everyone remembers pokemon...even the ones who denie it played or at least wanted and i think its a shame it died and got rplace with half rate games like yugi ..

I used to love Pokemon.


Damn right I'm good in bed, I can sleep for hours!

You love it. You know you do.

Pokemon sucked it was retarded. The little yellow guys name sounded like someone sneezed. It was pathetic.


Hey there. You should definetly check out the next post!

It was cool when you were in 3rd/4th grade

This girl I couldn't stand challenged my level 80 Charizard with her level 16 Pidgey. I think I killer her in one move


Damn right I'm good in bed, I can sleep for hours!

You love it. You know you do.

the only time i ever liked Pokemon was in the 5th grade just because the cards were flashy
Pokemon in itself is retarded


Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung

This is the lowliest concept ever sold to children.

Bad drawings, NO imagination, and hillariously bad gameplay.
To my great detriment I actually have played five minutes of pokemon on a gameboy too, and it was horrible.

There is NOTHING redeeming about the pokemon sales jippo, except the enormous revenue it has brought to all those connected to the selling of it.


I'm the seventh chesspiece.I'm the secret member of every organisation,even those that do not exist.

those where the good old days now i am embarssed to say i use to like pokemon


NeroSkunky

Pokemon, ah that brings me back
All you need to know about pokemon

Pokémon (???? Pokemon, pronounced /'po?.k?.m?n/, although
frequently, and even intentionally mispronounced /po?.ki.'mćn/), is a multi-
billion dollar media franchise [1] created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996 (it
celebrated its tenth anniversary on February 27, 2006). The original Game
Boy video games have since been merchandised into anime, manga, trading
cards, toys, books and other media. The name, Pokémon, is a portmanteau of
its Japanese name, “Pocket Monsters” (????????? Poketto Monsut??).
The game’s catchphrase, in the English language versions of the franchise,
used to be “Gotta catch ’em all!”, although it is now no longer officially used
(except by Hasbro and in the title sequence to Pokémon Chronicles).
The concept of the Pokémon saga stems from the hobby of insect collecting,
a popular pastime in Japan, and one which Pokémon's creator Satoshi Tajiri
had enjoyed as a child. Tajiri’s formula took off in Japan and was adapted
(and translated) in 1998 for the American market, with the release of
Pokémon Red and Blue. These games allowed players to catch, collect, and
train hundreds of creatures, known as Pokémon; and battle them against
each other to build their strength. These Pokémon could then “evolve” into
more powerful Pokémon and learn new and stronger techniques. Pokémon
never bleed or die in battle, only faint - (however they can still become
confused, poisoned, paralyzed, frozen, sent to sleep and burned) this was a
very touchy subject to Tajiri, as he didn’t want to further fill the gaming world
with pointless violence. [2]
Pokémon is also the collective name for all of the fictional species within the
Pokémon universe. To date, the franchise has a grand total of 395 unique
species that lie at the heart of the series, a figure which has grown
substantially from the 151 monsters in the original Pokémon Red and
Pokémon Blue games. The name can either be singular or plural (such as deer
or moose), and the same applies to each species name.
Contents
[hide]
1 Setting
2 Generations
2.1 First (Game Boy, “Color”) generation
2.2 Second (GBC, “Precious Metals”) generation
2.3 Third (GBA, “Advanced”) generation
2.4 Fourth (Nintendo DS, “Touch”) generation
3 Video games
3.1 Appearances in Super Smash Bros.
3.2 Pokémon on Wii
4 Anime series
4.1 The Original Series
4.2 “Advanced Generation”
4.3 Spin-off series
4.4 English language adaptations
5 The Pokémon Trading Card Game
6 Manga
6.1 Manga released in english
6.2 Manga not released in english
7 Pokémon Live
8 Cultural influence
9 Controversy and criticism
9.1 Religion
9.1.1 Christianity
9.1.2 Judaism
9.1.3 Islam
9.2 Health
9.3 Animal cruelty
9.4 Americanization
10 Zbtb7
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Setting

