Pikachu is the mascot character of the Pokémon franchise, which began with Nintendo and Game Freak video games in the 1990s and later expanded into anime, films and merchandise. Short Pikachu voice clips became widely shared online because the character's name-based speech is instantly recognizable even out of context. Creators still use these sounds in meme edits, gaming posts and cute reaction videos because they signal Pokémon immediately and add a cheerful, familiar tone in just a second.