Pokémon (video game series)

is a Japanese series of creature collector role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company under the Pokémon franchise. It was created by Satoshi Tajiri with assistance from Ken Sugimori. The first games, Pocket Monsters Red and Green, were released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, later released outside of Japan as Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version. The main series of role-playing video games, referred as the "core series" by their developers, has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds. The most recently released core series game, Pokémon Legends: Z-A was released on October 16, 2025 for both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2.
In addition to Game Freak's development, Creatures provides support through their Pokémon CG Studio, which creates 3D models for the Pokémon in the games, and also develops some spin-off titles. In 1998, Nintendo, Creatures, and Game Freak jointly established The Pokémon Company, which manages licensing, production, publishing, marketing and deals for the franchise both within Asia and worldwide through The Pokémon Company International.
The core games are released in generations, each with different Pokémon, storylines, and characters. Remakes of the games are usually released around a decade after the original versions for the latest console at the time. While the main series consists of RPGs developed by Game Freak, many spin-off games based on the series have been developed by various companies, encompassing other genres such as action role-playing, puzzle, fighting, and digital pet games.
Pokémon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, with successful anime series, movies, and merchandise, with spin-off game Pokémon Go having crossed 1billion mobile game downloads worldwide. By November 24, 2017, more than 300 million Pokémon games had been sold worldwide on handheld and home consoles, across 76 titles, including spin-offs., the series has sold over units worldwide. This makes Pokémon the fourth best-selling video game franchise, behind the Mario franchise, Call of Duty, and Tetris.

Gameplay

Each game in the Pokémon series takes place in a fictional region of the Pokémon world, typically based on a real-world location, and begins with the player receiving a starter Pokémon, usually from that region's Pokémon Professor. Players have the option to choose one of three different types of Pokémon. Many games include a rival character who acts as a roadblock or boss opponent throughout the game. A major subplot of most games is to defeat a criminal organization, whose intents are usually trying to take over the world through the misuse of powerful Pokémon known as Legendary Pokémon.
Battles between Pokémon are the central game mechanic of the Pokémon games. Within the game, they are used to train Pokémon to gain experience and become stronger and to progress through the game's story. Battles can also be done between players by connecting at least two game systems. Pokémon uses a turn-based system. The player may carry between one and six Pokémon in their active party; the first Pokémon in the lineup is automatically sent into battle when one begins. At the start of each turn, both sides may use a move, use an item, switch their active Pokémon out for another in their party, or attempt to flee from battle if against a wild Pokémon. Each Pokémon uses attacks to reduce their opponent's Hit Points to zero, at which point the Pokémon faints and is unable to battle. Pokémon also have in-battle "abilities", which give them different attributes in battle. When an opponent's Pokémon faints, the player's Pokémon receives experience points; when a Pokémon accumulates enough, then its level increases. If the player's Pokémon faints, they may select another Pokémon from their active party to battle; in battles against wild Pokémon, the player may attempt to flee instead. If all of a player's Pokémon faint, the player loses the battle. This causes the player to lose some money and return to the last Pokémon Center they visited. Pokémon Legends: Z-A uses a real-time battle system where a player and the Pokémon moves around the field using moves strategically, albeit with a similar system of one to six Pokémon and the ability to level up through battle or with the use of items. The player will only return to a Pokémon Center after the player themselves has enough damage inflicted on them by a wild Pokémon. Since their introduction in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, abilities were absent in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, Let's Go, Eevee!, Legends: Arceus, and Legends: Z-A.
A Pokémon's type is an elemental attribute determining the strengths and weaknesses of each Pokémon and its moves. These types interact in rock–paper–scissors-style relationships: Pokémon take double damage from attacking moves of types they are weak to and half damage from moves of types they resist. Some types have special properties unrelated to the damage chart; for example, certain types cannot be affected by certain status conditions.
Players can catch Pokémon in the wild, engaging with them in a Pokémon battle. In most Pokémon games, players aim to weaken wild Pokémon in battle to then throw a Poké Ball, which are used to capture the Pokémon and add it to the player's team or get sent to storage. Pokémon can "evolve" once they reach a certain benchmark, such as by reaching a certain level, having an item used on them, or by having a high level of friendship. This changes their form and appearance and causes them to grow stronger. Players have the ability to trade their Pokémon with one another by connecting two compatible games. Because of the Pokémon series revolving around catching as many Pokémon as possible, trading is considered an important aspect of Pokémon. Certain Pokémon are only able to evolve by trading as well. Players also may encounter alternately colored Pokémon known as "Shiny Pokémon", which are significantly rarer than a standard Pokémon.
Various facilities can be found throughout the Pokémon world such as Pokémon Centers, Poké Marts, and Pokémon Gyms. At a Pokémon Center, the player can have their Pokémon healed for free and access the PC, where players can organize their collection of Pokémon and store and withdraw items. The PC was retired beginning with Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, and in every game since then the collection of Pokémon outside of the main party are accessible by the player at any point out of battle. Poké Marts are shops where players can buy items with the money they win during battles; certain cities may have specialized shops, like a pharmacy or a department store. Periodically, a town will contain a Pokémon Gym, which houses a powerful Trainer known as a Gym Leader that functions as a boss. Victory against them grants the player a Gym Badge; after collecting eight Gym Badges, the player may challenge the region's Elite Four and Champion. Gyms are absent in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, being replaced by trials that serve a similar purpose. Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A do not use Gyms, and only have a single major settlement in each game. Z-A has the player reach higher ranks by battling strong opponents from Lumiose City in an event called the Z-A Royale. Many games also have facilities dedicated to battling, such as the Battle Frontier, Battle Tower, and Battle Maison, that unlock after the game is beaten. Afterward, the game remains virtually open-ended, with the ultimate goal of the player being to obtain at least one member of each of the different species of Pokémon, thus completing a fictional encyclopedia of all Pokémon species known as a Pokédex. Filling the Pokédex is a more major part of the progression of Legends: Arceus than in other games.

