Pokémon
| Pokémon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Creator(s) | Satoshi Tajiri |
| Owned by | Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak |
| First game | Pocket Monsters Red and Green Versions (1996, Japan) Pokémon Red and Blue Versions (1998, international) |
| Latest game | Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) |
| Other media | Anime, Manga, Trading Card Game |
| Main genre | Role-playing game |
| Official website(s) |  https://www.pokemon.com/
|
Pokémon is a portmanteau of the Japanese for "pocket monsters" and is a highly successful Japanese franchise that was introduced in the 1990s. Owned by Nintendo and developed by Game Freak, it has risen to become the second most successful video game franchise, behind Nintendo's own Mario. The main games are of the role-playing genre.
The series focuses on capturing, training, battling, collecting, and trading various monster species called Pokémon. In the franchise, people who own Pokémon are Pokémon Trainers. The most well-known Pokémon is Pikachu. Pokémon are captured with a Poké Ball and cataloged with the Pokédex. Once a Pokémon is captured, it can battle other wild Pokémon for either experience points or to weaken them enough to capture them with a Poké Ball. They can also battle other trainers, as every trainer's goal is to become the champion. Each Pokémon has one or two elemental types, and certain types trump others in a Rock-Paper-Scissors-type manner. Examples of these are the Starter Pokémon from the main series: Fire trumps Grass; Grass trumps Water; Water trumps Fire. Pikachu, a Lightning-type Pokémon and the starter of Pokémon Yellow, trumps water. In the main Pokémon series and several spinoffs, the world is explored from an aerial view, like traditional role-playing titles.
In Japan, Pokémon is referred to as Pocket Monsters. The name was changed in North America due to another franchise called Monster In My Pocket. Pokémon is a romanization of Pocket Monster.
Video games
Pokémon was originally released in Japan in 1996 as a pair of cartridges, Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green, for the original Game Boy system. Three years later, the games were released as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in the United States and worldwide. The games feature similar gameplay, differing primarily in what monsters are available in each version. New versions of the game are released periodically, typically in pairs, to introduce new monsters and take advantage of improved hardware. The main series of the franchise is separated into "generations". As of Generation VIII, there are 890 species of Pokémon available.
Players take the role of a Pokémon Trainer, seeking to capture wild Pokémon with Poké Balls, small spheres in which captured creatures live. In each game (excluding Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee), the trainer begins by selecting one of three "starter Pokémon" that are either Grass, Fire, or Water types. These Pokémon each evolve twice. The player travels across the region, challenging other trainers, raising their own Pokémon, and capturing new ones. The games normally feature a subplot in which the player, with the help of their Pokémon, foils the schemes of a criminal organization or terrorist group. The player must also challenge eight advanced trainers, known as "Gym Leaders", before they can challenge the "Elite Four" and the "League Champion", the five strongest trainers in the region. The games also challenge players to see and capture as many species as possible. However, this is difficult because different game versions have exclusive Pokémon, requiring the player to trade with others on the opposite version. Certain Pokémon deemed "Legendary" have power far superior to other Pokémon and only appear once in each game. Some Pokémon are only given in Nintendo-held events, and while most of these events give away "Mythical" Pokémon that cannot be obtained otherwise, there are many exceptions.
In a battle with a wild Pokémon or a match against a trainer, the player's Pokémon and the foe alternate using up to four learned moves, with the ultimate goal being to knock out all of the opponent's Pokémon. If the player encounters a wild Pokémon, they can attempt to capture it or run away rather than knock it out. Players cannot run away from a trainer battle or catch another trainer's Pokémon. A captured Pokémon joins the player, and this is the entire premise behind the series. However, this is not the only way a trainer can have Pokémon on his team. Pokémon can be given by in-game events (such as Eevee in the original games), an in-game trade (such as Mr. Mime), or can be hatched from an egg. Pokémon can also be bred in specialized daycare centers.
Originally, Pokémon could be classified into one or two of 15 types. This number was expanded to 17 in Generation II. This is later increased in Generation VI to 18 with the introduction of the Fairy type. Pokémon moves are further subdivided into physical and special moves, each controlled by a specialized attack and defense stat. Before the introduction of Generation IV, this split was originally based on the type of the move; however, in Generation IV, it became based on developer designation. Most moves are mono-type; however, Generation VI introduced a dual-type move, which deals different damage than a move of its two constituent types. Generation 7 introduced Z Moves, which can be used once per battle (twice after using a Roto-Power in Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon) and unleash devastating damage. To use a Z Move, a Pokémon is equipped with a Z-Crystal, and several unique Z-Crystals are used for certain species of Pokémon (like Pikachu, Lycanroc, and Mimikyu). Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield added "Dynamaxing" and "Gigantamaxing", which makes the Pokémon grow to a gigantic size and battle as a giant for a few rounds. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet introduce Terastallizing, in which Pokémon crystallize and change their type to a Tera type; moves of the same type as the Tera Type become much more powerful.
