Pokemon is living large this year in light of its 25th anniversary, and fans are loving all the updates the franchise has given them. From new games to trading card changes, there is a lot in store for Pokemon this year. Of course, this is also the time to look back at Pokemon through the years, and some fans are just learning about the secret Dragon Ball easter egg we got back in generation one.
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The whole thing came to light on Twitter when the user reggie_800 shared the tidbit with fans. It was there fans learned how one regional version of Pokemon Red and Blue included a clever nod to Goku.
Goku in Pokemon:
In Gen 1, your house in Pallet Town has Stand By Me playing on the TV — except for the French version, where it’s Dragon Ball. Why? Because the French localizer Julien Bardakoff is a huge anime fan.
More Gen 1 changes around the world: https://t.co/iHMgOLN1Z2 pic.twitter.com/JRos8CkyOh
โ Reggie-800’s Nintendo Secrets (@reggie_800) March 16, 2021
As you can see above, the whole thing dates back to generation one and its French translation. According to repots, localizer Julien Bardakoff was tasked with getting the games ready for fans, and he decided to have fun with the show airing on the player’s home TV. In every other region, the television is playing Stand By Me, but it turns out Dragon Ball is airing over in France.
The translation for the TV show in France reads, “An anime! A little boy with a monkey tail. Well, I’m leave.” If you know much of anything about anime, you will be able to figure out who is being reference here. The monkey boy is none other than Son Goku was the fighter still had a tail during his youth.
According to DrLavaYT, Bardakoff confirmed he meant to invoke Dragon Ball with this homage. It seems the localizer was a big fan of the anime, so it only made sense for him to have fun with this text box. Now, it stands as one of Pokemon‘s nerdiest tributes to anime, so I guess Goku is canon in the Pokemon Universe…!
Do you wish this translation was used across the board? Or do you think Goku should butt out of Pokemon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.