Pokémon

{{Short description|Japanese media franchise}} {{About|the media franchise as a whole|a list of creatures known as "Pokémon"|List of Pokémon|other uses}} {{pp-semi-indef}} {{pp-move}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox media franchise | image = International Pokémon logo.svg | caption = International franchise logo | creator = Satoshi Tajiri | origin = ''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Pocket Monsters Green'' (1996) | owner = The Pokémon Company{{efn|The Pokémon Company is owned by parent companies Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak,<ref name="Legal" /> who jointly own the trademark in Japan, while Nintendo owns the trademark internationally, including in countries where The Pokémon Company International operates. The anime series is owned by Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, and JR Kikaku,<ref name="Anime"/> while the anime films are owned by Pikachu Project, a joint venture between The Pokémon Company, TV Tokyo, and ShoPro.<ref name="Movies" />}} | years = 1996–present | comics = See list of ''Pokémon'' manga | films = See list of ''Pokémon'' films | atv = ''Pokémon'' (1997–present) | games = ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' | vgs = ''Pokémon'' video game series | website = {{Official website|url=https://www.portal-pokemon.com/|name=Official hub}} }} {{Nihongo foot|'''''Pokémon'''''|ポケモン|Pokemon|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha|post={{efn|Pronunciation: {{IPAc-en|'|p|oʊ|k|ə|m|ɒ|n}} {{respell|POH|kə|mon}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|-|k|i|-|,_|-|k|eɪ|-}} {{respell|-|kee|-|,_|-|kay|-}}.}}}} 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 the eponymous creatures, a large variety of species which have special powers. The franchise's primary target audience is children aged 5 to 12,<ref>{{Citation | first=Makoto | last=Kimura | title=ポケットモンスター（1996～1998）| trans-title=Pocket Monsters (1996–1998) | date=27 February 2006 | publisher=Waseda University | version=2nd version | url=http://www.waseda.jp/prj-riim/RIIM-Case_Pokemon-2006_2nd_ver.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106173005/http://www.waseda.jp/prj-riim/RIIM-Case_Pokemon-2006_2nd_ver.pdf | archive-date=6 January 2018 | url-status=dead | quote=ポケモンの主要顧客層は 5～12 歳の少年少女である。 | trans-quote=Pokémon's main customer base is boys and girls aged 5 to 12.}}</ref> but it is known to attract people of all ages.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite book | first=Akihito | last=Tomisawa | title=ゲームフリーク: 遊びの世界標準を塗り替えるクリエイティブ集団 | trans-title=Game Freak: A Creative Group That Redefines the Global Standard for Gaming | date=1 September 2000 | publisher=Media Factory | isbn=978-4840101189 | pages=138–139 | quote=やがて、どうせ子供向けのゲー厶だろう、と見向きもしなかつた大人たちまでが手を出しはじめた。 | trans-quote=Soon, the game was even picked up by adults, who initially didn't pay attention to it because they considered it a children's game.}}</ref><ref name="Mcfarland-1999">{{Cite news | first1=Melanie | last1=Mcfarland | first2=D.H. | last2=Parvaz | title=Are Your Children Nuts About Little Cartoon Creatures From Japan? Don't Know Why? The Diagnosis Is Simple: Pokemon Fever | work=The Seattle Times | date=11 April 1999 | url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19990411&slug=2954422 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508154229/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19990411&slug=2954422 | archive-date=8 May 2023 | url-status=live | quote=And yes, there are plenty of adult fans as well.}}</ref><ref name="Lockridge-1999">{{Cite web | first=Rick | last=Lockridge | title=Pokemon mania sweeps United States | website=CNN | date=14 October 1999 | url=http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9910/14/t_t/pokemon.tt/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020205225320/http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9910/14/t_t/pokemon.tt/index.html | archive-date=5 February 2002 | url-status=dead | quote=Some grown-ups admit they enjoy the game themselves.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Ishaan | last=Sahdev | title=Pokémon's Audience Is Growing Older | website=Siliconera | date=1 December 2014 | url=https://www.siliconera.com/pokemons-audience-growing-older/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120010747/https://www.siliconera.com/pokemons-audience-growing-older/ | archive-date=20 January 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Helen | last=Zhao | title=Pokemon Go attracts diverse crowd of gamers, study suggests | website=Los Angeles Times | date=18 July 2016 | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-pokemon-demographics-20160718-snap-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512025330/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tn-pokemon-demographics-20160718-snap-story.html | archive-date=12 May 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Ryan | last=Mac | title=More Women Than Men Are Playing 'Pokémon GO' – By A Lot | website=Forbes | date=26 July 2016 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/07/26/more-women-than-men-are-playing-pokemon-go-by-a-lot/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205150113/https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/07/26/more-women-than-men-are-playing-pokemon-go-by-a-lot/ | archive-date=5 February 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Chris | last=Kerr | title=Nintendo says Pokemon players are now older than ever | website=Gamasutra | date=2 February 2017 | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/nintendo-says-i-pokemon-i-players-are-now-older-than-ever | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105230326/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/290666/Nintendo_says_Pokemon_players_are_now_older_than_ever.php | archive-date=5 November 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first=Quentin | last=Gervasoni | chapter=Is Pokémon for children? How fan participation and transmedia practices transform age boundaries of audiences | page=150 | chapter-url=https://hal.science/hal-03905727v1 | editor-first1=Valérie-Inés | editor-last1=De la Ville | editor-first2=Pascale | editor-last2=Garnier | editor-first3=Gilles | editor-last3=Brougère | title=Cultural and Creative Industries of Childhood and Youth: An interdisciplinary exploration of new frontiers | url=https://www.peterlang.com/document/1059203 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131160300/https://www.peterlang.com/document/1059203 | archive-date=31 January 2023 | url-status=live | publisher=Peter Lang Group | date=22 January 2021 | isbn=9782807616011 | doi=10.3726/b17816}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Ari | last=Notis | title=The Pokémon Company Knows Fans Want More 'Grown-Up' Games | website=Kotaku | date=11 November 2021 | url=https://kotaku.com/the-pokemon-company-knows-fans-want-more-grown-up-gam-1848039926 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607152827/https://kotaku.com/the-pokemon-company-knows-fans-want-more-grown-up-gam-1848039926 | archive-date=7 June 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref>}} ''Pokémon'' is estimated to be the world's highest-grossing media franchise, with the video games in particular being among the best-selling.

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 27 February 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 releasing to this day. In 2016, the franchise spawned a second craze with the release of the AR game ''Pokémon Go'', developed by Niantic.

The franchise is managed by the Pokémon Company (TPC), which was established in 2000{{efn|The Pokémon Company was established in 1998 as Pokémon Center Co. Ltd., but they only served to operate Pokémon Center stores prior to the company's restructuring and renaming in 2000.}} by the joint owners of the franchise: original video game series publisher Nintendo, Trading Card Game developer Creatures, and Game Freak.<ref name="Legal">{{Cite web | title=Legal Information | url=https://www.pokemon.com/us/legal/ | website=pokemon.com | access-date=27 June 2023 | archive-date=10 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310021718/https://www.pokemon.com/us/legal/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The three companies also own the anime series alongside TV Tokyo, ShoPro, and JR Kikaku,<ref name="Anime">{{Cite web|title=ポケットモンスターテレビ東京アニメ公式|url=https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/pocketmonster2023/|website=tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/pocketmonster2023/|access-date=29 April 2026}}</ref> and Pikachu Project, a joint venture between The Pokémon Company, TV Tokyo, and ShoPro, owns the anime films.<ref name="Movies">{{Cite web|title=ポケモン映画公式サイト「劇場版ポケットモンスターココ」|url=https://www.pokemon-movie.jp/|website=pokemon-movie.jp/|access-date=29 April 2026}}</ref> Since 2009, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), a subsidiary of TPC, has managed the franchise in all regions outside Asia.<ref name="Daswani-2009">{{Cite web | first=Mansha | last=Daswani | title=Pokémon Merges North American, European Operations | date=9 April 2009 | website=WorldScreen.com | url=http://worldscreen.com/articles/display/20547 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413121437/http://worldscreen.com/articles/display/20547 | archive-date=13 April 2009 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="About us">{{Cite web | title=The Pokémon Company International – About Us | url=https://corporate.pokemon.com/en-gb/about/ | website=corporate.pokemon.com | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0428-2118-20/https://corporate.pokemon.com:443/en-gb/about/ | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live | quote=The Pokémon Company International manages the property outside of Asia}}</ref>

==Name== The original full name of the franchise is {{Nihongo|'''''Pocket Monsters'''''|ポケットモンスター|''Poketto Monsutā''}}, which has been commonly abbreviated to {{Nihongo|''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.<ref name="Tsukayama-2016">{{Cite web  | first=Hayley | last=Tsukayama | title=Meet the man who made Pokémon an international phenomenon | date=4 August 2016 | website=The Washington Post | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/04/meet-the-man-who-made-pokemon-an-international-phenomenon/ | url-access=registration | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805235537/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/08/04/meet-the-man-who-made-pokemon-an-international-phenomenon/ | archive-date=5 August 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

''Pokémon'' refers to both the franchise itself and the eponymous creatures. As a noun, it is identical in both the singular and plural, as is every individual species name.<ref name="Baylis-1999">{{Cite news | first=Jamie | last=Baylis | title=Invasion Of Pokemon | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=29 August 1999 | page=H01 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1999/08/29/invasion-of-pokemon/6362bbf5-c6ab-4bc1-a9e1-6b99e982e737/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123064733/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1999/08/29/invasion-of-pokemon/6362bbf5-c6ab-4bc1-a9e1-6b99e982e737/ | archive-date=23 January 2025 | url-status=live | quote=Pokemon is at once plural and singular.}}</ref> Thus, it is grammatically correct to say "one Pokémon" and "many Pokémon", as well as "one Pikachu" and "many Pikachu".<ref>{{Cite Dictionary.com|Pokémon}}</ref>

==General concept== {{See also|Pokémon (video game series)#Gameplay{{!}}''Pokémon'' (video game series) § Gameplay}}

The ''Pokémon'' franchise takes place in a shared universe in which humans co-exist with creatures known as Pokémon. The original pair of games feature 151 Pokémon species, with new ones being added in subsequent games; as of early 2026, 1,025 Pokémon species have been introduced.{{efn|This count excludes Mega Evolutions, Dynamax, Gigantamax, regional variants, and other forms. These are not considered separate species of Pokémon, but variations of existing ones.}} Most Pokémon are based on real-life animals or mythical creatures from folklore.<ref>{{Cite web | last=Stalberg | first=Allison | date=26 September 2020 | title=13 Pokemon You Didn't Know Were Inspired By Real Life Animals | url=https://gamerant.com/pokemon-inspired-by-real-animals/ | website=Game Rant | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251001045219/https://gamerant.com/pokemon-inspired-by-real-animals/ | archive-date=1 October 2025 | url-status=live}}</ref> For example, Pikachu are a yellow, mouse-like species with tails shaped as lightning bolts, able to blast powerful electric charges through the air.<ref>''Ruby'' and ''Emerald'' Pokédex entries on Pikachu:<br />{{Cite video game | title=Pokémon Ruby | developer=Game Freak, Creatures | publisher=Nintendo | date=19 March 2003 | platform=Game Boy Advance | quote=No 156 - PIKACHU - MOUSE POKÉMON. Whenever Pikachu comes across something new, it blasts it with a jolt of electricity. If you come across a blackened berry, it's evidence that this Pokémon mistook the intensity of its charge.}}<br />{{Cite video game | title=Pokémon Emerald | developer=Game Freak, Creatures | publisher=Nintendo | date=1 May 2005 | platform=Game Boy Advance | quote=No 156 - PIKACHU - MOUSE POKÉMON. It stores electricity in the electric sacs on its cheeks. When it releases pent-up energy in a burst, the electric power is equal to a lightning bolt.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last=York | first=Marc | date=15 April 2022 | title=Did Pikachu Ever Have a Black Tail – Or Did Everyone Imagine It? | url=https://www.cbr.com/pikachu-black-tail-belief-theory/ | website=CBR | quote=This famous Pokémon has two brown horizontal stripes on its back and a brown base to its lightning-bolt-shaped tail. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251001045222/https://www.cbr.com/pikachu-black-tail-belief-theory/ | archive-date=1 October 2025 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | last=Caddick | first=Joseph | date=21 January 2023 | title=Pikachu Vs Raichu: Which Electric-type Pokémon Is Really Best | url=https://screenrant.com/pikachu-raichu-electric-type-pokemon-best-stronger/ | website=Screen Rant}}</ref>

right|thumb|120px|Poké Balls are used to capture Pokémon. The player character takes the role of a Pokémon Trainer. The Trainer has three primary aims: travel and explore the Pokémon world; discover and catch a specimen of each Pokémon species in order to complete their Pokédex; and train a team of Pokémon and have them engage in battles.<ref>''Pokémon'' ''[https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Diamond Diamond]'' and ''[https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Pearl Pearl]'' instruction booklets. Nintendo of America. 2007. p. 5. Archived ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250829184647/https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Diamond 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20250829184647/https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Pearl 2]) from the original on 29 August 2025. "'''OBJECT OF THE GAME ● Set out for adventure in the Sinnoh region!''' The Sinnoh region is filled with many strange and mysterious wonders. Your adventure will mature you as a trainer and have you cross paths with many people. (...) '''● Catch Many Different Pokémon!''' Your goal is to complete your Pokédex by collecting lots of different kinds of Pokémon. (...) '''● Become the Best Trainer Ever!''' Another goal is to improve your skills as a Pokémon Trainer."</ref><ref>''Pokémon'' ''[https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Black Black]'' and ''[https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_White White]'' instruction booklets. Nintendo of America. 2011. p. 8. Archived ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250905110336/https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_Black 1], [https://web.archive.org/web/20250905110335/https://csassets.nintendo.com/noaext/image/private/t_KA_PDF/DS_Pokemon_White 2]) from the original on 5 September 2025. "'''OBJECT OF THE GAME ⬡ Set Out for Adventure in the Unova Region!''' In the massive Unova region, you will find everything from a sprawling metropolis, lined with skyscrapers, to a vast wilderness, full of greenery. The ultimate goal of your adventure is to cross paths with many people and cooperate with Pokémon to shine as a Pokémon Trainer. '''⬡ Meet and Catch Many Different Pokémon!''' Something to work toward in the game is to complete your Unova Pokédex by meeting and catching as many different kinds of Pokémon as you can. (...) '''⬡ Become the Best Trainer Ever!''' Also, you’ll want to improve your skills as a Pokémon Trainer."</ref><ref>{{Cite web | author=Nintendo of America | title=Trainers Guide – The Goals of a Pokémon Trainer | website=Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl official website | url=https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/#:~:text=The%20Goals%20of%20a%20Pok%C3%A9mon%20Trainer | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0428-2134-37/https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com:443/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/ | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live | quote=When you first begin your adventure in ''Pokémon Brilliant Diamond'' or ''Pokémon Shining Pearl'', you’ll be able to choose your language, name, and appearance. Then, this stylish new you will be unleashed in the rugged, mysterious, and Pokémon-filled region of Sinnoh. These games are not a straightforward intro-to-ending affair—unless, of course, that’s all you want them to be. Trainers here can pursue many different paths to glorys.}}</ref> 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. If the catch is successful, the Pokémon is tamed and under the Trainer's command from then on. If the Poké Ball is thrown again, the Pokémon re-materializes into its original state.<ref>{{Cite web | author=Nintendo of America | title=Trainers Guide – Battling to Catch Wild Pokémon | website=Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl official website | url=https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/battling/#:~:text=Battling%20to%20Catch%20Wild%20Pok%C3%A9mon | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0428-2137-22/https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com:443/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/battling/ | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live | quote=One thing that makes encounters with wild Pokémon so interesting is the opportunity to catch and add them to your team. When trying to catch a wild Pokémon, your goal is not to knock it out but to weaken it so that it’s easier to catch. (...) Once a wild Pokémon is weakened, it’s time to reach into your Bag and grab a Poké Ball.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Alexandria | last=Turney | date=19 August 2020 | title=Pokémon Theory: How Poké Balls REALLY Work | website=Screen Rant | url=https://screenrant.com/pokemon-poke-balls-energy-inside-capture-fan-theory/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123034811/https://screenrant.com/pokemon-poke-balls-energy-inside-capture-fan-theory/ | archive-date=23 January 2025 | url-status=live}}</ref> The Trainer's Pokémon can engage in battles against opposing Pokémon, including those in the wild or owned by other Trainers.<ref>{{Cite web | author=Nintendo of America | title=Trainers Guide – Challenges from Other Trainers | website=Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl official website | url=https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/battling/#:~:text=Challenges%20from%20Other%20Trainers | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0428-2137-22/https://diamondpearl.pokemon.com:443/en-us/trainersguide/fundamentals/battling/ | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live | quote=You’re not the only Pokémon Trainer in Sinnoh, so be prepared to put your skills to the test against all the rest. When you cross an opposing Trainer’s path in routes, caves, and certain structures, they’ll challenge you whether you like it or not.}}</ref> Because the franchise is aimed at children, these battles are never presented as overtly violent and contain no blood or gore.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Liu-1999">{{Cite news | first=Caitlin | last=Liu | title=Pokemon Is One Powerful Drawing Card | work=Los Angeles Times | date=10 May 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-10-me-35763-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228032857/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-10-me-35763-story.html | archive-date=28 February 2021 | url-status=live | quote=Parents said that, although some Pokemon charters [sic] are violent, the depiction of blood and gore that comes into family rooms every night is far worse.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Laurel | last=Graeber | title=Masters of the Universe, Youth Division | work=The New York Times | date=29 August 1999 | page=4 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/29/tv/cover-story-masters-of-the-universe-youth-division.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220231748/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/29/tv/cover-story-masters-of-the-universe-youth-division.html | archive-date=20 February 2023 | url-status=live | quote=But on the other hand, I don't worry about it as much as, say, 'Beast Wars', 'Batman' or 'X-Men'", all animated series that she said emphasized violence.}}</ref><ref name="Thomas-Lester-1999">{{Cite news | first=Avis | last=Thomas-Lester | title=For Parents, It's No Game: Pokemon Plays Hard to Get | newspaper=The Washington Post | page=B1 | date=13 December 1999 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/12/13/for-parents-its-no-game-pokemon-plays-hard-to-get/c537f9f2-2936-4b66-b2a5-cc6de2ff8b74/ | url-access=registration | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227203316/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/12/13/for-parents-its-no-game-pokemon-plays-hard-to-get/c537f9f2-2936-4b66-b2a5-cc6de2ff8b74/ | archive-date=27 February 2023 | url-status=live | quote=Parents find them less violent than some other recent toy phenomena, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.}}</ref><ref name="Mallory-2001">{{Cite news | first=Michael | last=Mallory | title=Kids' Anime Hits Critical Mass | work=Los Angeles Times | date=12 October 2001 | page=F18 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-12-ca-56238-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322090014/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-12-ca-56238-story.html | archive-date=22 March 2023 | url-status=live | quote=[The ''Pokémon'' anime] managed to crack a perennial kids' TV nut: how to present action without violence. It's the stylized, whimsical little monsters that do all the fighting, not the humans.}}</ref>}} Pokémon never die in battle – they faint upon being defeated, and can then be rejuvenated at a Pokémon Center.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999">{{Cite magazine | first1=Howard | last1=Chua-Eoan | first2=Tim | last2=Larimer | title=Beware of the Poke Mania | date=22 November 1999 | magazine=Time | volume=154 | issue=21 | pages=80–86 | url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/printout/0,8816,992625,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608162453/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/printout/0,8816,992625,00.html | archive-date=8 June 2023 | url-status=live | quote=Pokemon do not die. When they lose battles, they faint. And if that happens to your Pokemon, you can take it to the local Pokemon Center, a high-tech spa where it can be restored to "fighting fit".}}</ref><ref name="Plotz-1999">{{Cite web | first=David | last=Plotz | author-link=David Plotz | title=Pokémon. Little. Yellow. Different. Better. | website=Slate | date=12 November 1999 | url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/1999/11/pokemon.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030316022254/http://slate.msn.com/id/55696/ | archive-date=16 March 2003 | url-status=live | quote=Pokémon softens its violence with sweetness. Like Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, Pokémon is packed with battle scenes. But it is far gentler. Pokémon never die, they only "faint".}}</ref><ref name="Howe-2000">{{Cite news | first=Rupert | last=Howe | title=Made in Japan: Chasing the Dragon. Pokemon Was Nicknamed 'Kiddie Crack'. But a New Wave of Japanese Monsters Threatens to Be Even More Addictive. | date=5 March 2000 | work=The Independent | pages=20–23 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/311603385 | id={{ProQuest|311603385}} | url-access=subscription | quote=But Pokemon was different. Pokemon monsters, famously, do not die; they simply suffer a cute fainting fit. And it's this emphasis on non-violent problem-solving and group action which also informs the new shows.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Oliver | last=Burkeman | author-link=Oliver Burkeman | title=Pokémon power | date=20 April 2000 | work=The Guardian | page=A2 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,212109,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605151239/https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,212109,00.html | archive-date=5 June 2023 | url-status=live | quote=It's certainly hard to make charges of violence stick: Pokémon fights are ceremonial and impeccably polite in a uniquely Japanese way, and the monsters never die anyway – they just faint before rejuvenating themselves at special Pokémon hospitals.}}</ref>}}

