INDIANA – The 5 most popular Pokémon in Indiana have been revealed by internet searches.
- Franchise mascot Pikachu is first, with 12,349 searches per month
- Generation one’s Kanto region holds four spots with an average total of 32,556 searches per month
- Gardevoir is the only Pokémon on the list from outside of generation one
The brainchild of Satoshi Tajiri, Pokémon is currently the top grossing media franchise in the world, with an estimated total revenue of $76.4 billion.
Multiplayer card game experts at World of Card Games have analyzed Google search volumes from the past year to find out which of the 1,010 total monsters have captured the attention of the U.S.
In 2020, The Pokémon Company released the results of their Pokémon of the year poll, which saw Kalos starter Greninja being crowned the favorite. This poll was open to a global audience, but the findings of the new study show a different picture across the U.S.
Indiana’s favorite Pokémon are:
Pikachu – The electric mouse Pokémon
Search volume: 12,349 per month
Introduced in Red and Green versions, this small yellow mouse is the mascot of the franchise. In the anime, Pikachu is the reluctant partner of Ash Ketchum and the two travel across the world, eventually forging an unbreakable bond and friendship. Pikachu was not originally intended to be the mascot, however, due to Nintendo feeling that it was more recognizable and had a less common color scheme, it was chosen over Clefairy.
Despite this Pokémon’s popularity, Pikachu cannot be caught in Black 2 or White 2 but has been in every other mainline series game to date.
Eevee – The evolution Pokémon
Search volume: 9,243 per month
Eevee has joined the ranks of the starter Pokémon in two mainline games, Yellow version and Let’s Go Eevee. The small fox-like Pokémon is known for its evolutions and for showcasing the dark type and fairy types when they were introduced.
The last evolution announced for Eevee was Sylveon, the fairy type. Fans have wanted an eeveelution for each of the 18 elemental types but there has been no additional Eevee evolution since the X and Y games from 2013.
Charizard – The flame Pokémon
Search volume: 6,843 per month
Charizard is one of the original starter trio that debuted in the Red and Green versions. Along with Pikachu, Charizard is one of Ash’s most well-known Pokémon due to its arrogance and eventual loyalty and respect for Ash.
This fire starter commonly makes a playthrough of generation one difficult because it is weak to the first two gym leaders, although in later generations the Charizard family is given access to moves that can help defeat them.
Prior to using the generation legendary on the box art, Charizard was featured on the box for Red version.
Squirtle – The turtle Pokémon
Search volume: 4,121 per month
Another first generation starter Pokémon, Squirtle’s anime appearance featured a team of sunglasses-wearing, firefighting turtles. Squirtle is the second favorite of the Kanto starters and its fully evolved form Blastoise, was featured on the box for Blue version.
In the games, Squirtle is the most useful starter in Kanto. This is due to its general survivability and its strength against 45% of gym leader Pokémon.
Gardevoir – The embrace Pokémon
Search volume: 3,575 per month
Gardevoir is the final evolution in the Ralts family line and debuted in the Ruby and Sapphire games.
Ralts was the starter Pokémon for the player’s rival Wally and at the end of the game it has evolved into a Gardevoir.
Its pokédex entry states that Gardevoir is fiercely protective of its trainer, using its psychic powers to create a black hole if threatened. Gardevoir was given a male counterpart, Gallade, in generation four.
Top 5 Pokémon in Indiana
| Rank | Pokémon | Average Monthly Search Volume (Past 12 Months) |
| 1 | Pikachu | 12,349 |
| 2 | Eevee | 9,243 |
| 3 | Charizard | 6,843 |
| 4 | Squirtle | 4,121 |
| 5 | Gardevoir | 3,575 |
A spokesperson for World of Card Games commented on the findings:
“Pokémon has captured the imagination of children and adults alike with its colorful creatures and worlds.
“The trading card game in particular attracts huge audiences to the world championships which have taken place in London and this year will take place in Yokohama, Japan. Many collectors and players of the card game seek out alternate artwork and special editions which feature these top ten Pokémon.
“This study illustrates how much recognition the brand has built over its twenty-seven-year history, and it will be interesting to see if newer Pokémon can start to break into the top five.”
