Pokémon

Pokémon, also known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, a company founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1995, and is centered on fictional creatures called “Pokémon”, which humans, known as Pokémon Trainers, catch and train to battle each other for sport. Games, shows and other works within the franchise are set in the Pokémon universe. The English slogan for the franchise is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”.

The franchise began as Pocket Monsters: Red and Green (later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue), a pair of video games for the original Game Boy handheld system that were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo in February 1996. It soon became a media mix franchise adapted into various different media. Pokémon has since become the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. The original video game series is the second-best-selling video game franchise (behind Nintendo’s Mario franchise) with more than 368 million copies sold and one billion mobile downloads, and it spawned a hit anime television series that has become the most successful video game adaptation with over 20 seasons and 1,000 episodes in 169 countries. In addition, the Pokémon franchise includes the world’s top-selling toy brand, the top-selling trading card game with over 30.4 billion cards sold, an anime film series, a live-action film, books, manga comics, music, merchandise, and a theme park. The franchise is also represented in other Nintendo media, such as the Super Smash Bros. series, where various Pokémon characters are playable.

In November 2005, 4Kids Entertainment, which had managed the non-game related licensing of Pokémon, announced that it had agreed not to renew the Pokémon representation agreement. The Pokémon Company International oversees all Pokémon licensing outside Asia. In 2006, the franchise celebrated its tenth anniversary. In 2016, the Pokémon Company celebrated Pokémon‘s 20th anniversary by airing an ad during Super Bowl 50 in January and re-releasing the first Pokémon video games 1996 Game Boy games Pokémon Red, Green (only in Japan), and Blue, and the 1998 Game Boy Color game Pokémon Yellow for the Nintendo 3DS on February 26, 2016. The mobile augmented reality game Pokémon Go was released in July 2016. The first live-action film in the franchise, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, based on the 2018 Nintendo 3DS spin-off game Detective Pikachu, was released in 2019. The most recently released core series games, Pokémon Sword and Shield, were released worldwide on the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary in 2021, the upcoming core series games, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will be released in late 2021, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus in early 2022, both for the Nintendo Switch. They are remakes and a premake of the 2006 Nintendo DS games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, respectively.

Name

The name Pokémon is a syllabic abbreviation of the Japanese brand Pocket Monsters. The term “Pokémon”, in addition to referring to the Pokémon franchise itself, also collectively refers to the 898 fictional species that have made appearances in Pokémon media as of the release of the eighth generation titles Pokémon Sword and Shield. “Pokémon” is identical in the singular and plural, as is each individual species name; it is grammatically correct to say “one Pokémon” and “many Pokémon”, as well as “one Pikachu” and “many Pikachu”.

Concept

Gameplay of Pokémon

Pokémon executive director Satoshi Tajiri first thought of Pokémon, albeit with a different concept and name, around 1989, when the Game Boy was released. The concept of the Pokémon universe, in both the video games and the general fictional world of Pokémon, stems from the hobby of insect collecting, a popular pastime which Tajiri enjoyed as a child. Players are designated as Pokémon Trainers and have three general goals: to complete the regional Pokédex by collecting all of the available Pokémon species found in the fictional region where a game takes place, to complete the national Pokédex by transferring Pokémon from other regions, and to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers so they may eventually win the Pokémon League and become the regional Champion. These themes of collecting, training, and battling are present in almost every version of the Pokémon franchise, including the video games, the anime and manga series, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

In most incarnations of the Pokémon universe, a Trainer who encounters a wild Pokémon is able to capture that Pokémon by throwing a specially designed, mass-producible spherical tool called a Poké Ball at it. If the Pokémon is unable to escape the confines of the Poké Ball, it is considered to be under the ownership of that Trainer. Afterwards, it will obey whatever commands it receives from its new Trainer, unless the Trainer demonstrates such a lack of experience that the Pokémon would rather act on its own accord. Trainers can send out any of their Pokémon to wage non-lethal battles against other Pokémon; if the opposing Pokémon is wild, the Trainer can capture that Pokémon with a Poké Ball, increasing their collection of creatures. In Pokémon Go, and in Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, wild Pokémon encountered by players can be caught in Poké Balls, but generally cannot be battled. Pokémon already owned by other Trainers cannot be captured, except under special circumstances in certain side games. If a Pokémon fully defeats an opponent in battle so that the opponent is knocked out (“faints”), the winning Pokémon gains experience points and may level up. Beginning with Pokémon X and Y, experience points are also gained from catching Pokémon in Poké Balls. When leveling up, the Pokémon’s battling aptitude statistics (“stats”, such as “Attack” and “Speed”) increase. At certain levels, the Pokémon may also learn new moves, which are techniques used in battle. In addition, many species of Pokémon can undergo a form of metamorphosis and transform into a similar but stronger species of Pokémon, a process called evolution; this process occurs spontaneously under differing circumstances, and is itself a central theme of the series. Some species of Pokémon may undergo a maximum of two evolutionary transformations, while others may undergo only one, and others may not evolve at all. For example, the Pokémon Pichu may evolve into Pikachu, which in turn may evolve into Raichu, following which no further evolutions may occur. Pokémon X and Y introduced the concept of “Mega Evolution,” by which certain fully evolved Pokémon may temporarily undergo an additional evolution into a stronger form for the purpose of battling; this evolution is considered a special case, and unlike other evolutionary stages, is reversible.