==History==

===Origins===  The main idea behind ''Pokémon'' was conceived by Satoshi Tajiri. Tajiri was born on 28 August 1965,<ref>{{Cite book | first1=Shoutarou | last1=Miya | first2=Satoshi | last2=Tajiri | title=Satoshi Tajiri: A Man Who Created Pokemon | date=12 March 2004 | pages=6 | publisher=Ohta Publishing | isbn=978-4872338331}}</ref> and grew up in Machida, a suburb of Tokyo.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=142–143}}.</ref> As a child, he enjoyed discovering and catching insects and other small creatures in the various ponds and fields that surrounded his town.<ref>{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談：田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）VS 石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 — 4ページ目 | trans-title=Interview: Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak) vs. Tsunekazu Ishihara (Creatures) — Page 4 | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page04.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205151333/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page04.html | archive-date=5 February 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Simon | last=Parkin | title=Pokémon – from bugs to blockbuster | website=The Guardian | date=11 October 2013 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/oct/11/pokemon-blockbuster-game-technology | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011213837/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/oct/11/pokemon-blockbuster-game-technology | archive-date=11 October 2016 | url-status=live | quote=Satoshi Tajiri [was] obsessed with catching insects in his youth}}</ref> During Japan's economic miracle, many cities, including Machida, were significantly expanded. As a consequence, Machida's nature was largely destroyed. In his second year of junior high school,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=133}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | chapter=「ポケモン」誕生物語 | trans-chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | page=131 | title=ポケモンの魔力 | trans-title=The Magic of Pokemon | editor-first=Takahiro | editor-last=Ohtsuki | date=30 March 1998 | publisher=Mainichi Newspapers | isbn=978-4620312187 | ref={{harvid|Ohtsuki|1998}}}}</ref> an arcade hall opened in Tajiri's neighborhood, introducing him to video games. While studying electrical engineering at {{ill|Tokyo College of Technology|ja|東京工業高等専門学校}}, Tajiri began publishing a ''doujinshi'' magazine titled ''Game Freak''. The title was inspired by the 1932 film ''Freaks'', which Tajiri was fascinated with at the time.<ref>{{Harvc | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | year=1998 | chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | in=Ohtsuki | p=132–133}}</ref> He self-published the first issue of the magazine in March 1983, at the age of 17.<ref name="Miya Tajiri (2004) p55-57">{{Harvp|Miya|Tajiri|2004|p=55–57}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite episode | title=Interview with Satoshi Tajiri | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwSSWGxgCwM | series=GameCenter CX| season=1 | number=SP | date=30 May 2004 | location=Japan | publisher=Fuji TV | time=10:40 – 11:46 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909075910/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwSSWGxgCwM | archive-date=9 September 2023 | url-status=dead | ref={{harvid|Interview with Satoshi Tajiri|2004}}}}</ref> At the time, magazines specializing in video games did not yet exist in Japan, allowing ''Game Freak'' to fill a gap in the market.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=168}}: "当時は、現在のようなゲー厶情報が掲載された専門の雑誌はまだ存在していなかった。だからこそ、それを豆本なり小冊子なりにまとめてやれば、ゲー厶プレイヤーたちからの大きな需要があるだろう、と考えたのだ。" ["At that time, magazines specializing in gaming did not yet exist as they do today. Therefore, he figured there would be a great demand among gamers for a kind of pamphlet or small book with gaming information."]</ref><ref>{{Harvc | first=Tetsurō | last=Sato | year=1998 | chapter=The Birth of Pokemon | in=Ohtsuki | p=133}} "当時はTVゲームの攻略法を解説した雑誌など皆無だった。『ゲームフリーク』は全国のTVゲームファンに口コミで拡がり、定期購読者を増やしていった。読者からの攻略法のリクエストも殺到した。" ["At that time, there were no magazines that explained video game strategies. "Game Freak" spread by word of mouth among video game fans nationwide, and the number of subscribers grew. Requests for game strategies from readers also started pouring in."]</ref> Sometime later, Tajiri was contacted by aspiring manga artist Ken Sugimori, who became ''Game Freak'''s illustrator.<ref>{{Harvp|Miya|Tajiri|2004|p=146–148}}.</ref> ''Game Freak'' folded in the late 1980s,<ref name="Miya Tajiri (2004) p55-57" /> by which point Tajiri had become a respected game journalist in Japan's fledgling video game industry.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=198-200}}.</ref> Through his work, Tajiri befriended Tsunekazu Ishihara, a Japanese business man who, among other things, produced game-related shows for Fuji Television.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=82-83}}.</ref><ref name="Tomisawa (2000) p30">{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=30}}.</ref><ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000">{{Cite web | title=ポケモン誕生秘話大公開!! 川口孝司さん（任天堂）インタビュー | trans-title=The secret story of Pokemon's birth is revealed!! Interview with Takashi Kawaguchi (Nintendo) | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/kawaguti/page01.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021216011425/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/kawaguti/page01.html | archive-date=16 December 2002 | url-status=dead | ref={{harvid|Kawaguchi interview|2000}}}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=226}}.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=225}}.</ref> ''Quinty'' was finished in 1989, and published by Namco.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=248-254}}.</ref> Tajiri officially incorporated Game Freak Co., Ltd. on 26 April 1989.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Company Profile | website=gamefreak.co.jp | url=http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/company/about.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819115442/http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/company/about.html | archive-date=19 August 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1989–1995: Development of ''Red'' and ''Green''=== {{Further|Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow#Development{{!}}''Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow'' § Development}} [[File:Duo gameboy.JPG|thumb|Two original Game Boys connected with a Game Link Cable]]  Tajiri started to think of what was to become ''Pokémon'' 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.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=484}}.</ref> 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.{{efn|In ''Dragon Quest II'', the item is called ふしぎなぼうし, ''Fushigina Bōshi'', i.e. Mysterious Hat. The Japanese ''Pokemon'' RPGs feature an item called ふしぎなアメ, ''Fushigina Ame'', i.e. Mysterious Candy. This item raises the level of a Pokemon by one. In the English games, it is called Rare Candy.}} 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.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite book | first=Satoshi | last=Tajiri | title=新ゲームデザイン | trans-title=New Game Design | date=1 December 1995 | publisher=Enix | page=156}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-new-game-design/ Translation])</ref><ref name="Aspect-1996">{{Cite book | title=Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia | date=5 April 1996 | publisher=Aspect | page=140 | isbn=978-4893664945 | ref={{harvid|Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia|1996}}}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-pokedex-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=20-21}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Interview with Satoshi Tajiri|2004}}. Event occurs at 28:04 – 29:54.</ref>}} He noted that, until then, the Game Link Cable was only used for competing, but not for something else.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=35}}.</ref> 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,<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=23}}.</ref> and an attempt to "regain the world that he had lost".<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=133-135}}: "つまり、ゲームを知った日を境界線として、田尻のゲームを知るまでの世界は永遠に失われたわけですが、その失われた世界を、ゲームを知った後の田尻はもう一度取り戻そうとして、ポケモンを作り出したのでした。" ["In other words, the world Tajiri knew up to the day he learned about games was lost forever. But after that, Tajiri tried to regain the world that he had lost by creating Pokemon."]</ref> He would later state that the game represents "the story of a boy's summer day".<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=316}}.</ref>

[[File:Gachapon.jpg|thumb|''Gashapon'' capsules have been cited as an inspiration for ''Pokemon''.]]  Tajiri and his 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 using the link cable. Once the player has caught a creature in-game, 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.<ref>{{Cite web  | first1=Tim | last1=Larimer | first2=Takashi | last2=Yokota | title=The Ultimate Game Freak | format=online exclusive | website=Time | date=22 November 1999 | url=https://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2040095,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421073919/http://content.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2040095,00.html | archive-date=21 April 2017 | url-status=live | quote=Ultraman with his capsule monsters—they all became ingredients for the game.}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Aspect-1996" /><ref>{{Cite book | first1=Hidekuni | last1=Shida | first2=Tomoo | last2=Matsui | title=ゲーム・マエストロ〈VOL.4〉デザイナー/イラストレーター編 | trans-title=Game Maestro, Volume 4: Designers/Illustrators | date=1 May 2001 | publisher=Mainichi Communications | isbn=978-4839903879}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20191109024601/https://shmuplations.com/pokemon/ Translation])</ref> Other influences that have been cited by Tajiri include: ''gashapon'', capsules with toy figures in them that can be drawn from vending machines;<ref>{{Harvp|Miya|Tajiri|2004|p=130}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20160916211112/http://www.glitterberri.com/pokemon-red-blue/early-concept-art/2/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=75-76}}.</ref> collectible cards, such as baseball cards, ''Ultraman'' cards and ''menko'';{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Harvp|Tajiri|1995|p=154 + 155}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=開発スタッフインタビュー/ゲーム内容が決まるまで | trans-title=Interview with development staff / Making the Game | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/gfreak/page01.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021215234444/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/gfreak/page01.html | archive-date=15 December 2002 | url-status=dead}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-masuda-developer-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=112}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=43 + 136}}.</ref>}} ''The Final Fantasy Legend'' (1989), the first RPG for the Game Boy;<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000a">{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談：田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）VS 石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 — 2ページ目 | trans-title=Interview: Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak) vs. Tsunekazu Ishihara (Creatures) — Page 2 | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page02.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030410091045/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page02.html | archive-date=10 April 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/ishihara-satoshi-tajiri-interview/ Translation])</ref> and petting in Japan, with Tajiri noting that having Pokemon is similar to having pets.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=70}}.</ref> Tajiri initially named his project ''Capsule Monsters'', which GF's staff commonly shortened to ''Capumon''. 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''.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=65-66}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=99-101}}.</ref>

In March 1989, Nintendo and Shigesato Itoi co-founded Ape Inc., a company meant to give outside talent a chance to pitch new, innovative games.<ref name="Tomisawa (2000) p30" /><ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000" /> At the time, Ape was housed in the same Kanda-Sudachō office building as Nintendo, located in Tokyo.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=77-78}}.</ref> Ishihara, a friend of both Itoi and Tajiri, was involved with Ape's management (and would become its vice-president in 1991).<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=97-98}}.</ref><ref name="Tomisawa (2000) p30" /> Tajiri's relationship with Ishihara prompted Tajiri to present his idea for ''Pocket Monsters'' at Ape's office.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000c">{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談/後編1・田尻さんと石原さんの6年 | trans-title=Special Conversation, page 1 – Six years of Mr. Tajiri and Mr. Ishihara | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan2/page01.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205164821/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan2/page01.html | archive-date=5 February 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/ishihara-satoshi-tajiri-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=97-99}}.</ref> Present during Tajiri's pitch was Takashi Kawaguchi, who worked at Nintendo's General Affairs Department and was also a manager at Ape.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000" /><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=15 + 96}}.</ref> Kawaguchi brought the idea to Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, who reportedly said: "This is it. This is the idea I've been waiting for."<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=97}}.</ref> The development contract was signed at the beginning of 1990, with a planned delivery of the game in October.<ref name="Tomisawa (2000) p32-33">{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=32-33}}.</ref> Tajiri directed the project, working under Ishihara.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=102}}.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=31-32}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=43}}.</ref> Ishihara also contributed ideas to the development,<ref name="Shūkan Famitsū-2019">{{Cite magazine | title=増田氏が語る、ゲームフリークが世界で通じる会社になるまで | trans-title=Game Freak's Path to Worldwide Fame, As Told By Masuda | magazine=Shūkan Famitsū | date=23 May 2019 | pages=82–86 | url=https://lavacutcontent.com/masuda-game-freak-history/ | quote=Ishihara in particular was fond of card games and used that insight to advise on how to add more depth to the battle system. To be honest, things like the Pokemon types, the link cable battles, and the Pokedex were all added later in development based on his suggestions. (...) Ishihara also gave us some pointers on the story and setting.}}</ref> and helped with debugging.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Secrets of Pokémon: How A Game Captured The World's Kids | date=8 February 2000 | website=ABC News | publisher=ABC News | url=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/pokemon_000208_chat.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817051831/http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/pokemon_000208_chat.html | archive-date=17 August 2000 | url-status=dead | quote=Exeggutor is my favorite. That's because I was always using this character while I was debugging the program.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Takashi | last=Mochizuki | title=How Pokémon Became a Monster Hit | date=21 September 2016 | work=The Wall Street Journal (Online) | url=http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-pokemon-became-a-monster-hit-1474437211 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004202141/http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-pokemon-became-a-monster-hit-1474437211 | archive-date=4 October 2016 | url-status=live | quote=Mr. Ishihara said that Exeggutor became his friend while he checked the programming of the game, and together they explored many places within it and captured characters.}}</ref> Sugimori was in charge of the graphics and character design.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=105-106}}.</ref> Masuda created all music and sound effects, and did part of the programming.<ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=74 + 76–77}}.</ref> The budget that Nintendo granted to Game Freak was low;<ref name="Tomisawa (2000) p32-33" /> thus, ''Pocket Monsters'' was initially planned as a small, compact game, based primarily around Tajiri's core idea of exchanging.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000a" /><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=488}}.</ref> However, as development progressed, GF's ideas and ambitions for ''Pokemon'' grew.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000a" /> They soon realized that the game they were beginning to envision would not be easy to make.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=108}}.</ref> ''Pocket Monsters'' was suspended indefinitely, and GF turned their focus on other titles (see {{Section link|Game Freak|Games}}).

After the game's initial development phase in 1990 and 1991,<ref>{{Harvp|Kawaguchi interview|2000}}: "最初の1年半くらいは田尻くんが試作などを持ってきていたんですが、そのうちパッタリととだえてしまった。" ("For the first year and a half, Tajiri-kun brought in prototypes, but then he stopped working on it.")</ref> the staff "tinkered with it from time to time", as Sugimori put it.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=118}}.</ref> 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 ''Pocket Monsters''.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=131}}.</ref> 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 artist who created Pikachu, among others.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Atsuko Nishida interview | year=1997 | website=gamefreak.co.jp | url=http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/POKEMON/INTER/ATSUKO/INTER_AT.HTM | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980121112202/http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/POKEMON/INTER/ATSUKO/INTER_AT.HTM | archive-date=21 January 1998 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Creator Profile: The Creators of Pikachu | date=26 July 2018 | website=pokemon.com | url=https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/creator-profile-the-creators-of-pikachu/ | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0428-2129-33/https://www.pokemon.com:443/us/pokemon-news/creator-profile-the-creators-of-pikachu | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | author=Sato | title=Pikachu Originally Had A Second Evolution Called 'Gorochu' With Large Fangs And Two Horns | date=3 May 2018 | website=Siliconera | url=https://www.siliconera.com/pikachu-originally-second-evolution-called-gorochu-large-fangs-two-horns/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122201827/https://www.siliconera.com/pikachu-originally-second-evolution-called-gorochu-large-fangs-two-horns/ | archive-date=22 November 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Shūkan Famitsū-2019" /> On the suggestion of Shigeru Miyamoto, it was decided to release two editions of the game: a ''Red'' version and a ''Green'' version. Otherwise identical, each had Pokemon not found in the other, encouraging players to socialize and trade to complete their collection.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=152-154}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=503}}.</ref>

Ishihara aspired to create video games of his own.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=231-232}}.</ref> As ''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Green'' were nearing completion, Ishihara founded Creatures, Inc. on 8 November 1995.<ref>{{Cite web | title=COMPANY – 株式会社クリーチャーズ | website=creatures.co.jp | url=http://www.creatures.co.jp/company/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704195257/http://www.creatures.co.jp/company/ | archive-date=4 July 2017 | url-status=dead | quote=株式会社クリーチャーズ設立(千代田区神田須田町) | trans-quote=Establishment of Creatures Co., Ltd. (Kanda-Sudachō, Chiyoda)}}</ref> 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 wrote that Nintendo also bought the property after ''Red'' and ''Green'' were finished.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Anne | last=Allison | author-link=Anne Allison | date=30 June 2006 | title=Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination | publisher=University of California Press | isbn=978-0520245655 | pages=197–198 + 239}}</ref> Journalist Kenji Hatakeyama noted that the ownership structure of ''Pokemon'' is uncommon. He 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.<ref>{{Cite book | first1=Kenji | last1=Hatakeyama | first2=Masakazu | last2=Kubo | title=ポケモン・ストーリー | trans-title=Pokemon Story | date=10 December 2000 | publisher=Nikkei BP | isbn=978-4822241995 | pages=474–476 | quote=こうした合議制に近いシステムは、実は有名キャラクターではそれほど一般的なシステムではありません。(...) いま、世界的キャラクターの中で、原作権が1大、もしくは1社に集約されていないキャラクタ—は、ポケモンただ一つでしょう。 | trans-quote=Such a council-like system is actually not that common among well-known properties. (...) Pokémon is probably the only character in the world today whose original rights are not consolidated in the hands of a single major copyright holder or a single company.}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000c" />

===1996–1998: Rise in Japan===

====''CoroCoro'' manga, Mew lottery====  After finally being finished in December 1995,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=157}}.</ref> ''Pocket Monsters Red'' and ''Green'' were released on 27 February 1996. Nintendo had no high expectations of the games, and media largely ignored them.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=166 + 174}}.</ref> By 1996, the seven-year-old Game Boy console was considered dated and near the end of its lifecycle.<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" /><ref>{{Harvp|Tomisawa|2000|p=17}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Allegra | last=Frank | title=Pokémon veteran Junichi Masuda reflects on the series' early days | website=Polygon | date=28 September 2018 | url=https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2018/9/27/17909916/pokemon-red-blue-junichi-masuda-interview | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230152625/https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2018/9/27/17909916/pokemon-red-blue-junichi-masuda-interview | archive-date=30 December 2018 | url-status=live | quote=Even when we were talking to our friends in the industry and saying that, "Oh, we're working on a Game Boy game," they were like, "Really? You're working on a Game Boy game? That's not going to sell very well, don't you think?" That's kind of what the atmosphere was like in Japan at the time.}}</ref> On the other hand, new Game Boys continued to be manufactured and sold.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=169}}.</ref> The console was widespread and, due to its age, affordable to children.<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" /><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=178}}.</ref>

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.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=73}}.</ref> ''CoroCoro'''s deputy editor-in-chief was {{ill|Masakazu Kubo|ja|久保雅一}}. On Ishihara's suggestion,<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=75-76}}.</ref> Kubo commissioned the creation of a manga adaptation, written and illustrated by {{ill|Kosaku Anakubo|ja|穴久保幸作}}.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=74}}.</ref> Shogakukan, which frequently surveys their target groups, determined that the ''Pocket Monsters'' manga was well received.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=195}}.</ref>

To further promote ''Red'' and ''Green'', the May issue of ''CoroCoro'', released on 15 April 1996, announced the "Legendary Pokemon Offer", centered around a mysterious, secret Pokemon called Mew.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=204}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | title=ポケットモンスター「赤・緑」100 万本突破記念、青バージョン新発売！ | trans-title=To commemorate the sales of over 1 million copies of ''Pokemon Red'' and ''Green'', a new ''Blue'' version has been released! | magazine=CoroCoro Comic | date=15 April 1996 | pages=59–60}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/corocoro-comic-pokemon-blue/ Translation])</ref> 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.<ref name="Just Making The Last Train">{{Cite interview | title=Just Making The Last Train | series=Iwata Asks | interviewer-first=Satoru | interviewer-last=Iwata | interviewer-link=Satoru Iwata | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/0/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012400/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/0/ | archive-date=28 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" /><ref name="Just Making The Last Train" /> By September, sales of ''Red'' and ''Green'' had surpassed 1 million units.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=532}}.</ref>

