(an abbreviation for in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) is a Japanese

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

managed by

The Pokémon Company The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, ''Kabushiki gaisha Pokemon'') is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video game s ...

, founded by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer of the mainline ''Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' ...

, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of those companies do, Game Freak develop the main games; Creatures provides support through their Pokémon CG Studio which does 3D models for the pokémon in the games, as well as developing some spin-off titles, and producing the ''

Pokémon Trading Card Game The , abbreviated as ''PTCG'' or ''Pokémon TCG'', is a collectible card game developed by Creatures Inc. based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise. It was first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan. In the US, it was first published ...

''; Nintendo was the original publisher of the series and since the 2000s, helps publishing the games in their consoles in overseas markets outside of Japan and The Pokémon Company is then jointly owned by them and is set up to deal with the licensing, production, publishing, marketing and deals across the world featuring Pokémon as a media franchise. The franchise was created by

Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and director best known for being the creator of the ''Pokémon'' franchise and one of the founders, and president of video game developer Game Freak. A fan of arcade games, Tajiri wrote for and edited his own v ...

in 1996, and is centered around fictional creatures called "

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

". In ''Pokémon'', Pokémon Trainers are people who catch, train, care for, and battle with Pokémon. The English

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

for the franchise is " Gotta Catch ‘Em All!". There are currently 1008 Pokémon species. The franchise began as ''Pocket Monsters: Red'' and ''Green'' (later released outside of Japan as ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''), a pair of video games for the original

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

handheld system that were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo in February 1996. ''Pokémon'' soon became a

media mix Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

franchise adapted into various different media. ''Pokémon'' is one of the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. The ''Pokémon'' video game series is the third best-selling video game franchise of all time with more than copies sold and onebillion mobile downloads. The Pokémon video game series spawned an anime television series that has become the most successful

video game adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography ...

of all time with over 20 seasons and 1,000 episodes in 192 countries. The

is the highest-selling

trading card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

of all time with over 43.2billion cards sold. In addition, the ''Pokémon'' franchise includes the world's top-selling toy brand, an

anime film series is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, a live-action film ('' Detective Pikachu''),

books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...

manga comics Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, merchandise, and a temporary theme park. The franchise is also represented in other Nintendo media, such as the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, where various ''Pokémon'' characters are playable.

History

In 1998, Nintendo spent $25 million promoting Pokémon in the United States in partnership with

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

KFC KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...

, and others. Nintendo initially feared that Pokémon was too Japanese for Western tastes but Alfred Kahn, then CEO of 4Kids Entertainment convinced the company otherwise. The one who spotted Pokémon's potential in the United States was Kahn's colleague Thomas Kenney. In November 2005, 4Kids Entertainment, which had managed the non-game related licensing of ''Pokémon'', announced that it had agreed not to renew the ''Pokémon'' representation agreement. The Pokémon Company International oversees all ''Pokémon'' licensing outside Asia. In 2006, the franchise celebrated its tenth anniversary and release

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and are 2006 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fourth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' v ...

. In 2016, the Pokémon Company celebrated ''Pokémon''s 20th anniversary by airing an ad during

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

in January and re-releasing the first ''Pokémon'' video games 1996 Game Boy games ''Pokémon Red, Green'' (only in Japan), and ''Blue,'' and the 1998 Game Boy Color game ''

Pokémon Yellow (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' for the

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

on February 26, 2016. The mobile

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be de ...

game ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

'' was released in July 2016.

Pokémon Sun and Moon and are 2016 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the seventh generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series. First ...

also released in the same year. The first live-action film in the franchise, ''

Pokémon Detective Pikachu ''Detective Pikachu'' (also known as ''Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'' and released as in Japan after the original game) is a 2019 comedy film directed by Rob Letterman. Based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise, the film is a loose adaptation of the ...

'', based on the 2018 Nintendo 3DS spin-off game '' Detective Pikachu'', was released in 2019. The eighth generation of core series games began with ''

Pokémon Sword and Shield and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first installments in the eighth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), '' ...

