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Tajiri collected insects as a kid in suburban Tokyo before urbanization paved over the fields. He channeled that childhood joy into Pokémon—creatures you catch, collect, and battle. The Game Boy games launched in 1996, creating the highest-grossing media franchise in history at $100+ billion. Bigger than Star Wars. Bigger than Marvel. Pokémon GO got 500 million downloads. Every generation has Pokémon—cards, games, shows, movies. Tajiri spent six years making the first game while Game Freak nearly went bankrupt. His obsession with collecting bugs became a global phenomenon letting millions experience the thrill of discovery.