====Trading Card Game====  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.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p153">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=153}}.</ref><ref name="Pokemon Business Study Group (1998) p112-117">{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=112-117}}.</ref><ref name="Kimura (2006)">{{Harvp|Kimura|2006}}: "香山は続けて岩崎に、米国 WOC 社製「マジック・ザ・ギャザリング」というトレーディングカードゲームが米国で大人気であること、石原たちが開発した「ポケットモンスターカードゲーム」は「マジック・ザ・ギャザリング」をヒントにしているが、純国産のオリジナルトレーディングカードゲームであることを教えた。そして今の所、声をかけた、幾つかの大手卸問屋から取り組みを拒否されていることも岩崎に伝えた。" ("Kayama went on to tell Iwasaki that a trading card game called "Magic the Gathering" made by WOC [Wizards of the Coast] was very popular in the United States, and that the "Pokemon Card Game" developed by Ishihara and his colleagues was inspired by "Magic the Gathering". However, it was a completely original trading card game made in Japan. He also told Iwasaki that, so far, several major wholesalers he had approached had rejected the project.")</ref> Indeed, the ''Pokemon Trading Card Game'' can be considered a simplified version of ''Magic''.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Gilles | last=Brougère | chapter=Pokémon in France | page=197 | editor-first=Joseph | editor-last=Tobin | editor-link=Joseph Tobin | title=Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon | date=5 February 2004 | publisher=Duke University Press | isbn=978-0822332879 | ref={{harvid|Tobin|2004}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pyramid Review: Pokemon Trading Card Game | date=29 January 1999 | work=Pyramid | publisher=SJGames.com | url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=571 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021223225/http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=571 | archive-date=2020-10-21 | url-status=live}}</ref> First released in the United States in 1993, ''Magic'' had gained popularity not just in North America and Europe, but also in Asia.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=113}}.</ref> Ishihara was fond of playing cards,<ref name="Shūkan Famitsū-2019" /> and had contributed to the development of at least three simple card games designed by Shigesato Itoi and released through Ape, Inc.{{efn|Four<ref>{{Cite web | title=デザイナー別ゲームリスト：糸井重里 | trans-title=Game list by designer: Shigesato Itoi | website=gamers-jp.com | url=https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_searchlist.php?mode=2&search_str=561&order=1 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514204726/https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_searchlist.php?mode=2&search_str=561&order=1 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> original card games are known to have been designed by Itoi: ''Slot Brothers'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=APE 糸井重里スロットブラザーズ | trans-title=APE Shigesato Itoi Slot Brothers | website=Mandarake | url=https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1052117728 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514205504/https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1052117728 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Edoka'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=エイプ糸井重里痛快カード時代劇エドカ | trans-title=Ape Shigesato Itoi Edka card game | website=Mandarake | url=https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1169338910 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514210420/https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1169338910 | archive-date=14 May 2023 | url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Hanamaru'',<ref>{{Cite web | title=はなまる作文ゲーム | trans-title=Hanamaru composition game | website=gamers-jp.com | url=https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_imgfrm.php?imgfile=db_img%2Fimg_2058.jpg&imgname=%E7%A7%81%E3%81%8C%E6%8E%A8%E8%96%A6%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260428151246/https://www.gamers-jp.com/playgame/db_imgfrm.php?imgfile=db_img%2Fimg_2058.jpg&imgname=%E7%A7%81%E3%81%8C%E6%8E%A8%E8%96%A6%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82 | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref> and ''Rameka''.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Ryukyu | last=Awamori | title=糸井重里製作総指揮世界初！食欲増進ラーメンカードゲームラメカ ❤︎ （株）河田 | trans-title=Executive Produced by Shigesato Itoi: The World’s First Appetite-Boosting Ramen Card Game, “Rameka” ❤︎ Kawada Co., Ltd. | website=Ramen ♥︎ DIARY by Ryukyu Awamori | url=https://ameblo.jp/menclub/image-12957188786-15752541261.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260428145316/https://ameblo.jp/menclub/image-12957188786-15752541261.html | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref> The 1998 book ''The Secrets of Pokemon'' states that the last three games were contributed to by Ishihara.<ref>{{Cite book | author=((Pokemon Business Study Group)) | title=ポケモンの秘密 | trans-title=The Secrets of Pokemon | date=1 June 1998 | publisher=Shogakukan | page=113}}</ref>}} At the time, Ishihara was particularly interested in ''Magic: The Gathering''.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p153" /> While developing the ''Pokemon'' RPG, he realized that the concept behind it could be adapted into a ''Magic''-like CCG.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000" /> The ''Pokemon Trading Card Game'' was designed by Ishihara,<ref>{{Cite AV media | title=#Pokemon20: The Pokémon Company's Tsunekazu Ishihara | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7S_b5BxaB0&t=54s | publisher=The Official Pokémon YouTube channel | via=YouTube | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124100022/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7S_b5BxaB0 | archive-date=24 January 2024 | url-status=live | time=00:56 | quote=I was working really hard on its development at the time. That really takes me back.}}</ref> Akihiko Miura, Kōichi Ōyama, and Takumi Akabane.<ref>[https://www.mobygames.com/game/4707/pokemon-trading-card-game/credits/gameboy-color/ Pokémon Trading Card Game Credits], ''MobyGames''.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.mobygames.com/game/6676/earthbound/credits/snes/ EarthBound credits], ''MobyGames''.</ref>

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.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=226}}.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=233-234}}.</ref> 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.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=118-119}}.</ref> The first ''Pokemon'' card set was released on 20 October 1996. Despite being ignored by the media, except for CoroCoro,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=225-226 + 239}}</ref> the cards became an instant success upon release.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p246-247">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=246-247}}.</ref>

====Anime production and premiere====  By August 1996, Kubo had become convinced of ''Pokemon''{{'}}s potential, and believed Shogakukan should create an anime adaptation.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=256}}.</ref> Nintendo felt reluctant, believing that the property had developed enough as it had over the course of six months. At that time, they did not consider such a significant expansion to be necessary.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=151–153}}.</ref> Nintendo also noted that if the anime would flop, it would negatively affect future ''Pokemon'' games.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=258}}.</ref> Ishihara initially opposed the idea, because he thought it would overly hasten the 'consumption' of the property: he feared that if the series would end, people would assume that ''Pokemon'' has ended, and move on to the next thing.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=146–148}}.</ref> At the time, Creatures and Game Freak were planning the sequel(s) to ''Red'' and ''Green'', ''Pokemon Gold'' and ''Silver'', and Ishihara did not want the anime to end before they could release their new games.<ref name="The King Of Portable Toys">{{Cite interview | title=The King Of Portable Toys | series=Iwata Asks | interviewer-first=Satoru | interviewer-last=Iwata | interviewer-link=Satoru Iwata | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/1/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012415/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/1/ | archive-date=28 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=259}}.</ref> Kubo was ultimately able to resolve the concerns of all parties involved. An important aspect of Kubo's bargaining power was the then-ongoing Mini 4WD craze and its accompanying hit series ''Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!''. Kubo had an important role in the creation of both, which impressed the stakeholders.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=182-183 + 275}}.</ref> To appease Ishihara, Kubo promised him that the anime would last for at least a year and a half. This was unusually long for a debuting anime, and required a big investment.<ref name="The King Of Portable Toys" /><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=151-153}}.</ref> Kubo's proposal for ''Pocket Monsters'' was officially approved on 26 September 1996.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=250 + 283 + 287–288}}.</ref> For Nintendo of Japan, it was the first time they licensed a TV series.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=279}}.</ref> Kubo assigned independent producer {{ill|Choji Yoshikawa|ja|吉川兆二}} to lead the project.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=310}}.</ref>

Shogakukan Productions, commonly called ShoPro, was Shogakukan's production company. The animation company they commissioned was OLM, Inc. (Oriental Light and Magic), on Kubo's suggestion.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=318}}.</ref> Kunihiko Yuyama, one of OLM's founding members, became the anime's director. ShoPro assembled a team of five writers, plus two supporting writers.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=169}}.</ref> All key people involved with the production of ''Pokemon'' were well-experienced and had proven track records within Japan's anime industry. Yoshikawa felt that the team got lucky. "The probability of so many great people coming together at the same time is very low", he said.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p340">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=340}}.</ref> Per Tajiri's explicit condition,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=260-261 + 282}}.</ref> every anime team member had to play the game extensively, including the illustrators and voice actors.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p340" /> The anime staff "unanimously agreed that the game was interesting"<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=156}}.</ref> and "felt connected with each other through the world of ''Pokemon''",<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p340" /> feeling positively challenged to make an anime that would match the game's quality.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=324-326}}.</ref>

[[File:Liam meets pikachu (14438634188).jpg|thumb|A boy hugging a Pikachu-costumed performer.]] A production council was formed to produce the anime. Different people appeared at different meetings, but four individuals usually present were Ishihara of Creatures, Sugimori of Game Freak, Yuyama of OLM, and independent producer Yoshikawa. Yoshikawa had the final say. The council decided on the anime's worldview, characters, general storyline, and various important details. The early meetings, which were also attended by Tajiri, usually started with a Q&A session in which Tajiri and Ishihara were asked about the Pokemon universe.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=308-309}}.</ref> The council was careful to have the anime be in concordance with the video game. Inevitably, there had to be differences between the two, but all agreed that the overall worldview as envisioned by Tajiri should not be disturbed.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=309 + 332}}.</ref> At the start of the video game, the player has to choose one of three starter Pokemon: Fushigidane, Hitokage, or Zenigame (Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle). The council didn't want to unfairly popularize any of them, and wanted the protagonist to start out with a different Pokemon.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=164-165}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first1=Toshifumi | last1=Yoshida | first2=Bill | last2=Flanagan | title=Animerica interview: Takemoto Mori | magazine=Animerica | date=July 1999 | volume=7 | pages=28 + 30 | url=https://www.animenostalgiabomb.com/1st-pokemon-cover-pikachu-and-ash-ketchum-animerica-july-1999/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201224853/https://www.animenostalgiabomb.com/1st-pokemon-cover-pikachu-and-ash-ketchum-animerica-july-1999/ | archive-date=1 December 2023 | url-status=live | quote=The main point is not to alienate any of the kids. For example, if we had the main character choose Zenigame (Squirtle), then some of the kids would say, "Hey, I chose Hitokage (Charmander)," and that would lead to the kid saying, "Who needs this show!"}}</ref> They unanimously decided that a Pikachu should be one of Pokemon's central icons.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=334}}.</ref> They expected Pikachu to appeal to both boys and girls, as well as their mothers. This would expand the franchise's audience, which was considered a core objective of the anime.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=226 + 244}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=165 + 196}}.</ref>

During the council's first meeting, Yoshikawa brought up the issue on whether the Pokemon in the anime could talk, and if not, how they could communicate. In the video games, each has a specific cry. In Anakubo's ''CoroCoro'' manga, most could speak. At first, the council believed there should be a mixture of Pokemon that could talk and some that could not. However, this idea was eventually discarded: the Pokemon had to make a specific cry. The council agreed that Pokemon were like animals, and while they and humans should be able to understand each other in the series, they should not speak each other's language.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=323-324}}.</ref> It was decided that Pikachu would repeatedly say its own name in various intonations. The role of Pikachu was given to Ikue Otani. During try-outs, Yuyama had Otani voice Pikachu in normal Japanese, as well as in 'Pikachu talk', in which it only said the syllables of its name. Yuyama realized that, even in the latter style of limited communication, Otani was experienced enough to still convey the messages and emotions needed.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=166-167}}.</ref> thumb|Limited-edition Pokémon-themed donuts from Mister Donut, Kaohsiung  ''Pocket Monsters'' premiered on 1 April 1997. By November, it had become the highest-rated program on TV Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web | first=George | last=Phillips | title=10th Anniversary of Pokemon in Japan | website=Anime News Network | date=27 March 2007 | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-27/10th-anniversary-of-pokemon-in-japan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512055515/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-03-27/10th-anniversary-of-pokemon-in-japan | archive-date=12 May 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref>

===="Dennō Senshi Porygon" incident==== {{See also|Pokémon episodes removed from rotation{{!}}''Pokémon'' episodes removed from rotation}}

In the evening of 16 December 1997, the ''Pokemon'' franchise was hit by a crisis related to the broadcast of the anime's 38th episode, "Dennō Senshi Porygon" (Computer Warrior Porygon). It was watched by approximately 4.6 million households.<ref>{{Cite web | title=An Interim Report from the "Study Group on Broadcasting and Audio-Visual Sensory Perception | date=April 1998 | publisher=Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications | url=http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/policyreports/english/group/broadcasting/interim_rep.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023122526/http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/policyreports/english/group/broadcasting/interim_rep.html | archive-date=23 October 2008 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In the episode, the cast is transported into a virtual world, accompanied by a Porygon, an artificially-made Pokemon. While flying through cyberspace, they are attacked by an anti-virus program which mistakes them for viruses, shooting "vaccine missiles" at them resulting in explosions of bright, rapidly swapping red and blue flashes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2022 |title=It's Been 25 Years Since Pokémon Accidentally Gave People Seizures |url=https://gizmodo.com/pokemon-porygon-seizures-pikachu-shock-25th-anniversary-1849900785 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925173836/https://gizmodo.com/pokemon-porygon-seizures-pikachu-shock-25th-anniversary-1849900785 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The intense stimuli brought about by the episode triggered a variety of adverse health effects in more than 10,000 viewers,<ref>{{Cite news | title=ポケモン・パニック | trans-title=Pokemon Panic | work=Tokyo Yomiuri Shimbun, morning edition | date=18 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=38}}.</ref> primarily irritated eyes, headaches, dizziness, and nausea.<ref name="Ministry of Health and Welfare-1998">{{Cite web | title=光感受性発作に関する臨床研究 | trans-title=Clinical research on photosensitive seizures | date=April 1998 | publisher=Ministry of Health and Welfare | url=https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/1004/h0414-2.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031170136/https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/1004/h0414-2.html | archive-date=31 October 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> A small part suffered a photosensitive epileptic seizure, manifested in loss of conscious and/or convulsions.<ref name="Ministry of Health and Welfare-1998" /><ref>{{Cite news | title=ポケモン被害百三十人以上が入院救急搬送六百五十一人 | trans-title=More than 130 Pokemon victims hospitalized and 651 people transported to emergency rooms | work=Sankei Shimbun, evening edition | date=17 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=16-17}}.</ref> Hundreds{{efn|A definitive number could not be established. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency announced that, as of 17:00, 17 December, a total of 685 people had been taken to hospitals in direct relationship to the ''Pokemon'' episode. Of these, 208 people were actually hospitalized.<ref>{{Cite news | title=被害状況 | trans-title=Damage situation | work=Mainichi Shimbun, morning edition | date=18 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=38}}.</ref> However, different figures have been stated by different sources.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pocket Monsters TV Cartoon Show Seizures News Coverage, Page 1 | url=https://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews1.htm | website=virtualpet.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990421131836/http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews1.htm | archive-date=21 April 1999 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pocket Monsters TV Cartoon Show Seizures News Coverage, Page 2 | url=https://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews2.htm | website=virtualpet.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990421171426/http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews2.htm | archive-date=21 April 1999 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Pokemon Story'' (2000), a 500+ page book on ''Pokemon'', states that "approximately 750 children" were taken to hospitals, of which 135 were hospitalized.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=358-359}}.</ref> It has been reported that, due to the incident catching the country off-guard, different methods of surveying were used throughout Japan, and these methods were not always accurate.<ref>{{Cite news | title=正確な患者数つかめず | trans-title=Exact number of patients could not be determined | work=Shizuoka Shimbun, morning edition | date=21 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=80}}.</ref>}} of children were brought to hospitals, although some had recovered enough upon arrival and did not need to be hospitalized. No one died. Broadcasting of ''Pokemon'' was halted, and new guidelines were implemented to help prevent similar events from happening.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=380}}.</ref> With the show on hiatus, ShoPro and OLM worked on a feature ''Pokemon'' film. By the time the incident occurred, its script was already written and storyboards were being made. In mid-January, the staff resumed creating new episodes.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=389-390}}.</ref> The anime series returned on 16 April 1998.<ref>{{Cite web | title=WORLD DATELINES | date=1 April 1998 | website=Houston Chronicle | url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/WORLD-DATELINES-3097306.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520123740/https://www.chron.com/news/article/WORLD-DATELINES-3097306.php | archive-date=20 May 2023 | url-status=live | quote=Pokemon, as the series is called in Japan, back April 16 follows investigations by the network and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters.}}</ref> The film, titled ''Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back'' (''Pokémon: The First Movie''), premiered on 18 July 1998, becoming the fourth highest grossing film of the year in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web | title=過去配給収入上位作品（配給収入10億円以上番組）— 1998年（1月～12月）| trans-title=Top films with past distribution revenues (films with distribution revenues of 1 billion yen or more) — 1998 (January to December) | website=eiren.org | publisher=Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan | url=http://eiren.org/toukei/1998.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613064628/http://eiren.org/toukei/1998.html | archive-date=13 June 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Michael | last=Wolf | title=Pokemon Movie Frenzy | website=Daily Radar | url=http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_31_1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000613055906/http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_31_1.html | archive-date=13 June 2000 | url-status=dead | quote=The movie (...) became the fourth highest grossing film of the year.}}</ref>

Ultimately, the incident did not damage the ''Pokemon'' franchise – it in fact grew further during and after the anime's hiatus. While video rental tapes were removed from shelves,<ref>{{Cite news | title=ビデオ貸し控えも | trans-title=Video Rentals Suspended | date=19 December 1997 | work=Hokkaido Shimbun, morning edition (South Hokkaido)}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=70}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=アニメ「ポケモン」問題でレンタルビデオの自粛相次ぐ | trans-title=Due to the "Pokemon" anime issue, multiple video rental companies have suspended rentals | work=Minami-Nihon Shimbun, morning edition | date=19 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=70}}.</ref> all other ''Pokemon'' products continued to be sold as usual, and customer demand for them remained high.<ref>{{Cite news | title=クリスマスのプレゼントは? | trans-title=What are your Christmas presents? | work=Asahi Shimbun, morning edition | date=24 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=83}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=380-381}}.</ref> Helping matters was a general understanding among businesses that the anime was not canceled, but rather suspended, and many executives (correctly) expected the show to be resumed after precautions had been taken. Supermarkets and other distribution outlets responded calmly to the crisis, and did not remove ''Pokemon'' products from their sales floors.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=207}}.</ref>

===1998–2000: International expansion===

====North America==== {{Quote box |quote = "When we started this project in Japan, one of the first things I was told was that this kind of thing would never appeal to American audiences. They said, 'Because the characters are in a very Japanese style, you cannot sell them to Americans'. So from the very beginning, I never thought there would be an English version. Now, it's just as popular in the United States [as in Japan], and I realized that we shouldn't always believe the opinions of conservative marketers." |author = Shigeru Miyamoto |source = August 1999<ref>{{Cite web | first=Chris | last=Johnston | title=Miyamoto Talks Dolphin at Space World | website=GameSpot | date=28 August 1999 | url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-talks-dolphin-at-space-world-and14599/1100-2460819/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140120151746/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/miyamoto-talks-dolphin-at-space-world-and14599/1100-2460819/ | archive-date=20 January 2014 | url-status=dead}}</ref> |width = 40% |align = right }}

Possibly the first official to show interest in a North American launch of ''Pokemon'' was Minoru Arakawa, founder and then-president of Nintendo of America (NoA). Arakawa visited Japan to participate in Shoshinkai 1996, held 22–24 November. It was around this time when he first played one of the three ''Pokemon'' titles released at the time. He thought the games were promising, but Nintendo of Japan (NoJ) had no plans at the time to release them elsewhere. He returned to America with a few cartridges and tested the game on his employees – they did not believe it would work in the US.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=406-407}}.</ref> At the time, role-playing games (RPGs) were not very popular outside Japan,<ref name="Lippman-1999">{{Cite news | first=John | last=Lippman | title=Creating the Craze for Pokemon: Licensing Agent Bet on U.S. Kids | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=16 August 1999 | page=B1 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB934753154504300864 | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615055529/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB934753154504300864 | archive-date=15 June 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> and NoA executives believed that American children did not have the attention span for such a complex title.<ref name="Moss-2019">{{Cite web | first=Richard | last=Moss | title=How Nintendo introduced the Game Boy, Tetris, and Pokémon to the West | website=Polygon | date=19 April 2019 | url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419200933/https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/19/18295061/game-boy-history-timeline-tetris-pokemon-nintendo | archive-date=19 April 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref> Americans were said to be more interested in sport- and action-oriented games, preferably with realistic graphics.<ref name="Baylis-1999" /><ref name="Gellene-1998">{{Cite news | first=Denise | last=Gellene | title=What's Pokemon? Just Ask Any Kid | work=Los Angeles Times | date=10 December 1998 | page=1 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-10-fi-52393-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228113228/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-10-fi-52393-story.html | archive-date=28 February 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> Japanese people, by contrast, were alleged to care more about characters and plot.<ref name="Eisenberg-1998">{{Cite magazine | first=Bart | last=Eisenberg | title=Japan's "Quirky" Video Games Making Inroads in the U.S. | magazine=Software Design | publisher=Gijutsu-Hyohron | date=September 1998 | url=http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_9809.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212183856/http://www.gihyo.co.jp/magazine/SD/pacific/SD_9809.html | archive-date=12 December 2006 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Up to that point, few Japanese properties had been successfully mainstreamed in the US, and if they were, it was alleged to be on account of having been properly Americanized: ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' was considered a prime example of this.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=243 + 298}}.</ref> Visually, ''Pokemon'' was believed to be too ''kawaii'', or cute. It was assumed that ''Pokemon'' could not succeed on cute alone – it must also be cool.<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000b">{{Cite web | title=スペシャル対談：田尻智さん（ゲームフリーク）VS 石原恒和さん（クリーチャーズ）対談 — 3ページ目 | trans-title=Interview: Satoshi Tajiri (Game Freak) vs. Tsunekazu Ishihara (Creatures) — Page 3 | work=Nintendo Online Magazine | publisher=nintendo.co.jp | date=July 2000 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page03.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205123331/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0007/taidan1/page03.html | archive-date=5 February 2003 | url-status=dead}} ([https://lavacutcontent.com/satoshi-tajiri-ishihara-interview/ Translation])</ref><ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p407-408">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=407-408}}.</ref> In an effort to enhance the franchise's coolness, NoA considered a graphical redesign and contracted a few external artists to create some test-designs for the American market.<ref name="Moss-2019" /><ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p407-408" /> The mockups they proposed included 'graffiti style' drawings,<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p407-408" /> 'beefed-up' and more muscular looking Pokemon,<ref>{{Cite web | first=Brian | last=Ashcraft | title=Pokemon Could Have Been Muscular Monsters | website=Kotaku | date=19 May 2009 | url=https://kotaku.com/pokemon-could-have-been-muscular-monsters-5260140 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408184223/https://kotaku.com/pokemon-could-have-been-muscular-monsters-5260140 | archive-date=8 April 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> and a new Pikachu that looked like "a tiger with huge breasts".<ref name="Nintendo Online Magazine-2000b" /> Arakawa concluded that it "didn't work",<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p407-408" /> and by that time, the anime had begun its production in Japan, leading NoA to conclude it was too late for a graphical revamp anyway.<ref name="Moss-2019" />

