Pokémon
- Pocket Monsters redirects here. For the first installment of a gag manga series based on the franchise, see Pocket Monsters (manga). For the IRC channel, see #pocketmonsters.
Pokémon (Japanese: ポケットモンスター Pocket Monsters, or ポケモン Pokémon for short) is a series of video games, and an entire franchise based around those games, that centers around the ability to "catch" and "train" creatures called Pokémon, for which it is named. The term Pokémon may refer to the video game franchise, an individual Pokémon creature, or a Pokémon species.
Etymology
Pokémon is called "Pocket Monsters" in Japan. This would have been the name when transferred to North America, but "Pocket Monsters" would've caused trademarking problems with Monster in My Pocket, so Nintendo settled on using the shortened version of the name which is also used in Japan, with the "Poké" coming from pocket and the "Mon" being derived from Monsters.
Due to the accent on the name, Pokémon has a specific pronunciation — Poh-Kay-Mon. The emphasis on the e is from the accent. Common mispronunciations include Poke-Ay-Mon, Poke-ee-man, Poke-ee-mon, Poke-ay-man and Pock-uh-mon.
Concept
The basis of Pokémon is reminiscent of insect collecting, which the creator, Satoshi Tajiri, enjoyed as a child.
At a glance, most Pokémon species are based off of ordinary animals, and sometimes plants. They are also inspired by yōkai, which are very popular in Japanese pop culture. This is evident from the extensive powers Pokémon exhibit, as well as their ever-growing, in-game mythology.
Franchise
Also called Pocket Monsters in Japan and some other countries, Pokémon is a mega-franchise including video games, an anime, a Trading Card Game, many manga series, a miniatures game, and much more merchandise. The concept of Pokémon was first created by Satoshi Tajiri and all Pokémon games are published by Nintendo Inc., Ltd for their video game systems, including the Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and Wii. The games include strategy games and RPGs where the player becomes a "Pokémon Trainer" who encounters, captures, trains, and collects many Pokémon creatures; puzzle games; and pinball games. They were first released in 1996 in Japan, and were first released in the USA in 1998. Since then, as of 2009 the Pokémon Franchise has sold more than 186 million units worldwide, second only to Mario with more than 201 million units sold worldwide and leaving even the next two closest franchises, The Sims and Final Fantasy in the dust with 100 million and 85 million, respectively.
Many sub-games have been released but three games managed to become series in and of themselves; the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the Pokémon Ranger, and the Pokémon Stadium series.
Collectively
Pokémon inhabit virtually every corner of the world: in forests, in deserts, in the sea, in the sky, and even in bustling cities. All Pokémon are hatched from eggs and most can reproduce, save for legendary Pokémon, and other exceptions. In the wild, Pokémon sometimes fight one another. This can be for play, for food, or for defense. Pokémon, like all living creatures, are not immortal, although people new to Pokémon may have that misconception.
Individually
An individual Pokémon may be encountered in the wild, caught, trained, and battled with. In the games, individual Pokémon have many characteristics including stats, DVs, species, Level, EVs, Nature, personality value, Experience, and known moves.
Species
Pokémon species are "kinds" of Pokémon, such as Bulbasaur or Zubat. Individual Pokémon of certain species can change into some other species by evolving, such as a Bulbasaur evolving into an Ivysaur. There are currently 493 officially released Pokémon species.
Species have certain characteristics inherent to each one. Examples include elemental types, how many EVs are awarded when a Pokémon of the species is defeated, base stats, sprites and alternately-colored sprites, moves it learns by leveling up, use of TMs and HMs and by Move Tutors, base experience, experience required to level up, and evolution.
In the anime, most Pokémon speak through syllables of their name. For example, Pikachu can only say the syllables Pi, Ka, and Chu. Some Pokémon, like Salamence and Flygon, make other noises, like roaring or growling. There have been instances of Pokémon being able to speak, most notably Meowth, but most of them can only speak telepathically, like Mewtwo, Lucario or Shaymin. Pokémon in the games generally make animalistic noises, although when the player talks to a Pokémon in the overworld, it says its name, or sounds that imitate its cry.
Oftentimes, the name of a species can refer to an individual Pokémon of that species instead. For instance, "Bulbasaur is a Template:Type2" refers to the Bulbasaur species, but "Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip" refers to a single Bulbasaur.
Initially, when the Generation I games (Pokémon Red, Blue, and Green) were released, there were 151 species of Pokémon (Bulbasaur to Mew). This number grew to 251 with the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver of Generation II a few years later, adding an additional 100 species (Chikorita to Celebi). Generation III brought another 135 species (Treecko to Deoxys) to the Pokémon world with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, bringing the total to 386. The most recent additions, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the beginning of Generation IV introduced 107 new species (Turtwig to Arceus), bringing the overall total to 493.
According to the Electric Tale of Pikachu, biological taxonomies of cellular and genetic structure have revealed that Pokémon are all actually a single species of life form and that the individual differences between each creature are actually subspecies. The DNA of all Pokémon can be traced back to Mew. (This can also explain why Pokémon can variously interbreed with each other.)
Several games, especially the Red and Blue versions, have featured various hidden in-game Glitch Pokémon, most notably Missingno. and 'M. There have also been glitches found that are unrelated to individual Pokémon, such as Glitch City.
Design themes
The species of Pokémon for each generation are all designed in a similar fashion, though it is easily overlooked, especially to newcomers. The original 151 of Generation I were all very simple in appearance. At the time, the games were a very simple adventure and somewhat lacking in substance regarding the story. Generation II implemented much more creative features, emphasizing a more in-depth plot. Species in Generation III became more extravagant as the games took place in more exotic locations. Then there was Generation IV. Although not quite the same leap as before, the designs hold a dark elegance, symbolizing the themes of mysticism.
