An entire generation grew up with Pokémon, starting in the late 1990s. Many Pokémon fans have fond memories of watching the anime, playing the games, collecting the cards and owning assorted merchandise. For some reason, however, a significant number of fans in this age group also distinctly remember Pikachu having a black-tipped tail.

The reality is that the tip of Pikachu's tail is plain yellow and never had black on its design. Despite that, many '90s kids will swear they remember seeing Pikachu's tail with a black tip. Some Pokémon fans have even made Photoshop creations and fan art of what they thought the tail looked like. There are many possible reasons for this false memory of Pikachu's tail, as well as inclusions to the franchise that feed into it. To better understand what led to this misinterpretation of everyone's favorite Electric Mouse Pokémon, here's a closer look at the facts and theories.

Updated by Lynette Guzman on September 17th, 2024: Pikachu is one of the most recognizable Pokémon and franchise mascots in entertainment. Even those mostly unfamiliar with the Pocket Monster series recognize Pikachu's iconic and adorable design. Ash's first Pokémon is strongly etched in many childhood memories, which makes the Pikachu Mandela effect a fierce debate over whether its design had a black tail tip. This article was updated to include more details about how Pikachu's design has changed over time and formatted to adhere to CBR's current standards.

What Does Ash's Pikachu Look Like?

The Original 1990s Pokémon Does Not Include a Pikachu Black Tail

The appearance of Ash's Pikachu is mostly the same as any other male Pikachu design: beady black eyes; long, pointed, black-tipped ears; round, red pouches on its cheeks. This famous Pokémon has two brown horizontal stripes on its back and a brown base to its lightning-bolt-shaped tail. The rest of the late '90s Pikachu's features are meant to resemble a mouse, highlighted by the Pokémon's iconic yellow shade.

If any of Pikachu's features were to possibly fool people into believing there was a black-tipped tail, it would have to be the accompanying black-tipped ears. Pikachu's tail sometimes overlaps with its black-tipped ears, especially when the Pokémon expresses emotions to viewers by moving its ears down. In the anime, Pikachu's appearance changes slightly over time, but mostly due to improved animation tools. Though Team Rocket was always on the hunt for Ash's Pikachu, it wasn't because the special Pokémon had a black tail.

Did Ash's Pikachu Ever Have a Black Tail?

Some Fans Are Convinced that Pikachu's Tail Had a Different Design

Despite beliefs to the contrary, due to the Pikachu Mandela effect, Pikachu's tail was never black. It may have been seen with shade on its tail every once in a while, but it was never actually black. Pikachu's tail was always completely yellow, save for the patch of brown at the base. Part of this belief may be due to the lightning bolt theme of the tail, with some fans almost psychologically expecting black shading to Pikachu's tail.

The only real exception to this was when Pikachu was a Pichu before it evolved. Because Pichu's tail is naturally all black, Pikachu's tail should have technically been black at this time. However, Pikachu wasn't shown as a Pichu until Pokémon Journeys, a Pikachu prequel animated series that didn't start airing until late 2019. Even if this detail feeds into modern misconceptions, it still wouldn't explain why '90s kids thought Pikachu had a black tail.

How Has Pikachu’s Original Design Changed?

Pikachu Is Slightly Different in Appearance Due to Animation

Despite Pikachu never having a tail with a black tip in its design, the classic Pokémon has evolved in appearance over time. The original Pikachu used to be a lot chubbier due to video game hardware limitations. However, the famous Pokémon has slimmed down in recent generations. Pokémon Red and Blue designer Ken Sugimori attributed Pikachu's changed design to the Pokémon anime. Pikachu was easier to animate with a slimmer, more defined structure in the series, and subsequent appearances of the Pokémon adopted these changes in games and merchandise.