Of pivotal importance to ''Pokemon''{{'}}s global expansion was Alfred R. Kahn, CEO of US-based 4Kids Entertainment, NoA's licensing agent since 1987.<ref name="4Kids History">{{Cite encyclopedia | editor-first=Jay P. | editor-last=Pederson | title=4Kids Entertainment Inc. | encyclopedia=International directory of company histories | date=2004 | volume=59 | publisher=St. James Press | isbn=9781558625044 | url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/4kids-entertainment-inc-history/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618021145/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/4kids-entertainment-inc-history/ | archive-date=18 June 2018 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Rogers-2000">{{Cite magazine | first=Brett | last=Rogers | title=Give Us Your Money: 4Kids Entertainment Attains Poke-Momentum | magazine=Animation World Magazine | date=October 2000 | volume=5 | issue=7 | url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/give-us-your-money-4kids-entertainment-attains-poke-momentum | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918073325/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/give-us-your-money-4kids-entertainment-attains-poke-momentum | archive-date=18 September 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> Convinced of the franchise's potential, Kahn agreed to invest an undisclosed sum in return for both the anime and licensing rights.<ref name="Lippman-1999" /> ''Pokemon'' became one of the first Japanese media franchises in which both the localization of the anime and the licensing of merchandise was handled by a single company, as well as a non-Japanese company.<ref name="Stewart-2004">{{Cite web | first=Lianne | last=Stewart | title=Anime-hunting growing pains: Players face new roadblocks in the Japan-mining game | website=Kidscreen | date=1 March 2004 | url=https://kidscreen.com/2004/03/01/anime-20040301/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325195922/https://kidscreen.com/2004/03/01/anime-20040301/ | archive-date=25 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> Kahn suggested to use the short version of the name, "Pokémon", adding an acute accent (´) over the ''e'' to assist with pronunciation and "give it a little flair".<ref name="Tsukayama-2016" /> NoJ president Hiroshi Yamauchi officially approved the project in late November,<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=533}}.</ref> and subsequently announced it at Space World 1997.<ref>{{Cite magazine | title=What's The Deal With Pokémon? | magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly | date=November 1999 | issue=124 | page=171 | url=https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-124-november-1999/page/171/mode/1up?view=theater | quote=President Hiroshi Yamauchi told a crowd at the company's Space World '97 exhibition, "I want people all over the world to play Pokémon."}}</ref> However, three weeks later, the "Dennō Senshi Porygon" incident happened, which Kubo felt made even more people resistant to the idea of an overseas introduction.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=412}}.</ref>

Market research turned back negative: American kids reportedly did not like ''Pokémon''.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The 25 Top Managers of the Year: Minuro Arakawa, Pokémon Patriarch | date=10 January 2000 | work=BusinessWeek Online | url=http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663037.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000531212929/http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663037.htm | archive-date=31 May 2000 | url-status=dead}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20000302203253/http://www.businessweek.com/datedtoc/2000/0002.htm Full issue], [https://web.archive.org/web/20000304120236/http://businessweek.com/2000/00_02/b3663001.htm Introduction])</ref> Arakawa ignored the study and, convinced of the franchise's potential, allocated an enormous budget to ''Pokémon''{{'}}s launch. The exact amount was not disclosed, but was reportedly equal to or more than $50 million (c. ${{Inflation|US|50|1998|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), approximately the same amount as the launch budget of the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. Arakawa admitted that it was "quite a bit of money", but NoA "had been doing well for several years, so we had a lot of money to spare". He opined that if ''Pokémon'' would be as successful in the US as it had been in Japan, "an investment of 1 would turn into 100".<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=409}}.</ref> NoA and 4Kids proceeded to plan "an all-out effort to repeat the phenomenon in the Western world".<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" />

The localization of the ''Pokémon'' anime was done by 4Kids, and directed by Norman J. Grossfeld. Grossfeld strongly believed that the anime should be Americanized.<ref>{{Cite AV media | people=Margot Adler (reporter), Brooke Gladstone (host) | title=Pokemon Fever: Pokemon TV & Video Game Enthralls | type=Radio broadcast | date=6 March 1999 | publisher=National Public Radio, Weekend Edition | location=Washington DC, United States | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbszbUK5U90 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413110631/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbszbUK5U90 | archive-date=13 April 2024 | url-status=dead | quote=We looked at Pokémon and said: 'Let's make this an American show for American kids'. | time=04:24}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20221012081706/https://www.npr.org/1999/03/06/1046502/pokemon-fever entry on website])</ref> At NATPE 1998, he asked ShoPro for a "kind of carte blanche, to let me change the show as I think would work for this market", to which ShoPro agreed.<ref name="Dockery-2022">{{Cite book | first=Daniel | last=Dockery | title=Monster Kids: How Pokémon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All | date=5 October 2022 | publisher=Running Press | pages=43–44 | isbn=978-0762479504}}</ref> However, no national TV station was interested in buying the anime or financing its localization.<ref name="Tsukayama-2016" /><ref name="Lippman-1999" /> Kahn then decided to self-finance ''Pokémon'''s production costs, despite realizing this "could very well bring down 4Kids" if the show would fail.<ref name="Dockery-2022" /> According to Kahn, they "spend a fortune" on the localization.<ref name="Mallory-2001" /> To have it broadcast in syndication, 4Kids offered the show for free to local TV stations across the country, in exchange for a portion of the advertising revenue.<ref name="Tsukayama-2016" /><ref name="Lippman-1999" /> NoA assisted, persuading dozens of stations to carry the series by offering to buy some of their advertisement space, spending a total of $5 million (c. ${{Inflation|US|5|1998|r=2}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref name="Gellene-1998" /><ref name="Dockery-2022" /> Despite all this, most broadcasters were still reluctant to carry ''Pokémon'', with Grossfeld experiencing difficulties getting through their "preconceived notions or their snobbery for Western-produced animation over something from Asia".<ref name="Dockery-2022" /> At the time, anime had not yet found mainstream popularity in the West. Contemporary news reports cited ''Sailor Moon''{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Mcfarland-1999" /><ref name="Gellene-1998" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Bill | last=Keveney | title=Japan's latest export to U.S.: 'Pokemon' Viewers won't see cartoon episode that was blamed for making kids sick | work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date=18 February 1998 | page=8 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/260665712 | id={{ProQuest|260665712}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Keveney-1998">{{Cite news | first=Bill | last=Keveney | title=Japan's 'Pokeman' [sic] Heads West | work=Los Angeles Times | date=1 March 1998 | page=7 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-tv-24117-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717073128/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-mar-01-tv-24117-story.html | archive-date=17 July 2019 | url-status=live | ref={{harvid|Keveney|1998b}}}}</ref>}} as an example of an anime that had failed to catch on with American youth.{{efn|However, ''Sailor Moon'' did gain a cult following at the time.<ref name="Allison (2006) p154">{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=154}}.</ref> After being pulled from syndication in spring 1996 due to low ratings,<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=151-152}}.</ref> it was broadcast again on USA Network from June 1997 to March 1998.<ref name="Lenburg-2009">{{Cite encyclopedia | first=Jeff | last=Lenburg | date=2009 | title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons | edition=3nd | publisher=Facts on File | page=613 | isbn=978-0816065998}} ([https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofan0000lenb/page/613/mode/1up link])</ref> The anime subsequently had a successful run on Cartoon Network's Toonami block from 1 June 1998, to 5 July 2002, a timeframe that overlapped Pokémania.<ref name="Allison (2006) p154" /><ref name="Lenburg-2009" />}} Still, with NoA's help, 4Kids ultimately succeeded in contracting 112 broadcasters for ''Pokémon'',<ref>{{Cite news | first=Gary | last=Levin | title=Notorious 'Pokemon' cartoon poised for fall | work=USA Today | date=11 June 1998 | page=03D | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/408816962 | id={{ProQuest|408816962}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> reaching "about 85 to 90 percent"<ref name="Saunders-1998">{{Cite news | first=Michael | last=Saunders | title=Subdued 'Convulsion Cartoon' Heads to US | work=The Boston Globe | date=16 February 1998 | page=A1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/403945497 | id={{ProQuest|403945497}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> of television households. However, many broadcasters gave it off-peak time slots, with starting times like 06:00 or 06:30.<ref name="Tsukayama-2016" /><ref name="Gellene-1998" /> Prior to the late 1990s, this was the case for many anime in the US.<ref name="Stewart-2004" />

Grossfeld came up with the advertising slogan "Gotta catch 'em all!" as the English equivalent to the Japanese {{Nihongo3|Get (the) Pokémon!|ポケモンゲットだぜー！|Pokemon GETTO daze~!}}.<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Andy | last=Myers | title=Built to Last | magazine=Nintendo Power | date=August 2005 | issue=194 | page=58 | url=https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-194-august-2005/page/58/mode/1up?view=theater | quote=When Nintendo couldn't trademark the phrase, they settled on Grossfeld's second choice: "Gotta Catch 'Em All"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Todd | last=Van Luling | title=Before 'Gotta Catch 'Em All:' The Creation Of The Pokémon Theme | website=HuffPost | date=2 June 2017 | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pokemon-theme-catch-em-if-you-can_n_592f3495e4b0540ffc84324a | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121064144/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pokemon-theme-catch-em-if-you-can_n_592f3495e4b0540ffc84324a | archive-date=21 January 2023 | url-status=live | quote="It was always my intention to come up with a tagline for marketing purposes that would also be included in the theme song," 4Kids Entertainment head of production Norman Grossfeld explained to HuffPost.}}</ref> The phrase "miraculously managed to gain approval" by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which normally prohibits the use of injunctions in ads directed at children (e.g. "You must buy this!"). While the tagline may sound commanding, the FCC reasoned that the act of ''catching'' is at the core of ''Pokémon''{{'}}s play. Therefore, the phrase was allowed.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=244}}.</ref> The series' theme song was written by John Loeffler and John Siegler, and performed by Jason Paige.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Steve | last=Fritz | title=POKEMON Composer John Loeffler | website=Mania.com | date=9 September 2000 | url=http://www.mania.com/24041.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714120539/http://www.mania.com/24041.html | archive-date=14 July 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

The ''Pokémon'' anime was first broadcast on 7 September 1998.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Scott | last=Moore | title=Pokemania | newspaper=The Washington Post | page=C13 | date=25 April 2000 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/25/pokemania/682d1860-8394-42f1-9469-c2abc75fdd15/ | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828193800/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/04/25/pokemania/682d1860-8394-42f1-9469-c2abc75fdd15/ | archive-date=28 August 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon "Battle Aboard the St. Anne" (found original American broadcast version of anime episode; 1998) | website=Lost Media Wiki | url=https://lostmediawiki.com/Pok%C3%A9mon_%22Battle_Aboard_the_St._Anne%22_(found_original_American_broadcast_version_of_anime_episode;_1998)}}</ref> ''Pokémon Red Version'' and ''Blue Version'' were released three weeks later, on 28 September 1998.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Game Boy's Pokémon Unleashed on September 28! | date=28 September 1998 | publisher=Nintendo | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/100298.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990501171038/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/100298.html | archive-date=1 May 1999 | url-status=dead}}</ref> To localize the card game, Nintendo contracted Wizards of the Coast, the creator of ''Magic: The Gathering''.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Wizards of the Coast catches Pokémon Trading Card Game rights! | date=27 August 1998 | publisher=Wizards of the Coast | url=http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/Pokemon.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990221060236/http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/Pokemon.html | archive-date=21 February 1999 | url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' was officially launched nationwide on 9 January 1999, although pre-sold in select stores in December.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Pokemon Trading Card Game a Monster Success; Stores Selling Out of Product within Hours of Restocking on Shelves | date=3 February 1999 | publisher=Wizards of the Coast | url=http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EIN/1999_Feb_3/53696127/print.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010219001612/http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EIN/1999_Feb_3/53696127/print.jhtml | archive-date=19 February 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Coinciding with the North American launch of ''Pokémon'' was the release of the Game Boy Color on 23 November 1998.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Game Boy Color Coming This Fall | date=27 May 1998 | publisher=Nintendo | url=http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798j.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980610060218/http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052798j.html | archive-date=10 June 1998 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

===1999–2000: Pokémania===  In North America, the debuting ''Pokémon'' franchise quickly rose to success. By December 1998, the ''Pokémon'' anime had become the highest-rated syndicated children's show during the weekdays.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Dustin | last=Dinoff | title=North American Pokemon penetration imminent | website=Kidscreen | date=1 January 1999 | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/01/01/24089-19990101/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926014907/https://kidscreen.com/1999/01/01/24089-19990101/ | archive-date=26 September 2012 | url-status=live}}</ref> This attracted the attention of two media companies: Warner Bros., co-owner of The WB channel; and Saban Entertainment/Fox Family Worldwide, owners of the Fox Kids channel. A bidding war ensued between the parties, which was won by Warner Bros.<ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p=55–56}}.</ref> On 13 February 1999, ''Pokémon'' launched on the Kids' WB national television block. The debut episode became the most watched premiere in Kids' WB's history.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Josef | last=Adalian | title='Pokemon' powers Kids' WB | website=Variety.com | date=21 February 1999 | url=https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/pokemon-powers-kids-wb-1117491518/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522173551/https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/pokemon-powers-kids-wb-1117491518/ | archive-date=22 May 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref>

By April 1999, there was a general consensus in the US that ''Pokémon'' had become a phenomenon and the newest children's fad.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Mcfarland-1999" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Laura Sessions | last=Stepp | title=The 'Pokemon' Phenomenon | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=9 April 1999 | page=C04 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/04/09/the-pokemon-phenomenon/434d2658-da94-4a3a-baad-d72dec12384a/ | url-access=registration | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828020736/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1999/04/09/the-pokemon-phenomenon/434d2658-da94-4a3a-baad-d72dec12384a/ | archive-date=28 August 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Laura | last=Evenson | title=MONSTER BASH / Pokemon characters from Japan capture kids' imaginations | work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=20 April 1999 | page=B1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/411368309 | id={{ProQuest|411368309}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Sharon R. | last=King | title=Mania for 'Pocket Monsters' Yields Billions for Nintendo | work=The New York Times | date=26 April 1999 | page=A1 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/26/business/mania-for-pocket-monsters-yields-billions-for-nintendo.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118053852/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/26/business/mania-for-pocket-monsters-yields-billions-for-nintendo.html | archive-date=18 January 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref>}} By some, the fad was referred to as "Pokémania",{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite news | first=Darryl | last=Owens | title=Kids have contracted 'Pokemania' | work=The News & Observer | date=16 June 1999 | page=E9 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/402827992 | id={{ProQuest|402827992}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=D'Arcy | last=Doran | title=Prepare for Pokemania: Video game expo expected to lure thousands of kids | work=Toronto Star | date=22 July 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/437976460 | id={{ProQuest|437976460}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Rachel | last=Lipton | title=Pokemania | work=National Post | date=6 November 1999 | page=31 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329619943 | id={{ProQuest|329619943}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Pokemania hits town | work=Birmingham Evening Mail | date=31 July 2000 | page=17 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/323292064 | id={{ProQuest|323292064}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} including journalists of ''Time''<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" /> and ''USA Today''.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Mike | last=Snider | title=Pokemania builds as monster games spawn a hydra-headed empire | work=USA Today | date=17 March 1999 | page=08D | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/408752577 | id={{ProQuest|408752577}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> In the US, severe scarcity occurred of ''Pokémon'' goods,<ref name="Thomas-Lester-1999" /> especially ''Pokémon'' cards,<ref>{{Cite news | first=Kent | last=Gordon | title=The Pokemon SHUFFLE // Stores can't keep the cards in stock, some schools have banned them, and many adults don't get it | work=Star Tribune | date=8 April 1999 | page=01B | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/427116686 | id={{ProQuest|427116686}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> causing companies to miss profits.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Kent | last=Gordon | title=Pokemon cards are a monster craze | work=The Vancouver Sun | date=30 April 1999 | quote=I could have sold 10 times that amount if I had them and we have done better than most to keep them in stock. | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/242787482 | id={{ProQuest|242787482}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> A ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' article, published on 3 August 1999, cited a Toys "R" Us manager as saying that a supply of 600 booster packs would last 24 hours. The CEO of one card distributor stated that they were "thousands of boxes behind" on orders. In the same article, a Wizards spokeswoman stated that more employees and printers had been hired to increase card production.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Rick | last=Romell | title=High-stakes card game Pokemon packs sell out in hours as kids' demand far exceeds retailers' supply | work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date=3 August 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/260984239 | id={{ProQuest|260984239}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> However, near the end of the month, a different Wizards spokeswoman told ''The Washington Post'' that they had "exhausted most of the card-printing capacity of the United States".<ref name="Baylis-1999" /> Similarly, ''USA Today'' reported in November 1999 that factories making Hasbro's ''Pokémon'' toys had expanded production by 20 times, but demand still exceeded supply.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Thomas | last=Content | title=Pokémon poised to stomp Elmo, Furby Kids choose to collect 'em all, and marketers are raking in billions | work=USA Today | date=10 November 1999 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/408811083 | id={{ProQuest|408811083}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In part due to the ''Pokémon'' craze, Nintendo saw a 250% increase in profits in 1999 compared to the previous year,<ref name="Baylis-1999" /> reaching a six-year high.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Gary | last=Schaefer | title=Pokemon boom helps push Nintendo profit to six-year high | work=National Post | date=27 May 1999 | page=C11 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329405610 | id={{ProQuest|329405610}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The ''Pokémon'' franchise accounted for over 30% of Nintendo's revenue that year.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Week of November 8–14, 1999 | website=Gamasutra | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/newswire/news/index19991108.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021003082227/http://www.gamasutra.com/newswire/news/index19991108.htm | archive-date=3 October 2002 | url-status=dead | quote=The Pokemon franchise has accounted for over thirty percent of Nintendo's revenues this year.}}</ref> ''Pokémon''{{'}}s popularity also caused a sharp increase in sales of the Game Boy line.<ref name="Moss-2019" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Joe | last=Hutsko | title=88 Million and Counting; Nintendo Remains King of the Handheld Game Players | work=The New York Times, Late Edition | date=25 March 2000 | page=C1 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/25/business/88-million-and-counting-nintendo-remains-king-of-the-handheld-game-players.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221121400/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/25/business/88-million-and-counting-nintendo-remains-king-of-the-handheld-game-players.html | archive-date=21 February 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=383}}.</ref> The financial windfalls came at a time when Nintendo lost dominance in the home console market, with the Nintendo 64 being outsold by Sony's PlayStation.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Luke | last=Holland | title=PlayStation vs. Nintendo 64 Was the Last Console War That Mattered | website=Vice | date=20 March 2015 | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/playstation-vs-nintendo-64-was-the-last-console-war-that-mattered-957/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819113425/https://www.vice.com/en/article/playstation-vs-nintendo-64-was-the-last-console-war-that-mattered-957/ | archive-date=19 August 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Damien | last=McFerran | title=The ultimate console war: How Sony beat Nintendo and Sega at their own game | website=TechRadar | date=10 November 2021 | url=https://www.techradar.com/news/the-ultimate-console-war-how-sony-beat-nintendo-and-sega-at-their-own-game | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223094828/https://www.techradar.com/news/the-ultimate-console-war-how-sony-beat-nintendo-and-sega-at-their-own-game | archive-date=23 February 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://gamesbeat.com/heres-who-won-each-console-war/ |title= Here's who won each console war |author= Mike Minotti |date= August 20, 2014 |publisher= GamesBeat |access-date=January 10, 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260110163838/https://gamesbeat.com/heres-who-won-each-console-war/ |archive-date=January 10, 2026 }}</ref> The global success of ''Pokémon'' compensated this loss somewhat.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite web | title=N64 Fade Out | website=Game Developer | date=2 December 1999 | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/n64-fade-out | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827100925/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/n64-fade-out | archive-date=27 August 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=N64 Resurgent | website=Game Developer | date=20 April 2000 | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/n64-resurgent | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912145239/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/n64-resurgent | archive-date=12 September 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Kevin | last=Restivo | title=Pokemon set to sweep Canada | magazine=Computer Dealer News | date=19 October 1998 | volume=14 | issue=39 | page=45 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/202773561 | id={{ProQuest|202773561}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Robert A. | last=Guth | title=Nintendo Offers New Players For Games | work=Asian Wall Street Journal | date=25 August 2000 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/315432212 | id={{ProQuest|315432212}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} Scholars David Buckingham and Julian Sefton-Green went even further, writing in 2004: "while Nintendo is now among Japan's most profitable corporations, it could be argued that the company would have struggled to survive without Pokémon".<ref>{{Harvc | first1=David | last1=Buckingham | author-link1=David Buckingham (academic) | first2=Julian | last2=Sefton-Green | year=2004 | chapter=Structure, Agency, and Pedagogy in Children's Media Culture | in=Tobin | p=14}}</ref>

