Culture Pokemon

The series was the brainchild of Tajiri Satoshi (田尻智, 1965–), who spent his youth near Tokyo as an avid insect collector (昆虫採集 konchū saishū). As Japan's economic boom led to the urbanisation of the fields and ponds he once explored, Tajiri wanted to provide new generations with a way to hunt critters digitally. In 1982, he and a group of friends launched the gaming magazine Game Freak. By 1991, his "Pocket Monsters" concept reached Miyamoto Shigeru (宮本茂, 1952–), the creator of Mario, who brought Tajiri to Nintendo. After six years of development, the first games were released in Japan on 27 February 1996. Initial sales were modest, with around 200,000 copies shipped, but the titles went on to revive the fading Game Boy system and grow into a worldwide phenomenon.

The basic goals of the games are to complete the Pokédex (ポケモン図鑑 Pokémon Zukan), a digital encyclopaedia of Pokémon, and to become a Pokémon Master. In the role-playing series, trainers travel through different regions, where they must defeat eight or sixteen gym leaders, or take part in island trials in some versions, before facing the Elite Four and the Champion. Wild Pokémon are caught by first weakening them in turn-based battles and then capturing them in a Poké Ball (モンスターボール monsutābōru). Combat is based on a tactical system with 18 elemental types, including Fire, Water, Steel and Fairy, each with clear strengths and weaknesses. For example, Electric moves are strong against Water-types but do not affect Ground-types.

Pokémon become stronger by gaining experience points and levelling up, with a maximum level of 100. Many species can evolve (進化 shinka), which changes their appearance and abilities. Evolution can happen in several ways, such as reaching a certain level, using elemental stones, trading with another player, or developing a strong friendship with the Pokémon. Some species, like Magneton, only evolve into forms like Magnezone at specific geographical locations.

The social aspect of the franchise is driven by trading and breeding. Since games are usually released in pairs with version-exclusive creatures, players must trade to complete their collection. Early games used physical Link Cables, while later titles rely on online services such as Pokémon Home. Breeding was introduced in the second generation and allows players to leave a male and a female Pokémon at a daycare to produce eggs, with the offspring inheriting moves and traits from their parents. The gender-neutral Pokémon Ditto is critical, as it can breed with almost any species to produce an egg.

Beyond the games, the anime followed the journey of Ash Ketchum (Satoshi in Japan) from 1997 onwards. However, the show faced a significant crisis on 16 December 1997. During an episode broadcast at 18:51, a sequence of rapid red and blue strobe lights caused nearly 12,000 children to experience seizures, dizziness, or vomiting. By 19:30, 618 children had been hospitalised in an event known as the "Pokémon Shock." The show was briefly pulled from the air but returned after strict health regulations were implemented for television animation.

The franchise has encountered cultural and legal controversy. In the United States, some Protestant groups once criticised Pokémon as "Satanic," claiming the creatures looked like demons and that the idea of evolution conflicted with creationist beliefs. In parts of the Middle East, some fundamentalist groups claimed the series was a Jewish plot to distract Muslim youth, wrongly asserting that the name "Pokémon" meant "I am Jewish." In addition, the manji (卍), a traditional Buddhist symbol of good fortune, appeared on some trading cards and was mistaken for a swastika, prompting complaints from Jewish groups and leading to changes in the artwork.

In a notable legal battle, the Israeli mentalist Uri Geller sued Nintendo for 100 million dollars in 2000. He claimed that the Pokémon Kadabra—named Yungerer (ユンゲラー yungerā) in Japan—was an unauthorised parody of his persona, citing the creature's spoon-bending ability and the similarity of the Japanese name to his own. Geller lost the case, although Kadabra was notably absent from the trading card game for two decades until Geller eventually withdrew his objections.

From the original 151 species to over 1,000 today, the brand continues to expand. Spin-offs like the photography game Pokémon Snap, the stadium-based battle titles, and the 2016 mobile hit Pokémon Go have ensured the franchise's longevity. It even inspired short-lived theme parks, such as the PokéPark that opened in Nagoya in 2005.

The modern era of the franchise was redefined on 6 July 2016 with the release of Pokémon GO. Developed by Niantic, led by John Hanke, the mobile game utilised augmented reality (拡張現実 kakuchō genjitsu) to place digital creatures in real-world locations via smartphone GPS. The project began in 2014 as an April Fool's collaboration with Google Maps, but it quickly became a global hit that encouraged millions of people to walk through and engage with public spaces.

From its beginnings as a digital insect-collecting idea to the ninth generation, Scarlet and Violet, released in 2022, Pokémon has continually adapted to new technology. It remains a bridge between Tajiri's childhood in the fields of Musashino and the interconnected global community of the twenty-first century.

This article is based on a text written by Jack Herbert for JREF in 2011.

References:

• PokémonLittle. Yellow. Different. Better. (Slate, 12 November 1999)
• Beware of the Poke Mania (The Time, 22 November 1999)
• Pokémon proves to be gold in European market (kidscreen, 1 March 2000)
• Kids' Anime Hits Critical Mass (Los Angeles Times, 12 October 2001)
• Pokémon – from bugs to blockbuster (The Guardian, 11 October 2013)
• Pokémon veteran Junichi Masuda reflects on the series' early days (Polygon, 28 September 2018)
• Pokémon (Encyclopædia Britannica Online ed.)

Links: