WARNING
The following post was written for an audience in the 15-above category.
Anyone younger or sensitive to stuff like swearing, blood and the other usual "offensive" stuff, or both who does read this........ don't say I didn't warn you.
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These two games saved the Game Boy and was the start of the second most-successful video game franchise in the world (after Mario). But it'll also create a successful animated TV series that'll result in the most successful series of anime movies ever, plus the world record for the most cases of photosensitive epileptic seizures ever generated by a TV show. It'll also spawn a very successful (and damaging in some cases) trading card craze and a balloon in Macy's iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade. Plus it has done something that'll cement its cool factor for years to come .... it's pissed off religious organizations.
Ladies and gentlemen I'll bring you the creature franchise that had taken over the world by making millions of kids try to "catch'em all"... and is still doing so today - Pokémon.
Yes (everyone over 20) Pokémon is still going on. It didn't end with Gold and Silver and Ash's adventures in Johto. It continued well pass 2003. You just stopped paying attention to it. The species count has gone up to 720 (as of 2015). The cartoon series is still on TV on at least one of the kids channels (CITV in the case of the UK). My nephew is playing the games on the DS and started up a Pokémon club in his school. It's like the year 2000 all over again (except with less money). The Pokémon franchise has achieved pan-generational status, meaning that (like The Simpsons, Doctor Who, James Bond, and Mickey Mouse) Pokémon will be around for a lot longer than anyone will have expected. Possibly entertaining and inspiring children for generations to come.
As a bit of a fan, as its 20th anniversary is coming, I have decided to do this - a personal analysis of the cultural phenomenon that is Pokémon. I was there in its early phase (Pokémon didn't reach the UK until 1999 so, technically, I can't say I was there at the beginning) but I also kept some distance from it enough to be critical (sort of) by not actually getting into the video games and cards (I was only into the anime (cartoon fan, remember)). So, I'm the perfect balance of objection and involvement to qualify to write a comprehensive history of the franchise.
It's a huge subject, with the fan-generated wiki bulbapedia alone containing over 28,650 articles! With this fact in mind, I know I won't be able to write about everything. So, I'm just going to focus on the significant, the worth knowing and the interesting, plus my own analysis on certain things in the hope it'll reveal why Pokémon has lasted for so long and what has Pokémon done to us.
In this five-part special you'll find out -
- What exactly is a Pokémon?
- How Pokémon came to be.
- How Pokémon saved the Game Boy.
- Which of the original starter Pokémon was really the best?
- Should we Really be worried about battling such creatures?
- Does the Pokémon universe resemble our own in anyway?
- How does the Pokémon universe relate to others in the cartoon multiverse?
- How big was Pokémon at the turn of the millennium?
- Why has it pissed off some religious folk?
- What happened to Brock in the Orange Islands?
- Why did Ash's (English) voice change in 2006?
- What makes Unova so radically different to Kanto, Johto, Holen, and Sinnoh?
- What's the deal with Serena?
- And how come Ash hasn't aged?
The second part is (on the purposes of causing confusion) Part 0. This will cover Pokémoni's pre-history (before its release in 1996), exploring how it came to be and the people responsible.
The third part (also named to cause confusion) is Part 1 of the three-part telling of the history of the franchise. Part 1, entitled "Pikachu's Wild Adventure", covers its introduction to the world and its initial huge success at the turn of the millennium. It's also known (in Pokelogy historic terms (a term I invented)) as the times of Generation I and II, a time when Ash and friends explored Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto.
The fourth part (to cause confusion, again) is Part 2 of this history, covering what I call "The Wilderness Years" of 2002-2010, where the franchise went into odd directions. I call it "The Wilderness Years" because it was during this era most fans my age stopped liking it and moved on to other things, only to return to it as a piece of nostalgia or as something their younger relatives has gotten in to (such as my nephew). It's also known (in Pokelogy historic terms) as the times of Generation III and IV, when Ash explored Hoenn and Sinnoh (with a brief flock around Kanto (again) in the middle).
The fifth and final part (less confusingly) is the final third part of this history, entitled "The Come Back Kid Who Didn't Grow Up". It covers what has happened to the franchise since 2010 (until the time this is published (February 2016), for the sake of anyone reading this in 2021, 2026, 2036, 2046, or 2096 (if they somehow able to read this after that solar storm hit the Earth in 2062). Its here you'll find everything that happened to Ash in Unova and Kalos, also known (in Pokelogy historic terms) as the times of Generation V and VI.
Advance apologies to anyone expecting any coverage of things from Generation VII, because it doesn't exist - let.
Now, before we begin, a minor note. I am an English-speaking person, therefore I will use the English names of everything as a default in this blog. But I will use the original Japanese names when referring to the original Japanese versions of the games and TV series. Just to let you know, if you encounter me using the name "Satoshi" instead of "Ash," as Ash was known as Satoshi before the series was translated into English.
Bit of trivia - Want to know why Ash got the surname Ketchum in the English dub? Count the Syllables in Satoshi. If you were dubbing a foreign TV show and a character (when saying his name) sometimes says one syllable and sometimes three, what do you do? Give him a surname, of course. Why Ketchum? Because it sounds like "catch'em", as in the famous slogan...
I hope this tribute is much more satisfying compared to this pathetic attempt I found on Amazon.
Judging by the reviews and the surprisingly sky-high prices its been sold at, DON'T BUY IT!
So, where to start? Ah, yes - What is a Pokémon?
What is a Pokémon?
I hope this'll be the perfect encyclopaedic description the subject of Pokémon has ever been given. Worthy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Okay, more like the Hitch-hiker's Guide itself.
Okay, more like the Hitch-hiker's Guide itself.
