‘Pokemon’ Designers Reveal Surprising Inspiration Behind Pikachu

It is hard to imagine a version of Pikachu that doesn’t — well — look like Pikachu. The design of the Pokemon is know to billions of people, and the Pokemon mascot has become one of Japan’s most popular characters. Now, fans have learned a bit about how the character came to life, and it seems like Pikachu’s design was based on a rather unexpected animal.

Recently, The Japan News shared a translated interview that The Yomiuri Shimbun did with Pokemon‘s original developers. It was there the artists broke down how they created Pikachu’s iconic look, and it seems like squirrels had a lot to do with the cute character.

According to the developers, Pikachu was based on a squirrel rather than a mouse. The developers, which include talent like Ken Sugimori and Atsuko Nishida, told the Japanese outlet they were told to create a “cute monster” that met just two conditions. The character needed to be an electric type, a term used to classify the kind of powers a Pokemon uses. Oh, and it had to have two evolutions, so that is where Raichu comes in.

Nishida says she started on Pikachu by giving the pocket monster big ears. In fact, the illustrator said the Pokemon looked like a “vertically long daifuku rice confection with ears” attached, but she was told Pikachu needed to be cuter than that. It was then she designed a version of Pikachu based on a squirrel because Nishida really wanted one as a pet at the time. And, as fans know, the idea stuck.

As the character design was finalized, Nishida created Pikachu using digital software while Sugimori illustrated the final design by hand. Sadly, the illustrators’ first design for Pikachu was erased shortly after it was shot down, so there are no longer any copies of the tasty draft left.

Of course, Pikachu has undergone some design tweaks since the character debuted, leaving the Pokemon to look more cuddlier than ever before. One of most recent design shifts for the pocket monster came when The Pokemon Company began work on its latest show, Pokemon Sun & Moon: The Series. Both Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were given a more cartoonish look for the anime, and the visual change has been a hit with fans so far.

Are you surprised by Pikachu’s origins? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!