In the main series, each game’s single-player mode requires the Trainer to raise a team of Pokémon to defeat many non-player character (NPC) Trainers and their Pokémon. Each game lays out a somewhat linear path through a specific region of the Pokémon world for the Trainer to journey through, completing events and battling opponents along the way (including foiling the plans of an ‘evil’ team of Pokémon Trainers who serve as antagonists to the player). Excluding Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the games feature eight powerful Trainers, referred to as Gym Leaders, that the Trainer must defeat in order to progress. As a reward, the Trainer receives a Gym Badge, and once all eight badges are collected, the Trainer is eligible to challenge the region’s Pokémon League, where four talented trainers (referred to collectively as the “Elite Four”) challenge the Trainer to four Pokémon battles in succession. If the trainer can overcome this gauntlet, they must challenge the Regional Champion, the master Trainer who had previously defeated the Elite Four. Any Trainer who wins this last battle becomes the new champion.

Pokémon universe

Pokémon is set in the fictional Pokemon universe. There are numerous regions that have appeared in the various media of the Pokémon franchise. There are 8 main series regions set in the main series games: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar. Each of the eight generations of the main series releases focuses on a new region. Every region consists of several cities and towns that the player must explore in order to overcome many waiting challenges, such as Gyms, Contests and villainous teams. At different locations within each region, the player can find different types of Pokémon, as well as helpful items and characters. Different regions are not accessible from one another at all within a single game, only with the exception of Kanto and Johto being linked together in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold and SoulSilver versions. There are also regions set in spinoff games and two islands in the Pokémon anime (Orange Islands and Decolore Islands), all still set within the same fictional universe.

Each main series region in the Pokémon universe is based on a real world location. The first 4 introduced regions (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh) are based on parts of Japan, with later regions being based on parts of the United States (Unova and Alola), France (Kalos) and the United Kingdom (Galar).

Pokemon world in relation to the real world hide

Pokémon region	Real world location basis
Kanto Sevii Islands	Kantō,  Japan Izu Islands & Bonin Islands,  Japan
Johto	Kansai,  Japan
Hoenn	Kyushu,  Japan
Sinnoh Battle Zone	Hokkaido,  Japan Sakhalin,  Russia
Unova	New York City,  United States
Kalos	France
Alola	Hawaii,  United States
Galar Isle of Armor Crown Tundra	United Kingdom  Isle of Man,  United Kingdom  Scotland,  United Kingdom

Video games

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Generations

Core series release timeline

1996	Red and Green
	Blue
1997
1998	Yellow
	Red and Blue
1999	Gold and Silver
2000	Crystal
2001
2002	Ruby and Sapphire
2003
2004	FireRed and LeafGreen
	Emerald
2005
2006	Diamond and Pearl
2007
2008	Platinum
2009	HeartGold and SoulSilver
2010	Black and White
2011
2012	Black 2 and White 2
2013	X and Y
2014	Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
2015
2016	Sun and Moon
2017	Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
2018	Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!
2019	Sword and Shield
2020
2021	Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
2022	Legends: Arceus

All of the licensed Pokémon properties overseen by the Pokémon Company International are divided roughly by generation. These generations are roughly chronological divisions by release; every several years, when a sequel to the 1996 role-playing video games Pokémon Red and Green is released that features new Pokémon, characters, and gameplay concepts, that sequel is considered the start of a new generation of the franchise. The main Pokémon video games and their spin-offs, the anime, manga, and trading card game are all updated with the new Pokémon properties each time a new generation begins. Some Pokémon from the newer games appear in anime episodes or films months, or even years, before the game they were programmed for came out. The first generation began in Japan with Pokémon Red and Green on the Game Boy. As of 2020, there are eight generations of main series video games. The most recent games in the main series, Pokémon Sword and Shield, began the eighth and latest generation and were released worldwide for the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.

