It is, quite literally, impossible to avoid Pokémon at the moment. The Japanese media franchise has again exploded in popularity with the release of Pokémon Go – a new augmented reality game where players can capture, battle, and train Pokémon who appear throughout the real world. Pokémon Go has brought on waves of nostalgia for those who grew up with the games, cards, toys, TV show, and more, but also Nintendo-owned property to an entirely new audience. With Pokémon Go currently dominating the news, social media, and real life, here are 10 fascinating facts that you may not have known about the Pokemon franchise.
10. It Uses The Cat And Mouse Setup
Cat vs. mouse is a classic cartoon trope, which is also used in Pokémon. Pikachu is known to be based on a mouse, while Meowth, one of the antagonists in the anime is, of course, based on a cat. Furthermore, the pair also have inverted Pokedex numbers – Pikachu is 25 while Meowth is 52. However, Meowth is not based on your typical cat but rather the legendary Maneki-Neko. Maneki-Neko is a cat of Japanese folklore deemed to be lucky; having supposedly saved a samurai from being struck by lightning. Much like Maneki-Neko, Meowth is depicted with one paw raised and with a Koban (ancient Japanese coin) on its head. Despite supposedly being lucky, Meowth was incredibly unlucky in the anime, which could be purposefully ironic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK4YOf3bw3U Source: Youtube