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So this is a topic that came up in the #writing channel of Bulbagarden's Discord - is battling pokémon really ethical?
It's a relatively common theme among dramatic or dark fanfiction, that pokémon battling is humans forcing pokémon into what amounts to a blood sport. A common comment within that is that pokémon are sentient creatures with thoughts and feelings of their own. Common counter-arguments hold that pokémon don't mind, if not actively enjoy battling.
Some points of discussion you might like to consider:
It's a relatively common theme among dramatic or dark fanfiction, that pokémon battling is humans forcing pokémon into what amounts to a blood sport. A common comment within that is that pokémon are sentient creatures with thoughts and feelings of their own. Common counter-arguments hold that pokémon don't mind, if not actively enjoy battling.
Some points of discussion you might like to consider:
- What does sentience mean? Is it the same as sapience?
- How does the game canon differ from the anime canon, or the manga?
- How does a non-human psychology change the debate?
- How do we incorporate these ideas into our stories?