List of Pokémon main series video games

Generation	Title	Release date	System
Generation I 1996–1999Kanto region	Pocket Monsters: Red and Green	February 27, 1996JP	Game Boy
	Pocket Monsters: Blue	October 15, 1996JP
	Pokémon Red and Blue	September 28, 1998NA October 23, 1998AUS October 5, 1999EU
	Pokémon Yellow	September 12, 1998JP October 19, 1999NA September 3, 1999AUS June 16, 2000EU
Generation II 1999–2002Johto regionKanto region	Pokémon Gold and Silver	November 21, 1999JP October 13, 2000AUS October 14, 2000NA April 6, 2001EU April 23, 2002KO	Game Boy Color
	Pokémon Crystal	December 14, 2000JP July 29, 2001NA September 30, 2001AUS November 2, 2001EU
Generation III 2002–2006Hoenn regionKanto region	Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire	November 21, 2002JP March 18, 2003NA April 3, 2003AUS July 25, 2003EU	Game Boy Advance
	Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen	January 29, 2004JP September 7, 2004NA September 23, 2004AUS October 1, 2004EU
	Pokémon Emerald	September 16, 2004JP April 30, 2005NA June 9, 2005AUS October 21, 2005EU
Generation IV 2006–2010Sinnoh regionJohto region Kanto region	Pokémon Diamond and Pearl	September 28, 2006JP April 22, 2007NA June 21, 2007AUS July 27, 2007EU February 14, 2008KO	Nintendo DS
	Pokémon Platinum	September 13, 2008JP March 22, 2009NA May 14, 2009AUS May 22, 2009EU July 2, 2009KO
	Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver	September 12, 2009JP February 4, 2010KO March 14, 2010NA March 25, 2010AUS March 26, 2010EU
Generation V 2010–2013Unova region	Pokémon Black and White	September 18, 2010JP March 4, 2011EU March 6, 2011NA March 10, 2011AUS April 21, 2011KO
	Pokémon Black 2 and White 2	June 23, 2012JP October 7, 2012NA October 11, 2012AUS October 12, 2012EU
Generation VI 2013–2016Kalos regionHoenn region	Pokémon X and Y	October 12, 2013WW	Nintendo 3DS
	Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire	November 21, 2014JP, NA, AUS November 28, 2014EU
Generation VII 2016–2019Alola regionKanto region	Pokémon Sun and Moon	November 18, 2016JP, NA, AUS November 23, 2016EU
	Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon	November 17, 2017WW
	Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!	November 16, 2018WW	Nintendo Switch
Generation VIII 2019–presentGalar regionSinnoh region	Pokémon Sword and Shield	November 15, 2019WW
	Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl	Late 2021
	Pokémon Legends: Arceus	Early 2022

In other media

Anime series

Release timeline

1997	Indigo League
1998
1999	Adventures in the Orange Islands
	The Johto Journeys
2000	Johto League Champions
2001	Master Quest
2002	Advanced
2003	Advanced Challenge
2004	Advanced Battle
2005	Battle Frontier
2006	Diamond and Pearl
2007	Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension
2008	Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles
2009
2010	Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors
	Black & White
2011	Black & White: Rival Destinies
2012	Black & White: Adventures in Unova
2013	Black & White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond
	XY
2014	XY: Kalos Quest
2015	XYZ
2016	Sun and Moon
2017	Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures
2018	Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends
2019	Journeys

