Banned episodes of Pokémon
Encyclopedia
There are hundreds of episodes of the Pokémon anime
Pokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...

; however, for various reasons, some have been taken out of the rotation of reruns in some countries. Pokémon is aimed at young children, which required some episodes to be altered. However some episodes are completely banned.

Dennō Senshi Porygon

"Dennō Senshi Porygon", literally "Computer Soldier Porygon", though most commonly translated as "Electric Soldier Porygon", aired in Japan on December 16, 1997 at 6:30 PM Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...

. 20 minutes into the episode, there is a scene in which Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...

 stops some vaccine missiles with its Thunderbolt attack, resulting in a huge explosion that flashes red and blue lights. Although there were similar parts in the episode with red and blue flashes, an anime technique called "paka paka" made this scene extremely intense, for these flashes were extremely bright strobe light
Strobe light
A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope...

s, with blinks at a rate of about 12 Hz for about 4 seconds in almost fullscreen, and then for 2 seconds outright fullscreen.

At this point, viewers started to complain of blurred vision, headaches, dizziness and nausea
Nausea
Nausea , is a sensation of unease and discomfort in the upper stomach with an involuntary urge to vomit. It often, but not always, precedes vomiting...

. A few people even had seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...

s, blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...

, convulsions, and lost consciousness. Japan's Fire Defense Agency reported a total of 685 viewers, 310 boys and 375 girls, were taken to hospitals by ambulances. Although many victims recovered during the ambulance trip, more than 150 of them were admitted to hospitals. Two people remained hospitalized for over 2 weeks. Some other people had seizures when parts of the scene were rebroadcast during news reports on the seizures. Only a small fraction of the 685 children treated were diagnosed with photosensitive epilepsy
Photosensitive epilepsy
Photosensitive epilepsy is a form of epilepsy in which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli that form patterns in time or space, such as flashing lights, bold, regular patterns, or regular moving patterns.-Symptoms:...

.

The news of the incident spread quickly through Japan. The following day the television station that had aired the episode, TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

, issued an apology to the Japanese people, suspended the program, and said it would investigate the cause of the seizures. Officers acting on orders from the National Police Agency
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....

 questioned the program's producers about the cartoon's contents and production process. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (Japan)
The ' is a cabinet level ministry of the Japanese government. It is commonly known as Kōrō-shō in Japan. This ministry provides regulations on maximum residue limits for agricultural chemicals in foods, basic food and drug regulations, standards for foods, food additives, etc.It was formed with...

 held an emergency meeting, discussing the case with experts and gathering information from hospitals. The series exited the airwaves.

After the airing of "Dennō Senshi Porygon", the Pokémon anime took a four-month break until it returned in April 1998. After the hiatus, the time slot changed from Tuesday to Thursday. The opening theme
Pokémon theme songs
This is a list of Pokémon theme songs that includes the media and release Information, which is mainly about the American and Japanese opening and ending themes of the Pokémon animated series.-Pocket Monsters: The Original Series:...

 was also redone, and black screens showing various Pokémon in spotlights were broken up into four images per screen. Before the seizure incident, the opening was originally one Pokémon image per screen. Before the resuming of broadcast, was shown. Broadcast in Japan on April 16, 1998, a woman named Miyuki Yadama went over the circumstances of the program format and the on-screen advisories at the beginning of animated programs.

Later studies showed that 5-10% of the viewers had mild symptoms that did not need hospital treatment. 12,000 children reported mild symptoms of illness, however their symptoms more closely resembled mass hysteria than a grand mal seizure. A study following 103 patients over three years after the event found most of them had no further seizures. Scientists believe the flashing lights triggered photosensitive seizures in which visual stimuli like flashing lights can cause altered consciousness. Although about 1 in 4,000 people are susceptible to these types of seizures, the number of people affected by this Pokémon episode was unprecedented.

According to the late Maddie Blaustein
Maddie Blaustein
Madeleine Joan Blaustein was an American voice actress...

, the then voice of Meowth in the 4Kids dub, this episode was in fact purchased and dubbed into English by 4Kids using a censored version of the scene with the flashing lights, but the episode was still banned worldwide and not allowed to be aired.

"Ō mi-sō Kada yo! Pocket Monsters"

This episode was supposed to air on December 31, 1997 (New Year's Eve), but was left unaired after the Porygon episode incident. This episode was the first not to air, even worldwide, and it hasn't aired since.

"Yureru Shima no Tatakai! Dojoach VS Namazun!!"

