Isn't pokemon unsettling?

[ZephyrEdge]

Let's forget the fact that the game and the pokemon aren't "real", that's just handwaving that dodges the issue.

I've been playing the games for years and I enjoy them. But recently I've been thinking that isn't this abuse? I mean you catch wild animals and keep them like property and make them fight each other at no harm to yourself. No matter how I try to spin it positively none of that sounds ok. I get that it isn't real, but is that the only defense for making a game that has the same concept as dog fighting?

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

Honestly, I really hate the topic of "Isn't Pokemon just animal abuse", because I was (ironically) abused by a person who insisted that Pokemon is abuse.

I once knew this one fan who insisted that Pokemon is animal abuse. The guy was a fanfic writer, and he'd write how Pokemon were captured and forced into battles against their will. The guy even dabbled on animal testing. I don't have an issue with that, because frankly people are free to interpret the series however they like. It's their choice.

No, the problem I had with this guy was that he kept insisting that Pokemon is definitely abuse and that anyone who thought otherwise was "wrong". The guy literally forced his beliefs onto people, and he would put you down for it if you didn't think the same way. He basically insisted that he was right and everyone is wrong. As a person who used to write Pokemon fanfiction that were about friendship and teamwork, I got verbally put down by this guy just because I didn't accept his belief that Pokemon was about abuse, and I was made to feel like my work was pathetic.

I mean sure, Pokemon does share a lot of similarities with dog and rooster fights. I think this was more apparent early on in the series, because you had a bunch of these trainers in RBY carrying whips with them. But the entire franchise constantly makes a point how Pokemon is about friendship and teamwork, and often it is the Pokemon who are willingly fighting for their trainer. The series has progressively downplayed the image of abuse since, and there is a greater emphasis on interacting with Pokemon.

 

[PinkIceFox]

Haven't various pokemon media stated that the pokemon enjoy battle, benefit from battles, and basically stomp out the idea that pokemon battling is abuse? And the only people who probably do abuse their pokemon are seen as monsters and criminals?

And if it WAS wouldn't your pokemon have jumped ship in black and white to hang out with N in his perfect ideal world?

 

[Osprey]

tbh I find it much more unsettling that Game Freak was able to sneak in themes of child abuse, political manipulation of the masses, and mass genocide into the story but hey, that just might be me.

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

Have to give credit where it's due. BW and XY had major balls.

But I think it's good to actually shed light on those sort of things. They're unfortunate realities, and this opens discussion.

 

[Guzma]

Some of the Pokedex entries are pretty horrifying, to be honest. Remember how Gourgeist sings as it tortures its prey?

Plus, you know, there's every single thing about Ghetsis. The guy is the king of Fridge Horror.

 

[Jukain]

I am going to offer some choices for you.

The premise of the game is to battle. Likewise, the function of the characters is to battle. This is irrefutable. It is as simple as the game says it is: the pokemon come with you because they want to battle. They have chosen this. They know what they are doing. It was not forced upon them.

Collection is to promote diversity. Different pokemon perform different functions. It is encouraged to switch them out for different situations. It also allows people to have many different teams from each other. Most collect pokemon because they like them. They are not being harmed in any way. In fact, is has been explained that they are being put into an environment in which all their needs are taken care of. If you dislike battling, is this not a favorable position? Trading also serves the purpose of giving the pokemon a more suitable home than what one can provide.

The only other option is to consider how it is you play the game. I am going to wager that you battle regardless of any other feelings you have on the matter. Why? If you like this game, then being forced to battle is not really your issue. That is, after, all the name of the game. If you believe what you say you do, then your problem lies with being unable to separate playing a game from your interpretation of the world.

I once had the same problem. The actions you have to take to play the game has nothing to do with what you think the actions should be. If you wanted more personal control over what you do, this was the wrong genre. Even then, there has to be some degree of gameplay and story segregation simply because it is just a game and if you just wanted to tell a story, then I suggest writing your own.

I understand your concerns, for the game offers that explanation as well as others. Gamefreak themselves have said that their intent was never to offer one explanation, but for you to come to your own. These issues exist in real life, and none of us can truly say what the "real" answer is. In the end, what you disagree with is but one interpretation. You don't like it? I've offered reasonable arguments, or you can come up with one of your own. If you need justification for why you play, I cannot help you. No one can. That is for you to decide. If you need to justify the world, then the world is not what others say it is. It is what you want it to be.