Season		Title	Episodes		Originally aired
					First aired	Last aired
	1	Indigo League	82		April 1, 1997	January 21, 1999
	2	Adventures in the Orange Islands	36		January 28, 1999	October 7, 1999
	3	The Johto Journeys	41		October 14, 1999	July 27, 2000
	4	Johto League Champions	52		August 3, 2000	August 2, 2001
	5	Master Quest	65		August 9, 2001	November 14, 2002
	6	Advanced	40		November 21, 2002	August 28, 2003
	7	Advanced Challenge	52		September 4, 2003	September 2, 2004
	8	Advanced Battle	54		September 9, 2004	September 29, 2005
	9	Battle Frontier	47		October 6, 2005	September 14, 2006
	10	Diamond and Pearl	52		September 28, 2006	October 25, 2007
	11	Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension	52		November 8, 2007	December 4, 2008
	12	Diamond and Pearl: Galactic Battles	53		December 4, 2008	December 24, 2009
	13	Diamond and Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors	34		January 7, 2010	September 9, 2010
	14	Black & White	50		September 23, 2010	September 15, 2011
	15	Black & White: Rival Destinies	49		September 22, 2011	October 4, 2012
	16	Black & White: Adventures in Unova	45	25	October 11, 2012	April 18, 2013
		Black & White: Adventures in Unova and Beyond		20	April 25, 2013	September 26, 2013
	17	XY	48		October 17, 2013	October 30, 2014
	18	XY: Kalos Quest	45		November 13, 2014	October 22, 2015
	19	XYZ	47		October 29, 2015	October 27, 2016
	20	Sun & Moon	43		November 17, 2016	September 21, 2017
	21	Sun & Moon: Ultra Adventures	49		October 5, 2017	October 14, 2018
	22	Sun & Moon: Ultra Legends	54		October 21, 2018	November 3, 2019
	23	Journeys	61		November 17, 2019	TBA

Pokémon, also known as Pokémon the Series to Western audiences since 2013, is an anime television series based on the Pokémon video game series. It was originally broadcast on TV Tokyo in 1997. More than 1,000 episodes of the anime has been produced and aired, divided into 7 series in Japan and 22 seasons internationally. It is one of the longest currently running anime series.

The anime follows the quest of the main character, Ash Ketchum (known as Satoshi in Japan), a Pokémon Master in training, as he and a small group of friends travel around the world of Pokémon along with their Pokémon partners.

Various children’s books, collectively known as Pokémon Junior, are also based on the anime.

A new seven part anime series called Pokémon: Twilight Wings began airing on YouTube in 2020. The series was animated by Studio Colorido.

Films

Release timeline

1998	Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back
1999	Pokémon: The Movie 2000 – The Power of One
2000	Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown
2001	Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest
2002	Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias
2003	Jirachi—Wish Maker
2004	Destiny Deoxys
2005	Lucario and the Mystery of Mew
2006	Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
2007	The Rise of Darkrai
2008	Giratina and the Sky Warrior
2009	Arceus and the Jewel of Life
2010	Zoroark—Master of Illusions
2011	White—Victini and Zekrom
	Black—Victini and Reshiram
2012	Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice
2013	Genesect and the Legend Awakened
2014	Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction
2015	Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
2016	Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel
2017	I Choose You!
2018	The Power of Us
2019	Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution
2020	Secrets of the Jungle

Release timeline

2019	Pokémon Detective Pikachu
2020
TBA	untitled Detective Pikachu sequel

There have been 23 animated theatrical Pokémon films (latest film to be released on December 25, 2020), which have been directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Tetsuo Yajima, and distributed in Japan by Toho since 1998. The pair of films, Pokémon the Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram and White—Victini and Zekrom are considered together as one film. Collectibles, such as promotional trading cards, have been available with some of the films. Since the 20th film, the films have been set in an alternate continuity separate from the anime series.

List of Pokémon animated theatrical films

Pokémon: Original Series

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
1	Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back	Mewtwo Strikes Back (ミュウツーの逆襲, Myūtsū no Gyakushū)	July 18, 1998	November 10, 1999
2	Pokémon: The Movie 2000 – The Power of One	Mirage Pokémon: Lugia’s Explosive Birth (幻のポケモン ルギア爆誕, Maboroshi no Pokemon Rugia Bakutan)	July 17, 1999	July 21, 2000
3	Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown	Emperor of The Crystal Tower: ENTEI (結晶塔の帝王 ENTEI, Kesshōtō no Teiō ENTEI)	July 8, 2000	April 6, 2001
4	Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest	Celebi: The Meeting that Traversed Time (セレビィ 時を超えた遭遇（であい）, Serebyi Toki o Koeta Deai)	July 7, 2001	October 11, 2002
5	Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias	Guardian Gods of the Capital of Water: Latias and Latios (水の都の護神 ラティアスとラティオス, Mizu no Miyako no Mamorigami Ratiasu to Ratiosu)	July 13, 2002	May 16, 2003