4Kids, initially a little-known firm,<ref name="Lippman-1999" /><ref name="4Kids History" /> expanded thirty times in revenues,<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p455">{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=455}}.</ref> and was named the fastest-growing company in America in the 4 September 2000, issue of ''Fortune'' magazine.<ref name="Rogers-2000" /><ref>{{Cite magazine | title=FORTUNE's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies | magazine=Fortune | date=4 September 2000 | url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/09/04/286805/index.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918055916/https://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/09/04/286805/index.htm | archive-date=18 September 2020 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release | title=Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment – Fortune Magazine's No. 1 Fastest-Growing Company in America – Featured Tonight on CNBC's 'Business Center' | publisher=4Kids Entertainment | date=17 August 2000 | url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Al+Kahn,+Chairman+and+CEO+of+4Kids+Entertainment+--+Fortune...-a064343953 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073254/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Al+Kahn,+Chairman+and+CEO+of+4Kids+Entertainment+--+Fortune...-a064343953 | archive-date=14 February 2018 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Many businesses that timely obtained a ''Pokémon'' license reaped considerable profits.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p455" /><ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=249}}.</ref> In the summer of 1999, a massive run on stocks of publicly traded ''Pokémon'' licensees caused their value to increase dramatically. However, by November, most investors were shorting their shares. Realizing that ''Pokémon'' was a fad that would peak and fall at some point, investors were bearish about its prospects.<ref>{{Cite news | author=The Wall Street Journal | title=Pokemon is no longer in cards for bearish investors | work=Orlando Sentinel | date=27 August 1999 | url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1999-08-27-9908260634-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527023928/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1999/08/27/pokemon-is-no-longer-in-cards-for-bearish-investors/ | archive-date=27 May 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref>

''Pokémon: The First Movie'' premiered in North America on 12 November 1999, and in Europe the following year. Despite being negatively received by many Western critics, it became one of the most successful Japanese animated films of all time.<ref name="Sammut-2023">{{Cite web | first=Mark | last=Sammut | title=The Highest-Grossing Anime Movies Ever (& Where To Stream Them) | website=Game Rant | date=27 April 2023 | url=https://gamerant.com/anime-movies-highest-grossing-box-office-stream/#pokemon-the-first-movie-163-644-662 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328080636/https://gamerant.com/anime-movies-highest-grossing-box-office-stream/ | archive-date=28 March 2022 | url-status=live}}</ref> In the United States, November 1999 was estimated to have been the peak of Pokémania.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Yano (2004)">{{Harvc | first=Christine R. | last=Yano | year=2004 | chapter=Panic Attacks: Anti-Pokémon Voices in Global Markets | in=Tobin | p=121}} "November 1999 seemed to be a peak month for Pokémon-related crime and violence."</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokemon Sensation At Its Peak: Movie Has Pushed Craze Out Of Control | website=NewsNet5 | date=16 November 1999 | url=http://www.newsnet5.com/news/stories/news-19991116-173305.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000915145856/http://www.newsnet5.com/news/stories/news-19991116-173305.html | archive-date=15 September 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Kids send 'Pokemon' to top of box office list | website=The Morning Sun | date=15 November 1999 | url=http://www.morningsun.net/stories/111599/usw_1115990014.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031129065115/http://www.morningsun.net/stories/111599/usw_1115990014.shtml | archive-date=29 November 2003 | url-status=dead}} "Pokemon couldn't be hotter than it is right now"</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Peter | last=Breen | title=Monster Marketing: Pokemon is white-hot now. But will it be evergreen? | magazine=PROMO Magazine | date=January 2000 | url=http://promomagazine.com/mag/marketing_monster_marketing_pokemon/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040618111725/http://promomagazine.com/mag/marketing_monster_marketing_pokemon/ | archive-date=18 June 2004 | url-status=dead}} "[Pokémon] began fully living up to its hype in November, when the release of Pokemon the First Movie and a corresponding Burger King promotion sent sales of licensed merchandise – and alleged incidents of criminal behavior – soaring. (...) [Pokémon products] built up the buzz before the movie release opened the floodgates."</ref>}} Supporting the American release of ''The First Movie'' was a promotional action with Burger King, one of the largest in the history of the fast-food industry.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Gregg | last=Cebrzynski | title=Burger King latches on to Pokemon craze with six-week movie promotion | work=Nation's Restaurant News | date=18 October 1999 | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_42_33/ai_57006889 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910123312/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_42_33/ai_57006889 | archive-date=10 September 2004 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Tom | last=Held | title=Undivided attention: Pokemon attracts kids and parents to Burger King | work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date=13 November 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/261025518 | id={{ProQuest|261025518}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Greg | last=Hernandez | title=Pokemon Fever Turns Into a Headache at Burger King | work=Los Angeles Times | date=12 November 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-12-mn-32706-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523100157/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-12-mn-32706-story.html | archive-date=23 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> The success of the promotion resulted in supply issues; restaurants often ran out of ''Pokémon'' toys to include with their meals.<ref>{{Cite news | first1=Shannon | last1=O'Boye | first2=Oshrat | last2=Carmiel | title=The Pokemon Craze Now Consuming Burger King | work=The Philadelphia Inquirer | date=13 November 1999 | page=A1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1844346122 | id={{ProQuest|1844346122}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Bryan | last=Long | title=Hold the pickle, hold the Pokemon cards and toys | work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune | date=2 December 1999 | page=2 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/270631876 | id={{ProQuest|270631876}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> On 27 December,<ref>{{Cite news | author=Associated Press | title=Burger King Recalling Pokemon Containers | work=The New York Times | date=28 December 1999 | page=A18 | url=https://poke-sources.info/pdfs/Burger_King_Recalling_Pokemon_Containers.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523121634/https://poke-sources.info/pdfs/Burger_King_Recalling_Pokemon_Containers.pdf | archive-date=23 May 2023 | url-status=dead}} [https://www.proquest.com/docview/110092429/pageviewPDF/2DC5EAE9F7334A9FPQ ProQuest]. NB: this AP announcement cites "Dec. 27" as the date on which the recall was issued.</ref> Burger King recalled its Poké Ball toy after a 13-month-old girl died suffocating on one.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Burger King Recalls Balls Encasing Pokemon Toys | work=The Wall Street Journal | page=B8 | date=28 December 1999 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB94635088438819093 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first1=Greg | last1=Hernandez | first2=Robin | last2=Fields | title=Regulators Say Burger King Balked at Recalling Toy Balls | work=Los Angeles Times | date=29 December 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-29-fi-48488-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331143050/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-29-fi-48488-story.html | archive-date=31 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref>

''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', the successors to ''Red/Green/Blue'', were released in North America on 15 October 2000.<ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p=129}}.</ref> In Europe, they were released on 6 April 2001.<ref>[https://www.mobygames.com/game/5515/pokemon-gold-version/releases/ ''Pokémon Gold''] and [https://www.mobygames.com/game/5426/pokemon-silver-version/releases/ ''Silver''] at ''MobyGames''.</ref>

====The Pokémon Company and Pokémon USA established==== [[File:Mega Tokyo Pokémon Center wares 4.jpg|thumb|350px|Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, a large Pokémon merchandise shop in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo | website=pokemon.co.jp | url=https://www.pokemon.co.jp/shop/en/pokecen/megatokyo/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621072852/https://www.pokemon.co.jp/shop/en/pokecen/megatokyo/ | archive-date=21 June 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref>]]  On 23 April 1998, Pokémon Center Co. Ltd. was founded as a joint venture by Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Company Profile | website=pokemon.co.jp | url=http://www.pokemon.co.jp/corporate/en/outline/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108090446/http://www.pokemon.co.jp/corporate/en/outline/ | archive-date=8 November 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref> It was initially formed for the management of specialized merchandise stores called Pokemon Centers, of which the first location opened in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on 18 July 1998.<ref name="Company History">{{Cite web | title=Company History | website=pokemon.co.jp | url=http://www.pokemon.co.jp/corporate/en/history/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205054303/http://www.pokemon.co.jp/corporate/en/history/ | archive-date=5 December 2017 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>See [https://web.archive.org/web/20230407091240im_/https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HVEAAOSwAJpj9t-N/s-l1600.png this phone card].</ref> Throughout the years, multiple Japanese Pokémon Centers would open and close. {{As of|2026|April}}, a total of 25 Pokémon merchandise shops exist in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Official Shop List | website=pokemon.co.jp | url=https://www.pokemon.co.jp/shop/en/ | access-date=3 September 2025 | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0429-0632-40/https://www.pokemon.co.jp:443/shop/en/ | archive-date=29 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref> An American Pokémon Center also existed in New York City from 2001<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Pokémon says "I Choose You!" To Rockefeller Center for First U.S. Store Dedicated To the Growing Worldwide Phenomenon | publisher=Pokémon USA | date=1 November 2001 | url=http://www.pokemoncenter.com/pkstore/text_2.asp | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011119104638/http://www.pokemoncenter.com/pkstore/text_2.asp | archive-date=19 November 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref> to 2005.<ref>{{Cite web | title=announcement | website=pokemoncenter.com | url=http://www.pokemoncenter.com/store/announcement.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050116021019/http://www.pokemoncenter.com/store/announcement.html | archive-date=16 January 2005 | url-status=dead}}</ref> It was then remodelled into Nintendo World,<ref>{{Cite web | first=Marc-André | last=Sarrazin | title=Nintendo World Store Opening Party | website=Nintendo Spin | date=21 April 2005 | url=http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714185247/http://www.nintendospin.com/news/nintendo-world-store-opening-party/ | archive-date=14 July 2011 | url-status=dead}}</ref> later renamed Nintendo New York.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Allegra | last=Frank | title=Nintendo NY opens its doors to fans from around the world | website=Polygon | date=19 February 2016 | url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/19/11064418/nintendo-ny-opening-photos | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219221452/https://www.polygon.com/2016/2/19/11064418/nintendo-ny-opening-photos | archive-date=19 February 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

After the release of ''Gold'' and ''Silver'', Tsunekazu Ishihara began setting out a number of long-term goals for the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which included releasing a movie every year.{{efn|Shogakukan kept this condition until 2021. {{As of|2026}}, the last animated ''Pokémon'' feature is {{nihongo||ポケモンココ|Pokemon: Coco}}, released in Japan on 25 December 2020. It was released worldwide (excluding Japan, Korea, and China) as ''Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' on 8 October 2021. Between 1998 and 2021, a total of 23 anime films were released.}} As part of Ishihara's plan, the Pokemon Center Co. Ltd. was reformatted into The Pokémon Company (TPC), and officially renamed in October 2000.<ref name="Company History" /><ref>{{Cite interview | title=Just Being President Was A Waste! | series=Iwata Asks | interviewer-first=Satoru | interviewer-last=Iwata | interviewer-link=Satoru Iwata | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/2/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012415/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/pokemon/0/2/ | archive-date=28 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> The goal of TPC is to centralize and streamline the global management of Pokémon.<ref name="4Kids Entertainment-2001">{{Cite press release | title=4Kids Entertainment Signs New Five-Year Agreement With Pokémon USA | date=10 October 2001 | publisher=4Kids Entertainment | url=http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/docs/news/2001-1010b.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024051709/http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/docs/news/2001-1010b.pdf | archive-date=24 October 2005 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In February 2001, Pokémon USA was established, an affiliated firm of The Pokémon Company.<ref name="Company History" />

===2001–2006: End of the craze===  In North America, Pokémania peaked in 1999, slowing down throughout the next year.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Ian | last=Shapira | title=From Pokemany to Poky Few? | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=31 July 2000 | page=C1 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/07/31/from-pokemany-to-poky-few/3ef2fc23-ef9d-4289-bf16-3bf44fa1a511/ | url-access=registration | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828202730/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/07/31/from-pokemany-to-poky-few/3ef2fc23-ef9d-4289-bf16-3bf44fa1a511/ | archive-date=28 August 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref> On 29 April 2000, the anime was bumped off Kids' WB's No. 1 spot after holding it for 54 weeks. Around the same time, ''Pokémon'' was surpassed at Fox Kids by its rival ''Digimon''.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Michael | last=Schneider | title='The Weekenders' defeats 'Pokemon' | website=Variety.com | date=5 May 2000 | url=https://variety.com/2000/tv/news/the-weekenders-defeats-pokemon-1117781251/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112035538/https://variety.com/2000/tv/news/the-weekenders-defeats-pokemon-1117781251/ | archive-date=12 November 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> In Europe, the craze peaked in 2000.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Pokemon and Overseas Sales Boost Hasbro Net Income 10% | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=26 April 2000 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB956702065262268149 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Rachel | last=Zoll | title=Hasbro earnings drop 80 percent | work=Houston Chronicle | date=20 July 2000 | url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Hasbro-earnings-drop-80-percent-11932298.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225090947/https://www.chron.com/news/article/Hasbro-earnings-drop-80-percent-11932298.php | archive-date=25 February 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref> On 20 January 2001, ''The New York Times'' reported that ''Pokémon''{{'}}s trading card market had collapsed in the US.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Julian E. | last=Barnes | title=Pokemon's House of Cards; Market Crash Holds Lessons for Young Traders | website=The New York Times | date=20 January 2001 | page=C1 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/20/business/pokemon-s-house-of-cards-market-crash-holds-lessons-for-young-traders.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723154357/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/20/business/pokemon-s-house-of-cards-market-crash-holds-lessons-for-young-traders.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm | archive-date=23 July 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref> A June 2001 survey in the United Kingdom confirmed that ''Pokémon''{{'}}s popularity was waning there.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokemon popularity wanes among children | website=Ananova | url=http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_337185.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020220161536/http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_337185.html | archive-date=20 February 2002 | url-status=dead | quote=James Leach from [UK-based] Carrick James Market Research, which carried out the study, says it suggests the Pokemon craze is now firmly on the decline.}}</ref> Joseph Tobin wrote: "By the summer of 2001, Pokémon's shelf space in Japanese and U.S. toy stores was but a fraction of what it enjoyed in the fall of 1999".<ref>{{Harvc | first=Joseph | last=Tobin | author-link=Joseph Tobin | year=2004 | chapter=Conclusion: The Rise and Fall of the Pokémon Empire | in=Tobin | p=289-290 | id=Tobins_conclusion_2}}</ref> By the end of 2001, Pokémania was fading globally, and by 2002, the fad was largely over.<ref>{{Cite book | editor-first=Joseph | editor-last=Tobin | editor-link=Joseph Tobin | title=Pikachu's Global Adventure | date=2004 | publisher=Duke University Press | isbn=978-0822332879 | ref={{harvid|Tobin2|2004}}}} Blurb on the back cover ([https://web.archive.org/web/20230331210235im_/https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71SJh5ODIhL.jpg image], [https://web.archive.org/web/20180214005057/https://www.dukeupress.edu/pikachus-global-adventure text]).</ref>

From 2000 to 2002, Game Freak developed ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', the successors to ''Gold'' and ''Silver'', for the newly released Game Boy Advance. Masuda, who was appointed to assistant director during ''Gold'' and ''Silver'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20231124193918/https://www.mobygames.com/game/5515/pokemon-gold-version/credits/gameboy-color/ Credits of ''Pokémon Gold''] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20231124193925/https://www.mobygames.com/game/5426/pokemon-silver-version/credits/gameboy-color/ ''Silver''] on ''MobyGames''.</ref> was promoted to director for ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', with Tajiri making himself executive director.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20231119184408/https://www.mobygames.com/game/8459/pokemon-ruby-version/credits/gameboy-advance/ Credits of ''Pokémon Ruby''] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20231119184509/https://www.mobygames.com/game/8460/pokemon-sapphire-version/credits/gameboy-advance/ ''Sapphire''] on ''MobyGames''.</ref>

In October 2001, 4Kids Entertainment signed a new contract with Pokémon USA (PUSA), continuing to serve as ''Pokémon''{{'}}s exclusive licensing agent and anime localizer.<ref name="4Kids Entertainment-2001" /> On 23 December 2005, it was announced that the agreement would not be renewed and would expire on 31 December, with PUSA moving all licensing in-house.<ref>{{Cite press release | title=Pokemon USA Moves Licensing In-House in 2006; 4Kids Entertainment to Transition Its Representation of Pokemon | date=23 December 2005 | url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20051223005061/en/Pokemon-USA-Moves-Licensing-In-House-2006-4Kids | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305002807/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20051223005061/en/Pokemon-USA-Moves-Licensing-In-House-2006-4Kids | archive-date=5 March 2017| url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Simon | last=Carless | title=Pokemon USA Moves Licensing In-House | date=23 December 2005 | website=Gamasutra | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/pokemon-usa-moves-licensing-in-house | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103180657/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7615 | archive-date=3 January 2006 | url-status=live}}</ref> The localization of the anime would be done by PUSA in cooperation with TAJ Productions. PUSA proceeded to replace almost all of the original English voice actors, who were still under contract with 4Kids.<ref name="Underbelly-2011">{{Cite AV media | title=Professor Oak Interview | publisher=Underbelly | date=6 May 2011 | time=3:58 | via=YouTube | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUL66MyiBY&t=238s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217033502/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUL66MyiBY | archive-date=17 December 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> This decision "raised the ire of fans and the actors themselves".<ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p=188}}.</ref> According to Stuart Zagnit, who voiced Professor Oak, the recasting was done to cut back on costs.<ref name="Underbelly-2011" />

In March 2003, Pokémon UK was established in London as a British representative of The Pokémon Company.<ref name="Company History" />

===2006–2012: Generation IV–V, TPCi established=== Following ''Ruby and Sapphire'', ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' were released for the Nintendo DS on 28 September 2006, in Japan<ref>{{Cite web |title=『ポケットモンスターダイヤモンド・パール』キャンペ��ンでオリジナルDSLite発売！ – 電撃オンライン |url=https://dengekionline.com/data/news/2006/9/1/c919950e8e236ae123318364ad5b5286.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=dengekionline.com}}</ref> and on 22 April 2007, in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=20 December 2006 |title=Pokemon in April |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/20/pokemon-in-april |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> A third version, ''Pokémon Platinum'', was released on 28 September 2008, in Japan<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2008 |title=Pokemon Platinum Dated For Japan |url=https://kotaku.com/pokemon-platinum-dated-for-japan-5024087 |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}</ref> and on 22 March 2009, in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |date=16 March 2009 |title=Pokemon Platinum Version Makes Its U.S. Debut |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/16/pokemon-platinum-version-makes-its-us-debut |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> They form the fourth generation (Generation IV) in the ''Pokémon'' video game series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pricener |first=Zachary |date=9 September 2020 |title=Pokémon: 10 Ways Generation 4 Changed The Series Forever |url=https://gamerant.com/pokemon-generation-4-changes-series/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> ''Diamond and Pearl'' were designed based on the DS's various features such as its Wi-Fi capabilities and slot for Game Boy Advance cartridge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Q&A: Head Pokétrainer Tsunekazu Ishihara |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-head-pokytrainer-tsunekazu-ishihara/1100-6172003/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref> Pokémon president Tsunekazu Ishihara dubbed the games as the "ultimate" Pokémon titles because they allowed the player to trade and battle Pokémon including every Pokémon from previous iterations globally through WiFi, as opposed to previously only able to do so locally and with fewer Pokémon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tsunekazu Ishihara: The Pokémon Interview – Interview |url=http://spong.com/feature/10109598/Interview-Tsunekazu-Ishihara-The-Pokemon-Interview |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=SPOnG |language=en}}</ref> The games' characters are 2D and the environments are rendered in 3D, and it is considerably difficult to differentiate them because Game Freak designed them this way to innovate the graphics while also retaining the traditional game style and feel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alfonso |first=Andrew |date=29 September 2006 |title=Pokemon Pearl Playtest |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/29/pokemon-pearl-playtest |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1 September 2006 |title=Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Campaign: Original DS Lite Released! |language=ja |work=Dengeki Online |publisher=ASCII Media Works |url=http://dol.dengeki.com/data/news/2006/9/1/c919950e8e236ae123318364ad5b5286.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003011403/http://dol.dengeki.com/data/news/2006/9/1/c919950e8e236ae123318364ad5b5286.html |archive-date=3 October 2011}}</ref>

In 2009, Pokémon USA and Pokémon UK merged to form The Pokémon Company International (TPCi).<ref name="Daswani-2009" /> This subsidiary of The Pokémon Company (TPC) has since managed the ''Pokémon'' franchise outside of Asia.<ref name="About us" />