 

[Lufenium]

This is the beauty of this series - how you interpret this is down to you.

For gameplay purposes, the player doesn't do much beyond battle and evolve their Pokemon, and the story play out as it does.

However, when you look through the regions, and the manga, and anime, you see a massively diverse rainbow of relationships between people and Pokemon.

The common narrative between all of them, though, is that the hero/protagonist cherishes their Pokemon, and cares of them in ways their rival and antagonists do not. Blue & Silver in the games are prime examples of trainers who didn't fully appreciate their Pokemon, and are shown their error by the player. The anime delves deeply into this with Paul in the DP/Sinnoh saga - Ash & Paul's vastly different treatments of Chimchar show how far Ash was able to take Chimchar with proper care, respect and training, while Paul's harsh routines and abusive rhetoric just held Chimchar back from its potential. It's a very rewarding character arc, honestly.

Haven't various pokemon media stated that the pokemon enjoy battle, benefit from battles, and basically stomp out the idea that pokemon battling is abuse? And the only people who probably do abuse their pokemon are seen as monsters and criminals?

Basically, yes. Again, throughout the various forms of Pokemon media, many Pokemon are excited for the thrill of competitive battles. Pokemon form rivalries just like their trainers do, which is again commonly depicted within the anime.

The biggest thing is that Pokemon battles are never fatal - real world animal fighting is often fatal, brutal & bloody. Real world animals are trained to be savage, and dangerous, and hostile to other animals. Pokemon are portrayed as being battle capable without having completely savage temperaments. In fact, it's quite the opposite, Pokemon are shown to grow closer and more fond of their trainer through the hardships they overcome as a team. Some Pokemon are said to be fiercely loyal to their trainer - Gardevoir will protect its trainer with its life.

Pokemon battles are never fatal, or bloody. All instances of that I've seen have been overly edgy fanfictions that, frankly, are shit.

It is as simple as the game says it is: the pokemon come with you because they want to battle. They have chosen this. They know what they are doing. It was not forced upon them.

This.

We catch gods. Like, literal gods in Gen IV.
Gen III, we catch beasts that threaten entire ecosystems.
Gen V, we catch draconic embodiements of truth and ideals, and nothingness.
In Gen VI we catch immortal beasts that represent life and death, with Yveltal being especially dangerous.
This is without mentioning Mewtwo, who is infamously hostile towards pretty much everything.

These beasts could kill a human with little effort. What stopped them? The common conclusion is that the Pokemon saw goodness & decency within the player's actions, and remained with them believing they are a person that can be trusted.

In Gen VI, Xerneas/Yvaltal & Mega Rayquaza WANT to be captured. They WANT to be with the player.

So...yeah. Pokemon training isn't abuse when you look a little deeper.

 

[Serverus Snope]

I wrote about this before on Tumblr and stuff. Then again, it was more addressing the question of "Is Pokemon training slavery?" instead of "Is Pokemon training animal abuse?"

 

[Beth Pavell]

Depends what you call abuse, really, because there's no objective standard for that, as it applies to living things. The games tend to zig-zag on just how self-aware pokémon are, for a start. Sometimes they're implied to be nothing more than bright animals, sometimes they're shown to very much think for themselves. So actually, there's no simple answer to this unless you want to pick and choose what evidence you find most convenient.

For example: ok, fine, so you have to force a pokémon into the ball in the first place. However the happiness mechanic shows that pokémon don't mind battling in and of itself. I'd have to check to be sure, but I seem to recall the Memory Girl in XY will sometimes reveal that pokémon think of their battling in a positive light.

 

[Kagami]

I'm experienced on this topic due to so many people coming into myanimelist claiming anime should be banned or at least frowned upon because of taboos and sexualization of characters:

Listen - Pokemon is the same: Its fiction and trying to compare fiction and reality in the sense of taboos and the such isn't something I agree with. Sure, Pokemon can be seen as dog fighting by some, but why should that make us worry? Pokemon is enjoyable and trying to look to much into it isn't worth the time and effort. Not to mention that dog-fighting is a forced thing onto the dogs, unlike the Pokemon. The Pokemon have a choice and clearly enjoy fighting and such. I don't see why two Pokemon fighting makes people so annoyed, but two fictional men fighting doesn't?