Pokémon: Advanced Generation

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
6	Jirachi—Wish Maker	Wishing Star of the Seven Nights: Jirachi (七夜の願い星 ジラーチ, Nanayo no Negaiboshi Jirāchi)	July 19, 2003	June 1, 2004
7	Destiny Deoxys	Visitor from the Sky-Splitting: Deoxys (裂空の訪問者 デオキシス, Rekkū no Hōmonsha Deokishisu)	July 17, 2004	January 22, 2005
8	Lucario and the Mystery of Mew	Mew and the Aura Hero: Lucario (ミュウと波導（はどう）の勇者 ルカリオ, Myū to Hadō no Yūsha Rukario)	July 16, 2005	September 19, 2006
9	Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea	The Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy (ポケモンレンジャーと蒼海（うみ）の王子 マナフィ, Pokemon Renjā to Umi no Ōji Manafi)	July 15, 2006	March 23, 2007

Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
10	The Rise of Darkrai	Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai (ディアルガVSパルキアVSダークライ, Diaruga Tai Parukia Tai Dākurai)	July 14, 2007	February 24, 2008
11	Giratina and the Sky Warrior	Giratina and the Bouquet of the Frozen Sky: Shaymin (ギラティナと氷空（そら）の花束 シェイミ, Giratina to Sora no Hanataba Sheimi)	July 19, 2008	February 13, 2009
12	Arceus and the Jewel of Life	Arceus: To Conquering Space-Time (アルセウス 超克の時空へ, Aruseusu Chōkoku no Jikū e)	July 18, 2009	November 20, 2009
13	Zoroark—Master of Illusions	Phantom Ruler: Zoroark (幻影の覇者 ゾロアーク, Gen’ei no Hasha Zoroāku)	July 10, 2010	February 5, 2011

Pokémon: Black & White

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
14A	White—Victini and Zekrom	Victini and the Black Hero: Zekrom (ビクティニと黒き英雄ゼクロム, Bikutini to Kuroki Eiyū Zekuromu)	July 16, 2011	December 10, 2011
14B	Black—Victini and Reshiram	Victini and the White Hero: Reshiram (ビクティニと白き英雄 レシラム, Bikutini to Shiroki Eiyū Reshiramu)	July 16, 2011	December 10, 2011
15	Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice	Kyurem vs. the Sacred Swordsman: Keldeo (キュレムVS聖剣士 ケルディオ, Kyuremu tai Seikenshi Kerudio)	July 14, 2012	December 8, 2012
16	Genesect and the Legend Awakened	ExtremeSpeed Genesect: Mewtwo Awakens (神速のゲノセクト ミュウツー覚醒, Shinsoku no Genosekuto Myūtsū Kakusei)	July 13, 2013	October 19, 2013

Pokémon: XY

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
17	Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction	Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction (破壊の繭とディアンシー, Hakai no Mayu to Dianshī)	July 19, 2014	November 8, 2014
18	Hoopa and the Clash of Ages	The Archdjinni of the Rings: Hoopa (光輪の超魔神 フーパ, Ring no chōmajin Fūpa)	July 18, 2015	December 19, 2015
19	Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel	Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna (ボルケニオンと機巧のマギアナ, Borukenion to karakuri no Magiana)	July 16, 2016	December 5, 2016

Pokémon: Sun & Moon (Alternate continuity)

A reboot to the film franchise began with the release of the 20th movie, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, in Japan on July 15, 2017. It was followed by a continuation, Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us, which was released in Japan on July 13, 2018.

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
20	I Choose You!	I Choose You! (キミにきめた！, Kimi ni kimeta!)	July 15, 2017	November 5, 2017
21	The Power of Us	Everyone’s Story (みんなの物語, Minna no Monogatari)	July 13, 2018	November 24, 2018
22	Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution	Mewtwo Strikes Back:Evolution (ミュウツーの逆襲 EVOLUTION, Myūtsū no Gyakushū EVOLUTION)	July 12, 2019	February 27, 2020

Pokémon: Journeys (Alternate continuity)

#	English title	Japanese title	Japanese release date	North American release date
23	Secrets of the Jungle	Pocket Monsters the Movie: Coco (劇場版ポケットモンスター ココ, Gekijō-ban Pokettomonsutā Koko)	December 25, 2020	2021

Live-action film

A live-action Pokémon film directed by Rob Letterman, produced by Legendary Entertainment, and distributed in Japan by Toho and internationally by Warner Bros. began filming in January 2018. On August 24, the film’s official title was announced as Pokémon Detective Pikachu. It was released on May 10, 2019. The film is based on the 2018 Nintendo 3DS spin-off video game Detective Pikachu. Development of a sequel was announced in January 2019, before the release of the first film.