'', released worldwide on the

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

on November 15, 2019. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the company released two additional titles for the Nintendo Switch: ''Pokémon Brilliant Diamond'' and ''Shining Pearl'', remakes of the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' games, on November 19, 2021, and its "

premake Premake is an open-source software development utility for automatically building configuration from source code. Features Some of Premake's features are: * It supports the C, C++, and C# programming languages. * Its syntax is simple. * I ...

" '' Pokémon Legends: Arceus'', which was subsequently released on January 28, 2022. ''Pokémon Scarlet'' and ''Violet'' began the ninth generation of the game series when they released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.

Name

The name "Pokémon" is a syllabic abbreviation of the Japanese brand ''Pocket Monsters''. The term "Pokémon", in addition to referring to the ''Pokémon'' franchise itself, also collectively refers to the many fictional species that have made appearances in ''Pokémon'' media. "Pokémon" is identical in the singular and plural, as is each individual species name; it is and would be grammatically correct to say "one Pokémon" and "many Pokémon", as well as "one

Pikachu is a fictional species in the ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which w ...

" and "many Pikachu".

Concept

Gameplay

''Pokémon'' executive director

first thought of ''Pokémon'', albeit with a different concept and name, around 1989, when the

was released. The concept of the

Pokémon universe The ''Pokémon'' universe is a fictional universe that encompasses the '' Pokémon'' media franchise, including stories and fictional works produced by The Pokémon Company, Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures, Inc. The concept of the ''Poké ...

, in both the video games and the general fictional world of ''Pokémon'', stems from the hobby of

insect collecting Insect collecting refers to the collection of insects and other arthropods for scientific study or as a hobby. Most insects are small and the majority cannot be identified without the examination of minute morphological characters, so entomolo ...

, a popular pastime which Tajiri enjoyed as a child. Players are designated as

Pokémon Trainer (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of what each of thos ...

s and have three general goals: to complete the regional Pokédex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where a game takes place, to complete the national Pokédex by transferring Pokémon from other regions, and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers so they may eventually win the Pokémon League and become the regional Champion. These themes of collecting, training, and battling are present in almost every version of the Pokémon franchise, including the

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

, the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and manga series, and the

(also known as ''TCG''). In most incarnations of the ''Pokémon'' universe, a Trainer who encounters a wild Pokémon has the ability to capture that Pokémon by throwing a specially designed, mass-producible spherical tool called a

Poké Ball Poke ( Hawaiian for "to slice" or "cut crosswise into pieces"; sometimes anglicised as 'poké' to aid pronunciation) is diced raw fish served either as an appetizer or a main course and is one of the popular dishes in Hawaii. Traditional form ...

at it. If the Pokémon is unable to escape the confines of the Poké Ball, it is considered to be under the ownership of that Trainer. Afterwards, it will obey whatever commands it receives from its new Trainer, unless the Trainer demonstrates such a lack of experience that the Pokémon would rather act on its own accord. Trainers can send out any of their Pokémon to wage non-lethal battles against other Pokémon; if the opposing Pokémon is wild, the Trainer can capture that Pokémon with a Poké Ball, increasing their collection of creatures. In ''

'', and in ''Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!'' and ''Let's Go, Eevee!'', wild Pokémon encountered by players can be caught in Poké Balls, but most cannot be battled. Pokémon already owned by other Trainers cannot be captured, except under special circumstances in certain side games. If a Pokémon fully defeats an opponent in battle so that the opponent is knocked out ("faints"), the winning Pokémon gains

experience point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experi ...

s and may level up. Beginning with ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y'', experience points are also gained from catching Pokémon in Poké Balls. When leveling up, the Pokémon's battling aptitude statistics (" stats", such as "Attack" and "Speed") increase. At certain levels, the Pokémon may also learn new moves, which are techniques used in battle. In addition, many species of Pokémon can undergo a form of

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

and transform into a similar but stronger species of Pokémon, a process called

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

; this process occurs spontaneously under differing circumstances, and is itself a central theme of the series. Some species of Pokémon may undergo a maximum of two evolutionary transformations, while others may undergo only one, and others may not evolve at all. For example, the Pokémon Pichu may evolve into Pikachu, which in turn may evolve into Raichu, following which no further evolutions may occur. ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y'' introduced the concept of "Mega Evolution," by which certain fully evolved Pokémon may temporarily undergo an additional evolution into a stronger form for the purpose of battling; this evolution is considered a special case, and unlike other evolutionary stages, is reversible. In the main series, each game's single-player mode requires the Trainer to raise a team of Pokémon to defeat many

non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...

