Category:Pokémon series

Pokémon is a franchise jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak and The Pokémon Company. It is one of Nintendo's most successful franchises, rivaling the Mario franchise itself. The games focus on catching and training colorful monsters known as Pokémon. Pikachu is the most famous Pokémon, but there are hundreds of other species available. "Starter Pokémon" such as Squirtle are usually given to the player at the start of each game, while "Legendary Pokémon" such as Mewtwo are rare, extremely powerful species that are usually found near the end of each game or during the postgame. The series has spanned seven "generations" as of 2018, with each generation introducing new Pokémon species and a new region. Pokémon is renowned for its focus on social multiplayer battling and trading. Outside of gaming, Pokémon has found considerable success in TV animation, trading cards, and merchandising. Like with Mario, while Pokémon is family-friendly, it is geared and marketed towards all ages, with fans of each "generation" growing up and helping to introduce newer fans to the franchise.

Pokémon and Mario have most notably crossed over in the Super Smash Bros. series; additionally, both series have made occasional references to each other. An official "Mario Pikachu" merchandise line was released in 2016, featuring Pikachu and other Pokémon species cosplaying or filling the roles of Mario characters.