Beatrice Lang
Electric Soldier Porygon is the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime series. It was first broadcast in Japan on December 16, 1997, but never aired outside the country. The episode is infamous for causing adverse health effects in viewers, including epileptic seizures, due to its use of flashing lights and colours. This incident, referred to as Pokémon Shock in Japan, led to the episode being banned and never re-broadcast worldwide. Despite Pikachu's attack being the cause of the strobing effect, Porygon became a scapegoat and was censored from future episodes, along with its evolved forms. The episode's impact extended beyond the anime, with Nintendo's shares dropping and the show going on a four-month hiatus.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Episode Number | 38 |
| Episode Name | Electric Soldier Porygon |
| Date of Broadcast | 16 December 1997 |
| Time of Broadcast | 6:30 PM Japan Standard Time (09:30 UTC) |
| No. of Households Watching | 4.6 million |
| Scene That Triggered Seizures | Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack on missiles, resulting in an explosion with flashing red and blue lights |
| Time of Scene | 6:51:34 PM |
| No. of TV Stations That Aired the Episode | 37 |
| No. of Children Hospitalized | 600-700 |
| Symptoms | Blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, irritated eyes, epileptic seizures |
| Episode Writer | Junki Takegami |
| Episode Director | Kiyotaka Itani |
| Broadcast Channel | TV Tokyo |
| Anime Hiatus | Nearly four months |
| Banned Worldwide | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
- The flashing lights in the episode caused photosensitive epileptic seizures in children
- The episode was pulled and the anime went on a four-month hiatus
- Porygon was blamed and banned from future episodes, despite Pikachu causing the strobing effect
- The incident is referred to in Japan as the Pokémon Shock
- The episode was never aired again or released commercially
The flashing lights in the episode caused photosensitive epileptic seizures in children
The 38th episode of the Pokémon anime's first season, "Dennō Senshi Porygon" (translated as "Electric Soldier Porygon"), aired in Japan on December 16, 1997. The episode featured a scene with flashing lights that induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country. This incident, referred to as the "Pokémon Shock" in Japan, resulted in the hospitalisation of over 600 children.
In the episode, Ash and his friends discover an issue with the Poké Ball transmitting device at the local Pokémon Center. To investigate, they enter the machine and find themselves in cyberspace. During an ensuing battle with Team Rocket, Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt attack on missiles, causing a large explosion. This explosion resulted in rapid flashing red and blue lights, with bright strobe effects blinking at a rate of about 12 Hz for approximately six seconds.
The flashing lights in this scene were particularly intense due to two anime techniques: "paka-paka" and "flash". These bright strobe lights triggered photosensitive epileptic seizures in children viewing the episode. Some viewers experienced blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. The specific scene that triggered the seizures aired towards the end of the episode, approximately twenty minutes after it began.
The "Electric Soldier Porygon" episode has significant repercussions. It was the sole broadcast of the episode, and it never aired outside of Japan or was commercially released worldwide. The Pokémon anime went on hiatus for nearly four months following the incident, and all previous and upcoming episodes were edited to reduce any strobing effects. This episode highlighted the potential dangers of flashing lights in media content and the need to ensure the safety of viewers, especially those with photosensitive epilepsy.
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The episode was pulled and the anime went on a four-month hiatus
The 38th episode of the Pokémon anime's first season, titled "Dennō Senshi Porygon" (commonly known as "Electric Soldier Porygon"), aired on December 16, 1997, in Japan. During the episode, Pikachu's thunderbolt attack resulted in an explosion that produced rapid flashing red and blue lights. This sequence, employing two anime techniques called paka-paka and "flash," caused photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country, affecting over 600 individuals who required hospitalisation.
As a consequence, the episode "Electric Soldier Porygon" was pulled from broadcast. The Pokémon anime went on a hiatus for nearly four months, with all upcoming and previous episodes being meticulously edited to eliminate any strobing effects. The incident, known as "Pokémon Shock" in Japan, had a significant impact on the show's schedule. The next episode, "Holiday Hi-Jynx," which was scheduled to air on December 23, 1997, was postponed until October 5, 1998. This disruption caused confusion among viewers due to inconsistencies in character development and Pokémon ownership when the show resumed.
During the hiatus, a special program, "Problem Inspection Report on the Pocket Monsters Anime," was aired before the regular broadcasting resumed on April 16, 1998, with the episodes "Pikachu's Goodbye" and "The Battling Eevee Brothers." The time slot for the anime also changed from Tuesday to Thursday. The impact of this incident extended beyond the anime's schedule, as video retailers across Japan removed Pokémon anime rentals from their shelves, and Nintendo's shares experienced a notable decline.
The episode "Electric Soldier Porygon" has never been commercially released or rebroadcast anywhere in the world, and Porygon and its evolved forms have rarely appeared in subsequent episodes, limited to brief cameos. This incident highlighted the potential impact of animation techniques on viewers' health, particularly those with photosensitive epilepsy, and the subsequent editing process aimed to mitigate any similar occurrences in the future.
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Porygon was blamed and banned from future episodes, despite Pikachu causing the strobing effect
"Dennō Senshi Porygon", or "Electric Soldier Porygon", is the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime's first season. It was aired only once in Japan on 16 December 1997. Twenty minutes into the episode, Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt attack to stop missiles, resulting in an explosion of flashing red and blue lights. This scene, which lasted about four seconds, triggered photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country. Over 600 children were hospitalised.
