Pions are real particles. They are a type of meson, which is a subatomic particle composed of a quark and an antiquark. Pions are the lightest mesons and exist in three different forms: π+, π-, and π0. The π+ and π- are charged pions, while the π0 is electrically neutral.
Pions are not considered virtual particles, which are particles that are temporarily created and annihilated as part of quantum fluctuations in certain interactions. Virtual particles do not exist as independent particles in the same way that real particles do, but rather they are mathematical constructs used to describe interactions between real particles.
In contrast, pions can be observed directly in experiments and have been well-studied in particle physics. They play an important role in the strong nuclear force and are involved in processes such as nuclear decay and interactions between nucleons (protons and neutrons) inside atomic nuclei.