Hey guys, HDvee here. Now, it’s fair to
say that Life is ever-changing, people grow
old, fashions shift, and Pokemon get new artwork.
Every single creature featured in Game Freak’s
super-franchise has its own collection of
drawings, sprites and 3D models. Ash’s Pikachu
however, has been through more shake-ups than
most. From palette changes to severe weight
loss, everyone’s favourite electric mouse
has had a lot of redesigns over the years.
So in this video, I’ll take a look at the
good, the bad and the ugly. With that being
said, today’s video takes a look at The
Evolution Of Ash’s Pikachu In Pokemon. Don’t
hesitate to drop a comment down below about
the video and if you found it interesting
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further ado, let’s get into the video and
I really hope that you enjoy!
Before we get into the evolution of Pikachu,
and how he’s changed over the years, first
let’s just go into a quick backstory of
our favourite yellow little mouse.
Ash's Pikachu is the signature Pokémon of
the anime series, the mascot of the Pokemon
franchise, and the first Pokémon that Ash
obtained on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer,
given to Ash by Professor Oak. In the first
episode of the Pokémon anime, Pokémon - I
Choose You!, Ash woke up late the day he was
supposed to go to Professor Oak's Laboratory
to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived
at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon,
Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, had already
been taken by other Trainers who had arrived
on time. Seeing Ash's disappointment, Professor
Oak gave him Pikachu, who, at first, did not
care at all for his new Trainer, constantly
zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused
to go into his Poké Ball, and when Ash failed
to catch a Pidgey, he laughed at him. However,
by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's
trust by protecting him from an attack by
a flock of Spearow. Seeing this act of selflessness,
Pikachu defended Ash from the Spearow as well
and the two of them became inseparable friends,
a moment that was capitalized on by catching
a glimpse of an unknown Pokémon flying by.
Ash then rushed to Viridian City in order
to get Pikachu hospitalized quickly, as he
had been badly injured during the fight.
Now, that’s a quick little stroll down memory
lane for all of you Pikachu fans, so now let’s
get into Pikachu’s evolution throughout
the years.
In 1996, Ken Sugimori’s earliest artwork
often depicts Pikachu with a belly-patch;
this feature is even present in its original
Red and Blue sprites. Why the patch was removed
still remains a mystery, perhaps to differentiate
it further from its 3rd Stage evolution Raichu?
In these images you can see that A white-bellied
Pikachu peeks out from behind Blue and Red.
In its first 100% official drawing, Pikachu
looked a lot more like the version that would
eventually be used in the anime; its facial
features made smaller and its belly-patch
removed. Pokemon Yellow used this design as
a basis for the creatures’ sprite.
A further 2 designs followed during Generation
1, the first – used for a promo-card to
accompany the original Pokemon movie – remains
chubby and small, while the second is slightly
thinner and more streamlined. From left to
right on your screen, you can see Pikachu’s
first official artwork, then the Original
GameBoy sprite, followed by the Promo-card
drawing, then the GameBoy Color sprite, and
finally showing the Generation 1 re-design.
In 2002, Pikachu began to receive a lighter
shade of yellow within its designs. Pikachu’s
next major change came with the Gameboy Advance
and the arrival of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.
Sugimori’s old drawing style had long gone
and with it went Pikachu’s little pot-belly.
In its new artwork, Pikachu had become lighter
in color and much more elongated. Strangely,
it's in-game sprite seemed to retain the deeper
shade of yellow present in previous years.
In 2006, Pikachu’s design remained much
the same for the release of Diamond and Pearl
for Nintendo DS. Its head however, did become
slightly smaller and its sprite was fixed
to light yellow. Meanwhile, Ash’s Pikachu
in the anime retained a dark yellow hue and
featured chubbier legs and arms than in-game
sprites. As you can see, Ash’s anime Pikachu
looks pretty different when compared to Diamond
and Pearl’s versions.
In 2012, we really got to see Pikachu release
the beast. Black and White featured a Pikachu
very similar to that seen in Diamond and Pearl,
however, with the arrival of Pokemon Conquest
– a crossover between Pokemon and Japanese
strategy RPG Nobunaga’s Ambition – the
little mouse discovered its wild side. Rather
than the cute human-like stance it normally
adopts, Pikachu is drawn in a much more animalistic
manner; down on all-fours, growling, and with
an angered expression.
In 2013 With the release of Pokemon X & Y
– and the introduction of 3D models – Pikachu’s
design came full circle. Its current sprite
looks more like its original design than many
other drawings and is, at least in my mind,
the best representation to date of what Pikachu
should look like; cute with a cheeky smile.
In addition, for the first time ever, rather
than its usual cry, Pikachu says its name
when encountered in the wild. No matter how
cool Pikachu may look in Nobunaga’s Ambition,
at the end of the day, it is the mascot for
the whole Pokemon franchise and one of the
most recognisable Nintendo characters of all
time… It didn’t get there by growling
at people, it got there with its boyish charm
and its oversized yet cute features. Who knows
what the future holds for Pikachu and his
design? One thing is for sure, there will
definitely be more of them.
But with that, wraps up this video. I really
hope you enjoyed it as much as i did making
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so thanks for watching guys, have an amazing
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