Why doesn't Pikachu's voice sound like it used to?

If you listen to Pikachu’s voice in Pokemon Red and Blue, he sounds VERY different to the “pika pika” that you hear in the Pokemon anime - but why is that? And why did it take until 2013 for Game Freak to change Pikachu’s in-game voice?

SOURCES
Pokemon Red + Green
Pokemon TV Anime
Pokemon Yellow/Pikachu
Modern Pokemon Cries

CREDITS/FOOTAGE

[ThomasGameDocs]

Hi there! Thanks for checking out my video - I took a short break from YouTube but now I’m glad to be back doing the videos thing again!

I had to really simplify down the technical details of the Pokemon Red/Green and Pokemon Yellow cry synthesis - if you’re interested in a more detailed breakdown, you should check out these two videos by Retro Game Mechanics Explained, as they’re super in depth but also pretty easy to understand!

Anyway, I'm working on next week’s video right this second, so that should hopefully be out pretty soon!

Thanks for sticking with me,
- Thomas
:)

[Fun_Pokemon_Fan]

Imagine being the most well-known voice actor ever from just saying “Pika-pika-chu!”.

[PrimmsHoodCinema]

My cousins legit know every Pokemon's cry by heart. They make me quiz them & shit it's insane lol

[otakutrash]

They changed Pikachu’s cry back to the electronic sound in Legends Arceus!

[SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Ikue Ohtani: But I thought I was here for Meowth?
The anime studio: *Well yes but actually no*

Fun fact: In the XY series they paid homage to her. They had an episode (Lights! Camera! Pika!) where Ash's Pikachu was the star of the movie in a village filled with Pikachu and they showed the behind the scenes of how a movie is produced and that's where they showed the recording studio with an actor that closely resembles Ohtani

[Lampent]

I always enjoyed Pikachu's digital cry and was happy to see it make a return in Legends Arceus.

[sparklepupfaeri]

Suprised you didnt go over how she did *kind of* keep the language aspect! Theres several combos of "pika" that she uses for specific words, Bikabi for one being for Satoshi/Ash. It helps explain how Ash knows what pikachus saying- theres consistency in the pika-nese.

[Apronika]

9:36

I love this, especially "Pikaaa... C H O O O O O" being blasted at a high volume.

[morpheuslordofoneiroi]

I didn't realize it took them 6 years to make Red and Green back in the day That's insane, but also understandable. The gaming industry was still very experimental back then, and trying to get its footing when it comes to making all the layers of expansive content.

[TheGamersState]

I'll always love this series, it's great to learn all these facts about how a character sounds.

[poweroffriendship.]

The idea of Pokemon creatures speaking in full sentences after learning how to talk like a baby's first word instead of repeating their names over again sounds interesting.

Meowth and Detective Pikachu are the closest we ever get to a Pokemon speaks in full sentences.

[firesonic]

Also, dont they already have enough Pikachu voice lines to use in a sound bank at this point already? I think she deserves a break. Hell, Charles Martinet has stated that Nintendo has enough Mario voice clips from him that they could continue to use them long after he either dies, or decides to retire.

[koperr]

4:07 actually, the first choice for Ash's companion was Clefairy - but it had "to female look", so they chose a more gender-netrueal pokemon, Pikachu :)

[Flabby]

0:36: Chapter 1: Before The Anime
3:11: Chapter 2: Pikachu Speaks
7:27: Chapter 3: Pokémon Pikachu
9:47: Chapter 4: Pokémon X & Y
13:42: Credits

[TheCommenterDragon]

I often thought the reason why they changed Pikachu's voice was because since he's both the face/mascot of the entire Pokemon franchise/company as well as the most iconic Pokemon of all time, i think they just wanted Pikachu to sound more realistic in the games for fan nostalgia and all that at least that's my guess.

[weshuiz]

Next up: why does't every pokemon's voice sound like they used to be?

Short answer: better hardware

[Hetachan]

Truly have a new found respect and appreciation for Ikue Ohtani! I never thought about how much info you have to convey with just a "Pika"

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Pikachu's cry in Red & Green:

Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Dratini, Dragonair, and Dragonite: *Hey, I've seen this one!*

She went from not realizing the popularity to still doing the voice for over two decades...she is livin the life. Definitely would've hit different if she was chosen for Meowth

[VaughanXV]

I hope "Why doesn't Yoshi's voice sound like it used to?" comes out someday.

[EmeraldPencil]

She does a damn good job at putting emotion and life into her seemingly simple voice lines. I've recently been absolutely addicted to the show, and you can tell that voice lines aren't reused. When Pikachu's charging up for an attack, or just cutely sitting on Ash's shoulder, you can hear the different, adorable noises he makes, and you can tell that they're all unique.