Pokémon Challenges

Jan Krüger^[3] (/ˈjɑːn/ YAHN; born 16 May 1995),^[4] better known as Pokémon Challenges or pChal, is a German Twitch streamer and YouTuber, known for his live streams broadcasting Pokémon content, most notably Nuzlocke Challenges.

pChal
Personal information
Born	Jan Krüger (1995-05-16) 16 May 1995 (age 30)
Nationality	German
Occupations	Twitch streamer YouTuber
Twitch information
Channel	pChal
Also known as	pChalTV, Pokémon Challenges
Years active	2016–present
Genre	Gaming
Games	Pokémon
Followers	315,000
Associated acts	Jaiden Animations Alpharad
YouTube information
Channel	pChal
Subscribers	907,000[1]
Views	189.5 million[1]
Creator Awards 100,000 subscribers 2020[2]
Last updated: 14 April 2025

Career

Krüger is known for completing so-called "hardcore" Nuzlocke Challenges on Twitch, which are self-imposed challenges of Pokémon games aimed at increasing the difficulty of the game.^[5][6] His Nuzlocke challenges include further restrictions compared to the traditional ruleset, such as level caps and no items in battle.^[7] In 2016, Krüger completed a permadeath solo run of Pokémon FireRed using only a Rattata, one of the game's weakest characters.^[8]

Krüger's YouTube and Twitch channels significantly gained traction in 2020, following a reaction video to a Nuzlocke attempt by Jaiden Animations.^[5][7] During the same period, Krüger was attempting the Nuzlocke challenge of Pokémon Emerald Kaizo, a ROM hack of Pokémon Emerald, which he beat in 2021.^[9] Coincidentally, he completed the challenge in 151 attempts, the exact number of generation I Pokémon.^[9] In 2024, he completed a Nuzlocke of Pokémon Run & Bun, another ROM hack which many players consider the hardest ROM hack to nuzlocke.^[10]