Pikachu: The Perfect Mascot -- Peak Design

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2 жыл бұрын

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Designing For is a series which looks at a concept in gaming, and analyzes a theme central to that concept's design. In this episode, we dive into one of the most successful characters ever created - Pikachu - and see what the electric mouse brings to the table as a mascot, delving into his thematic resonance and gameplay identity to determine if he is the perfect mascot.
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Patreon: / designingfor
Twitter: / designing4games
Discord: / discord
Director/Writer/Voice Over/Footage: Tommy Eyler/Pyrrhickong ( / pyrrhickong )
Video Editing/Additional Direction/Script Editing: AuthorMan ( / authorman )
Intro Animation By: / @tarvouldsquest
Intro Theme By: / tracks
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Also check out our episode on another Gen 1 all-star who benefits their game, Dugtrio: • Pokémon Red & Blue's D...
Or our episode on a Mega Man character who brings out the best in his own series, Napalm Man: • Napalm Man: Mega Man's...
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Sonic the Hedgehog is ©SEGA Holdings Co., Ltd.
Sherlock Holmes is ©Conan Doyle Estate Ltd.
Barbie is ©Mattel Ltd.
James Bond is ©Danjaq, LLC and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
"Goku" is ©Toei Animation and Akira Toriyama
"Mickey Mouse" and "Spider-Man" are ©The Walt Disney Company
"Garfield" is ©Paramount, with the film "Garfield" being ©The Walt Disney Company.
"Scooby Doo" is ©Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Castlevania is © Konami Holdings Corporation. Netflix adaptation by Frederator Studios, Powerhouse Animation Studios, Shankar Animation, Project 51 Productions, and Mua Film.
"Popeye" is ©King Features
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Santa Claus and Don Quixote are for everyone.
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Footage/Images Used:
Sherlock Holmes and the Hounds of Baskerville - • SHERLOCK HOLMES MOVIES...
“Bond, James Bond” - • DR. NO | "Bond, James ...
06 19 2002 - • 06/19/2002
Scooby Doo, Original 1969 intro - • Scooby Doo (original 1...
Pikachu Parade - • Pikachu Parade ( Pokem...
Huge Pikachu Deflation - • Huge Pikachu Deflation
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Floats - • Macy's Thanksgiving Pa...
Pikachu Gets Dragged Off Stage - • Pokemon Festival..Danc...
Castlevania Season 1 trailer - • Castlevania: Season 1 ...
Pokemon Players Cup II VG Grand Finals - • Pokémon Players Cup II...
Pikachu Keychain Amigurumi Tutorial- • Pikachu Keychain Amigu...
Popeye the Sailor Man “Blow Me Down” - • POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN:...

Пікірлер: 122

@BearofLightness 2 жыл бұрын

A little detail I've always loved about Pikachu as a character comes from Gen 1 promotional material, which characterizes the species as "vain but loyal". Pikachu always want to be the center of attention and get put out if they're ever sidelined, or if their trainers aren't lavishing them with their affection. One imagines the little guy is over the moon about accidentally becoming the series mascot. At the same time, they aren't idly the center of attention, and they do their best to carry their weight or shower their trainers with love back. Pikachu rarely does purely selfless transactions (even-tempered Bulbasaur's the one you want for that), but that feels very true-to-form for pet ownership and bonds of friendship alike.

@LeafRazorStorm 2 жыл бұрын

You know you have an immortal mascot when they can give hundreds of children seizures one time and be quickly forgiven.

@andymcclurg9916 2 жыл бұрын

Porygon did nothing wrong 😭

@WingedFish66 2 жыл бұрын

Easy to be forgiven when you have a different Pokemon take the fall and be banished from the show forever

@fleshdadbot6852 2 жыл бұрын

Porygon is a misunderstood soul

@Videospiel-Man5730 2 жыл бұрын

THAT JERK HE THREW PORYGON UNDER THE BUS!

@jameslawrenson1208 7 ай бұрын

Porygon was a scapegoat for Pikachu's crimes.

