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Yo-kai Watch (Japanese: 妖怪ウォッチ, Yōkai Wotchi) is a Japanese media franchise created and developed by Level-5. The franchise's main work is the role-playing video game series of the same name, the first of which was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. Three main sequels and several spinoffs, on both Nintendo and mobile platforms, have been released. In December 2019, the franchise expanded to PlayStation with the release of Yo-kai Watch 4++. An associated toy line is produced by Bandai for the Japanese market, while Hasbro formerly sold the toys under license in the Americas and Europe. Six manga adaptations have also been produced; one, a series that began serialization in Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic from December 2012 to December 2022, was an award winner. An anime television series produced by OLM, Inc. aired in Japan from January 8, 2014, to March 30, 2018, and was a ratings success, boosting the franchise in popularity, and began airing in North America from September 2015. An animated film, Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, was released on December 20, 2014, with seven more films being produced since then. As of 2022, the game series has sold over 17 million copies worldwide. While the franchise is popular in Japan and Europe, it failed to meet Level-5's expectations in North America. Nonetheless, the franchise's North American launch was successful, with the original 3DS game selling 400,000 units, backed by the toys and the broadcast of the English dub on Disney XD in the United States. However, interest in the Yo-kai Watch franchise has since steadily declined. Concept The franchise was first conceived as a Doraemon IP, something that could last over a long period of time. Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, researched extensively what makes a franchise long-lasting, and came up with Yo-kai Watch. Yo-kai Watch revolves around befriending Yo-kai that are haunting the city, which are based on traditional yōkai, but often with clever twists. If one befriends a Yo-kai, they get their Yo-kai Medal, an object that allows one to summon Yo-kai. With these, they can summon Yo-kai to either fight other Yo-kai, befriend others, or solve everyday tasks. The basic plot of most media is that the main character, either Nate or Katie, obtains a Yo-kai Watch through Whisper, a butler Yo-kai. They then befriend Jibanyan, a cat Yo-kai who haunts an intersection because he thinks his owner from when he was alive named Amy called him lame for getting hit by a truck. During the anime's run, other Yo-kai were introduced. Media Main series The main video game series are role-playing video games where the player befriends Yo-kai and fights evil Yo-kai that seek to rule the world, with emphasis placed on fighting and befriending Yo-kai. Yo-kai Watch and Yo-kai Watch 2 have a battle system revolving around using the 3DS's touchscreen to rotate amongst the player's Yo-kai. All Yo-kai have powerful moves called Soultimates, with some being offensive and some being supportive. In Yo-kai Watch 3, the battle system was changed to a grid-based movement system, with the added ability to use the Dream Link and the Yo-kai Blaster against foes during battle. Yo-kai Watch The first game in the main series, Yo-kai Watch, was announced at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show and first released in Japan on July 11, 2013. It sets the foundation for the rest of the video game franchise, introducing its main mechanics. The game was released in North America on November 6, 2015, and in Europe on April 29, 2016. Yo-kai Watch 2 The second main game in the series, Yo-kai Watch 2, was released in Japan on July 10, 2014, as two versions: Ganso and Honke. These versions are known in English as Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. Yo-kai Watch 2 adds several new areas, such as Kemamoto/Harrisville, and nearly 100 new Yo-kai to befriend, both in the present day and the past. The plot revolves around the protagonist going back in time 60 years to meet their grandfather, who made the predecessor to the Yo-kai Watch, and fighting against the Wicked Yo-kai. A third version, Shinuchi, known in English as Psychic Specters, was released on December 12, 2014 to coincide with the first Yo-kai Watch film, Yo-kai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan!. Psychic Specters features characters and scenarios not included in Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls were localized in English and released on September 30, 2016, in the United States and on April 7, 2017, in Europe. They received the Oni Evolution update on September 14, 2017, and gained compatibility with save data from Psychic Specters on September 29, 2017. Yo-kai Watch 3 In Japan, Yo-kai Watch 3 was announced alongside Yo-kai Watch Busters in April 2015 and released on July 16, 2016, with two versions: Sushi and Tempura. The game features two protagonists: Nate Adams and Hailey Anne, each with their own story. Nate's story focuses on him and his family moving from Springdale to the United States, which is called BBQ in the localized version, to the fictional town of St. Peanutsburg, where new American-themed "Merican" (メリケン) Yo-kai are found. Hailey Anne's story focuses on her meeting her partner Yo-kai Usapyon and opening a detective agency with him. These two stories converge in the game's latter half as the two team up to face a greater threat called the Ghoulfather. A third version, Sukiyaki, was released in Japan on December 16, 2016, combining Sushi and Tempura into one game and adding additional features. On September 27, 2018, Nintendo of America announced that Yo-kai Watch 3 was getting a localized release outside of Japan. It was released on December 16, 2018, in Europe and on February 8, 2019, in North America. The localized version was based on Sukiyaki, and as such contains the features it added. Yo-kai Watch 4 Yo-kai Watch 4 was released for the Nintendo Switch in Japan on June 20, 2019, featuring a new artstyle and character designs from Yo-kai Watch Shadowside, as well as the original designs. The game includes characters from previous games as well as the main characters from Yo-kai Watch Shadowside and Yo-kai Watch: Forever Friends. An enhanced version, Yo-kai Watch 4++, was later released as paid downloadable content and at retail for both the Switch and PlayStation 4 on December 5, 2019. Level-5 confirmed during the Anime Expo 2019 that an English localization was under consideration, but due to the shutdown of American branch Level-5 Abby, the status of the game's localization is currently unknown. Other video games Blasters A spin-off game, Yo-kai Watch Blasters (妖怪ウォッチバスターズ, Yōkai Wotchi Basutāzu) was first announced in the April 2015 issue of CoroCoro Comic alongside Yo-kai Watch 3, allowing up to four players to cooperate in completing missions and battling boss Yo-kai. The first two versions of the game, Aka Neko-dan (赤猫団, "Red Cat Troupe") and Shiro Inu-tai (白犬隊, "White Dog Corps"), were released on July 11, 2015. A free expansion c.... Discover the Noriyuki Konishi popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Noriyuki Konishi books.