List of Pokémon facts for kids

The first 150 Pokémon as they appear in Pokémon Stadium, starting with Bulbasaur in the top left corner and ending with Mewtwo in the bottom right corner

The world of Pokémon is filled with over 1,000 amazing creatures. Each Pokémon has its own special look, unique skills, and cool powers. These fictional monsters were first thought up by Satoshi Tajiri in 1989. Pokémon is short for "Pocket Monsters." Their designs come from many things, like real animals, plants, and even mythical creatures. Many Pokémon can evolve into stronger forms. Others can change their look to become more powerful.

At first, only a few artists, led by Ken Sugimori, designed Pokémon. By 2013, a team of 20 artists worked together to create new Pokémon. Sugimori and Hironobu Yoshida now lead this team. They decide on the final designs.

These many creatures are grouped into "generations." Each generation usually comes with new video games and sometimes new game systems.

• Generation I: Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow (151 Pokémon in Kanto).
• Generation II: Gold, Silver, and Crystal (100 new Pokémon in Johto).
• Generation III: Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald (135 new Pokémon in Hoenn).
• Generation IV: Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver (107 new Pokémon in Sinnoh).
• Generation V: Black, White, Black 2, and White 2 (156 new Pokémon in Unova).
• Generation VI: X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire (72 new Pokémon in Kalos).
• Generation VII: Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, Let's Go, Pikachu!, and Let's Go, Eevee! (88 new Pokémon in Alola and Kanto).
• Generation VIII: Sword, Shield, Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Legends: Arceus (96 new Pokémon in Galar and Hisui).
• Generation IX: Scarlet and Violet (120 new Pokémon in Paldea, Kitakami, and Blueberry Academy).

There are now 1025 Pokémon in total! They are listed in the National Pokédex. This is an electronic encyclopedia in the games. It gives you information about each Pokémon. The National Pokédex is split into smaller regional Pokédexes. These focus on Pokémon from specific generations and regions. For example, the Johto Pokédex (Generation II) includes the 100 new Pokémon and the first 151. Usually, starter Pokémon are listed first. Then come Pokémon you find early in the game. Finally, Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are listed.

What is a Pokémon?

Satoshi Tajiri started thinking about Pokémon in 1989. This was when the Game Boy first came out. The creatures in the Pokémon world are also called Pokémon. The name "Pokémon" comes from the Japanese words "Pocket Monsters." The idea for the Pokémon world came from Tajiri's childhood hobby. He loved insect collecting. He also got ideas from shows like Ultraman and other anime.

Tajiri grew up in a rural town that became a city. This change made the wildlife disappear. He wanted to bring back the fun of outdoor collecting. So, he created Pokémon to share this feeling with the world. The first games, Red and Green, came out in Japan in 1996. They were released worldwide as Red and Blue in 1998. Players loved being able to catch, battle, trade, and care for these creatures. This made Pokémon super popular around the world. It is now one of the biggest video game series ever!

How Do Pokémon Battles Work?

When you start a main Pokémon game, you get to choose one of three "starter" Pokémon. You use this Pokémon to battle and catch other Pokémon. Each Pokémon has one or two "types." Examples are Fire, Water, or Grass. In battles, some types are stronger against others. For instance, a Fire-type attack does more damage to a Grass-type Pokémon. But it won't do as much damage to a Water-type Pokémon. This is a bit like playing rock-paper-scissors. Players need to think carefully about which Pokémon and attacks to use.

Pokémon Evolution and Forms

Many Pokémon can evolve into bigger and stronger creatures. When they evolve, their stats (like strength and speed) usually go up. They also learn new attacks. Pokémon can evolve in different ways. Some evolve when they reach a certain level. Others need a special stone or to learn a specific attack. For example, Bulbasaur can evolve into Ivysaur at level 16.

A famous example is Eevee. It's a Normal-type Pokémon that can evolve into eight different Pokémon! These include Jolteon (Electric) and Flareon (Fire). In Generation VI, a new feature called Mega Evolution was added. There's also a special kind called Primal Reversion. Unlike normal evolution, Mega Evolution only lasts during a battle. The Pokémon goes back to its normal form afterward. As of Sun and Moon, 48 Pokémon can Mega Evolve.

