However 'Gorochu' was removed due to cartridge space concerns, and a pre-evolution for Pikachu, Pichu, was later added in the sequel titles Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Pikachu has been well received by critics, with particular praise given for to its cute design, and it has been regarded as an icon of both the Pokémon franchise and Japanese pop culture as a whole.

[4] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon.

Attributing it to his male perspective, he brought in female Game Freak staff including Atsuko Nishida to join the development team.

Tasked with developing the Pikachu species and its evolutionary line, she was given specific guidelines to work with, namely its role as an Electric-type Pokémon, that it evolved twice, and that the final evolution should "look strong".

[7] Raichu was originally planned to evolve into a Pokémon species dubbed Gorochu, but this was cut due to cartridge space concerns.

[8][9] Nishida developed the original Pikachu sprites using a single color identity chosen to work within the Super Game Boy's hardware limitations.

[1][10] Afterwards, the design was finalized by Sugimori who, towards the end of development, drew the promotional art of all the species to give them a unified look and make any last-minute changes.

It has yellow skin, long pointed ears that end in black tips, red cheek sacs, and a tail shaped after a lightning bolt.

[11] It has a black pattern on its back, as Nishida felt since this part of the character would face the player during gameplay, it "would be better to put something there rather than having it be perfectly smooth."

While preliminary designs took inspiration from mice or rabbits,[12] as the Pokémon Rattata already existed at this point in development she instead modeled the species after squirrels.

[1] Nishida was helped during the creation process by fellow developer Koji Nishino, who grew fond of Pikachu as a result and consistently encouraged the design to be made cuter, something she was happy to oblige.

[13] Despite initial concerns that players would not be interested in seeking out Pikachu, Sugimori showed the design to the game's development team, where the character was instantly popular.

[14] Pikachu's design with the release of Red and Blue was initially pudgier in build, but in media and games that followed was changed over time to have a slimmer waist, straighter spine, and more defined face and neck.

[19] Series director Junichi Masuda stated that Pikachu's name was one of the most difficult to create, due to an effort of wanting to make it appealing to both Japanese and American audiences.

[21] When localizing the games for the United States, Nintendo of America's staff initially proposed to redesign "cute" Pokémon in order to appeal to an American audience.

At the time, Iwata was working at HAL Laboratory, and one of the localizers upon seeing the Pokémon designs stated "Something this cute can't be called a 'monster'", arguing monsters should be muscular and fearsome.

"[23] 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.

[26] The development team considered Pikachu to appeal to a larger demographic due to more closely resembling a "pet," believing that those buying merchandise would wish to have it in their home.

He stated that their criteria required a warm design, a non-threatening color, a face that could convey emotion, a vocalization pronounceable by children, and a cute appearance, all of which Pikachu had.

Based on Ash Ketchum's Pikachu from the Pokémon anime, it refuses to stay in its Poké Ball, and instead follows the main character around on screen.

Taito Okiura, the vice president of marketing for The Pokémon Company International, stated that Pikachu would "continue to have a significant presence in the animated series and remain an icon for the brand".

Due to Reynolds not being on set, co-star Justice Smith would often act his scenes out to an eyeline representing Pikachu, such as a puppet or a tennis ball.

Pikachu initially started with rabbit-like movement, but eventually evolved movement-wise to have characteristics of multiple species, namely those of marsupials and marmosets.

The magazine noted Pikachu as the "public face of a phenomenon that has spread from Nintendo's fastest selling video game to a trading-card empire", citing the franchise's profits for the year as "the reason for the ranking", behind singer Ricky Martin but ahead of author J.K.

"[117] Napier additionally noted that unlike similar popular "kawaii" mascots such as Hello Kitty, Pikachu did not lean towards a more masculine or feminine audience, leading to it becoming a more universal symbol.

[119] Matthew Byrd of Den of Geek noted that due to Pikachu's rarity in the original games, it led to rumors spread via word of mouth, which contributed to a large following behind the Pokémon in conjunction with its appearance in the anime, leading to it being a well-known yet hard to find figure.

[126] Meanwhile, TIME Magazine's Lisa Eadicicco felt its cute appearance coupled with the baby-like pronunciations of its own name led to it becoming an appealing design.

[130] In 2008, a ligand believed to provide better visual acuity was discovered by the Osaka Bioscience Institute Foundation and named "Pikachurin", in reference to the nimbleness of Pikachu.

[138] Some two weeks after its placement, the "Pokemonument" was removed, and an online statement from the artist said that the artwork would be auctioned to benefit restoration of the park's fountains.