@nicksavino4148 2 жыл бұрын

I still maintain Eevee was the best choice for a mascot, showing off stone evolutions and necessitating trading while being designed to help you fill a hole in your team regardless of what you'd been making. Gamefreak seems to agree, given the treatment the little fox has gotten in recent years. But I also can't deny that Pikachu has done fantastic job at it up to this point. Just think it came down to whatever they used in the anime to be honest.

@ricardoludwig4787 2 жыл бұрын

I think Eevee isn't as great because of its greatest strength: it's undefined, he can be anything, but isn't as solidly anything yet, so Pikachu might be better in that regard.

@andymcclurg9916 2 жыл бұрын

A great runner up

@Pimp.My.Forklift 2 жыл бұрын

Eevee is too bland in design. It's a normal type brown dog, not a single strand of mascot to be found in it's DNA beyond small and cute. You could spot a pikachu from a mile away, but you might not even realize an eevee is an eevee without looking closely.

@Varatho 2 жыл бұрын

@@Pimp.My.Forklift Consider the Teddy Bear. Typically just a small brown animal, yet it also became a generic icon representing all toys.

@LITTLE1994 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, Eevee is the one.

@snackknight 2 жыл бұрын

The interesting thing is that Pikachu wasn't originally intended on the series mascot. Gamefreak expected Clefairy and Clefable to actually carry that flag. Their priorities shifted after the games released and there was a clear favorite: Pikachu.

@LITTLE1994 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it was Clefairy that was originally planned.

@motxmod Жыл бұрын

Another reason for the switch was color. Pink was more associated with girl and yellow is neutral. There were also fewer yellow mascot characters for children's properties with Winnie the Pooh being the only contender color wise

@matthewkuscienko4616 Жыл бұрын

@@motxmod The color point is very true, but from what I can recall, it was more so because Clefairy was viewed as being more so "cute and girly" in design. This was a problem for a series that wanted a more gender-neutral mascot, as they didn't want the series to appear as being aimed more at just boys or just girls, thus Pikachu was chosen because it had an excellent balance of being both cute and simultaneously cool

@motxmod Жыл бұрын

@@matthewkuscienko4616 Or they could have done what Nintendo of America wanted and made Pikachu into a busty tiger lady.

@yogscrashnsmash 2 жыл бұрын

i wish this episode was called "designing for design" it would've sounded rly dumb yet accurate

@imveryangryitsnotbutter 2 жыл бұрын

It should have been called Peak-a Design

@StoryTeller796 2 жыл бұрын

I do not care what he talks about, I just want to hear Designing For gush.

@romanvalentine1629 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu with a Light Ball and max base speed stat can pretty much torpedo set-up strategies all on his own.

@Pika250 2 жыл бұрын

Another detail Pikachu ends up being the mascot for is a concept first introduced in generation 4. Gender differences in Pokémon. Some are more subtle (looking at you Torchic), while some are far more pronounced (aforementioned Nidorans even get separate Pokédex entries). Pikachu is the perfect mix between the two. The end of a male Pikachu's tail is a straightedge (hence Ash's being a male) but is replaced by what looks like a heart shape on a female (and the cosplay Pikachu from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire makes that heart even more pronounced by coloring it black against the yellow tail). Also, you have a perhaps more adorable baby form in pichu

@DyxoXinoro 2 жыл бұрын

I find it funny how, mechanically, Pikachu had something of a mixed identity. Some games make the rat a fragile DPS unit, this video makes a good argument for it being a speedy support unit in Gen 1, and the anime usually depicts it as this weirdly tanky burst damage pokemon. Makes me wonder if Ash grabbed the little guy a Light Ball off screen during the Johto arc. At the same time though, I actually think that helps it's mascot status, as it shows that any one pokemon can take up any number of builds, depending on the player and what role they want it to fill on their team. Just ask anyone who's had to deal with YoloSkarm tactics. Pokemon, even on a competitive level, let's you get away with some truly insane shit if you have a little bit of creativity and a decent understanding of it's core mechanics.

