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{{undubbed|038}}
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next=''Holiday Hi-Jynx'' |
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epcode=EP038 |
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title_en= |
title_en= |
title_ja=でんのうせんしポリゴン |
title_ja=でんのうせんしポリゴン |
title_ja_trans=Denno Senshi Porygon|
title_ja_trans=Computer Warrior Porygon|
screen=yes |
screen=hd |
screenshot=|
screenshot=EP038|
broadcast_jp=December 16, 1997 |
broadcast_jp=December 16, 1997 |
broadcast_us=Unaired |
broadcast_us=Unaired |
en_series=Indigo League |
en_series=Indigo League |
en_op= |
en_op=N/A|
ja_op=[[Aim to Be a Pokémon Master|めざせポケモンマスター]] |
ja_op=[[Aim to Be a Pokémon Master|めざせポケモンマスター]] |
ja_ed=[[Fantasy in My Pocket|ポケットにファンタジー]] |
ja_ed=[[Fantasy in My Pocket|ポケットにファンタジー]] |
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epstaffpage=EP031-EP040 |
epstaffpage=EP031-EP040 |
footnotes=*{{filb-eppics|pm|038}}
footnotes=* {{filb-eppics|pm|038}}
*''Electric Soldier Porygon'' is the most commonly used translation: no known official English title exists for this episode.}}
* ''Electric Soldier Porygon'' is the most commonly used translation: no known official English title exists for this episode.}}
(Japanese: '''でんのうせんしポリゴン''' ''Computer Warrior Porygon'', though commonly ''Electric Soldier Porygon'') is a somewhat notorious episode of the [[Pokémon anime]], due to the fact that on its single airing in Japan on December 16, 1997, nearly seven hundred Japanese children suffered seizures, vomiting, irritated eyes and other symptoms due to a flashing strobe effect.  
(Japanese: '''でんのうせんしポリゴン''' ''Computer Warrior Porygon'', commonly ''Electric Soldier Porygon'') is the 38th episode of the [[Pokémon animated series]]. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 16, 1997. The episode is infamous for resulting in over seven hundred Japanese people (ranging from 3-58 years old<ref>[http://cnn.com/WORLD/9712/17/japan.cartoon/ Cartoon-based illness mystifies Japan]</ref>) suffering adverse health effects, including {{wp|Photosensitive epilepsy|epileptic seizures}}, vomiting, irritated eyes and other related symptoms, due to use of a flashing strobe effect upon its first and only airing. Because of that, this episode was [[Banned episodes|never commercially released or re-broadcast]] anywhere in the world, and the show went on hiatus for four months.


The episode was never commercially released or re-broadcast anywhere in the world due to it being banned by the Japanese government.{{fact}}
The frames which caused the seizures are a four-second section in which {{AP|Pikachu}} uses an {{t|Electric}} attack on a group of vaccine missiles. The explosion—which occupies a significant portion of the frame—flashes brightly and alternates rapidly between red and blue. The seizures caused by this episode resulted in [[OLM Incorporated|OLM]] dropping strobe effects from Pikachu's electric attacks. For years following the incident, a disclaimer was broadcast at the beginning of all Japanese television shows, cautioning viewers not to sit too close to the television screen and to watch only in a brightly-lit room. (「テレビアニメを見るときには、部屋をあかるくして近づきすぎないようにしてみてくださいね。」)


The scene which caused the seizures was a fifteen-second section in which {{AP|Pikachu}} used an {{t|Electric}} attack on some vaccine missiles. The explosion was shown as a bright flashing object which alternated rapidly between red and blue.
The seizures caused by this episode caused [[OLM Incorporated|OLM]] to drop the strobe effects from Pikachu's electric attacks. For years following the incident, a disclaimer was broadcast at the beginning of all Japanese television shows, precautioning viewers to not sit too close to the television screen and watch it only in a brightly lit room. ("テレビアニメを見るときには、部屋をあかるくして近づきすぎないようにしてみてくださいね。")
This episode also gave the Pokémon anime the dubious title of "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show" from [[wp:Guinness World Records|The Guinness Book of World Records]].
<!-- Short summary goes here. -->
{{spoilers}}
{{spoilers}}


==Synopsis==
==Plot==
The episode begins with {{Ash}}, {{an|Misty}} and {{an|Brock}} going to the nearest [[Pokémon Center]] in [[Matcha City]] in order to revive Ash's tired {{AP|Pikachu}} when they see a distressed [[Nurse Joy]]. There's a problem with the [[Poké Ball]] {{pkmn|Storage System|transporter}} — the {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} she sends never arrives at another Pokémon Center, and it's replaced by a different Pokémon!
{{Ash}} and {{ashfr}} make their way to the nearest [[Pokémon Center]] in [[Matcha City]] in order to revive Ash's tired {{AP|Pikachu}}. There, they meet a distressed [[Nurse Joy]], who reveals that the [[Poké Ball]] {{pkmn|Storage System|transporter}} has been problematic — the {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} she sends never arrives at another Pokémon Center, and it was replaced by a different Pokémon. [[Dr. Akihabara]], the inventor of the Pokémon Transport System, is at the Center trying to figure out what went wrong with the system. {{an|Brock}} suggests that a {{wp|computer virus}} could be the source of the problem. Akihabara explains that the system couldn't have been infected with a virus because he designed the circuits so well. Ash confuses his explanation of a computer virus with a biological one and thinks the transport system is actually sick. Joy is told by Brock about an antivirus, which is a powerful software made to fix the problem. However, upon further investigation into the system, Akihabara unexpectedly gasps and suddenly bolts out of the Center, leaving Joy and the others confused.