While each medium has slight variations, there are a few notably persistent
characteristics of the world in which Pokémon is set. It is apparently an
alternate version of Earth, as real-world locations are occasionally mentioned,
though not seen. Real animals are also conspicuously absent, with a few
exceptions, but the inhabitants do seem to have knowledge of terrestrial
fauna, since many Pokémon are classified by their resemblance to such
creatures. When characters in the anime eat meat, it is often unclear what the
source is. The Pokémon world, at least in the regions seen so far, is
characterized by human settlements (often quite small) which are nestled in
vast, mostly-unspoiled wilderness. Even the large cities seen in the anime are
usually surrounded by lush forests. In contrast to development, technology
seems to be fairly advanced, as evinced by devices such as Poké Balls,
teleportation machines, Pokégear and the commonness of videophones. At
the same time, transportation technology, while inexplicably equivalent to
modern-day technology in our world, is little-used. Automobiles are rarely
seen, especially outside of cities, and accordingly, common routes are often
unpaved. There do not appear to be many major airports; long-distance
travel is often accomplished by sea. Trains exist in some places, but for the
most part, the people walk to their destinations, although several roads exist
designed specifically for bicycles. This is well-suited to the lifestyle of
Pokémon trainers, who must naturally explore new areas to catch new
specimens.
Generations