(NPC) Trainers and their Pokémon. Each game lays out a somewhat linear path through a specific region of the ''Pokémon'' world for the Trainer to journey through, completing events and battling opponents along the way (including foiling the plans of an ''evil'' team of Pokémon Trainers who serve as antagonists to the player). Excluding ''Pokémon Sun'' and ''Moon'' and ''Pokémon Ultra Sun'' and ''Ultra Moon'', the games feature eight powerful Trainers, referred to as

Gym Leader A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

s, that the Trainer must defeat in order to progress. As a reward, the Trainer receives a Gym Badge, and once all eight badges are collected, the Trainer is eligible to challenge the region's Pokémon League, where four talented trainers (referred to collectively as the "

Elite Four In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

") challenge the Trainer to four Pokémon battles in succession. If the trainer can overcome this gauntlet, they must challenge the Regional Champion, the master Trainer who had previously defeated the Elite Four. Any Trainer who wins this last battle becomes the new champion.

Pokémon universe

''Pokémon'' is set in the fictional ''Pokémon'' universe. There are numerous regions that have appeared in the various media of the ''Pokémon'' franchise. There are 9 main series regions set in the main series games: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh/Hisui, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea. Each of the nine generations of the main series releases focuses on a new region. Every region consists of several cities and towns that the player must explore in order to overcome many waiting challenges, such as

Gyms A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

, Contests and villainous teams. At different locations within each region, the player can find different types of Pokémon, as well as helpful items and characters. Different regions are not accessible from one another at all within a single game, only with the exception of Kanto and Johto being linked together in ''Pokémon Gold'', ''Silver'', ''

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

'', ''HeartGold'' and ''SoulSilver'' versions. There are also regions set in spinoff games and two islands in the ''Pokémon'' anime (Orange Islands and Decolore Islands), all still set within the same

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

. Each main series region in the ''Pokémon'' universe is based on a real world location. The first four regions introduced are based off of locations in

, being Kantō,

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, and

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, with later regions being based on parts on

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

Video games

Generations

All of the licensed ''Pokémon'' properties overseen by

the Pokémon Company International ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

are divided roughly by generation. These generations are roughly

chronological Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , '' -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. ...

divisions by release; every several years, when a sequel to the 1996

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

s ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' is released that features new Pokémon, characters, and gameplay concepts, that sequel is considered the start of a new generation of the franchise. The main ''Pokémon'' video games and their spin-offs, the anime, manga, and trading card game are all updated with the new Pokémon properties each time a new generation begins. Some Pokémon from the newer games appear in anime episodes or films months, or even years, before the game they were programmed for came out. The first generation began in Japan with ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' on the Game Boy. As of 2022, there are nine generations of main series video games. The most recent games in the main series, ''Pokémon Scarlet'' and ''Violet'' began the ninth and latest generation when they released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on November 18, 2022.

List of ''Pokémon'' main series video games

In other media

Anime series

''Pokémon'', also known as ''Pokémon the Series'' to Western audiences since the year 2013, is an anime television series based on the ''Pokémon'' video game series. It was originally broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...

in 1997. More than 1,000 episodes of the anime has been produced and aired, divided into 7 series in Japan and 22 seasons internationally. It is one of the longest currently running anime series. The anime follows the quest of the main character,

Ash Ketchum Ash Ketchum, known as in Japan, is a fictional character in the ''Pokémon'' franchise owned by Nintendo. He is the protagonist of the ''Pokémon'' anime and certain manga series as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise. I ...

