Although the Pokemon Pikachu may be the most popular in the series, it turns out that he is not actually the top pick among Japanese fans. A recent general election in Japan revealed that Ash Ketchum’s best friend is not the No. 1 Pocket Monster.
In Japan, a general election was conducted to determine whether the Pokemon Pikachu was the top favorite among all 720. The voting started on April 15, with the preliminary results showing that Greninja, Arceus and Mew were in the lead. The ballots finally closed on May 9, with the three top characters retaining their positions. The winners were announced in Tokyo, Japan on June 7, 2016, revealing that Pikachu made the top five, but was out of the top three.
Oricon Style revealed that 562,386 total votes were cast during the general election. The top five results are as follows, with the Pokemon Pikachu only garnering fourth place.
1. Greninja
2. Arceus
3. Mew
4. Pikachu
5. Sylveon
Kotaku noted that the dark water PokemonGreninja turned out to be the most favored in Japan, acquiring over 36,000 votes. As a result, the character will be offered as a free download for the two games “Pokemon Omega Ruby” and “Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.” The downloads will be available to those who will watch the upcoming Pokemon movie to release in the summer. Considering how Greninja is a very versatile and powerful character in the games, it may explain why it managed to edge out the Pokemon Pikachu in the general election.
According to Engadget, Greninja is the final evolution of starter Froakie, and has been one of the top picks among players in recent times. Its appearance in “Pokemon X,” “Pokemon Y,” “Super Smash Bros.” and “Pokken Tournament,” as well as the new Greninjaamiibo may also be good reasons why it managed to stay on top of the Pokemon Pikachu during the voting period.
After the Pokemon Pikachu and Sylveon, the following rounded out the top 20:
6. Genesect
7. Rayquaza
8. Zygarde (50% form shown)
9. Charizard
10. Meloetta (Aria form shown)
11. Mewtwo
12. Eevee
13. Jirachi
14. Darkrai
15. Lucario
16. Diancie
17. Hoopa
18. Keldeo
19. Victini
20. Manaphy
Although three others may be more popular than the Pokemon Pikachu in Japan, a worldwide general election may render different results. More updates and details on the Pokemon Pikachu are expected soon.
