Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ Hepburn: Pikachū?) (/ˈpiːkətʃuː/; [pikatɕu͍ː]) are a species of Pokémon, fictional creatures that appear in an assortment of video games, animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books licensed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese corporation. The Pikachu design was conceived by Atsuko Nishida and finalized by Ken Sugimori.