By: Max Yang
Who is Satoshi Tajiri? You may not recognize this name, but everybody knows his creation. Satoshi Tajiri is the creator of Pokémon. Other than the countless episodes of Pokémon anime he has written, Tajiri invented some of the most popular video games such as Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, Pokémon Sword/Shield, and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, to fore.
Pokémon video games are all about catching different species of Pokémon and using them to battle other trainers. Of course, there are many boss battles along the way. Boss battles are Pokémon battles with stronger trainers. Many of those battles are in gyms.
Pokémon gyms are sprinkled along your journey. Almost every town you travel to has a gym. Gyms are homes to trainers representing a certain type of Pokémon. If you beat all eight of them, you can challenge the Elite Four. The Elite Four are the four strongest types in the region. Beating the four trainers isn’t all. You do have to beat the game. You must defeat the champion, the best trainer in the region with all types of Pokémon.
Prior to all the Elite Four saga comes the villains. There is a team of villains in each game vying to steal Pokémon for personal use. Along the way, you are tasked to defeat various employees of the team. Sprinkled in your adventure is a chance to break into their hideout and defeat the boss. Sometime around the Elite Four, you can catch the rarest Pokémon of the region, also known as the region’s legendary. The most important task in a game is to catch every Pokémon and record them in a device called the Pokédex. Of course, without the creator, Pokémon would never exist.
Satoshi Tajiri was born on August 28, 1965, in Setagaya, Tokyo. Growing up in Machida, Tokyo, which was still a rural area when Tajiri was a child, he collected insects as a hobby. Tajiri’s dream at that time was to become an entomologist, or a scientist who studies all kinds of insects. When Tajiri got older, Machida and other nearby towns were paved, resulting in the habitats of insect-collecting being terminated, along with Tajiri’s dream, to be terminated. His short years of gathering bugs inspired him to make Pokémon.
Before creating Pokémon, Tajiri went to high school with a passion in video games. He frequently cut classes to study them. Through makeup classes, Tajiri earned his high school diploma and attended a two-year technical degree program, where he earned a major in electronics and computer science.
After his years of school, Tajiri created a magazine called Game Freak. This magazine contained everything a gamer needed to know. When Ken Sugimori saw the magazine, he decided to partner up with Tajiri. Together, they evolved Game Freak from just a magazine to a video game company. They created many games together. The most popular series, of course, is the Pokémon video games. The idea of creating Pokémon came when he saw a Game Boy. He marveled at its ability to communicate with other devices. Along with his memory of bug-catching, Tajiri created the first Pokémon video game—Pokémon Red and Green.
Making Pokémon Red and Green wasn’t trouble-free. The game took six years to produce, and the process nearly bankrupted the company. Being paid poorly, five employees quit; Tajiri didn’t take a salary. Going through many hardships and setbacks, Game Freak gave the Pokémon video games a dazzling debut. People around the globe loved it. Soon Pokémon become a billion-dollar enterprise.
Earning huge profits and outstanding achievements, Tajiri, who by now is in his late fifties, can just retire. However, his passion still stays with Pokémon, motivating him to continue designing video games. With Pokémon Legends: Arceus already published and welcomed by many, he is in preparation for the debut of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which is said to come out in late this year. Also directing in countless episodes of Pokémon anime, Tajiri made a huge impact on this world. With more works preparing for take-off, we are waiting for his next generation fabulous creations.
Resources:
Satoshi Tajiri – Wikipedia