All of the licensed Pokémon properties overseen by The Pokémon Company
are divided roughly by generation. There have been three generations,
defined by the Pokémon which appear therein, and a fourth is in
development. Each of these generations has been first introduced in a pair of
Pokémon video games for the Game Boy or its successors (including the
Nintendo DS), beginning (in most countries) with Pokémon Red and Blue. Each
generation introduces a slew of new Pokémon and a handful of new general
concepts.
These generations are roughly chronological divisions by release; a handful of
Pokémon from a subsequent generation appear in the anime, manga, or
trading card game before the main Game Boy games which demarcate the
generation are released, but the anime, manga, and even (of late) the card
game divides itself into sagas or generations by the same scheme as the
games.
Some of the general concepts were introduced elsewhere, before being
introduced in the games. Two-on-two battles appeared in the anime long
before appearing in the games, and Pokémon Abilities are similar to Pokémon
Powers, introduced long before in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
First (Game Boy, “Color”) generation
This first generation started with Pokémon Red and Blue. The first generation
introduced the original 151 Pokémon, as well as the basic concepts of trading
and battling Pokémon. In Japan, the first generation included Pokémon Red,
Green, and later Blue (with changes to the artwork and dungeon layout), while
other regions started with Red and Blue (both featuring the updated
elements), but never got a Green.
This generation was completed by the game Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu
Edition, loosely based on the anime, in which the player started with a
Pikachu who refused to go into its Poké Ball and instead followed the player’s
character around. By turning around to face the Pikachu, players could get an
approximate notion of how much their Pikachu “liked” them. This and other
elements of Pokémon Yellow were similar to the anime. It also altered the
progress of the game to more accurately reflect trainers and Pokémon seen in
the anime, including the addition of the well-known members of Team
Rocket to the storyline.
These versions of the games revolved around the Kanto region, though it was
not known as such until the second generation. This generation also
introduced the idea of a rival trainer whom the player faced a number of
times, as well as a team of evil Pokémon trainers.
These games were compatible with the N64 game Pokémon Stadium and its
sequel, Pokémon Stadium 2. Remakes of the first two games, called Pokémon
FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen, were released in the third “Advance”
generation.
Second (GBC, “Precious Metals”) generation
Beginning with Pokémon Gold and Silver, this second generation introduced
the next one hundred Pokémon and the new region of Johto. Innovations
included use of the Game Boy Color’s IR port for receiving a “Mystery Gift”
item, a day and night system (see below), and the concept of plants which
actively grew and bore Berries (items with special healing properties) and
Apricorns (for creating custom Poké Balls - items used to capture and store
Pokémon). In these games, the protagonist could also customise his bedroom
and breed Pokémon. Breeding is the only way to obtain baby Pokémon (a new
cla** of Pokémon). Also, two new types of Pokémon, the Steel and Dark types
were introduced. Even the Pokémon themselves had some different
properties, most notably being assigned genders. Previously, the only
Pokémon to be specifically gendered was Nidoran, which has unusually high
level of dimorphism. Another notable, though minor change, is that NPCs
were given names in addition to their basic title.
The games also featured a new tool, the Pokégear, a device which served as a
mobile phone, a radio, a map and a watch. The mobile phone function was
used to communicate with in-game NPCs for conversation or a potential
battle. The radio station chosen would influence the rate at which wild
Pokémon could be found. There was also one station announcing which
Pokémon could be found and where. The watch included the time and day of
the week and the protagonist’s mother can change it from Standard (Summer)
Time to Daylight Savings Time (and visa versa). Knowing the time was
important because different Pokémon appeared or evolved at different times
of day, and some events revolved around the time and the day of the week.
The sun would shine from 4 a.m. until 6 p.m., and the rest of the time it
would be night.
This generation of the games was completed by Pokémon Crystal, which was
most notably the only GBC-exclusive Pokémon RPG and the first which
allowed the player to choose the protagonist’s sex. It was also the first to
feature Pokémon who would do a battle dance when encountered and on-
screen text to announce when the protagonist entered a new location. Crystal
version also featured a slight alteration of the encounter with the three
Legendary Pokémon, in which the player would eventually encounter Suicune
and be able to catch it. However, the other two still had to be found in the
normal way (random wild encounters).
These games were compatible with Pokémon Stadium 2.
Third (GBA, “Advanced”) generation
Starting over by hearkening back to Red and Blue, Pokémon Ruby and
Sapphire added another 135 Pokémon from the Hoenn region, as well as
Pokémon natures (25 distinct Pokémon personality types), Pokémon Abilities
(always-on special innate abilities), Pokéblocks and Pokémon Contests, and
two-on-two Pokémon battles. However, this generation saw the loss of the
overt night and day system and the calendar, although the time mechanic did
exist to the extent that a clock appeared and that certain Pokémon would
only evolve into certain Pokémon at specific times of the day or night. These
versions also introduced the ability to grow berries in certain places, each
which had set lengths of time for their flowering, and the ability to make
“Secret Bases” in trees or caves in which dolls, tables, chairs, plants, and
other objects could be placed.
The third game in this series was Pokémon Emerald, which updated the
PokéNAV’s Trainers Eyes feature for a return to the mobile phone system of
the previous generation (but modified, allowing players to contact Pokémon
Gym Leaders for rematches, but no longer allowing them to remove NPC
trainers). Emerald version also saw a return of the Pokémon battle dance
when encountering an enemy Pokémon. These 3 versions all appeared on the
Game Boy Advance.
This generation was rounded out on handhelds by Pokémon FireRed and
LeafGreen for the GBA, enhanced remakes of the first two Pokémon games,
including a playable female character (based on concept art for a playable
female the original designers considered but were unable to implement), new
items and regions, move tutors, and all the features of the 2nd and 3rd
generations, excluding the day/night system and (except in Japan) e-reader
compatibility. FireRed and LeafGreen also shipped with the GBA wireless
adapter for wireless battles and trading.
All five GBA games are compatible with the storage program Pokémon Box:
Ruby & Sapphire for Nintendo GameCube, and also with Pokémon Colosseum
and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. The first Pokémon RPGs for home
consoles, these titles introduced the desert country of Orre, as well as
corrupted shadow Pokémon, and “Snag”ging, the ability to steal/rescue them
from their trainers and eventually “purify” them.
Unlike games in the second generation, third-generation games cannot trade
with previous games in the series, due to hardware limitations. This initially
resulted in many Pokémon becoming unavailable, a situation rectified by the
release of Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and
Pokémon Emerald. Pokémon such as Celebi and Mew, only obtained from
Nintendo directly, had to be handed out again as well.
Fourth (Nintendo DS, “Touch”) generation
Slated to be introduced in Pokémon Ranger: the Road to Diamond and Pearl
for the Nintendo DS. A handful of new Pokémon from this generation have
made cameo appearances in the seventh and eighth Pokémon movies
(Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, respectively),
as well as Pokémon XD and Pokémon Mysterious Dungeon Blue & Red.
Recently, four additional new Pokémon (which will make appearances in the
ninth movie, Pokémon Ranger and the Prince of the Sea: Manaphy) have been
revealed by CoroCoro magazine and the Official Movie Website. In addition,
the anime has featured the capture of three out of the nine currently known
fourth generation Pokémon. The known fourth generation Pokémon are:
Munchlax (pre-evolution of Snorlax)
Bonsly (pre-evolution of Sudowoodo)
Lucario
Manyula (evolution of Sneasel)
Manene (pre-evolution of Mr. Mime)
Manaphy
Perappu
Buizeru
Tamanta (pre-evolution of Mantine)
Video games