"Pokémon" is the name given to a special brand of organisms that live on an alternative version of Earth. Unlike all lifeforms that exist in our world (which do exist on this world in a smaller almost non-noticeable capacity - except humans and plants) Pokémon stand out by there unusual colourings, language, behaviours and (most notable) abilities.
They come in many shapes and sizes. Birds, rodents, fish, prehistoric animals, even single cells and computer code (that last does poses the question "What is Life?").
They are so many that many people on YouTube make many 10 videos about it, like this one from Dorkly.
The 10 Most Miserable Pokémon Creatures by Dorkly (2015)
On the subject of sizes....
Pokemon Size Comparison by Extreme Comparison (2014)
I'm going to go off topic a bit to address something that bugs me.
Many fans complain about what size they are depicted, especially in the anime.
Pokémon sizes are NONSENSE - Pokémon Fact of The Day
by TheJWittz (2013)
This has led to accusations that the animators haven't done their research properly or taking artistic liberties. However, I don't. That is because (unlike most people) I don't see the statistics given in the Pokédex as absolute fact and that every member of one species only comes in just one size and weight. In the real world species don't do that (unless their cloned). They come in varying degrees in size and weight. For example, the average height of an American adult white male is 177cm or about 5ft 10in (which is my actual height). But we all know that not every white adult American male is 5ft 10 in tall. Some are taller, some are shorter. With this in mind you shouldn't be surprised that when Ash's Charizard entered Charicific Valley in this episode he was a small runt compared to the others. This could have been an easy visual cue used to show his youth compared to the older (larger) charizards in the valley. But the fact remains. It's impossible for all normal Charizards to be 1.7m high and weighing 90.5kg. Some are smaller due to lack of nutrients during their youth. Some are big because of excess of nutrients throughout life, which (I imagine) Charicific Valley isn't lacking of. So stop complaining and stop accusing the animators for sloppy work. Do you know how hard it is to work on an animated TV show? I studied animation (and made a few myself) and that enough gives me an idea of how much time and effort goes into making animated shows and films. So shut up!
Back to my encyclopaedic entry. One notable thing about Pokémon is that a number of them are not separate species, but in fact the same individual in different forms. A number of them can "evolve" or metamorphise into other forms over time, usually as a succession of two or three. If and how they do so depends on a number of factors. A Pokémon can evolve if they have gained enough experience (through training themselves or with assistance from a trainer). Some require the radiation emitting from the close-proximity of evolutionary stones to trigger the process (or, in the case of the Everstone, preventing it). But one of the most significant factors (according to the anime) is choice. A Pokémon can choose if they want to evolve or not (no matter how much experience they get). These factors (plus gender and time of evolution) are worth knowing as some species can evolve into more than one other species, depending on the means of evolution. The best example of this (called branched evolution) is Eevee, which can evolve into eight different species (as of 2015).
Recently (generation VI) some final form species have been discovered to have additional forms that come into brief existence through the use of matching pairs of "mega stones." Such "mega evolutions" are like what happens to a car engine if you inject nitrous in. They gain extra power.... for a short amount of time. Also like using nitrous it is only enabled by trainers, through the use of the "key stone." This means that mega evolutions rarely happen in nature and most mega evolutions can only be observed in battles.
Let's go off topic for a moment. I have a theory why the makers of Pokémon use the term "evolution" instead of "metamorphosis." It could down to the fact that the word evolution rolls off the tongue better. Let me prove it to you. Say the word "evolution" as many times as possible very quickly (10 times should be enough to prove my point). then do this again with the word "metamorphosis."
You will find that "metamorphosis" is a very difficult word to say. And if an adult has trouble saying it (I assume that most of you reading this are adults) what chances has a 10-year-old getting it right. That is my theory.
Back to the encyclopaedic entry. As in all of nature, conflict is a significant feature in the lives of Pokémon. In the wild various Pokémon compete against each other for food, space and resources. Like in our world, such conflicts leads to innovation. Over the eons of time Pokémon developed abilities mostly to help develop an edge over their competitors. As stated in any biology textbook (except in the bible belt), over time the abilities that prove successful leads to the individuals who have it the survive and pass that ability onto the next generation. Such abilities are either passed on genetically or passed on by instruction by peers. Normally a Pokémon is born with one or two abilities (or "attacks") inherited genetically to give the infant some defence against predators. As the individual grows up they learn new attacks by self-discovery or by instruction.
It was through the instruction by peer factor that Pokémon became the subject of domestication by humans sometime between 10,000-20,000 years ago (the show never gave an official time when this milestone happened, so I'm speculating based on our history). Why did humans decide to harness the power of Pokémon? Remember when you were a child and wished to have one for real? Why did you want a Pikachu as a friend? Apart form the cuteness it was because he can produce bolts of lightning... which you can used against your bullies or power your Game Boy. You wanted a Charmander to use its flame-thrower on your teacher or to use its tail as a heater on cold days. You wanted an Alakazam to help you win at dodgeball. You wanted them as companions.... with added benefits. (Their is a popular phrase I could use here, but I can't because of how most people use it. Also, I'm pretty sure their laws against it in the Pokémon world.) Let's take the Charmander example and imagine a cave man who has trouble starting a fire. He sees fire-breathing Pokémon doing their usual squabbles and looks at his inadequate equipment (don't snigger). He makes a visual comparison and comes to a conclusion - "I need a fire-breathing beast." (As noted from the movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life, the term "Pokémon" is a modern invention and people in the past use to refer to them as "beasts" or "monsters.") This man then notices the existence of much smaller "fire-breathers" who seem more vulnerable - the Charmander. He then hatches a plan to capture one. After a few tries he succeeds. He's now the owner of a young Charmander. He then somehow manages to train the Charmander to breath fire on his command. The Charmander then gains experience which led it to evolve, eventually resulting the caveman owning a Charizard. This is a similar path we took when we first thought about using wolves for our purposes.
