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Pokémon (ポケモン, Pokemon, IPA: [ˈpoʊ.keɪ.mɑn], although frequently mispronounced ), is a multi-billion dollar media franchise 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 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 (except by Hasbro and in the title sequence to Pokémon Chronicles).

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".

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 Template:Pokenum unique species that lie at the heart of the series, a figure which has grown substantially from the 151 monsters in the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games. 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.

Anyone who plays pokemon can suck my huge PENIS and if Andrew Havelas massive tits

Game mechanics

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". These games have sold over 100 million copies to date. Accumulative sold units (including home console versions) reach 143 million copies. This makes it the second biggest-selling games franchise ever, after Nintendo’s Super Mario series.

The first games in the series were Pokémon Red and Blue (Red and Green in Japan, followed by a Blue, and a special edition Yellow version). These games were nearly identical, save for the fact that each version had a select group of Pokémon that the other version did not. The ultimate goal of these games was to catch at least one member of all the 151 different species of Pokémon, though the 151st could only be caught through special promotions (or through a glitch in all first-generation games). While battling monsters is nothing new to RPGs, many players found themselves nearly addicted to finding, fighting, and capturing every Pokémon in the game. Another, perhaps easier, goal was to finish the game’s storyline by becoming the Pokémon League Champion. A few Pokémon, like Mewtwo, could only be caught after doing so. This was done by collecting eight gym badges by beating the eight gym leaders and then defeating the Elite Four, and the Champion.

Starter Pokémon

One of the consistent aspects of most Pokémon games – spanning from Pokémon Red and Blue on the Nintendo Game Boy to the Nintendo DS game, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl – is the choice of three different Pokémon at the start of the player's adventures; these three are often labelled Starter Pokémon. Players can choose a Water-type, a Fire-type, or a Grass-type Pokémon indigenous to that particular region; an exception to this rule is Pokémon Yellow (a remake of the original games that follows the story of the Pokémon anime), where players are given a Pikachu, an Electric-type mouse, famous for being the mascot of the Pokémon media franchise.

Pokédex

The Pokédex is a fictional electronic device featured in the popular Pokémon video game and anime series. In the games, whenever a Pokémon is first captured, its data will be added to a player's Pokédex, but in the anime or manga, the Pokédex is a comprehensive electronic reference encyclopedia, usually referred to in order to deliver exposition. Of the fictional Pokémon world, Pokédex is used to refer to a list of Pokémon, usually a list of Pokémon by number.

In the video games, a Pokémon Trainer is issued a blank device at the start of their journey. A trainer must then attempt to fill the Pokédex by encountering and at least briefly obtaining (by capture, trading, or evolution) each of the various different species of Pokémon. A player will receive the name and image of a Pokémon after encountering one that was not previously in the Pokédex. More detailed information is typically available after the player obtains a member of the species, either through capturing Pokémon, evolving Pokémon, or through a trade. This detailed information includes height, weight, species type, and a short description of the Pokémon.

Trading and Battling

In all of the Pokémon games, including the games for the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii, trading Pokémon and battling other trainers is an important part of the game. These trades and battles can take place solely in the single-player game or as an aspect of the multiplayer game. In order to trade a Pokémon, both trainers have to agree on which Pokémon will be traded. This can backfire, as some unscrupulous will claim to be sending one Pokémon and send another, more common one instead. Once the Pokémon are decided upon, both trainers enter a "trading hall" (in the multiplayer trading; in single player, the trade happens where ever the player initiates contact with the NPC who is interested in trading). The transfer is made shortly and both trainers are shown their new Pokémon. Once a Pokémon has been traded, it will gain additional battle experience.

Another common aspect of every Pokémon game is battling. As a rule of thumb, when two trainers make eye contact, they must battle Pokémon. In the single player game, this "eye contact" rule is strictly enforced, but some NPC trainers have very poor eyesight, meaning the player has to be right next to them before they challenge him/her, while some others will challenge the player as soon as they appear on the screen. The battles in the games are turn-based, concurrent. This means that both players are telling their Pokémon which move to use or are using an item at the same time, but the actual attacks take place in turns, depending on which Pokémon is the faster of the two. A new battle-type added in the GBA games, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, is the two-on-two battle. In a two-on-two battle, each side of the battle has two Pokémon out. This can be two players with one each against two players with one each or one player with two against one player with two or a combination of those.