A screenshot from one of the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red. The
player’s Charmander battles a Squirtle.
Main article: Pokémon (video games)
The original Pokémon games were Japanese RPGs with an element of strategy,
and were created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. These role-playing
games (and their sequels, remakes and English language translations) are still
considered the “main” Pokémon games, and the games which most fans of
the series are referring to when they use the term “Pokémon games”.
These games have sold over 100 million copies to date. Accumulative sold
units (including home console versions) reach 143 million copies. This makes
it the second biggest-selling games franchise ever (after Nintendo’s Mario
series).
The first games in the series were Pokémon Red and Blue' (Red and Green in
Japan, followed by a Blue, and a special edition Yellow version). These games
were nearly identical, save for the fact that each version had a select group of
Pokémon that the other version did not. The ultimate goal of these games
was to catch at least one member of all the different species of Pokémon
(151, though the 151st could only be caught in-game in the Japanese
version), and to do so, players had to trade for Pokémon not available in the
version they had. While battling monsters is nothing new to RPGs, many
players found themselves nearly addicted to finding, fighting, and capturing
every Pokémon in the game. Another, perhaps easier, goal was to finish the
game’s storyline by becoming the Pokémon League Champion. This was done
by collecting eight Gym Badges by beating the eight Gym Leaders and then
defeating the Elite Four, plus the current League Champion.
Each generation of Pokémon games so far has followed a pattern of two
complementing versions followed later by at least one other version with
some extras. Pokémon Red and Blue were followed by Pokémon Yellow (in
Japan, Red and Green were followed by Blue which was subsequently followed
by Yellow). Gold and Silver were followed by the exclusively Game Boy Color
version, Crystal. The Game Boy Advance first saw the release of Ruby and
Sapphire. The most recent full fledged game has been FireRed and LeafGreen
which are remakes of Red and Blue. A third version of Ruby and Sapphire,
called Pokémon Emerald, was released on May 1, 2005.
The series has also diversified into various spin-offs, such as pinball games,
virtual pets, simulated photography, and racing. A handful of these spinoffs
are remade in subsequent “generations”; for example, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby
and Sapphire is very similar to Pokémon Pinball but with newer Pokémon, and
Pokémon Stadium 2 is largely identical to Pokémon Stadium but for the
compatibility with Pokémon Gold and Silver.
The most recent game to be released was Pokémon Trozei for the Nintendo
DS. It came out on March 6, 2006. Currently in development are Pokémon
Diamond and Pearl, also for Nintendo DS, and 3 games are out in Japan and
are awaiting international release.
Appearances in Super Smash Bros.
Two of the most popular Pokémon, Pikachu and Jigglypuff, were picked to
appear as two of the 12 characters in Nintendo’s beat-’em-up game Super
Smash Bros.,[3] which was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. Pikachu
appeared as an initially available character while Jigglypuff was an unlockable
one. The pair returned in the 2001 GameCube sequel, Super Smash Bros.
Melee. They kept their positions, Pikachu was still an initial character while
Jigglypuff was still an unlockable character, but two new Pokémon also
appeared, joining Jigglypuff as unlockable characters: Mewtwo and Pichu.[4]
In both games, many different Pokémon can be used in a match by throwing
the Pokéball item. A randomly-chosen Pokémon is released from the
Pokéball, using one of its attacks to affect other players.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the player can collect many different trophies of
a variety of characters from numerous Nintendo games, including several
Pokémon characters.
Nintendo has also stated that a version of Super Smash Bros. will appear on
their forthcoming Wii console, tentatively titled Super Smash Bros. Wii/DX.
Though the appearance of any Pokémon characters has not been explicitly
confirmed, it is likely several will be featured in the game (considering the
abundance of Pokémon references in the first two games in the series).
Pokémon on Wii
A Pokémon game for Nintendo’s new console, Wii, has currently not been
announced. However, Nintendo produced a demo for Wii (exclusively for
gaming news outlets such as GameSpot and IGN) known as “Big Pokémon
Hunter”, wherein the goal was to zoom with the controller and find different
Pokémon in a Where’s Waldo?-esque scenario. The review of this demo is
currently available at among many other sites.[5] As of yet, no further
information has been released about Pokémon video games on the Nintendo
Wii.[6]
Anime series