Others follow his lead and capture and "train" their own infant creatures for various purposes. Eventually some have the idea of battling each others creature, thus beginning the sport of Pokémon battling. Of course not all "trainers" battle their Pokémon. Some use them for other purposes, such as construction, transport, a food source or as a performer on a stage.
To help decide what creature to use in a battle (or other activities involving them), humans have developed a "type" classification system. This system not only helps humans know what abilities their creatures have, it also helps work out their chances when battling another creature (either wild or trained), and (if the option is available) choose which one of their collection of creatures has the best chance of beating it.
Currently humans have classified 18 "types" of Pokémon. These are Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Water.
Please note that many Pokémon can be more than one Type. For example, Ice Types are usually also Water Types. Also, Pokémon of one Type can (in some circumstances) learn the attacks of other Types. A good example is the move Iron Tail. It is a signature move of Steel Types, but non-Steel-Types can learn this move. All they need is to have a tail to swing.... or not, indicating that all you need is a tail bone.
However, this typing system doesn't apply to the most curtail of all life's processes - breeding. According to what I can observe from the literature, the barriers that usually prevent different species of animal in our world from mating don't exist between Pokémon. Pokémon of different types can breed with each other. The only barriers that do exist here is the barriers separating egg groups. In other words, any Pokémon (regardless of shape and form) can breed with each other, as long they are in the same egg group.
Because of this, if a Buneary and an Oshawott what to do it, they can. If an Onix takes a fancy of a Magneton, they can produce an egg (somehow?). But the the most (insert word here) possible interspecies relationship that is possible between Pokémon (one so (insert word here) that it has become an internet meme) is between Skitty and Wailord.
Now, for those who don't know that these two species are, click the hyper-links and receive the biggest shock of disbelief ever.... then (with some imagination) imagine what's it like when the Wailord is the male in the relationship. There's something you can't unimagine. Its bad for me imagining it, because I am a regular viewer of Qi, so I know very well that vital statistic. Plus, I have seen a scene from Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy which clearly illustrates what would happen. I would never give you a link to that clip in a million years (if it is on the web). And (to make things worse), looking at the gender ratios of these species, this scenario is very likely to happen! Now you understand how I felt when I first heard of this while researching for this special.
Now, there is more to this breeding business than checking which egg group your Pokémon are in. There is the matter of dominant genes and what the resulting offspring can do from birth depending on which parent is which. It's as complicated as real genetic science, so I'll end my encyclopaedic entry on Pokémon here.
In 2009 British primatologist Richard Wrangham wrote and published a book called Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. In it he proposed the theory that one factor that caused the increase in brain size in early humans was early humans discovering cooking. The reason for this theory is that cooking food breaks it down in a way that releases nutrients that would have been hard get out of the food during digestion. Cows (and, I imagine, Miltank do too) have four stomachs for this very reason, to process the hell out of their grass to get their nutrients. If an animal develops the habit of eating just cooked food (it's deliciously nutritious, mind you) then that animal's digestive system (originally designed to deal with uncooked food) will slowly adapt to the new diet. The resulting new digestive system now requires less energy to operate, as cooking has already done much of its former workload, resulting in an excess of energy for the organism. So where does this energy go? To the most energy-hungry organ of all... the brain. With more energy invested into the brain, the animal gains more mental power, therefore more intelligence!
Now, I don't know if any other wild Pokémon have been observed roasting their food (I can imagine the charizards in Charicific Valley regularly cooking their meat using their tail flames), but if this "cooking" is widely practised in the Pokémon world many Pokémon are (technically) very intelligent indeed. Maybe equal of that of humans (now there's a thought).
With this revelation in mind it won't be a surprise that they are alternate realities where Pokémon rule the world or take over when the human race. But despite this, we humans will still think of them as somewhat inferior to us....
You may have seen this image many times before, so it is very easy to forget the massive cultural impact the first photograph of Earth from the viewpoint of another celestial body (in this case the Moon) had on the world. For the first time humanity truly saw their true place in the universe - a species living on a small rock in a massive universe. Any major conflict on its surface for land, resources and influence becomes insignificant and irrelevant from this viewpoint.The only thing you could make out on the surface is that it is full of water and a lot of the land is covered with patches of green (the only indicator of the existence of life). With life (as far as we know) only existing on this rock, humankind really began to realise that they couldn't afford to destroy nature for the sake of material gain (and because they can, because their top of the food chain). Like on a spacecraft with limited resources, Earth has limits and (until humans begin to develop pan-planetary travel that'll allow them to spread on and exploit other planets) humankind has to be careful with its resources if we are to survive.
Its worth referencing Earthrise at the end of this introduction to Pokémon, because most of you may not have realized that Pokémon is a product of the environmental movement. In fact Pokémon references Earthrise in the end of the movie Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias.
For those who haven't seen this film, this is a SPOILER ALERT! In one of the most tearful moments in the anime's history, Latios sacrifices himself to save Alto Mare form disaster and becomes the Soul Dew (watch the film. I'm not going to tell you everything.). But just before that happened he shares what he sees with his sibling Latias, who then shares it with Ash and friends. What they see is the "Earth" slowly zooming out until fading into black.
Currently humans have classified 18 "types" of Pokémon. These are Bug, Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Grass, Ground, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and Water.
Please note that many Pokémon can be more than one Type. For example, Ice Types are usually also Water Types. Also, Pokémon of one Type can (in some circumstances) learn the attacks of other Types. A good example is the move Iron Tail. It is a signature move of Steel Types, but non-Steel-Types can learn this move. All they need is to have a tail to swing.... or not, indicating that all you need is a tail bone.
