Pokémon Championships History Ep. 4: The Little Pachirisu That Could

In this episode of Pokémon Championships History, we flash back to the 2014 World Championships Masters Finals to remember one of the most iconic moments in competitive Pokémon! Learn about Se Jun Park's groundbreaking Pachirisu in this intense match against Jeudy Azzarelli!
Learn more about competitive events right here: www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon
Watch the full match here: • 2014 Pokémon World Cha...

[@gungles]

imagine playing so good that your squirrel is literally part of pokemon lore

[@EXISTANCE-FADING-FAST.]

That would be amazing.

[@nickschleiff896]

Basically what happened, huh. Pretty epic.

[@OrtegaSauce]

It's history. There's no lore behind it

[@0TTERROCK]

@@OrtegaSaucehistory is just real life lore

[@OrtegaSauce]

@@0TTERROCK lore relates to fiction and mythology. History is history

[@Luigis_Menace]

Perhaps the most legendary moment in all of competitive Pokémon.

[@jossuecabrera8611]

Right up there with seaking and cherrium being in championships too.

[@bigdub911]

telly vs abr is better imo

[@powergo7486]

Unfortunate doesn't begin to describe...

[@Carpanta23]

"Unfortunate" doesn't begin to describe my series, this game rewards blind luck and nothing else, I am beyond convinced at this point. After getting completely tooled by scheduling with my opponent changing times on me last minute and refusing to provide confirmation prior to the day of the match as to play times, losing this way somehow felt even worse than I had thought possible. My preparation was superior, my play was superior, and I lost, so I don't see a reason to continue engaging in an activity where what is within my control is overwhelmingly outweighed by what is not. I am done with competitive Pokemon, and you won't get a fond farewell. This community is infected to its roots with a degenerative disease that grows stronger over time but stops short of killing its host. Tournaments used to have a competitive spirit at their heart, this has been transplanted and replaced with an artificial organ that feeds on vitriol and mockery from insecure little boys that heckle by the sidelines and tear each other to shreds over scraps of attention. The environment we fostered has trapped us all like this in a vicious cycle, and escaping it requires acceptance of the harshest reality we all scramble to explain away, that none of the countless straining efforts we put ourselves through here will ever amount to one single shining glimmer of significance. I would make this the end, but World Cup is still ongoing, and I would never leave so many great friends out to dry, so I'll suffer through a few more games for them. One last thing before I leave you all to react with disdain, ridicule, and self-righteous fervor, before you do everything in your power to minimize my words and thoughts, box them up and shove them to some cobwebbed corner of your memory, and hope they disappear forever as a stain on your finite time ground to dust. From this moment on, nothing you say matters to me. The foulest insults you hurl with intent to wound will calmly settle at the earth before my feet, and the venom you spit will bring all the pain of a warm summer breeze. You are less than anything you can conceive, while I carry on, brimming with joy distilled from detachment.

[@glacierwolf2155]

I think that the Mega Charizard plush fakeout takes that spot.

[@Kameno-o]

Pachirisu and Sejun Park is the embodiment of Grimsley’s quote in BW: “Life is a serious battle, and you have to use the tools you're given. It's more important to master the cards you're holding than to complain about the ones your opponents were dealt.”

[@doctorhu6516]

Is the implication here supposed to be that he was forced to use pachirisu and made do instead of specifically picking pachirisu for his team

[@Skylark0000]

@@doctorhu6516It’s probably more about mastery of the format which had a limited pool of options.

[@bloomallcaps]

​@@doctorhu6516 pachirisu was perfect for his team composition and the meta at that time, so yeah

[@BakingSoda4U]

@@bloomallcaps A lot of people don't get this and think he brought it just to be "epic" or some other dumb concept.

[@mastahmaxtah9339]

Grimsley kinda spittin'. Hits hard with the tilt you'd see from time to time in comp.

[@cobaltprime9467]

A real life Pokémon anime moment. Like Ash’s Pikachu snatching victory from the jaws of defeat by the final opponent.

[@Frightknight15]

And the fact it's also a pika clone makes it even more true

[@Konyneko752]

Only difference is battles in the anime don't use strategies jxkajsoaosksjaos

[@sageashton31]

​@@Konyneko752 Wrong

[@BakingSoda4U]

@@sageashton31 Aiming for the horn or covering Swellow in an "electricity armor" are such big strategies, yes.