The main characters of the Advanced Generation anime.
Main article: Pokémon (anime)
The Pokémon anime series and films are a set of adventures separate from
most other versions of Pokémon, featuring Ash Ketchum as the main
character, and following his quest to become a Pokémon Master – though
what constitutes a Master is somewhat ambiguous. He and his companions
travel around the Pokémon world battling other Pokémon trainers.
The Original Series
The first, and the most familiar, is Pocket Monsters or simply Pokémon (often
referred to as Pokémon: Gotta Catch Em All to distinguish it from the later
series), which details the adventures of Ash Ketchum as he travels through
Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto on a quest to become the greatest
Pokémon Master of all time. This series is based on the first and second
generation games. Accompanying Ash on his journeys were Brock, the Pewter
City Gym Leader; Misty, the youngest of the Gym Leaders sisters from
Cerulean City; and Tracey Sketchit, an artist and “Pokémon watcher”. In the
original series Ash’s main rival was another trainer from Pallet Town, Gary
Oak. Gary (whose grandfather was none other than Professor Oak, the man in
charge of giving new trainers their first Pokémon) was well known and
acompanied by a squad of cheerleaders. The names of Ash and Gary were
derived from the characters’ Japanese names, Satoshi and Shigeru. These
names, in turn, were taken from the two people who produced the franchise -
Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri and gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto, who
helped Tajiri to launch the series.


Pikachu, numbered 25 in the Pokédex, is probably the best-known Pokémon
species and has appeared in all Pokémon games, movies and episodes
(excluding Pokémon Chronicles).
“Advanced Generation”
The saga continues into Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation (in Japan)
where Ash and company travel to Hoenn, a southern region in the Pokémon
World. Ash catches a Snorunt, a Treecko, and a Taillow, all of which evolve:
Snorunt into Glalie, Treecko into Grovyle, and Taillow into Swellow. Ash also
captures a Corphish and a Torkoal. Ash takes on the role of a teacher and
mentor for a novice Pokémon trainer in this series named May. Her brother
Max accompanies them, and though he isn’t a trainer, he knows massive
amounts of handy information. Brock (from the original series) soon catches
up with Ash, but Misty has returned to Cerulean City to tend to her duties as
a gym leader. This series is based on the third generation games.
Afterward, Ash returns to his home region of Kanto and visits the Battle
Frontier while May competes in Kanto Contests. Misty joins them for a part of
the journey, on the way to Cerulean City. This part of the series is loosely
based upon Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald.
Spin-off series
A spin-off series, entitled Shu-kan Pokémon Ho-so-kyoku (also referred to
as Pokémon Hoso) is a spinoff of the first, and tells the adventures within the
continuity of Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation, starring many of the
recurring characters in Pocket Monsters. The English adaptation of this series,
Pokémon Chronicles, combines the episodes from this series as well as
various other made-for-TV specials (originally unrelated to Housoukyoku)
that have not previously been released in English.
There was also a television program in Japan titled Pokémon Sunday, a live
action Pokémon-themed variety show hosted by the Pokémon Research
Team.
English language adaptations
In the English language release, the original series was split into four separate
series spanning five seasons while Advanced Generation was split into
separate series. Two series from Advanced Generation have been aired, with
the third series currently airing in the United States and elsewhere.
The English adaptation can be seen on Kids' WB and Cartoon Network in the
United States. In other countries the English language adaptations air on the
following channels:
Cartoon Network in the Philippines
YTV in Canada
Cartoon Network and Canal 5 in México
Toonami, Cartoon Network, Sky One and Sky Two in the United Kingdom
RTÉ Two in Ireland
RTL 2 in Germany
Jetix in the Netherlands
TF1 and Jetix in France
Kids Central in Singapore
SIC in Portugal
Channel Ten’s Toasted TV and Cartoon Network/Toonami in Australia
TV4 and Jetix in Sweden
Housoukyoku originally aired on TV Tokyo but has since ended its run. Whilst
Chronicles can currently be seen on YTV in Canada and in the United
Kingdom on Toonami, Pokémon Sunday can only be seen on TV Tokyo, and
there are no plans to adapt it for the Western market.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game



A typical Pokémon card
Main article: Pokémon Trading Card Game
The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a collectible card game based on
Pokémon, first introduced to North America in 1999, and in Japan at an
earlier date. Initially, it was published by Wizards of the Coast, the company
most famous for Magic: The Gathering.
However, with the release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Game Boy video
games, Nintendo took back the card game from Wizards of the Coast and
started publishing the cards themselves. The “Expedition” expansion
introduced the Pokémon-e Trading Card Game, the cards in which (for the
most part) were compatible with the Nintendo e-Reader. Nintendo
discontinued its production of e-Reader compatible cards with the release of
EX FireRed & LeafGreen.
In 1998, Nintendo released a Game Boy Color version of the trading card
game in Japan. It was also released in the US and Europe in 2000. This game
included digital versions cards from the original set of cards and the first two
expansion (Jungle and Fossil), but also included several cards exclusive to the
game.
A sequel to this game exists, but was not released outside of Japan.
Manga