However, this typing system doesn't apply to the most curtail of all life's processes - breeding. According to what I can observe from the literature, the barriers that usually prevent different species of animal in our world from mating don't exist between Pokémon. Pokémon of different types can breed with each other. The only barriers that do exist here is the barriers separating egg groups. In other words, any Pokémon (regardless of shape and form) can breed with each other, as long they are in the same egg group.
Because these three species are in the same egg group, they can
(if they want to) breed with each other.
Because of this, if a Buneary and an Oshawott what to do it, they can. If an Onix takes a fancy of a Magneton, they can produce an egg (somehow?). But the the most (insert word here) possible interspecies relationship that is possible between Pokémon (one so (insert word here) that it has become an internet meme) is between Skitty and Wailord.
Now, for those who don't know that these two species are, click the hyper-links and receive the biggest shock of disbelief ever.... then (with some imagination) imagine what's it like when the Wailord is the male in the relationship. There's something you can't unimagine. Its bad for me imagining it, because I am a regular viewer of Qi, so I know very well that vital statistic. Plus, I have seen a scene from Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy which clearly illustrates what would happen. I would never give you a link to that clip in a million years (if it is on the web). And (to make things worse), looking at the gender ratios of these species, this scenario is very likely to happen! Now you understand how I felt when I first heard of this while researching for this special.
Now, there is more to this breeding business than checking which egg group your Pokémon are in. There is the matter of dominant genes and what the resulting offspring can do from birth depending on which parent is which. It's as complicated as real genetic science, so I'll end my encyclopaedic entry on Pokémon here.
I hope this has been enlightening and has helped you understand Pokémon better.
However, there is one particular issue that a lot of people in this world have with Pokémon,
so let's look at this issue more closely...
However, there is one particular issue that a lot of people in this world have with Pokémon,
so let's look at this issue more closely...
The Battle Issue
To help explain why a number of people take offence of the battles, let's have one now.
As this is an anniversary celebration, lets use this opportunity to settle an important argument once and for all. Since 1996 children playing the games were faced with an important choice....
Which Pokémon should I start with?
"Which to pick as a partner? Water, Grass, Fire, I can't decide."
- Professor Oak Senryū from episode "In the Shadow of Zekrom!" (2010)
I guess many had pondered when confronted with this choice "which one was the best?"
Now, been a nice guy, I would never stage such a fight myself, but fortunately, someone else has already done it (and it will help explain the issue). In 2014 internet TV series Death Battle staged a fight to the death between the final evolved forms of them - Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise. If you ever wondered what the late Top Gear would have been like if it reviewed video games instead of cars, Death Battle is the answer.
WARNING: The following battle in the clip below features extreme violence
Limb-ripping violence with blood. You have been warned!
Pokémon Battle Royale - Death Battle (2014)
For those who didn't watch the death match (which, I imagine, a number of you have), the winner was Blastoise. According to there analysis and simulations, if you were going to put money on any of them, Blastoise is the one to go for....
Not convinced by seeing a bloody battle?
Gary Oak must be very pleased with himself
(secretly under his exterior appearance of disgust by the extreme nature of this fight).
But for those who want more Pokémon blood lust, Death Battle had also done a battle between Pikachu and Blanka from Street Fighter. (I'm not giving you a link to it, you sickos! Find it yourself.)
While on the subject of bloody battles, let's take a look at the sight of blood injuries in the anime. In almost every incident of contact with a living thing, no blood is ever drawn - like on The A-Team. The only actual blood injury I can recall from memory in the anime was when Misty's arm got scrapped by a thorn in the episode 'Wake Up Snorlax!' But looking through this episode's page in Bulbapedia reveals that there have been a few more incidents of blood been drawn in the anime. Ash had his back scrubbed to an inch of its life by an over-helpful Blissey, like someone with an extreme case of OCD taking a bath in 'Ignorance is Blissey' and he got scratched on the shoulder in 'Tears for Fears!'. The only incident where a Pokémon has ever bleed was when a Riolu blasted its way out of a truck in 'Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (Part 1)' (as of 2015).
But that is just the anime. No blood is drawn in the games at all (officially, I can't be certain on the subject of fan-generated hacks). The blood you see in the death battle seen earlier is all post-production effects made by the makers of that video. In fact, you will find almost no blood what so ever in any official Pokémon media ... except the manga.
Outside, in the fan-generated media, its another story. You will find amounts of blood on the web (on Pokémon and human) in fan-generated art and fiction (mostly made by "mature" fans (I put brackets around "mature" for a reason)).
But there is genuine mature material (notice the lack of brackets) out there. The best example of this maturity in depicting the possible savagery of Pokémon battles is this chapter from the fan fiction The Ash Connection II: The Rising by I am Lu (regular readers may remember that I designed a book cover for it's prequel back in March 2015). In it, in saving Dawn from a rabid Houndoom, Paul's Torterra gets... I don't think I need to tell you what happens to Torterra.
But despite the lack of blood in the official media (except the manga), there is enough bruising and scraps in the franchise for it to be a pot-shot target for animal rights groups, including the grand-daddy of them all - PETA. But I have an issue about that. My issue about this negative criticism against Pokémon is that it mostly stems from people thinking that a Pokémon battle is like cock-fighting. They do so as they can't think of any better negative simile to hammer their qualms about animals been made to attack each other. But, how many of them know that usually in cock-fights the aim is for the cock to fight their opponent to death....? like the Death Battle from earlier? How many of them have actually watched an episode of Pokémon or played the games and noticed that trainers don't fight them to the death (like in cock-fights)? How many of them note the fact they faint when their level drops to zero and they are looked after very well by a free universal healthcare system? Very few I think.
