Pokémon is without a doubt one of the biggest franchises in the world and currently stands as the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, having generated $110 billion in revenue. Starting in 1996 as a pair of video games in Japan for the Gameboy, the series blew up; by the time the video and card game series arrived in North America in 1998, it had become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Pokémon spawned a popular manga and anime series, one that still runs to this very day in the same continuity.

The first three films based on the anime were box office sensations, with Pokémon: The First Movie still holding the record for the biggest anime opening weekend in North America. The series continued with multiple video games, introducing new Pokémon for each console and for new generations to come on board the series, and as of this writing, there are 913 species of Pokémon.

Will There Ever Be an End to Pokémon?

     The Pokémon Company4Kids Entertainment

Even after its initial popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s began to wane, it remained a pop culture fixture, with the franchise’s mascot Pikachu being a signature balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The second wave of nostalgia hit in time to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary. When Pokémon Go was released on mobile devices on July 6, 2016, became one of the most popular apps of the year and was downloaded more than 500 million times worldwide by the end of 2016. The increased popularity led to studios bidding on a live-action Pokémon movie, which resulted in the 2019 release of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pokémon cards became an in-demand collectible item once again, with stores selling out quickly and sometimes leading to violent altercations over them. The franchise even generated a special Pokémon 25 soundtrack album celebrating the franchise’s 25th anniversary with an original song ‘Electric’ by Katy Perry. With popular video games and multiple films including a live-action entry, a still-running animated series, a card game, and more, are there any areas of pop culture left for Pokémon to conquer? Where does this franchise even go? Here are a few unexplored areas for the $100 billion franchise.

Live-Action Pokémon Television Series

     Warner Bros.

Pokémon has been a popular staple on television for over 20 years, with the animated series being the first exposure to many audience members. Multiple incarnations of the animated series have existed but one area that has yet to be conquered is live-action television. While a live-action feature film was made in the form of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, the franchise has been at its most popular in an episodic format.

With how large-scale television has gotten in recent years, with major properties like the MCU, Star Wars, and now Lord of the Rings bringing their larger-than-life and fantastical worlds into people’s homes through streaming series, a live-action Pokémon could become a similar sensation the property experienced prior. It could attract original viewers who get to see more of their favorite characters realized in live-action as well as new younger audiences, and could become a must-watch for families.

This does appear to be a priority as it was announced in 2021 that Netflix is already developing a live-action Pokémon series as well as its own live-action movie, and while it is unclear if it will be connected to Detective Pikachu, it was hinted it will share some elements.

Pokémon Theme Park Attractions

     Universal

One key area that Pokémon has been missing is a theme park presence. With how popular the characters are, and instantly recognizable the merchandise is this seems like an easy win for everyone involved. Guest would certainly love to step into a world that looks like the Pokémon games they played with animatronic Pokémon to interact with and ones to take pictures with. Plenty of rides could be themed around Pokémon and even a chance for visitors to visit locations like centers, gyms and see what a Pokémon battle would look like in real life. A Pokémon-themed land at a theme park could be as big of an attraction as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Nintendo has recently partnered with Universal Studios Parks and Resorts to get their characters into theme parks, with Mario, Luigi, and many others making their way into Super Nintendo World in Universal Japan with locations in Florida and California set to open in the future. This is all done in part of a collaboration between the two companies as Universal Pictures subsidiary Illumination Entertainment is producing the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie.

This partnership also was set to expand to Pokémon, as Universal was originally going to distribute Detective Pikachu, but that project moved over to Warner Bros. when Legendary Entertainment ended their deal with Universal (Warner Bros. also had released the animated Pokemon movies in theaters). It is unknown if Pokémon is part of Nintendo’s contract with Universal Studios, but one has to imagine the addition of Pikachu and more to the parks would be high on their priorities.

Give Ash Ketchum An Ending

Pokémon is many things, but for many audiences, it is the story of Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his quest to become a Pokémon Master with his trusted first Pokémon, Pikachu. Since its premiere in 1998, the series has featured a rotating cast of supporting characters, with Ash and Pikachu visiting multiple locations and having different Pokémon with him at different times. Every episode ends with Ash continuing his journey with ‘To Be Continued…" at the end, but the day may come for the show to end and allow Ash to finish his journey.

Giving a conclusion to Ash’s story, seeing a grown-up version of the character finally becoming a Pokémon Master, would be a way to draw in viewers from every generation of the fandom to see this story (which many likely haven’t watched since they were kids) finally get the ending they always imagined. It then opens the door for new Pokémon animated series, either spinning out of the original series or rebooting the status quo with a new starting point. After over 20 years of being a kid, allowing Ash to grow up might be the last place the franchise can go.