Since the release of the augmented reality game Pokémon Go, the phenomenon has taken over the world. Since its release on July 6 in United States, New Zealand, and Australia, fans have chosen sides between the teams Valor, Mystic, and Instinct, representing the colors red, blue and yellow, respectively. Now, Twitter fans ranked the 5 most popular pokémon.
Because the game is not released everywhere in the world, since it’s a location based augmented reality, the most hardcore fans have even traveled just to get to an area full of Pokémon. Such is the case of South Korea, where a glitch depicted an area in Sokcho as part of North Korea, making the game available within that zone. Bus tickets to that northern region are consistently sold out. Some others had quit jobs and moved to areas where the Google stores are available. And some others even have tried to become full-time Pokémon trainers.
With 19 animated films, 14 seasons of animated series, a trading card game, and seven generations of “pocket monsters” that have served as the basis of a massive number of video games, it comes as no surprise that the Pokémon themselves have become culture idols. They can be seen virtually everywhere in Japan, from toys and keychains to themed-parades. For this reason, Twitter has analyzed the hashtag #PokémonGo to see which the most popular Pokémon are. With more than 20 million tweets, here we bring you the top 5:
Charmander
One of the three classic choices in the video games, Charmander has been one of the people’s favorite choices, not just because of him, but because its second evolution: Charizard. This Fire-type Pokémon has been approximately tweeted about 250.000 times and still counting. The reptilian Pokémon has been considered one of the hardest to catch since fire-related locations are not easy to come across.
Squirtle
Again, we have one of the starter Pokémon. With water being more popular than fire, Squirtle has gathered more than 330.000 tweets. The turtle can be found in watery areas, such as lagoons or beaches. With its turtle looks, it has become one of the most beloved Pokémon, and even a meme.
Charizard
The third in the line of the reptilian evolution, this Pokémon have been widely acknowledged because he’s not a Dragon-type, despite looking like one, but rather just a Fire-type. Not only that, but there were games where he couldn’t fly. Still, it has been of such influence to the gaming world it has been the mascot and cover of the most popular games of the franchise, Pokémon Red, and Blue.
Mewtwo
Known in the series as the first Pokémon created by humans, Mewtwo is considered one of the most powerful and rarest beings in the franchise. His popularity has gone to other Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Bros. Having a Psychic-type force to be reckoned with, it is one of the Pokémon still not available in the Pokémon Go game, but one that all fans are waiting for, and is only a matter of time before it is introduced into the augmented reality world.
Pikachu
The all-time lovable symbol and mascot of the franchise, Pikachu needs no introduction. It doesn’t matter if you like the game or not, everyone knows it. With more than a million tweets using the hashtag #Pikachu, this Electric-type Pokémon has been around since the beginning of the franchise in 1995, and his image has been portrayed in cars, airplanes, commercials and pretty much everywhere in Japan. Seeing the parades has got to be one of the cutest things the country has to offer.