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It would be a herculean task to think of a video game series that did a better transition into an anime than Pokemon. A legendary franchise like this one doesn't really need an introduction, especially since its fame has far surpassed most other shows and games.
Most other video games don't transition into the anime format anywhere near as well as Pokemon has. There are several reasons for its success in this format, which this listicle will cover down below. Some entries will focus on the show's quality, while others will talk about how it influenced video games.
Eight reasons why the Pokemon anime succeeded
1) The video games were incredibly popular
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The Pokemon Craze of the 90s was something else. Many absolutely loved the Gen I games, and it wasn't in a cult classic kind of way. Various video game reviewers gave Red, Blue, and Green excellent scores, often ranging from 9/10 to 10/10.
There wasn't really any competition for the games. When one thinks of capturing monsters, the Pokemon series would often be the first one on their list. The games were great and sold incredibly well, so there would always be some kind of market for the anime.
2) The series transitions very well into an anime
Not all popular video games have good anime adaptations. A notable example would be the popular Monster Strike game series, which had some notorious poorly-received adaptations. Even older titles like Street Fighter had mediocre cartoons.
The basic premise of the Pokemon anime is incredibly easy to understand. A kid gets a monster and can battle other monsters while exploring the world. It's not complex, but it doesn't have to be for one to enjoy the show.
Not to mention, the show never gets complicated for the fans.
3) Helps promote merchandise
The legendary video games aren't the only reason one would consider the Pokemon anime a success. It's vital to mention that the TV show has helped get many people into the series, which inevitably led to them purchasing the games and other merchandise.
Some video game-based anime primarily exist as fanservice to those who enjoy the games. They often don't do much on their own to get people to buy the games, at least nowhere near the level that Pokemon did.
A sustainable business practically ensures that the series will continue to last for several generations.
4) It will always be relevant to new generations
Although some fans might not like how underwhelming Ash becomes at the start of several different seasons, it is worth noting that the target audience is primarily kids. Hence, several new generations of youth will likely enjoy the series for the first time.
While there are callbacks to earlier seasons every now and then, watching them is not required to enjoy the show in the modern era. Other long-lasting animes can have hundreds to nearly a thousand episodes, but they're not as easy to get into for the first time.
Not to mention, there will always be plenty of new Pokemon games every few years.
5) Tons of content to enjoy
Pokemaniacs who love everything about the series have no shortage of content to enjoy. For example, there isn't just one anime. The Generations miniseries more closely follows what happens in the video games than the original TV show does. That's not even getting to movies and mangas all derived from the same source material.
The Pokemon anime with Ash as the protagonist already has over 1,200 episodes. If one has time to burn and is obsessed with the series, they can always get into one of the several seasons it already has.
6) Good combat scenes
This reason is tangentially related to the previous entry but is still very important to discuss. At its core, Pokemon has several battles between various trainers. If the series had boring mechanics, then it wouldn't be enjoyable to see in an anime.
Thankfully, that's not the case. All the basic elements like type-effectiveness and strategies are explored in the series, with the later seasons doing a much better job than the early days. Every Pokemon brings something unique to the table, which is partially why everybody has different favorites.
One interesting aspect of these battles is that the main character doesn't always win. In fact, there are several times when he disappointingly loses.
7) Excellent character designs
A good character design goes a long way in getting a person to care about an anime. For example, Pokemon features various cool-looking monsters like Charizard and Snorlax that are bound to be some people's favorites. Similarly, there is no shortage of cute designs like Pikachu or Togepi to charm fans.
Later generations continue to introduce awesome character designs. Fan favorites such as Lucario, Greninja, and Cinderace have featured greatly throughout the years. That's not even mentioning some underrated creatures that some fans love.
Other video game series might have some good designs, but some of them do border on being more generic compared to Pokemon.
8) Lack of competition
To be the best at something, one has to be better than everything else. While the Pokemon anime series might not be everybody's cup of tea, there is no denying that the franchise is far more recognizable than any other video game that's transitioned into anime.
Even similar series like Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh! couldn't quite catch up to Pokemon's fame. Just for reference, Pokemon is the number one media franchise in terms of total revenue in 2022, and no other video game franchise comes close.
The series has been out for nearly two decades, and its momentum doesn't seem to be slowing down in any way. Both the games and the TV show are incredibly successful in what they do.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.
