Rayquaza gets another adidas silhouette. The adidas ZX 500 Pokemon Rayquaza covers the runner in green suede and leather, with scale texturing worked into the Three Stripes.
The ZX 500 dates to 1986, part of the ZX running series adidas built through the late eighties and revived repeatedly through the 2010s. It is a smaller, more restrained runner than most of what adidas puts collaboration energy behind right now, which makes it an interesting pick for a character shoe.
Hairy green suede covers the toe, with a shorter suede on the eyestays and heel and green leather across the side panels. The Three Stripes carry a scale-like texture with red outlining pulled from Rayquaza markings, and the tongue tags add a Rayquaza graphic. The character appears elsewhere in the collection too, including a Megaride pair that uses wing details around the heel.
To me this shows adidas learned something from the last few years of character collaborations. The easy version of this shoe is a costume. Instead the theme lives in material choices and texture, and the ZX 500 shape stays intact underneath. At $100 it is also the most accessible pair in the Pokemon range, which matters for a collection built on nostalgia spanning thirty years of players.
Release details: The Pokemon x adidas ZX 500 Rayquaza releases September 1, 2026 for $100. Style code KI8189. Colorway is listed as Green/Yellow.
Where to buy: adidas and select retailers in-store and online. See our adidas coverage for the rest of the Pokemon collection.