Trading and battling between the original Gameboy games was accomplished with a Gameboy link cable between to two Gameboys. The two players would each go to a Pokémon center and select to make a trade or to battle. This also held true for the Gameboy Advance games with the exception that the Gameboy Advance games could not connect to the original Gameboy games. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen also introduced the ability to use a Wireless Link device to make connections wirelessly across a small room. This removed the need for the link cable but was only applicable to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. The Pokémon Diamond and Pearl game takes advantage of Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection inside the Nintendo DS to allow trading and battling against other players anywhere through the Internet.

In other media

Anime series

The Pokémon anime series and films are a set of adventures separate from most other versions of Pokémon, featuring Ash Ketchum as the main character, and following his quest to become a Pokémon Master – though what constitutes a Master is somewhat ambiguous. He and his companions travel around the Pokémon world battling other Pokémon trainers.

The first, and the most familiar, is Pocket Monsters or simply Pokémon (often referred to as Pokémon: Gotta Catch Em All to distinguish it from the later series), which details the adventures of Ash Ketchum as he travels through Kanto. Pokémon World followed his adventures in the Orange Islands, a place not accessible in the games, and Pokémon: Johto journeys, Pokémon: Johto league champions, and Pokémon: Master Quest following him in Johto. These series are based on the first and second generation games. Accompanying Ash on his journeys were Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader; Misty, the youngest of the Gym Leaders sisters from Cerulean City; and later on, Tracey Sketchit, an artist and “Pokémon watcher” who accompanied them in the Orange Islands in the second saga.

In the original series Ash’s main rival was another trainer from Pallet Town, Gary Oak. Gary (whose grandfather was none other than Professor Oak, the man in charge of giving new trainers their first Pokémon) was well known and accompanied by a squad of cheerleaders. The names of Ash and Gary were derived from the characters’ Japanese names, Satoshi and Shigeru. These names, in turn, were taken from the two people who produced the franchise – Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto, who helped Tajiri to launch the series.

The saga continues into Pokémon: Advanced, Pokémon:Advanced Generation, and Pokémon:Advanced Battle where Ash and company travel to Hoenn, a southern region in the Pokémon World. Ash takes on the role of a teacher and mentor for a novice Pokémon trainer in this series named May. Her brother Max accompanies them, and though he isn’t a trainer, he knows massive amounts of handy information. Brock (from the original series) soon catches up with Ash, but Misty has returned to Cerulean City to tend to her duties as a gym leader. This series is based on the third generation games.

Afterward, Ash returns to his home region of Kanto and visits the Battle Frontier while May competes in Kanto Contests. Misty joins them for a part of the journey, on the way to Cerulean City. This part of the series is loosely based upon Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Currently, Ash is in the new region of Shin'ou.

Cultural Influence

A live action show called Pokémon Live! toured the United States in late 2000. It was based on the popular Pokémon anime, but had some continuity errors relating to it. In late 2002, it was scheduled to tour Europe, but was canceled for unknown reasons, possibly due to lack of interest.

Pokémon, being a popular franchise, has undoubtedly left its mark on pop-culture. The Pokémon characters themselves have become pop-culture icons; examples include the Pikachu balloon at a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a Pokémon-styled Boeing 747-400, thousands of merchandise items, and a theme park in Nagoya, Japan in 2005 and Taipei in 2006. Pokémon also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1999. The Comedy Central show Drawn Together has a character named Ling-Ling which is a direct parody of Pikachu. Several other shows such as ReBoot, The Simpsons, South Park and All Grown Up! have made references and spoofs of Pokémon, among other series.

Controversy and criticism

Racism

This original design of the Pokémon Jynx (seen to the left) bore a striking, but possibly coincidental, resemblance to entertainers in blackface. A strong case can be made for Jynx being a parody of or homage to the Japanese Ganguro and Yamanba fashion trends, which were extremely popular when Pokémon was first released, but it can't be denied that blackface-influenced characters have appeared elsewhere in anime and manga - examples can be found near the beginning of Osamu Tezuka's early graphic novel, Metropolis and also can be found with Dragon Ball Z's Mr. Popo.

As Pokémon became more popular in the US, this perceived similarity to a racist image from America's past offended some. In particular, it had offended children's book author Carole Boston Weatherford, who accused Jynx of being a racist stereotype in an article titled Politically Incorrect Pokémon in the magazine Black World Today, shortly after the anime episode Holiday Hi-Jynx aired. Episodes later on are also either banned or cut in USA. (see anime)

In response to this controversy, in 2002, Nintendo changed Jynx's face from black to purple and its hands from blue to purple in Pokémon games, a change which would be reflected in the anime three years later in Advanced Generation.