@elijahpadilla5083 Жыл бұрын

Ash's Pikachu has always had this reputation for insane power by Pika standards, this indication that it's special; that's why Team Rocket keeps chasing Ash, after all. Little guy might've eaten a Light Ball like Rowlet did an Everstone in Alola.

@matthewkuscienko4616 Жыл бұрын

@@elijahpadilla5083 The way I see it, they had to make Pikachu more powerful in the anime than it would normally be in the games, since as the main character's primary Pokemon, it's going to be used a lot more than anything else Ash winds up catching. Therefore, Pikachu being as powerful as he is depicted in the anime justifies just why Ash is always so reliant on his first partner when the going gets tough. Basically, it's a case of being strong because of necessity created by virtue of being a main character in the series

@wut939 Жыл бұрын

I love pikachu. I can't get enough of the little dude, I just wish he didn't get unnecessary hate sometimes

@motxmod Жыл бұрын

A tip on making shaped pancakes: use a squeeze bottle like for mustard or ketchup. You'll have easier control on the shape and you could even dye the batter beforehand to make it more artistic.

@jameslawrenson1208 7 ай бұрын

The pancake was still salvageable as a Pumpkaboo.

@Magic_Ice 2 жыл бұрын

If you like heavy’s in smash bros you hate him, but you can’t hate Pikachu for long.

@CheeseBlaster 2 жыл бұрын

not even just heavies, if you simply play smash you have something against that filthy rodent

@_.SnowyNights._ Жыл бұрын

i play dedede and pikachu so i dont hate em

@cradiculous Жыл бұрын

Your avatar and name suggests that you not only play heavies, but play the very best heavy.

@BabusGameRoom Жыл бұрын

My partner and I did a Let's Play of her playing through Gen 1 as her first Pokemon game aside from Pokemon Go. I also did a playthrough where I wanted to catch everything. And while it took a ridiculous amount of time to find caterpie of all things, I found 2 or 3 Pikachus. I offered her a Pikachu after we had a battle before Mt. Moon, IIRC. That Pikachu, Twinkle, became a star of her team for almost all of the reasons you described. He could do a lot of things well, but he couldn't do anything perfectly. And he kept dying, and even ended up getting benched from time to time. But it was a big moment when she finally decided to give Twinkle a Thunderstone. He became a real MVP, probably when it was needed most. ...Also, Pikachu is great for Mt. Moon! Thundershock those Zubats for revenge and cheap experience!

@BearofLightness 2 жыл бұрын

Aw man, I want Big the Cat in my cereal

@BearofLightness 2 жыл бұрын

(Magic Spoon looks and sounds really good, don't get me wrong. But it would look even better with Big the Cat in it. Maybe not everything else from Brand X tho)

@apairofglasses775 2 жыл бұрын

@@BearofLightness 🐢

@TarvouldsQuest 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu taught me how to be a father. Send tweet.

@ameryaser3987 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu really is a mans best friend. My favourite is snorelax tho.

@gameplanetanimations 2 жыл бұрын

I could argue all day why Mew should be the Mascot... But this is nice.

@TheTheisson 2 жыл бұрын

i can see a few reasons but i feel like mew is too "girlish" cute while pikachu provide a good middle between cute and cool.

@gameplanetanimations 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheTheisson Hmm... That sounds fair. :,)

@sptflcrw8583 Жыл бұрын

Too rare

@MattDustyParker 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely adore your videos man. This one was another excellent episode. I adore your editing style, particularly when you edit in sound effects to punctuate parts of the script. You're awesome dude, keep it up.

@straightupanarg6226 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu is _super_ rare in Viridian Forest. I remember catching one while drinking coffee at Jack in the Box and being totally surprised. I've played through Red/Fire Red a few times and only ever found that one.

@sptflcrw8583 Жыл бұрын

Not really?

@megamudkip5913 Жыл бұрын

Funny enough, when playing through a new save on an emulator in pokemon blue, the first encounter I had was a pikachu

@BlueLoveYT 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu is without a doubt one of the most iconic figures in all of history. Except he won't be going away anytime soon since he's fictional thus he'll live on forever. Wouldn't be surprised if Pokemon one day takes over the world.