In Generation V, ''Pokémon Black'' and ''White'' were released on 18 September 2010, in Japan for the DS<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 July 2016 |title=Pokemon Black and White releasing in Japan September 18 |url=https://www.engadget.com/2010-06-27-pokemon-black-and-white-releasing-in-japan-september-18.html |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref> and on 6 March 2011, in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Jim |date=27 December 2010 |title=Pokemon Black and White Release Date |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/12/27/pokemon-black-and-white-release-date |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> The games feature enhanced visual effects and increased use of 3D graphics. The developers excluded old Pokémon and strategies, while introducing over 150 new Pokémon to evoke a sense of novelty and to provide new players a more "leveled playing field" against old players.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 August 2010 |title=第170回 |url=http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir/?p=255 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111114601/http://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir/?p=255 |archive-date=11 January 2012 |website=Game Freak}}</ref> The games seek to attract both new players and returning players through its detailed walkthrough and the addition of C-Gear (a real-time communication tool to improve the trade and battle experiences), respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=George |first=Richard |date=2 March 2011 |title=Struggling With Pokemon |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/03/02/struggling-with-pokemon |access-date=2023-09-22 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> ''Black'' and ''White'' were followed by ''Pokémon Black 2'' and ''White 2'''','' which were released on 23 June 2012, in Japan<ref>{{Cite web |title=商品情報{{pipe}}『ポケットモンスターブラック2・ホワイト2』公式サイト |url=https://www.pokemon.co.jp/ex/b2w2/product/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.pokemon.co.jp |language=ja}}</ref> and on 7 October 2012, in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 |url=https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-black-version-2-and-pokemon-white-version-2/#en-us/home |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.pokemon.com |language=en}}</ref>

===2013–2018: 3D, Generation VI–VII, ''Pokémon Go''=== In Generation VI, ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y'' were released worldwide for the 3DS on 12 October 2013,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldfarb |first=Andrew |date=11 June 2013 |title=E3 2013: Pokemon X & Y Release Date Announced |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/11/e3-2013-pokemon-x-y-release-date-announced |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> and they are the first games to be released in this way. The developers focused on the themes of "beauty", "bond", and "evolution", and it is based on these themes that they created the games' core mechanic where Pokémon could achieve a higher form of evolution by strengthening their bonds with trainers; however, to maintain game balance, they limited this feature to a special, temporary phenomenon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pokémon X and Y Interview with Game Freak – Interview |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/35513/pokemon-x-and-y-interview-with-game-freak |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Nintendo World Report}}</ref> The games' shift to fully 3D graphics allowed the player to freely manipulate the camera angles although due to technical limitations objects far away are rendered in lower polygon models, and producer Hitoshi Yamagami addressed to 2D players that "Game Freak [developers are also] big fans of 2D graphics... So there are some elements in there that I [Yamagami] think fans of 2D will appreciate as well."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellis |first=Katy |date=20 September 2013 |title=Interview: Junichi Masuda and Hironobu Yoshida Discuss Pokémon X and Y, Mega Evolutions and the 2DS |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/09/interview_junichi_masuda_and_hironobu_yoshida_discuss_pokemon_x_and_y_mega_evolutions_and_the_2ds |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref> When asked about the Horde battle and Sky battle types, he stated that Horde battles are to supplant the roles of "really strong pokemon {{sic}}" to help the player more easily progress through the games and also to add "more excitement to the battles and a sense of danger", and that they added the Sky battles to take advantage of the games' 3D camera angels capabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Zach Betka |date=19 September 2013 |title=Pokemon X/Y: WHY?! Director Masuda himself answers! |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/pokemon-xy-why-director-masuda-himself-answers/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}</ref>

In Generation VII, ''Pokémon Sun'' and ''Moon'' were released worldwide for the 3DS on 18 November 2016, and on 23 November 2016, in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tumbokon |first=Karen |date=17 November 2016 |title=When Is 'Pokémon Sun' & 'Pokémon Moon' Being Released For Nintendo 3DS? |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/pokemon-sun-moon-nintendo-3ds-release-date-gameplay-trailers-2447587 |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=International Business Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The developers chose Hawaii for inspiration due to its distinctive warm sunlight and clear moonlight and unique biomes that helped support the games' regional Pokémon variance concept. Ohmori said, as director, he aimed to focus on the concept of "Pokémon as these living creatures, [and really focus] on them being alive." Having the release date on the 20th anniversary of Pokémon in mind, he treated this project as a "celebration of that life, and to really express this respect for life". As he contemplated about life and its origins, Ohmori considered the significance of the Sun, enabling life with its light, and the Moon's impact on certain species' reproduction. He explained how the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth "work [together] to influence [one another], and life as a result grows and flourishes based on [this] relationship."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=19 October 2016 |title=Why the New Pokémon Are Called 'Sun and Moon' |url=https://time.com/4536438/pokemon-sun-moon-interview/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref>

====2016: Release of ''Pokémon Go''==== thumb|Players during the ''Pokémon Go'' Fest in Chicago in 2017 In 2016, the ''Pokémon'' franchise spawned a second worldwide fad with the release of ''Pokémon Go'', a mobile augmented reality game. The app originated as a Google April Fools' Day joke in 2014: the "Google Maps Pokémon Challenge". The prank was conceived by Tsunekazu Ishihara and Satoru Iwata.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Nick | last=Statt | title=Google's April Fools' prank puts Pokemon in the real world | website=CNET | date=31 March 2014 | url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/googles-april-fools-prank-puts-pokemon-in-the-real-world/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708194449/http://www.cnet.com/news/googles-april-fools-prank-puts-pokemon-in-the-real-world/ | archive-date=8 July 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> On Ishihara's initiation,<ref name="Takahashi-2015">{{Cite web | first=Dean | last=Takahashi | title=How Pokémon Go will benefit from Niantic's lessons from Ingress on location-based game design | website=VentureBeat | date=16 December 2015 | url=https://venturebeat.com/games/how-niantic-will-marry-animated-characters-with-mobile-location-data-in-pokemon-go/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260427200438/https://gamesbeat.com/how-niantic-will-marry-animated-characters-with-mobile-location-data-in-pokemon-go/ | archive-date=27 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref> the hoax was turned into an actual video game developed by Niantic. Ishihara was a fan of Niantic's previous transreality game, ''Ingress'', and saw the game's concept as a perfect match for ''Pokémon''.<ref name="Takahashi-2015" />

Through in-game purchases, the game generated more than {{US$|160 million|long=no}} by the end of July 2016,<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon GO Passes $160 Million Worldwide Revenue, Usage Remains Strong | website=Sensor Tower App Marketing Blog | url=https://sensortower.com/blog/pokemon-go-160-million-dollars-usage-still-strong | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804095654/https://sensortower.com/blog/pokemon-go-160-million-dollars-usage-still-strong | archive-date=4 August 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> with App Annie reporting that ''Pokémon Go'' had generated around {{US$|10 million|long=no}} in revenue every day that month.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon GO: An Opportunity, Not a Threat | website=App Annie | date=29 July 2016 | url=https://www.appannie.com/insights/mobile-strategy/pokemon-go-an-opportunity-not-a-threat/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011024900/https://www.appannie.com/insights/mobile-strategy/pokemon-go-an-opportunity-not-a-threat/ | archive-date=11 October 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The same month, Sensor Tower reported that the game had passed more than {{US$|200 million|long=no}} in worldwide revenue, beating every existing record set by ''Clash of Clans'' and ''Candy Crush'' by a wide margin.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Ending a Historic First Month, Pokémon GO Has Passed $200 Million in Worldwide Revenue | website=Sensor Tower App Marketing Blog | url=https://sensortower.com/blog/pokemon-go-first-month | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809145021/https://sensortower.com/blog/pokemon-go-first-month | archive-date=9 August 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The average daily usage of the app on Android devices in July 2016 exceeded that of Snapchat, Tinder, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Brett | last=Molina | title='Pokémon Go' beating Facebook, Tinder and Snapchat | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2016/07/12/chart-more-time-spent-pokmon-go-than-instagram-snapchat/86982096/ | work=USA Today | date=12 July 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712174953/http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2016/07/12/chart-more-time-spent-pokmon-go-than-instagram-snapchat/86982096/ | archive-date=12 July 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> By 2 September 2016, ''Pokémon Go'' had generated more than $440 million in worldwide revenue, according to Sensor Tower.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Cosmin | last=V. | title=Pokémon Go revenue skyrockets to more than $440 million since release | website=phoneArena | date=2 September 2016 | url=https://www.phonearena.com/news/Pokemon-GO-revenue-skyrockets-to-more-than-440-million-since-release_id84912 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903171919/http://www.phonearena.com/news/Pokemon-GO-revenue-skyrockets-to-more-than-440-million-since-release_id84912 | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> By 30 September, it had received {{nowrap|500 million}} downloads and grossed {{US$|470 million|long=no}} in 80 days, according to market research firm Newzoo.<ref name="Newzoo-2016">{{Cite news | title=Analysis of Pokémon GO: A Success Two Decades in the Making | work=Newzoo | date=30 September 2016 | url=https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/analysis-pokemon-go/ | archive-date=1 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201122637/https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/analysis-pokemon-go/ | url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Pokémon Go'' reached the milestone of $600 million in revenue after only 90 days on the market, becoming the fastest mobile game ever to do so.<ref name="Makuch-2016">{{Cite web | first=Eddie | last=Makuch | title=Pokemon Go Reaches $600 Million, Faster Than Any Mobile Game in History – Report | work=GameSpot | date=21 October 2016 | url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-reaches-600-million-faster-than-any-mob/1100-6444687/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023133328/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-reaches-600-million-faster-than-any-mob/1100-6444687/ | archive-date=23 October 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

===2019–present: Generation VIII–IX, open-world gameplay=== Generation VIII<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rahaman |first=Reyadh |date=5 June 2020 |title=Pokemon Sword & Shield: The 18 Best Generation 8 Pokemon, Ranked |url=https://gamerant.com/pokemon-sword-shield-generation-8-best/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> debuted with the release of ''Pokémon Sword'' and ''Shield'' on 15 November 2019, for the Switch.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=13 November 2019 |title=Here's when you can play Pokémon Sword and Shield |url=https://www.polygon.com/pokemon/2019/11/13/20962936/pokemon-sword-shield-release-time-nov-15 |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> Director Shigeru Ohmori stated that they designed the games based on what they believed of the biggest ''Pokémon'' theme of becoming/being "the greatest or strongest", which was expressed in the games' Dynamax / Gigantamax Pokémon core mechanic and the games' increasingly powerful software and hardware capabilities. Ohmori further revealed that through developing the ''Let's Go'' games as research projects for the Switch, they were able to gain valuable experiences and knowledge to develop ''Sword'' and ''Shield''. He noted that they took advantage of the Switch's high resolution and TV connectivity to implement the games' gigantic-size core Pokémon mechanic. They envisioned the games' setting to be a "wide-open space" that is different from the traditional route systems and is constantly changing where the player can meet and explore with other players.<ref>{{Cite web |title=We Interview Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori about Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield |url=https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/we-interview-junichi-masuda-and-shigeru-ohmori-about-pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.pokemon.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The resulting widespread ennui and excessive leisure time inspired a resurgence in popularity and interest of ''Pokémon'' cards,<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Ronald D. |date=23 August 2021 |title=Pokémon cards are making collectors serious cash. Some people are upset about it |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-08-23/covid-era-pokemon-collectibles-demand-surge-causes-problems |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> which was further popularized by various YouTubers and other influencers, such as Logan Paul.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Today |first=I&T |date=7 June 2021 |title=Why Pokemon Cards Went Crazy During The Pandemic |url=https://innotechtoday.com/why-pokemon-cards-went-crazy-during-the-pandemic/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Innovation & Tech Today |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Asarch |first=Steven |title=Pokémon card prices have skyrocketed by nearly 500%. You can thank Logan Paul for that. |url=https://www.insider.com/pokemon-card-opening-day-celebration-video-logan-paul-elite-box-2021-2 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> The craze resulted in severe supply shortages, and customers' inappropriate and obsessive behavior raised safety concerns in many retail outlets. ''Pokémon'' cards' values skyrocketed, prompting collectors to submit cards and overwhelm card grading agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Thomas |date=24 February 2021 |title=Pokémon card prices skyrocket during the pandemic, study shows |url=https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/pokemon-cards-prices-increase-pandemic-2887712 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | last=Victor | first=Daniel | date=14 May 2021 | title=Target Stops Selling Pokémon Cards, Citing Safety Concerns in Stores | work=The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/business/pokemon-cards-target.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605153954/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/business/pokemon-cards-target.html | archive-date=5 June 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref> The Pokémon Company responded by reprinting impacted products at maximum capacity to ensure price stabilization and general accessibility.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=4 July 2022 |title=The great Pokémon card shortage has a solution: 9 billion new cards |url=https://www.polygon.com/pokemon/23190366/pokemon-card-shortage-production-numbers |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref>

''Pokémon Legends: Arceus'' was released on 28 January 2022, for the Switch as a prequel to ''Diamond'' and ''Pearl''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vaca |first=Noah |date=26 February 2021 |title=Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a Prequel to Diamond and Pearl |url=https://gamerant.com/pokemon-legends-arceus-diamond-and-pearl-prequel/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> It is part of Generation VIII.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=James |date=6 March 2021 |title=What Pokémon Legends: Arceus Means For The Rest Of Gen 8 |url=https://screenrant.com/pokemon-gen-8-more-games-legends-arceus-ending/ |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}}</ref> The game "represents a new approach for the ''Pokémon'' video game series" as it transitions from traditional RPG mechanics to add real-time elements in their games. Unlike traditional ''Pokémon'' games, the player can catch Pokémon by throwing a Poké Ball in real-time rather than triggering a battle; however, they can still choose the latter to weaken it for capture. Many in-game aspects, particularly its landscape, heavily resemble those of ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Webb |first=Kevin |title=Pokémon Legends Arceus is the survival game Nintendo Switch fans have been waiting for, and it arrives January 28 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/pokemon-legends-arceus-release-date-price-preorder-trailer |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pokemon Legends: Arceus – Everything We Know |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-legends-arceus-everything-we-know/1100-6491734/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=King |first=Jade |date=9 January 2022 |title=Pokemon Legends Arceus Is So Breath Of The Wild It Hurts |url=https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-legends-arceus-breath-of-the-wild/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref>

Generation IX<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=27 February 2022 |title=Pokémon's next games are Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, new starters revealed |url=https://www.polygon.com/22950896/pokemon-gen-9-announcement-scarlet-violet-new-starters |access-date=2023-09-21 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> was introduced with the release of ''Pokémon Scarlet'' and ''Violet'' for the Switch on 18 November 2022. The games are the first ''Pokémon'' games to feature an entirely open-world experience as opposed to the partially open-world experience in previous ''Pokémon'' games such as ''Sword and Shield,'' and it also departed from the traditional gym mechanics and the elite four battles to opt for unique road quests. The games' improved multiplayer experience allowed for up to four players to travel together.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carpenter |first=Nicole |date=1 June 2022 |title=Everything to know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet |url=https://www.polygon.com/pokemon/23149987/pokemon-scarlet-violet-nintendo-switch-release-date |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jeffery |first=Maxwell |date=7 September 2022 |title=All 3 Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Story Paths Explained: Path of Legends, Victory Road, & Starfall Street |url=https://gamingintel.com/all-paths-explained-pokemon-scarlet-violet-path-of-legends-victory-road-starfall-street/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=Gaming Intel |language=en-US |archive-date=1 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101205306/https://gamingintel.com/all-paths-explained-pokemon-scarlet-violet-path-of-legends-victory-road-starfall-street/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Their DLC, ''The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero'', consists of two parts, ''The Teal Mask'' and ''The Indigo Disk''; ''The Teal Mask'' was released on 12–13 September 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seong |first=Renri |date=12 September 2023 |title=Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC: The Teal Mask Release Times |url=https://gamerant.com/pokemon-scarlet-violet-dlc-teal-mask-release-times-the-hidden-treasure-of-area-zero-dlc/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Game Rant |language=en}}</ref> and ''The Indigo Disk'' was released on 14 December 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yonezawa |first=Bruno |date=13 August 2023 |title=Scarlet & Violet Indigo Disk DLC – Release Date, New Pokémon, Price, & Story |url=https://screenrant.com/scarlet-violet-indigo-disk-dlc-new-pokemon-release/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Screen Rant |language=en}}</ref> An epilogue to ''The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero'' was released on 11 January 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Poskitt |first=Matt |date=11 January 2024 |title=Pokémon Scarlet & Violet DLC epilogue: Release date & UK launch time |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/gaming/pokemon-scarlet-violet-dlc-epilogue/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Radio Times |language=en}}</ref>

''Pokémon Legends: Z-A'' was released on 16 October 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Megan | last=Farokhmanesh | title=Pokémon Legends: Z-A Is Coming in 2025. Will a New Nintendo Switch Join It? | date=27 February 2024 | magazine=Wired | url=https://www.wired.com/story/pokemon-legends-z-a-nintendo-switch-2/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227172223/https://www.wired.com/story/pokemon-legends-z-a-nintendo-switch-2/ | archive-date=27 February 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Jacob | last=Siegal | title=Pokémon Legends: Z-A would make for the perfect Switch 2 launch title | date=27 February 2024 | website=Boy Genius Report | url=https://bgr.com/entertainment/pokemon-legends-z-a-would-make-for-the-perfect-switch-2-launch-title/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227210916/https://bgr.com/entertainment/pokemon-legends-z-a-would-make-for-the-perfect-switch-2-launch-title/ | archive-date=27 February 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref> It is part of Generation IX. A successor to ''Legends: Arceus'', this game returns to the Kalos region seen in ''X'' and ''Y''. A DLC, ''Mega Dimension'', released on 10 December 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McClure |first1=Deven |title=Pokémon Legends: Z-A DLC is transporting players to hyperspace sooner than expected |url=https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-legends-za-mega-dimension-dlc-release-date-trailer/ |website=Polygon |date=6 November 2025 |access-date=9 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251109215113/https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-legends-za-mega-dimension-dlc-release-date-trailer/ |archive-date=2025-11-09}}</ref> The official logo for the 30th anniversary of the franchise was officially unveiled by the official social media accounts on the new year of 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-31 |title=The Pokémon Company shares logo for Pokémon's 30th anniversary |url=https://nintendowire.com/news/2025/12/31/the-pokemon-company-shares-logo-for-pokemons-30th-anniversary/ |access-date=2026-01-01 |website=Nintendo Wire}}</ref>

In January 2026, Lego announced their first ever ''Pokémon'' sets available for preorder to be released February 27, 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reed |first=Chris |date=2026-01-12 |title=The First Pokémon LEGO Sets Are Up for Preorder |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/pokemon-lego-sets-where-to-buy |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref> According to Yahoo News, their massive $650 set sold out quickly and were already being resold on eBay before their official release.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-01-13 |title=Lego's $650 Pokémon set is already sold out as demand, preorders surge |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/legos-650-pokemon-set-is-already-sold-out-as-demand-preorders-surge-204600267.html |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 27 February 2026, the franchises 30th anniversary, ''Pokémon Winds and Waves'' were announced in a ''Pokémon'' Presents live stream as the first Generation X games. The games are set to release in 2027.

