Pokemon

Pokemon caused a sensation among children in the 1990s. It is part of Japanese Manga, which refers to a particular art work style in the world of comics. Due to its popularity it has evolved into many different forms; those Mangas that are meant for very small children are called “Kodomo Manga.”

Pokemon is the collective name for 386 characters that children can catch, train, trade, collect and use in battle against rivals in the quest to become a Pokemon Master.

Lead characters, Ash and friend Pikachu, decide to explore the world ruled by the Pokemon. Ash wants to become a Pokemon Master and travels to many different places to compete in different championships. His archenemies are Jesse, James, and Meowth, from Team Rocket.

Pokemon was born in 1996, when its creator, a Japanese game developer called Satoshi Tajiri, came up with the first-ever Pokemon video game. In October of that year, the Pokemon Trading Card Game, developed by Tsunekazu Ishihara, was introduced in Japan. Pokemon was a huge hit in Japan in 1996 and by 1998 the craze had swept all over the world.

Sales figures help to give us an idea of just how successful this phenomenon has become; since its launch in 1996, 25 Pokemon video game titles have been released and more than 140 million video games have been sold, worldwide. There are more than 14 billion Pokemon Trading Card Game Cards in circulation. There have been eight seasons of the animated TV series and following the 1999 debut of Pokemon: The First Movie there have been six other films.