Here Are ‘Pokemon’s Darkest Moments The Anime Just Couldn’t Show

When you think of Pokemon, you probably think of tear-jerking inspiration moments and Pikachu’s testy temper. The franchise has become a favorite for fans around the world, but there are pieces to its canon you might not know.

If you haven’t check out the Pokemon Adventures manga, then you don’t know Pokemon… and you definitely don’t know its darker side.

Created in March 1997, the Pokemon Adventures manga has run for decades, and it has previewed some truly messed-up moments. Some of these asides are far to dark for the Pokemon anime to dream of touching, and many would better suit a gory HBO title like Game of Thrones.

Here at ComicBook, we’re ready to lift the veil on Pokemon Adventure‘s darkest moments, but fans should be warned. Once you see what these slides below contain, you will have trouble seeing Pokemon the same way again! Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB about these shockingly graphic Pokemon moments. Did you think the franchise could even get this dark?!

Safari Park Nightmare

Pokemon fans will remember the Safari Park for its vast catches and confusing map, but Pokemon Adventures has a different take on the place. The manga’s hardcover version of the Safari Park forces its trainers to go through it sans Pokemon, and Red was nearly killed several times when he traversed it. The trainer had to blind a Nidoking before a pack of Victreebels plotted to dissolve the boy with their acid. So, you can see why this version of the Safari Park was cut from the anime. 

Everyone Dies — But Really

Death isn’t something fans of Pokemon associate with the anime, but it is everywhere in the manga. Adults are very ready to kill kids if it means scooping up rare Pokemon, and that is just the start of things. In the Ruby & Sapphire manga, major comrades like Courtney and Norman are straight-up killed, and its leads only survive because Celebi plops them into a new timeline, leaving their old world to fall into chaos. 

Elite Four Murder Spree

Sure, the Elite Four are annoying, but the anime hasn’t shown the group to be a group of murderous lunatics. That is exactly how the Pokemon manga treats the Kanto region squad, and they will not stop until they wipe out a solid majority of humanity. Kanto’s Elite Four ultimately want to take out humanity for mistreating Pokemon, and it gets so bad that the manga’s protagonists must team up with Team Rocket and other villains to stop the extremists. 

Vermilion City Destroyed

Mass casualties aren’t a thing in the Pokemon anime, but they are in the manga. With Lance of the Elite Four eager to get blood on his hands, the Dragon Master finds a quick way to kill a ton of people. Yellow tails the trainer all the way to Vermilion City and can only look on in horror as Lance uses his Dragonair’s Hyper Beam to blow half the city to bits. Vermilion City is left with a massive crater in its center, and the attack would have realistically killed thousands upon thousands of civilians. 

Murdered Magmars

In the anime, Team Rocket is treated as a running gag, but the manga wants fans to know the organization isn’t to be laughed at. In fact, Giovanni is a cutthroat villain in the manga, and he proves his heart is cold after running into a Magmar in the wild. The leader of Team Rocket has his Cloyster freeze the creature before telling the Pokemon to finish the job. That job, by the way, is cutting off all of Magmar’s limbs and leaving him in a dissected pile. 

PokeZombies

Pokemon may seem tame for the most part, but it has some scary moments. Still, nothing in the anime compares to when the manga invaded Lavender Town with PokeZombies. The ultra-gross story saw rotting Pokemon corpses nearly kill Red as the trainer tried to leave the town, and the manga isn’t afraid to show all of the Pokemons’ innards along the way. 

Soul-Sucking Haunters

Haunter is a scary looking creature in Pokemon, but the manga takes the ghostly monster even further. The series introduced an old Haunter known as ‘Black Fog’, and it keeps its massive size by sucking the souls out of people. The Pokemon killed the gym leader Sabrina’s parents way back when, and it does the same to her years later. However, Sabrina manages to survive the attack even though it permanently damages her soul. So, there’s that piece of joyful information. 

Decapitated Pokemon

Pokemon is not what you would call a gory series, but that is not the case with its manga. Pokemon Adventures is not afraid to get bloody, and it is totally okay with the occasional decapitation. Way back when, Blue was seen in the manga fighting an Arbok belonging to Koga, a gym leader. Charmeleon isn’t about to let his friends get hurt, so he actually decapitates Arbok. Fans can see the snake’s spine and everything… and the characters just go along with the death like it is nothing.