What keeps you interested in Pokémon?

[slate]

i just enjoy the series. it reminds me a lot of my childhood and the nights i spent playing pokemon stadium 2 and trading and link battling my cousins. my heart honestly lies in generations 1-4, but the newer generations have their merits too; sun/moon were the most enjoyable games in the series for me since hgss, actually. it's also really interesting to witness the progression of a series that i loved as a child. the pseudo-3d of dpp was enthralling to me when screenshots of the games first came out. that period of waiting for the new games is one of the most exciting aspects of the series to me. it's also just super fun to talk about weird stuff that happens in the games, for whatever reason. dorking out about plot holes or weird matches with your friends is hilarious when you're not trading or fighting each other

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

I find the new Pokemon introduced to be interesting. While some are essentially "carbon copies" of previous Pokemon, each generation has at least a few treasures in their roster.

Additionally, since Platinum, I feel like the quality of the games has been going up relatively steadily, although Gen VI was a bit disappointing to me. Sun & Moon breaking the mold and not having conventional Gyms was also an interesting touch.
Plus, the more they add to the Pokemon World, the more of an interesting place it feels to explore. That's sort of where my Crackpot Theory Corner started.

 

[Zexy]

The games (mostly main series and GO) and the anime are what keep me interested. The gameplay is nice, the worldbuilding of the games and the anime are both nice.

In general I think what really makes me like Pokemon so much is the whole concept of different creatures you can befriend and train, then compete with others in various activities. But the whole fandom and how it led me here in Bulbagarden is another reason this franchise will always have a special place in my heart.

 

[Guzma]

The games. I'm not really into the anime any more, but the games have improved. Granted, Gen VI was a major step back from Gen V IMO, but Gen VII more than made up for it. I also feel that the designs have gotten more interesting since Gen V - they're the right combination of detailed and simple. I felt Gen II had a lot of designs that were too simple, and Gen IV tended to have a bit too much detail. They've also become much more creative with typings and designs since Gen V, giving us such things as:

• An electric spider.
• A golem that's also a mecha.
• A giant floating electric lamprey.
• A luchador hawk.
• An actual mole (instead of a whack-a-mole) that turns into a drill.
• A literal shadow boxer.
• A bodybuilder mosquito.
• A tiny origami man that deals out the worst paper cuts ever
• A murderous sapient sand castle.
• A wimpy little isopod that evolves into a giant samurai isopod.
• A ghost owl that's an archer.
• Tiger Mask, but ON FIRE!
• A mermaid sea lion that may actually be a selkie.
• A ninja frog, referencing The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya.
• A slug dragon based on obscure French mythology.
• A pistol shrimp with a bazooka for an arm.
• A literal yeti crab.
• A fusion of a mythical Japanese princess, bamboo stalks and a rocket.
• The Gaping Dragon from Dark Souls.
• A supermodel cockroach.
• A jellyfish made of glass.
• A "tree" made of electrical wires.
• A T. rex that actually has some feathers like the real thing.
• A water and fire elemental, AKA the living oxymoron.
• King freaking Ghidorah.
• Mothra ON FIRE!
• A hilarious-looking electric flatfish that may or may not be a whoopie cushion
• A literal dragonfruit tree.
• The Forlorn Trash Heap from the Mother/Earthbound franchise.
• A fire-breathing mata mata turtle. Could also be called Gamera.
• A sapient keyring that steals keys.
• A sad, lonely little eldritch abomination wearing a poorly-made Pikachu costume.
• The king of the swingers, oh, the jungle VIP. That's a psychic yokai.
• A sea cucumber whose innards are an arm.

And that's just scratching the surface of the weirdness we've gotten.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Thirdly, the worldbuilding. Now I know, I know, Pokémon isn't a story game and all that, and I agree. But in a weird way, that makes it better for me. They're not putting tons of effort and focus on the stories, which means that a lot is left up to the imagination. You know, they give us myths, and random details about everyday life, and TV shows and radio programs and books on shelves, and it's all just a bunch of little stuff - rarely does any of that take up a major focus. But that's exactly the kind of thing that I love most, because it gives us some loose details, and then lets us make up our own minds about it. And because of that, my idea of how the Pokémon world works may be entirely different from somebody else's, and I think that's pretty cool. Just the fact that I have so much leeway and flexibility in forming my own interpretation of the world is really fun. So with every new game, I get to go around and search for as many of these little details as I can, and that's a load of new information that I get to fit into my existing theoretical structure.

Oh this is a really great point!

For me I like cute girls like Serena and Lillie.

 

[BorgyDudeMan]

Well, Pokémon has invaded most of my life, so the only reason why I am interested to it is because I am attached to all of the 802 known species of Pokémon...

 

[Peekaboo Pikachu]

I'd say it's a combination of nostalgia and escapism. I was around when Gen I came out, so it reminds me of my childhood. When I think "Pokemon", I think of "wholesomeness" and "Innocence". It reminds me of what life was like in a pre-9/11 world. I find that the more I'm made aware of the grim truths of reality by being exposed to the news and other things, the more I want to escape to a fantasy world where my best friend is an electric mouse and everything will be okay because the good guys always win.

 

[KaylaBaraonda]

I like cuteness and lore. And there's always new Pokémon\forms, characters, and lore.

 

[Phagocyte]

I like its competitive scene and multiple story lines and games. There's always a Pokemon game I haven't played yet!

 

[Champion Bayleef]

I've never even thought about quitting Pokemon. Pokemon is my life. Thanks to Pokemon, I met my best friend, who means everything to me.

And there's just so much Pokemon-related in my life. I'll always be in the mood for at least something. Games, anime, fanfiction, fan art, plushies, YouTube parodies, TCG cards... There's always something different to enjoy.

 

[Vulpix037]

Several things. Bulbapedia helped expand my Pokémon knowledge.