OUR FAVORITES FROM JAPAN
How Pokémon conquered the world
Japan has been the birthplace for many video games that have gone on to become worldwide phenomena. Some started out as games from the beginning, while others had their origins in manga or anime.
In honour of our favourite games from Japan, we’re exploring their history, looking back on their first appearances in their home country and celebrating the characters and storylines that became so popular with players around the world.
Here, we take a look at Pokémon’s incredible rise to stardom.
Do you know this important date in gaming history: 27 February 1996? That was the day when the Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green games were officially released in Japan for Nintendo’s Game Boy.
Over 800 kinds of Pokémon have been discovered since then, and they’ve become a familiar presence in the daily lives of fans all over the world. Here’s how it all came to be.
Catching bugs to catching Pokémon
The Pocket Monsters series began when game creator and president of Game Freak, Satoshi Tajiri, came up with an idea based on his experiences of bug catching when he was a kid at school. Wouldn’t it be interesting to recreate the fun that kids in Japan used to have when catching insects and trading what they’d caught with their friends?
With this in mind, he approached Nintendo with his plan in 1990. The Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green games were released six years later.
The Pokémon that appeared in those games differed in terms of how easy they were to encounter, and some Pokémon only appeared in one of the games. Players could communicate with each other across Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green and trade the creatures that they’d caught.
Soon, people in Japan were engrossed in their quest to meet all 151 Pokémon that existed at the time.
Pikachu becomes a hit
The TV animation series Pokémon first aired in April 1997, spreading Pokémon’s popularity to younger audiences and to people who didn’t, or couldn’t, play the games.
In the Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green games, players could choose to partner with Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle; but in the TV animation, Pikachu became the partner of the main character, Ash.
In the games, Pikachu was a rare Pokémon who could be caught in the Viridian Forest. Because there were signs that Pikachu was popular even before the TV animation was produced, he was chosen to be Ash’s partner. Thanks to the TV series, Pikachu became a well-known presence around the world, and nowadays the cute yellow creature is so recognisable that many people immediately picture it when they think of Pokémon.
A global phenomenon
Jumping from videogames to TV series, Pokémon became widely known in Japan, and in 1998 Pokémon: The First Movie was released, cementing its popularity (new Pokémon movies have hit screens each year in Japan ever since).
Elsewhere in the world, there were many regions where the TV series aired before the games. The Pokémon games were therefore considered to be a way of getting a deeper experience of the world seen in the anime. In 1998, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue were released in North America and Australia, and in Europe in 1999.
One of the reasons why Pokémon have become so popular is their names. Each name has its origin in Japanese, and the translations have tried to stay faithful to that.
When the names are translated into other languages, they’re translated in a way that conveys the characteristics of each Pokémon.
For example, take Bulbasaur. This Pokémon is called “fushigidane” (which means “mysterious seed”) in Japanese, because it carries a mysterious seed on its back; but in English, the name is a combination of the word bulb, which means seed, and the word saurus, as in dinosaur.
In English, the snake Pokémon Arbo is called Ekans. Although there doesn’t seem to be any connection between the Japanese and English versions at first glance, if you read Ekans backwards, you’ll discover that it’s the word snake.
To date over 170 countries and regions have broadcast the TV series, while Pokémon Masters EX is available in nine languages, Pokémon GO is available in 10 languages and the Pokémon Card Game has been released in 11 languages.
Pokémon on mobile
The world of Pokémon has come a long way since its start on game consoles. Take Pokémon GO. The game turns you into a Pokémon trainer, searching for various Pokémon that appear on a real-world map and lets you throw Poké Balls to catch creatures. Add to that the fact that you can trade Pokémon with friends and join battles with other trainers, and it’s like you’ve stepped into the TV animation.
In Pokémon Masters EX, the Gym Leaders, Elite Four and Champions that were an obstacle for players previously become sync pairs with their respective Pokémon partners and fight together as a team.
There are also games offering a slightly different take on the adventure format, such as Pokémon Café Mix, where you can enjoy everyday life with Pokémon, and Pokémon Smile, which helps children develop the habit of brushing their teeth.
And then there’s Pokémon HOME, which allows users to store and trade Pokémon that were caught in Pokémon GO.
Pokémon everywhere
One of the reasons why Pokémon are so beloved around the world is that there are so many ways to engage with them.
Not only can you enjoy various games and apps related to Pokémon, but there’s also an official store called The Pokémon Center, which has the same name as the facility in the game, as well as opportunities to come into contact with Pokémon in a variety of ways, including goods, clothing and even food packages.
The world of Pokémon is astonishingly vast thanks to decades worth of memorable characters, quotes and battles. Join the fun today.
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