There are various Pokémon manga series, four of which were released in
English by Viz Communications, and seven of them released in English by
Chuang Yi.
Manga released in english
Pokémon (The Electric Tale of Pikachu a.k.a Dengeki Pikachu), a sh?nen
manga created by Toshihiro Ono. It was divided into four tank?bon, each
given a separate title in the North American and English Singapore versions:
The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Pikachu Shocks Back, Electric Pikachu Boogaloo,
and Surf’s Up, Pikachu. The series is based loosely on the anime.
Pokémon Adventures, a sh?nen manga based on the video games.
Magical Pokémon Journey (a.k.a. Pokémon: PiPiPi Adventures), a sh?jo manga
Pikachu Meets the Press (newspaper style comics, not released by Chuang Yi)
Ash & Pikachu (a.k.a. Satoshi to Pikachu, not released by Viz)
Pokémon Gold & Silver (not released by Viz)
Pokémon Ruby-Sapphire and Pokémon Pocket Monsters (not released by Viz)
Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker (not released by Viz)
Manga not released in english
Pokémon Card Ni Natta Wake (How I Became a Pokémon Card) by Kagemaru
Himeno, an artist for the TCG. There are six volumes and each includes a
special promotional card. The stories tell the tales of the art behind some of
Himeno’s cards (the tale of Persian from the Jungle set is particularly
popular).
Pokémon Getto Da ze! by Asada Miho
Poketto Monsutaa Chamo Chamo Puritei by Yumi Tsukirino, who also made
Magical Pokémon Journey.
Pokémon Card Master
Pocket Monsters Emerald Challenge!! Battle Frontier by Ihara Shigekatsu
Pokémon Zensho by Satomi Nakamura
Pokémon Live



The assembled cast of Pokémon Live!, in costume.
Main article: Pokémon Live!
A live action show called Pokémon Live! toured the United States in late 2000.
It was based on the popular Pokémon anime, and was well-liked among some
fans of the franchise [citation needed](in spite of some continuity errors
relating to the anime). In late 2002, it was scheduled to tour Europe, but was
cancelled for unknown reasons.
Cultural influence

Pokémon, being a popular franchise, has undoubtedly left its mark on pop-
culture. The Pokémon characters themselves have become pop-culture icons;
examples include the Pikachu balloon at a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,
thousands of merchandise items, and in 2005, a theme park in Nagoya,
Japan. Pokémon also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine in 1999. The
prone-to-offend cartoon South Park spoofed Pokémon in Episode 310,
entitled “Chinpokomon” (“chinpoko” is Japanese slang for penis, and “komon”
is Japanese for anus), in which the executives behind the fad were revealed to
be Japanese ultra nationalists bent on avenging Japan’s admitted defeat in
World War II. The Comedy Central show Drawn Together has a character
named Ling-Ling which is a direct parody of Pikachu. Several other shows
such as The Simpsons have made references to Pokémon (among other anime
series).
Because of the unprecedented popularity of the franchise, Nintendo formed a
subsidiary company called The Pokémon Company to handle the franchise.
The subsidiary handles everything from publishing the games in Japan to
running the official merchandise stores and the Pokémon Centers. The
Pokémon Company in turn has a U.S. based subsidiary called Pokémon USA,
of which a minority owner is 4Kids Entertainment, the former international
distributors (outside Japan) (excluding Korea whose distributor is Daiwon C&A
Holdings) of the popular Pokémon anime series.
On December 23, 2005, 4Kids Entertainment had decided to not renew the
Pokémon License, set to expire on December 31, 2005 and gave the rights to
Pokémon USA. [7]The agreement is related to Pokémon rights outside Asia.
On March 16, 2006, 4Kids announced they had sold their minority interest in
Pokémon USA.
Controversy and criticism

