Pokémon
Pokémon
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This article is about the media franchise as a whole. For the video game series, see Pokémon (video game series). For the animated series, see Pokémon (TV series). For a list of creatures known as "Pokémon", see List of Pokémon. For other uses, see Pokémon (disambiguation).
Pokémon
International franchise logo
- Created bySatoshi Tajiri
Original workPocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (1996)OwnerNintendo
Creatures
Game FreakYears1996–presentPrint publicationsComicsSee list of Pokémon mangaFilms and televisionFilm(s)See list of Pokémon filmsAnimated seriesPokémon (1997–present)GamesTraditionalPokémon Trading Card GameVideo game(s)Pokémon video game seriesOfficial websiteOfficial hub
Pokémon[a] is a Japanese media franchise consisting of video games, animated series and films, a trading card game, and other related media. The franchise takes place in a shared universe in which humans co-exist with creatures known as Pokémon, a large variety of species endowed with special powers. The franchise's target audience is children aged 5 to 12,[1] but it is known to attract people of all ages.[2][3][4][5]
The franchise originated as a pair of role-playing games developed by Game Freak, from an original concept by its founder, Satoshi Tajiri. Released on the Game Boy on February 27, 1996, the games became sleeper hits and were followed by manga series, a trading card game, and anime series and films. From 1998 to 2000, Pokémon was exported to the rest of the world, creating an unprecedented global phenomenon dubbed "Pokémania". By 2002, the craze had ended, after which Pokémon became a fixture in popular culture, with new products being released to this day. In the summer of 2016, the franchise spawned a second craze with the release of Pokémon Go, an augmented reality game developed by Niantic. Pokémon has since been estimated to be the world's highest-grossing media franchise and one of the best-selling video game franchises.
Pokémon has an uncommon ownership structure.[6] Unlike most IPs, which are owned by one company, Pokémon is jointly owned by three: Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures.[7] Game Freak develops the core series role-playing games, which are published by Nintendo exclusively for their consoles, while Creatures manages the trading card game and related merchandise, occasionally developing spin-off titles. The three companies established The Pokémon Company (TPC) in 1998 to manage the Pokémon property within Asia. The Pokémon anime series and films are co-owned by Shogakukan. Since 2009, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi) subsidiary of TPC has managed the franchise in all regions outside of Asia.[8]
Name
The original full name of the franchise is Pocket Monsters (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā), which has been commonly abbreviated to Pokemon (ポケモン) since its launch. When the franchise was released internationally, the short form of the title was used, with an acute accent (´) over the e to aid in pronunciation.[9]
Pokémon refers to both the franchise itself and the creatures within its fictional universe. As a noun, it is identical in both the singular and plural, as is every individual species name;[10] it is grammatically correct to say "one Pokémon" and "many Pokémon", as well as "one Pikachu" and "many Pikachu". In English, Pokémon may be pronounced either /'powkɛmon/ (poe-keh-mon) or /'powkɪmon/ (poe-key-mon).[11]
General concept
Main article: Gameplay of Pokémon
The Pokémon franchise is set in a world in which humans coexist with creatures known as Pokémon. Pokémon Red and Blue contain 151 Pokémon species, with new ones being added in subsequent games; as of January 2024, 1,025 Pokémon species have been introduced.[b] Most Pokémon are inspired by real-world animals;[12] for example, Pikachu are a yellow mouse-like species[13] with lightning bolt-shaped tails[14] that possess electrical abilities.[15]
The player character takes the role of a Pokémon Trainer. The Trainer has three primary goals: travel and explore the Pokémon world; discover and catch each Pokémon species in order to complete their Pokédex; and train a team of up to six Pokémon at a time and have them engage in battles. Most Pokémon can be caught with spherical devices known as Poké Balls. Once the opposing Pokémon is sufficiently weakened, the Trainer throws the Poké Ball against the Pokémon, which is then transformed into a form of energy and transported into the device. Once the catch is successful, the Pokémon is tamed and is under the Trainer's command from then on. If the Poké Ball is thrown again, the Pokémon re-materializes into its original state. The Trainer's Pokémon can engage in battles against opposing Pokémon, including those in the wild or owned by other Trainers. Because the franchise is aimed at children, these battles are never presented as overtly violent and contain no blood or gore.[I] Pokémon never die in battle, instead fainting upon being defeated.[20][21][22]
After a Pokémon wins a battle, it gains experience points.[23] After gaining a certain amount of it, the Pokémon levels up, and its statistics rise. As its level increases, the Pokémon learns new offensive and defensive moves to use in battle.[24][25] Furthermore, many species can undergo a form of spontaneous metamorphosis called Pokémon evolution, and transform into stronger forms.[26] Most Pokémon will evolve at a certain level, while others evolve through different means, such as exposure to a certain item.[27]
History
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Pokémon.
