Pokémon

Official logo of Pokémon.

Pokémon are fictional creatures with varying powers that stem from the Japanese game series entitled “Pokémon” which was created in 1996. Originally, the franchise was a gaming magazine in the 1980s made by Satoshi Tajiri, the writer, and Ken Sugimori, the illustrator. The franchise is managed by The Pokémon Company and is produced by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. The popularity of the game series spawned an animated TV show with the same title. The animation follows a Pokémon trainer named Ash Ketchum as he goes around the world training varying Pokémon in order to become the best and strongest trainer. The animation series debuted in Japan in 1996 with the U.S. adaptation released in 1998 and currently has 25 seasons with over 2,000 episodes.

Furthermore, the popularity of the Pokémon universe prompted the franchise to expand into creating a card game where you can trade, collect, and play with Pokémon-themed cards. This is entitled “Pokémon Trading Card Game.” There are three classifications of cards: Pokémon cards, Trainer cards, and Energy cards. The Pokémon cards feature every species of Pokémon. The Trainer cards are dedicated to other characters, items, and themes from the overall Pokémon franchise. Energy cards are used to power attacks. The Pokémon Trading Card Game is incredibly popular with over 43.2 billion cards being produced worldwide in 13 different languages and being sold in 77 countries and regions.

The franchise revolves around a world where 1,008 species of Pokémon exist and Pokémon trainers try to capture, train, and battle Pokémon in order to become stronger. Some trainers focus on collecting as many Pokémon as possible, hence the catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” which is featured in the animation series. Other trainers focus on creating the strongest team of Pokémon to “be the very best” which is another popular catchphrase in the franchise. Some just choose one Pokémon to act as their companion in their daily lives.

“Pokémon” was actually originally called “Pocket Monsters” when the game franchise first launched in Japan in 1996. It wasn’t until the game’s release to countries outside of Japan that the name switched over to Pokémon Red and Blue. The franchise began on Nintendo’s Game Boy hand-held device and has since adapted to be playable on the Nintendo DS systems, the Nintendo Wii, IOS, and Nintendo Switch consoles. There are currently 122 games that can be grouped into nine different generations.

Gameplay

Upon entering a game, players are designated as a young Pokémon Trainer, typically a child or pre-teen. The main designated tasks of the game are completing the Pokédex and becoming the regional Champion. Often, the game starts with players choosing the gender, customization of their character, and waking up in the world. Oftentimes, the players wake up in the character’s household with the character’s mother talking to them. Then, a different non-playable character enters the house and wants you to go with them. This non-playable character (NPC) is usually the player’s old friend and new rival. The player has no choice but to follow the NPC and do what they’re told, which usually includes encountering a Pokémon for the first time. That is when the doctor/scientist appears and explains the logistics of the Pokémon universe. This older character then displays three different Pokémon: a grass-type, a water-type, and a fire-type. The player then has the choice to which Pokémon they want to take with them to become their starter Pokémon. After the player chooses their starter, the rival NPC character will usually choose the opposite type which will be weaker against the player’s starter type. Grass types are weak to fire types but strong against water types. Water types are strong against fire types but weak to grass types. Fire types are weak against water types but strong against grass types. The player and their rival will then battle each other using their new Pokémon. Since the NPC chose the weaker counterpart of the player, the player will win this first battle and thus officially begin their rivalry of trying to prove who can become the strongest which is typically by becoming the Regional Champion and defeating all the Gyms. Gyms are battle arenas where the player battles another competitor and their Pokémon. After this initial battle against the NPC rival, the doctor will be impressed and ask the player to complete the Regional Pokédex by collecting and registering every Pokémon in Pokéballs while also defeating all of the Gym Leaders at their respective gyms. After that introduction, you will say goodbye to your in-game mother and depart on your adventure alone.

In order to capture Pokémon, players need an item called Pokéballs which are spherical tools that are able to handle capturing and containing the wild Pokémon. To increase the chances of a successful capture, the player weakens the Pokémon by using attack moves against it. These moves vary depending on the Pokémon and its type. When the wild Pokémon’s health bar is in the red-zone, that increases the chance of successfully capturing it. If the player damages the Pokémon too much, it will faint and the player will not be able to use a Pokéball to capture the wild Pokémon. After a trainer successfully catches a Pokémon in a Pokéball, that Pokémon is now under the leadership of the player and follows the player’s commands. However, that is not always the case. Beating gyms increases the trainer’s level and allows them to capture higher level – and more skilled – Pokémon. In instances where the player has not beaten enough gyms yet captures a higher level Pokémon, that Pokémon will not follow the player’s wishes and will refuse to battle despite being captured in a Pokéball by the player.

