Yes, Pokémon is a Japanese anime television series, part of a larger media franchise, that began in Japan in 1997 and features Japanese animation, voice acting, and art style, though it's often called a "cartoon" in Western countries because it's a long-running children's show. Its creation is rooted in the popular Japanese video games, and it follows traditional anime storytelling with adventure, comedy, and fantasy genres.
It is an animated show created and produced in Japan, therefore it is by definition an anime. The Pokémon animated show is also always referred to as the anime in the community.
Initially considered alongside Clefairy as lead characters for franchise merchandising, Pikachu emerged as the mascot of the anime series due to its popularity amongst schoolchildren and appeal to both boys and girls.
There's no single "number 1" anime, as popularity shifts, but Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, and One Piece consistently rank highest in ratings and viewership, while long-running hits like Sazae-san remain cultural touchstones; recent strong performers also include The Apothecary Diaries and Jujutsu Kaisen. Different lists focus on different metrics (ratings, sales, cultural impact), but these titles dominate discussions of top anime in Japan.
The franchise originated as a pair of role-playing games developed by Game Freak, from an original concept by its founder, Satoshi Tajiri. Released on the Game Boy on 27 February 1996, the games became sleeper hits and were followed by manga series, a trading card game, and anime series and films.
The globally banned episode "Dennō Senshi Porygon", which aired only once on Japan's TV Tokyo on December 16, 1997, features a series of rapidly alternating red and blue frames that provoked epileptic seizures in hundreds of children.
The "Big Five" in anime typically refers to the hugely popular Shonen Jump series One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball, and Fairy Tail, representing massive global success and influence, often considered an expansion of the original "Big Three" (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach). These series defined a generation of action-adventure anime with long runs, iconic characters, and significant cultural impact, though some debate exists over Fairy Tail's inclusion over other influential titles like Hunter x Hunter or Fullmetal Alchemist.
If one were to ask when did Pokémon come out, the original Pokémon video game was released in February of 1996, making the answer to the query, how old is Pokémon, that the pocket monster franchise turned 26 in February of 2023.
Three Hello Kitty anime films were released in Japan. Hello Kitty: Cinderella released in 1989, Hello Kitty no Oyayubi Hime released in 1990, and Hello Kitty no Mahō no Mori no Ohime-sama released in 1991.
On 16th December 1997, more than 700 Japanese people have seizures and hospitalized after they watched Pokémon anime episode 38 called "Denno Senshi Porygon" which is that banned episode of pokemon in worldwide after the episode aired once in Japan and it caused seizures and photosensitive epilepsy.
Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the Dragon Ball media franchise, it is the sequel to the 1986 Dragon Ball television series and adapts the latter 325 chapters of Akira Toriyama's original manga series Dragon Ball.
The Pi-Kahuna (なみのりピカチュウのでんせつ [Notes 1], Naminori Pikachu no Densetsu?, lit. The Legend of the Surfing Pikachu) is the 69th episode of Pocket Monsters (1997 series), the 66th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League of Pokémon the Series: The Beginning, and the 14th episode of the second season of Pokémon the Series.
The Pokémon are kid-appealing, but the series features lots of fantasy violence, and pits the cute, monster-like characters against each other on behalf of their trainers. There are some positive messages (teamwork, sportsmanship, respecting elders), but it may be too intense for younger children.
Bleach Ranking the Big 3 in terms of popularity : 1. Naruto 2. One Piece 3.
There's no single "top 1" anime, as it varies by taste, but Attack on Titan, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Demon Slayer consistently rank as the world's most popular and highest-rated, often topping lists on sites like IMDb and Crunchyroll due to their intense action, compelling stories, and global appeal. The best choice depends on whether you prefer epic fantasy, high-stakes action, or character-driven drama, with Attack on Titan often cited for its shocking plot and One Piece for its vast adventure.
An adaption of the No. 6 novels, the anime follows the manga in adapting the storyline. The novels began in 2003, the manga started in January 28, 2011, where the anime commenced later in the same year on July 8, 2011.
Dragon Ball Z
With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.
These three manga have each received long running anime series, Bleach (2004-2012) has 366 episodes, Naruto (including Shippuden) has 720 episodes, and One Piece has 1074 episodes as of September 2023, with One Piece, Naruto Shippuden's sequel Boruto, and the Bleach sequel series Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War still ...
The characters are incredible, the story line is incredible, and I would just recommend this show to anyone who wants to start anime or start a new anime. I would recommend this to everyone. Naruto Uzumaki can do anything, and one of those things is getting people interested in his show.
Several Pokémon cards have sold for around or over $300,000, most notably the 1997 Bronze Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Trophy Card, which sold for $300,000 in 2023, and the iconic 1st Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard, which has seen sales exceeding $300,000 (even reaching $420,000 for a Gem Mint copy) due to its extreme rarity and iconic status. Other contender for that price point includes rare promotional cards like the Blastoise Wizards of the Coast Presentation Galaxy Star Holo, valued around $360,000.
Japan has changed the law to stop people naming their babies things like Pikachu and Kitty. New rules have come in on the pronunciation of 'kanji', the Chinese characters used as one of the three forms of Japanese writing. The change is designed to prevent unofficial pronunciations of the kanji characters.