In "Yureru Shima no Tatakai! Dojoach VS Namazun!!", most commonly translated as "Battle of the Quaking Island! Barboach VS Whiscash!!", Ash Ketchum has just finished the Mossdeep City Gym, and his next goal is the final Gym at Sootopolis City. Ash and friends journey toward Jojo Island on the way and are caught in an earthquake caused by Whiscash. They then met a Pokémon trainer named Chōta and they start the Whiscash extermination there.

The episode was originally set to air in Japan on November 4, 2004, but was skipped due to the episode's similarities to the Chūetsu earthquake
2004 Chuetsu earthquake
The occurred at 5:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 23, 2004 . The Japan Meteorological Agency has named it the Heisei 16 Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake or The Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake of 2004...

 on October 23, 2004. The episode was later postponed, but was skipped in rotation order and eventually discontinued. While most of the other episodes were either not dubbed for English-language release or taken out of English-language syndication rotations, this episode of Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation was the second episode not to air worldwide.

The episode was intended to be aired between AG100, "Solid as a Solrock", and AG101, "Vanity Affair".

The episode didn't even end up as a DVD exclusive.

"Challenge of the Samurai"

This is episode 4 of the Indigo League series of the original Pokémon series. The episode has been aired almost worldwide in multiple languages, but has been banned in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 for cultural reasons; the "samurai" that Ash battled in the episode caused a semi-cultural clash there, thus causing a South Korean continuity error which involves Ash's Metapod evolving into a Butterfree.

"Pokémon Scentsation"

This episode is episode 26 of the Indigo League series. The episode also aired almost worldwide in multiple languages, but, like "Challenge of the Samurai", has also been banned in South Korea. However, this ban involved Ash getting kicked out of a store by a girl; this is considered an insult in South Korea, because girls are not allowed to kick boys in that country. This episode also causes a South Korean continuity error in which Ash has obtained the RainbowBadge at the end of the episode for rescuing Erika's Gloom.

Several other episodes were also banned in South Korea, in which none of them were banned by 4Kids Entertainment.

"Holiday Hi-Jynx"

This episode is from the Indigo League series of the original Pokémon series. This episode is the first to feature a Pokémon called Jynx
Jynx
Jynx, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Jynx first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of...

 who, according to a small but vocal group of people, looked as though it was dressed in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...

. After the episode "Holiday Hi-Jynx" aired on Kids WB!, a woman named Carole B. Weatherford wrote an article about Jynx, saying it was racist to black people, and soon after, the episode was removed from rotation temporarily. The controversy seems to have finally waned, as "Holiday Hi-Jynx" is currently (as of summer 2011) back in rotation on Boomerang without edit or significant protest.

"The Bicker the Better"

While this episode was aired almost worldwide, it was banned in some countries (including Egypt) because of a battle of the sexes-type battle, though it has been released on VHS.

"Dawn's Early Night"

For unknown reasons, this episode was skipped in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. However, an airing on the 15th September 2010 corrected this.

Episodes removed by 4Kids Entertainment

These episodes were never made part of the season packs produced by the American dubbers of the series. As a result, these episodes were never made available in any country airing the American dub, or a redub of this dub.

"Miniryu no Densetsu"

"Miniryu no Densetsu", or "The Legend of Dratini", was the second episode to be banned by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...

. This was the 35th episode of the original Japanese series. It was possibly banned because gun
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...

s are repeatedly pointed at people threateningly at several points in this episode, and warning shots are fired, and that editing them all out would be difficult for the story. This may or may not also be banned because of a scene where James and Meowth hold a police-style interrogation. In the scene, Meowth wears a mustache resembling that of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

.

The removal of this episode leads to continuity problems, as Ash captured 29 Tauros in this episode, and he got #30 from Brock with one of his Safari Balls. The Tauros appear in later episodes, even being used in Pokémon Tournaments by Ash, with only one episode that briefly alludes to where they came from. This plot-hole is very similar to another episode, where James from Team Rocket "reclaims" his Victreebel from a fake day-care center, even though it's never shown how he caught Victreebel in the first place. Unlike Ash's Tauros, though, it's never shown in any episode released how James ever caught his Victreebel

Several cast members have revealed this episode was in fact purchased and dubbed into English by 4Kids, but the episode was held back by the censors and has never aired. This would explain why clips from the episode have been used in several music videos produced for the 4Kids dub, though it is uncertain 4Kids actually dubbed this episode as Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart
Eric Stuart is a voice actor, voice director, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As the lead singer of his own band, the Eric Stuart Band , he is an award-winning independent artist with a growing US and international fan base.Stuart gained acclaim as a voice actor not only because of his...

 confirmed they didn't dub it at all. There is however a Korean dubbed version of this episode which aired in South Korea.