Ethical Concerns

Slavery

Due to the nature of capturing Pokémon in Pokéballs, some members of the community opened forums on Quora and Reddit debating on if this capturing method of the creatures is ethical or not. Some akin capturing Pokémon in Pokéballs as similar to slavery while others reason that Pokémon actually have the desire to be captured. Pokémon are sentient creatures who can be highly intelligent, emotive, and occasionally talk. Some Pokémon are even described as being gods who created the Pokémon universe. The debate stems from whether it is ethical to keep these sentient beings – or even gods – as ‘pets’ who are kept inside Pokéballs and are released only to fight and/or serve their human trainer.

According to the original poster from Reddit, they argue that if wild Pokémon wanted to be captured, they would not resist by battling the player back or escaping the Pokéballs when they are thrown by the player. There are many differing opinions in the comment section which has sparked a debate. This is the two opposing sides to the debate where some players view holding Pokémon in Pokéballs as slavery while others reason that Pokémon have the desire to compete, battle, and be the strongest they can be.

Violence

In-Game

Violence is a widely considered topic when discussing Pokémon. Due to the nature of Pokémon battles, some community members have equated them to dogfighting and cockfighting which are when owners send out their dog/chicken against another in the hopes of winning to acquire a monetary prize. These fights are illegal in the United States yet they still continue secretly today. Since dogfights require animals to fight to appease the wishes of their owner and can fatally injure the fighting animal, people have connected it to Pokémon battles. Furthermore, hitting a Pokémon until it faints with the multitude of attack moves in the game has been viewed as animal abuse and cruelty. Some of these attack moves mentioned consist of :

• Head Smash
• Scald – the Pokémon spurts scalding hot water at its opponent to burn them
• Explosion – the Pokémon sacrifices itself and blows up to greatly damage the opponent
• Thunderbolt – the user shoots electricity at the opponent which can sometimes paralyze the target
• Curse – the user leaves a curse on the opponent which damages them every turn until they eventually faint
• Flamethrower – the user severely burns the target

Additionally, PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – also viewed Pokémon battles as animal cruelty and as forms of enslavement. To display their point, they created their own parody Pokémon game on their website. It features beaten and abused Pokémon who are fighting against their trainers in order to free themselves. The game is entitled “Pokémon: Black and Blue” with the catchphrase being “Gotta Free ‘Em All!” which is an imitation of Pokémon’s catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” The Pokémon in the game are black and blue from abuse and are trying to free themselves and other captured Pokémon from the evil trainers.

Furthermore, in the film, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, there is a scene where Ash, the main character, encounters a wild Pidgey, a bird type Pokémon. Ash wants Pikachu to fight the Pidgey but Pikachu refuses. Ash then decides to toss a rock at Pidgey which ultimately misses and instead hits a Spearow, another type of bird Pokémon. The rock ends up hitting Spearow directly on the back of the head which causes a huge bump to immediately swell up. The enraged and injured Spearow decides to retaliate by attacking both Ash and Pikachu. This particular scene also displays a degree of violence and abuse against Pokémon.

Real World

In Canada 1999, a 12-year-old student ended up stabbing a classmate over Pokémon cards which left the victim needing four stitches in his shoulder. Furthermore, children were reported across differing schools to pay more attention to Pokémon cards rather than their actual schoolwork which caused multiple schools to outright ban Pokémon cards.

In 2016, Pokémon expanded onto mobile platforms when Niantic, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company released Pokémon Go. Since its release, there have been 26 deaths and 64 injuries that were caused from the game. There is even a dedicated website to tracking these deaths and injuries with detailed reports of the incidents.

