In 1996, the first two games of the Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Red Version and Pokemon Green Version (Blue in the states), were released. When the people in charge noticed the wild popularity, they attempted to venture and create an anime. Initially both Pikachu and the Pokémon Clefairy were chosen to be lead characters for the franchise merchandising, with the latter as the primary mascot to make the early comic book series more “engaging”. However, Pikachu ended up taking the spot. Why?
First, let’t take some comparisons. For an anime to work, one must have the right audience. In this case, young children of boys and girls. Clefairy would be deemed too ‘feminine’ and the idea of it being with the male protagonist wouldn’t have made sense to most of the children at the time. Furthermore, Clefairy is not found until Mt. Moon, so it wouldn’t make much sense to start with one. Mt. Moon is found until after defeating the first gym. While being rare, it was still a Normal-type and wasn’t thought of as much until later on, when it evolved and proved it could learn a variety of moves. Clefairy’s otherworldly nature may also have had something to do with it.
Pikachu on the other hand, is more gender neutral. While it is cute, it is not too cute to be a turn off to audience members. Furthermore, Pikachu can be found near the beginning of the game. In fact, Pikachu is the first pokemon that stands out outside the starters when you begin the game. While the Bug- and Flying-type Pokemon are fascinating, Pikachu is the first really interesting Pokemon one would find. I could only imagine the delight in finding an electric mouse in the forest. Another reason stated was because of its color. Yellow was an obvious color for children to spot and there were few other yellow mascots around, allowing it to be more memorable. Furthermore, Pikachu’s base as an animal probably gave it more appeal. Having a Pikachu as a pet or companion would probably be more sensical to have than Clefairy or even the original starters, with the possible exception of Squirtle.
This uniqueness is what probably caught the attention of many young trainers, many of whom can still remember running across A Pikachu in Viridian Forest. Practical, cute and pretty cool, Pikachu seems to fit well with the role of mascot and the success of the anime seems to show it.
Pikachu’s current stance is as the immediately recognizable mascot of Pokemon. Both the main characters of the anime and manga own a Pikachu as a very prominent companion. Like everything, it has its fans and detractors. Some cannot comprehend, or are tired of Pikachu’s popularity. There has been a long-held preference for ‘badass’- or ‘tough’-looking Pokemon from citizens of the United States, and for ‘cute’- and ‘elegant’-looking Pokemon for the Japanese. Reshiram and Zekrom are the symbols of this, with Zekrom more popular to the east, and the Reshiram to the west. Furthermore, many people who have grown up with the game feel there has to be a new mascot to suit their tastes.
Pokemon is a business, and their primary target being children. While they enjoy adding prominent features to suit their older fans, the idea of Pikachu going away or at least no longer being prominent is virtually nil. The group that seems to be most vocal about their dislike for the Electric-type rodent Pokemon seems to be disgruntled Western young adults. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, Pikachu continues to remain a steadfast and strong as the Pokemon Company’s mascot.