(known as Satoshi in Japan), a Pokémon Master in training, as he and a small group of friends travel around the world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners. Various children's books, collectively known as '' Pokémon Junior'', are also based on the anime. An eight-part anime series called '' Pokémon: Twilight Wings'' aired on YouTube in 2020. The series was animated by Studio Colorido. In July 2021, it was announced that a live action Pokémon series is in early development at Netflix with

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

attached to write and executive produce. An eight part anime series in celebration of the Pokémon 25th anniversary called ''

Pokémon Evolutions is a 2021 Japanese anime, animated original net animation series releasing on YouTube and Pokémon TV by The Pokémon Company. Pokémon Evolutions is a series of 8 episodes to be released in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pokémon an ...

'' aired on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in 2021.

Films

There have been 23 animated theatrical ''Pokémon'' films (latest film to be released on December 25, 2020), which have been directed by

Kunihiko Yuyama is a Japanese director best known for his work on the ''Pokémon'' anime franchise. He also directed ''Magical Princess Minky Momo'', '' Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko'', ''The Three Musketeers Anime'', ''Ushio and Tora'', '' Kimagure ...

and Tetsuo Yajima, and distributed in Japan by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

since 1998. The pair of films, ''Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram'' and ''White—Victini and Zekrom'' are considered together as one film. Collectibles, such as promotional trading cards, have been available with some of the films. Since the 20th film, the films have been set in an alternate continuity separate from the anime series.

Soundtracks

''Pokémon'' CDs have been released in North America, some of them in conjunction with the theatrical releases of the first three and the 20th ''Pokémon'' films. These releases were commonplace until late 2001. On March 27, 2007, a tenth anniversary CD was released containing 18 tracks from the English dub; this was the first English-language release in over five years. Soundtracks of the ''Pokémon'' feature films have been released in Japan each year in conjunction with the theatrical releases. In 2017, a soundtrack album featuring music from the North American versions of the 17th through 20th movies was released. The exact date of release is unknown. Featuring music from '' Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction'', '' Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages'', '' Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel'', and '' Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!''

Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a

collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...

with a goal similar to a Pokémon battle in the video game series. Players use Pokémon cards, with individual strengths and weaknesses, in an attempt to defeat their opponent by "knocking out" their Pokémon cards. The game was published in North America by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...

in 1999. With the release of the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

video games ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', the Pokémon Company took back the card game from Wizards of the Coast and started publishing the cards themselves. The Expedition expansion introduced the ''Pokémon-e Trading Card Game'', where the cards (for the most part) were compatible with the

Nintendo e-Reader The Nintendo e-Reader, stylized as ereader, commonly abbreviated as e-Reader, known in Japan as the is an add-on manufactured by Nintendo for its Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It was released in Japan in December 2001, with a N ...

. Nintendo discontinued its production of e-Reader compatible cards with the release of ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen''. In 1998, Nintendo released a Game Boy Color version of the trading card game in Japan; ''

'' was subsequently released to the US and Europe in 2000. The game included digital versions of cards from the original set of cards and the first two expansions (Jungle and Fossil), as well as several cards exclusive to the game. A sequel was released in Japan in 2001.

Manga

There are various Pokémon

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series, four of which were released in English by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

, and seven of them released in English by

Chuang Yi Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. ( zh, s=创艺出版社) was a publishing company based in Singapore that specialized in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributed ...

. The manga series vary from game-based series to being based on the anime and the Trading Card Game. Original stories have also been published. As there are several series created by different authors, most ''Pokémon'' manga series differ greatly from each other and other media, such as the anime. ''Pokémon Pocket Monsters'' and ''Pokémon Adventures'' are the two manga in production since the first generation. ;Manga released in English *''

The Electric Tale of Pikachu ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (''Dengeki Pikachu''), a

shōnen manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent boys. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent girls and young women), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adult women), ...

created by Toshihiro Ono. It was divided into four

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

, each given a separate title in the North American and English Singapore versions: ''The Electric Tale of Pikachu'', ''Pikachu Shocks Back'', ''Electric Pikachu Boogaloo'', and ''Surf's Up, Pikachu''. The series is based loosely on the anime. *''

Pokémon Adventures is a Japanese manga series based on the '' Pokémon'' media franchise created by video game designer Satoshi Tajiri and managed by The Pokémon Company. Tajiri once stated that the series is closest to how he imagined the universe of ''Po ...

