Pokémon

Pokémon is a media franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, developed by Game Freak, and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo. It centers on Pokémon, fictional creatures that inhabit a world alongside humans. Humans who catch and train these Pokémon are known as Pokémon Trainers. The franchise began with video games released for the Game Boy in 1996, starting with Pokémon Red and Green in Japan, later released as Red and Blue in other regions. The name Pokémon is a contraction of Pocket Monsters.

The core games invite players to explore regions, capture wild Pokémon with Poké Balls, and train them to learn new moves and evolve. Players challenge Gym Leaders to earn badges and advance toward the Elite Four and the Pokémon League champion. The series uses a type-based combat system with many types—such as Fire, Water, Grass, Electric—that have strengths and weaknesses that affect battles. Each Pokémon has abilities, statistics, and a diverse movepool, and many species evolve into more powerful forms, sometimes through items or regional variants. Later generations introduced mechanics such as Mega Evolution, regional forms, and forms like Dynamax/Gigantamax.

Beyond video games, Pokémon has expanded into a trading card game, animated television series, films, toys, and other merchandise. The franchise has released multiple generations of games, each introducing new regions, Pokémon species, and gameplay features. Notable regions include Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea.

Pokémon remains one of the most successful media franchises, with a large international audience and a continuing program of new releases and media. The core concepts—exploration, collection, and strategic battles—remain central to the experience.