The first anime version of Pokémon was released in 1997, quickly becoming a phenomenon in the Japanese market. However, the anime based on the hit game series gained worldwide fame when it was acquired by 4Kids Entertainment for distribution in the West. This led to a new wave of trainers wanting to catch these adorable creatures everywhere.
Below, we will explore 10 incredibly interesting details that you might not know about this classic anime series:
1. Although Ash is still a 10-year-old boy in the series, if we follow the natural timeline, he would have turned 29 in 2016.
2. Ash’s original starter Pokémon was supposed to be Clefairy, not Pikachu. However, Pikachu was ultimately chosen by the production team to make the anime more appealing to both boys and girls.
3. The first Pokémon seen in the anime was actually a worm in the episode “Ash Catches A Pokémon”.
4. Ash has never returned to see his Pidgeot after leaving it to take care of the Pidgeys near Pallet Town.
5. The episode “Tentacool and Tentacruel” was not aired in the U.S. due to the events of September 11. Another episode titled “A Scare in the Air” also had to be renamed to “Spirits in the Sky” for its U.S. broadcast.
6. An episode titled “Electric Soldier Porygon” was banned from airing due to causing seizures in children. In December 1997, over 700 children in Japan suffered seizures after watching a flashing scene in this episode.
7. The food item “onigiri” was renamed to “donut” in the U.S. version of the series to be more understandable for children.
8. The members of Team Rocket were named after two famous Western criminals. Jessie and James took their names from Jesse James, while Cassidy and Butch were named after Robert “Butch Cassidy” Parker.
9. The Orange Islands are the only region created specifically for the TV series and do not correspond to any game.
10. The character Brock was originally meant to be a minor character, but he became a fan favorite and nobody wanted to see him go.
Source: Hollywood
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