[@Charliezard7]

@@Frightknight15 the big difference is that Pachirisu was the best choice for his team while pikachu is shit

[@JcFerggy]

Bro is literally a Pokemon protagonist. Not much different than Ash taking a Pikachu into the finals.

[@wikiuser92]

And winning, too.

[@Fikrisirnight]

Petition to rename Ash to Se Jun in Korea dub... wait 😢 oh i forgor, Ash is no longer in the anime

[@Celebee]

it is much different considering pachirisu was actually the best choice for his team

[@TuEIite]

@@Fikrisirnight They should give him a cameo, or as an NPC in one of the games.

[@Fikrisirnight]

@@TuEIite maybe in korea based generation, gen X perhaps

[@LoftwingPursuit]

I really appreciate how this video does into detail about all the intricate moving parts that made Se Jun's win so spectacular. Most people just focus on the meme of Pachirisu and leave it at that, thus doing a disservice to the rest of the team (particularly Gardevoir's survival) and Se Jun himself. Here, everything is given the credit it deserved

[@user-lq4ct6dr5m]

I remember wolfie said that the gardevoir is EV trained to specifically live a bullet punch from mega lucario

[@Camtoonist]

Okay but why does the art near the end go so freaking hard?!

[@RotoMarzenia]

Because Pachirisu deserves it

[@juanca2567]

I would buy those Crystal statues. Funny to see Salamence using Draco Meteor and Pachirisu using Follow Me as Crystal statues while Tyranitar and Garchomp face off.

[@4L3X006]

They look amazing

[@The_Pikaboi]

Its honestly satisfying to see an official Pokemon Video breaking down why Pachirisu was hype besides "Use your favourite"

[@lilylopnco]

I mean, that's exactly why it was hype, the question was why it *worked*

[@Danmarinja]

The week after this match, every single trainer I faced online was using Pachirisu because everyone believed Se Jun had discovered a hidden potential, only to discover that, no, Se Jun was just so clever that nobody else could have pulled that off.

[@The_Pikaboi]

Cause we all forgot about Mega-Gyarados. Oops

[@user-zh2fw7ez7q]

Fr, they didn’t realize Gyrados was the focus. Se Jun’s just on another level.

[@Xgil2Play]

The Little Pachirisu That Could 🙌 We Will never forget what that Pachirisu stood for. It fought for all little Pokémon.

[@donovan802]

Not often a Pikachu clone gets this kinda of recognition, and the fact it’s one of my favorite ones. I love that squirrel! 😊

[@raphaelkhoury218]

Me too! Pachirisu is one of my favorite pokemom!

[@NxtChrXs727]

​@@raphaelkhoury218same!!

[@theshepdawg6809]

Nothing has yet to top this moment in VGC for me. That little Pachirisu earned the respect of millions!

[@matchamixing]

The most iconic moment in VGC history 👏😭

[@marcelosandoval4206]

6:50 NOW thats epic! Fun fact: Sejun said that he didn't really loved Pachirisu before this moment (the reason why he used the plushie was because was part of his mindgame, remember Pachirisu was supposed to protect Gyarados and Talonflame from Electric type moves... the plushie is supposed to remind his opponent Pachirisu can switch in or use folow me at any moment... making the opponent doubt about any move)

[@allisoncurtis4260]

Omg talk about some next level mind games! Sun Tzu himself would be proud! (For anyone wondering Sun Tzu literally wrote the book on battle strategy, The Art of War)

[@LexSchilperoord]

Overheat is like the one move I'd expect to auto-thaw

[@user-zh2fw7ez7q]

Ifkr, what is this game design-

[@WiiMote070]

Yeah, you would think that, huh. But, nah, can't burn, therefore can't auto-thaw.

[@silversonome5360]

"Salamence just get over it, the 2014 World Cup was 8 years ago" "TYRANITAR EVERY DAMN DAY IS THE 2014 WORLD CUP FOR ME"

[@WizardSoon]

The countless meme on the internet that was created to celebrate this feat is phenomenal, reflecting how Sejun Park not only won the WCS, but every hearts of VGC worlds hopeful with pachirisu.

[@raphaelkhoury218]

Yeah!

[@stevenmattrell3448]

Salamence: *Uses Draco Meteor, the literal strongest special dragon-type move Pachirisu: (is barely phased by it) “I’m not impressed.”