So how can we address this description problem? Simple. Instead of comparing Pokémon battles with cock-fights, we should compare Pokémon battles to professional wrestling. Yes, you heard me right, professional wrestling (like the WWF, I mean E). Most forms of wrestling looks like very violent confrontations between two individuals (like a Pokémon battle). However, participants are usually highly-trained professionals who know how to fight each other with little injury (yes, sorry wrestling fans, much of what you have seen in the ring is pretend). Although serious injury does happen in the ring (even a the occasional death) its safe to assume that in over 99% of matches the combatants recover and fight another day like nothing happened. I can imagine that Pokémon battles endue a similar rate of injury... in professional battles in gyms, league competitions and contests. Battles outside monitored locations, on the other hand, god knows. They are very bad trainers out there.
And on the subject of that bastard trainer, lets look at another thorn some people have with Pokémon - the capturing of wild creatures in the first place.
The Poke ball of Ethical Worms
“Why are there Pokémon in our world? Why do they exist? Why is our world the way it is? Do we know that Pokémon are really happy? …. I need to know that Pokemon lives have meaning.” - N, from episode “The Name’s N!” (2013)
Before we begin, we must remember that we are dealing with fictional creatures that have supernatural abilities and the use of very fancy sci-fi technology. Most people who bring up this debate usually forget this and imagine the situation like poaching in our world, with chains, ropes, snares and so on (which, I imagine, the first trainers used before pokeballs were invented). Compared to these cruel and diabolical methods, the invention of the poke ball has (you have to admit) made the capture of wild Pokémon a very civilized and humane task. Even more so if the trainer uses a special type ball that gets rid of the need for confrontational battles, like a Master Ball. but these balls are pretty costly, so they tend to be used as a last resort.
However, there is one big question when it comes to the poke ball - What happens inside it?
First we have to find out how they work - and I have a theory. Looking at the visual evidence (in the anime) we know that inside a poke ball are reflective surfaces and the device emits lasers when capturing, releasing and returning creatures. This alone suggests that the poke ball is some form of optoelectronic device. Most people will get stumped at this point, but I don't because I'm a lateral thinker, and my lateral thinking mind is telling me that this isn't real world physics. We are talking about cartoon physics, or more precise Pokémon universe physics. We had "forgotten" that we're dealing with an alternate universe here. Different world, different rules. So, with this fact in mind, to answer this question we need to ignore normal scientific knowledge and creep into territory that most scientists want to step away from - the pseudo-sciences. To be more precise the pseudo-science of crystals. In crystal healing, certain crystals are believed to have the ability to harness or control energy in living things, such as humans (I have no idea if any vets practise crystal healing.). So how is crystal healing relevant to how poke balls work, you ask? Remember the evolution stones? Those crystal-like rocks that induce reactions in Pokémon (such as triggering metamorphosis)? Never occurred to you, didn't it? Evolution stones. shiny surfaces inside the poke ball. Your getting what I'm thinking? Want me to spell it out? Poke balls are made from a kind of crystalline stone similar to evolution stones. This must exist in nature, because of the existence of poke balls in the past, before modern synthetic materials were possible. I'm saying that (knowing the link between how materials were used throughout history and how former luxuries become common things) because I'm guessing that poke balls may have been once expensive objects only a few could afford (such as royalty or high priests). The majority had to make do with chains, ropes or whatever (as seen in this movie). With this fact we have to conclude that the modern poke ball (as used by Ash) is made from a synthetic version of that stone. The real stone would have made poke balls to expensive to mass-produce.
Okay, so the poke ball is made from some form of crystal. But how does it work? As this stone is similar to evolution stones, we have to assume that it works in the same way - by inducing molecular change in the creature through special radiation (the red beam). Now we enter the Unown. What these quantum molecular changes are. With basic knowledge of quantum physics, I have to conclude that what is going on is what I call quantum squeezing. The basis of this idea is that almost all matter is made of empty space - a lot of empty space. If it is possible to manipulate this empty space we can create technology that'll reduce the size of anything - such as Pokémon.
So we know that poke balls use crystals that induce quantum squeezing. But what else? That is our thick brick wall. We only know two things from the anime.
- Captured Pokémon are aware of the outside world while inside.
- According to Team Plasma, the poke ball does some kind of mental reprogramming in the captured creature to make it more obedient to the trainer.
But without the ability to ask captured Pokémon themselves we will truly know the answer - but it hasn't stopped people speculating. From all that I can see the most common theory is that through the poke ball's crystals the creature is sent to another dimension. A dimension that seems peaceful, according to the resulting obedience. But what about the contact with the outside world? I imagine its like what happened to Clara in this episode of Doctor Who. and a number of examples of fan art demonstrate this idea.
But all this only applies to the single individual poke ball. What about the whole Pokémon Storage System that has been built around the modern poke ball? An electronic infrastructure that allows trainers to transfer their Pokémon from one place to another in the same we we can transfer money. I use the money metaphor because a number of people see this system as an institutional degradation of Pokémon. Turning wonderful miracles of nature to digitalized trade-able commodities - bringing us back to the subject of the ethics of catching wild Pokémon and using them. With a plentiful supply of poke balls and a system that allows you to transfer any captured Pokémon anywhere (including a storage facility) it is naturally easy for trainers to treat Pokémon as disposable units of usefulness (like books in a library). And (in extreme cases) treat them as units with little care for feelings and abandon them if they don't "work." But we all know that very few trainers are actually like that. Most do take proper care of their Pokémon and some take it to the extreme, dedicating their time to caring the fallout from those nasty trainers.
