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What are the best selling Pokemon games of all time?

Published: 28/Jan/2019 16:32 Updated: 2/Apr/2019 14:47

by Paul Cot

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Pokemon is one of the best selling game franchises of all time. The iconic Mario series is the only franchise to top Pokemon to date. Here we list the top selling Pokemon games of all time.

Best selling video game franchise

The Mario series, which includes Super Mario, Mario Kart and more, has sold an incredible estimated 570 million copies. Pokemon, which comes in number two, has sold an estimated 301 million copies.

Iconic video game franchises GTA and FIFA also fall behind Pokemon. They are third and fourth in the list, with respective estimated sales of 280 and 260 million. Coming in at number 5 is unsurprisingly Call of Duty. The most famous first-person shooter has sold 250 million copies.

For the sake of determining the most popular Pokemon games, versions such as Gold, Silver and Crystal will be combined as they are essentially the same game.

1. Pokemon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow

46.02 million sales (Last updated December 2014)

The first ever Pokemon game is by far the best selling. It was released on the Gameboy in 1996. Even today, when someone says Pokemon game, most people think of Pokemon Red and Blue.

Interestingly, the lesser-known Pokemon Green was only released in Japan. This is why the majority of audiences aren’t familiar with the game. Given this we can safely assume the Green version contributed little to the overall sales.

Green, along with Pokemon Red and Blue, generated a huge 31.38 million sales. Consequently, Pokemon Yellow has sold 14.64 million copies.

Pokemon Red Blue and Yellow Cover – Gameboy

2. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal

29.49 million sales (Last updated December 2014)

Given the popularity of the first Pokemon game, it is unsurprising that the second game to be released, Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal, comes in at number two on the chart.

There was quite a gap between the release date depending on region. Japan first got this game in 1999 and Europe had to wait until 2001. It was released on the Gameboy Color and based on the Johto region.

Between the three, 29.49 million copies were sold with Gold and Silver contributing to the bulk of the sales with 23.1 million.

Pokemon Gold Silver and Crystal Cover – Gameboy Color

3. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

25.27 million sales (Last updated March 2017)

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl were the first Pokemon games released on the Nintendo DS. Pokemon Platinum, the enhanced version of Diamond and Pearl, was released two years later.

The game introduced five time periods, in comparison to Gold and Silver’s three, and made several changes to the battle mechanics.

First released in 2006 (2007 elsewhere), Diamond and Pearl generated 17.67 million sales. Therefore, Pokemon Platinum sold 7.6 million.

Pokemon Pearl Diamond Platinum Cover – Nintendo DS

4. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

23.28 million sales (Last updated March 2013)

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire was the third Pokemon game to be released.

It was released for the Gameboy Advance. Once again Japan got a head-start on the rest of the world with a November 2002 release. It was released to the rest of the world by July of 2003. It was the first Pokemon to introduce double battles.

A similar trend continues with Ruby and Sapphire’s enhanced version, Emerald, whereby its predecessor accumulates most of the sales. Pokemon Emerald contributed 7.06 million sales of the 23.28.

Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Cover – Gameboy Advance

5. Pokemon X and Y

16.37 million sales (Last updated December 2018)

Some would look at this list and think the introduction of a new generation of Pokemon would boost the sales. However, each of these games have been the first Pokemon on new Nintendo handheld hardware.

Pokemon X and Y was the first Pokemon game to appear on the Nintendo 3DS. It is the first Pokemon game on handheld to feature fully 3D polygonal graphics. Moreover, it features mega evolution for the first time.

Released in 2013, Pokemon X and Y sold a combined 16.37 million copies.

Source: Pokemon game sales figures

Pokemon X Y Cover – Nintendo 3DS

Other Pokemon games

Other mainline Pokemon games such as Pokemon Sun/Moon and Red/Blue remake, Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green weren’t far behind.

Interestingly, classic games such as Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap weren’t close to making the top 5.

Pokemon

Bizarre Pokemon Journeys episode goes viral for “cruel” Blaziken scene

Published: 2/Dec/2020 0:57

by Brent Koepp
Screenshot of Blaziken from the Pokemon Journeys anime.
Game Freak / The Pokemon Company

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Pokemon Journeys

A November episode of the Pokemon Journeys anime went viral after fans discovered it included a bizarre scene featuring Blaziken. The strange sequences force the Gen III ‘mon into a “cruel” situation that has left some viewers disturbed.

Pokemon Journeys made its debut in Japan in November 2019. The latest anime in the long-running series follows protagonist Ash Ketchum and new character Goh as they travel across the game’s eight regions.

An episode that aired in November 2020 has made waves online after a scene featuring a bizarre food contest went viral. Fans of the Nintendo property were left unsettled after a Blaziken is forced to eat his own species – well, sort of.

Screenshot from Pokemon Journeys anime.
Game Freak / The Pokemon Company
The Pokemon Journeys episode featured unusual food in it.

Bizarre Pokemon Journeys scene goes viral

In the November 27 episode of the Pokemon Journeys anime, Ash and Goh both participate in an eating contest. The competition has Trainers seeing whose ‘mon can consume the most food in the shortest time possible.

However, things took a cruel turn when the final dish served was a cuisine in the shape of Torchic. Blaziken’s appetite quickly turned sour at the thought of eating something shaped like his own species.

The Gen III character then stood up and quit the contest after shedding a tear. The incredibly strange cannibalism-like dilemma went viral after being uploaded to Reddit on November 30.

Blaziken was dominating the food eating contest but then.. from pokemon

While the Torchic are technically a dessert item, the scene left some fans feeling disturbed or sympathetic towards the Pokemon’s plight. “I feel you Blaziken, being forced to eat your kind is cruel,” one fan wrote. Another user exclaimed “Who’s the sick b****rd that decided to try to make a Blaziken eat Torchics?”

Pokemon fans react to the disturbing anime scene on Reddit.

Despite only having aired in Japan, the scene quickly spread online as the community found it both be hilarious and creepy. Popular artist ‘popemadara‘ made a comedic drawing that went viral on Twitter that depicts other Pokemon in the same dilemma as Blaziken.

While it’s true that people eat human-shaped edibles called gingerbread men, the Torchic food item was disturbingly detailed. If nothing else, the situation showed that the Fire-type monster has a softer side.

Pokemon Journeys is currently still airing in Japan, however North American viewers can catch the first half of the series now on Netflix which is broken up into Part 1 and 2.