How did you get into Pokemon?

[KorpiklaaniVodka]

Well so many veterans here... I get jealous considering I got into Pokemon in 2009, through YouTuber chuggaconroy and the Smash Bros. series.

 

[véronique]

So the anime led you to the games? I am the opposite and was let to the anime by the games haha

Yeah, I was the same way. I got into the anime first and really wanted to play the games. I think I wound up getting Pokémon Yellow for Christmas and then Pokémon Gold for my birthday the year was released. Honestly though, I see myself more as a Gen II fan than a Gen I fan, but that's because I was a dumb little kid who had to figure out that I had to go get a Mankey just outside Viridian City, though I do like how they gave you all the Gen I starters in Yellow.

 

[Embernight]

I got into Pokemon when my cousins showed me the card game when I was 7 or 8. All I remember is that I thought Rattata was the cutest and that Gloom was the ugliest Pokemon ever, with drool hanging out from its mouth. The same day, my cousin let me play his Pokemon Sapphire. I loved the Pokemon franchise ever since.

 

[noahr94]

I'm 21 now, but when I was like 5, my brother had a birthday party at some jungle-gym-amusement-park-type place. For one of his presents, he received a bundle gift in a Gameboy Color and Pokemon Red version. The second he opened that present, I knew it was on. Since then, RPGs have become my favorite video game genre and Pokemon is a classic favorite.

 

[Kikaito plush]

I got into pokemon after I saw an episode of the anime on tv.

 

[Zoroark Cutie]

I don't remember how I got into Pokemon because I was simply born into it. For as long as I can remember, I watched the anime and played Red (Or Blue) around the same time, I wanna say when I was 4 or 5. When I stopped playing Pokemon for a long time, there were 2 things that brought me back, the first was Netflix when they added the first one and a half seasons and the second thing was a nuzlocke playthrough. They got me thinking how much I missed the games, collecting and battling Pokemon, exploring regions, and a lot more and it made me get right back into the series.

 

[GengyGengar]

In around 2003, when I was 4 years old (it was after July 25th, when RSE released in Europe), my brothers all liked Pokemon as well. One of them, can't remember which, had Pokemon Ruby, and they let me play it with the promise that I wouldn't save over their progress. I didn't, I just ran around battling and catching Pokemon. I remember specifically that they were on Route 120, and their first Pokemon in their party was a Swellow. I didn't know about switching Pokemon or anything like that, I just fought Pokemon after Pokemon until Swellow died, and I was completely mesmerised. After that, I would play their Pokemon Ruby whenever I had the chance, and I've been playing ever since, having played every Generation after and both before.

 

[bini]

It was 1999 and I was 6 years old. Saw the first anime episode on TV and was hooked from then on.

 

[pokemongallade1]

When I was young I received some free cards from someone and that's how I start playing pokemon

 

[TravelerTrainer15]

My brother let me play his copy of Silver since he hates Gen 2.
I still don't get as much nostalgia from that generation as I do Gen 5.

 

[Blue_Bird]

My older brother got me into it, when he was around 14 and I was around 7 he game me all of his Pokemon stuff and I continued amassing more and more of it, I wish I still had some of my old stuff but lost it while moving around. It was in it's prime back then, how could I not be drawn to it as a kid? It was everywhere. school, home, the playground.

 

[Maserati777]

I want to say it was in elementary school in 1997 or 1998. Kids were passing around the trading cards on the playground. My earliest memory is trading an older kid my Pokemon Breeder for his Squirtle. Obviously I didn't realize this was a bad trade. I definitely bought cards but didn't really get into Pokemon until I got my Pikachu Gameboy. Of course this is also right around the time my grandmother died so I don't have a lot of memories of Pokemon in the beginning.

I definitely saw all the films up until the Deoxys movie. I recently saw some of the other films on youtube, I really liked the Darkrai and Giratina films but wasn't a fan of the Arceus film.



I think Pokemon died out around 2002 at my school when I was in 7th grade and everyone switched to Yu gi Oh. I kind of put up Pokemon as well when the ex series were released.

 

[Infinitum]

People I knew collected Pokémon cards and played the games, they shared information about it and I started to like it as well. I started collecting Pokémon cards (with my most unique card being a special Mewtwo first movie edition) and soon after it I bought my DS (around the time Diamond/Pearl were released) I quickly bought Diamond and soon after it I bought Explorers of Darkness. 2 unforgettable games and for me probably the games I played/enjoyed most.

 

[Azelfino]

I was around 5 - 6 years old. My family friend handed me Pokemon Yellow to try. I popped it into my brother's game boy and the rest is history.

 

[ItWasABadDream]

I'm not exactly sure. I think my parents just bought it for me sometime around 1998 or 1999 (I would've been 10-11 years old). My family always played Mario games (NES, SNES, Game Boy) and it seems like one day Pokemon must've just showed up. I played from about 1998-2001 and then stopped until 2006. I started again in 2006 when I discovered emulators and roms.

 

[LilBueno]

I don't remember too well. I know the anime had already started and it was 1999. I only remember that because I had moved to a different state and remember making a friend in my new school over the theme song; I also had a Pokeball keychain on my backpack. I know my older brother's friend let me borrow his Gameboy and Pokemon Red (I want to say I used to own Blue before I moved, but not sure). I loved it and convinced my mom to get me Yellow and then Gold (or was it Silver?) when it came out, followed by Crystal, Ruby, and Firered when all were released. I didn't play much after that, but I watched the anime on-and-off, and also got into Coliseum. Though I followed the news pretty closely, I didn't own a Nintendo handheld during Generations IV and V, but someone convinced me to get one for Pokemon Y. I did and fell back in love with the games. I went to Gamestop to get a present for my girlfriend and the clerk talked me into pre-ordering Alpha Sapphire. So...I guess my brother's friend is how I got into it first.

 

[Zultiner]

I started by watching the show, then after I discovered there was a game I had my mom drive me to the nearest game store and bought the first one I found.

 

[Bounsweet]

I was a victim of the crazed 90's Pokemon fad and basically just never outgrew it.

 

[wizard_scissors1000]

played a friends pokemon red

 

[SparklingMistral]

I got Blue for my 5th birthday, so that's what got me started on the games. I was watching the anime too, and I was pretty hooked on that.