Pikas

lol. interesting.. but it would come as no surprise if Pikachu was named after this animal.. most pokemon were named after animals.. or had their names just slightly modified from the original animals' names..
 
Pikachu was indeed named after the real life critter, the pika. Could also be the mountain viscacha or the kangaroo rat. The "chu" is the Japanese word for the sound a mouse makes, I believe. Can't be sure, don't hold it against me.

Just look up the three critters I named, and you should see some similarities.
 
Hanako Tabris said:
The "chu" is the Japanese word for the sound a mouse makes, I believe. Can't be sure, don't hold it against me.
Click to expand...

It should be correct.. if you've watched Spirited Away, the sound that the rodent made was also a very cute "chu"..
 
I've read the link.
It says that the Pika is related to the rabbit or hare. But Pikachu is a mouse. And I can't find anything there that relates their nature (I certainly can't imagine Pikachu living in a hole in the ground).
Otherwise, they share the body shape.
 
Yeah, I think Pikachu is based on the Pika mouse and Raichu the Kangaroo rat.
 
Hanako Tabris said:
Pikachu was indeed named after the real life critter, the pika. Could also be the mountain viscacha or the kangaroo rat. The "chu" is the Japanese word for the sound a mouse makes, I believe. Can't be sure, don't hold it against me.

Just look up the three critters I named, and you should see some similarities.
Click to expand...

Thats true.

But the 'Pika' in its name stands for the Japanese sound effect for thunder crashing. I guess, in Japan that sound is 'Pika!' ...Oo
 
from the Japanese PIKA, a mouse-like animal. Similarity to the English phrase "peek at you" has aroused the curiosity of scholars, but no direct linkage to that phrase has been established.
 
Oo hmmm....interesting.
Man...so many different theories on Pikachu's name... o__o

Amusing.
 
I don't see the resembens. The don't really look alike.

Still. I think the chu part is true.

I thought I heard that Pika was from some Japanese thunder god or something like that. I never heard of it being the sound of thunder. Still makes sense.
 
Kraka-chan said:
I've read the link.
It says that the Pika is related to the rabbit or hare. But Pikachu is a mouse. And I can't find anything there that relates their nature (I certainly can't imagine Pikachu living in a hole in the ground).
Otherwise, they share the body shape.
Click to expand...

Perhaps creators initially intended to create Pikachu to be a rabbit instead of a mouse? Look at Pikachu's ears.. they're pretty long and resembles that of a rabbit's ears.
Maybe they changed it back to an electric mouse when they realised that what they've drawn had a face of a cute mouse than that of a rabbit? It's possible..
 
I heard that Pika's name just meant Electric mouse.
So maybe the "Pika" part is the Electric thing and "chu" the mouse?
 
Mudkipblader said:
I heard that Pika's name just meant Electric mouse.
So maybe the "Pika" part is the Electric thing and "chu" the mouse?
Click to expand...

Go read the 8th post in this thread by Drew.. he said something about the 'pika' part..
 
Drew said:
But the 'Pika' in its name stands for the Japanese sound effect for thunder crashing. I guess, in Japan that sound is 'Pika!' ...Oo
Click to expand...

I've always agreed with this theory. It is true that "pika" is the sound of thunder, according to the Japanese anyway. So, Drew, I think your right. Although the animal pika is kind of odd too. Maybe it's a double meaning. You know how people like to do that stuff. Trust me, story creators like it when people try analyzing their characters like this.
 
I think Hanako Tabris is correct that Pikachu was created being based off the animal, the "pika." They do look similar to me, they have the same shiny, black eyes. X3

Lots of Pokemon have multiple name meanings as well. So if it is true that "pika" means the sound of thunder crashing in Japanese and "chu" is the sound a mouse makes, then those definitions can be used to resemble Pikachu's battling characteristics whereas the "pika" (in terms of the animal it's named after) describes its physical appearance. Just my two cents...~ XD

~Kelsey
 
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