[@VanessaVersus]

My brother in Christ it did 90%

[@MashuSlyferiux]

Roar of Time

[@droozyyy]

That Pachirisu fought on the same field as BEASTS in Charizard, Salamence, Lucario, Garchomp, Gyarados, and Gardevoir. The statues are such a dope touch for this legendary performance, especially with the “drop a draco” reference

[@UncleRuckus-NoRelation-]

I feel bad for Brodie though, literally everyone was rooting against him, he was probably rooting against himself too lmao

[@EeveeReturn]

Especially considering, as the narrator mentioned, Jeudy should have had the home field advantage, as an American finalist when the tournament was held in Washington DC. Just another hurdle that Pachirisu lept over that day.

​@@EeveeReturndoes homefield advantage not only apply when you can use your familiarity with the terrain to your advantage?

[@stormyalice]

He was haxed a lot and got really unlucky. Para, opponent thawing 1 turn, being crit-ed, etc. Possibly mid roll on damage. I think he would have won if it wasn't for all of that.

@@stormyalice I do not get why people call RNG-related things ‘hacks’. In Smash slang, that feels like johnning. EDIT: spelling

[@rockandrowl]

​@PokefanGuquizUjixyz how do you edit for spelling and still said hacks instead of hax

[@JohnathanHyde.]

I think a fairly iconic moment is when Araon Zheng missed Will-O-Wisp 5 times straight only for it to be buffed 10% in accuracy shortly after the event this occurred with the release of X and Y. While it's not an underdog story, it is still rather iconic in that a 1% outcome happened at a high level of play. And while not officially confirmed, legend has it that Zheng took the bullet for us and gave us all a more reliable Will-O-Wisp once devs seen just how devastating luck can be in some situations.

[@rklow2023]

link?

[@jebalitabb8228]

@@rklow2023just look it up yourself it was real lol

[@user-zh2fw7ez7q]

I saw Wolfe’s short on that, poor guy. RNGesus really said “Screw you” 😭😭

[@AlphaStoutland]

It's hard to believe that this was all the way back in 2014, dang I'm old 😅 Super memorable moment!

[@Carcosahead]

almost 10 years!! I feel ancient 😅

[@stormyalice]

I'm in my 30's and everything Pokemon feels old now. 😂

[@AgnimitraSutradhar]

Bro the legendary statue of the pseudolegends and pachirisu was so iconic.... it exactly felt like that during the 2014 championships 💖

[@Pokefan-237]

This was absolutely legendary and iconic, nothing but respect for Sejun managing to pull this off

[@Jetfox967]

Never underestimate the power of a tiny electric squirrel.

[@a-s-greig]

Doctor Doom agrees.

[@lazyei9499]

Now we need the Aaron Zheng's will-o-wisp moment

[@fawfulmark2]

From a competitive standpoint it made sense: Pachirisu fit a similar Support Role as Amoongus did for the CHALK Core, but with none of the bad matchups, and it trading Sleep for Paralysis and a move that could guardbreak walls by halving HP was solid too. From a spectator standpoint it was easily the most iconic VGC moment and probably won't be surpassed for some time.

[@K_Lateral]

Even if you're disconnected from the competitive scene you have to at least heard of the Pachirisu that won the 2014 world championship masters finals

[@stormyalice]

I adore they put Pachirisu in history. It was such a meta breaker that it definitely deserves it. It may be a while before we get something unique.

[@imphie]

Story always makes me tear up a bit. Really fits pokemons "use pokemon you like" theme, with the addition of still being such an underdog of a pokemon. God speed pachirisu

[@stealthy9156]

Not exactly-pachirisu became one of park's favourites after the world cup, he chose it because it was the bulkiest follow me user in 2014 and a great support for mega gyarados

[@imphie]

@@stealthy9156 you're right that it wasn't one of his favorites yet, but he did at least like the squirrel pokemon before the competition

[@TheSilvershadow200]

@@stealthy9156 Considering Amoonguss with Rage Powder existed, it was far from the bulkiest. Pachirisu was just the perfect one for this role.

[@stealthy9156]

@@TheSilvershadow200 you said it yourself. Rage powder. I said specifically follow me, not the general term which is redirection. Amoongus wouldn't have worked due to safety goggles zapdos being a popular pick

[@Phyramar]

Pachirushu was my Status Specialist in my otherwise all out offensive Platinum Team when I first got back into Pokémon in 09 I’m glad to see how it won a VGC tourney even if it knocked the US player out of it 😂

[@soularts9616]

I remember being in the crowd for this awesome moment. What an experience!