'' (''Pocket Monsters SPECIAL'' in Japan) by Hidenori Kusaka (story), Mato (art formerly), and Satoshi Yamamoto (art currently), the most popular Pokémon manga based on the video games. The story series around the Pokémon Trainers who called "Pokédex holders". *''

Magical Pokémon Journey ''Magical Pokémon Journey'', originally published in Japan as , is a shōjo manga series set in the fictional universe of the '' Pokémon'' franchise. The manga is by Yumi Tsukirino and serialized by Shogakukan in the manga magazine '' Ciao'' ...

'' (''Pocket Monsters PiPiPi ★ Adventures''), a

shōjo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. It is, along with manga (targeting adolescent boys), manga (targeting young adult and adult men), and manga (targeting adul ...

*'' Pikachu Meets the Press'' (newspaper style comics, not released by Chuang Yi) *''

Ash & Pikachu Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

'' (''Satoshi to Pikachu'') *'' Pokémon Gold & Silver'' *''

Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' and ''Pokémon Pocket Monsters'' *'' Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker'' *'' Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys'' *'' Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew'' (the third movie-to-comic adaptation) *''

Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea ''Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea'', is a 2006 Japanese animated fantasy film, the ninth in the ''Pokémon'' film series, and the fourth and last to be set in the ''Advanced Generation'' series. Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and written b ...

'' (the fourth movie-to-comic adaption) *''

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! ''Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!'' (sometimes abbreviated as DPA) is a Pokémon manga based on Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. The series is written and illustrated by Shigekatsu Ihara and published by Shogakukan. All eight vo ...

'' *''Pokémon Adventures: Diamond and Pearl / Platinum'' *'' Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai'' (the fifth movie-to-comic adaption) *'' Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior'' (the sixth movie-to-comic adaption) *'' Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life'' (the seventh movie-to-comic adaption) *'' Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions'' (the eighth movie-to-comic adaption) *'' Pokémon The Movie: White: Victini and Zekrom'' (the ninth movie-to-comic adaption) *''

Pokémon Black and White and are 2010 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' vid ...

'' ;Manga not released in English *''Pokémon Pocket Monsters'' by Kosaku Anakubo, the first Pokémon manga. Chiefly a gag manga, it stars a Pokémon Trainer named Red, his rude Clefairy, and Pikachu. *''Pokémon Card ni Natta Wake'' (''How I Became a Pokémon Card'') by Kagemaru Himeno, an artist for the Trading Card Game. There are six volumes and each includes a special promotional card. The stories tell the tales of the art behind some of Himeno's cards. *''Pokémon Get aa ze!'' by Miho Asada *''Pocket Monsters Chamo-Chamo ★ Pretty ♪'' by Yumi Tsukirino, who also made ''Magical Pokémon Journey''. *''Pokémon Card Master'' *''Pocket Monsters Emerald Chōsen!! Battle Frontier'' by Ihara Shigekatsu *''Pocket Monsters Zensho'' by Satomi Nakamura

Monopoly

A ''Pokémon''-styled ''Monopoly'' board game was released in August 2014.

Live-action series

In July 2021, it was announced that a live-action ''Pokémon'' series is reportedly in development at

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. Joe Henderson, showrunner of ''

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...

'', is signed on as writer and executive producer.

Criticisms and controversies

Morality and religious beliefs

''Pokémon'' has been criticized by some

fundamentalist Christians Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

over perceived

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

and

violent Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened o ...

themes and the concept of "Pokémon evolution", which they feel goes against the Biblical creation account in Genesis.

Sat2000 TV2000 is an Italy-based broadcasting network that carries Roman Catholic-themed programming, available on digital terrestrial television in Italy and owned by the Italian Episcopal Conference, the conference of the Catholic bishops of Italy. ...