[[Dr. Akihabara]], the inventor of the Pokémon Transport System, is at the Center trying to figure out what went wrong with the system. Brock suggests that a {{wp|computer virus}} could be the source of the problem. Akihabara explains that the system couldn't have been infected with a virus because he designed the circuits so well. Ash confuses his explanation of a computer virus with a biological one and thinks the transport system is actually sick. Nurse Joy is told about an anti-virus vaccine, which is a powerful software made to fix the problem. However, upon further investigation into the system, Akihabara unexpectedly gasps and suddenly bolts out of the Center, leaving Joy and the others confused.
Ash and his friends break into Akihabara's huge laboratory mansion to figure out what happened to him. Inside, they are startled by a giant holographic image of Akihabara's head. Ash and {{ashfr}} are led into a room with a giant machine. The doctor orders them to enter the machine, only telling them that they have entered a giant Human Transporter after he has sealed and locked the door. Akihabara then introduces the group to a {{p|Porygon}} and explains that {{TRT}} has stolen his other prototype Porygon, and are causing havoc. Team Rocket is literally inside the system and have set up a virus blocking the Poké Balls from reaching the Pokémon Centers and keeping them for themselves. Akihabara can't send the antivirus in there because it would kill them, so he decided to send Ash and his friends into the machine with Porygon to defeat Team Rocket. They refuse, but Akihabara starts the Human Transporter and the kids are eventually sucked into cyberspace.


Ash, Misty, and Brock break into Akihabara's huge laboratory mansion to figure out what happened to him. Inside, they are startled by a giant holographic image of Akihabara's head. After realizing Akihabara is still friendly, {{ashfr|the group}} is lead into a room with a giant machine. The doctor orders them to enter the machine, only telling them that they have entered a giant Human Transporter after he has sealed and locked the door. It is at that time that {{p|Porygon}} appears in the midst of them. Akihabara introduces Porygon to the group and explains that some thieves, namely {{TRT}}, have stolen his other prototype Porygon, and are causing havoc. Team Rocket is literally inside the system, blocking the Poké Balls from reaching the Pokémon Centers and keeping them for themselves. Akihabara can't send the anti-virus vaccine in there because humans are inside the computer, and the vaccine would surely blow them to pieces. So, Akihabara's solution is to send Ash and friends into the machine with Porygon to defeat Team Rocket. Ash and his friends refuse, but Akihabara traps them inside the Human Transporter and they are eventually sucked into cyberspace.
The group falls into the Transporter system, but Porygon flies beneath them, grows in size, and catches them. Riding on Porygon's back, Ash and his friends go over to confront Team Rocket, who are celebrating the success of their virus, which looks like a roadblock sign. [[Jessie]] and [[James]] send out {{TP|Jessie|Arbok}} and {{TP|James|Weezing}}; Weezing uses {{m|Poison Gas}} on them, making Ash and his friends cough. Then, Porygon regains composure and uses {{m|Conversion}}; its skin color becomes purple, like Weezing's. Porygon then charges, with the group still riding it, right into Weezing and Arbok, effectively [[fainting|knocking them out]].


The group falls into the Transporter system, but Porygon flies beneath them, grows in size, and catches them. Riding on Porygon's back, Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu ride over to Team Rocket's location.
Jessie decides to send their prototype Porygon out next, which looks similar to Akihabara's Porygon, except that it bears a "[[Team Rocket|R]]" flag on its tail and a zero on its forehead. Jessie's Porygon changes the shape of its head to give itself a sword-like beak and tries to attack the other Porygon, who has also changed shape to counter it. Ash and his friends decide to capitalize on the distraction to move the barrier Team Rocket built to hold back all of the Poké Balls that were intended to be delivered to the Pokémon Centers. Team's Rocket's attempt to stop them is stopped by Pikachu's {{m|Thunder Shock}}, and Akihabara's Porygon sends them and the prototype Porygon blasting off.


Team Rocket are celebrating their so-far successful raid of Pokémon, confident since they are where no human has ever gone before. Just as Team Rocket claims that no one can catch them, Porygon floats into view, infuriating {{MTR}}. [[Jessie]] and [[James]] send out {{TP|Jessie|Arbok}} and {{TP|James|Weezing}} into a {{pkmn|battle}}. Weezing uses {{m|Poison Gas}} on them, making Ash and friends cough. Then Porygon regains composure and uses {{m|Conversion}}. Porygon's skin color becomes purple, like Weezing's. Porygon charges, with the group still riding it, right into Weezing and Arbok, effectively [[fainting|knocking them out]].
Despite this, Akihabara, represented by a floating TV screen, warns them that Nurse Joy has followed Brock's instructions and hired another technician to put the antivirus program into the computer; and it indiscriminately targets everything and anything, including Team Rocket, Ash, and his friends. Trying to fix the problem himself, the doctor did not tell Joy about Team Rocket. As the antivirus targets the group, Porygon gathers Ash and his friends to attempt an escape. From the ground, Team Rocket calls Ash out for running away, but are corrected by Ash when he tells them to run from the antivirus. The antivirus then launches a few rockets that destroy the remainder of the Poké Ball barrier, thus destroying the virus. However, the vaccine keeps going. {{MTR}} and the prototype Porygon rescue a panicking Jessie and James from the moving sea of Poké Balls and join Akihabara's Porygon in an attempt to escape.
[[File:EP038SeizureScenes.png|thumb|250px|Scene after Pikachu blew up the missile. For health and safety reasons, please click on the image to view the animation.]]
The vaccine transforms into an object that resembles a flying spaceship and takes pursuit. It launches more missiles that both of the Porygon dodge with difficulty. Inside the Center, Nurse Joy and the technician command the antivirus to unleash a powerful attack. Revealing a gigantic particle gun, it locks onto the prototype Porygon and fires a huge beam, sending Team Rocket downward into a cyberspace bug hole created by the powerful attack. The bug holes created by the antivirus's beam cause a system error, and Joy orders the technician not to use the attack again.