Now, if most trainers are of the caring sort the issue of ill-treatment will be a minority issue, but the issue of their exploitation (even by caring trainers) remains. Should Pokémon put up with the constant stream of trainers capturing their nearest and dearest? why put up with it? Could they just band together and cause a rebellion?
One factor that would alter your views of battling and capturing Pokémon will be the answer to this question.....
How intelligent are Pokémon?
The answer that most people would give to this question is that it depends on the individual and then they cite the factoids that Alakazam has an IQ of over 5000 (one-sixth less than Holly (before it went senile)) and that Slowpoke are so dumb that their response time to pain is slower than Homer Simpson's. But it doesn't really answer the question. Its just hearsay based on the out-of-date concept that intelligence is measured in how much highbrow stuff you know and IQ points. Our knowledge of intelligence has moved on from a standardized general knowledge quiz (which is partly what an IQ test is). Today intelligence is measured in how connected your synapses are and how you make connections. The more connections the more intelligent the organism. (This is an oversimplification, by the way.) This means that even small-brained organisms can have high intelligence and someone who has spent their life memorizing baseball statistics can have the same intelligence as an absent-minded professor with expertise in animal breeding.
So how intelligent are Pokémon? With this new knowledge of how intelligence is measured, is it possible for an Empoleon to have similar intelligence to humans? Using the old-fashioned logic of big brains and IQ tests it can be proven to be so (with creative experimentation, as seen here...).
Penguin Research sketch
Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1973)
Obviously, following Monty Python logic won't give us an answer that'll stand up to 21st century scrutiny. However, I have found an answer, and it can be found in this paragraph from Pikachu's Bulbapedia page.
Can you spot it?
"The anime has shown that Pikachu sometimes travel in groups. It raises its tail to check its surroundings, and is occasionally struck by lightning in this position. Living in forested areas, Pikachu is found foraging for berries it roasts with electricity to make them tender enough to eat. It has been observed eating and sometimes destroying telephone poles, wires, and other electronic equipment."
- From Pikachu's Bulbapedia page
Worked it out let? No? Here's a helping hand.
In 2009 British primatologist Richard Wrangham wrote and published a book called Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. In it he proposed the theory that one factor that caused the increase in brain size in early humans was early humans discovering cooking. The reason for this theory is that cooking food breaks it down in a way that releases nutrients that would have been hard get out of the food during digestion. Cows (and, I imagine, Miltank do too) have four stomachs for this very reason, to process the hell out of their grass to get their nutrients. If an animal develops the habit of eating just cooked food (it's deliciously nutritious, mind you) then that animal's digestive system (originally designed to deal with uncooked food) will slowly adapt to the new diet. The resulting new digestive system now requires less energy to operate, as cooking has already done much of its former workload, resulting in an excess of energy for the organism. So where does this energy go? To the most energy-hungry organ of all... the brain. With more energy invested into the brain, the animal gains more mental power, therefore more intelligence!
Now, I don't know if any other wild Pokémon have been observed roasting their food (I can imagine the charizards in Charicific Valley regularly cooking their meat using their tail flames), but if this "cooking" is widely practised in the Pokémon world many Pokémon are (technically) very intelligent indeed. Maybe equal of that of humans (now there's a thought).
With this revelation in mind it won't be a surprise that they are alternate realities where Pokémon rule the world or take over when the human race. But despite this, we humans will still think of them as somewhat inferior to us....
So, we have established that Pokémon are truly intelligent. But, why the battles? Why would they choose to be the "tool" of some cruel trainer (as I imagine some animal lovers would word)? Well....“Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal.” - Charles Darwin
The Sub-domestication of Pokémon or Why Pokémon put up with Humans
“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself.” – Old Major the boar, from Animal Farm (1945)
To understand why Pokémon put up with their captivity, lets look at their relationship with humans in more detail. Let's assume that the humans in the Pokémon universe are like us. Despite the wishful thinking of the very religious, humans are animals like any other species that exist on Earth. The same goes in the Pokémon universe. I can assume this because of this Sinnoh Myth."Long ago, when Sinnoh had just been
made, Pokémon and humans led
separate lives.
That is not to say they did not help
each other. No, indeed they did.
They supplied each other with goods,
and supported each other.
A Pokémon proposed to the others
to always be ready to help humans.
It asked that Pokémon be ready to
appear before humans always.
Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear
to us if we venture into tall grass. " - Sinnoh Region's Mythology
According to Sinnoh myths humans and Pokémon were once the same (just like us millions of years ago). One day something happened to separate a group from the rest and over time divergent evolution took place resulting in a different species separate from Pokémon. Its very possible, as it also happened to us. and one factor that made this happen was the same factor I used to explain the intelligence of Pokémon - cooking. But in the case of us humans, cooking came after another milestone - the switch from a fruit-based diet to a meat-eating one (sorry vegetarians, but its true). This dietary change helped turn early humans from prey at the mercy of larger animals (Yes, there was a time that was true. And it could happen again) to predators that can compete against them. We can assume that this was true in the Pokémon universe too. Maybe the transition to training Pokémon came about through the activitiy of chasing "food." And on the subject of food can you eat a Pokémon?"There once were Pokémon that
became very close to humans.
There once were humans and Pokémon
that ate together at the same table.
It was a time when there existed no
differences to distinguish the two." - Sinnoh Folk Story 3
Humans can eat anything that grows or moves, from chilli to insects. So don't be surprised that Pokémon get eaten by humans in this universe like animals in our universe. In fact, some have nearly been driven to extinction because they tasted so good. If your interested, Canadian you-tuber Silver August listed a top 10 of possible delicacies in this world."Pick clean the bones of Pokémon
caught in the sea or stream.
