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The Electric Tale of Pikachu

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File:ElectricTaleofPikachu1.png
VIZ Media cover artwork of Volume 1

The Electric Tale of Pikachu (Japanese: ポケットモンスター・電撃ピカチュウ Pocket Monsters: Dengeki Pikachu) is a four-volume manga series made by Toshihiro Ono. It is loosely based on the Pokémon anime.

The manga overall follows the plot of the Pokémon: Indigo League and Adventures in the Orange Islands seasons of the anime. However, the story is not very sequential, as only a few select anime episodes were picked to be adapted into manga form. The manga concludes with Ash's victory in the Orange League.

The Electric Tale of Pikachu has been translated into English by both VIZ Media and Chuang Yi. Like many of VIZ Media's older manga titles, each volume was given a name: The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Pikachu Shocks Back, Electric Pikachu Boogaloo and Surf's Up, Pikachu. Chuang Yi's volumes do not have individual titles, though they also use the English title "The Electric Tale of Pikachu."

Differences between the anime and the manga

  • The characters are the same as in the anime, although characters differ between versions in significant ways. Ash does a significant amount of traveling on his own, although Misty and Brock appear frequently as traveling companions.
  • Many main and recurring characters own Pokémon that they do not own in the anime, such as Ash's Fearow.
  • Occasionally, a story from the anime will be adapted to the manga, but will be altered slightly. For example, in Play Misty For Me, Ash battles Misty for the Cascade Badge just like in the anime; however, she challenges him to retrieve his hat from her rather than a traditional battle.
  • Sabrina is shown as a kind, caring person, unlike in other depictions where she is shown as cold and indifferent to others.
  • Unlike in the anime, Gary Oak is shown to have a sister named May Oak.
  • Jessie and James are canonically confirmed as a couple in this manga: they are shown to be married at the end of volume four.
  • Captured Pokémon are assigned "ranks" based on their rarity. Rank D Pokémon (such as Mankey) are the most common, while Rank A Pokémon (such as Clefairy) are the rarest.

List of chapters

Volume One: The Electric Tale of Pikachu!

Volume Two: Pikachu Shocks Back

Volume Three: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo

Volume Four: Surf's Up, Pikachu

Controversy and censorship

This manga is perhaps the most controversial Pokémon manga ever published, due almost entirely to the fact that the original Japanese version of the manga series had a lot of sexual content, including women such as Misty, Jessie and the Sensational Sisters given oversized busts, often accompanied by skimpy clothing or swimwear. In order to make the series marketable to younger English-speaking readers, much of this was censored during VIZ Media's translations and all of the sexual content was taken out, leading to a "cleaner" version of the manga for international readers. In Chuang Yi's translation, only the first volume is based on the VIZ Media's censored version. Subsequent volumes are based on the original Japanese version and are not censored.

One scene in particular that was heavily edited was when Ash battles Misty for the Cascade Badge in Play Misty For Me. In the original, Misty wears a very revealing swimsuit, which is completely redrawn as a wetsuit in the English version.

There was one scene that was removed altogether from the English version. It is the original ending of To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That Is the Question!. This scene was set in a hot spring, and it pictured a naked Misty (with Pikachu) relaxing and washing herself, making a comment about how her chest should evolve, too. All of a sudden, Ash, Mikey and Brock are seen sitting in another hot spring, and they see Misty washing herself. Misty, noticing their presence, is extremely embarrassed and feels very violated; and she runs away in anger. This scene was likely deleted due to excessive nudity and the adult nature of the scene. This scene, however, is not removed from Chuang Yi's version.

Scene removed from the North American adaptation

  • Pikachu2 082.jpg
  • Pikachu2 083.jpg

International versions

File:Electric Tale of Pikachu Indonesia.png
Electric Tale of Pikachu volume 1 in Indonesian

In Brazil, the first volume of this series was released in four monthly issues. These are direct translations of VIZ Media's monthly issues and therefore contain all of VIZ Media's edits.

There was also a translation in Indonesian, renamed as Kisah Pikachu yang Menggetarkan.

Project Manga logo.png This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.
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