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The Pokemon anime has had over a thousand episodes, so it's no surprise that some of them would end up being controversial. There are many different levels of how controversial something can be, so this article will rank episodes that ended up being permanently banned as higher than those that eventually got unbanned.
This article will primarily focus on episodes that were controversial in multiple countries. Surprisingly, there is no shortage of Pokemon episodes of that nature.
Note: Some subjects in this article are controversial in nature.
10 highly controversial Pokemon episodes (some of which ended up being banned)
10) Down to the Fiery Finish!
Unlike many of the other episodes on this list that ended up being banned, Down to the Fiery Finish! is controversial for an entirely different reason. Many Pokemon fans were angry when Ash lost to Alain, despite the fact that everything seemed to have perfectly set him up for his first major Pokemon League victory.
His Orange League championship wasn't anywhere near as important as this bout, especially since there were fewer high-stakes battles in it. It also didn't help that Ash's Greninja lost to a Fire move (a resisted move) when Alain's Charizard survived a neutral hit (Water Shuriken is only neutral against a Fire/Dragon-type).
The following episode preview ended up being review bombed, and people didn't care much for Ash winning the next Pokemon League due to being deflated here.
9) Beauty and the Beach
The first banned Pokemon episode to talk about on this list is Beauty and the Beach. There were a few noteworthy reasons why it was divisive back then:
- James had breasts.
- An old man stares at Misty questionably.
- The Japanese version also has that old man wanting to have fun with Misty several years from now.
Beauty and the Beach would return several years later, although with the James scene being removed outright.
8) Tentacool & Tentacruel
Although this episode was initially broadcast on October 1, 1998, for American audiences, it would become temporarily banned shortly after 9/11, nearly three years later. The reason why Tentacool & Tentacruel was banned for a while was because of some scenes where Tentacruel destroys several buildings. Every American alive at the time would remember seeing the Twin Towers being destroyed, so it's easy to see why this episode was banned for being controversial.
This Pokemon episode also ended up being banned again after Hurricane Katrina due to the floods shown in it. It would eventually become unbanned, making it less controversial today than it was back then.
7) The Legend of Dratini
One of the most confusing things to Pokemon fans back then was how Ash had 30 Tauros. It was confusing to fans because the episode where Ash acquired all 30 of them was banned in most countries. This was long before social media was a thing, so it wasn't easy to look up details about something one might have missed.
This episode features an abundance of firearms in a series where that's not the norm. Nobody is shot in this episode, and the guns are used for comedic effect. However, it doesn't really fit in with what one would think of when it comes to Pokemon.
6) Ash and Passimian! Touchdown of Friendship!!
Recent anime episodes are usually not seen as controversial. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't any questionable episodes that end up being banned in some parts of the world. Ash and Passimian! Touchdown of Friendship!! is the most recent episode to be banned in the anime series.
This is because Ash wears makeup and dresses up as Passimian for a good chunk of the episode. Anybody familiar with the numerous controversies surrounding blackface can see why this episode was banned for western audiences.
The next episode is very similar in this regard.
5) Holiday Hi-Jinx
Modern fans of the series should know that the Pokemon, Jynx, has purple skin. However, there used to be a time when the Jynx had black skin. This Pokemon was seen as a terrible stereotype of both blackface and drag queens, with the former causing her skin color to change to purple.
Fans of the anime would eventually see Jynx again with her design, but that didn't change the fact that this controversial episode wouldn't show up in non-Asian countries. It's worth noting that other episodes featuring Jynx would either not be rebroadcast or had Jynx's skin color altered.
4) Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Wishcash
Earthquake is one of the strongest moves in the entire Pokemon series. However, it's a move that has been absent from the anime for a very long time. This episode is one of only a handful of episodes to be banned from every single country. Unlike Computer Warrior Porygon, Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Wishcash never aired due to the prominence of the move Earthquake.
It makes more sense when one looks at what was happening in Japan at that time. Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Wishcash was supposed to air after the 2004 Chūetsu Earthquake that killed 68 people and injured 4,805 people.
2) and 3) Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma! Parts 1 & 2
Technically speaking, there are two controversial episodes with this name in the Pokemon anime (the two episodes are parts 1 and 2 of an ongoing plot involving the two criminal organizations). However, Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma! is similar to Shaking Island Battle! Barboach vs. Wishcash in that it never saw the light of day and remains unaired to this day.
It featured Castelia City being destroyed, which wasn't appropriate for Pokemon fans considering the (at the time, recent) 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami killed 19,747 people, injured 6,242 more, and caused 2,556 people to go missing.
This two-parter was too controversial for the public, even if the plot was significant to the Black & White anime. TV Tokyo claimed that the two episodes would be aired at a later date but eventually retracted that statement and removed any mention of Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma! on their website.
1) Computer Warrior Porygon
Any Pokemon fan who ever wondered why the Porygon family gets no screentime should know that the 38th episode is partially to blame for that. The controversial part of this episode is when Pikachu and some missiles trigger a flashing red and blue strobe effect. Those flashes sent 685 Japanese children to a hospital and also made Nintendo's shares fall by 3.2%.
This episode never aired again after this incident, and the anime went on a four-month hiatus due to this disaster. Although Porygon didn't cause the flashing lights, it was an episode centered around it, so it virtually vanished from the anime.
Unsurprisingly, this episode has been parodied numerous times in popular TV shows, with The Simpsons and South Park being prime examples of it.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
