Apparently, popping off isn’t allowed in Pokémon.

Over the weekend at the 2026 Orlando Pokémon Regional Championship, Firestar73 had a crazy run on the VGC side. After a challenging Day 1, Firestar73 went 8-0 on Day 2 to reach the Grand Finals against NiteTimeClasher.

The Grand Finals match was intense. The two top players went to Game 5, making it extremely close. When Firestar73 finally won, he jumped up from his seat, pumped his fists in the air, then shook NiteTimeClasher’s hand.

Apparently, Firestar73’s pop off was considered unsportsmanlike and he was given a game loss. This made NiteTimeClasher the winner. It was a sad ending for Firestar73 after such an incredible run.

After a long loser's bracket run, @Firestar73_ wins a decisive game 5 to win the Orlando Regional Championship. Allegedly this celebration was unsportsmanlike, resulting in a game loss and giving NTC The win. I'm at a loss for words, I feel so bad for firestar. pic.twitter.com/72l1RJO31v

— AXN (@ItsAXN) April 5, 2026

Hungrybox Reacts to Firestar73’s Pop-Off at Pokémon Regional

The Pokémon community began rallying behind Firestar73, shocked that such an innocent celebration had cost him the entire tournament. The situation started to spread online, even reaching the king of pop-offs himself, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedma.

The Super Smash Bros. Melee God is known for his very passionate and over-the-top reactions to winning and losing matches. One notorious pop-off saw him throw a chair, causing a bit of a discussion within the Melee community about whether you should be allowed to “damage property” at a venue. He also passed out on stream from screaming so loud after a win, another viral moment.

“If this pop-off is cause for disqualification, then something is enormously wrong with the Pokémon community,” he stated on X.

If this pop-off is cause for disqualification, then something is enormously wrong with the Pokemon judges https://t.co/pS1Nz2Ylaw

— hungrybox (@LiquidHbox) April 6, 2026

The esports community at large responded to the clip, saying that Firestar73’s pop-off was nowhere near disrespectful or over-the-top. Compared to Hungrybox and other FGC pros, it was quite tame. I mean, remember when Zain Naghmi did a cartwheel across the stage after beating Hbox?

But the Smash community has always been a champion for passion. And as a grassroots scene, they can get away with a lot more.

they woulda had to slime you out pic.twitter.com/UDlVZr4e1Q

— Luke “Nitro” Farag (@LukeFarag) April 6, 2026

Pokémon regionals are run by Pokémon, which has always been a notoriously tough entity to work with. There have been many questionable rulings in the past few years. From my time in the TCG, I remember a lot of drama regarding judges’ treatment of players and dealing with different identities.

However, searching through the handbook, there is no mention of pop-offs, celebrations, cheering, nothing. I found a section that mentioned “unsportsmanlike behavior” as a base infraction. In Section 7.1, it states that judges must decide if an infraction occurred and how severe it was. To get a game loss, as Firestar73 did, the mistake should “severely impact” the integrity of the game.

From what I can gather, a judge present at the Grand Finals would have had to report the pop-off as unsportsmanlike and the tournament organizer would need to approve of the suggested punishment. I feel this means it’s largely a matter of opinion, but I’m shocked there were multiple people that found this disrespectful or dramatic enough to even get a warning.

I guess the lesson here is not to get too excited at a Pokémon regional.