Whether it’s referred to as “Cyber Soldier Porygon”, “Computer Warrior Porygon”, or “Electric Soldier Porygon”, this 38th episode of the original Pokémon series is arguably the most controversial of the banned episodes, but not because of any morally questionable content (though it could be considered to include some contentious themes), but primarily due to the animation itself being a physical danger. While the flashing lights were enough to induce seizures in many people, there were also quite a few other widespread effects the animation caused physically, commercially, and societally.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In fact, the incident was so infamous, it’s even been referenced in other shows. The Simpsons parodied the episode and aftermath in their episode “Thirty Minutes over Tokyo” when the entire family, upon visiting Tokyo, seizures after viewing the local show “Battling Seizure Robots”. In the episode “Chinpokomon” in South Park, Kenny McCormick dies after suffering an epileptic seizure following playing the Chinpokomon parody video game. While some parodies depict the incident as humorous, the real ordeal was anything but.
What’s in the Actual Episode?
This episode, some versions even prominently displaying a warning, opens with Misty, Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and their other Pokémon taking a break along their journey with Brock and Ash snacking on some of Brock’s famous “jelly donuts”. Since Pikachu is tired, they decide to make a pitstop at the nearby Pokémon Center in Matcha City, but Nurse Joy and Professor Akihabara (named after the famous electronics district in Tokyo) seem to be distracted by the Pokémon Transfer Machine malfunctioning — a bit ironic since Ash thinks the computer is sick at the clinic. As Professor Akihabara is the one who developed the system, the kids follow him to his home where the main Transfer System is located.
There, the kids meet the CG Pokémon, Porygon, and the professor explains that using an anti-virus software might harm the humans who are trapped in the program. With the help of the professor’s Porygon Unit 01, Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu get into the Transfer Machine so they can go into the program themselves and stop Team Rocket who had stolen the professor’s Porygon Unit 00 and gone into the cyber world try to nab the transferring Pokémon. A bit odd that some anime characters don’t question using human children in the name of scientific progress.
As Porygon helps the group navigate the cyber world, they find Team Rocket trying to collect the transferring Pokéballs, gumming up the system. While Team Rocket is distracted with battling Porygon Unit 01 with their own stolen Porygon Unit 00, the kids try to fix the blocked transferring Pokéball problem, which, in typical Pokémon fashion, looks to be a simple, measly barricade that doesn’t look like it would have hindered the mountain of Pokéballs it somehow did. Meanwhile, the professor gets a call from Nurse Joy informing him that an IT specialist had arrived at the Pokémon Center to help solve the issue as she inserts an anti-virus software into the system.
The anti-virus that enters the system takes the form of ambulances and planes with giant missile-like syringes ready to be launched as they chase after the kids and Team Rocket thinking they’re viruses. Amidst the literal children being shot at, as they try to escape on the Porygons about halfway through the episode, the exploding syringe missiles reveal the infamous seizure-inducing flashing red and blue lights. Pikachu even induces some flashes himself when he uses Thunderbolt to retaliate against the missiles. As the IT tech doesn’t realize he’s actively trying to kill children and not a computer virus, he inputs a command that launches an explosive flash of light so bright even the characters acknowledge it’s blinding them and the system itself gets a bit damaged from the anti-virus assault.
After the flashing lights are sporadically shown for the next several minutes, the kids and Team Rocket eventually manage to escape, some of the anti-virus missiles escaping along with them and destroying the professor’s mansion including the Pokémon Transfer System that was at his house. Even so, the Transfer Device at the Matcha City Pokémon Center is restored to working order, Nurse Joy none the wiser as she finally takes Pikachu to be rejuvenated after having just assisted in trying to kill the children.
Just How Bad Were the Effects?
6:51:34 pm, December 16th, 1997. Upon Pikachu’s Thunderbolt attack on the missiles, this first and only broadcast of the episode unleashed the red and blue strobe effect explosion that caused many viewers in Japan to suffer epileptic seizures, vomiting, irritated eyes, and other related symptoms, hospitalizing over seven hundred and starting a mass hysteria that affected over twelve thousand. The episode was pulled from airing and was the only aired episode to have been banned internationally, TV Tokyo had to issue a public apology, Nintendo’s stock fell by 12,200 yen, and the anime went on hiatus for four months. The entire ordeal became known as the “Pokémon Shock” incident. So, bad enough for The Guinness Book of World Records to “award” Pokémon with “Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show”.
Afterward and for years to come, the start of all Japanese TV shows showed disclaimers warning viewers not to sit too close to the television screen and to watch only in a brightly lit room. To distance the series from the incident, Pokémon has since avoided featuring Porygon in any significant roles, even though the explosion that sealed the episode’s fate was technically due to Pikachu’s actions, not Porygon. OLM still thankfully decided to drop the seizure-inducing strobe effects from Pikachu’s electric attacks. The official Pokémon X (Twitter) account made a post on September 19th, 2020, that has since been deleted saying, “Porygon did nothing wrong” giving rise to the “Porygon did nothing wrong” meme. Even so, some still blame poor Porygon. After all, Nintendo can’t have their golden goose (or, in this case, yellow mouse) mascot be cooked.