Many Pokémon, with sufficient training, use of stones, high friendship, or any other requirement, depending on the Pokémon, will spontaneously change form, developing into a larger, stronger species. This process is called "Evolution"; however, some Pokémon don't have this. Despite the term's name, it more closely resembles growing up and maturing, or the metamorphosis of insects, and has little to nothing to do with the Theory of Evolution. Many Pokémon species can evolve multiple times, and many species can only be obtained by evolving more basic ones. In addition, some Pokémon can evolve in more than one different path instead of the linear evolutionary path most Pokémon take, and a good number of Pokémon have gained the ability to evolve in a game after their introduction. Generation VI introduced a special form of evolution called "Mega Evolution". To "Mega Evolve," a Pokémon must hold its respective "Mega Stone". This process typically increases all of the Pokémon's stats except HP. Some stats may be lowered, such as in the case of Mega Garchomp, which suffers a drop in speed, in exchange for a large increase in most of its other stats. However, there are restrictions on this: Players can only have a single Mega-evolved Pokémon on their team at a time. The Pokémon also loses the ability to hold other items, which may be more useful due to certain effects, such as healing. However, this restriction does not apply to Mega Rayquaza, which only needs to know a specific move to Mega Evolve. Players may also breed their Pokémon with each other by leaving them in a daycare, where the player can eventually obtain an egg. Eggs eventually hatch into Pokémon, giving the player another option for acquiring new Pokémon. Several Pokémon in Generation VIII gain new forms when they Gigantamax, including Pikachu's Gigantamax form, which resembles the older art style from the Pokemon games when they were first released.
There are also many spinoff games, such as the Pokémon Stadium series for the Nintendo 64, in which players could put their Pokémon cartridges into special adapters and battle Pokémon in 3D. Also for the Nintendo 64 is Pokémon Snap, in which the player is a Pokémon photographer and travels around through Pokémon's habitats and snaps photos of them. Pokémon Pinball also came out for Game Boy Color, which was a pinball game in which Pokémon could also be caught to fill a Pokédex. Pokémon have also appeared in every one of Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. In the same vein as Pokémon Stadium, there are also Pokémon Colosseum (GameCube) and Pokémon Battle Revolution (Wii). There is also Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, a set of spinoff games in which a human is turned into a Pokémon and transported to a world of talking Pokémon; Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team are based on a short-lived anime of the same name.
On July 6, 2016, Pokémon GO was released for iOS and Android devices. The game has since become a massive hit, essentially breathing new life into the Pokémon franchise.
Prior to Pokémon Sword and Shield's release on the Nintendo Switch (which is primarily marketed as a home console device but has handheld capabilities), all titles within the main Pokémon series were released for handheld devices. In the first four generations, each set of games were released for a different console: Generation I titles were released for the Game Boy, Generation II titles were released for the Game Boy Color, Generation III titles were released for the Game Boy Advance, and Generation IV titles were released for the Nintendo DS. Generation V titles were also released for the Nintendo DS.
The latest game in the main series, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, was released in October 2025. Longtime players return to Kalos (the Pokémon version of France), assisting the urban development in Lumiose City (the Pokémon world's Paris) to transform the city into an environment where people and Pokémon can comfortably live. New Mega Evolutions are introduced, and Z-A players can move freely with their Pokémon in battle as opposed to the turn-based battles in the past. A DLC called "Mega Dimensions" was released two months later, revealing more Mega Evolutions.
Other media
The Pokémon video game franchise has been adapted into various other media. In 1997, it was adapted into a Japanese children's anime series that follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japan) and his friends, along with their Pokémon. The program is notable for an episode, aired only in Japan, in which flashing lights from one monster's attack triggered seizures in hundreds of viewers. Several films based on the series have been produced and released worldwide.[1][2] The first-ever live-action Pokémon movie - Pokémon: Detective Pikachu - was released in 2019 and stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular electric rodent, adapted from the video game of the same name. [3].
The franchise also spawned a collectible "trading card game" in which players duel using special decks consisting of cards representing different Pokémon species, as well as energy cards that allow Pokémon to use their battle techniques and trainer cards that have special effects that influence the flow of battle. The game uses mechanics adapted from the video game and features characters from the video game and from the anime.[4]
Overall, the franchise, including the games, anime, various manga, and trading card games, is the highest-grossing media franchise ever, surpassing even Star Wars.
References
- ↑ Pokemon.com, The Official Pokémon Website
- ↑ The New York Times; TV Cartoon's Flashes Send 700 Japanese Into Seizures
- ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884052/
- ↑ Go-Pokemon.com (English). The Official Pokémon TCG and OP Website.
