I was in line at a supermarket when the cashier’s pocket suddenly blared out “I wanna be…the very best…like no one ever waaas!” and when I gazed upon her blushing face, we formed an unspoken bond that can only exist between two former 90’s kids at Whole Foods.

As I drove home envying her ringtone and replaying the old song in my head, I wondered…what is Pokémon based on? It was then that I discovered an origin story worthy of my geek mythology pantheon.

Humble Beginnings…plus insects

Satoshi Tajiri is the creative genius behind Pokémon, and he had a unique hobby as a kid: collecting insects. He grew up in Machida, a city in Tokyo Metropolis. Machida was rural at the time, with rivers and forests across the landscape. Tajiri’s bug-collecting exploits even earned him the nickname “Dr. Bug” from the kids around him.

Satoshi would devise new ways to catch insects, often finding more than other kids. He would learn about their traits and movements after catching them – and stopped bringing them home when he found them eating each other.

And then there was pavement

As he grew up, Satoshi’s environment shifted from a rural landscape to an urban metropolis. Fields became roads, a fishing pond became an arcade. The insects went away, and kids grew interested in TV and video games. Satoshi temporarily forgot about bug collecting as he discovered the arcades, and took apart his Nintendo just to see how it worked.

After building a reputation by distributing a home-made magazine called Game Freaks featuring techniques and secrets (he even stapled the pages himself!), he found a mentor in Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Donkey Kong and those mustached plumber bros we know and love.

So what is Pokémon based on?

The idea for Pokémon occurred to Satoshi because the original Gameboy had a cable that would transfer data between players. He imagined living organisms moving between the cable, and his childhood obsession rushed back to him.

Places to catch insects are rare because of urbanization. Kids play inside their homes now, and a lot had forgotten about catching insects. So had I. When I was making games, something clicked and I decided to make a game with that concept. Everything I did as a kid is kind of rolled into one–that’s what Pokémon is. -Satoshi

Satoshi offers kids the joy he felt catching insects as a child. Seeing them eat each other inspired the battle element, though he chose for the Pokémon to faint due to a belief that kids don’t take the concept of death seriously and should treat it respectfully. Tajiri also mentioned the Poliwhirl family, who famously have swirls on their bellies. The idea was inspired by tadpoles, whose swirly intestines are visible through transparent bellies (try not to lose your appetite after learning that).

Does the founder of Pokémon have Asperger Syndrome?

A rumor that Satoshi has Aspergers Syndrome has circled the internet for years. Fans with autism have drawn inspiration from Satoshi’s accomplishments, and his childhood fixation on insects (and later video games) along with his reclusive nature may possibly be symptoms of Aspergers. However, caution must be used in making claims like these, as it remains unconfirmed.

The rumor comes from a biography on Tajiri, which claims to have taken the information from a Myspace page that allegedly belonged to him. And as you all know…finding old information on Myspace is not so easy these days. Since then, most sources seem to just reference each other. Furthermore, talking about mental illness is heavily stigmatized in Japan. Until there is proof, which is unlikely to happen for now, it’s best to remain on the fence here.

So there you have it, Satoshi Tajiri has been collecting Pokémon since way before catching ’em all was even a thing! If you like the featured artwork of the Poli-family, shared again below, it was provided by artist Lotopauanka. Find her Instagram profile here for more artwork. In the meantime, I’ll be singing that old Pokémon song while sitting in traffic.

Written by: Michael R Gonzalez