Pokemon (short for “Pocket Monsters”) was created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori in Japan in the late 1990s. Tajiri was an avid collector of insects as a child and saw similarities between collecting insects and collecting creatures in a video game. This inspired him to create a game where players could collect and battle with creatures, and the concept of Pokemon was born.
Tajiri, along with a team of developers at Game Freak, spent several years developing the first Pokemon games for the Nintendo Game Boy. The first two games, Pokemon Red and Green, were released in Japan in 1996 and quickly became a sensation. The games allowed players to explore a fictional region called Kanto, catching and training Pokemon, battling other trainers, and ultimately challenging the Elite Four to become the Pokemon Champion.
The success of the Pokemon games in Japan led to their worldwide release in 1998, and they quickly became a global phenomenon. The franchise has since expanded to include a wide range of media, including anime, movies, trading cards, and merchandise, making it one of the most successful and recognizable franchises in the world.
As of September 2021, there are a total of 898 different species of Pokemon in the main series of Pokemon games, with more likely to be added in future releases. This number includes all the different forms and variations of Pokemon that have been introduced over the years, including some that are exclusive to certain regions or events. It’s worth noting that this count may differ depending on the source, as some spin-off games, anime episodes, and other media may feature unique or different versions of Pokemon.