The incident, referred to as "Pokémon Shock" in Japan, caused the episode to be banned from ever being aired again. The Pokémon anime went on a four-month hiatus, and every previous and upcoming episode was edited to reduce any strobing effect. Porygon was blamed and banned from future episodes, despite Pikachu causing the strobing effect. Porygon's evolutions, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, have also been banned from the anime.
On 19 September 2020, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a tweet that read, "Porygon did nothing wrong", acknowledging that Porygon was a scapegoat due to Pikachu being the franchise's mascot. The tweet was later deleted, speculated to be because of the taboo subject matter. While Porygon has been absent from the anime, The Pokémon Company continues to feature it in all other aspects of its branding, including video games, manga adaptations, merchandising, and advertising.
Despite the controversy, "Electric Soldier Porygon" had a significant impact on the Pokémon anime. The incident led to a greater awareness of the potential impact of flashing lights and colours on photosensitive viewers. As a result, episodes featuring Pikachu's electric attacks have been edited to slow down and dim the flashing effects.
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The incident is referred to in Japan as the Pokémon Shock
On December 16, 1997, the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime series, titled "Dennō Senshi Porygon" (commonly translated as "Electric Soldier Porygon"), aired in Japan. During the episode, Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt attack to stop missiles, resulting in an explosion of flashing red and blue lights. This scene, utilising two anime techniques called "paka-paka" and "flash", caused photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across Japan, with over 600 children being hospitalised. The incident, known in Japan as the "Pokémon Shock", led to the episode being banned and never re-aired.
The "Pokémon Shock" incident had significant repercussions for the Pokémon franchise. Following the episode's sole broadcast, the Pokémon anime went on a nearly four-month hiatus, with the show's time slot changing from Tuesday to Thursday upon its return. All previous and upcoming episodes were edited to reduce any strobing effects, and Porygon, the Pokémon species associated with the episode, was effectively censored from future anime episodes. Porygon's evolutions, Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, were also impacted, with limited appearances in other media such as movies and video games.
The "Pokémon Shock" incident also had economic consequences for Nintendo, the company behind the Pokémon video games. The day after the episode aired, Nintendo's shares fell by almost 3.2% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Additionally, video retailers in Japan removed the Pokémon anime from their rental shelves. Despite these setbacks, the Pokémon franchise persevered and continued to grow in popularity worldwide.
In the years following the incident, there has been a re-evaluation of the episode's impact and the scapegoating of Porygon. On the 25th anniversary of the episode's airing, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a tweet saying, "Porygon did nothing wrong", acknowledging that Pikachu's attack was the actual cause of the strobing effect that triggered the seizures. This tweet was later deleted, possibly due to the sensitivity of the topic.
The "Pokémon Shock" incident remains a notable event in the history of the Pokémon franchise, serving as a reminder of the potential impact of flashing lights and colours in media on viewers' health. It also highlights the challenges of adapting animated content for different audiences and the need to prioritise viewers' well-being.
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The episode was never aired again or released commercially
The 38th episode of the Pokémon anime's first season, "Dennō Senshi Porygon" (commonly known as "Electric Soldier Porygon"), has never been aired again or commercially released following its sole broadcast in Japan on December 16, 1997. The episode is infamous for a scene with flashing lights that induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country, with over 600 children being hospitalized. This incident, referred to in Japan as the "Pokémon Shock", led to the episode being banned from rebroadcast worldwide, marking the first major exposure the West had of Pokémon being news reports of the incident.
The episode's central plot and the negative association with Porygon led to the character being rarely seen in future episodes, with appearances limited to brief cameos and evolutions of Porygon being banned from the anime as well. The original episode was also never dubbed or released in other languages. The Pokémon Twitter account referenced the episode in 2020, stating "Porygon did nothing wrong," acknowledging the modern consensus that Porygon was a scapegoat due to Pikachu being the franchise's mascot.
The incident had a significant impact on the Pokémon anime, leading to a nearly four-month hiatus and causing all previous and upcoming episodes to be edited to reduce any strobing effects. It also affected the way flashing effects are used in modern episodes, with effects like Pikachu's electric attacks being significantly slowed down and dimmed. Additionally, it contributed to a greater awareness of the potential for anime to trigger seizures in individuals with photosensitive epilepsy, leading to changes in other media such as the Japanese port of Spyro the Dragon.
While the episode has been banned and is not easily accessible, some individuals have managed to download or view the episode on platforms like YouTube, with some reporting similar adverse effects such as fuzzy vision, dizziness, and headaches even when watching on a computer screen. The episode remains a controversial and infamous moment in the history of the Pokémon franchise, with some fans expressing surprise that Porygon and its evolutions were included in the video games and merchandise despite the incident.
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Frequently asked questions
"Electric Soldier Porygon", also known as "Computer Warrior Porygon", is the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime series.
During its sole broadcast in Japan on 16 December 1997, a scene with flashing lights triggered photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country. Over 600 children were hospitalised.
The episode was never aired again and the anime went on a four-month hiatus. The show's time slot also changed from Tuesday to Thursday.
Yes, Porygon and its evolved forms were rarely seen in future episodes, with appearances limited to brief cameos.
Yes, on 19 September 2020, the official Pokémon Twitter account posted a tweet that read, "Porygon did nothing wrong". The tweet was later deleted.
