Way back in 1996, Game Freak and Nintendo released Pokémon Red & Blue for the Game Boy. The game introduced 151 Pokémon, known as Generation I. Since then over 700 new Pokémon have been introduced, yet it’s this original line-up which holds the most popular Pokemon. However, which Pokémon are popular in each country is something that’s always been a mystery. That is, until know.
In the 26 years since Pokémon Red & Blue came out — in which time Pokémon became the highest-grossing media franchise of all time — the original lineup remains among the most popular in the series. Toyzone has painstakingly analyzed Google search data to identify the most popular Pokemon in each country.
It comes as no surprise that Pikachu dominates on a global scale. However, there are numerous other Pokémon that come as something of a surprise. Several clusters appear in various regions. In Europe, Charizard is the most popular Pokemon in nine countries: Andorra, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK.
The Most Popular Pokemon in North America
Pokémon first came to the United States in 1998 with the release of Pokémon Red & Blue. Today, North America remains one of the largest fan bases of the series. Gengar ranks as the most uniquely popular Pokémon in North America. Searches for the Ghost-type Pokémon are not too much higher than they are on a global scale, but searches for Gengar account for 2.6% of all Pokémon searches on the continent. This is higher than the 2.2% global average.
The Most Popular Pokemon in Europe
Looking at the European continent as a whole, the most popular Pokémon is the Psychic-type Abra. After Abra, the most uniquely popular Pokémon in Europe is the Rock-type Golem. While searches for Golem account for 1.7% of Pokémon searches worldwide, they account for 2.7% of Pokémon searches in Europe. On a national level, Golem is the most uniquely popular Pokémon in Albania, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Switzerland. Here in the UK, Charizard ranks as the most popular Pokemon, which comes as little surprise.
Methodology
To determine the most popular Pokémon in each country for the maps, Toyzone used Google Search volume data to identify the Pokémon ranked highest above the global search average.
Did your favourite Pokémon rank? Let us know in the comments below!
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