Pokémon controversies

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There have been numerous criticism and controversies regarding Pokémon.

Pokémon Shock

Main article: Pokémon Shock

An episode of the Pokémon anime broadcast in December 1997 on Japanese television induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in a substantial number of Japanese viewers, many of which required medical assistance. As a result, the episode was not broadcast overseas, and the incident caused the anime to go into a temporary hiatus.

Lawsuits

A parents' group attempted to sue manufacturers of collectible cards, including Nintendo and Wizards of the Coast, claiming that the cards' collectible nature and the random distribution of the cards in packs constitutes illegal gambling.

In 1999, two parents set up a website named "Pokémon Kills" after their daughter suffocated because she had covered her mouth and nose with half of a Poké Ball sold by Burger King in a series of promotional toys to advertise Mewtwo Strikes Back; in response to this, Burger King recalled the Poké Balls and exchanged them for food for a limited amount of time. Also in 1999, two 9-year-old boys sued Nintendo over the Pokémon Trading Card Game for causing them a gambling problem.

Uri Geller

Kadabra's artwork at the time

In November 2000, Uri Geller, a man claiming to be a psychic who is to be able to bend spoons with psychic powers, tried to sue Nintendo for £60 million, claiming that Kadabra, known as Yungerer in Japan, was an unauthorized parody of himself. Besides Kadabra's use of bent spoons to enhance its psychic powers, the katakana for its name (ユンゲラー) is visually similar to the transliteration of his own name into Japanese (ユリゲラー). Another claim was that Kadabra's design is antisemitic in nature due to the star on its forehead and the lightning bolts resembling the logo of the Waffen-SS. He is quoted as saying "Nintendo turned me into an evil, occult Pokémon character. Nintendo stole my identity by using my name and my signature image."

As a result, there has not been a Kadabra card in the Trading Card Game since Skyridge in 2003 and Kadabra has not appeared in the Pokémon anime since Fear Factor Phony, perhaps as a precaution against Geller's history of lawsuits. This is further hinted at by Masamitsu Hidaka's interview with PokéBeach in July 2008, where he claims that usage of Kadabra on a card is not allowed until an agreement was reached and that the case would not be settled anytime soon. Abra and Alakazam cards have continued to be printed, despite the fact that this makes it impossible to play Alakazam cards in matches that prevent the use of older cards without a card that specifically allows evolved Pokémon to be played. However, the only Abra card released after Skyridge, in Mysterious Treasures, has an attack that allows it to evolve directly into Alakazam, skipping the Kadabra stage. Although this is probably a coincidence, the Everstone in the core series games from Generation IV onward fails to prevent Kadabra's evolution into Alakazam.

Morality

Racism

Jynx's design was criticized as being a stereotype of African American people, which caused it to be changed (for details, see the section on the Jynx article).

Nazism

Members of the Jewish civil rights group Anti-Defamation League accused Nintendo in 1999 of using a manji, the Japanese name of the swastika as a Buddhist symbol, in the Japanese print of Koga's Ninja Trick because it is considered offensive to the Jewish people. Nintendo ceased manufacturing the card, a decision that was positively received the group, which also understood that the symbol was not intended to offend and acknowledged the sensitivity that Nintendo showed by removing the product.

Animal cruelty

In the past, several animal rights groups have tried to ban Pokémon, claiming that Pokémon battles closely resemble cockfights. This aspect of the controversy was actually touched upon in Pokémon Black and White.

Upon the release of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, PETA released a mock game named Pokémon Black and Blue. In the game, the player controls the Pokémon to attack the opposing human. PETA claims that the way the Pokémon are "stuffed" into the Poké Ball is similar to how circus elephants are chained inside railroad carts. Nintendo responded to this by simply stating, "Nintendo and The Pokémon Company take the inappropriate use of our products and intellectual property seriously." Around the release of Pokémon X and Y, PETA released another mock game called Pokémon Red, White, and Blue that features Nintendo's claimed association with McDonald's and also makes fun of the frequent release of sister games.

Materialism

Pokémon has also been accused of promoting materialism, consumerism, and gender inequality.

Religion

Christianity

Some fundamentalist Christian groups have criticized the concept of evolution in Pokémon because it goes against the Genesis and have accused the franchise to be associated with the occult. In response, the Vatican City-based Sat 2000 broadcast public approval of Pokémon in April 2000, stating that the games did not have "any harmful moral side effects" and was based on "ties of intense friendship".

Islam

In 2001, the Pokémon games and cards were banned in Saudi Arabia. The TCG was banned on the grounds that it promoted Zionism by displaying a six-pointed star that resembles the Star of David as well as other religious symbols such as crosses they associated with Christianity and triangles they associated with Freemasonry, while the games were banned due to the inclusion of gambling elements, which is in violation of Muslim doctrine.