Team Rocket decides to send their prototype Porygon out next, which looks similar to Akihabara's Porygon, except that it bears a "R" flag on its tail and a zero on its forehead. Team Rocket's Porygon uses {{m|Sharpen}} to give itself a sword-like beak and tries to attack the other Porygon, who has also changed shape to counter it. Ash and his friends decide to capitalize on the distraction to move the barrier Team Rocket built to hold back all the Poké Balls that were intended to be delivered to the Pokémon Centers. Team's Rocket's attempt to stop them were stopped by Pikachu's {{m|ThunderShock}}. Then, Akihabara's Porygon sent Team Rocket and the prototype Porygon "blasting off again".
Team Rocket awakens at the bottom of one of the bug pits, and they realize that their Porygon is knocked out and that they cannot escape. The flying antivirus locks onto them again, but {{AP|Bulbasaur}}'s {{m|Vine Whip}} intervenes. Held onto Akihabara's Porygon by Bulbasaur, Team Rocket weighs Porygon down and slows its progress toward the exit portal. The antivirus locks onto Akihabara's Porygon and fires four more missiles, which it is unable to dodge. Pikachu steps in and launches a destructive {{t|Electric}} attack, detonating two of the missiles and giving Porygon just enough time to escape through the exit portal. The next two missiles hit the portal itself, destroying Akihabara's entire house, much to Akihabara's dismay, as his Human Transporter is now in pieces.


Ash and friends weren't out of the woods yet. Akihabara, represented by a floating TV screen, tells them that trouble is afoot again. Nurse Joy has hired another technician to put the anti-virus vaccine program into the computer, and it indiscriminately targets Team Rocket ''and'' Ash and his friends. Trying to fix the problem himself, the doctor did not tell Nurse Joy that the problem was caused by real people and not a virus. As the Vaccine targets the heroes, Porygon gathers Ash and his friends and attempts to escape. From the ground, Team Rocket call Ash out for running away, but are corrected by Ash when he tells them to run from the Vaccine. The Vaccine launches a few rockets that destroy the remainder of the Poké Ball barrier in sparkly, flashing red and blue explosions. Meowth and the prototype Porygon rescue a panicking Jessie and James from the moving sea of Poké Balls and join Akihabara's Porygon in an attempt to escape.
In the remains of the mansion, Ash and his friends are relieved to be back in the real world. Team Rocket thanks Ash for saving them and then quickly leaves, forgetting their prototype Porygon. Ash and his friends decide to check in on the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy is relieved to see the Transport system working again, oblivious to the fact that Ash and his friends risked their lives to fix the system. Ultimately, Ash and his friends decide not to tell Joy of the whole ordeal, instead finally asking her to restore Pikachu.
[[File:EP038SeizureScenes.png|thumb|right|250px|Scene after Pikachu blew up the missile. For health and safety reasons, please click on the image to view the animation.]]
{{-}}
The vaccine transforms into an object that resembles a flying spaceship, looking like a cross between a {{wp|Star Wars}} {{wp|X-wing}} and a {{wp|Syringe|medical needle}}, and takes pursuit. It launches more missiles that both of the Porygon dodge with difficulty. Inside the Center, Nurse Joy and the technician are amazed by the resilience of the "virus" and command the Vaccine to unleash a powerful attack. Revealing a gigantic particle gun, it locks onto the prototype Porygon and fires a huge beam, sending Team Rocket downward into a cyberspace bug hole created by the powerful attack. The passengers of Akihabara's Porygon shield their eyes from the blinding red and blue light. The bug holes created by the vaccine's beam cause a system error, and Joy orders the technician not to use the attack again.
 
Team Rocket awakens at the bottom of one of the bug pits, and realize that their Porygon is knocked out and that they cannot escape. The flying Vaccine locks onto them again, and it seems that it's all over for Team Rocket if it wasn't for a last minute save by {{AP|Bulbasaur}}'s {{m|Vine Whip}}. Held onto Akihabara's Porygon by Bulbasaur, Team Rocket weighs Porygon down and slows down its progress toward the exit portal. The vaccine locks onto Akihabara's  Porygon, and fires four more missiles. Porygon is tired and cannot dodge the missiles. Pikachu steps in and launches a destructive electric attack, detonating the missiles in a huge red and blue flashing explosion that covers the entire screen. It buys Porygon just enough time for it to escape through the exit portal as the next set of missiles hit the portal itself, destroying Akihabara's entire house, much to Akihabara's dismay.
 
In the remains of the mansion, Ash and friends are relieved to be back in the real world. Team Rocket spitefully thank Ash for saving them, and then quickly exit, forgetting their prototype Porygon.
 
The heroes decide to check in on the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy is relieved to see the Transport system working again, oblivious to the fact that Ash and friends risked their lives to fix the system. In the end, however, Ash, Brock, and Misty decide not to tell Nurse Joy of the ordeal.