Origins
The main idea behind Pokémon was conceived by Satoshi Tajiri. Tajiri grew up in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo. In his youth, he enjoyed discovering and catching insects and other small creatures in the various ponds and fields that surrounded his town.[28][29] As Japan's economic miracle occurred, many cities, including Machida, were significantly expanded. As a consequence, Machida's nature was largely destroyed. In his second year of junior high school,[30][31] an arcade hall opened in Tajiri's neighborhood, introducing him to video games. While studying electrical engineering at Tokyo College of Technology [ja], Tajiri began publishing a doujinshi magazine titled Game Freak.[32] The title was inspired by the 1932 film Freaks, which Tajiri was fascinated with at the time.[33] He self-published the first issue of the magazine in March 1983, at the age of 17.[34][35] At the time, magazines specializing in video games did not yet exist in Japan, allowing Game Freak to fill a gap in the market.[36][37] Concurrently, Tajiri was contacted by aspiring manga artist Ken Sugimori, who became Game Freak's illustrator.[38] Game Freak folded in the late 1980s,[34] by which point Tajiri had become a respected game journalist in Japan's fledgling video game industry.[39]
Tajiri's knowledge of video games brought him into contact with Tsunekazu Ishihara. Ishihara had studied Arts and Science at Tsukuba University, and was trained in CGI. After working in advertising for two years, Ishihara joined a company named Sedic in 1983, which created video graphics and software,[40] including one video game, Otocky (1987).[41][42] As video games grew in popularity, Sedic also produced a number of game-related television shows for Fuji Television's late-night slot.[40] In his job as a TV producer, Ishihara befriended Tajiri, as well as Shigesato Itoi, who would later become CEO of Ape, Inc.[43][44] Ishihara was also the general director of the world's first gaming encyclopedia: TV Games: Encyclopedia of Video Games (テレビゲーム―電視遊戯大全, Terebigēmu ― Denshi Yūgi Taizen).[45][46] Hatakeyama & Kubo (2000) wrote that, at the time, Ishihara was probably the most well-connected man in the industry,[47] with a knowledge of games "beyond comparison".[48] Ishihara was also interested in playing cards,[49][50] and contributed to the development of at least three simple card games designed by Itoi for Ape.[c]
In 1986, Tajiri, Sugimori, and a few other enthusiasts started an informal development team called Game Freak, named after the magazine it grew out of. Over the next few years, they independently developed the puzzle game Quinty, working on it alongside school or their regular jobs.[57] However, no one within the group knew how to make the game's music. After consulting all his contacts, Tajiri got in touch with Junichi Masuda, who became the group's composer.[58] Quinty was finished in 1989, and published by Namco.[59] Tajiri officially incorporated Game Freak Co., Ltd. on April 26, 1989.[60]
1989–1995: Development of Red & Green
Further information: Pokémon Red and Blue § Development
Two original Game Boys connected with a Game Link Cable
Tajiri started to think of what was to become Pokemon while completing Quinty, and before he officially founded Game Freak. Around this time, Nintendo announced the upcoming release of the Game Boy, a handheld console that would revolutionize the gaming industry. Tajiri learned that the device would have a link port, and with the corresponding Game Link Cable, two Game Boys could be linked together.[61] Sometime later, Tajiri remembered an incident while playing Dragon Quest II (1987), a role-playing game (RPG) for the Famicom (NES). The game features randomly appearing items of varying rarity, including an extremely rare item called Mysterious Hat.[d] Tajiri did not encounter any, while Ken Sugimori, who was also playing the game, encountered two. Upon recalling this experience, Tajiri realized that the cable now made it possible to transfer things from one cartridge to another.[II] He noted that, until then, the Game Link Cable was only used for competing, but not for something else.[66] Combining this inspiration with his memories of catching insects and other small species, Tajiri's idea would eventually evolve into a virtual recreation of his boyhood experiences,[67] and an attempt to "regain the world that he had lost".[68] He would later state that the game represents "the story of a boy's summer day".[69]
Gashapon capsules have been cited as an inspiration for Pokemon.
