Pokemon Reveals Why All of Its Kids Are Considered Legal Adults
It has been decades since the Pokemon franchise made its debut, and somehow, we still have more questions than answers about it. Sure, we know a lot about its regions and where its Legendary monsters like to chill, but that is about it. When it comes to lore and daily life, fans draw a ton of blanks. For so long, we have questioned why kids like Ash Ketchum have been able to travel the world and live freely despite being preteens. And now, a surfaced translation of a Pocket Monster novel is setting one big mystery straight...
And what is it? Well, fans have wondered for years why Ash was able to go on an adventure alone at 10 years old. Now, we know it is thanks to an actual law in-universe, and the regulation may end up penalizing Ash for tax evasion someday.
The whole thing came to light when a fan translation of Pocket Monsters: The Animation surfaced. For those who don't know, the 1997 light novel is pretty rare nowadays, but it features a lot of wild information. Anime writer Takeshi Shudo penned the two-part novel, and they inked a lot of history here that the anime never went over. As it turns out, the first novel gives a detailed history of the Pokemon world, and it turns out a law was enacted a long time ago that makes 10-year-olds legal adults.
As you can read here, the book says Pokemon's world resembles that of 20th-century Japan, but it has some major differences. One of these is that kids are considered legal adults once they turn 10 years old. The law that makes this so is the 'Primary School Graduates Adulthood Law" which goes by PGAL for short. And yes, it is a real thing for Ash.
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"As for the April after your tenth birthday, you are able to gain a Pokemon license and carry Poke Balls to capture Pokemon," the book reads. "All adult rights are granted... If you were to steal something from a store, the consequences would be more than just the shopkeeper getting mad at you, the police would arrest you."
Continuing, the novel reveals 10-year-olds are able to travel freely and do anything an adult in our world can thanks to this law. "You can strive for higher education or take over the family business. You're free to search for a job you like as well. If they were so inclined, a boy and girl are even free to marry without parental consent. You are considered an adult down to details like traffic violations, and you pay taxes like an adult too."
So, there you have it. Ash's mom was not a monster by letting her son go adventuring on his own. The world operates under the assumption adulthood begins at age ten, so you can make of that what you will. And if Ash hasn't been keeping up with his work expenses, well – we are sure Pokemon's IRS is going to have some strong words for the master trainer!