==Major events==
==Major events==
<!-- This is not for summarizing everything that happens in this episode. Only events pertaining to the series as a whole, such as catching and releasing Pokémon and obtaining Badges, go here. -->
* [[Jessie]] takes a prototype {{DL|List of Pokémon temporarily owned by the Team Rocket trio|Porygon Zero|Porygon}} from [[Dr. Akihabara]], but later accidentally leaves it.
{{animeevents}}
{{animeevents}}


===Debuts===
===Debuts===
====Pokémon====  
====Pokémon debuts====
* {{p|Porygon}}
* {{p|Porygon}}
* {{p|Ninetales}}
* {{p|Ninetales}}
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* {{an|Misty}}
* {{an|Misty}}
* {{an|Brock}}
* {{an|Brock}}
* [[Dr. Akihabara]]
* [[Nurse Joy]]
* [[Jessie]]
* [[Jessie]]
* [[James]]
* [[James]]
* [[Nurse Joy]]
* [[Dr. Akihabara]]
* Programmer
* Programmer


===Pokémon===
===Pokémon===
[[File:Dare da EP038.png|200px|thumb|right|{{tt|Dare da?|Who's That Pokémon?}}]]
[[File:Dare da EP038.png|thumb|200px|{{tt|Dare da?|Who's That Pokémon?}}]]
[[Who's That Pokémon?]]: {{p|Porygon}}
[[Who's That Pokémon?]]: {{p|Porygon}}
* {{p|Pikachu}} ({{OP|Ash|Pikachu}})
* {{p|Pikachu}} ({{OP|Ash|Pikachu}})
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* {{p|Psyduck}} ({{OP|Misty|Psyduck}})
* {{p|Psyduck}} ({{OP|Misty|Psyduck}})
* {{p|Arbok}} ({{OP|Jessie|Arbok}})
* {{p|Arbok}} ({{OP|Jessie|Arbok}})
* {{p|Porygon}} ([[List of Pokémon temporarily owned by the Team Rocket trio#Porygon Zero|Jessie's]]; new; leaves; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Weezing}} ({{OP|James|Weezing}})
* {{p|Weezing}} ({{OP|James|Weezing}})
* {{p|Porygon}} ([[List of Pokémon temporarily owned by Team Rocket#Porygon|Team Rocket's]]; new; leaves; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Porygon}} ([[Dr. Akihabara]]'s; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Porygon}} ([[Dr. Akihabara]]'s; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Ninetales}} (flashback; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Ninetales}} (Trainer's; flashback; Japanese debut)
* {{p|Magikarp}} (flashback)
* {{p|Magikarp}} (Trainer's; flashback)
 
==Scheduling changes==
After the hiatus, the show moved from Tuesday to Thursday, where it remained until 2018. The original schedule was as follows:
{{Rescheduled episodes}}
 
In the wake of the incident, all references to Pokémon, including a [[It's New Year's Eve! Pocket Monsters Encore|New Year's Eve show celebrating Pokémon]], were removed from TV Tokyo's programming.
 
==Legacy==
The incident caused by the episode was coined by the Japanese press as the [[Pokémon Shock]]. Before the series restarted, a special report was aired on April 11, 1998, titled ''[[Anime: Pocket Monsters Problem Inspection Report]]''. In addition, an explanation aimed for children {{DL|EP039|Explanation of EP038 incident|was shown on the first episode after the incident}}. However, it has been known some children faked seizures to skip school the next day. Every Pokémon episode that aired up until this episode, including [[Aim to Be a Pokémon Master|the opening]], was edited by lighting certain scenes, removing or changing fast-flashing scenes and more. The original version of the episodes have never been shown again, except by mistake on [[Hulu|Hulu Japan]]. The resulting hiatus also impacted the production of ''[[M01|Mewtwo Strikes Back]]'', leading to the creation of a prologue explaining {{OBP|Mewtwo|M01}}'s backstory, as the episodes foreshadowing its appearance were delayed to beyond the movie's airdate.


==Scheduling conflict==
To avoid further controversy involving the episode's central plot, {{p|Porygon}} has never had an important role in another episode since, despite {{AP|Pikachu}} being the one to cause the seizure-inducing explosion. Porygon's evolved forms, {{p|Porygon2}} and {{p|Porygon-Z}}, also remained absent from the anime until [[M15|the fifteenth movie]], and even then only appeared in cameo roles. Porygon itself has also made cameo appearances in the first four films and ''[[EP047|A Chansey Operation]]''. As an indirect result, its [[signature move]] {{m|Conversion}} has never been used in the anime since, and its later-introduced signature move, {{m|Conversion 2}}, has not been seen in the anime at all.
After the hiatus, the show moved from Tuesday to Thursday, where it remains as of {{#time: Y}}. The original schedule was as follows:
{{Rescheduled episodes‎}}


There was originally going to be an episode [[EP040 (unaired)|celebrating New Year's Eve]]. It was never aired even in Japan as a result of the hiatus caused by this episode. By the time the hiatus ended, it was four months too late to air a New Year's Eve episode. The episode has never been aired and no information is known about it other than its New Year's based plot. The incident also caused ''[[EP052|Princess vs. Princess]]'' and ''[[EP053|The Purr-fect Hero]]'' to be rescheduled from March 3 and May 5, 1998, respectively, to July 9, 1998.
The seizures caused from this episode have infamously made the Pokémon anime a frequent reference when discussing Japanese anime and its quick action and flashy effects. Numerous television shows and movies have made parodies with [[List of Pokémon parodies|notable references]] by ''[https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Simpsons The Simpsons]'' in the episode "[https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Thirty_Minutes_Over_Tokyo Thirty Minutes over Tokyo]" (as "Battling Seizure Robots" which gives the entire family seizures) and ''{{wp|South Park}}'' in the episode "{{wp|Chinpokomon}}" (where Kenny McCormick suffers a seizure from playing a Chinpokomon video game too much).


==Lasting effects==
This episode also gave the Pokémon anime the infamous title of "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show" from {{wp|Guinness World Records|The Guinness Book of World Records}}.
Before the series restarted, a special report was aired on April 11, 1998 titled 検証番組 アニメ　ポケットモンスター問題検証報告  ''Inspection program: inspection report of the anime Pocket Monsters problem''.