Thank them for the meals they
provide, and pick their bones clean.
When the bones are as clean as can
be, set them free in the water from
which they came.
The Pokémon will return, fully
fleshed, and it begins anew." - Sinnoh Folk Story 1
Top 10 Most Edible Pokemon!
by SilverLeagueNetworks (2015)
Of course we don't eat all the animal. We sometimes consume stuff that comes out of them, such as eggs, milk and blood. But much of this semi-consumption of animals only truly came a out when we began to carefully plan our hunting and (later) began to domesticate the desired animals and raise them on farms. At the same time, animals that showed useful skills (such as smelling their prey) were captures and tamed and then breed to become more useful - classic domestication. This has to have happened to Pokémon. But this can only explain some species that can be seen regularly in human environments, such as Chansey, Miltank and Furfrou. But what about the rest of them? The ones that are in the wild that are harassed by trainers. Why put up with the humans?
Domestication performance from
The Unpleasant World of Penn &Teller (Channel 4, 1994)
Domestication. The last refuge for animals during the onslaught of man. It's get domesticated or go extinct. (please don't take this as my personal views on the subject. Mine are much more complicated than a simple catchy statement.) One way for a smart animal to get out of the trouble caused by humans be to join them and become domesticated. This has many benefits (such as guaranteed food and shelter without threat of it been lost). But they are downsides (such as lack of freedom of movement and choice to mate (let alone a choice of which mate)). This situation has been explored in Yuval Harari's book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and here's is a quote that pretty much sums up his findings.
So what does this leave Pokémon? They are an odd thing. They are intelligent creatures and are capable of many things humans do without their help (As observed in various media), from cooking to... farming. Hang on, farming? Yes, if Treecko can organize to plant and raise a tree (like they did in this episode) it stands to reason that (if they wanted to) Pokémon can plant and cultivate crops. With this observation, I have come to a conclusion. Maybe (this is speculation, remember) all wild Pokémon aren't fully wild at all - they are semi-domesticated creatures. They are in the middle of the scale between fully wild wolves and cuddly poodles. They are smart enough to develop their own culture and civilization - but are smart enough not to go all the way. They know wheat's game and ain't going to play it. They are like us, except a bit smarter. The human ancestors were conned into farming and the Pokémon watched on. By the time humans built the first villages (trapping them into depending on farming), the Pokémon began to exploit them and become the semi-domestic creatures they are today. They can live in the wild and enjoy their freedom, but when resources become scarce they can approach a passing human, challenge them to a battle, and get caught, taking advantage of the resources of human civilization.What would Harari make of that?
"A rare wild rhinoceros on the brink of extinction is probably more satisfied than a calf who spends its short life inside a tiny box, fattened to produce juicy steaks. The contented rhinoceros is no less content for being among the last of its kind. The numerical success of the calf's species is little consolation for the suffering the individual endures." - Yuval Harari (Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, 2011)One point from Harari's argument is that the evolutionary "success" of a species isn't clear-cut. Although their are a billion cows on Earth their lives aren't that great, compared to their wild counterparts. It's worth knowing that Harari has called farming "history's biggest fraud" on the grounds that wheat tricked humans into cultivating it, helping them conquer the land and domesticating humans in the process (I know the idea of a plant planning world domination sounds silly, but please read his book.).
So what does this leave Pokémon? They are an odd thing. They are intelligent creatures and are capable of many things humans do without their help (As observed in various media), from cooking to... farming. Hang on, farming? Yes, if Treecko can organize to plant and raise a tree (like they did in this episode) it stands to reason that (if they wanted to) Pokémon can plant and cultivate crops. With this observation, I have come to a conclusion. Maybe (this is speculation, remember) all wild Pokémon aren't fully wild at all - they are semi-domesticated creatures. They are in the middle of the scale between fully wild wolves and cuddly poodles. They are smart enough to develop their own culture and civilization - but are smart enough not to go all the way. They know wheat's game and ain't going to play it. They are like us, except a bit smarter. The human ancestors were conned into farming and the Pokémon watched on. By the time humans built the first villages (trapping them into depending on farming), the Pokémon began to exploit them and become the semi-domestic creatures they are today. They can live in the wild and enjoy their freedom, but when resources become scarce they can approach a passing human, challenge them to a battle, and get caught, taking advantage of the resources of human civilization.What would Harari make of that?
It's an interesting thought. A thought that can help explain my unique answer to a big question....
Is the Pokémon World Our World?
So that's the Pokémon themselves explained and out the way, but what about the non-Pokémon stuff in the Pokémon World. In fact, what about the Pokémon World in general? How could I describe it to someone who hasn't see it before? Well, judging by the anime, the Pokémon World is kind of like the world as seen in the British TV comedy series The Goodies. Its generally nice, friendly, full of crazy stuff (such as pokeballs, potions and various forms of crazy eyewear) and situations that can result in an half-hour episode in a family-friendly sitcom. In fact, you could do a direct comparison by watching side-by-side the Pokémon episode "Caterpie's Big Dilemma" and The Goodies episode "Kitten Kong."
(You can do this legally. The Pokémon episode can be downloaded from iTunes, while The Goodies episode is on DVD.)
But if you take time to listen and observe, you'll find a lot of things in this world that references our world, from place names to historical figures. Bulbapedia has a page listing these references, but of all of them, my personal favourite is this...
Parody to the MGM logo from episode "An Epic Defense Force!" (2012)
featuring a Zorua as Leo the Lion
Admit it - its awesome, isn't it.
But with so many references to our world, a question occurs...
Is the Pokémon world actually our world?
Is the Pokémon world actually our world?
