Gray text =
Original content (this page; 2000)
(+ related ep. updates, notes)
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Blue text =
Additional content (2003-10) |
There are no bad Pokémon...
Pikachu, Marill, Skitty, and Buneary are among the cutest and sweetest Pokémon, but where does that leave monstrous-looking pocket monsters like Gyarados, Houndoom, Absol, or Darkrai? That's up to their human trainers and others who take the time to understand them. Pokémon stories are essentially human stories with conflicts between good and bad people, not Pokémon. But because Pokémon are trainable, like the animals in our world, a Pokémon's behavior can vary, depending on the person who's doing the training. Just as easily as a Pokémon can become a faithful friend, protector, or battle partner, a Pokémon can also be taught to harm other Pokémon as well as
people, and it has nothing to do with a Pokémon's type, species, or appearance. Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (also ignored by PETA2 in their game picks¹) are both role-paying stories that center around (you playing as the hero) freeing enslaved Pokémon from those who use them as vicious,
unfeeling fighting machines. And when good people and Pokémon work together, you'll see stories about loyalty, empathy, friendship,
trust, cooperation, perseverance, family, and respect for all creatures. Battling is still just for sport.
In fact, it was said that "Pokémon only do bad things because master (is) bad," quoting Ekans, a stereotypically 'bad' Pokémon, belonging to Jessie of Team Rocket in one of the earliest animé episodes ("Island of the Giant Pokémon"). And despite their often-ill intentions toward others, Jessie and James aren't too different from other trainers in the sense that they love their Pokémon, too (see Related episodes on various pages), including best buddy Meowth, who may have chosen Team Rocket as a way of life, but always knows who his real friends are.
 Related episode(s):
 "Island of the Giant Pokémon" (Pokémon [first season])
-Ash's Pokémon and Team Rocket's Pokémon learn about each other when separated from their trainers
"Hour of the Houndour" (Pokémon: The Johto Journeys [third season])
-A pack of Houndour, believed to be vicious, accept help from Ash & friends, who learn they were guarding an injured Houndour
"Sharpedo Attack!" (Pokémon Advanced [sixth season])
-Brock humanely traps and treats an injured Sharpedo, despite it having attacked earlier
"Absol-ute Disaster!" (Pokémon Advanced Battle [eighth season])
-Absol are blamed for local disasters until proven innocent
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Related movie(s):
"The Rise of Darkrai" (Movie 10)
-When a rift in time and space forces the legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia to collide, the feared and misunderstood Darkrai must stop the enraged deities before a town is destroyed
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Related game(s):
Pokémon Colosseum (Gamecube)
-In the dark Orre region, our hero battles beside artificially-created shadow Pokémon, opening their hearts to life with a devoted trainer
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (Gamecube)
-The Cipher Syndicate returns to Orre with the capability to mass produce shadow Pokémon, but new technology also gives our hero the chance to rescue and purify them all
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The title of this section was adapted from the Lassie episode "No Bad Animals", in which old Mr. Cully explains to Timmy that all animal life is worth protecting, even the often-feared skunk, who Timmy and Lassie later rescued from a trap, buy it from the trapper and set it free. The same universal respect is illustrated on Pokémon, from May's rescue of a helpless Swablu (a tiny bird Pokémon) after a storm to Brock nursing a potentially dangerous Sharpedo (a shark Pokémon) back to health after a Team Rocket attack. For years, animal experts have been trying to end stereotypes that label certain animals as vicious predators that should be destroyed, and to teach us that they need our help just as much as their friendlier counterparts. Censor alert! "¡Al rescate, amigos! To the rescue, my friends!" Due to the usual parental paranoia, the aforementioned Go, Diego, Go! came very close to facing a banned episode, as this ultra-adorable 'Pokémon-for-preschoolers' has been targeted for our hero helping out a vilified animal victim². Just proof that no good deed ever goes unpunished!
"There are no Pokémon that dislike humans...only humans that dislike Pokémon..."
-Drifblim (as interpreted by Dr. Footstep [Pokémon Platinum])
¹PETA2 (PETA's teen-based animal rights offshoot) publishes an annual list of animal-friendly video games.
²Go, Diego, Go! episode "Cool Water for Ana the Anaconda" (2006); Diego relocates a young anaconda after the river she lives in has dried up. The episode still airs as of 2010
Text and artwork copyright © 2000-2010 by Kimberly (RageOfInnocence)
Pokémon © Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo/Creatures, Inc./Game Freak, The Pokémon Company International
The beautiful screenshots of Ash and Pikachu are from the premiere episode "Pokémon! I Choose You!"
and the Diamond & Pearl ending "Kaze no Message" |
kimsites.net
Dream Valley | Oak Branch Woods | We All Live in a Pokémon World | Rainforest | Kimberly's Attic
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