ABSTRACT
Japanese monsters have already taken over the world. In the guise of card games, animated television features, manga, and video games, Pokémon-literally “pocket monsters”—have infiltrated popular culture and leisure time in almost every corner of the globe.1 Pokémon is an interactive form of entertainment that can be played through a number of platforms, from handheld electronic “gameboy” consoles to trading cards. Currently, there are over 400 individual monsters in the Pokémon universe, each with a distinct name, habitat, and set of characteristics. Success in the game is predicated on mastery of details about these creatures, and there are numerous handbooks and catalogs to map, list, illustrate, and describe them.2