==Media==

===Video games=== {{Main|Pokémon (video game series){{!}}''Pokémon'' (video game series)|List of Pokémon video games{{!}}List of ''Pokémon'' video games}}

''Pokémon'' video games encompass a wide variety of genres. The role-playing games (RPGs) developed by Game Freak are considered the core series of the franchise.<ref>{{Cite interview | title=Pokémon Born Anew | url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3ds/pokemonxy/0/1/ | series=Iwata Asks | interviewer-first=Satoru | interviewer-last=Iwata | interviewer-link=Satoru Iwata | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826090818/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/3ds/pokemonxy/0/1/ | archive-date=26 August 2022 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Inside the Minds behind Pokémon! | url=http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/vg_pokemonxy_gf_interview-2013-10-04/ | website=Pokemon.com | date=4 October 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008075239/http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/vg_pokemonxy_gf_interview-2013-10-04/ | archive-date=8 October 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Keza | last=MacDonald | title=Pokemon's Master Speaks | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/02/16/pokemons-master-speaks | date=16 February 2011 | website=IGN | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030202/http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/02/16/pokemons-master-speaks | archive-date=26 June 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref> Various spin-off games also exist, including ''Pokémon Mystery Dungeon'', a roguelike RPG series; ''Pokémon Ranger''; an action RPG series, and ''Detective Pikachu'' (2018), an adventure game. The games, specifically the core series, are classified in generations. For example, Junichi Masuda referred to ''Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' (2006) as the fourth generation <ref>{{Cite tweet | first=Junichi | last=Masuda | author-link=Junichi Masuda | user=Junichi_Masuda | number=1052350316681654273 | title=シンオウ地方、初ゲットのポケモンはビッパでしたー！(^^) #PokemonGO #Gen4 #シンオウ地方 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260428181500im_/https://i.ibb.co/XfrJWH5y/Masuda-Gen4-tweet.png | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''X'' and ''Y'' (2013) as the sixth generation.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Junichi | last=Masuda | title=No. 233 | website=gamefreak.co.jp | date=21 January 2013 | url=https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_english/2013/01/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323055202/https://www.gamefreak.co.jp/blog/dir_english/2013/01/index.html | archive-date=23 March 2020 | url-status=live | quote=Pokémon X and Pokémon Y–the evolved sixth generation of Pokémon.}}</ref>

Until 2011, most ''Pokémon'' games were released exclusively on Nintendo consoles. With the rise of the smartphone market during the 2010s, The Pokémon Company also began developing, publishing, and licensing ''Pokémon'' titles for mobile devices, most notably Niantic's 2016 AR game, ''Pokémon Go''.<ref name="Newzoo-2016" /><ref name="Makuch-2016" />

According to The Pokémon Company, over 489 million ''Pokémon'' game units have been sold worldwide {{as of|2025|March|lc=y}}.<ref name="Figures">{{Cite web | title=Pokémon in Figures | website=corporate.pokemon.co.jp | url=https://corporate.pokemon.co.jp/en/aboutus/figures/ | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0429-0245-36/https://corporate.pokemon.co.jp:443/en/aboutus/figures/ | archive-date=29 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref>

===Trading card game=== {{Main|Pokémon Trading Card Game{{!}}''Pokémon Trading Card Game''|List of Pokémon Trading Card Game sets{{!}}List of ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' sets}}

[[File:DP01 011 Palkia.jpg|thumb|Palkia, a card from the ''Diamond and Pearl Base Set'']]

The ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' (PTCG) was one of the first collectable card games (CCGs) in Japan. It was inspired by ''Magic: The Gathering''.<ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p153" /><ref name="Pokemon Business Study Group (1998) p112-117" /><ref name="Kimura (2006)" /> In the card game, the players use a 60-card deck featuring Basic and evolved Pokémon, Energy cards, and Trainer cards to help them knock out the opponent's Pokémon, drawing prize cards and winning the game.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pokémon Trading Card Game Rules | website=Pokemon.com | year=2023 | url=https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/trading-card-game/rulebook/svi_rulebook_en.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520162433/https://assets.pokemon.com//assets/cms2/pdf/trading-card-game/rulebook/svi_rulebook_en.pdf | archive-date=20 May 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> Cards are classified into various levels of rarity, ranging from Common to Rare Holofoil with a holographic illustration. Rare cards, including limited edition, exclusive cards, and older cards, are highly valued among collectors due to their scarcity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Patricia |date=6 November 2020 |title=Pokémon cards are hot again, now that Charizard can make you rich |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/6/21551503/pokemon-card-charizard-appraisal-shadowless-collection-first-edition-prices |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Newell |first1=Adam |last2=Forster |first2=Danny |date=28 September 2023 |title=Pokémon TCG Card Rarity Explained {{!}} What are Rare, Ultra, Secret, and more cards? |url=https://dotesports.com/seo/news/pokemon-tcg-card-rarity-explained |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US}}</ref>

According to The Pokémon Company, over 75 billion cards have been printed {{as of|2025|March|lc=y}}.<ref name="Figures" />

===Anime=== {{Main|Pokémon (TV series){{!}}''Pokémon'' (TV series)|List of Pokémon films{{!}}List of ''Pokémon'' films}}

{{As of|2026}}, the ''Pokémon'' anime consists of over 1,300 episodes across 28 seasons. Its current season, ''Pokémon Horizons – Rising Hope'', started airing on 11 April 2025. The anime originally focused on Ash Ketchum and his travels across the Pokémon world with his partner, Pikachu. They were retired as protagonists at the end of season 25.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Kenneth | last=Shepard | title=The Pokémon Anime Is Leaving Ash And Pikachu Behind After 25 Years | website=Kotaku | date=16 December 2022 | url=https://kotaku.com/pokemon-anime-ash-and-pikachu-new-season-liko-roy-1849903499 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105202403/https://kotaku.com/pokemon-anime-ash-and-pikachu-new-season-liko-roy-1849903499 | archive-date=5 January 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> The 26th season, ''Pokémon Horizons'', introduced two new protagonists, Liko and Roy.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Nicole | last=Carpenter | title=New characters take over Pokémon anime as Ash and Pikachu retire | website=Polygon | date=16 December 2022 | url=https://www.polygon.com/23512518/new-pokemon-anime-ash-pikachu-2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607152623/https://www.polygon.com/23512518/new-pokemon-anime-ash-pikachu-2023 | archive-date=7 June 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 23 anime films have been released, the most recent being ''Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle'' (2020).<ref>{{Cite web | title=Explore Movies | url=https://www.pokemon.com/us/animation/movies | website=Pokemon.com | archive-url=https://megalodon.jp/2026-0429-0243-14/https://www.pokemon.com:443/us/animation/movies | archive-date=29 March 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Spin-off series from the anime have also been produced, including a variety show titled {{Nihongo|''Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station''|週刊ポケモン放送局|Shūkan Pokemon Hōsōkyoku}}, which aired on TV Tokyo from 2002 to 2004 and aired in English as part of ''Pokémon Chronicles''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=週刊ポケモン放送局 – メディア芸術データベース |url=https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/C10252 |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp |language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | author=((Nintendo, OLM Inc. and 4Kids Entertainment)) | title=Pokémon Chronicles – The Complete Collection (4Kids Entertainment – English dub) | date=2002 | website=Internet Archive | url=http://archive.org/details/pokemon-chronicles}}.</ref> Several television specials have been released. 27 short films starring Pikachu were produced, primarily preceding the films.<ref>{{Cite web | date=7 July 2020 | title=10 Pokémon Shorts That Prove Trainers Are Overrated | url=https://gizmodo.com/10-pokemon-shorts-that-prove-trainers-are-overrated-1844013144 | access-date=2023-09-17 | website=Gizmodo}}</ref> Various animated mini-series also exist.

===Live-action=== ''Detective Pikachu'', a live-action/animated film based on the video game of the same name, was released in 2019.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Luc | last=Haasbroek | title=From 'Sonic the Hedgehog' to 'Detective Pikachu': 10 Best Movies Based on Videogames, According to IMDb | website=Collider | date=26 October 2022 | url=https://collider.com/best-movies-based-on-videogames-according-to-imdb/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250503010038/https://collider.com/best-movies-based-on-videogames-according-to-imdb/ | archive-date=3 May 2025 | url-status=live}}</ref> A sequel was announced even before the original premiered,<ref>{{Cite news | first=Borys | last=Kit | title='Detective Pikachu' Sequel in the Works With '22 Jump Street' Writer (Exclusive) | date=25 January 2019 | work=The Hollywood Reporter | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/detective-pikachu-sequel-works-1179211 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126061000/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/detective-pikachu-sequel-works-1179211| archive-date=26 January 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref> but {{As of|2026|lc=y}}, its status is unknown.

A live-action television drama, ''Poketto ni Bōken o Tsumekonde'' ("A Pocketful of Adventures"), premiered on TV Tokyo on 20 October 2023.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Daryl | last=Harding | title=Pokémon Gets Live-Action Japanese Drama About Young Woman Who Rediscovers Gen 1 Games | website=Crunchyroll | date=30 August 2023 | url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/8/30/pokemon-gets-live-action-japanese-drama-about-young-woman-who-rediscovers-gen-1-games}}</ref>

==Reaction to Pokémania (1999–2000)== [[File:Pikachu on New Yorker cover, Nov 1 1999.jpg|right|thumb|235px|1 November 1999 cover of ''The New Yorker'', which depicts a Pikachu carrying away a bag overflowing with money while trick-or-treating. Artwork by Harry Bliss.]]

In 1999 and 2000, ''Pokémon'' was an unprecedented, ubiquitous fad in the Western world. ''Time'' magazine described it as "a multimedia and interactive barrage like no other before it".<ref name="Chua-Eoan-1999" /> The franchise, primarily aimed at children, elicited mixed responses from parents and teachers, some of them critical. In a 2004 essay, anthropologist Christine R. Yano even claimed that the reactions at one point constituted a moral panic.<ref>{{Harvc | first=Christine R. | last=Yano | year=2004 | chapter=Panic Attacks: Anti-Pokémon Voices in Global Markets | in=Tobin | p=115}}</ref>

The bulk of the criticism on ''Pokémon'' was directed at the trading cards,<ref name="Brougère (2004)">{{Harvc | first=Gilles | last=Brougère | year=2004 | chapter=How Much Is a Pokémon Worth? Pokémon in France | in=Tobin | p=187-188}}</ref> in particular the booster packs, sealed packages of 11{{efn|name=boosters|From the original Base Set to the Neo Destiny sets, the booster packs contained 11 cards. After that and throughout the third generation 'EX' sets, the booster packs contained 9 cards. From the fourth generation ''Diamond and Pearl'' sets onwards, the packs contained 10 cards. Since the seventh generation ''Sun and Moon'' sets, the packs have again contained 11 cards.}} randomly inserted cards that were sold separately from the main sets. The cards are of varying scarcity, the most valuable being the "holofoil cards" (also called "holographic" or "foil cards"), in which the illustrations of the Pokémon have a shiny overlay effect. The rare cards can only be found in booster packs, and the rarest ones are very infrequently included. Joseph Tobin noted that rarity in this case is "artificially created", and "effectively a form of gambling" in which children need to repeatedly purchase booster packs to get more rare cards.<ref>{{Harvc | first1=David | last1=Buckingham | author-link1=David Buckingham (academic) | first2=Julian | last2=Sefton-Green | year=2004 | chapter=Structure, Agency, and Pedagogy in Children's Media Culture | in=Tobin | p=26}}</ref> {{ill|Gilles Brougère|fr}} described a cynicism among adults that corporations could apparently, "out of thin air", ascribe value to cards which they saw as valueless, thereby "deceiving vulnerable young consumers and garnering excessive profits".<ref name="Brougère (2004)" />

As the franchise's popularity grew, children began taking their ''Pokémon'' cards to school for trading and playing. Soon, the cards were alleged to be "disrupting learning, poisoning playground friendships and causing such distraction that some children forget their homework, tune out in class and even miss school buses as they scramble to acquire one more card".<ref>{{Cite news | first=Melissa | last=Healy | title=Backlash Builds as Schoolyards Evolve Into Pokemon Trading Pits | work=Los Angeles Times | date=16 October 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-16-mn-22915-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201223008/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-16-mn-22915-story.html | archive-date=1 December 2022 | url-status=live}}</ref> The cards were "turning the playground into a black market",<ref>{{Cite AV media | title=1999 MSNBC Pokémon News | publisher=WalVault | time=2:13 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dl7YF5Mr8Q&t=133s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408202254/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dl7YF5Mr8Q | archive-date=8 April 2024 | url-status=live | via=YouTube | quote=... but turning the playground into a black market, where they buy and sell rare cards. | ref={{harvid|MSNBC Pokémon item|1999}}}}</ref> with card swaps sometimes inciting conflicts. Certain children engaged in "aggressive trading",<ref name="BBC News-2000">{{Cite web | title=Schools ban Pokémon cards | website=BBC News | date=14 April 2000 | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/713270.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030224014051/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/713270.stm | archive-date=24 February 2003| url-status=live | quote=It puts enormous pressure on parents who want their children to have everything.}}</ref> tricking other (often younger) kids into unfair deals, forcing teachers to arbitrate.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite news | first=Jim | last=Fitzgerald | title=Kids Told to Pocket Their Pokemons | work=Los Angeles Times | date=30 May 1999 | page=21 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-mn-42491-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325203634/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-30-mn-42491-story.html | archive-date=25 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first1=Mike | last1=Johnson | first2=Anne | last2=Davis | title=Expelled: Pokemon prove powerless against principals Disruptions prompt some schools to ban popular trading cards | work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | date=15 September 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/261007853 | id={{ProQuest|261007853}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Bill | last=Cole | title=Parents and principals confront Pokemon | work=Daily Herald | date=28 September 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/309933592 | id={{ProQuest|309933592}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Sharon R. | last=King | title=A monstrous success: The craze for Nintendo's Pokemon has created preteen mob scenes in malls across the United States | work=National Post | date=27 April 1999 | page=C12 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329381956 | id={{ProQuest|329381956}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref>}} Some parents expressed their concerns about the craze, but feared that their children would be ostracized if they were to deny them ''Pokémon'' products.<ref name="BBC News-2000" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Felicia R | last=Lee | title=Who's Afraid of the Pokemon Monster? | work=The New York Times | date=24 October 1999 | page=CY1 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/nyregion/coping-who-s-afraid-of-the-pokemon-monster.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527104853/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/24/nyregion/coping-who-s-afraid-of-the-pokemon-monster.html | archive-date=27 May 2015 | url-status=live | quote=Parents feel that if they don't give in to this widespread phenomenon they risk their kids being ostracized}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Valerie J. | last=Nelson | title=Wait—Who Is Catching Whom? | work=Los Angeles Times | date=2 October 1999 | page=1 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-02-ca-17653-story.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210406175907/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-02-ca-17653-story.html | archive-date=6 April 2021 | url-status=live | quote=Peer pressure has a lot to do with it. (...) [I]f you don't have it, you're not cool.}}</ref> In the US, the ''Pokémon'' cards ended up "almost universally banned" from school grounds.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=254}}.</ref> Similar bans occurred in Canada,<ref>{{Cite news | title=Panic over Pokemon | work=The Ottawa Citizen | date=12 November 1999 | page=A18 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/240312091 | id={{ProQuest|240312091}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Kids, adults getting extreme to land Pokemon cards | work=Whitehorse Star | date=13 December 1999 | page=16 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/362083008 | id={{ProQuest|362083008}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Australia,<ref name="Mealey-1999">{{Cite news | first=Rachel | last=Mealey | title=Pokemon craze blamed for schoolyard bad behaviour | work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=22 November 1999 | url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s67800.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001020183020/http://www.abc.net.au/pm/s67800.htm | archive-date=20 October 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref> New Zealand,<ref>{{Cite news | first=Phil | last=Hamilton | title=Pokemon cards good for kids, says school | work=The Evening Post | date=10 April 2000 | page=1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/314679446 | id={{ProQuest|314679446}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> and European countries.<ref name="BBC News-2000" /><ref name="Montgomery-2000">{{Cite news | first=David | last=Montgomery | title=Crimes lead to Pokemon curb calls | work=The Scotsman | date=25 April 2000 | page=5 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/326776929 | id={{ProQuest|326776929}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Harvc | first=Gilles | last=Brougère | year=2004 | chapter=How Much Is a Pokémon Worth? Pokémon in France | in=Tobin | p=198}}</ref> In September 1999, US-based law firm Milberg filed a class-action lawsuit, claiming that the booster packs constitute a form of lottery and promote gambling in kids.<ref>{{Cite news | first=David M. | last=Halbfinger | title=Suit Claims Pokemon Is Lottery, Not Just Fad | work=The New York Times | page=B5 | date=24 September 1999 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/24/nyregion/suit-claims-pokemon-is-lottery-not-just-fad.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006061514/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/24/nyregion/suit-claims-pokemon-is-lottery-not-just-fad.html | archive-date=6 October 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Susan | last=Estrich | author-link=Susan Estrich | title=Who's doing the real gambling here? | work=Tampa Bay Times | date=27 September 1999 | url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1999/09/27/who-s-doing-the-real-gambling-here/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406184231/https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1999/09/27/who-s-doing-the-real-gambling-here/ | archive-date=6 April 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref> The suit is believed to have been settled.{{efn|In her 2006 book ''Millennial Monsters'', Anne Allison mentions the card suit and writes, within parentheses, that it "was eventually settled out of court".<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=255}}.</ref> However, she does not cite a source for this. The full sentence does contain an inline citation to a ''New York Times'' piece, but this article doesn't state that the case was settled.}}

The ''Pokémon'' anime series was criticized by some as "cheap Japanese animation"<ref name="Allison (2006) p261">{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=261}}.</ref> that is "violent"<ref name="Plotz-1999" /><ref>{{Harvc | first1=Dafna | last1=Lemish | first2=Linda-Renée | last2=Bloch | year=2004 | chapter=Pokémon in Israel | in=Tobin | p=172}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|MSNBC Pokémon item|1999}}. Event occurs at 1:20. "Parents should not have their kids ... have anything whatsoever to do with Pokémon, because the message is violence."</ref> and has "little educational value".<ref>{{Harvc | first=Gilles | last=Brougère | year=2004 | chapter=How Much Is a Pokémon Worth? Pokémon in France | in=Tobin | p=190}}</ref> Michelle Orecklin of ''Time'' dismissed the TV series as "less a cartoon than a half-hour exercise in Pokémon product placement".<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Michele | last=Orecklin | title=Pokemon: The Cutest Obsession | magazine=Time | date=10 May 1999 | volume=153 | issue=18 | page=42 | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,23915,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000407054418/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/0,3266,23915,00.html | archive-date=7 April 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Anne Allison wrote that even those within Pokémon's US marketing team agreed that the anime's visuals were "not especially sophisticated" compared to Disney cartoons.<ref name="Allison (2006) p261" /> ''Pokémon: The First Movie'' premiered in the United States on 12 November 1999, and in European countries in February 2000. While a huge box-office success, the film was received negatively by several Western film critics.<ref>[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pokemon_the_first_movie_mewtwo_vs_mew/reviews?type=top_critics ''The First Movie''] at Rotten Tomatoes.</ref><ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/movie/pokmon-the-first-movie---mewtwo-strikes-back!/critic-reviews ''The First Movie''] at Metacritic.</ref> ''The Guardian'' decried it as a "contemptuously cheap animated cash-in on the monster kids' craze".<ref>{{Harvc | first1=David | last1=Buckingham | author-link1=David Buckingham (academic) | first2=Julian | last2=Sefton-Green | year=2004 | chapter=Structure, Agency, and Pedagogy in Children's Media Culture | in=Tobin | p=27}}</ref> The American adult animated series ''South Park'' satirized ''Pokémon'' in the episode "Chinpokomon", aired on 3 November 1999. In the episode, the titular media franchise is portrayed as a low-quality line of products that is part of an evil plan by the Japanese government to invade the US. ''South Park'' co-creator Matt Stone commented that, at the time, ''Pokémon'' was "scary huge".<ref>{{Cite AV media | title=South Park – Season 3 {{pipe}} Commentary by Trey Parker & Matt Stone | publisher=CommentaryCentral | via=YouTube | time=36:48 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrdXno04B8&t=2208s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124111757/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrdXno04B8 | archive-date=24 January 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Author Chris Kohler wrote that ''Pokémon'' was considered "ruthlessly commercial", and that it "program[med] children to be consumers of anything and everything Pokémon".<ref>{{Cite book | first=Chris | last=Kohler | title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life | edition=Original | date=14 September 2004 | publisher=BradyGames | page=241 | isbn=978-0744004243 | url=http://www.bradygames.com/title/0744004241| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012080324/http://www.bradygames.com/title/0744004241 | archive-date=12 October 2004 }} ([https://archive.org/details/poweruphowjapane0000kohl/page/244/mode/1up link])</ref> CNN quoted child psychiatrist John Lochridge as worrying that "Pokémon's creators and marketers deliberately set out to create a fantasy world so compelling that children would quickly become obsessed". He believed that kids were being "brainwashed", and said: "I have had parents tell me that they cannot get their kids to do anything except Pokémon, so this stuff seems to really capture their minds, in a way".<ref name="Lockridge-1999" /> These concerns were countered by psychologist William Damon, who told ''Newsweek'' that obsessing is in fact a normal part of a child's neurological development. It should concern parents only when the obsession gets dangerous or excessive.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Pat | last=Wingert | title=The Age Of Obsession | work=Newsweek | date=17 October 1999 | url=https://www.newsweek.com/age-obsession-168356 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604082008/https://www.newsweek.com/age-obsession-168356 | archive-date=4 June 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> An op-ed in the New Zealander newspaper ''The Dominion Post'' claimed that the anti-Pokémon sentiment was particularly American: "The backlash, which seems largely confined to the United States, may be no more than the sound of the world's leading cultural imperialist gagging on a taste of its own medicine".<ref>{{Harvc | first=Christine R. | last=Yano | year=2004 | chapter=Panic Attacks: Anti-Pokémon Voices in Global Markets | in=Tobin | p=119-120}}</ref>

