Game mascot
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The subject of this article has no official name. The name currently in use is a fan designator; see below for more information. |
The mascot of a Pokémon game is the Pokémon that appears on the boxart—and often label—of that game.
Early on, the mascot of a game was not necessarily relevant plot-wise, and did not even have to be met to complete the game. Generation III (with the exception of the Generation I remakes) began the trend of the game mascot being mandatory to encounter in order to progress the plot, and more recent games even force the player to catch the mascot to continue. Game mascot Pokémon are often given increased catch rates and the ability to respawn if they are defeated in order to account for this. All core series games have Legendary Pokémon as mascots, except for games where the player starts in Kanto, which feature a first partner Pokémon instead.
In general, only core series games have mascots, as most side series and spin-off games display multiple Pokémon on their box covers and don't have a specific Pokémon central to the plot. The only current exceptions to this are Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Hey You, Pikachu!, Detective Pikachu, Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, and Pokémon Sleep.
In most games, when pressing A or Start on the title screen, the game mascot's cry will be heard.
Core series
Generation I
| Original games | Upper game(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | Red Charizard |
Green Venusaur |
Blue Blastoise |
Pikachu Pikachu |
| Final form of First partner Pokémon | Sole first partner Pokémon | |||
| INT | Red Charizard |
Blue Blastoise |
Yellow Pikachu | |
| Final form of first partner Pokémon | First partner Pokémon | |||
Generation II
| Original games | Upper game | |
|---|---|---|
Gold Ho-Oh |
Silver Lugia |
Crystal Suicune |
| Tower duo | One of the legendary beasts | |
Generation III
| Original games | Upper game | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ruby Groudon |
Sapphire Kyogre |
Emerald Rayquaza | |||
| Super-ancient Pokémon | |||||
| Remakes | |||||
FireRed Charizard |
LeafGreen Venusaur | ||||
| Final form of first partner Pokémon | |||||
Generation IV
| Original games | Upper game | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diamond Dialga |
Pearl Palkia |
Platinum Origin Forme Giratina | |||
| Pokémon of myth | |||||
| Remakes | |||||
HeartGold Ho-Oh |
SoulSilver Lugia | ||||
| Tower duo | |||||
Generation V
| Original games | |
|---|---|
Black Reshiram |
White Zekrom |
| Two members of the Tao trio | |
| Sequels | |
Black 2 Black Kyurem |
White 2 White Kyurem |
| Formes of Kyurem, the third member of the Tao trio | |
Generation VI
| Original games | |
|---|---|
X Xerneas |
Y Yveltal |
| Two members of the aura trio | |
| Remakes | |
Omega Ruby Primal Groudon |
Alpha Sapphire Primal Kyogre |
| Primal forms of two of the Super-ancient Pokémon | |
Generation VII
| Original games | Upper games | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Sun Solgaleo |
Moon Lunala |
Ultra Sun Dusk Mane Necrozma |
Ultra Moon Dawn Wings Necrozma |
| Light trio | |||
| Remakes | |||
Let's Go, Pikachu! Pikachu |
Let's Go, Eevee! Eevee | ||
| Partner Pokémon | |||
Generation VIII
| Original games | Expansion Pass | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Sword Crowned Sword Zacian |
Shield Crowned Shield Zamazenta |
The Isle of Armor Urshifu |
The Crown Tundra Calyrex |
| Legendary heroes | "Secret armor" of the Master Dojo |
King of Bountiful Harvests | |
| Remakes | |||
Brilliant Diamond Dialga |
Shining Pearl Palkia | ||
| Two members of the Pokémon of myth | |||
Generation IX
| Original games | The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Scarlet Apex Build Koraidon |
Violet Ultimate Mode Miraidon |
The Teal Mask Teal Mask Ogerpon |
The Indigo Disk Terastal Form Terapagos |
| Paradox duo | The ogre of the land of Kitakami | The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero | |
Pokémon Legends games
Core series games with the Pokémon Legends moniker feature multiple Pokémon on the cover, lacking a prominently featured central Pokémon, though each still have key Pokémon that are integral to the story, typically referenced in the title of the game, and heavily associated with their respective games in official marketing and promotional materials.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
In Generation VIII, the game Pokémon Legends: Arceus features the titular Mythical Pokémon Arceus.
| Game |
|---|
Legends: Arceus Arceus |
| The almighty Sinnoh |
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
In Generation IX, the game Pokémon Legends: Z-A features the Legendary Pokémon Zygarde, who is referenced as the "Z" in "Z-A" (with the "A" referring to Ange).
| Game |
|---|
Legends: Z-A Zygarde |
| Member of the aura trio |
Side series
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
 Shadow Lugia (XD001) |
| The ultimate Shadow Pokémon |
Spin-offs
Hey You, Pikachu!
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The picture used in this section is unsatisfactory. Please feel free to replace it so it conforms to Bulbapedia conventions. Reason: Ideally if we can isolate just Pikachu from the boxart, that would be great |
 Pikachu |
| Title character |
Detective Pikachu
 Detective Pikachu |
| Title character |
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump
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|
The picture used in this section is unsatisfactory. Please feel free to replace it so it conforms to Bulbapedia conventions. Reason: Ideally if we can isolate just Magikarp from the icon, that would be great |
 Magikarp |
| Title character |
Pokémon Sleep
 Snorlax |
| Central character |
Related articles
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |