Pokemon as a franchise is as popular as it has ever been. If Pokemon fans have ever wondered what the most popular Pokemon is in their country, a recently conducted study reveals the most popular first generation Pokemon in each country around the world.
Beyond the runaway success of mobile AR game Pokemon GO, the series has a slew of titles recently released and planned over the course of the next year or so. These includes titles such as New Pokemon Snap, the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is perhaps the most intriguing, as the title is set to take place prior to any other mainline title, and will feature an open-world design many fans are comparing to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
This study comes from online retailer The Toy Zone, which found its results by compiling Google Search volume data. The study identified the most "uniquely" popular Pokemon by determining which one "ranked highest above the global search average" during February 2021. Not surprisingly, Pikachu dominates the globe, with the Electric-type mascot accounting for roughly 10 percent of all Pokemon-related searches on the planet. However, there are pockets where other Pokemon surpass Pikachu, such as Charizard in Europe. Another notable result of the study is that the most popular Pokemon in the United States is the Ghost-type Gengar. Fans of the Pokemon can buy a questionable plush that lets them sleep on Gengar's tongue.
Other regions of the world revealed further interesting statistics. For example, South America is dominated by Charmander, with Brazil, Chile, and Peru all ranking the first-gen starter as their most searched. Accounting for nearly 22 percent of the world's Pikachu searches, Asia and Oceania have Ash Ketchum's trusty sidekick as their most popular search. However in Japan, the birthplace of the IP, Eevee is the most popular choice. Japan recently held a Pokemon popularity contest, except this one asked fans directly for their input. It also allowed them to vote for Pokemon from the franchise's entire history, not just the first generation.
Pokemon, while always maintaining a loyal fanbase, has seen somewhat of a renaissance over the past few years. The Pokemon TCG has seen a resurgence, galvanized by a rash of high-profile card purchases by celebrities for astronomical amounts, including a rare Blastoise card going for the highest-ever amount for a single card at auction. This has only been compounded by Pokemon's 25th anniversary, which saw McDonald's adding Pokemon cards to its Happy Meals.
The influence of Pokemon doesn't end with promotions, games, or even the anime. The scientific community has decidedly made its contributions to the field of study and fandom simultaneously, with seven recently discovered species all named after Pokemon. While they can't be captured and trained, the impact Pokemon has around the globe is undeniable.
Source: The Toy Zone