Pokemon Day Brings Greninja Love, Mewtwo Raid, and Zarude the Rogue Monkey
Ninja frogs need love, too.
On February 27, 1996, Pokemon Red & Green released in Japan for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
Now, 24 years later, Pokemon is one of the most popular, beloved franchises anywhere in the world. So for Pokemon fans, the anniversary of the series' launch—now known as Pokemon Day—is a time full of celebration when The Pokemon Company pulls out all the stops.
One of the most exciting Pokemon Day events this year was the reveal of the top favorite Pokemon of the Year, as voted by millions of fans. How does someone even choose a favorite from the nearly 900 different Pokemon species that currently exist? Do most people just default to adorable series mascot Pikachu? Do they pick Charizard because COME ON, IT'S FREAKING CHARIZARD!?!? Or, do they identify most with a frogman who wears its own tongue as a scarf? Ah, yes. It's definitely that last one.
Honestly, it's wonderful to see Greninja getting so much love from the Pokemon community, and it's also great to see Mimikyu make the top 3. If an anthropomorphic frog ninja can get so many people to love him, maybe there's still hope for the rest of us.
On the video game front, Pokemon Sword & Shield is getting a special Mewtwo raid for Pokemon Day, wherein trainers can join forces to challenge the incredibly powerful, emotionally damaged science cat. Apparently he's strong enough to wipe out most challengers, and it's also impossible to catch him. That said, victory nets you coveted rewards like Bottle Cops and PP Max, so it's definitely worth taking him on if your team is up to snuff.
Finally, what better gift could fans receive on Pokemon Day than the introduction of a brand new Pokemon?
After a few weeks of teasing, Nintendo has finally revealed the new Mythical Pokemon for Sword & Shield, and...oh boy.
Zarude is officially classified as "The Rogue Monkey Pokemon," which is the most accurate description one could possibly give to a red-eyed, edgelord monkey Pokemon with a pointy tail and sharpened claws. With a dark/grass dual-typing, Zarude is going to get absolutely wrecked by bug Pokemon, too, which is kind of ironic considering the fact that monkeys eat bugs. But hey, not every Pokemon can be a bug-wrecking monster like Greninja.
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