A few days ago, Pokémon celebrated its 25th anniversary, since the launch of the first video game in the franchise for the Game Boy. Since that time, more than 90 titles and 23 seasons have been released, in addition to several films.
But in addition to the games, the series continues to be a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, the adventures of Ash and Pikachu are still valid with the last season called Trips.
To date, more than 1000 chapters of the program have been broadcast, also counting hundreds of Pokémon, But did you know that several of the episodes were never broadcast in Latin America and Chile? In fact, some did not even leave Japan. Here on Page 7 we do a recount for you.
Let us remember that in 1999 the first season of Pokémon, in the extinct The tiger club in Chilevisión. Other cable channels also gave it, such as Cartoon Network o Etc!.
Precisely several of the censored episodes are part of the first cycle of the series. For example, chapter 18 called The beauty and the beach It showed Ash and his friends lounging on a beach, so there were several scenes of the characters in bathing suits and bikinis.
What was the problem? That Team Rocket member James was seen wearing fake breasts at a beauty pageant. The scene generated rejection in Japan, which decided not to broadcast the chapter in other countries. The way to avoid problems, since it was ensured that it could generate confusion in an audience where children prevail, was editing the episode for when it was re-broadcast in the United States in 2000.
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In the same season it was shown The legend of Dratini, where the protagonists were seen in the Safari Zone. Here the Rocket team threatened one of the guards with firearms, which for many was too violent for a children’s series. For this reason, it was decided not to broadcast it in the rest of the world.
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The remembered episode of the ‘epileptic seizures’
In December 1997, a rumor began to circulate that a chapter of Pokémon it generated epileptic seizures in children, and that there were even proven cases in Japan. The episode was Porygon Electric Soldier, 38 in the series.
The report said that 685 children suffered them, so the series had to delete the record and stop its work for almost four months to calm the situation. To date it was one of the most complex moments of the program.
The solution was to remove it from all future scenes. Despite that, the franchise responded 20 years later saying that “Porygon did nothing wrong”.
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A pokémon that alluded to racism
In Episodes 65 and 252, Pokémon creatives suffered from a creature: Jynx. This character caused quite a controversy, because he responded to a racial stereotype, due to his skin color.
Although they were issued in several countries, it was finally decided to change their skin tone for a purple one, to avoid more problems.
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Memories of tragic moments
There are several chapters that were censored in Japan, such as ¡Battle on Shaky Island! Barboach vs Wiscash! and Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma!, but for a rather caring reason for the population. Both, broadcast in 2004 and 2011 respectively, brought to mind the earthquakes and tsunamis that affected the country, so it was decided to remove them from the programming to avoid revictimization.
Same situation happened with Tentacool and Tentacruel, which although it was broadcast in Chile, in the United States they decided to remove it because the pokémon were destroying several buildings, just when the country had gone through the attack on the Twin Towers in 2011.
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One of the last controversies was lived in episode 1,007 called Ash and Passimian! A friendly touchdown! where Ash paints his face black to imitate a pokémon. For the same reason, the series was accused of doing ‘blackface’, which brought to mind acts of racism, solution? Take it out of the series.
Do you remember any other time?
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