@kylespevak6781 Жыл бұрын

What makes him the best? The fans chose him, not the company

@castform7 2 жыл бұрын

As much as I started to hate seeing this rosey cheeked yellow rodent literally anywhere I go.....I'd be lying if I said I didn't love him to bits. I truly think Pokemon struck gold with Pikachu and that the franchise wouldn't be at the peak it is today without it. It's a colour that isn't "assigned" to a specific gender. It's cute, it's cool. He looks like he could take on anything but isn't overpowered. I couldn't see any other Pokemon in Pikachu's position. Not Clefairy or Poliwhirl or any of the gen 1 starters or even Eevee. The title of mascot will always be Pikachu's and Pikachu's alone for me.

@eeveefennecfox 4 ай бұрын

I honestly have no idea why people hate on pikachu,pikachu is the mascot yall,without a mascot I don't think the games would still be around to this day,it's litterally thanks to pikachu we're nearing 30 years of game play,pretty sure every game company has a mascot,crash,spryo,mario,luigi,sonic and so on,mascots helps game companies,I don't remember anyone hating on gaming mascots in my entire fucking life

@PickleInspector 2 жыл бұрын

You just expect that Mr. Jawsum to pass us by? Love your work, and would love to see a designing for focusing on omori one day.

@mogaku776 2 жыл бұрын

Time stamp?

@PickleInspector 2 жыл бұрын

@@mogaku776 in the background @5:26

@mogaku776 2 жыл бұрын

@@PickleInspectorOMORI

@KnightsDisillusion 2 жыл бұрын

I love that one of your Pokémon is called MELTYBLOOD. Great video as always man.

@cradiculous Жыл бұрын

And don't forget his Wigglytuff is PINKMENACE

@Vulpas Жыл бұрын

12:47 No, players are not required to use different Pokemon against Brock, they are just encouraged to do so. Otherwise the player can and must either: 1. Teach Pikachu Surf 2. Level up to get attacks to effect Ground-Types and spam potions 3. Trade it & teach it Seismic Toss. Evolve it into Raichu (stats up) It's easiest to just use different Pokemon, but it's not required.

@thatguymatt5816 2 жыл бұрын

I could listen to you talk about literally anything man

@waffleman8053 2 жыл бұрын

Episode one Pikachu is still peek Pikachu.

@treehousegames7903 Жыл бұрын

0:55 has the same energy as "I Am Inside Your Walls."

@jaredhebert942 2 жыл бұрын

"Perhaps the pan is too smol..." - PyrrhicKong's lady-friend, 2022

@TheMadVentriloquist Жыл бұрын

The BGM really sells the video: capitalizing on BGM variations of the 2 B A Master album.

@Garde_Mystik Жыл бұрын

Normal people - Only ever use Pikachu ingame in the original Red/Blue/Green/Yellow games. Me - Only uses Pikachu in the Alola games, especially in games with Ultra Necrozma...

@SpaceJawa 6 ай бұрын

Pikachu such a successful design they were able to make Mimikyu a success by simply designing it as a literal knockoff wannabe Pikachu.

@madnessarcade7447 Жыл бұрын

Pikachu is for sure one of ash’s aces Ash’s pikachu is one of the most powerful non legendary pokemon in that world

@Tannershide Жыл бұрын

Oi oi oi! I saw that Cheeky Pinser nickname! I don't know if that's your gameplay or not but I appreciate the clever reference. Got a deep, throaty "Oh that's bad" chuckle out of me. Well done.

@kylespevak6781 Жыл бұрын

4:53 Pretty interesting you're examining his re-design

@matthewkuscienko4616 Жыл бұрын

Kind of have to, really, as it's the design that more people are going to be more familiar with

@FanFrag56 2 жыл бұрын

Hey man, I always love your videos. Good production value, very informative and a fresh perspective. I hope you get a boost in subscribers cause this shit is gold! 💯

@Theduk9890 2 жыл бұрын

Great video bud. Love ya and hope you keep making more :)

@blazingbattlehawk9626 Жыл бұрын

Oh Designing for out Prometheus pray tell what wisdom do you bring to us mortals this day? Why is Pikachu the perfect mascot?

