Pokémon never die in battle; they faint and recover at a Pokémon Center
Pokémon, estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise in the world, began as a pair of Game Boy role-playing games released on 27 February 1996. Because it was made for children, its creature battles contain no blood: defeated Pokémon simply faint and are revived afterwards.
The games came from Game Freak, based on an idea by its founder Satoshi Tajiri, and started as sleeper hits before manga, a trading card game, an anime series and films followed. Between 1998 and 2000 the franchise went global in a frenzy dubbed Pokémania, which had burned out by 2002, leaving Pokémon a permanent part of popular culture. Niantic's augmented-reality game Pokémon Go set off a second craze in 2016.
The full Japanese title was Pocket Monsters, shortened to Pokemon from the outset; overseas releases used the short form with an accent on the e to help pronunciation. The word names both the franchise and its creatures and never takes a plural ending, and the same goes for each species, so one Pikachu and many Pikachu are both correct. The original games had 151 species; by early 2026 there were 1,025, most modelled on real animals or folklore creatures. Pikachu, for instance, are yellow mouse-like beings with lightning-bolt tails that fire electric blasts.
Players act as Trainers with three goals: explore the world, catch one of every species to fill the Pokédex, and raise a team for battles against wild creatures and other Trainers. Once an opponent is weakened, a thrown Poké Ball turns it into energy and draws it inside, and a successful catch leaves it tame and obedient. Throwing the ball again brings it back out in its original form.
Children aged 5 to 12 are the core audience, though fans come in every age. Since 2000 the franchise has been run by the Pokémon Company, set up by its three owners: Nintendo, card game developer Creatures, and Game Freak. Those three share the anime with TV Tokyo, ShoPro and JR Kikaku, a joint venture called Pikachu Project owns the films, and since 2009 a subsidiary has handled everything outside Asia.
Source: Pokémon