Abandonment

In July of 2017, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! was released in Japan. It is based on the animated series’ plot and characters but is set in a different timeline. The main character is Ash and his Pikachu – a type of Pokémon – which are the same main characters in the main animated series. In this film, Ash has just received Pikachu from Professor Oak except Pikachu is volatile. He refuses to get inside Ash’s Pokéball and refuses Ash’s commands to fight other wild Pokémon. Despite the main plot of the movie being Ash and his friends trying to find the Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh, there is an example of Pokémon abandonment present throughout the film.

First, Ash and Verity, another Pokémon trainer, encounter an abandoned Charmander left out in the rain. Ash and Verity quickly learn that Charmander originally belonged to a trainer named Cross. Cross intentionally left Charmander out in the rain and refuses to take him back. Cross states that Charmander is too weak and thus unfit to be a part of Cross’ team. Ash and Verity have no choice but to find Charmander shelter and help nurture it back to health. Afterwards, Ash asks Charmander to join their team which Charmander accepts. Later on in the film, Charmander evolves into Charmeleon and Cross decides to return in order to challenge Charmeleon to a battle. Charmeleon is easily defeated which causes Ash to become disappointed and filled with grief. Due to this loss, Ash admits that he wishes he received a different Pokémon instead of Charmander, like Bulbasaur or Squirtle. He also openly believes that he would have won the battle against Cross if he utilized Pikachu instead of Charmeleon. Despite his harsh words, Ash does not abandon Charmeleon.

Additionally, there is an episode in the animated series with another example of Pokémon abandonment. The episode, The Mystery Menace, is the 102nd episode of the animated series and was released in Japan on June 24, 1999. It was then aired in the United States on May 6, 2000. In the episode, Ash Ketchum and his group of friends are traveling to the next gym, the Orange League gym, where they end up at the town of Trovitopolis. Team Rocket, the group’s nemesis, are spying on them and devised a trap for the group. Their plan includes detonating the ground using dynamite in order to trap and capture Pikachu. Once the group sets off the detonator, Team Rocket and Ash’s group all fall underground into a sewer. The group is awoken by Pikachu and Togepi and they all begin walking down the sewer system. They then hear a bell and something begins tapping on Ash’s shoulder. Ash believes it to be Pikachu originally; however, it turns out to be a Vine Whip, which is a type of grass Pokémon move. Ash sends out his Bulbasaur to counter-attack but the vine ends up grabbing Bulbasaur and pulling him into the water. The group has no choice but to leave Bulbasaur behind as they escape the sewer.

The group is initially thrown into jail by request of the Mayor of Trovitopolis but they end up being released despite the mayor’s protests. Ash and his friends mention the creature in the sewer to the mayor who then orders the group to not say anything about it. Ash explains that he wants to get his Bulbasaur back which then enrages the mayor. The mayor threatens to have the group arrested for endangering public safety if they reveal the sewer monster. He also states that he does not want the public to know about the monster so as to avoid chaos and panic before the upcoming election. He then says that they have to take drastic and immediate action which involves sending the SWAT team to the sewer to destroy the monster. Ash and the rest of the group go back into the sewer to try to find Ash’s Bulbasaur except the Vine Whip ends up grabbing both Misty and her Togepi. Ash and the other friend jump in after them. Upon waking up, they are greeted by Misty, Togepi, Bulbasaur, and a giant Bulbasaur. It turns out that the creature in the sewers was the giant Bulbasaur who was using Vine Whip. The Bulbasaur has a collar with the mayor’s symbol on it. The group emerges from underground to confront the mayor about the Bulbasaur. The mayor tells them that he abandoned the Bulbasaur in the sewer when he was a child because it would not evolve. The group becomes enraged and demand the mayor apologize to the Pokémon except he refuses. The SWAT team also arrives and the mayor orders them to open fire on the Bulbasaur. Ash steps in and saves the Bulbasaur before they have the chance to harm it. Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center ends up taking care of the giant Bulbasaur and the mayor’s chances for reelection are ruined.

Furthermore in the Pokémon universe, there is discourse about the ethics of sending a child to explore the world alone and unsupervised. On Quora, there were members of the Pokémon community who were debating whether it is okay or not. Some members stated that it is incredibly dangerous as wild Pokémon can be violent and injure the child and their Pokémon. Others stated that the child trainer is not technically alone as they have the professor or scientist monitoring them and their progress throughout the game. Throughout the thread, there are several comments made about child endangerment and abandonment.