A recent poll asked who was the favourite Pokémon amongst Japanese gamers. The winner was...

Just prior to the launch of Pokémon Black & White in Japan, The Pokémon Company surveyed players to find out just which critter was the most popular 'mon.

Turns out the result was a bit of an odd one. Fourth generation legendary Arceus came out on top, with fellow mythical monsters Darkrai and Deoxys just behind. Pikachu came in at fourth, while Meowth rounded off the top five.

Who wouldn't?

As a result of the poll, Japanese players of Black or White will be able to download Arceus onto their files via the Dream World feature.

In related news, Black & White players in Japan will also be able to take advantage of their own birthday to get some free goodies. Gamers can pop into their local Pokémon Centre merchandise store within one week before or after their real life birthdays and pick up a jumbo Pokémon playing card, an in-store discount voucher and a free Tabunne critter for their copy of Black or White.

Pokémon Black & White is set to release in the west this coming spring.