Despite {{AP|Pikachu}} being the one to launch the seizure causing attack, {{p|Porygon}} has never had an important role in another episode since. (It should be noted that Pikachu has appeared in every Pokémon episode to date, barring [[Pokémon Chronicles]]). Its evolved form, {{p|Porygon2}}, is the only one out of the one hundred [[Generation II]] Pokémon that hasn't appeared in the anime and many believe that it never will. Also, Porygon's final form, {{p|Porygon-Z}}, has never appeared either, and Porygon-Z is currently the only [[Generation IV]] Pokémon that hasn't appeared in the anime or movies. Porygon has appeared in the first four films, and ''[[EP047|A Chansey Operation]]'' as cameos, however.
On September 19, 2020, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a tweet that read "Porygon did nothing wrong", likely as a reference to this episode, and modern consensus that Porygon was a scapegoat due to Pikachu being the franchise's mascot. The tweet has since been deleted.<ref>[https://bulbagarden.net/threads/pokemon-twitter-deletes-porygon-tweet-controversy-and-history.282646/ Pokemon Twitter deletes Porygon Tweet: Controversy and History]</ref>


The seizures caused from this episode have dubiously made the Pokémon anime a frequent reference when discussion Japanese anime and it's quick action and flashy effects. Numerous television shows and movies have made parodies with notable references by ''The Simpsons'' in the episode "{{wp|Thirty Minutes over Tokyo}}" and ''South Park'' in the episode "{{wp|Chinpokomon}}".  
==English dub==
On May 21 and 26, 2006, [[Maddie Blaustein]] said on the [[Serebii.net]] forum that [[4Kids Entertainment]] did indeed dub this episode, although the validity of this statement has been questioned.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180911145212/https://forums.serebii.net/threads/ask-maddie-blaustein-q-a-with-meowth.116935/page-36#post-3281064 Ask Maddie Blaustein - Q&A with Meowth]</ref> On September 23, 2016, [[Eric Stuart]] also said that they did dub the episode.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfRtZYcWwt0&t=968s ポケモンショック Pokémon Shock and The Whole Story]</ref> [[Veronica Taylor]], on the other hand, initially claimed they never dubbed the episode,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20040819184416/http://pokedream.com/pokemon/infocenter/taylor.php Interview with Veronica Taylor]</ref> before saying on March 30, 2018, that she was actually unaware at the time as to whether it was dubbed or not, and that Stuart would know more about it being one of the voice directors of the {{pkmn|anime}} at the time.<ref>[https://youtu.be/5CDfQVh8bV8?t=2m52s Veronica Taylor interview (Part 2)]</ref> [[Rachael Lillis]] also said she was unaware as to whether or not the episode was dubbed since decisions were made before it would be.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/drew.s.hemmerich/posts/2628502197161568 Drew Scott Hemmerich: Rachael Lillis' answer to the infamous banned Pokemon episode]</ref>
 
The rumor about the existence of an English dub of this episode actually predates Blaustein's word. For example, the first answer Blaustein gave about this episode was a direct response to a user who mentioned reading on Wikipedia about the episode being dubbed: the line "4Kids Entertainment has actually dubbed Computer Soldier Porygon even though it didn't air" was added to the Wikipedia article currently titled {{wp|Pokémon episodes removed from rotation}} on March 15, 2006, and Bulbapedia was used as the source.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pok%C3%A9mon_episodes_removed_from_rotation&diff=next&oldid=43907788</ref> When this Bulbapedia article was created on February 27, 2005, it had the line "4 Kids Entertainment have dubbed this episode and reduced the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe, but the episode has still never been shown".<ref>http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=EP038&oldid=5596</ref> The line has been without a source until October 28, 2007, when "According to Maddie Blaustein" was added at the beginning of the line.<ref>http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=EP038&diff=prev&oldid=160862</ref> Contrary to rumors, neither Blaustein nor Stuart said 4Kids reduced the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe for viewing.  


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
* ''[[Fantasy in My Pocket]]'' replaced ''[[Meowth's Song]]'' as the ending.
<!--Please do not put down that this episode aired in Brazil. Your edit will be undone unless you provide solid evidence.-->
* Akihabara, the name of the professor, is also the name of a {{wp|Akihabara|famous electronics district}} in {{wp|Tokyo}}.
* [[Fantasy in My Pocket]] replaces [[Meowth's Song]] as the [[List of Japanese ending themes|Japanese ending theme]].
* Jessie and Ash refer to the two Porygons as 零号機 ''zero-gōki'' and 初号機 ''sho-gōki'', respectively - a likely reference to Evangelion Units 00 and 01 from {{wp|Neon Genesis Evangelion}}.
* [[Dr. Akihabara|Akihabara]], the name of the professor, is also the name of a {{wp|Akihabara|famous electronics district}} in {{wp|Tokyo}}.
* [[Jessie]] and {{Ash}} refer to the two {{p|Porygon}} as 零号機 ''zero-gōki'' and 初号機 ''sho-gōki'', respectively—a likely reference to Evangelion Units 00 and 01 from {{wp|Neon Genesis Evangelion}}.
* This is the only aired episode of the anime to be banned worldwide.
* This episode was skipped in the comic adaptation [[Pocket Monsters Film Comic]] and the companion book [[TV Anime Pocket Monsters Big Bite Book]]. However, the missing episode is acknowledged by the numbering of the other summaries (it skips from [[EP037|37]] to [[EP039|39]]).
** This episode is also not included on the ''Pocket Monsters'' episode guide on the Japanese [[Pokémon.com]] website.<ref>http://www.pokemon.co.jp/anime/tv/pokemon.html</ref>
* Porygon's line after knocking {{TP|James|Weezing}} out can be heard in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'', specifically after it appears from {{OBP|Saffron City|stage}}'s [[Silph Co.]] door.