@MrDrBoi 2 жыл бұрын

I've always really loved the feeling of getting to Misty with Pikachu and wrecking her mainly because the first gym is not easy without squirtle, and I'm really glad you brought that up. Great video!

@codycarney2311 2 жыл бұрын

Why use Dragon Ball Evolution as the example for Dragon Ball? Edit: I'm taking Nobunyaga for myself and there is nothing you can do about it

@AuthorMx 2 жыл бұрын

Hi, I chose Dragonball Evolutions because during that part of the video Pyrr is talking about different interpretations of popular characters in the cultural zeitgeist, with the implication being that DB: E is an example of taking the character and doing something odd with it. I had already used the Garfield movie to represent an interpretation that was similar to the og deal and DB: E was meant to be the opposite of that where the character is uh, not.

@codycarney2311 2 жыл бұрын

@@AuthorMx OK had me worried there for a hot second.

@FelisImpurrator 2 жыл бұрын

Nobunyaga really is a brilliant name.

@amparolopez6236 2 жыл бұрын

Thoughts on the Pokemon series as a whole?

@adamiamnottellingyoumylast5746 2 жыл бұрын

I feel like pikachu and eevee are like Mickey mouse or mario they get annoying after a while but after a bit of a back seat they are just a popular as if not a bit less popular the. Before the burn out

@Rex10111 2 жыл бұрын

Peak of design? I think you mean PIKA design! :D

@MrKrazyoshi 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! I got close to crying a few times.

@Foamypeon 2 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@madnessarcade7447 Жыл бұрын

The games wasn’t even what turned pikachu into a mascot it was the anime

@JohnnyGuiltyMan 2 жыл бұрын

OK I'm about to go raise hell at KZfaq HQ, I had no clue thst there has been videos since the Spamton video even though I have the notifications on

@PipeFoxDream 2 жыл бұрын

God I love pikachu. Very good video!

@nowionlywantatriumph 2 жыл бұрын

Shouldn’t Ash’s Pikachu be, like, level 1000 by now?

@pokemon1659 Жыл бұрын

Still waiting for castle crashers designing for voilence

@jameslawrenson1208 7 ай бұрын

Why would you name a Spearow Berdly!?

@madnessarcade7447 Жыл бұрын

12:16 I agree with this tho

@gregzotter6189 2 жыл бұрын

Of course Ash can rely on Pikachu! He's Ash's best friend!

@StarkMaximum 2 жыл бұрын

I CAUGHT THAT MAGMAR WAS NAMED MELTY BLOOD YOOOOOO

@chrismulvey5441 2 жыл бұрын

NobuNYAga got me ngl.

@EduSolsa 2 жыл бұрын

Neat!

@beatziegraham6928 2 жыл бұрын

I actually DONT own a pikachu thing at home. I DO have a Torchik plush though.

@adamiamnottellingyoumylast5746 2 жыл бұрын

A spearow named berdly is perfect

@zenone9698 2 жыл бұрын

You should do a video on the Monado from xenoblade.

@madnessarcade7447 Жыл бұрын

You guys think too cold and cynically about Pokémon in terms of stats There are no bad Pokémon only bad trainers who don’t know how to use the potential properly Every Pokémon has potential Pokémon is about Oh your my best friend in a world we must defend I will travel across the land searching far and wide each pokemon to understand the power that’s inside Our hearts so true our courage will pull us through you teach me and I teach you” I raise pokemon the ash way Every Pokémon has potential and any Pokémon can be good with enough compassion kindness trust and determination Y’all have been brainwashed by smogon rules and tiers so much Y’all forgot pokemon are friends first Did you guys learn nothing about his rivalry with Paul and chimchar’s arc Don’t be a Paul. Being a Paul is wrong The anime may have different rules and logic but those life lessons can be applied anywhere and to any aspect of the franchise and life in general