Soundtracks

Pokémon CDs have been released in North America, some of them in conjunction with the theatrical releases of the first three and the 20th Pokémon films. These releases were commonplace until late 2001. On March 27, 2007, a tenth anniversary CD was released containing 18 tracks from the English dub; this was the first English-language release in over five years. Soundtracks of the Pokémon feature films have been released in Japan each year in conjunction with the theatrical releases. In 2017, a soundtrack album featuring music from the North American versions of the 17th through 20th movies was released.

Year	Title
June 29, 1999	Pokémon 2.B.A. Master
November 9, 1999	Pokémon: The First Movie
February 8, 2000	Pokémon World
May 9, 2000	Pokémon: The First Movie Original Motion Picture Score
July 18, 2000	Pokémon: The Movie 2000
Unknown1	Pokémon: The Movie 2000 Original Motion Picture Score
January 23, 2001	Totally Pokémon
April 3, 2001	Pokémon 3: The Ultimate Soundtrack
October 9, 2001	Pokémon Christmas Bash
March 27, 2007	Pokémon X: Ten Years of Pokémon
November 12, 2013	Pokémon X & Pokémon Y: Super Music Collection
December 10, 2013	Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen: Super Music Collection
January 14, 2014	Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver: Super Music Collection
February 11, 2014	Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire: Super Music Collection
March 11, 2014	Pokémon Diamond & Pokémon Pearl: Super Music Collection
April 8, 2014	Pokémon Black & Pokémon White: Super Music Collection
May 13, 2014	Pokémon Black 2 & Pokémon White 2: Super Music Collection
December 21, 2014	Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: Super Music Collection
April 27, 2016	Pokémon Red and Green Super Music Collection
November 30, 2016	Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon: Super Music Collection
December 23, 2017	Pokémon Movie Music Collection2

Pokémon Trading Card Game

The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) is a collectible card game with a goal similar to a Pokémon battle in the video game series. Players use Pokémon cards, with individual strengths and weaknesses, in an attempt to defeat their opponent by “knocking out” their Pokémon cards. The game was published in North America by Wizards of the Coast in 1999. With the release of the Game Boy Advance video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the Pokémon Company took back the card game from Wizards of the Coast and started publishing the cards themselves. The Expedition expansion introduced the Pokémon-e Trading Card Game, where the cards (for the most part) were compatible with the Nintendo e-Reader. Nintendo discontinued its production of e-Reader compatible cards with the release of FireRed and LeafGreen. In 1998, Nintendo released a Game Boy Color version of the trading card game in Japan; Pokémon Trading Card Game was subsequently released to the US and Europe in 2000. The game included digital versions cards from the original set of cards and the first two expansions (Jungle and Fossil), as well as several cards exclusive to the game. A sequel was released in Japan in 2001.

Manga

There are various Pokémon manga series, four of which were released in English by Viz Media, and seven of them released in English by Chuang Yi. The manga series vary from game-based series to being based on the anime and the Trading Card Game. Original stories have also been published. As there are several series created by different authors, most Pokémon manga series differ greatly from each other and other media, such as the anime. Pokémon Pocket Monsters and Pokémon Adventures are the two manga in production since the first generation.

Manga released in English

• The Electric Tale of Pikachu (Dengeki Pikachu), a shōnen manga created by Toshihiro Ono. It was divided into four tankōbon, each given a separate title in the North American and English Singapore versions: The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Pikachu Shocks Back, Electric Pikachu Boogaloo, and Surf’s Up, Pikachu. The series is based loosely on the anime.
• Pokémon Adventures (Pocket Monsters SPECIAL in Japan) by Hidenori Kusaka (story), Mato (art formerly), and Satoshi Yamamoto (art currently), the most popular Pokémon manga based on the video games. The story series around the Pokémon Trainers who called “Pokédex holders”.
• Magical Pokémon Journey (Pocket Monsters PiPiPi ★ Adventures), a shōjo manga
• Pikachu Meets the Press (newspaper style comics, not released by Chuang Yi)
• Ash & Pikachu (Satoshi to Pikachu)
• Pokémon Gold & Silver
• Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire and Pokémon Pocket Monsters
• Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker
• Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys
• Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (the third movie-to-comic adaptation)
• Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (the fourth movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!
• Pokémon Adventures: Diamond and Pearl / Platinum
• Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (the fifth movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (the sixth movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life (the seventh movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions (the eighth movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon The Movie: White: Victini and Zekrom (the ninth movie-to-comic adaption)
• Pokémon Black and White

