The Pokemon community just got a very big surprise, as the results of the Pokemon General Election 720, which gives a pocket monster the honor of being the favorite character for Japanese fans, ended with a huge upset this year. Pikachu, arguably the most iconic character in the franchise, has lost, ending this year's polls at a humble 4th place.

The fact that Pikachu didn't even make it to the top three in this year's elections is a very significant surprise for Pokemon fans around the world, especially since the yellow, electric-type mouse Pokemon almost single-handedly charmed a legion of fans since the franchise launched decades ago.

Even more surprising, however, is the Pokemon that took the top spot this year. During the announcement of the Pokemon General Election 720 results on Tuesday, the honor of Japan's favorite Pokemon went to Greninja, the final evolution of the starter Froakie from the popular handheld game Pokemon X & Y.

The 2nd and 3rd place went to Arceus and Mew, respectively, with Pikachu ending this year's elections in 4th place. Other notable Pokemon in the Top 10 included Sylveon, Zygarde and Charizard. Mewtwo, the villain in the Pokemon: The First Movie film, finished in 11th place in this year's elections.

Fans of Pokemon around the world are speculating on the possible reasons why a rather obscure Pokemon such as Greninja became this years' favorite. Interestingly, though Greninja has not been featured as prominently as Pikachu in the franchise's merchandise, the Pokemon X & Y starter was nonetheless received very warmly by fans in the game.

Apart from this, Greninja has also proved very popular among gamers since the character appeared in Super Smash Bros. and Pokken Tournament as a playable character. In those games, Greninja's strength and power was lauded by players and critics alike.

Voting for the Pokemon General Election 720 opened in Japan on April 15 and ended on May 9. The surprising results of the election were announced in the Japanese show Oha Shuta! on Tuesday. 

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