Did you know ? Sacha gave his precious Pikachu a name. According to a manga published in 1999, the famous electric mouse is indeed called… Jean-Luc!
With over 1,250 episodes under its belt, Pokémon is one of the longest-running animated series in television history. Broadcast since 1999, it has offered 25 seasons of adventure to its two protagonists – the trainer Ash and his faithful companion Pikachu – even if the latter have recently bowed out in favor of new main characters, who should perpetuate the Pokémon epic for still a good time.
Adapted from the famous video game license created in 1996 by developer Game Freak, the series has also been released on the big screen via numerous feature films, and in bookstores with the publication of mangas and graphic novels.
It is precisely between the pages of one of these works that we can discover the most surprising information about Pikachu, the unforgettable electric Pokémon that looks like an adorable rodent who has been traveling alongside Ash since the very first episode.
Indeed, no doubt most fans are unaware of this detail, but as we learn in the manga Electric Tale of Pikachu (Pikachu’s Electric Tale), a compilation of chapters published in Japan in 1999 and unpublished in France, Sacha’s best friend has a first name. And not just any…
Game Freak
On the board above, we can see a trainer asking the young boy if he has ever thought about giving names to his Pokémon (no doubt in reference to the fact that in the games, it is possible to rename the Pokémon at will). creatures that we have captured). Sacha then very proudly exclaims that his Pikachu’s first name is… Jean-Luc!
As we can see in the next panel, where Pikachu wears a small badge representing the Enterprise logo, this is a direct reference to Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart in the Star Trek saga.
As for the origins of the word “pikachu”, it is composed of two Japanese onomatopoeia which correspond respectively to the spark (for “pika”) and the cry of a mouse (for “chu”).
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