Animal cruelty

Some have compared the primary mechanism of Pokémon to the generally-outlawed practice of cockfighting. Seen from this point of view, the game consists primarily of Pokémon trainers capturing and bartering in wild animals, coercing them to fight one another. It also sees various performance-enhancing drugs to give them an edge in the fight. Some people believe that this may encourage children towards acts of animal cruelty and illegal gambling.

However, most fans view Pokémon battling as a friendly competition between two teams of Pokémon and their trainers. Seen in this light, Pokémon are not being coerced to battle by their trainers. There are references to some Pokémon being territorial (e.g. Pidgeotto), but it is vastly different to the aggressively territorial nature of roosters, who will maim the 'enemy' rooster until it or the other dies. Furthermore, trainers do not relish the idea of allowing two animals (or in this case Pokémon) to fight to the death, while they merely view from the edge of the ‘ring’. In both the games and the television show, the audience is taught that fighting is not necessarily a means to an end. In addition to all of the above, Pokémon do not actually die from battle; they either faint or are in other ways unable to battle. It is also brought up in the animated series that Pokémon trainers are fighting alongside their Pokémon, as opposed to simply issuing commands for them to follow.

Health

On December 16, 1997, more than 635 Japanese children were admitted to hospitals with convulsive epileptic seizures. It was determined that the seizures were caused by watching an episode of Pokémon, "Dennō Senshi Porygon", or "Computer Soldier Porygon" (known as Electric Soldier Porygon in the United States, season 1, episode 43) and subsequently this episode has not been aired since. In this particular episode, there were bright explosions with rapidly-alternating blue and red color patterns. It was determined in subsequent research that these strobing light effects cause some individuals to have epileptic seizures, even if they haven’t had any previous history of epilepsy. As a consequence, many video game makers (including Nintendo) added warning labels to their video game products (or made pre-existing labels more prominent), warning that exposure to video games may trigger seizures in individuals vulnerable to photosensitive epilepsy. Detailed research of the alleged incident is detailed at http://www.csicop.org/si/2001-05/pokemon.html and attributes it to mass hysteria. The incident was also parodied by the Simpsons. In the episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" (Season 10 - Episode 20) Marge, Bart, and Lisa are seen having seizures after watching a show called "Battling Seizure Robots". Homer then enters the room and, apparently not wanting to be left out, proceeds to roll around on the floor in a similar fashion, of his own will. This incident was also spoofed in the South Park episode "Chimpokomon", an obvious satire of the Pokémon craze that hit the United States . Kenny has a seizure while playing an intense round of the Chimpokimon video game.

Americanization

Both critics and fans of the Pokémon franchise have criticized the apparent Americanization of the franchise, claiming that American companies use Pokémon as a tool to exploit children of their (or their parents’) money. 4Kids Entertainment faced criticism for apparently Americanizing its translated Japanese anime programs. One of the main examples of this is when the names of American food are put in place of the Japanese food, such as calling rice cakes doughnuts when it is clear that they are something else. Several episodes were edited or removed from the American run completely for potential objectional content including "Beauty and the Beach" which was severely cut in America due to the portrayal of a male character with breasts, and "The Legend of Dratini" which never aired outside Japan because of an overuse of guns in the episode.

See also

References

Books

• Tobin, Joseph, ed. Pikachu’s Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon. Duke University Press., February, 2004. ISBN 0-8223-3287-6.

Notes

1. “Pokemon (sic) Franchise Approaches 150 Million Games Sold”, PR Newswire. URL accessed on April 19, 2006.
2. “The Ultimate Game Freak: Interview with Satoshi Tajiri”, TimeAsia (Waybacked).
3. "Pokemon USA Moves Licensing In-House", Gamasutra.
4. "Nintendo reveal sales figures" Palgn.com. URL Accessed May 24, 2006.
5. Pokémon Ruby review (page 1) Gamespy.com. URL Accessed May 30, 2006.
6. Pokémon Yellow Critical Review Ign.com. URL accessed on March 27, 2006.
7. “Pokémon: The First Movie Parental Review”, Screen It!. URL last accessed April 21, 2006.
8. “Pidgeotto Pokédex information”, DLTK-Kids. URL last accessed April 21, 2006.
9. "Color Changes in TV Cartoons Cause Seizures", ScienceDaily (Waybacked, Style Sheet(s) missing).

External links

Websites

• Pokémon Japan
• Pokémon TCG Game
• Pokémon.com
• Pokémon Games
• Official Pokémon Merchandise Site
• Pokémon PokéPark, to be in Taipei, Taiwan in 2006.
• Rise of the Pokemon

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