Manga not released in English

• Pokémon Pocket Monsters by Kosaku Anakubo, the first Pokémon manga. Chiefly a gag manga, it stars a Pokémon Trainer named Red, his rude Clefairy, and Pikachu.
• Pokémon Card ni Natta Wake (How I Became a Pokémon Card) by Kagemaru Himeno, an artist for the Trading Card Game. There are six volumes and each includes a special promotional card. The stories tell the tales of the art behind some of Himeno’s cards.
• Pokémon Get aa ze! by Miho Asada
• Pocket Monsters Chamo-Chamo ★ Pretty ♪ by Yumi Tsukirino, who also made Magical Pokémon Journey.
• Pokémon Card Master
• Pocket Monsters Emerald Chōsen!! Battle Frontier by Ihara Shigekatsu
• Pocket Monsters Zensho by Satomi Nakamura

Monopoly

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

Criticism and controversy

Morality and religious beliefs

Pokémon has been criticized by some fundamentalist Christians over perceived occult and violent themes and the concept of “Pokémon evolution”, which they feel goes against the Biblical creation account in Genesis. Sat2000, a satellite television station based in Vatican City, has countered that the Pokémon Trading Card Game and video games are “full of inventive imagination” and have no “harmful moral side effects”. In the United Kingdom, the “Christian Power Cards” game was introduced in 1999 by David Tate who stated, “Some people aren’t happy with Pokémon and want an alternative, others just want Christian games.” The game was similar to the Pokémon Trading Card Game but used Biblical figures.

In 1999, Nintendo stopped manufacturing the Japanese version of the “Koga’s Ninja Trick” trading card because it depicted a manji, a traditionally Buddhist symbol with no negative connotations. The Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League complained because the symbol is the reverse of a swastika, a Nazi symbol. The cards were intended for sale in Japan only, but the popularity of Pokémon led to import into the United States with approval from Nintendo. The Anti-Defamation League understood that the portrayed symbol was not intended to offend and acknowledged the sensitivity that Nintendo showed by removing the product.

In 1999, two nine-year-old boys from Merrick, New York, sued Nintendo because they claimed the Pokémon Trading Card Game caused their problematic gambling.

In 2001, Saudi Arabia banned Pokémon games and the trading cards, alleging that the franchise promoted Zionism by displaying the Star of David in the trading cards (a six-pointed star is featured in the card game) as well as other religious symbols such as crosses they associated with Christianity and triangles they associated with Freemasonry; the games also involved gambling, which is in violation of Muslim doctrine.

Pokémon has also been accused of promoting materialism.

Animal cruelty

In 2012, PETA criticized the concept of Pokémon as supporting cruelty to animals. PETA compared the game’s concept, of capturing animals and forcing them to fight, to cockfights, dog fighting rings and circuses, events frequently criticized for cruelty to animals. PETA released a game spoofing Pokémon where the Pokémon battle their trainers to win their freedom. PETA reaffirmed their objections in 2016 with the release of Pokémon Go, promoting the hashtag #GottaFreeThemAll.

Health

On December 16, 1997, more than 635 Japanese children were admitted to hospitals with epileptic seizures. It was determined the seizures were caused by watching an episode of Pokémon “Dennō Senshi Porygon”, (most commonly translated “Electric Soldier Porygon”, season 1, episode 38); as a result, this episode has not been aired since. In this particular episode, there were bright explosions with rapidly alternating blue and red color patterns. It was determined in subsequent research that these strobing light effects cause some individuals to have epileptic seizures, even if the person had no previous history of epilepsy. This incident is a common focus of Pokémon-related parodies in other media, and was lampooned by The Simpsons episode “Thirty Minutes over Tokyo” and the South Park episode “Chinpokomon”, among others.

Monster in My Pocket

In March 2000, Morrison Entertainment Group, a toy developer based at Manhattan Beach, California, sued Nintendo over claims that Pokémon infringed on its own Monster in My Pocket characters. A judge ruled there was no infringement and Morrison appealed the ruling. On February 4, 2003, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision by the District Court to dismiss the suit.

Pokémon Go

Within its first two days of release, Pokémon Go raised safety concerns among players. Multiple people also suffered minor injuries from falling while playing the game due to being distracted.