, a satellite television station based in

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

, has countered that the Pokémon Trading Card Game and video games are "full of inventive imagination" and have no "harmful moral side effects". In the United Kingdom, the "Christian Power Cards" game was introduced in 1999 by David Tate who stated, "Some people aren't happy with Pokémon and want an alternative, others just want Christian games." The game was similar to the Pokémon Trading Card Game but used Biblical figures. In 1999, Nintendo stopped manufacturing the Japanese version of the "Koga's Ninja Trick" trading card because it depicted a manji, a traditionally

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

symbol with no negative connotations. The

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

civil rights group

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

complained because the symbol is the reverse of a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

, a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

symbol. The cards were intended for sale in Japan only, but the popularity of ''Pokémon'' led to import into the United States with approval from Nintendo. The Anti-Defamation League understood that the portrayed symbol was not intended to offend and acknowledged the sensitivity that Nintendo showed by removing the product. In 1999, two nine-year-old boys from Merrick, New York, sued Nintendo because they claimed the Pokémon Trading Card Game caused their problematic gambling. In 2001,

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

banned ''Pokémon'' games and the trading cards, alleging that the franchise promoted

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

by displaying the

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

in the trading cards (the Colorless energy from the ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' resembles a six-pointed star) as well as other religious symbols such as

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

es they associated with Christianity and triangles they associated with

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

; the games also involved gambling, which is in violation of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

doctrine. ''Pokémon'' has also been accused of promoting materialism.

Animal cruelty

In 2012,

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

criticized the concept of ''Pokémon'' as supporting cruelty to animals. PETA compared the game's concept, of capturing animals and forcing them to fight, to

cockfight A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

dog fighting Dog fighting is a type of blood sport that turns game and fighting dogs against each other in a physical fight, generally to the death, for the purposes of gambling or entertainment to the spectators. In rural areas, fights are often staged i ...

rings and circuses, events frequently criticized for cruelty to animals. PETA released a game spoofing ''Pokémon'' where the Pokémon battle their trainers to win their freedom. PETA reaffirmed their objections in 2016 with the release of ''Pokémon Go'', promoting the hashtag #GottaFreeThemAll.

Health

On December 16, 1997, more than 635 Japanese children were admitted to hospitals with epileptic

seizures An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or neural oscillation, synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much o ...

. It was determined the seizures were caused by watching an episode of Pokémon "

Dennō Senshi Porygon is the 38th episode of the ''Pokémon'' anime's first season. Its sole broadcast was in Japan on December 16, 1997. In the episode, Ash and his friends find at the local Pokémon Center that there is something wrong with the Poké Ball transm ...

", (most commonly translated "Electric Soldier Porygon", season 1, episode 38); as a result, this episode has not been aired since. In this particular episode, there were bright explosions with rapidly alternating blue and red color patterns. It was determined in subsequent research that these strobing light effects cause some individuals to have epileptic seizures, even if the person had no previous history of

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

. This incident is a common focus of Pokémon-related parodies in other media, and was lampooned by ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

Thirty Minutes over Tokyo "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" is the twenty-third and final episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 16, 1999. In the episode, after being ...

" in a short cameo and the ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' episode "

Chinpokomon "Chinpokomon" is the eleventh-aired and the tenth-produced episode of the South Park (season 3), third season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 3, 1999 ...

", among others.

''Monster in My Pocket''

In March 2000, Morrison Entertainment Group, a toy developer based at Manhattan Beach, California, sued Nintendo over claims that ''Pokémon'' infringed on its own ''

Monster in My Pocket ''Monster in My Pocket'' is a media franchise developed by American company Morrison Entertainment Group, headed by Joe Morrison and John Weems, two former senior executives at Mattel. The focus is on monsters and fantastical and legendary cr ...

'' characters. A judge ruled there was no infringement and Morrison appealed the ruling. On February 4, 2003, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision by the District Court to dismiss the suit.

''Pokémon Go''

Within its first two days of release, ''Pokémon Go'' raised safety concerns among players. Multiple people also suffered minor injuries from falling while playing the game due to being distracted. Multiple police departments in various countries have issued warnings, some

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

, regarding inattentive driving, trespassing, and being targeted by criminals due to being unaware of one's surroundings. People have suffered various injuries from accidents related to the game, and Bosnian players have been warned to stay out of minefields left over from the 1990s

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

. On July 20, 2016, it was reported that an 18-year-old boy in

Chiquimula Chiquimula is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the department of Chiquimula and the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is located some 174 km from Guatemala City and within Guatemala known as "La p ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, was shot and killed while playing the game in the late evening hours. This was the first reported death in connection with the app. The boy's 17-year-old cousin, who was accompanying the victim, was shot in the foot. Police speculated that the shooters used the game's GPS capability to find the two.

