Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme has been around for years at this point, but how did it start? It shows an off-model, surprised-looking Pikachu from the early seasons of the Pokémon anime.
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All about Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme
According to KnowYourMeme, the Shocked Pikachu meme first appeared on Tumblr in September 2018. It immediately spread, first appearing on Facebook and Reddit, then starting to emerge on Twitter.
The language surrounding the image is always written in a very specific style, and it usually contains a line of dialogue from the poster expressing some action that should be clear in its result. The poster then follows through on this promise, and the incident comes to a logical conclusion. Then, shocked Pikachu is depicted as the response to the apparent, using Pikachu’s unconventional appearance to indicate surprise (but not too surprised; the outcome was obvious, after all).
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Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme – The Pikachu image is from Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village, which is episode 10 of season 1 of the Pokémon anime. As the episode’s name suggests, this is the one where Ash captures Bulbasaur. About 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the show, the scene takes place.
A wild Bulbasaur interrupted Ash and Misty’s attempt to combat and subdue a wild Oddish when it suddenly materialised. Misty’s Starmie is quickly destroyed by Bulbasaur, and Ash then sends out his Butterfree to utilise sleep powder.
Butterfree is put to sleep by Bulbasaur’s attack after it inhales and blows all of the sleep powder back at it. The gang is shown responding to this change of events in the following scene, with Pikachu forming the meme’s face in the bottom right corner of the screen. Pikachu is obviously supposed to be surprised in the context of the episode, but because he is out of focus in the picture, his animation wasn’t given as much care, leading to the famous meme expression.
Unexpected Popularity of Pikachu
Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme – Pikachu’s look wonderfully expresses that “I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am” feeling that one experiences when a likely but unfavourable conclusion occurs, which is one of the main reasons why the meme became popular. It’s especially hilarious given the episode’s unexpected events—none of them should have predicted that Bulbasaur would be able to reflect sleep powder.
Since the Pikachu face occupies such a little portion of the frame, it is typically of rather low resolution, which frequently aids in the meme’s success. Nevertheless, it’s occasionally replaced with a vectorized repaint of the scene, which occasionally removes Brock’s legs as they appear in the original frame’s background. Additionally, Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme is frequently stretched, enlarging Pikachu’s face and lowering his ears, which heightens the image’s humorous impact. Due to the distinctiveness of the meme and Pikachu’s almost global recognizability, it gained popularity quickly and has largely maintained it even four years later.
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Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme – Knowing the roots of the Pokémon meme and how to use it effectively won’t hurt, as the Shocked Pikachu meme is undoubtedly here to stay.
Pokemon’s Shocked Pikachu Meme FAQs
What does shocked Pikachu mean?
shock and astonishment
Who made the surprised Pikachu meme?
After being shared by a Tumblr user going by the name of Angela on September 26, 2018, the still image of Pikachu appearing somewhat astonished has supposedly become a meme. It had been taken from a Pokémon anime that had first broadcast in 1997.
Why did they change Pikachus cry?
Particularly during the Game Boy period, the early games in the series had technical restrictions when it came to producing cry sounds. More realistic-sounding cries were added as hardware specifications improved. However, Pikachu was given some unique treatment along the road.