@robtheillusion5529 5 ай бұрын

Thank you. I'm so glad that there are other people who share this perspective. This is part of the reason why I tend to disagree with videos that claim to "fix bad pokemon" of specific generations especially the older ones. These people seem to ignore, or forget, that when a lot of us were growing up with pokemon, especially during (I would say) the first 4 generations, I can't speak for anyone else, but I did not give a flying f*!k about how viable a pokemon was in a competitive sense. I only cared about if it looked appealing to me generally speaking. And hey, I still had a blast with the games because I wasn't looking to create the strongest meta team known to man, no, I enjoyed the journeys and experimenting with the same, or new, pokemon, and training them to my taste. By the way, I absolutely love the comparison you made with Ash and Paul because it is so true. You see that mentality more than ever before, and It is making a decent amount of fans miss one of the central points of the franchise as you've already mentioned. We've seen how Ash was able to eventually overcome Paul's more harsh and rigid style of battling with his own more free and compassionate style. It culminated to one of most beautiful and tear-jerking payoffs in the Pokemon anime when Ash is finally able to beat Paul in one of the best fights in the entire series after succumbing to many losses beforehand, albeit reasonable ones. Your rival Silver, from the GSC games, also demonstrates how going down this path of cynical judging isn't a good long-term path to success. Silver, being the son of Giovanni, is spiteful towards Team Rocket, perhaps, out of feeling neglected by his father, but in an ironic fashion, he displays traits that would fit right into Team Rocket such as burglary, having a nasty attitude for the most part, and treating his pokemon like tools instead of companions. After several battles and story beats involving him, he starts to come around in discovering the truth as to why he falls short of victory, and it is because while he may have the drive to be the best, he lacked the clarity of what really mattered to achieve said goal, patience and understanding. When you fight him with a fully evolved Crobat at Mt. Moon (I believe), that's when his character arc becomes complete because he finally learns one of the most valuable lessons in Pokemon.

@userlolcom 2 жыл бұрын

Le me appreceate le Electric mouse pokeman

@wilddancecho152 2 жыл бұрын

Now do the Mimikyu episode 😐

@7sonicmario 2 жыл бұрын

To this day I still believe Clefairy should have been the mascot. Imagine the shenanigans with metrodome.

@playkawaii2104 2 жыл бұрын

517!

@barofsoap8098 2 жыл бұрын

I really dislike pikachu, mostly for how pervasive he is in media. But good video!

@schaffs2 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry but I like Raichu more than Pikachu

@LITTLE1994 2 жыл бұрын

Pikachu, the perfect mascot? No. It is EEVEE...

@Elshaddoll 2 жыл бұрын

Eevee is too generic. Pikachu is unique and is recognized by non-Pokemon fans. While I like Eevee and it's evolutions, it does not have that wide appeal Pika has.

@kylespevak6781 Жыл бұрын

@@Elshaddoll Tell that to Japan

@sptflcrw8583 Жыл бұрын

@@kylespevak6781 Japan also has Pikachu as the mascot lol

@kylespevak6781 Жыл бұрын

@@sptflcrw8583 I didn't say Eevee was the mascot. I was replying to the guy saying nobody likes Eevee, when Eevee has been pretty much a secondary mascot, at least in Japan

@krealyesitisbeta5642 Жыл бұрын

RAICHU IS BETTER.

@r1tzy5551 Жыл бұрын

But not as a mascot

@krealyesitisbeta5642 Жыл бұрын

@@r1tzy5551 They didn't give him a chance and instead slandered him.

@r1tzy5551 Жыл бұрын

@@krealyesitisbeta5642 Remember Goh's Raichu?

@TheStickCollector 3 ай бұрын

@@r1tzy5551I wasn't there but we were probably "eating" then. I assume that is the closest to what ash owning one would be like. Too bad they also let goh fall off a cliff like the rest of them for the obligatory new cast that replaced them. (Unless he is in it, i haven't watched)

@TheStickCollector 3 ай бұрын

To understand perfection, you must understand where perfection came from.