[@MultiMegaman64]

Se Jun's Pachirisu is an absolute legend

[@harrymillar4193]

I don’t even watch VGC, but even I know all about this moment. I remember finding about it by listening to the World Championship Theme on KZbin. I was wondering why the picture was a Pachirisu of all things so I went to the comments. I was not disappointed.

[@YosiahW]

I'm surprised that Pachirisu hasn't survived a draco meteor in the anime by now.

[@blue_the_boy_kisser]

6:41 good GOD this entire sequence 😭

[@yaboidragonitehere1137]

The legendary moment in VGC, Sejun Park's Pachirisu back then

[@yaboidragonitehere1137]

The OG Goated moment in VGC, and a true example of while Pachirisu or other Pokemon are subpar in Singles, that doesn't mean you can't give it a shot in VGC

[@SKRlNIA]

Me and my friends watched this live in 2014, the hype was real

[@angle4096]

This is one of the most memorable moments in VGC

[@Treeko13]

You cant talk about VGC without talking about the unlucky streak of Aaron Cybertron Zheng and his Rotom heat's wil-o-wisp

[@AceTrainerLiam]

This is the team that got me invested in VGC! ❤

[@yamiRic]

the only VGC final that I watched with my friends on stream back then.. Incredible and unmatched

[@shwoopyrrale1694]

kinda hope to see competitive strategies like pachirisu's involvement in the anime some day. like a strategic sacrifice of a pokemon in a battle, or an unusual pick for a reason. one can never know what the next niche pick will be.

[@docxy7331]

Pachirisu should get a fairy electric regional variant

[@ani_meme]

6:38 Awesome visuals and Bgm Literal goosebumps.....❤❤❤❤

[@thejimcricket]

I could literally hear Joe's voice reading the title " The Little Pachirisu That Could"

[@liamsgreatbitgaming]

An official video on this???? That’s so cool

[@tammyalam9951]

This moment was very iconic. Real life protagonist moment. (Also the background music was pretty good)

[@knuclear200x]

He needs to be in the anime. It's his destiny

[@BJGvideos]

Hey, other real people have. But they're usually connected with Pokémon already (the "pirate trainer" in the first movie and the really flamboyant person on the train in the Deoxys movie are both based on musicians for the show)

[@collectorfortune]

Amazing. My 6 year old pulled the full art of Pachirisu this weekend during our daddy daughter weekend. My last pull with her before she moves on to Kpop and nail polish with mommy. I’m a OG fan of the 152 originals. Came across this video and now I love the card even more. Thanks for the awesome breakdown. My new favorite Pokémon.

[@treeoflife9116]

Pachirisu: "Pa-Chi-Ri-Su! Pa-Chi-Ri-Su! Pa-Chi-Ri-Su!" ("I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!")

[@vexusvexed]

I loved watching Pachirisu win live back in 2014. Absolute champion of our hearts. I nearly got teary eyed seeing those stone and gold models.

[@LostCourage]

They really need to bring back the World Champion theme, finals aren't quite the same without it.

[@GamingGnosis]

This battle always brings tears to my eyes. It's everything fans think Pokemon is about. Friends, teamwork, and creativity. Also is that the god gamer Aaron Zheng himself at 4:35?

[@LumRain]

The heart-warming story of a very bulky, electrifying little squirrel ⚡

[@lambiegabby4055]

Sejun should’ve cameoed in the Pokémon anime in the league or something.

[@halfcreative]

I wish TPCI would take World Championship games and animate them.

[@thegamingmammoth]

IMAGINE an anime styled battle to recreate them, omg that would be crazy

[@ObservantOtaku]

Yes please!!

[@NaviWolf9]

Watching this live was a core memory.

[@flunart]

I remember watching that match on stream and all of us losing our cool when Pachirisu tanked that Draco Meteor. Still waiting for a moment that will top that finale, chills.

[@megasean3000]

Pachirisu is surprisingly versatile for a little Pikachu clone that doesn’t have tremendous stats and a middling ability.

[@tails230]

*Sobbing.* I love that little Pachirisu...