===Errors===
===Errors===
* After Pikachu attempts to shock the floating head, Misty's hair is a darker shade.
[[File:EP038 error.png|thumb|200px|Misty's miscolored hair]]
* When everyone first arrives back in the real world, Porygon is seemingly floating in mid-air above Misty's head; however, one cut later, it is between Misty and Brock.
* After {{AP|Pikachu}} attempts to shock the floating head, {{an|Misty}}'s hair is darker than normal.
* It shows the same scene before and after the last cut. The reason is unknown.
* While the two Porygon fight, one of Misty's shoes is colored green instead of red.
* When everyone first arrives back in the real world, Porygon is floating in midair above Misty's head, but in the next shot, it is between her and {{an|Brock}}.


===Dub edits===
==In other languages==
* According to [[Maddie Blaustein]], [[4Kids Entertainment]] did in fact dub this episode, reducing the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe, but the episode has still never been shown because of the worldwide ban placed on it by the Japanese government.
{{Epilang|color=AFA|bordercolor=FAA
|zh_cmn={{tt|電腦戰士3D龍 / 电脑战士3D龙|Computer Warrior Porygon}}{{tt|*|Revealed only in the trailer}}
}}


==In other languages==
==References==
* Following the results of the Japanese premiere, this episode has never aired anywhere else in the world.
<references/>


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pokemon.html Neuroscience for kids - Pokémon on the brain]
* [http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pokemon.html Neuroscience for kids - Pokémon on the brain]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjuMp7LwsEg Footage of one of the news reports]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suI8ZZzNRko Footage of one of the news reports]
* [http://www.neurology-asia.org/articles/19991_001.pdf Neurology report from 1999]
* [http://www.neurology-asia.org/articles/19991_001.pdf Neurology report from 1999]
* {{wp|Dennō Senshi Porygon|Electric Soldier Porygon}} on Wikipedia
* {{wp|Dennō Senshi Porygon}} on Wikipedia


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{{DEFAULTSORT:0038}}
[[Category:Original series episodes|038]]
[[Category:Original series episodes|038]]
[[Category:Banned episodes|038]]
[[Category:Banned episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Junki Takegami|038]]
[[Category:Episodes written by Junki Takegami]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Kiyotaka Itani|038]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded and directed by Kiyotaka Itani]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Takayuki Shimura|038]]
[[Category:Episodes storyboarded by Kiyotaka Itani]]
[[Category:Milestone episodes|038]]
[[Category:Episodes directed by Kiyotaka Itani]]
[[Category:Episodes animated by Takayuki Shimura]]
[[Category:Milestone episodes]]
[[Category:Episodes in which a main character obtains a new Pokémon]]
[[Category:Episodes in which a main character releases or gives away a Pokémon]]


[[de:Dennou Senshi Porygon (Episode)]]
[[de:Dennō Senshi Porygon]]
[[fr:Épisode 38]]
[[es:EP038]]
[[fr:EP038]]
[[it:EP038]]
[[ja:無印編第38話]]
[[ja:無印編第38話]]
[[pl:EP038]]
[[zh:电脑战士多边兽]]
[[pt:EP038]]

Latest revision as of 21:02, 13 September 2024

These donuts are great! This article is about an episode of the Pokémon animated series that has not been dubbed into English. As such, its coverage may contain romanized Japanese names, rather than dub names.
← EP037 : Ditto's Mysterious Mansion
Original series
Holiday Hi-Jynx →
EP038
EP038.png
  EP038  
でんのうせんしポリゴン
Computer Warrior Porygon
First broadcast
Japan December 16, 1997
United States Unaired
English themes
Opening N/A
Ending
Japanese themes
Opening めざせポケモンマスター
Ending ポケットにファンタジー
Credits
Animation Team Ota
Screenplay 武上純希 Junki Takegami
Storyboard 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
Assistant director 井硲清高 Kiyotaka Itani
Animation director 志村隆行 Takayuki Shimura
Additional credits
  • Screenshots on Filb.de
  • Electric Soldier Porygon is the most commonly used translation: no known official English title exists for this episode.

(Japanese: でんのうせんしポリゴン Computer Warrior Porygon, commonly Electric Soldier Porygon) is the 38th episode of the Pokémon animated series. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 16, 1997. The episode is infamous for resulting in over seven hundred Japanese people (ranging from 3-58 years old[1]) suffering adverse health effects, including epileptic seizures, vomiting, irritated eyes and other related symptoms, due to use of a flashing strobe effect upon its first and only airing. Because of that, this episode was never commercially released or re-broadcast anywhere in the world, and the show went on hiatus for four months.

