Pikachu first burst onto the stage in February 1996. The character exploded when the TV series Pokémon aired in 1997 and has never looked back since, gaining a huge cult following in all the years since. Ash was given Pikachu in the first episode of the show and the two have been joined at the hip ever since that moment.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, due to Nintendo Switch profiles' lack of a birthday setting, the player must speak to the nurse in any Pokémon Center to set their birthday. Upon entering a Pokémon Center for the first time on a birthday, the lights are dimmed, a party popper goes off and Pikachu and assorted confetti falls from the ceiling.