[@isyvd]

This happened almost 10 years ago and that's coincidentally also exactly how long Pachirisu has been my favorite (because of unrelated reasons). I never got to play pokemon games as a child and only bought my first second hand game in 2014. It was Diamond, and that cute little electric squirrel quickly became my favorite pokemon. I had it in my team for the entire game (not a single shred of strategy for it on my part, I just really loved Pachirisu). I wasn't fortunate enough to be able to buy newer pokemon games and therefore Diamond was the only game I'd ever played and replayed for a very long time, and Pachirisu stayed my ultimate favorite. Then, 2 years ago, a pop-up second hand store for plushies etc had a little Pachirisu plush in stock and I drove 2 hours to pick it up. While watching this video I discovered my plushie is identical to the one Sejun had with him (you'd be surprised how different other versions of Pachirisu plushes can look). Seeing this video makes me love it even more!!

[@Xxcilo]

Holy shit the hype in this edit for the final fight hits hard 🔥

[@Rodrigo_B_Lima]

The legendary Pachirisu! ❤

[@nousername191]

The mon, the myth, the legend.

[@varunteja6583]

This is beautiful. Thank you for making this.

[@Banana_Banshee]

Pachurisu, Emolga and Mimikyu will go down as the three best pikachu clones of all time

[@juvenileygo]

It's official!

[@suppengroove]

Absolute Legendary Baller Moves! 😂 Series could already stop by now, nothing topped that

[@EXISTANCE-FADING-FAST.]

I was fully unaware of Pokémon's existence until age 7. I was introduced through Pokémon cards my cousin gave to me. Then I had played Pokémon Moon as my first game. Since then, I have been a huge fan of Pokémon. I saw this moment for the first time and was filled with joy. Also does anybody remember that one quest where you have to beat a guy with just a Pachirisu in Legends: Arceus?

[@cxpKSip]

Yeah. Dude rocks up with a Level 30 Ursaring... Quite the challenge.

[@kirbyizlife]

This is the episode everyone was waiting for

[@noelnelsontimbal348]

Pokemon's EVO Moment #37

[@BJGvideos]

God it really is

[@noinfo1018]

The music choice was incredible… great job pokemon!

[@Spitfiregames]

I watched this match live many years ago and the hype was absolutely electric. My mind was blown.

[@theflipflapchannelcreatedb8160]

Possibly the strongest Pika clone ever in Pokemon history! Pachirisu is an electric squirrel who must have made such a unexpected victory, that must had made me NUTS!

[@ShuckleMan-qq6os]

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for!

[@Corrupted_Eon]

The legendary pachurisu 👀 🐿️⚡️

[@dejEtack]

basically the EVO moment 37 of Pokémon

[@Apocalyptica916]

This series would be incomplete without this moment

[@_Bunger_]

Still patiently, waiting for the 4x miss will o wisp from Cybertron

[@pixality7902]

Love the spotlight on my favorite worlds match. Was the first I watched too!

[@Jayhonas]

2014´s format was truly one of the best.

[@MGSmarioPRO]

Remember perfectly to follow this this world championship stream and was going insane at how Se Jun was breaking everything with that Pachi. One of my favorite stories in gaming tournaments.

[@StrangeNative69]

Watching live was awesome also didnt realize its been 9 years

[@zidanez21]

Imagine being Jody and being reminded of your loss to a squirrel everytime you enter a league

[@tommysdynamaxden]

This is super cool, great edit on this too.

[@pixelchu]

This is a core memory for competitive Pokemon history.

[@Emakura]

I remember watching the match live! It was incredible!!!

[@blazemcking]

Can we talk about the statue artwork though?!? That was amazing!

[@lastnamefirstname8655]

great history! thanks pokemon!

[@b2j135]

Pachirisu, not just your average Pikaclone

[@zottffss]

Those three megalith-like Pokemon battling it all out, and then there’s this cute little Squirrel with a Sitrus Berry in the mix. Long live Sejun Park and Pachirisu.

[@mr.merleb]

Pokémon is doing a great job with these videos!

[@jellycore1316]

OHHH WAIT THIS IS SO COOL! Aww, I remember when this happened

[@Commander_Appo]

THIS is what I was waiting for!!!!!

[@daneroberts1996]

Ok but that cgi sculpture of the Follow Me moment is awesome, and WHAT is that song that played???

[@H0n35t]

At this moment, Pachirisu is quite legitimately a living legend.

[@MCRWolfeh]

This was what inspired me to start playing competitive 💕

[@ANDRESLOPEZ_24]

The little pachurisu that could