The Pokemon phenomenon is a Japanese creation that has captivated children world wide. Short for "Pocket Monsters," the Pokemon craze began in 1996. Created as characters for the Nintendo Game Boy, the Pokemon are a set of 386 individual creatures that must be captured and trained to obey their Trainer (each player).

On the heels of the successful computer game came the Pokemon merchandise: trading cards, soft toys, plastic dolls, an animated television show, comics and a movie.

Pokemon^?, IPA: [ˈpoʊ.keɪ.mɑn], although frequently mispronounced [poʊ.kiˈmæn]), is a multi-billion dollar media franchise^[1] controlled by video game giant Nintendo, and created by Satoshi Tajiri at least by 1995 (it celebrated its tenth anniversary on February 27, 2006, although the franchise was copyrighted in the USA as Pokémon by 1995). The original Game Boy video games have since been merchandised into anime, manga, trading cards, toys, books, and other media. The name, Pokémon, is the romanized contraction of the Japanese brand, “Pocket Monsters” (ポケットモンスター, Poketto Monsutā^?), as such contractions are very common in Japan. Nintendo originally literally translated Poketto Monsutā – indeed, a "Pocket Monsters" game was created in early 1995. A naming conflict with the Monster In My Pocket toy range caused Nintendo to rebrand the franchise as "Pokémon" in early 1996. The game’s catchphrase, in the Japanese language versions of the franchise is "ポケモンGETだぜ! (Pokémon Getto Daze! - Let's Get Pokémon!)"; in the English language versions of the franchise, it used to be “Gotta catch ’em all!”, although it is now no longer officially used.

The concept of the Pokémon saga stems from the hobby of insect collecting, a popular pastime in which Pokémon's creator Satoshi Tajiri had enjoyed as a child. Tajiri’s formula took off in Japan and was adapted (and translated) in 1998 for the American market, with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue. These games allowed players to catch, collect, and train hundreds of creatures, known as Pokémon; and battle them against each other to build their strength. These Pokémon could then “evolve” into more powerful Pokémon and learn new and stronger techniques. Pokémon never bleed or die in battle, only faint – this was a very touchy subject to Tajiri, as he didn’t want to further fill the gaming world with "pointless violence".^[2]

Pokémon is also the collective name for all of the fictional species within the Pokémon universe. To date, the franchise has a grand total of 493 unique species that lie at the heart of the series, a figure which has grown substantially from the 151 species in the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green games, in Japan. The word Pokémon remains unchanged whether referring to the singular or plural, as is the case with deer or sheep, and the same applies to each species name.

In December 2005, 4Kids Entertainment, which had managed the non-game related licensing of Pokémon, announced that it has agreed not to renew the Pokémon representation agreement. Pokémon USA Inc., a subsidiary of Japan's Pokémon Co., now oversees all Pokémon licensing outside of Asia.^[3]

Generations

Main article: Pokémon (video games)

The original Pokémon games were Japanese RPGs with an element of strategy, and were created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. These role-playing games, and their sequels, remakes, and English language translations, are still considered the "main" Pokémon games, and the games which most fans of the series are referring to when they use the term "Pokémon games". Accumulative sold units (including home console versions) reach 143 million copies.^[4] This makes it the second biggest-selling games franchise ever, after Nintendo’s Mario series.

All of the licensed Pokémon properties overseen by The Pokémon Company are divided roughly by generation. There have been four generations, defined by the Pokémon which appear therein. Each of these generations has been first introduced in a pair of Pokémon video games for the Game Boy or its successors (including the Nintendo DS), beginning (in most countries) with Pokémon Red and Blue and their remake, Pokémon Yellow, followed by Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver and their remake, Pokémon Crystal, which were later released. Then came Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, followed Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, the remakes of the first generation games, and Pokémon Emerald, the remake of the third generation games. The fourth generation games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, were released in Japan on September 28, 2006. In every generation, the last version to be released has a slightly different storyline from the preceding versions. Each generation introduces a slew of new Pokémon and a handful of new general concepts.

These generations are roughly chronological divisions by release; a handful of Pokémon from a subsequent generation appear in the anime, manga, or trading card game before the main Game Boy games which demarcate the generation are released, but the anime, manga, and even (of late) the card game divides itself into sagas or generations by the same scheme as the games.

First generation

Box art for the American version of Pokémon Red.

This first generation started with Pokémon Red and Blue. The first generation introduced the original 151 Pokémon (Bulbasaur to Mew, not counting the glitch Pokémon Missingno.), as well as the basic concepts of trading and battling Pokémon. In Japan, the first generation included Pokémon Red, Green, and later Blue (with changes to the artwork and dungeon layout), while other regions started with Red and Blue (both featuring the updated elements), but never got a Green.

A Bulbasaur involved in a battle with a Charmander in Pokémon Red (Played on a Super Game Boy).^[5]

This generation was completed by the game Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, loosely based on the anime, in which the player started with a Pikachu who refused to go into its Poké Ball and instead followed the player’s character around. By turning around to face the Pikachu, players could get an approximate notion of how much their Pikachu “liked” them. This and other elements of Pokémon Yellow were similar to the anime. It also altered the progress of the game to more accurately reflect trainers and Pokémon seen in the animé, including the addition of Jessie and James, who are well-known members of Team Rocket to the storyline. Jessie and James bring along their signature Pokémon (Koffing, Ekans, and Meowth). Koffing and Ekans evolve later on, but Meowth does not.

These versions of the games revolved around the Kanto region, though it was not known as such until the second generation. This generation also introduced the idea of a rival trainer whom the player faced a number of times, as well as a team of evil Pokémon trainers.

These games were compatible with the N64 game Pokémon Stadium and its sequel, Pokémon Stadium 2. Remakes of the first two games, called Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, were released in the third “Advance” generation.