Power Pros

''eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball'', previously known as ''Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū'' and marketed internationally as ''Power Pros'', is a Japanese baseball video game series created by Konami. The game is known for its super deformed characters, and fast-paced, but deep game play. Most games in the series are developed under license from the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association (JPBPA), letting them use the league's team names, stadiums, colors, and players' names and likenesses. There are also six games in the series with the Major League Baseball (MLB) and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) license, two with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and Korea Professional Baseball Players Association (KPBPA), and one with the World Baseball Classic license. It is long running in Japan, starting out in 1994 for the Super Famicom, and appearing on many different consoles: Saturn (1995–1997), PlayStation (1994–2003), Nintendo 64 (1997–2001), PlayStation 2 (2000–2009), Dreamcast (2000), GameCube (2002–2006), Wii (2007–2009), PlayStation 3 (2010–2016), PlayStation 4 (since 2016) as well as PlayStation Portable (2007–2013) and Vita (2012-2018).

The game has two spin-off series: '' Professional Baseball Spirits'', a baseball sports simulation series with more realistic graphics and physics, and ''Power Pro Kun Pocket''. The latter was released on handheld systems between 1999 and 2014 with versions for the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Although the series was originally designed as the side-story of Success mode and was part of the main series, Konami retroactively declared it as a separate series.

On May 12, 2006, a version of ''Power Pro'' was released featuring Major League Baseball players, under the title ''Jikkyō Powerful Major League''. The ''Power Pro'' series has featured online play since its tenth incarnation on the PS2 and its first handheld version on the PlayStation Portable. A version of ''Power Pro'' was announced for the PlayStation 3, first shown at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005, but it would take another five years for the series to reach the PS3, with the system instead getting Power Pro's sister series, ''Professional Baseball Spirits'', for the interim. On August 3, 2007, an American release of the series was announced for both the PlayStation 2 and the Wii. The game, titled '' MLB Power Pros'', was published by 2K Sports, and features a Success Mode set within Major League Baseball.

The most distinctive feature of the ''Power Pro'' series is its odd depiction of characters. The basic design of the ''Power Pro'' baseball player is a short figure with an excessively wide, gashapon capsule-shaped head, lacking a mouth, nose, ears with expression being mainly in the eyebrows. ''Power Pros'' characters are somewhat similar to the character Rayman, in that they do not have legs and thus their feet are not connected to their body. ''Power Pros'' characters do have arms and hands; however, their hands are finger less and bear more resemblance to a sphere than a human hand. The ''Power Pro'' series has used this comic design for every single one of its games.

In Japan, the series has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, while in North America it received mixed to generally favorable reviews and sold poorly. , the series has sold over 23.5 million copies, in addition to mobile game downloads .KONAMI HOLDINGS CORPORATION
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Games in the series

This is the major system development in the main series (as well as information of seasons series and MLB Power Pros series), some minor development, such as player's ability, are not included in the development

Pawapuro '94

Released on February 24, 1994 for the Super Famicom. The game has the license of the Nippon Professional Baseball and the Japanese Professional Baseball Players Association, though the Meiji Jingu Stadium and the Hanshin Koshien Stadium are listed under a fictional name. Success mode is not included in the first two installments. Commentary is provided by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation radio commentator Abe Noriyuki.

Pawapuro 2

Released on February 24, 1995 for the Super Famicom. The first game in the series with full Pennant mode, and save game features. The Hanshin Koshien Stadium is fully licensed, but the Meiji Jingu Stadium is still listed under a fictional name. Commentary is provided by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation radio commentator Motoharu Ōta.

Pawapuro 3

Released on February 29, 1996 for the Super Famicom. Success mode, which becomes one of the main features in the ''Power Pros'' series, is firstly installed in this game. Commentary is once again provided by Abe Noriyuki, who stayed in this position until ''Power Pros 8''.

Pawapuro 4

Released on March 14, 1997 for the Nintendo 64. With the generation leap, the game's graphics (polygon-based stadia), and controls greatly improved. The Success Mode firstly features original characters, some of them become regular even nowadays.

Pawapuro 5

Released on March 26, 1998 for the Nintendo 64. In March 1998, the game was the best-selling game for the Nintendo 64 in Japan.

Pawapuro 6

Also known as ''Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 6''. Released on March 25, 1999 for the Nintendo 64.

Pawapuro 7

This game was the first in the series to be released on the PlayStation 2. First game in the series with fully polygon-based graphics. IGN thought that the game was fun, but criticized the games for its "horrible" graphics and for its lack of power on the new console. The game was due to be released on March 4, 2000, but was later pushed back to July 6, 2000.

Pawapuro 8

Vocalized opening ("Little Soldier" by Chihiro Yonekura