If you're a Pokémon fan, you have probably wondered if Pikachu is actually always portrayed as male in the franchise. Well, hold on to your pokeballs because today we are going to explore this controversial topic - Is Pikachu really a female?
One can never be too sure when it comes to animated characters these days. Remember when people thought that Ed from 'Ed Edd n Eddy' was actually a girl with short hair? Or how about Winnie the Pooh wearing no pants for decades until Disneyland decided it wasn't appropriate? I mean, what's next – Bugs Bunny revealing he's not a rabbit after all but an alien from Mars?
For years now, there has been relentless debate over whether gender plays any role in Pokemon and ever since Detective Pikachuhit movie hit our screens last year featuring Ryan Reynolds playing our favorite little yellow electric mouse, some of us started asking more questions – Does this mean Pokemon will follow through with removing traditional gender roles even amongst its rodent-based creatures?
The Brief History of Pikachu
Before we dive into whether or not Pikachu is secretly a girl (shh! don't let Ash Ketchum know), let's take some time to go down memory lane and remember how cute Pikachu looked like in its first-ever appearance.
Pikachu was created by Satoshi Tajiri as part of his love for insect collecting turned video game development where he helped create several popular games including Pokemon Red & Green. His main motive behind creating the little electric creature was based solely off his childhood experiences catching bugs and insects during warm summer seasons.
When Ash Ketchum received his first-ever starter Pokémon on April 1st, 1997 (no joke), which happened to be none other than our lovable rat-like pocket monster friend that goes by the name 'Pikachu', Tarako Isono lent her voice to Pikachu's earliest animated appearances. Since then, hundreds of voice actors have lent their vocals to the little yellow creature making it impossible for anyone to keep track of who is currently performing as what seems like an endless cycle.
Girl or Boy?
Now that we've had a quick refresher course on who Pikachu is let's get into the juicy bits – Is Pikachu actually a girl? Some fans argue that although male and female Pikachus look alike, there are subtle differences in their body structure, faces, and even tail curvature. Let’s examine these characteristics briefly:
Body Structure
Male pikachus have been shown with broader shoulders than female pikachus giving off an overall strong appearance while females appear more petite and delicate( which makes sense because they always say girls electirify your heart). Additionally, when standing upright as seen in Pokémon Yellow version many years ago you can see differences such as Pikachu's arched back posture which could be described as a more lady-like stance versus males' upright/straight-back posture.
Face Differences
When you take a closer look at both genders up close some may notice the slight difference between their cheeks; Males having an angular shape that looks pointed upwards towards his eyes or ears; Females, on the other hand, have rounder edges around theirs (This might explain why ladies' makeup takes longer than men)
Tail Shapes
This last difference has caused quite some stir among fans over time regarding which gender gets represented by each in Pokémon games - Hint: It’s not just about electrical discharge alone; Male Pikachus often display straighter tails compared to curved ones sported mainly by females (I read somewhere this creates a higher level of balance needed during pregnancy periods but don't quote me)
In conclusion yes! While evidence remains mostly circumstantial one can understand why people could believe our furry pal has been living her life under cover all this time. It's probably about time we pay attention to the details in our beloved franchise characters, you might never know who has been hiding a secret all this while.
Pikachu Speak – Gotta Listen Carefully
Another aspect that fans have questioned for years is whether Pikachus speak as other animals do or if they can comprehend and process human speech. There are two sides of the camp for this question; one believes that Pokemon's growls, chirps, grunts translate into simple words such as its own name -Pika Pika-for Pikachu. The other side suggests it’s more than just utterances but an actual form of language much like humans use different dialects amongst themselves to communicate feelings/emotions/intentions which would allow us to understand them through voice commands.
Although these claims never having been confirmed by creators Nintendo or Game Freak themselves, one cannot deny how "pikachu" seems to appear during various contexts within numerous episodes on countless occasions (If anyone out there speaks pikachu however please let me know!)
It remains unclear why Pokeball manufacturers equip their wares with translation technology capable of deciphering over 800 Poké-languages at present (/This must be some sort of conspiracy!), but what else could explain Pokémon trainers messaging back and forth without even picking up their phone anywhere near them?
Is there truly something mystical going on behind those adorable cheeky facial expressions we see from Pikachu daily?
Could We Be Seeing Female Pikachus Soon?
Many fans believe it is about time Pokemon started allowing gender differences among its widely variable casted creatures. In part because showcasing both male-female roles creates additional plotlines and sometimes adds comedy (which apparently fastens sagging immune responses) not only limited to Digimon Adventures tri but also adding spice in Dragon Ball Super anime series recently.
While it may seem odd that female pikachus haven't surfaced yet given we've seen electric rats with gender roles in the real world such as muroids, why not fantastical creatures of our dreams? We can only hope that Nintendo and Gamefreak continue to innovate when it comes to animating Pikachu and adding new pokemon family members.
Let's face it who doesn't want a pink tailed female Pikachu whose electricity actually is documented in research journals like those at Institute for Electrical Engineering under University of Ottawa/ It would light up my humdrum day any time!
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Are you excited about this new development on one of your favorite Pokemon characters? It’s probably going to take us quite some time before we know whether or not Pikachus will get assigned particular genders (besides what we see from males/females today). However, keep an eye out for future announcements/meetings/news featuring pikachu because with all types/species there's certainly always more than meets the eye. Who knows maybe even Jigglypuff might end up becoming King next or I dunno- Charmander having a mint chocolate chip ice cream preference?
All of which means taking notice and embracing differences among us creates an experience much richer than expected. Just think how much our life has improved after tofu /Or better yet, the creation of Instagram filters!
If you enjoyed this read don't forget to share with friends (/and family/the pet/kid who lives across) who are passionate about pokemons – Let's get everyone in on the conversation!