Multiple police departments in various countries have issued warnings, some tongue-in-cheek, regarding inattentive driving, trespassing, and being targeted by criminals due to being unaware of one’s surroundings. People have suffered various injuries from accidents related to the game, and Bosnian players have been warned to stay out of minefields left over from the 1990s Bosnian War. On July 20, 2016, it was reported that an 18-year-old boy in Chiquimula, Guatemala, was shot and killed while playing the game in the late evening hours. This was the first reported death in connection with the app. The boy’s 17-year-old cousin, who was accompanying the victim, was shot in the foot. Police speculated that the shooters used the game’s GPS capability to find the two.

Cultural influence

Pokémon, being a globally popular franchise, has left a significant mark on today’s popular culture. The various species of Pokémon have become pop culture icons; examples include two different Pikachu balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Pokémon-themed airplanes operated by All Nippon Airways, merchandise items, and a traveling theme park that was in Nagoya, Japan in 2005 and in Taipei in 2006. Pokémon also appeared on the cover of the U.S. magazine Time in 1999. The Comedy Central show Drawn Together has a character named Ling-Ling who is a parody of Pikachu. Several other shows such as The Simpsons, South Park and Robot Chicken have made references and spoofs of Pokémon, among other series. Pokémon was featured on VH1’s I Love the ’90s: Part Deux. A live action show based on the anime called Pokémon Live! toured the United States in late 2000. Jim Butcher cites Pokémon as one of the inspirations for the Codex Alera series of novels.

Pokémon has even made its mark in the realm of science. This includes animals named after Pokémon, such as Stentorceps weedlei (named after the Pokémon Weedle for its resemblance) and Chilicola Charizard Monckton (named after the Pokémon Charizard). There is also a protein named after Pikachu, called Pikachurin.

In November 2001, Nintendo opened a store called the Pokémon Center in New York, in Rockefeller Center, modeled after the two other Pokémon Center stores in Tokyo and Osaka and named after a staple of the video game series. Pokémon Centers are fictional buildings where Trainers take their injured Pokémon to be healed after combat. The store sold Pokémon merchandise on a total of two floors, with items ranging from collectible shirts to stuffed Pokémon plushies. The store also featured a Pokémon Distributing Machine in which players would place their game to receive an egg of a Pokémon that was being given out at that time. The store also had tables that were open for players of the Pokémon Trading Card Game to duel each other or an employee. The store was closed and replaced by the Nintendo World Store on May 14, 2005. Four Pokémon Center kiosks were put in malls in the Seattle area. The Pokémon Center online store was relaunched on August 6, 2014.

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

Pokémon‘s history has been marked at times by rivalry with the Digimon media franchise that debuted at a similar time. Described as “the other ‘mon'” by IGN’s Juan Castro, Digimon has not enjoyed Pokémon‘s level of international popularity or success, but has maintained a dedicated fanbase. IGN’s Lucas M. Thomas stated that Pokémon is Digimon‘s “constant competition and comparison”, attributing the former’s relative success to the simplicity of its evolution mechanic as opposed to Digivolution. The two have been noted for conceptual and stylistic similarities by sources such as GameZone. A debate among fans exists over which of the two franchises came first. In actuality, the first Pokémon media, Pokémon Red and Green, were released initially on February 27, 1996; whereas the Digimon virtual pet was released on June 26, 1997.

Fan community

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

Numerous fan sites exist for the Pokémon franchise, including Bulbapedia, a wiki-based encyclopedia, and Serebii, a news and reference website. Other large fan communities exist on other platforms, such as the r/pokemon subreddit with over 2.2 million subscribers.

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

In early 2014, an anonymous video streamer on Twitch launched Twitch Plays Pokémon, an experiment trying to crowdsource playing subsequent Pokémon games, starting with Pokémon Red.

A challenge called the Nuzlocke Challenge allows players to only capture the first Pokémon encountered in each area. If they do not succeed in capturing that Pokémon, there are no second chances. When a Pokémon faints, it is considered “dead” and must be released or stored in the PC permanently. If the player faints, the game is considered over, and the player must restart. The original idea consisted of 2 to 3 rules that the community has built upon. There are many fan made Pokémon games that contain a game mode similar to the Nuzlocke Challenge, such as Pokémon Uranium.

A study at Stanford Neurosciences published in Nature performed magnetic resonance imaging scans of 11 Pokémon experts and 11 controls, finding that seeing Pokémon stimulated activity in the visual cortex, in a different place than is triggered by recognizing faces, places or words, demonstrating the brain’s ability to create such specialized areas.