Some Pokémon, like Castform or Unown, can change their forms. These changes might make them stronger or change their type. But they are not considered new species. Also, some Pokémon look different depending on if they are male or female. Pokémon can be male, female, only male, only female, or have no gender.

Special Pokémon

While Pokémon games are mostly for younger players, they also have complex parts. Each Pokémon has special traits like natures and values (IVs and EVs). These are for players who love battling and want to play more deeply. These special stats make each Pokémon unique.

Every Pokémon game also has a few "Legendary" and "Mythical" Pokémon. These are very powerful, rare, and hard to catch. Pokémon Sun and Moon introduced "Ultra Beasts." These are powerful, rare beings from another dimension. They appeared in the Alola region.

Designing New Pokémon

The evolution mechanic is most prominently displayed through Eevee (center) and its eight evolutions. Each one requires a different method to evolve.

When Red and Green were being made, Ken Sugimori and a small team of fewer than ten people designed all the Pokémon. Atsuko Nishida designed Pikachu. By 2013, a team of 20 artists worked on new designs. A group of five people chose which designs to use. Sugimori and Hironobu Yoshida then finalized how each creature looked. Sugimori also creates the artwork for the game covers. Yoshida says that for every Pokémon chosen, five to ten designs are not used. Sometimes, old designs that were not used before come back in later games.

Shigeru Ohmori, the director of Sun and Moon, said that creating new Pokémon is hard now. There are so many creatures already! People have both praised and criticized the many new Pokémon in each game.

Where Do Design Ideas Come From?

Pokémon designs often look like real-life animals. But they can also look like everyday objects. Director Junichi Masuda and graphic designer Takao Unno say that ideas for Pokémon can come from anywhere. The many different animals and cultures around the world give endless ideas. Designers also think about where a Pokémon would live. For example, the lei-like Comfey fits perfectly in the Hawaii-inspired Alola region.

Masuda says that every part of a Pokémon's design has a reason. Sometimes, the team even designs a Pokémon based on what its footprint would look like! Other times, designers think about game mechanics. They might wonder what type combinations would be interesting. A Pokémon's type can be decided at different times. Sometimes, it gets a type after it's created. Other times, it's designed around a specific type. Each Pokémon also has a specific height and weight.

Early Pokémon designs in Generation I were simpler. Later games brought more complex and themed designs. For example, Sneasel is inspired by the Japanese yōkai called kamaitachi. These are mythical creatures with sharp claws that hunt in groups. You can see these ideas in Sneasel's design. New Pokémon in Generation VI were influenced by European culture and animals, especially from France. However, by 2013, Sugimori said he wanted Pokémon designs to go back to being simpler.

Masuda thinks the starter Pokémon are the most important. Yoshida calls them "the face of that generation." He says they should be on the game box. The three starter Pokémon in each generation are always Grass-, Water-, and Fire-types. Masuda believes this trio is easiest for new players to understand. Their designs are based on animals people know. They are also made to look different from older Pokémon. Each starter also has its own personality.

In 2009, Masuda said that simple Pokémon take about six months to design. Important Pokémon, like starters, can take over a year. He added that designers have a lot of freedom. They are told to be as creative as possible. After a Pokémon is designed, it goes to the "Battle Producer." This person decides what moves and stats the Pokémon will have.

List of Pokémon Species

The many Pokémon species are listed in articles by generation.

Pokémon species glossary

Key
Color / symbol	Meaning	Description
	Starter Pokémon	The first Pokémon a player is able to obtain in the main-line games.
~	Fossil Pokémon	Ancient Pokémon only obtained by resurrecting fossils and their evolutions.
※	Baby Pokémon	Infant Pokémon primarily obtained by breeding their evolved forms.
	Legendary Pokémon	Powerful Pokémon associated with the legends and lore of the Pokémon world.
♭	Mythical Pokémon	Pokémon only obtainable through rare circumstances, such as distribution events.
♯	Ultra Beast	Certain Pokémon from another dimension.
§	Paradox Pokémon	Pokémon resembling ancient or futuristic relatives of a modern-day Pokémon.

Glitch Pokémon

In the first Game Boy Pokémon games (Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow), players found a way to get 105 "glitch" Pokémon. These were not designed by the game creators. Players found them by using special tricks or errors in the game. One very famous glitch Pokémon is called MissingNo..

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Pokémon para niños