Cultural influence

All Nippon Airways Boeing 747-400 yellow pokemon

''Pokémon'', being a globally popular franchise, has left a significant mark on today's

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

. The various species of ''Pokémon'' have become pop culture icons; examples include two different Pikachu balloons in the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...

, ''Pokémon''-themed airplanes operated by All Nippon Airways, merchandise items, and a traveling theme park that was in

Nagoya, Japan is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

in 2005 and in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

in 2006. ''Pokémon'' also appeared on the cover of the U.S. magazine ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' in 1999. The Comedy Central show ''

Drawn Together ''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of ''The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures ...

'' has a character named Ling-Ling who is a parody of Pikachu. Several other shows such as ''The Simpsons'', ''South Park'' and ''

Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...

'' have made references and spoofs of ''Pokémon'', among other series. ''Pokémon'' was featured on VH1's '' I Love the '90s: Part Deux''. A live action show based on the anime called ''

Pokémon Live! ''Pokémon Live!'' was a musical stage show that toured the United States from September 15, 2000 to January 28, 2001. The musical was based on the Pokémon (anime), ''Pokémon'' anime series, using similar characters, clothing, and story element ...

'' toured the United States in late 2000.

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. He ...

cites ''Pokémon'' as one of the inspirations for the ''

Codex Alera Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and '' Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. H ...

'' series of novels. Pokémon has even made its mark in the realm of science. This includes animals named after Pokémon, such as ''Stentorceps weedlei'' (named after the Pokémon Weedle for its resemblance) and ''Chilicola charizard'' (named after the Pokémon

Charizard Charizard (), known in Japan as , is a Pokémon in Nintendo and Game Freak's '' Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Atsuko Nishida, Charizard first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' ( ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' in ...

) as well as '' Binburrum articuno, Binburrum zapdos, and Binburrum moltres'' (named after the Pokémon Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, respectively). There is also a protein named after Pikachu, called

Pikachurin Pikachurin, also known as AGRINL (AGRINL) and EGF-like, fibronectin type-III and laminin G-like domain-containing protein (EGFLAM), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''EGFLAM'' gene. Pikachurin is a dystroglycan-interacting protein ...

. In November 2001, Nintendo opened a store called the Pokémon Center in New York, in

Rockefeller Center Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...

, modeled after the two other Pokémon Center stores in Tokyo and

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

and named after a staple of the video game series. Pokémon Centers are fictional buildings where Trainers take their injured Pokémon to be healed after combat. The store sold Pokémon merchandise on a total of two floors, with items ranging from collectible shirts to stuffed Pokémon

plushies A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be cal ...

. The store also featured a Pokémon Distributing Machine in which players would place their game to receive an egg of a Pokémon that was being given out at that time. The store also had tables that were open for players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game to duel each other or an employee. The store was closed and replaced by the

Nintendo World Store Nintendo New York (previously known as Nintendo World and The Pokémon Center) is the flagship specialty store of video game corporation Nintendo. Located in 10 Rockefeller Plaza, at Rockefeller Center in New York City, the two-story, store open ...

on May 14, 2005. Four Pokémon Center kiosks were put in malls in the Seattle area. The Pokémon Center online store was relaunched on August 6, 2014. Professor of education

Joseph Tobin Joseph Tobin (born 1950) is the Elizabeth Garrard Hall Professor of Education in the College of Education at the University of Georgia. Biography Tobin received his B.A. Degree from Earlham College and his PhD in Human Development at the Univer ...

theorizes that the success of the franchise was due to the long list of names that could be learned by children and repeated in their peer groups. Its rich fictional universe provides opportunities for discussion and demonstration of knowledge in front of their peers. The names of the creatures were linked to its characteristics, which converged with the children's belief that names have symbolic power. Children can pick their favourite Pokémon and affirm their individuality while at the same time affirming their conformance to the values of the group, and they can distinguish themselves from others by asserting what they liked and what they did not like from every chapter. ''Pokémon'' gained popularity because it provides a sense of identity to a wide variety of children, and lost it quickly when many of those children found that the identity groups were too big and searched for identities that would distinguish them into smaller groups. E311-1000

''Pokémon''s history has been marked at times by rivalry with the ''

Digimon , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a "Di ...

