Last year, for Pokémon’s 25th Anniversary, multiple outlets surveyed Pokémon fans to see which Pokémon is most popular in different countries all over the world, including the United States and Canada. The answers were varied; however, several Pokémon came up time and time again, including iconic Pokémon from Generation 1, like Pikachu and Charizard. Interestingly, certain continents or neighboring countries favored the same Pokémon. For example, in Africa, one in five Pokémon-related searches is for Pikachu, whereas in the Baltic states and nearby Nordic countries, Eevee is the clear favorite.
The list of pocket monsters has grown exponentially over the last three decades, now exceeding over 900 Pokémon. When Pokémon Red and Blue were first released for Game Boy in 1996, there were 151 Pokémon. This first generation of Pokémon remains iconic to this day, so it’s not surprising that many of the most popular Pokémon worldwide come from the original 151 monsters. The most recently released games, like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, feature the eighth generation of Pokémon, but the starters for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which will kick off the franchise’s Gen 9, were announced earlier this year.
For Pokémon Day 2021, The Pokémon Company asked players to vote for their favorite Pokémon on its website or using a special hashtag. With close to 1.2 million votes cast, the top 30 Pokémon were announced with a clear winner, Dedenne, who received nearly 69,000 votes. Dedenne is an Electric/Fairy Pokémon introduced in Generation 6. Known as the Antenna Pokémon due to its antenna-shaped whiskers, Dedenne can send and receive radio waves and electrical currents. It's surprising to see Dedenne top the list, as the character is considered one of Pokémon's "Pikaclones", knock-offs of Pikachu. Similarly, TheToyZone conducted research of its own, analyzing and comparing Google search data for Pokémon-related searches in each country, presented in nifty continent-by-continent infographics.
North America has one of the largest Pokémon fanbases in the world, where it has remained popular since its first game release in the 1990s and is the continent with the most Pokémon-related searches. Canada’s most frequently searched for Pokémon is Charizard, shared with two other countries in the region, Antigua and Barbuda, and El Salvador. Charizard is the second most popular Pokémon globally, second only to the iconic Pikachu. Interestingly, the most popular Pokémon in the United States is not the most popular in any other country, making up only 2.2% of Pokémon-related Google searches worldwide. That unique Pokémon is Gengar, a Ghost/Poison Pokémon from the game’s first generation.
While Canada’s most popular Pokémon is shared with many other countries globally, the U.S. is the only country where Gengar accounted for the majority of Pokémon-related Google searches. Gengar didn’t even make the top 30 on Pokémon’s Twitter poll, although it’s possible that not many U.S. fans were surveyed. Gengar is the second evolution of Gastly, who doesn’t get a mention in either most popular Pokémon list. Haunter, however, Gastly’s first evolution, is the most Googled Pokémon in Montenegro. It’s fascinating to see where in the world different Pokémon are most popular, and the trends within regions and continents favoring the same monsters from the Pokémon games.
Source: The Pokémon Company, TheToyZone
