Pokemon is a make-believe world of collectible creatures, and its main inventor was Satoshi Tajiri, a Japanese game creator with a very tiny, very busy idea.

Before Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri was a kid who loved catching insects. He searched in grass, ponds, and trees, not because bugs were trophies, but because every little creature felt like a secret waiting to be found.

Later, cities grew. More roads and buildings appeared. The bug-hunting places he loved became harder to find, so Tajiri wondered: what if a game could bring that feeling back?

His big idea was simple: players could explore, discover creatures, collect them, and share them with friends. It was like bug collecting, but inside a video game world.

One machine detail made the idea sparkle. Portable game devices could connect with a cable, so Tajiri imagined players trading creatures from one device to another.

Tajiri did not build Pokemon alone. His company, Game Freak, developed the game, and artist Ken Sugimori helped shape many of the original creature designs.

The first Pokemon games were called Pocket Monsters Red and Green, released in Japan in 1996. Players caught creatures, trained them, battled with them, and—most importantly—traded with friends.

So who invented Pokemon? The clearest answer is Satoshi Tajiri, with major help from Ken Sugimori, Game Freak, Nintendo, and many others who turned a childhood love of collecting into a worldwide game.

Pokemon began with one playful feeling: “What if finding little creatures could become an adventure we share?” That is why the whole giant world still feels like a kid lifting a leaf and whispering, “Whoa—look what I found.”