Tajiri and the Game Freak staff began pondering over a game centered on capturing creatures of differing rarity. Since the Game Boy is a portable device, these creatures could then be exchanged with other players in real life. Once the player has caught a creature, it was to be stored in miniaturized form in a special capsule. This facet of the game was inspired by Ultraseven, a tokusatsu show that Tajiri had enjoyed as a child.[13] The series' titular character owns a number of capsules containing miniaturized kaiju (monsters), which come out and return to their original sizes when the capsule is thrown into mid-air. Kaiju media in general were an important influence on Pokemon, as many Game Freak staff members had grown up with them.[63][70] Other influences that have been cited by Tajiri include: gashapon, capsules with toy figures in them that can be drawn from vending machines;[71][72] collectible cards, such as baseball cards, Ultraman cards and menko;[III] The Final Fantasy Legend (1989), the first RPG for the Game Boy;[77] and petting in Japan, with Tajiri noting that having Pokemon is similar to having pets.[78] Tajiri initially named his project Capsule Monsters, which GF's staff commonly shortened to Capumon.[79] However, it later turned out that the term Capsule Monsters could not be trademarked, and it was subsequently decided to call the game Pocket Monsters, which became Pokemon. According to Tomisawa (2000), the phrase "Capsule Monsters" was already registered.[79] According to Hatakeyama & Kubo (2000), the word "capsule" could not be used in the trademark.[80] Tomisawa (2000) states that the Game Freak staff then came up with several alternatives, before someone within the team suggested "Pocket Monsters".[79]
In March 1989, Nintendo co-founded Ape, Inc. with Itoi. Ape's principal work was Mother (1989), a role-playing game written by Itoi, but it was also founded with the intent to give outside talent a chance to pitch new, innovative games.[44][49] At the time, Ape was housed in the same Kanda-Sudachō office building as Nintendo, located in Tokyo.[81] Ishihara, a friend of both Itoi and Tajiri, was involved with Ape's management (and would become its vice-president in 1991).[44][47] Tajiri's relationship with Ishihara prompted Tajiri to present his idea for Pokemon at Ape's office.[82][83] Present during Tajiri's pitch was Takashi Kawaguchi, who worked at Nintendo's General Affairs Department and was also a manager at Ape.[49][84] Kawaguchi brought the idea to Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, who reportedly said: "This is it. This is the idea I've been waiting for."[85] By pure coincidence, Ishihara had come up with an idea for a game similar to that of Tajiri, and around the same time was discussing it with Ape. This game, Toto, involved "using the Game Boy as an insect cage". GF and Ape subsequently agreed to merge their projects together.[86] According to Tajiri, the two teams initially collaborated on the project, but the work proved difficult, one of the reasons being that Ape was busy developing EarthBound.[87][88] Tajiri eventually figured that "rather than working with Ape, we had to do something on our own, or the project would never get finished".[87] Ape, Inc. is not credited on the final product.
The development contract was signed at the beginning of 1990, with a planned delivery of the game in October.[89] Tajiri directed the project, working under Ishihara.[90] Ishihara was the producer – he managed the budget, staff, and work schedule, monitored the game's overall progress, and served as a liaison between Game Freak and Nintendo.[86][91] Ishihara also contributed ideas to the development,[50] and helped with debugging.[92][93] Sugimori was in charge of the graphics and character design.[94] Masuda created all music and sound effects, and did part of the programming.[95] The budget that Nintendo granted to Game Freak was low.[89] Thus, Pocket Monsters was initially planned as a small, compact game, based primarily around Tajiri's core idea of exchanging.[77][96] However, as development progressed, GF's ideas and ambitions for Pokemon grew.[77] They soon realized that the game they were beginning to envision would not be easy to make. Sugimori admitted that, at the time, no one at GF had much knowledge of RPGs. "We thought we could handle it, but as we began working, we realized it was going to be tough", he acknowledged.[97] Pokemon was suspended indefinitely, and GF turned their focus on other titles (see Game Freak § Games).