As Pokémania built, Western media started reporting on several crimes associated with ''Pokémon''. These included violence<ref name="Mealey-1999" /><ref name="Cox-1999">{{Cite news | first=Meki | last=Cox | title=Pokemon Creates Crime Wave | work=AP News | publisher=Associated Press | date=11 December 1999 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228212225/https://apnews.com/article/f94d69a25a157bcee83190aa75c058a2 | url=https://apnews.com/article/f94d69a25a157bcee83190aa75c058a2 | archive-date=28 December 2020 | url-status=dead}}</ref> (including two reported stabbings),<ref>{{Cite news | first=Ingrid | last=Peritz | title=Pokemon craze leads to schoolyard stabbing | work=The Globe and Mail | date=28 October 1999 | page=A1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1135803822 | id={{ProQuest|1135803822}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first1=Robert | last1=Gearty | first2=Bill | last2=Hutchinson | title=Boy stabbed over Pokemon | work=New York Daily News | date=11 November 1999 | page=7 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/313710574 | id={{ProQuest|313710574}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> burglaries,<ref>{{Cite news | first=Edward C. | last=Fennell | title=Teen arrested in Pokemon card theft | work=The Post and Courier | date=1 December 1999 | page=4 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/373895240 | id={{ProQuest|373895240}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Pokémon card crime | work=BBC | date=9 May 2000 | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/741144.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619155004/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/741144.stm | archive-date=19 June 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref> robberies<ref name="Montgomery-2000" /><ref name="Cox-1999" /> (some at knifepoint),<ref name="Clothier-2000">{{Cite news | first=James | last=Clothier | title=Boys robbed of Pokemon cards at knifepoint | work=Daily Mail | date=18 April 2000 | page=37 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/321107852 | id={{ProQuest|321107852}} | url-access=subscription | quote=[The] playground craze from Japan has now hit fever pitch.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Geraint | last=Smith | title=Boy, 6, robbed at knifepoint for Pokémon cards | work=Evening Standard | date=23 May 2000 | page=20 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329327422 | id={{ProQuest|329327422}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> and shoplifting.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Jennifer | last=Gerrietts | title=Pokemon theft in city follows national trend | work=Argus Leader | date=17 February 2000 | page=A1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/873187799 | id={{ProQuest|873187799}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Nick | last=Morrison | title=Pokemon craze sparks fear of crime outbreak | work=The Northern Echo | date=19 April 2000 | page=4 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/328889385 | id={{ProQuest|328889385}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> Almost all these incidents were connected to the ''Pokémon'' cards, and the individuals involved were almost always underage. In the US, the incidents peaked in November 1999.<ref name="Yano (2004)" /> In England, ''Pokémon''-related delinquency reached a head in April 2000.<ref name="Clothier-2000" /><ref>{{Cite news | title=Pokémon upsets heads and parents | work=BBC News | date=24 April 2000 | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/724805.stm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022172847/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/724805.stm | archive-date=22 October 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref> High prices on the grey market were a motive behind some of the crimes, "posing a great temptation for older kids and bullies to take advantage of weaker children".<ref>{{Cite web | first=Todd | last=Venezia | title=Pokemon Craze Sweeping Kids Into Courts | website=APBnews.com | date=17 November 1999 | url=http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/1999/11/17/pokemon1117_01.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000305112039/http://www.apbnews.com/newscenter/breakingnews/1999/11/17/pokemon1117_01.html | archive-date=5 March 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref> At specialty shops and online auctions, a rare ''Pokémon'' card could be bought and sold for $50 or more (c. ${{Inflation|US|50|1999}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>{{Harvp|Estrich|1999}}: "But there may be one "rare" card in a packet, a Kabutops or a Japanese Mew, that in the secondary market could go for as much as $50."</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=James R. | last=Hagerty | title=The Pokemon Craze Yields Another Parental Anxiety | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=22 September 1999 | page=A1 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB937953097105580923 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Aside from the negative reactions, many media also cited alleged beneficial effects of ''Pokémon''.<ref>{{Harvc | first1=David | last1=Buckingham | author-link1=David Buckingham (academic) | first2=Julian | last2=Sefton-Green | year=2004 | chapter=Structure, Agency, and Pedagogy in Children's Media Culture | in=Tobin | p=24-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=Experts reveal: Pokemon Mania is actually good for your kids | work=Woman's World | date=7 December 1999 | url=https://www.theescapist.com/pokemon10.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041222232746/http://www.theescapist.com/pokemon10.htm | archive-date=22 December 2004 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Lynn | last=McMillen | title=The good side of Pokemon: Psychologist says fad teaches kid about life | work=The Morning Call | date=8 November 1999 | page=D01 | url=https://www.mcall.com/1999/11/08/the-good-side-of-pokemon-psychologist-says-fad-teaches-kids-about-life/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325204234/https://www.mcall.com/1999/11/08/the-good-side-of-pokemon-psychologist-says-fad-teaches-kids-about-life/ | archive-date=25 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> It was noted that the video games and the cards require children to read, memorize, calculate, and plan out a strategy.<ref name="Mcfarland-1999" /><ref name="Hatakeyama Kubo (2000) p246-247" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Jacqueline L. | last=Salmon | title=For Youths and Parents Alike, the Hunt Is On for Pokemon | work=Los Angeles Times | date=17 June 1999 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-17-cl-47641-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406182500/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-17-cl-47641-story.html | archive-date=6 April 2021 | url-status=live}}</ref> Both encourage socialization, and trading Pokémon requires negotiating skills.<ref name="Lockridge-1999" /><ref name="Baylis-1999" /><ref name="Liu-1999" /> Stephanie Strom wrote in ''The New York Times'' that the ''Pokémon'' anime taught children "traditional Japanese values – responsibility, empathy, cooperation, obedience, respect for elders, humility".<ref>{{Cite news | first=Stephanie | last=Strom | author-link=Stephanie Strom | title=Japanese Family Values: I Choose You, Pikachu! | work=The New York Times | date=7 November 1999 | page=4 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/07/weekinreview/ideas-trends-japanese-family-values-i-choose-you-pikachu.html | url-access=subscription | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408213246/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/07/weekinreview/ideas-trends-japanese-family-values-i-choose-you-pikachu.html | archive-date=8 April 2009 | url-status=live}}</ref> Anne Allison interviewed various American parents during Pokémania. She found that while most of them were "utterly mystified" about ''Pokémon'', few were overly worried about it, instead meeting the craze with "befuddled acceptance". Allison also notes that the Columbine High School massacre occurred during Pokémania (on 20 April 1999), causing violent television, music, and games to be scrutinized. Compared to these media, she notes, ''Pokémon'' is in fact rather tame.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=250-251}}.</ref>

==Legacy and influences== {{See also|Cool Japan|Anime and manga fandom}}

After World War II, Japan experienced a period of unprecedented growth and became well-known in the Western world for its consumer products, such as radios (e.g. Panasonic, Toshiba), cars (e.g. Toyota, Mitsubishi), and Sony's Walkman.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Simon | last=Partner | date=1999 | title=Assembled in Japan: Electrical Goods and the Making of the Japanese Consumer | page=2 | publisher=University of California Press | isbn=978-0520219397 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QbgwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2 }}</ref> From 1991 onwards, its economy stagnated, causing the country to lose its status as an economic superpower. However, during the 1990s and 2000s, Japan re-emerged as a source of 'cool' cultural goods, embraced by a growing international audience interested in Japanese culture.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref>{{Cite news | first=Anthony | last=Faiola | title=Japan's Empire of Cool | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=27 December 2003 | page=A1 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/12/27/japans-empire-of-cool/ab1ae69f-756a-487c-8b34-2823072f342a/ | url-access=registration | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604082011/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/12/27/japans-empire-of-cool/ab1ae69f-756a-487c-8b34-2823072f342a/ | archive-date=4 June 2024 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Douglas | last=McGray | title=Japan's Gross National Cool | magazine=Foreign Policy | date=May–June 2002 | volume=81 | issue=3 | pages=44–54 | url=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2002/05/01/japans_gross_national_cool?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023181800/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2002/05/01/japans_gross_national_cool?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full | archive-date=23 October 2012 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | first=Anne | last=Allison | author-link=Anne Allison | title=The Cool Brand, Affective Activism and Japanese Youth | journal=Theory, Culture & Society | date=2009 | volume=26 | issue=2–3 | page=90 | doi=10.1177/0263276409103118 | s2cid=145599508 | issn=0263-2764}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first=Matt | last=Alt | date=8 July 2021 | title=Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World | chapter=Introduction | pages=8–14 | publisher=Constable | isbn=978-1472131850}}</ref>}} Nintendo, Sega, and Sony launched several popular video game consoles and franchises.<ref name="Eisenberg-1998" /><ref>{{Harvp|Alt|2021|loc=Chapter 8: Gaming the World|pp=215-242}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Jacopo | last=Prisco | title=How Japan changed video games forever | website=CNN | date=12 November 2017 | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/12/asia/future-japan-videogame-landmarks/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412060246/https://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/12/asia/future-japan-videogame-landmarks/index.html | archive-date=12 April 2019 | url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of children's properties, the success of ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' changed perceptions on the viability of such Japanese imports in the West.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=128}}: "In 1994, one year after it had debuted as the top-ranking children's show on U.S. television, ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' sold $330 million of toy merchandise for Bandai America—a spectacular success and major breakthrough into a market (U.S. kids' entertainment, a portal to global kid fads) long resistant to Japanese properties."</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Joseph | last=Pereira | title=Hasbro Hopes Japan's 'Pokemon' Grabs Interest of U.S. Children | work=The Wall Street Journal | date=26 May 1998 | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB896140267672665000 | url-access=subscription | quote=The U.S. marketing interest in Pokemon shows a new respect for Japanese children's products. Japanese hits were once thought to be difficult to translate into American sales. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Tamagotchi virtual pets, two blockbusters sold here by Bandai Co., of Japan, changed all that.}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Keveney|1998b}}: "Interest in Japanese children's programming enjoyed a renaissance in the past decade after Saban Entertainment succeeded with the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers""</ref> The Tamagotchi fad (1997–98),<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=163-164 + 188}}.</ref> centered around a portable digital pet device, was said to have "paved the way for Pokémon".<ref name="Gellene-1998" />

Anne Allison wrote that, before the 1990s, Japan figured little in the face of the worldwide hegemony of Euro-American cultural industries, in particular that of the US. "Hollywood has been hostile to imports", she wrote, "and foreignness has largely been, and been seen as, an impediment to mass popularization in the United States".<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=115}}.</ref> The surprise success of ''Pokémon'' was "an undeniable breakthrough in the homeland of Disney" that "changed preexisting assumptions about the US marketplace at the same time that it was constantly resisted for deviating from them".<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=242}}.</ref> ''Pokémon'' was a welcomed boon to Japan's faltering economy,<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2006|p=194 + 236}}.</ref> and positively influenced the country's soft power.<ref>{{Harvp|Allison|2009|p=93}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | first=Peng Er | last=Lam | date=27 October 2007 | title=Japan's Quest for "Soft Power": Attraction and Limitation | journal=East Asia | volume=24 | issue=4 | page=351 | doi=10.1007/s12140-007-9028-6| s2cid=12341694 | url=http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/112753 }}</ref> Sociologist Yoshinori Kamo interviewed various American children and found that kids who thought ''Pokémon'' was cool, were more likely to believe that Japan was a cool nation.<ref>{{Harvc | first=Koichi | last=Iwabuchi | year=2004 | chapter=How "Japanese" Is Pokémon? | in=Tobin | p=61}}</ref> Anne Allison gave a similar finding: all the children she interviewed knew where ''Pokémon'' originated, and "many said that, as a result of ''Pokémon'' and other 'cool' Japanese goods, they had developed an interest in Japan. A number said that they now wanted to study Japanese and travel there one day".<ref>{{Cite journal | first=Anne | last=Allison | author-link=Anne Allison | date=2003 | title=Portable monsters and commodity cuteness: Pokémon as Japan's new global power | journal=Postcolonial Studies | volume=6 | issue=3 | page=384 | doi=10.1080/1368879032000162220 | s2cid=26984168 | url=https://scispace.com/pdf/portable-monsters-and-commodity-cuteness-pokemon-as-japan-s-25evgwd5fp.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260428100949/https://scispace.com/pdf/portable-monsters-and-commodity-cuteness-pokemon-as-japan-s-25evgwd5fp.pdf | archive-date=28 April 2026 | url-status=live}}</ref> Author Chris Kohler wrote: "Japanese are proud of ''Pokémon'', the most successful export of Japanese popular culture ever".<ref>{{Harvp|Kohler|2004|p=238}}.</ref> Although, sociologist Koichi Iwabuchi questioned to what extent ''Pokémon'' really is 'Japanese', and to what extent it is simply a good property with universal appeal. He noted that Japanese nationalist commentators celebrated ''Pokémon''{{'}}s global success and retrospectively attributed this to its "Japanese cultural power",<ref>{{Harvc | first=Koichi | last=Iwabuchi | year=2004 | chapter=How "Japanese" Is Pokémon? | in=Tobin | pp=59–61}} "While feared and envied in the West, Japan's success in exporting cultural products led to the emergence in the 1990s of a chauvinistic, self-praising discourse in Japan. Flush with nationalistic pride, Japanese social commentators suddenly found a specifically Japanese "fragrance" in these previously culturally odorless products".</ref> while ignoring the localization of ''Pokémon'' overseas,<ref>{{Harvc | first=Koichi | last=Iwabuchi | year=2004 | chapter=How "Japanese" Is Pokémon? | in=Tobin | pp=66–69}} "However, American involvement in Pokémon is not just limited to distribution; it includes as well involvement in production, in the form of alterations in the substance of Pokémon"</ref> as well as decades of increasing cooperation and cultural exchange between countries (globalization).<ref>{{Harvc | first=Koichi | last=Iwabuchi | year=2004 | chapter=How "Japanese" Is Pokémon? | in=Tobin | p=64}} "It is important to locate the global popularity of Pokémon, and of Japanese animation and computer games in general, within a wider picture of the increasing interconnectedness of transnational media industries and markets, an interconnectedness that in turn reflects larger processes of globalization."</ref>

In the 20th century, anime found niche popularity in North America and Europe in series (''Astro Boy'', ''Kimba the White Lion'', ''Speed Racer'') and films (''Akira'', ''Ghost in the Shell'').{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Keveney-1998" /><ref name="Saunders-1998" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Alan | last=Frutkin | title=Land of the rising shows: Japanese imports are catching on at broadcast and cable nets | work=Mediaweek | date=12 April 1999 | volume=9 | issue=15 | pages=9–12 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/213654957 | id={{ProQuest|213654957}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Richard | last=Corliss | title=Amazing Anime / The History of Animania | magazine=Time | date=22 November 1999 | volume=154 | issue=21 | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,34340-2,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010214033858/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,34340-2,00.html | archive-date=14 February 2001 | url-status=dead}}</ref>}} The ''Pokémon'' TV series and films marked a breakthrough for anime, contributing to its growing worldwide success at the turn of the 21st century.{{efn-ur|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="Mallory-2001" /><ref name="Howe-2000" /><ref>{{Cite news | first=Emru | last=Townsend | title=Anime breaks through with the Hollywood-sponsored debuts of Pokémon and Princess Mononoke | work=The Globe and Mail | date=20 November 1999 | page=R7 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/384549764 | id={{ProQuest|384549764}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Charles | last=Solomon | title='Pokémon' at 15: Success is still in the cards, films and TV shows | date=11 April 2012 | website=Hero Complex | publisher=Los Angeles Times | url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/tv/pokemon-ash-ketchum/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614220933/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/tv/pokemon-ash-ketchum/ | archive-date=14 June 2013 | url-status=live}}</ref>}} For some children, ''Pokémon'' was their introduction to 'Japanimation',<ref>{{Cite web | first=Andrew | last=Yoon | title=Review: Spectrobes | date=9 June 2007 | website=Anime News Network | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/nintendo-ds/spectrobes | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222044225/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/nintendo-ds/spectrobes | archive-date=22 February 2018 | url-status=live | quote=While the Saturday morning cartoon may not feature the depth of other critically renowned series, it's undeniable that for many, Pokemon was the first step into the world of anime.}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p= XIV}}: "Because of ''Pokémon'', some fans were introduced to Japanese animation, or anime, on a grand scale, which was localized and placed alongside some of the heaviest hitters that Western cartoons had to offer at the time."</ref> serving as a "gateway" to other anime, manga, and Japanese culture in general.<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Daniel | last=Roth | title=It's... Profitmón! | magazine=Fortune | date=12 December 2005 | volume=152 | issue=11 | page=56 | url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363101/index.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218120342/http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/12/8363101/index.htm | archive-date=18 December 2018 | url-status=dead | quote=Even Pokémon, the gateway anime of today's otaku, built from episode to episode, drawing in fans.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | first=Charles | last=Solomon | title=Still choosing Pokemon: A decade and a half later, the animated TV show, video and card game are going strong | work=The Baltimore Sun | date=30 April 2012 | page=C1 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1011048151 | id={{ProQuest|1011048151}} | url-access=subscription | quote=[Pokémon] introduced audiences, usually kids, to what I call anime style ... Shows like 'Pokémon' and 'Dragon Ball Z' serve as gateway drugs to anime, manga and sometimes Japanese culture itself.}}</ref> ''Pokémon: The First Movie'' became one of the most successful Japanese animated films in history.<ref name="Sammut-2023" /> After ''Princess Mononoke'', ''Pokémon: The First Movie'' became the second anime film to open at mainstream cinemas in the West, as opposed to the usual art house venues.<ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Benjamin | last=Fulford | title=Anime Opens on Main Street | magazine=Forbes | date=18 October 1999 | volume=164 | issue=10 | url=http://www.forbes.com/forbes/99/1018/6410058a.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000617145005/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/99/1018/6410058a.htm | archive-date=17 June 2000 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Pioneering anime importer John Ledford noted that ''Pokémon'' underscored the commercial potential of anime, thus making it interesting from a business perspective.<ref>{{Cite web | first1=Brian | last1=Bremner | first2=Hiroko | last2=Tashiro | title=Anime Fantasy Is Big-Biz Reality | website=BusinessWeek.com | date=19 March 2007 | url=http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2007/gb20070319_620018.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328191657/http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2007/gb20070319_620018.htm | archive-date=28 March 2007 | url-status=dead | quote=[Pokémon] was a real breakthrough, [Ledford] contends. It spawned a wave of money-spinning manga comic books, toys, and video games, and underscored the commercial potential of anime.}}</ref>

The success of ''Pokémon'' encouraged companies to look for other popular Japanese properties that might be localized for Western markets.<ref name="Stewart-2004" /><ref>{{Cite web | first=Robert | last=Cameron | title=Hot new anime vies to ride Pokémon wave | date=1 December 1999 | website=Kidscreen | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/12/01/27464-19991201/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013085031/https://kidscreen.com/1999/12/01/27464-19991201/ | archive-date=13 October 2014 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine | first=Edwin | last=De La Cruz | title=Son of Pokemon | magazine=Video Store Magazine | date= 21–27 January 2001 | volume=23 | issue=4 | pages=20–23 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/197588720 | id={{ProQuest|197588720}} | url-access=subscription}}</ref> The importing of at least three similar franchises were confirmed by business executives to have been (partly) inspired by ''Pokémon'': ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'',<ref>{{Harvp|Dockery|2022|p=143-145}}.</ref> ''Digimon'',<ref>{{Cite news | first=T. L. | last=Stanley | title=Making sure Digimon is 'What's next' at retail | work=Brandweek | date=1 November 1999 | volume=40 | issue=41 | pages=36–38 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/218106451 | id={{ProQuest|218106451}} | url-access=subscription | quote=When Pokemon blew the doors off, we said, "OK, the genre's working, what do we have to fit?" Digimon floated to the top. (...) Pokemon created a large, voraciously hungry market that we intend to help supply.}}</ref> and ''Monster Rancher''.<ref>{{Cite web | first=Andrea | last=Haman | title=BKN launch takes cue from Pokémon | website=Kidscreen | date=1 September 1999 | url=https://kidscreen.com/1999/09/01/26572-19990901/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222144755/https://kidscreen.com/1999/09/01/26572-19990901/ | archive-date=22 February 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> The import of ''Cardcaptor Sakura'' (as ''Cardcaptors'') might also have been prompted by ''Pokémon''.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Donald | last=Liebenson | title=Hot on the heels of 'Pokemon,' here comes the next big thing | work=Chicago Tribune | date=23 July 2000 | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-07-23-0007230175-story.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260307194300/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/07/23/hot-on-the-heels-of-pokemon-here-comes-the-next-big-thing/ | archive-date=7 March 2026 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release | title=Nelvana's Cardcaptors Debuts on Kids WB | publisher=Nelvana | date=19 July 2000 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/454743577 | id={{ProQuest|454743577}} | url-access=subscription | quote=Cardcaptors ... premiered on the Kids' WB! on Saturday, June 17 at 9:30 a.m. (ET) and has captivated young viewers and delivered strong gains from its Pokemon lead-in at 9 a.m.}}</ref>

==Footnotes== {{Notelist|3}}

==References== {{Reflist|3}}

===Multi-reference notes=== {{Notelist-ur|3}}

==External links== {{Wiktionary|Pokémon}} {{Commons|Pokémon}} {{Wikibooks|Pokémon}} {{Wikiquote|Pokémon}} * {{Official website | url=https://www.portal-pokemon.com/ | name=Official hub to regional Pokémon websites}} * {{Official website | url=https://www.pokemoncenter.com/ | name=Pokémon Center}}, official merchandise web shop * {{Official website | url=https://pokemongolive.com/ | name=Official Pokémon GO website}} * {{Facebook | Pokemon | name=Pokémon}} * {{Instagram | pokemon | Pokémon}} * {{X profile | id=Pokemon | name=Pokémon}} * {{YouTube | user=pokemon | title=Pokémon}}

{{Pokémon}} {{Nintendo franchises}} {{Portal bar|1990s|2000s|2010s|2020s|Anime and manga|Japan|Toys|Video games}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pokemon}} Category:Pokémon Category:1990s fads and trends Category:2000s fads and trends Category:1990s toys Category:2000s toys Category:2010s toys Category:2020s toys Category:Japanese brands Category:Media franchises Category:Media franchises introduced in 1996 Category:Nintendo franchises Category:Works about children