In addition to Pikachu's shrinking waistline, later Pokémon games included changes like a straighter spine and a more defined face for the Pocket Monster. Improved gaming hardware allowed Pikachu's changes to naturally evolve alongside the more polished Pokémon designs that had more pixels to work with. Pikachu also used to have a white muzzle in earlier depictions, although this was more apparent in the merchandise outside the anime. Its tail was also thinner and more jagged in some artistic renderings. None of these features, however, would lead fans to believe that Pikachu has a black tail.

Does Cosplay Pikachu Have a Black Tail?

Female Pikachu Black Tails Are a Specific Type of Pokémon Design

Cosplay Pikachu is a special variation of Pikachu introduced in 2014's Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. These specific Pokémon variations on the familiar mouse featured female Pikachu with unique outfits and moves that Pikachu can't normally learn, like Icicle Crash and Flying Press. Cosplay Pikachu were designed with the intent of being used in the games' contests, which is probably why they can't be transferred to other core Pokémon series games.

Excluding the outfits, Cosplay Pikachu has a unique tail to distinguish itself from other Pikachu. It has the heart-shaped notch typically found in female Pikachu, but it also has a distinctive black tip. Still, since this Pikachu variation didn't debut until 2014, it can't be responsible for '90s kids' misconceptions. This makes the mystery of the black tail Pikachu hard to pin down, especially given the comparative lack of the internet at that time.

Why Do So Many People Think Pikachu Has a Black Tail?

The Pikachu Mandela Effect Is Strong for Some Pokémon Fans

Pikachu's presumed black tail is often attributed to the Mandela effect, a phenomenon in which multiple people -- thousands, even -- similarly recall a past event that never happened. Think of the Mandela effect as a shared false memory. A popular example of the phenomenon is when people incorrectly believe Darth Vader said, "Luke, I am your father" in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In reality, the original Darth Vader line in Empire Strikes Back is "No, I am your father." Pikachu's black tail is a possible consequence of the Mandela effect. If that theory is true, then it's possible the misconception was collectively reinforced. One kid who thought Pikachu had a black tail might have "confirmed" his suspicion with a friend under the same misconception. Eventually, entire groups of people would become convinced that the Pikachu tail detail was true.

Another possible cause of the misconception is off-brand toys. Companies looking to cash in on Pokémon's success might sell Pokémon-like toys with incorrect color palettes, due to inattention to detail, or a lack of quality control. Such changes would include something like a purple Aerodactyl or a black-tailed Pikachu. Or the misconception could have also stemmed from Pikachu's sprite in Pokémon Red and Blue. In these games, Pikachu had a long, black tail with a lightning bolt tip, not unlike Raichu's. That could have been misremembered by '90s kids years later as a black-tipped tail.

Pikachu's Legacy Has Inspired Numerous Imitations

The Cute Mouse Pokémon Created More Spinoffs in the Series

Beyond just the outside world and popular culture, Pokémon is also a major influence on itself. This can be seen in the various generations of Pokémon ever since the original games and anime series. Each of these had their own "Pikachu imitation," all of which had some variation of the classic Pocket Monster's design. Once again, pre-evolution Pichu even had a black tail, adding to the "Pikachu Black Tail" misconception. This also comes into play with Emolga, a later Pokémon who has an incredibly bushy black tail. The Pikachu-Family isn't an official Pokémon evolutionary line like the "Eeveelutions," but it is a noticeable design quirk.

Pikachu Imitators in the Pokémon Franchise

It's almost strange to see the franchise essentially imitate itself with these creatures, but at the same time, it makes sense. While none of these monsters are nearly as iconic or popular as Pikachu, they do play a similar role in being cute rodents that appeal to young children. Likewise, because they're clearly made in the mold of Pikachu, these Pokémon can continue that sense of legacy without adding to the Pikachu evolutionary line. This also means that the basic design can be played with, resulting in a "black tail Pikachu" that isn't actually Pikachu. It's perhaps the smartest thing that GameFreak can do to keep the electric mouse Pokémon around while also keeping the franchise fresh, in both the anime and the games.