The frames which caused the seizures are a four-second section in which Pikachu uses an Electric attack on a group of vaccine missiles. The explosion—which occupies a significant portion of the frame—flashes brightly and alternates rapidly between red and blue. The seizures caused by this episode resulted in OLM dropping strobe effects from Pikachu's electric attacks. For years following the incident, a disclaimer was broadcast at the beginning of all Japanese television shows, cautioning viewers not to sit too close to the television screen and to watch only in a brightly-lit room. (「テレビアニメを見るときには、部屋をあかるくして近づきすぎないようにしてみてくださいね。」)

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Plot

Ash and his friends make their way to the nearest Pokémon Center in Matcha City in order to revive Ash's tired Pikachu. There, they meet a distressed Nurse Joy, who reveals that the Poké Ball transporter has been problematic — the Pokémon she sends never arrives at another Pokémon Center, and it was replaced by a different Pokémon. Dr. Akihabara, the inventor of the Pokémon Transport System, is at the Center trying to figure out what went wrong with the system. Brock suggests that a computer virus could be the source of the problem. Akihabara explains that the system couldn't have been infected with a virus because he designed the circuits so well. Ash confuses his explanation of a computer virus with a biological one and thinks the transport system is actually sick. Joy is told by Brock about an antivirus, which is a powerful software made to fix the problem. However, upon further investigation into the system, Akihabara unexpectedly gasps and suddenly bolts out of the Center, leaving Joy and the others confused.

Ash and his friends break into Akihabara's huge laboratory mansion to figure out what happened to him. Inside, they are startled by a giant holographic image of Akihabara's head. Ash and his friends are led into a room with a giant machine. The doctor orders them to enter the machine, only telling them that they have entered a giant Human Transporter after he has sealed and locked the door. Akihabara then introduces the group to a Porygon and explains that Team Rocket has stolen his other prototype Porygon, and are causing havoc. Team Rocket is literally inside the system and have set up a virus blocking the Poké Balls from reaching the Pokémon Centers and keeping them for themselves. Akihabara can't send the antivirus in there because it would kill them, so he decided to send Ash and his friends into the machine with Porygon to defeat Team Rocket. They refuse, but Akihabara starts the Human Transporter and the kids are eventually sucked into cyberspace.

The group falls into the Transporter system, but Porygon flies beneath them, grows in size, and catches them. Riding on Porygon's back, Ash and his friends go over to confront Team Rocket, who are celebrating the success of their virus, which looks like a roadblock sign. Jessie and James send out Arbok and Weezing; Weezing uses Poison Gas on them, making Ash and his friends cough. Then, Porygon regains composure and uses Conversion; its skin color becomes purple, like Weezing's. Porygon then charges, with the group still riding it, right into Weezing and Arbok, effectively knocking them out.

Jessie decides to send their prototype Porygon out next, which looks similar to Akihabara's Porygon, except that it bears a "R" flag on its tail and a zero on its forehead. Jessie's Porygon changes the shape of its head to give itself a sword-like beak and tries to attack the other Porygon, who has also changed shape to counter it. Ash and his friends decide to capitalize on the distraction to move the barrier Team Rocket built to hold back all of the Poké Balls that were intended to be delivered to the Pokémon Centers. Team's Rocket's attempt to stop them is stopped by Pikachu's Thunder Shock, and Akihabara's Porygon sends them and the prototype Porygon blasting off.

Despite this, Akihabara, represented by a floating TV screen, warns them that Nurse Joy has followed Brock's instructions and hired another technician to put the antivirus program into the computer; and it indiscriminately targets everything and anything, including Team Rocket, Ash, and his friends. Trying to fix the problem himself, the doctor did not tell Joy about Team Rocket. As the antivirus targets the group, Porygon gathers Ash and his friends to attempt an escape. From the ground, Team Rocket calls Ash out for running away, but are corrected by Ash when he tells them to run from the antivirus. The antivirus then launches a few rockets that destroy the remainder of the Poké Ball barrier, thus destroying the virus. However, the vaccine keeps going. Meowth and the prototype Porygon rescue a panicking Jessie and James from the moving sea of Poké Balls and join Akihabara's Porygon in an attempt to escape.

Scene after Pikachu blew up the missile. For health and safety reasons, please click on the image to view the animation.

The vaccine transforms into an object that resembles a flying spaceship and takes pursuit. It launches more missiles that both of the Porygon dodge with difficulty. Inside the Center, Nurse Joy and the technician command the antivirus to unleash a powerful attack. Revealing a gigantic particle gun, it locks onto the prototype Porygon and fires a huge beam, sending Team Rocket downward into a cyberspace bug hole created by the powerful attack. The bug holes created by the antivirus's beam cause a system error, and Joy orders the technician not to use the attack again.

Team Rocket awakens at the bottom of one of the bug pits, and they realize that their Porygon is knocked out and that they cannot escape. The flying antivirus locks onto them again, but Bulbasaur's Vine Whip intervenes. Held onto Akihabara's Porygon by Bulbasaur, Team Rocket weighs Porygon down and slows its progress toward the exit portal. The antivirus locks onto Akihabara's Porygon and fires four more missiles, which it is unable to dodge. Pikachu steps in and launches a destructive Electric attack, detonating two of the missiles and giving Porygon just enough time to escape through the exit portal. The next two missiles hit the portal itself, destroying Akihabara's entire house, much to Akihabara's dismay, as his Human Transporter is now in pieces.

In the remains of the mansion, Ash and his friends are relieved to be back in the real world. Team Rocket thanks Ash for saving them and then quickly leaves, forgetting their prototype Porygon. Ash and his friends decide to check in on the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy is relieved to see the Transport system working again, oblivious to the fact that Ash and his friends risked their lives to fix the system. Ultimately, Ash and his friends decide not to tell Joy of the whole ordeal, instead finally asking her to restore Pikachu.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the animated series, please see the history page.

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Dare da?

