 goal. Avery's influence on the Pokémon community is evident in the outpouring of support and shared memories on his social media accounts.