'' media franchise that debuted at a similar time. Described as "the other 'mon by

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

's Juan Castro, ''Digimon'' has not enjoyed ''Pokémon''s level of international popularity or success, but has maintained a dedicated fanbase. IGN's Lucas M. Thomas stated that ''Pokémon'' is ''Digimon''s "constant competition and comparison", attributing the former's relative success to the simplicity of its evolution mechanic as opposed to

Digivolution , short for "Digital Monsters" ( ''Dejitaru Monsutā''), is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a "Di ...

. The two have been noted for conceptual and stylistic similarities by sources such as GameZone. A debate among fans exists over which of the two franchises came first. In actuality, the first ''Pokémon'' media, ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'', were released initially on February 27, 1996; whereas the ''Digimon'' virtual pet was released on June 26, 1997.

Fan community

While ''Pokémon''s target demographic is children, early purchasers of ''Pokémon Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' were in their 20s. Many fans are adults who originally played the games as children and had later returned to the series. Numerous

fan site A fansite, fan site, fan blog or fan page is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee about a celebrity, thing, or particular cultural phenomenon. Fansites may offer specialized information on the subject (e.g., episode listings, bi ...

s exist for the Pokémon franchise, including , a site hosting the

wiki A wiki ( ) is an online hypertext publication collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience, using a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages for the subjects or scope of the project, and could be either open to the pu ...

-based encyclopedia Bulbapedia, and Serebii, a news and reference website. Large fan communities exist on other platforms, such as the

subreddit Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...

''r/pokemon'', which has over 4 million subscribers. A significant community around the ''Pokémon'' video games' metagame has existed for a long time, analyzing the best ways to use each Pokémon to their full potential in competitive battles. The most prolific competitive community is Smogon University, which has created a widely accepted tier-based battle system. Smogon is affiliated with an online ''Pokémon'' game called ''Pokémon Showdown'', in which players create a team and battle against other players around the world using the competitive tiers created by Smogon. In early 2014, an anonymous video streamer on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

launched Twitch Plays ''Pokémon'', a small experiment trying to

crowdsource Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

playing subsequent ''Pokémon'' games, that started with the game ''Pokémon Red'' and has since included subsequent games in the series. A study at Stanford Neurosciences published in ''Nature'' performed magnetic resonance imaging scans of 11 Pokémon experts and 11 controls, finding that seeing Pokémon stimulated activity in the visual cortex, in a different place than is triggered by recognizing faces, places, or words, demonstrating the brain's ability to create such specialized areas.

Nuzlocke Challenge

A challenge called the Nuzlocke Challenge allows players to only capture the first Pokémon encountered in each area. Using rules from a webcomic originally named "Pokémon Hard-Mode", if they do not succeed in capturing that Pokémon, there are no second chances. When a Pokémon faints, it is considered "dead" and must be released or stored in the PC permanently. If the player faints, the game is considered over, and the player must restart. The original idea consisted of 2 to 3 rules that the community has built upon. There are many

fan made Fan labor, also called fan works, are the creative activities engaged in by fans, primarily those of various media properties or musical groups. These activities can include creation of written works (fiction, fan fiction and review literature), ...

''Pokémon'' games that contain a

game mode In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-sha ...

similar to the Nuzlocke Challenge, such as ''

Pokémon Uranium ''Pokémon Uranium'' is a fan-made video game based on the '' Pokémon'' series. The game was in development for nine years, and used the RPG Maker XP engine. The game adds 166 new fan-made species of Pokémon, with only 160 currently available, ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

* ** ** ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Pokemon 1990s fads and trends 1990s toys 2000s toys 2010s toys Japanese brands Mass media franchises Mass media franchises introduced in 1996 Nintendo franchises