Where should we start talking about Pokémon?

The official name is 'ポケットモンスター' (Poketto Monsutā), which is the Japanese pronunciation of 'Pokémon', but the abbreviation 'ポケモン' (Pokémon) is much more widely used. In Korean, it is abbreviated as '포켓몬' (Pokémon), and it is said to be the only country that exclusively uses the name Pokémon.

On February 27, 1996, the pair of 'Pokémon Red and Green' developed by Game Freak was released in Japan. At that time, there were hardly any games released in pairs for the concept of 'trading'. Connecting cables with friends to catch different Pokémon was the first step in the spirit of the official slogan 'Gotta Catch 'Em All!' 

The success of the games sparked the release of the TV animation in 1997, the trading card game in 1999, and the movie in 1998. Even before the term 'transmedia' was coined, games, animations, cards, and merchandise were synergizing with each other, and now it is evaluated to have cumulative sales of $90 billion to $100 billion, maintaining its position as the most valuable entertainment franchise in the world.

Main Title Highlights by Generation

  • 1st Generation (1996) Red and Blue

  • 2nd Generation (1999) Gold and Silver

  • 3rd Generation (2002) Ruby and Sapphire

  • 4th Generation (2006) Diamond and Pearl

  • 5th Generation (2010) Black and White

  • 6th Generation (2013) X and Y

  • 7th Generation (2016) Sun and Moon

  • 8th Generation (2019) Sword and Shield

  • 9th Generation (2022) Scarlet and Violet

The U.S. Arrival, Two Waves of 'Fever'

  1. First Boom (1998–2000)
    As the TV animation (English dubbed) and the North American release of 'Red and Blue' occurred simultaneously, Pokémon quickly took over elementary school playgrounds. Some schools even imposed a ban on card trading.

  2. Second Boom (2016) – Pokémon GO
    When the augmented reality game 'Pokémon GO' launched on July 6, 2016, crowds with smartphones flocked to parks and streets, making it a 'social phenomenon'. Statistics showing that it surpassed daily Twitter users in its first week are still talked about today. 

At that time, researchers analyzed that "the game increased daily walking by over 25% in the early stages," but at the same time, side effects such as traffic accidents and trespassing were also raised. The movie 'Detective Pikachu', released in 2019, earned $54 million during its North American opening weekend, achieving an unusual success among video game adaptations. Thanks to its live-action and CG hybrid direction, it received praise for making 'Pikachu come to life'.

2024~2025

  • Netflix animation 'Pokémon Horizons' Season 1 (2024) and Season 2 (February 7, 2025) will continue the new generation story without Ash. 

  • The trading card game surged as a 'financial item' during the pandemic, with card shipments exceeding 11.9 billion in the 2023 fiscal year.

  • The Pokémon Company is set to break its record with $1.9 billion in revenue for 2023-24 and is still aggressively expanding its licensing. 

  • The Pokémon World Championships, scheduled to be held in Honolulu, Hawaii in the summer of 2025, is expected to become a 'pilgrimage site' for American fans.

Why Does It Still Captivate Us?

Pokémon does not simply rely on 'nostalgia'. Each generation introduces new game designs and the latest technologies (A/R, mobile, real-time battles), providing nostalgia for existing fans and freshness for new fans. Additionally, it naturally incorporates a social play structure of 'trading, cooperation, and competition', maintaining its power to bring people together even as times change.

Everyone has their favorite Pokémon, episode, or at least one card. Even when the next generation of Pokémon appears, we will once again take out our Poké Balls.

I conclude with the excitement of wondering, 'What Pokémon will I encounter at my next destination?'