See also Jynx (Pokémon), Kadabra, Houndoom and Murkrow for specific
controversial Pokémon designs, and Banned episodes of Pokémon for
controversies related to specific episodes.
As with many pop culture icons, Pokémon has had its fair share of
controversy and criticism.
Religion
Christianity
Some Protestant Christian groups in the United States believe Pokémon to be
Satanic in origin. [8] After the US release of Pokémon Yellow, there was a
sudden widespread criticism of it passed through Christian congregations
primarily by word-of-mouth. The claimed parallels between Pokémon and
Satanism include:
Pokémon parallel demons. They are captured and must be invoked to perform
tasks.
Magical “talismans” (gym badges) are necessary to control many of them.
“Magical” stones are used to evolve certain Pokémon.
Pokémon “evolve.” Evolution precludes literal creationism, therefore Pokémon
denies some forms of Biblical interpretation.
Many Pokémon have paranormal or psychic powers. These powers are not
derived from God and therefore, according to Christian docture, must stem
from Satan.
Many Pokémon embody or practice Asian spiritual and mystical concepts. For
example, some practice martial arts, which some Christian groups denounce
as gateway to pagan religions. The game world also incorporates Asian
traditions about elemental forces.
Some Pokémon (such as Houndoom and Murkrow) resemble witches or
demons.
Also, when the main theme song for the television show is sung in English,
the lyrics “gotta catch ’em all” are alleged to say “I love Satan” or “oh Satan”
when played backwards, which is known as “backmasking”. This has left
some Christians and Christian organizations believing that Pokémon
subliminally encourages Satanism. However, backmasking in general is highly
controversial and debatable, leaving room for much skepticism.
Still, most people (including many Asian Christian congregations) dismiss
these claims to be nonsense, and attribute many of the alleged protests to
urban legend. The surprisingly small amount of original protests (as opposed
to reports of protests) seem to reinforce this belief. It would be incorrect to
state that the Christian religious community is of a single mind in this matter,
since most mainstream sects of Christianity are utterly indifferent to
Pokémon.
The alleged outcry was enough to move the Holy See to comment, in an
official statement on April 21, 2000:
The Vatican has announced that the trading-card and computer-game
versions of Pokémon are “full of inventive imagination,” have no “harmful
moral side effects” and celebrate “ties of intense friendship.” Whether that
extends to the TV show, His Holiness didn’t say. The New York Post, quoting
a Thursday story in The Times of London, says The Vatican made its
announcement on its satellite TV station, Sat2000, run by the Italian Bishops’
Conference.-from the New York Times
There are also allegations against “Pokémon” citing liberal views on morality,
particularly among Christians. These include the immodest dress of some of
the female characters in the show, the use of the phrase “kick your ass” (in
actuality, “kick your Grass”, referring to a type of Pokémon) in the lyrics of a
song in the show, though the phrase was later removed and replaced with
different lyrics, and a certain character (James), wearing women’s clothes in
several episodes of the show, giving some the impression that he is a
transvestite.
A private interview with Nintendo revealed that James must sometimes wear a
‘costume’ in order for a plan to catch Pikachu to work, or to give Ash or his
friends something to make sure they win something.
Normally, when James dresses up as a woman for these ploys, his female
partner Jessie also dresses up as a man, to further confuse their identities.
(Ash generally fails to see through their disguises anyway, but the cross-
dressing makes it that much more difficult). Such cross-dressing for both
characters can also be seen in Pokémon Puzzle League, in the Spa Service
mode. It is, however, notable that James’s voice in the English dub of the
anime has gotten more effeminate as the series has gone on.
Judaism
Pokémon has been criticised by some members of the Jewish community for
its use of the swastika, the most widely known symbol of Nazism, which they
hold is inappropriate for children’s toys. Nintendo says that this is a matter of
cultural misunderstanding, as the swastika and a similar symbol, the manji
have been used in East Asian cultures as a symbol for “good fortune” by the
Hinduism religion for thousands of years. Even today in Japan, the swastika is
not necessarily associated with Nazism, and most maps not only in Japan but
also in Korea and Taiwan use little clockwise upright swastikas, manji, to
indicate the location of Buddhist temples. Moreover, Buddhist and folklore
artifacts frequently bear swastika ornaments; a tiling of interwoven tilted
swastikas is commonly seen in the Seoul subway system.
The manji was shown only on a Japanese version card and was excluded from
the North American release. However, these Jewish groups attacked the
Japanese version distributed in the U.S. by unauthorized import, even though
the manji symbol is reversed (i.e., clockwise rather than counter-clockwise) in
relation to the swastika or Hakenkreuz used by the Nazi party. As a result of
this controversy Nintendo stopped using this symbol even in the Japanese
version. [9] This raised a public backlash in Japan for being intolerant towards
