User:Pokelego999/Chansey

Chansey, known in Japan as Lucky (ラッキー) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Chansey first appeared in the initial installments of the series, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, and went on to in numerous subsequent installments and various media associated with the series. In the series, it is the evolved form of Happiny, introduced in Diamond and Pearl, and has an evolution in the form of Blissey, introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver. Chansey are elusive Pokémon that are rare in the wild and difficult to catch. Chansey has been portrayed by multiple voice actors since its debut, including Rachael Lillis and Sarah Natochenny. They are commonly found with Nurse Joy in the Pokémon anime, though they were replaced by Audino in the Black and White series. It has received generally positive reception, noted for its capabilities in combat. It has also been used as part of a tourism campaign to Fukushima following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Design and characteristics
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve. The ultimate goal is to complete the Pokémon index (Pokédex), a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species.

Introduced in Red and Blue, the design started as pixel art sprites by the development team first, with a single color identity chosen to work within the Super Game Boy hardware limitations. Conceived as a group effort by multiple developers at Game Freak, Chansey was particularly popular with the staff during early development, receiving the second highest number of votes to remain in the game when deciding which of all their proposed Pokémon designs to include. Series creator Satoshi Tajiri in particular commented that he liked its "pudgy" design. Once the design phase was completed, the finalized design and artwork were done by Ken Sugimori. Originally tasked with drawing the characters to illustrate a planned strategy guide by Game Freak when the games released, Sugimori drew all the sprites for the game in his style to not only unify their designs visually but also modify any design elements he felt were amiss, while trying to retain the original sprite artist's unique style.

Chansey is a round, pink Pokémon that carries an egg in a pouch on its front. The eggs it carries are said to bring happiness to those who eat them. It is a compassionate Pokemon, and it shares these eggs with injured people and Pokémon. It is a fast runner, which enables it to escape from dangerous situations. Chansey are often seen aiding Nurse Joy characters in the Pokémon anime due to their kind dispositions. When developing Pokémon Black and White, Ken Sugimori stated that the Pokémon Audino was conceived of as a replacement to Chansey in this role.

Appearances
Chansey first appear in Pokémon Red and Blue, where they appear very rarely in Kanto's Safari Zone. Following this appearance, Chansey returned in numerous following installments; in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Chansey returns with a new evolution, Blissey. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Chansey was given a pre-evolution in the form of Happiny. Chansey has appeared in all other mainline Pokémon games. In Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Chansey appear as assistants to the nurses that appear in Pokémon Centers. Chansey make many appearances outside of the main series, including Pokémon Snap, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, the Pokémon Rumble series, Pokémon Café ReMix, and Pokémon Go. Chansey has appeared in several installments of the Super Smash Bros. series. They originally appeared in the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros. as an element in the level, Saffron City. Chansey also appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee, both as a Pokémon that can be summoned from a Poke Ball, and as a collectible in-game trophy. Chansey frequently appear under the ownership of Nurse Joy in the Pokémon anime, though they became less frequent following Pokémon the Series: Black & White.

Promotion and reception
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, The Pokémon Company and the Fukushima Prefectural Government signed a partnership agreement in 2019, with the purpose of disaster reconstruction and tourism. As part of this agreement, Chansey was named the official "Fukushima Support Pokémon", and a park themed around Chansey, named "Lucky Park" was constructed in Namie. Pokémon Company corporate officer Taku Kawamoto said in a statement that "[Chansey] is a Pokemon character that brings happiness. I want people to play a lot at this park and bring a lot of happiness to the town of Namie." Further parks were constructed in Koriyama, Yanaizu, and Shōwa. Pokéfuta manhole covers featuring Chansey were placed around the prefecture as well.

Chansey has been described as a "charming, lovable, and always endearing" Pokémon. Writing for GamesRadar+, Heather Wald described Chansey as being among her favorite Pokemon, and that the prospect of finding one in the wild in Pokémon Legends: Arceus was one of the reasons she was "so excited to jump into Game Freak's latest adventure." In another article for the site, Carolyn Gudmundson noted that while the character's place in "the Pokémon universe is cemented by her vocation as a nurse", she felt its design was one of the most overused in the original games, describing it as a "beady-eyed" variety of "huggable pink blob." In NintendoLifes retrospective of Red and Blues Pokémon designs, Alex Olney stated he really liked Chansey, feeling it went to an "extreme" that similar Pokémon "didn't quite reach" and that its motherly, cheerful demeanor were standout features. Jon Cartwright added his own praise, noting its appearance exclusively in the Safari Zone helped imply it was nonviolent, stating it was "very true to the actual personality of them. I like that." It has also been regarded as a valuable tank type of character in the game's competitive scene thanks to its synergy with the "Eviolite" item.