Surprisingly, Pokemon Sword and Shield players can pick the Internet’s two favorite numbers as their jersey number. The new Pokemon games, which came out this week, has a heavy soccer theme. Instead of competing in traditional gym battles, players take place in “Gym Challenges” which culminate in a battle in front of thousands of cheering fans in a large stadium. During these battles, players will wear a special jersey outfit styled similarly to a soccer kit. When players first receive their jersey, they’re asked to pick a number to place on it. And many players have discovered that there is no filter when choosing their number…meaning that players can pick any number between 0 and 999.
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While on the surface level, this doesn’t seem like a controversial option, it does mean that players can choose the numbers 69 (a reference to an intimate position shared between two consenting adults), 420 (a reference to a consumable plant with various degrees of legality across the United States and abroad), or 666 (a number associated with the devil) without any issue. What’s more, this number is permanently placed on their League Card, which is then shared and can be traded with other players across the Internet.
The whole thing is a bit surprising, given The Pokemon Company’s previous history with filters. At times, players couldn’t trade certain Pokemon species because their names contained words that could be used as curses or slurs. Pokemon like Nosepass or Cofagrigus couldn’t be traded via the Global Trade System unless their names were changed.
We don’t know whether this was just an oversight, or if the Pokemon Company has decided its just not worth the hassle filtering certain numbers from the game. However, we’ve seen a whole lot of trainers with the number 69 on their jersey, so we’re guessing that players are picking out their numbers before the Pokemon Company changes their mind.
What number did you pick as your jersey number? Let us know in the comment section or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat about all things Pokemon!