"Kōri no Dōkutsu!"

"Kōri no Dōkutsu!", otherwise known as "The Ice Cave!", would have been part of Pokémon: Master Quest, but was skipped over by 4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment
4Kids Entertainment is an American film and television production company in bankruptcy since April 2011. It is known for English-dubbing Japanese anime and specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States...

 and therefore never shown outside of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, except Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It was the first widespread ban of a Pokémon episode in four years. This episode, much like episode 65 "Holiday Hi-Jynx", (though that episode was only removed from rotation in one country) was also banned because of the appearance of the controversial Pokémon Jynx. Some people believed Jynx was a racial stereotype of Africans because of its big pink lips and pure black skin, or that it looked like a blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...

 actress. Jynx was later re-edited and given purple skin instead in later episodes. The episode was also banned because of the disease influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...

 going around (the symptoms were SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...

-like). In this episode Team Rocket doused Ash and his friends with cold water inside an icy cave, causing Brock to come down with symptoms similar to influenza, though according to Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford
Carole Boston Weatherford is an African American author and critic, now living in North Carolina, United States. She writes children's literature and some historical books, as well as poetry and commentaries.- Biography :...

, the SARS part is a myth, and the episode was skipped due to the controversial version of Jynx.

"Beauty and the Beach"

"Beauty and the Beach" is the 18th episode of the original Japanese series. It was skipped by 4Kids Entertainment upon the original American broadcast of the series. On June 24, 2000, a newly produced English-language version of the episode aired on Kids' WB! as "Beauty and the Beach". Promoted as a "lost episode" special presentation, it has only received one rerun and has not yet been shown elsewhere, nor was it included in the English Indigo League DVD boxset.

In this episode, the female characters all enter a beauty contest. Team Rocket also enters, with James donning a suit with inflatable breasts. One scene of the episode involved James showing off his artificial breasts for humorous effect, taunting Misty by saying, "Maybe when you're older, you'll have a chest like this!". In one scene, he puffs up his breasts to over twice their original size. When it aired dubbed in 2000, all scenes of James in a bikini (about 40 seconds) were edited.

A continuity problem created with this episode's removal is due to a flashback in "Hypno's Naptime", where Ash is mistaken as a " mama's boy ", and he remembers his own mother winning the beauty contest (incidentally, the flashback was originally from "Pokémon - I Choose You!" and was changed in the dub).

Episodes banned in the United States after September 11, 2001

These episodes were removed after the September 11 attacks for destruction of buildings, the name, and or weapons in the episode.

"Tentacool and Tentacruel"

The first episode to be banned after the September 11 attacks, mainly because the censors noted similarities between the attacks and the Tentacruel attacking the city. The character Nastina also used military-style weapons during the fight scenes in the episode. However, Tentacruel striking a building was not removed from the opening theme, and the episode is still readily available on the home video and DVD markets. This episode also aired on Cartoon Network at least once. The episode is still aired on Cartoon Network's sister station BOOM.

"The Tower Of Terror"

This episode was temporarily banned after September 11 attacks. The official reason has never been confirmed, but many believe that the episode's title may have had something to do with it. The episode is no longer banned and continues to air.

Episodes delayed after the March 11, 2011 Japanese earthquake

The broadcasts of three episodes were postponed in response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...

 due to the nature of their plots.
  • The first of these episodes to be postponed were the two parts of "Team Rocket vs. Team Plasma!", originally scheduled to air on March 17 and March 24, 2011. They were postponed because of Castelia City's destruction, featured as a main event of these episodes. There are plans to air them at some point in the near future because of their importance in the anime's plot, but no specific dates have been cited.
  • The final episode affected was "A Fishing Connoisseur in a Fishy Competition!", which was initially scheduled to air on April 7, 2011 in Japan, and then delayed because of a giant wave shown during the fishing contest. The episode's broadcast has since been rescheduled for June 23, 2011, and its title has since been renamed "Fishing Sommelier Dent Appears!!" (original title "Hiun City Fishing Competition! Fishing Sommelier Dent Appears!!") for continuity reasons : producers had to delete references to Castelia City (Hiun City in Japanese) in order to place this part of the Pokémon anime between "Archeops In The Modern World!" ("Fossil Revival! Ancient Mysterious Bird Archeos!!") and "Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokemon Knight"!" ("Zorua The Movie! The Legend of the Pokémon Knight!!") because Ash
    Ash Ketchum
    Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...

    and his friends had already left the city at this point. However, althrough all references to it were cut in this episode, many inconsistencies remained in the original broadcasting of the episode, including Ash seeing James' Yamask for the first time.

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