 

[SinnohEevee]

Something that could be unsettling is the brutality if some moves.
Is poisoning or burning your opponent a good thing for example?

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[King Robert]

I'm experienced on this topic due to so many people coming into myanimelist claiming anime should be banned or at least frowned upon because of taboos and sexualization of characters:

Listen - Pokemon is the same: Its fiction and trying to compare fiction and reality in the sense of taboos and the such isn't something I agree with. Sure, Pokemon can be seen as dog fighting by some, but why should that make us worry? Pokemon is enjoyable and trying to look to much into it isn't worth the time and effort. Not to mention that dog-fighting is a forced thing onto the dogs, unlike the Pokemon. The Pokemon have a choice and clearly enjoy fighting and such. I don't see why two Pokemon fighting makes people so annoyed, but two fictional men fighting doesn't?

Don't forget we have Revives and Pokémon Centers.

 

[SinnohEevee]

Going to fight sentient beings until they are close to die? That would be messed up in the real world.

 

[TechSkylander1518]

Going to fight sentient beings until they are close to die? That would be messed up in the real world.

But that's just the thing-Pokemon battles are never to anything close to death. It's just fainting, and there are often resources at hand to easily recover them.

 

[danh19]

you could argue that their some darker elements in the games from what I know of them

 

[ocelotlrama jaguar]

I wouldn't use the word unsettling for my thoughts on the subject of Pokemon battling. More like, it just raises more questions than anything. There's a lot that goes on in the games that I wonder about and intrigues me. Like, what's it like for the Pokemon to be inside a Pokeball? Are they energy in the form of a creature that doesn't feel pain but tires out? They obviously are physical beings if they do normal animal things like eat and sleep. If so, do they feel pain or at least have a high threshold for pain tolerance? I mean, constantly facing the fact that they'll probably be hit with a stream of fire or electrocuted doesn't seem to faze any of the creatures once they are released into battle. Does that contribute to their willingness to battle? High pain tolerance that leads to fainting rather than death? That, or the free medical care they'll get at a Pokemon Center? Especially when said medical care consists of placing the Pokeballs on a counter, pushing a few buttons on a computer, and suddenly they are healed of injuries that would be life-threatening to any living creature in real life.

Maybe it's a good thing Pokemon is about battling and the creatures are super resilient. Could you imagine playing these games with Nuzlocke rules being official?

 

[Crimson Dagger]

Why would Pokémon be unsettling? I've played other games that are pretty violent, with some of them being very graphical, & that stuff never bothered me.

Sure, Pokémon have got their fair share of overwhelmingly powerful monsters, & I'm sure at least half of them do have the power to bring about their own form of the apocalypse, or even Armageddon. The fact that they've never really done such a thing despite them having such powers makes them pretty tame in comparison to other franchises.

One last thing is, one has to keep this in mind: It isn't real, it is fantasy.

 

[Drakon]

I once knew this one fan who insisted that Pokemon is animal abuse. The guy was a fanfic writer, and he'd write how Pokemon were captured and forced into battles against their will. The guy even dabbled on animal testing. I don't have an issue with that, because frankly people are free to interpret the series however they like. It's their choice.

I think I know who you're talking about.

That said, I don't think it's abuse at all. The battle and capture protocol could see as the pokémon testing you to see if you're a worthy leader. They let themselves be captured because they now respect you and are willing to follow you.

Further more, I could compare pokémon battles to this:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2-urLG8iQY
. They both are full-contact combat sports and injuries are pretty much expected. But both of them have rules to ensure the safety of the competitors and participants.

 

[SinnohEevee]

I think I know who you're talking about.

That said, I don't think it's abuse at all. The battle and capture protocol could see as the pokémon testing you to see if you're a worthy leader. They let themselves be captured because they now respect you and are willing to follow you.

Further more, I could compare pokémon battles to this:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2-urLG8iQY
. They both are full-contact combat sports and injuries are pretty much expected. But both of them have rules to ensure the safety of the competitors and participants.

Or professional wrestling.

But do wrestlers make other faint? In Pokémon, you make the other Pokémon faint, and you use stuff like fire, electricity, and poison (the latter can be seen as repulsive).