Recurring characters

The series features a wide supporting cast, but does not feature many recurring characters. Several recurring characters are listed below.

Red is the player character of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow and the male protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. Red is a silent character, and doesn't have a distinct storyline or role within the wider series narrative following his first appearance. Red appears in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal and their remakes, where he serves as the strongest opponent a player can battle in the game. 2016 games Pokémon Sun and Moon also feature Red, who is depicted twenty years after the events of the first games in the series. Red also appears in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, he serves as a main protagonist, and he also serves as the main protagonist of the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga. He also appears in Pokémon Origins, an anime adaptation of the original games.
Professor Samuel Oak is a Pokémon researcher and the grandfather of Blue. He is an important researcher, having studied them his whole life, and in his youth was a Pokémon Trainer himself. In the first games in the series, he gives players their first Pokémon. Following this, he appears in various roles in subsequent games Gold, Silver, and Crystal and Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and additionally appears in a number of spin-off titles. Oak also plays a recurring role in the Pokémon anime series. Different characters based on Oak have appeared as well. His relative, Samson Oak, appears in Sun and Moon, while another character, dubbed Grand Oak, appears in the spin-off game Pokémon Home.
Blue is the rival character of Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen. He is the grandson of Professor Oak and the player character's childhood friend. He is pushy and competitive, and always a step ahead of the player's progress throughout the games. He manages to become Champion of Kanto, but is defeated. He reappears in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal and their remakes, having become a Gym Leader, where he has mellowed as a person from his prior appearance. He later reappears in Black 2 and White 2, and also appears in Sun and Moon alongside Red, depicted twenty years after the events of the original games. He also appears in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Blue appears in the Pokémon Adventures manga, where he is a major recurring character who serves as Red's rival, and also serves in a rival role in Origins. He also appears in the Pokémon Generations anime series.
Giovanni is the leader of the villainous criminal organization known as Team Rocket. He also runs the Viridian City Gym in Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and their remakes. He later disappears and is not seen again, though Team Rocket attempts to locate him in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, and their remakes. Their remakes feature a special event in which the player can fight Giovanni, which reveals why Team Rocket was unable to locate Giovanni during the events of the games' story. He appears again in Black 2 and White 2, and later appears as a major antagonist in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moons story, serving as the leader of the "Team Rainbow Rocket" organization. Giovanni appears in spin-off game Pokémon Go, where he leads the villainous "Team Go Rocket" organization, and also serves as a major antagonist in spin-off game Pokémon Masters EX. Giovanni is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime series, where he is the boss of Team Rocket.
Steven Stone is the Champion of the Hoenn Region in Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. He is interested in rocks and minerals, and acts as a mentor to the player during the course of the game. Steven plays various roles throughout the plot, including aiding in stopping the villainous organizations Team Magma and Team Aqua, and serves as the final boss of the game. In Emerald, he Steven is a wandering trainer, with his friend Wallace taking on the mantle of Champion in Steven's place. Steven appears again in Heartgold and Soulsilver and Black 2 and White 2. Steven also serves a recurring role in the Pokémon anime series.
Cynthia is the Sinnoh League Champion, first appearing in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. She is interested in mythology and history and spends her time researching and exploring various sites associated with Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region. In the games, she helps the protagonist against the villainous organization Team Galactic during the games' story, and she serves as the game's final boss. Cynthia reappears in Pokémon Black and White, Black 2 and White 2, and Sun and Moon, as well as the remakes of Diamond and Pearl. She also serves as a recurring character in the Pokémon anime series.
Hex Maniac is actually not one individual character, but a Trainer class that specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon. Originally introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, they received a redesign in Pokémon X and Y''. This version appears as a woman with messy dark blue hair, a purple headband, a long black dress with a spiderweb pattern around the waist, and darkened eyes with a spiral pattern. Since the redesign, they have been cited as one of the most popular characters for their unique appearance, gaining additional notoriety due to an unexplained encounter in Pokémon X and Y. In the franchise, this version of Hex Maniac has been used for Pokémon events related to urban legends, and one named Helena appears as a playable character in mobile game Pokémon Masters EX.
"Looker" is a member of the international police who appears in Pokémon Platinum, where he is investigating Team Galactic. He is a master of disguise, and though initially incompetent, he is treated more seriously as a character as the series progresses. He appears again in Black and White, seeking the player's assistance in apprehending several members of the criminal organization Team Plasma. In X and Y, he poses as a detective to apprehend members of the criminal organization Team Flare, and ends up taking in an orphan girl named Emma. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, taking place five years after the events of X and Y, Emma has taken over his office in Lumiose City and operates as a detective herself. In Sun and Moon, he appears assisting the player with capturing the Ultra Beasts that were unleashed there, eventually alerting the player to the Legendary Pokémon Necrozma.