After the game's initial development phase in 1990 and '91,[98] the staff "tinkered with it from time to time", as Sugimori put it.[99] For instance, by October 1992, a large number of Pokemon had been designed, and a poll was held that month among all staff members to gauge the popularity of the different species. Several more such votes followed to determine collectively which Pokemon should be included.[100] Still, development had mostly come to a halt until the summer of 1994, after the release of Pulseman, upon which Tajiri decided it was time to make a serious effort towards finishing Pokemon.[101] By this point, Game Freak's experience had grown considerably. Over the years, a number of new staff members had been added to the company. One of them was Atsuko Nishida, a graphic designer who created Pikachu, among others.[102][103][104] Ishihara used his knowledge of card games to add more depth to the battle system, and among other things suggested Pokemon types. Ishihara also came up with the idea of the Pokedex, a portable encyclopedic device which players can use to keep track of the Pokemon they caught.[50] Throughout the years, Tajiri had several conversations with Shigeru Miyamoto,[105] Nintendo's top game designer who Tajiri described as a mentor figure.[13] Although, in a 2018 retrospect, Miyamoto downplayed his role in advising Tajiri, and stated that his contributions to Pokemon were in fact limited.[106] Miyamoto did, however, suggest the use of different colored cartridges for the game, in response to Tajiri's and Ishihara's musings about making each playthrough slightly different, as to 'individualize' the player's experience.[107] According to Tajiri, "five or seven colors" were considered,[108] but they eventually settled on two: a Red version and a Green version. Both games were identical, but each had Pokemon not found in the other, encouraging players to socialize and trade to complete their collection.[107]
Ishihara aspired to create video games of his own.[109] As Pocket Monsters Red and Green were nearing completion, Ishihara founded Creatures, Inc. on November 8, 1995. Upon founding, the company was housed in the same Kanda-Sudachō office building as Nintendo, located in Tokyo.[110] Co-ownership of the Pokemon property, which Ishihara helped create, was subsequently assigned to Creatures. This resulted in Pokemon having three legal owners: Game Freak, the main developer; Creatures, representing producer Ishihara; and Nintendo, the publisher. Anne Allison (2006) wrote that Nintendo also bought Pokemon after it was finished.[111] Hatakeyama & Kubo (2000) noted that the ownership structure of Pokemon is uncommon.[112] They wrote that "Pokemon is probably the only property in the world today for which the original rights are not concentrated in a single company", like The Walt Disney Company does with their IPs.[112] Tajiri and Ishihara did consider merging Game Freak and Creatures at one point. However, Tajiri decided against it because he feared it would erase what he had built up since he was a teenager. "I felt threatened by the idea of changing how Game Freak was operating, and starting back over with Mr. Ishihara", he said. "It was an identity problem. If Game Freak ceased to exist, then so would I". Tajiri noted that, since Game Freak and Creatures both focus on Pokemon, it sometimes felt more like different departments than different companies.[82]
Pocket Monsters Red and Green were finally finished in December 1995.[113] A release date of December 21, 1995 was announced,[114] but missed. After sufficient cartridges, manuals and packages had been manufactured, the pair of games ended up being published on February 27, 1996. However, the property was copyrighted in 1995, and "© 1995" is shown on the title screens[115] and cartridges.[116] This year is since used on the copyright notice[7] seen on many Pokemon products, even though no actual Pokemon product was released in 1995.[117]
1996–1998: Rise in Japan
Release of Red & Green
Nintendo had no high expectations of Pocket Monsters Red and Green, and media largely ignored the game(s).[118] By 1996, the seven-year-old Game Boy console was considered yesterday's news and near the end of its lifecycle.[119][120][121] On the other hand, new Game Boys continued to be manufactured and sold.[122] The console was widespread and, due to its age, affordable to children.[119][123] Also, the Game Boy had experienced a small revival in Japan in 1995 due to the success of Mario's Picross. Coincidentally, this game was directed by Ishihara, and co-developed by Ape. The popularity of Mario's Picross inspired Nintendo to develop the Game Boy Pocket,[124] a slimmer and improved version of the Game Boy, released in Japan on July 21, 1996.[125] Because of the timing, some were under the impression that the Game Boy Pocket was made to promote Pocket Monsters, but this was in fact a coincidence that would end up benefiting both.[126]
CoroCoro manga, Mew lottery