the symbols of the Buddhist religion for the sake of avoiding controversy.
Islam
Pokémon has only belatedly made its way to the Islamic world, at this point,
in Saudi Arabia. The driving point behind this factor is the belief that the
trading card game promotes gambling with cards. In most moderate Islamic
countries, such as Turkey and Pakistan, it poses no threat. In Iran, for
example, the game is relatively popular, and the Pokémon logo and
characters are widely recognizable in much of the Muslim world.
A fatwa, or religious edict, issued by a Saudi sheik urges all Muslims to
beware of the game, noting that most of the cards bear “six-pointed stars, a
symbol of international Zionism and the state of Israel.[10]. This refers to the
Colorless energy symbol, which has nothing to do with Judaism.
Health
Main article: Banned episodes of Pokémon: Electric Soldier Porygon
On December 16, 1997, 685 Japanese children were admitted to hospital with
convulsive epileptic seizures. It was determined that the seizures were caused
by watching an episode of Pokémon, Dennou Senshi Porygon, or “Electric
Soldier Porygon”. In this particular episode, there were bright explosions with
rapidly-alternating blue and red color patterns. It was determined in
subsequent research that these strobing light effects cause some individuals
to have epileptic seizures, even if they haven’t had any previous history of
epilepsy. As a consequence, many video game makers (including Nintendo)
added warning labels to their video game products (or made pre-existing
labels more prominent), warning that exposure to video games may trigger
seizures in individuals vulnerable to photosensitive epilepsy[11]
Animal cruelty
Many have compared the primary mechanism of Pokémon to the generally-
outlawed practice of cockfighting. Seen from this point of view, the game
consists primarily of Pokémon trainers capturing and bartering in wild
animals, coercing them to fight one another.[12] It also sees various
performance-enhancing drugs to give them an edge in the fight. Some people
believe that this may encourage children towards acts of animal cruelty and
illegal gambling. [13]
However, most fans view Pokémon battling as a friendly competition between
two teams of Pokémon and their trainers. Seen in this light, Pokémon are not
being coerced to battle by their trainers. There are references to some
Pokémon being territorial (e.g. Pidgeotto [14]), but it is vastly different to the
aggressively territorial nature of roosters, who will maim the 'enemy' rooster
until it or the other dies. Furthermore; trainers do not relish the idea of
allowing two animals (or in this case Pokémon) to fight to the death, while
they merely view from the edge of the ‘ring’. In both the games and the
television show, the audience is taught that fighting is not necessarily a
means to an end.
Americanization
Both critics and fans of the Pokémon franchise have criticised the apparent
Americanization of the franchise, claiming that American companies use
Pokémon as a tool to exploit children of their (parents’) money.[citation
needed] Some criticisms include:
The changing of the Japanese name “Pocket Monsters” to “Pokémon” in the
English version of the franchise; it is often observed that the word “monster”
has a negative connotation, and the word “Pokémon” is much cuter. This is
seen as a way of giving the franchise a child-friendly appeal. In fact, an
earlier toy line called “Monster in My Pocket” made it impossible to trademark
the phrase “Pocket Monsters” in America, forcing the use of the Pokémon
term. The term has since seen common use in Japan.
The abundance of merchandise of “cuter” Pokémon, ignoring the “tougher”
Pokémon. (This criticism is usually made by the fans of the franchise, many of
whom are fans of specific Pokémon creatures which rarely feature in
merchandise).
The apparent watering-down of the Pokémon anime by 4Kids Entertainment -
the controversial company has faced criticism for apparently Americanizing
its translated Japanese anime programs. Several episodes were edited or
removed from the American run completely for potential objectional content.
[15]
In some episodes, Brock carries a batch of onigiri, but in the Americanized
version, he calls them doughnuts.


ANA Boeing 747-400 (JA8962), in Pokémon special colors. Pictured on the
plane are Clefairy, Pikachu, and Togepi. (Mewtwo and Snorlax appear on the
tail, but are obscured in this picture.)
Zbtb7

Main article: Zbtb7
A mammalian oncogene, now officially known as Zbtb7, was named
“Pokemon”[16] (although lacking an acute “e”) by its discoverers. This name is
apparently an acronym for “Pok Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic” factor, so the
name could be either a backronym or simply coincidence. The gene is
suspected to play a major role in cancer, and the name was changed to
“Zbtb7” due to the threat of a lawsuit. However, it is still often mentioned
with “formerly known as pokemon”.[17]


Forum Veteran

You know copying and pasting gets you no points, right?


Damn right I'm good in bed, I can sleep for hours!

You love it. You know you do.

hey i was still a newbie when i posted that i thought it would get me 100!


Forum Veteran

Alright


Damn right I'm good in bed, I can sleep for hours!

You love it. You know you do.

oi fish boi u thought da cards were flashy u r fkn retarded can u say " i m so f n re tar ted"??? u must lyk da pen15 coz wot "cums" out is flashy 2