Pikachu was created by Atsuko Nishida and later had its design finalized by Ken Sugimori.
Nishida designed Pikachu at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori during development of the original Pokémon games. The final artwork was refined by Sugimori, helping establish the yellow Electric-type Pokémon’s recognizable silhouette.
Pikachu was not originally guaranteed to become the franchise mascot. Clefairy was also considered for a prominent role, but Pikachu’s cute appearance appealed broadly to children and worked well for merchandise and television.
The anime made Pikachu especially famous as Ash Ketchum’s partner. Its name combines Japanese sound-symbolic elements associated with sparkling electricity and a mouse’s squeak, reflecting both its appearance and classification.