Two media channels that would play important roles in the Pokemon franchise were the CoroCoro Comic, released monthly, and its sister magazine Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic, released bi-monthly. Both manga magazines are published by Shogakukan, a long-time business partner of Nintendo, and have featured manga based on Nintendo properties (e.g. Super Mario-kun, Kirby of the Stars, Donkey Kong). At the time of Pokemon's release, the main CoroCoro magazine was read by one in four elementary school students.[127] CoroCoro's deputy editor-in-chief was Masakazu Kubo [ja]. On Ishihara's suggestion,[128] Kubo commissioned the creation of a Pocket Monsters manga. Written and drawn by Kosaku Anakubo [ja], its first chapter was featured in the March/April issue of Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic, released on February 28, 1996, one day after the release of Red and Green.[129] Shogakukan, which frequently surveys their target groups, determined that the Pocket Monsters manga was well received.[130]
To further promote Red and Green, the May issue of CoroCoro, released on April 15, 1996, announced the "Legendary Pokemon Offer", centered around a mysterious, secret Pokemon called Mew.[131][132] Mew was a last-minute addition to Red & Green. It is unobtainable in the game(s) through usual means, and was intended to be used at a later point in some post-launch activity.[133] To participate in the promotion, CoroCoro readers had to send in a postcard, and from the entrants, 20 were selected at random. The winners then had to send in their cartridge so that Mew could be uploaded onto it. The lottery was a success and increased word-of-mouth.[119][133] By September, sales of Red and Green had surpassed 1 million units.[134]
Pokemon Blue
After the release of Pokemon Red and Green, Game Freak continued to grow, and a number of new employees were hired. For training purposes, they were ordered to study and make bug fixes to the source code of Red & Green, and to create new sprites for it.[135] The upgraded version was dubbed Pokemon Blue. It was originally not meant to be sold. Only a small number of handmade copies were made, intended as a special gift to "20 to 100 people".[136] After Kubo learned of it, he encouraged Tajiri and Ishihara to allow an official release of Blue. President Hiroshi Yamauchi initially rejected this, fearing it would confuse people into believing it was an entirely new Pokemon game. Kawaguchi then suggested an alternative, which Yamauchi agreed with: Blue would not receive a normal retail release, but would be made available only through mail order for a limited time as a special offer.[137] It was announced in the November issue of CoroCoro, which explicitly stated that Blue was not a new game, but rather a special, limited edition to celebrate the sale of 1 million copies of Red and Green.[132] The offer was a surprisingly big success: 300,000 units were expected to be sold, but over 600,000 were ordered.[138][139]
Trading card game launched
The Pokemon Trading Card Game was one of the first collectible card games (CCGs) developed in Japan. Its creation was influenced by Magic: The Gathering, the first CCG in history.[140][141][142] Indeed, the Pokemon Trading Card Game can be considered a simplified version of Magic.[143][144] First released in the United States in 1993, Magic had gained popularity not just in North America and Europe, but also in Asia.[145] Ishihara was fond of playing cards,[50] and had contributed to the development of at least three simple card games designed by Shigesato Itoi and released through Ape, Inc.[c] At the time, Ishihara was particularly interested in Magic: The Gathering.[140] While developing the Pokemon RPG, he realized that the concept behind it could be adapted into a Magic-like CCG.[49] The Pokemon Card Game was designed by Ishihara,[146] Akihiko Miura, Kōichi Ōyama, and Takumi Akabane.[147] All were former staff members of Ape and had previously worked on EarthBound (1994): Miura was the game's main designer, Ōyama was its art director, and Akabane was one of its chief debuggers.[148]
While card games have a long history in Japan, a collectible card game was a relatively new concept there, and at the time not widely known.[149] Because of this, Ishihara had difficulties finding distributors. Sometime in 1995, Ishihara pitched the card game to Nintendo. They agreed to have the cards manufactured, subcontracting an unidentified printing company. However, Nintendo did not want the hassle of having to develop a distribution system from the ground up, i.e. finding retailers willing to sell a CCG.[150] Ishihara was then contacted by Satoshi Kayama, director of a small firm called Media Factory. Like Ishihara, Kayama was a fan of card games. He felt that CCGs would soon rise to prominence in Japan, and had been gathering information on the possibility of developing such a game in some form. When Kayama heard that Creatures had developed a CCG, he contacted Ishihara and offered to distribute it, signing the contract near the end of 1995.[151]
