Pikachu is the yellow electric mouse and mascot of Pokemon, a franchise that began with video games in Japan in 1996 and grew into a long-running animated series. Because Pikachu rarely speaks in words, its tone does most of the work, and fans quickly learned to read irritation, excitement or sadness from its voice alone. Short clips of an annoyed Pikachu have circulated in Spanish-language meme edits and reaction videos, where the familiar character makes frustration feel light and funny rather than serious.