Junichi Masuda, co-founder of Game Freak (the creators of Pokémon) and big creative contributor to the games and anime (with his biggest contribution been the Hoenn region), has this to say about this question.
"We actually don't think of the world of Pokémon as Earth. If we were to do that, we would kind of be limited by what we could do. By thinking about how physical objects work on Earth and how various elements work on Earth, we would kind of be limited to that if we thought of it as Earth. We think of it as a place that is really similar to Earth, but is a different planet of its own with people in it who may be similar to people on Earth, but they have different values so they care about different things. It's the type of place, the Pokémon world, where problems we face on Earth just wouldn't happen. There wouldn't be global warming, water shortages, or anything like that. It's a world where the people in it really want to work together with each other. Their value system is such where they would prefer to work together and eliminate these problems rather than feud." - Junichi Masuda
Short official answer, no.
But don't despair, because I have a thought...
By thinking about what Masuda has said and looking at how Pokémon came to be (which I'll explain in detail in the next part), I have concluded that, on the subject of the Pokémon world's similarities with our own, that the world that we see depicted in the franchise that is Pokémon is not our present world....
It is our (possible) future......
A future where the relationship between humans and nature is much better. A future were we have finally got rid of the ridiculous notion that we humans are "separate from nature." The idea that is the heart of the notion that we humans are "superior" over the rest of nature, leading to a lot of arrogance against nature. The idea (I think) that has truly done more damage to Earth than any other manmade invention.
A world where we are much more careful about the environment and the organisms that call it home due to more awareness of their interconnectedness to it (an their dependence of it for life and substance).In such a world it is possible that (eventually) wild animals will no longer fear humans (like Pokémon do in their world, which ties in with my "semi-domestication" theory).
Unlike many futures depicted in kids media, this is a future that can be achieved without the need of the development of fancy technology. You don't need to develop hoverboards or quantum squeezing technology to make the Pokémon World a reality. The heart of it is a way of thinking... and some genetic tweaking (if you really want your own Pikachu). Its a way of thinking that can be traced back to the 19th century England when the industrial revolution was in the mist of transforming the country (not always for the better). It came in the form of Romanticism and (later) took form as the Arts and Crafts movement. But it didn't find its modern voice until the 1960s with the creation of the environmental movement... and when astronaut William Anders took this photo from Apollo 8....
A world where we are much more careful about the environment and the organisms that call it home due to more awareness of their interconnectedness to it (an their dependence of it for life and substance).In such a world it is possible that (eventually) wild animals will no longer fear humans (like Pokémon do in their world, which ties in with my "semi-domestication" theory).
Unlike many futures depicted in kids media, this is a future that can be achieved without the need of the development of fancy technology. You don't need to develop hoverboards or quantum squeezing technology to make the Pokémon World a reality. The heart of it is a way of thinking... and some genetic tweaking (if you really want your own Pikachu). Its a way of thinking that can be traced back to the 19th century England when the industrial revolution was in the mist of transforming the country (not always for the better). It came in the form of Romanticism and (later) took form as the Arts and Crafts movement. But it didn't find its modern voice until the 1960s with the creation of the environmental movement... and when astronaut William Anders took this photo from Apollo 8....
Earthrise (1968)
You may have seen this image many times before, so it is very easy to forget the massive cultural impact the first photograph of Earth from the viewpoint of another celestial body (in this case the Moon) had on the world. For the first time humanity truly saw their true place in the universe - a species living on a small rock in a massive universe. Any major conflict on its surface for land, resources and influence becomes insignificant and irrelevant from this viewpoint.The only thing you could make out on the surface is that it is full of water and a lot of the land is covered with patches of green (the only indicator of the existence of life). With life (as far as we know) only existing on this rock, humankind really began to realise that they couldn't afford to destroy nature for the sake of material gain (and because they can, because their top of the food chain). Like on a spacecraft with limited resources, Earth has limits and (until humans begin to develop pan-planetary travel that'll allow them to spread on and exploit other planets) humankind has to be careful with its resources if we are to survive.
Its worth referencing Earthrise at the end of this introduction to Pokémon, because most of you may not have realized that Pokémon is a product of the environmental movement. In fact Pokémon references Earthrise in the end of the movie Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias.
For those who haven't seen this film, this is a SPOILER ALERT! In one of the most tearful moments in the anime's history, Latios sacrifices himself to save Alto Mare form disaster and becomes the Soul Dew (watch the film. I'm not going to tell you everything.). But just before that happened he shares what he sees with his sibling Latias, who then shares it with Ash and friends. What they see is the "Earth" slowly zooming out until fading into black.
"The Earth is so pretty. So blue." - Misty (from the English dub of the scene)
"Oh my God! Look at that picture over there! There's the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty." - William Anders at the moment he took EarthriseAlthough officially the Pokémon world isn't our world, at the end of the day the parallels are hard to ignore. The planet Ash and Pikachu inhabit is blue, full of water, and exists in the "goldilocks zone" of the sun it orbits. It is Earth. An ideal world created to show what can be achieved if we really learned to recognise how finite our planet is.
But how did this world came to be? What (or who) created it?
What were the forces that led to it's creation?
Well, let's go back to the beginning....
To a place of chaos, disorder and nothingness......
..... better known as the 1970s.
For Part 0 click here
Part 0 (On The Origin of Pokémon) will be published sometime in March.
When exactly in March, I don't know.
If you think I left something out fell free to mention it in comments.
I won't be able to read them, but do so anyway for future scholars.
Part 0 (On The Origin of Pokémon) will be published sometime in March.
When exactly in March, I don't know.
If you think I left something out fell free to mention it in comments.
I won't be able to read them, but do so anyway for future scholars.
