In defense of a capitalist rodent
Pikachu has been part of world culture since Pokémon Red and Blue debuted in 1996, and has become a brand unto itself. He is as synonymous with The Pokemon Company and its co-parent1, Nintendo, as Mickey Mouse is with Disney.
(Weird that they’re both rodents, huh? )
With ubiquity comes criticism, and Pikachu’s the poster child for both. Hogs the spotlight. The worst. Overrated. Hell, the poor critter’s weight has been the subject of discussion as much as any human celebrity who dared to gain or lose a pound.2 There is even an entire separate Pokémon, Mimikyu, whose canonical existence is tied to Pikachu’s outsized influence on the in-game and real worlds.
Pikachu isn’t hurting for support; the billions of dollars in merchandise, a lot of it yellow, red and black, is a more concrete defense than words. Nonetheless, I love that little guy and I’m proud to say it.
It wasn’t the first Pokémon game I played, but Pokémon Yellow was the first iteration that I owned. I received it as part of a special edition GameBoy Color — appropriately, painted yellow and emblazoned with Pikachu’s image — on my ninth birthday. A lot of sleep was lost that night, and for many that followed.
In most Pokemon games, you get to choose a starter — a Grass, Fire or Water type — but Yellow’s unique in that you’re “stuck” with Pikachu, an Electric type. This was a nod to the still-thriving anime, which is probably far more responsible for the Pika-inundation than any other facet of the brand. So, along with millions of others, Pikachu was my first partner Pokémon.
This version of the game, built upon the bones of Red and Blue, had many additional features. Among them was a “friendship” mechanic with your partner Pikachu, who followed you around on the in-game map. That, and this Pikachu’s inability to evolve in-game no matter how many Thunderstones you lobbed in its direction, were also nods to Ash Ketchum’s unruly rodent in the cartoon. You could stow Pikachu away in the PC box and choose not to use it, but doing so would infuriate your friend and strip away an inherent feature of the newest version game. Plenty of people stuck their middle finger up to the yellow rat, friendship be damned, but not this fella. I drank the yellow Kool-Aid, probably because I was 9 years old and harbored few thoughts beyond, “Yay, Pokémon!”
Twenty-three years later, I still keep Pikachu in tow when I replay Pokémon Yellow. The game seems more difficult to me now than I remember it being then, and some of that’s in part due to relying on Pikachu. The game, especially the early portion, is objectively harder without the original trio — Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle — as your starter. The compromise? Throughout the first half of the story, you’re presented with all three as gifts along your journey. By those points, though, you’ve grown your Pikachu and other necessary Pokémon you had to catch to ease your travel. Committing to them requires additional training, and your mileage may vary as to how worthwhile that might be.
I mained Pikachu in the original Super Smash Bros. and in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and it remains a rotation fixture for later iterations. The anime Pikachu is probably one of my favorite cartoon characters ever. When I play newer Pokemon games, I never really even consider using it as part of my party, but you won’t have a hard time guessing which version I picked when the Let’s Go games were released for the Nintendo Switch. As thousands roll their eyes when a new Costumed Pikachu shows up in Pokémon Go, I’m rolling up my sleeves to catch ’em.
Spotlight hog? Probably, but it’s cute. And cute things live for the spotlight.
The worst? Depends on the criteria. Its stats are much better than many.
Overrated? If common online discourse is any indicator, I’d lean the other way.
Love it, hate it or indifferent — Pikachu’s not going anywhere. Come on over to the spark side.
Cat corner
One upside to winter is getting to use the bounty of blankets we own. Maple and Steamboat especially enjoy Stephanie’s heated blanket.
S&V
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet come out this weekend, so we’ll be spending most of our weekend on the couch exploring Paldea and meeting all kinds of cool new creatures.
I’m going with Scarlet and Sprigatito as my starter. It’s a cat, so of course!
Do you plan on playing the new Pokémon games? Better weekend plans (that’s hard to believe)? Share ‘em below.
TPC, which oversees the Pokémon brand, is a joint venture among Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures Inc.
I’m Team Fat Pikachu.