Tokyo (AFP)

Twenty-five years after their appearance, Pokémon continue to seduce young and old: the phenomenon linked to video games and cartoons featuring the adorable Japanese monsters shows no signs of fatigue.

The year 2020, marked by the pandemic and which has boosted demand for video games around the world, has also been the most lucrative to date for Pokémon Go, the smartphone adaptation available since 2016.

"The characters themselves are so endearing, and the mechanics of the different games so well executed that (the phenomenon, editor's note) is timeless," said Brian Ashcraft, author specializing in Japanese pop culture interviewed by AFP.

Dan Ryan, 29, employed in finance in London, has been a fan since his childhood, and does not hesitate to display his passion, which sometimes leads him to make himself up as Pikachu, the famous yellow Pokémon.

“My colleagues know that every Thursday I disappear to go play Pokémon cards,” he says.

He admits "spending too much" to acquire rare cards, the prices of which have further increased since the start of the pandemic, one of them having recently sold online for more than 400,000 euros.

Inspired by the passion of Japanese children for stalking and collecting insects, Pokémon first appeared in 1996 as a video game for the Game Boy.

Its principle is simple: "catch them all", as the French song of the cartoon launched shortly after, using the "Poké Balls" reminds us.

The bestiary of these "pocket monsters" (Pokémon is the contraction of "pocket monsters"), already rich in hundreds of creatures inspired by animals or by mythology, continues to grow.

The phenomenon, declined in countless objects, plush or film adaptations, has already allowed the sale of more than 368 million video games and 30 billion cards, according to the Pokémon Company, partly owned by Nintendo.

- "Pika-Pika" -

Atsuko Nishida, who drew the character of the electric mouse Pikachu, said that she was inspired by a Japanese pastry made from sticky rice, and her colleagues, seduced, inspired her to make the character even more adorable.

"I thought it would be nice if he built up electricity in his cheeks. At the time, I was fascinated by squirrels, which store food" in this way, she told one. Japanese newspaper.

The charm of Pikachu's limited vocabulary, based on syllables of his own name like "pika-pika" ("sparkling", in Japanese), also contributed to the character's massive adoption by fans.

For Jason Bainbridge, a professor at the University of Canberra who has written extensively on Pokémon, the game's close-to-nature imagery and its many characters are key to its success.

Pokémon haven't completely escaped controversy, for example, with an episode of the cartoon accused of causing epileptic seizures in Japan in the 1990s.

Magician Uri Geller, who has long accused Nintendo of abusing his image because of a Pokémon twisting a spoon and with a Japanese name very close to his, finally dropped the charges recently.

- Street sport -

The 25th anniversary celebrations have largely been under wraps because of the pandemic, but a virtual concert in which longtime fan rapper Post Malone is due to take part is due to take place on Saturday.

If it continues to adapt to the times, the phenomenon could easily last 25 more years, according to Bainbridge.

The Pokémon Go mobile game, which introduced geolocation and augmented reality mechanisms, has "really resuscitated the franchise: we all knew Pokémon, but suddenly we all wanted to play it again," he explains.

Despite the various accidents caused by reckless players, Pokémon hunters are still plentiful in the streets, especially in Tokyo.

"It really feels like catching them for real, it's a change from other games," said Tsuyoshi Aihori, 22, crossed phone in hand in the geek neighborhood of Akihabara.

Last week at a special event, "I played from morning till night, I must have caught 400 or 500 Pokémon," he says.

"I have used up all my Poké Balls."

© 2021 AFP