Who's That Pokémon?: Porygon

Scheduling changes

After the hiatus, the show moved from Tuesday to Thursday, where it remained until 2018. The original schedule was as follows:

Code English title Japanese title Planned broadcast Actual broadcast
* Holiday Hi-Jynx ルージュラのクリスマス December 23, 1997 October 5, 1998
* Snow Way Out! イワークでビバーク — October 5, 1998
EP040 The Battling Eevee Brothers イーブイ４きょうだい January 6, 1998 April 16, 1998
EP041 Wake Up, Snorlax! おきろ！カビゴン！ January 13, 1998 April 23, 1998
EP042 Showdown at Dark City たいけつ！ポケモンジム！ January 20, 1998 April 30, 1998
EP043 March of the Exeggutor Squad ナッシーぐんだんだいこうしん！ January 27, 1998 May 7, 1998
EP044 The Problem with Paras パラスとパラセクト February 3, 1998 May 14, 1998
EP052 Princess vs. Princess げきとう！ポケモンひなまつり March 3, 1998 July 9, 1998
EP053 The Purr-fect Hero こどものひだよ！ぜんいんしゅうごう！ May 5, 1998 July 9, 1998

In the wake of the incident, all references to Pokémon, including a New Year's Eve show celebrating Pokémon, were removed from TV Tokyo's programming.

Legacy

The incident caused by the episode was coined by the Japanese press as the Pokémon Shock. Before the series restarted, a special report was aired on April 11, 1998, titled Anime: Pocket Monsters Problem Inspection Report. In addition, an explanation aimed for children was shown on the first episode after the incident. However, it has been known some children faked seizures to skip school the next day. Every Pokémon episode that aired up until this episode, including the opening, was edited by lighting certain scenes, removing or changing fast-flashing scenes and more. The original version of the episodes have never been shown again, except by mistake on Hulu Japan. The resulting hiatus also impacted the production of Mewtwo Strikes Back, leading to the creation of a prologue explaining Mewtwo's backstory, as the episodes foreshadowing its appearance were delayed to beyond the movie's airdate.

To avoid further controversy involving the episode's central plot, Porygon has never had an important role in another episode since, despite Pikachu being the one to cause the seizure-inducing explosion. Porygon's evolved forms, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, also remained absent from the anime until the fifteenth movie, and even then only appeared in cameo roles. Porygon itself has also made cameo appearances in the first four films and A Chansey Operation. As an indirect result, its signature move Conversion has never been used in the anime since, and its later-introduced signature move, Conversion 2, has not been seen in the anime at all.

The seizures caused from this episode have infamously made the Pokémon anime a frequent reference when discussing Japanese anime and its quick action and flashy effects. Numerous television shows and movies have made parodies with notable references by The Simpsons in the episode "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" (as "Battling Seizure Robots" which gives the entire family seizures) and South Park in the episode "Chinpokomon" (where Kenny McCormick suffers a seizure from playing a Chinpokomon video game too much).

This episode also gave the Pokémon anime the infamous title of "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show" from The Guinness Book of World Records.

On September 19, 2020, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a tweet that read "Porygon did nothing wrong", likely as a reference to this episode, and modern consensus that Porygon was a scapegoat due to Pikachu being the franchise's mascot. The tweet has since been deleted.[2]

English dub

On May 21 and 26, 2006, Maddie Blaustein said on the Serebii.net forum that 4Kids Entertainment did indeed dub this episode, although the validity of this statement has been questioned.[3] On September 23, 2016, Eric Stuart also said that they did dub the episode.[4] Veronica Taylor, on the other hand, initially claimed they never dubbed the episode,[5] before saying on March 30, 2018, that she was actually unaware at the time as to whether it was dubbed or not, and that Stuart would know more about it being one of the voice directors of the anime at the time.[6] Rachael Lillis also said she was unaware as to whether or not the episode was dubbed since decisions were made before it would be.[7]

The rumor about the existence of an English dub of this episode actually predates Blaustein's word. For example, the first answer Blaustein gave about this episode was a direct response to a user who mentioned reading on Wikipedia about the episode being dubbed: the line "4Kids Entertainment has actually dubbed Computer Soldier Porygon even though it didn't air" was added to the Wikipedia article currently titled Pokémon episodes removed from rotation on March 15, 2006, and Bulbapedia was used as the source.[8] When this Bulbapedia article was created on February 27, 2005, it had the line "4 Kids Entertainment have dubbed this episode and reduced the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe, but the episode has still never been shown".[9] The line has been without a source until October 28, 2007, when "According to Maddie Blaustein" was added at the beginning of the line.[10] Contrary to rumors, neither Blaustein nor Stuart said 4Kids reduced the speed and intensity of the flashing explosion to make it safe for viewing.

Trivia

Errors

Misty's miscolored hair
  • After Pikachu attempts to shock the floating head, Misty's hair is darker than normal.
  • While the two Porygon fight, one of Misty's shoes is colored green instead of red.
  • When everyone first arrives back in the real world, Porygon is floating in midair above Misty's head, but in the next shot, it is between her and Brock.

In other languages


References

  1. ↑ Cartoon-based illness mystifies Japan
  2. ↑ Pokemon Twitter deletes Porygon Tweet: Controversy and History
  3. ↑ Ask Maddie Blaustein - Q&A with Meowth
  4. ↑ ポケモンショック Pokémon Shock and The Whole Story
  5. ↑ Interview with Veronica Taylor
  6. ↑ Veronica Taylor interview (Part 2)
  7. ↑ Drew Scott Hemmerich: Rachael Lillis' answer to the infamous banned Pokemon episode
  8. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pok%C3%A9mon_episodes_removed_from_rotation&diff=next&oldid=43907788
  9. ↑ http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=EP038&oldid=5596
  10. ↑ http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=EP038&diff=prev&oldid=160862
  11. ↑ http://www.pokemon.co.jp/anime/tv/pokemon.html

External links


← EP037 : Ditto's Mysterious Mansion
Original series
Holiday Hi-Jynx →
Retrieved from "https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=EP038&oldid=4110858"