>>35228679>how to out yourself as a SinnohfetusWrong. In the beginning Pikachu was referred to as an "it" because the Gen 1 games did not have genders for every pokemon. This was immediately changed with the coming of Gen 2 where breeding was the big new mechanic along with the introduction of infatuation as a status effect. It was at this point where Pikachu started being referred to with he/him. This book was what confirmed it to me in my childhood, even though I'm sure there's other media predating it that solidify Pikachu as a "he".
I would say the reason for it has everything to do with the overall genre of Pokemon being geared towards boys, which is why they decided to make Pikachu a boy. It's a similar situation with Kirby since Kirby is a definite "he" in the west and more vague in Japanese.
The retconning of Gen 4 gender differences for previous generation pokemon has been a total cancer on the series.
