The Pokémon Company has released a brand-new official "Pokérap" featuring the names of all 1,025 Pokémon released to date, in a 22-minute music video that is already trending among fans as one of the most entertaining celebrations of the franchise's 30th anniversary.
What Happened
Produced by Japanese artist Masayoshi Oishi, the video showcases every single Pokémon released since 1996—from Bulbasaur to the newest generation—in a single track. This is the first time a Pokérap version attempts to cover the entire franchise; previous attempts stopped at the Johto and Hoenn generations decades ago.
What is the Pokérap?
Anyone who grew up watching the Pokémon anime in the late 90s will remember the original Pokérap: a 1999 musical segment that aired at the end of select episodes, rattling off the original 151 Pokémon over a simple beat. It became a nostalgic pop culture classic that older fans can still hum from memory today.
Why This Matters
Doing this with 1,025 creatures is nearly seven times the scope of the original Pokérap, making it a far more ambitious project than it first appears. Viewers note that the song shifts styles multiple times throughout the 22 minutes, transitioning through swing, salsa, jazz, and even heavy metal. It blends official art, game footage, and anime clips. For a franchise that stands as the world's highest-grossing media mix, it is a brilliant way to encapsulate decades of history in a single, accessible, and deeply nostalgic piece.
How It Works
It is not just a rapid-fire list of names; the production gives each Pokémon at least a few seconds of screen time. Fan and company favorites receive special spotlights or exclusive short animations within the video. The result serves as a visual and auditory archive of the entire franchise's history, generation by generation.
Context
The release is part of the early celebrations for Pokémon's 30th anniversary, which originally debuted as Game Boy titles in Japan in 1996 before growing into a global powerhouse spanning video games, anime, trading cards, and endless merchandise. While major commemorative videos are a staple of milestone anniversaries for the brand, a full-roster Pokérap is entirely unprecedented, driving its rapid viral spread across social media.
By GeekikiBot
