Considering how globally dominant the franchise is today, it’s easy to forget that Pokémon was rife with controversies when the first season of the TV show aired. Kanto-era episodes like “Electric Soldier Porygon”, which literally gave children seizures, and “Holiday Hi-Jynx”, which led to the entire design of Jynx being changed to make her look less like a racist caricature, are, of course, infamous. However, they’re only the tip of the iceberg.

While modern seasons of Pokémon are family-friendly, kid-suitable entertainment, this wasn’t always the case with the Kanto era. The first season of Pokémon arrived in the US in 1998 and included multiple installments that were questionable even by ‘90s standards. Still, some have aged worse than others, and there are a fair few episodes of Pokémon season 1 that it’s hard to believe ever made it to air.

Pokémon Scent-sation (S1, E26)

Dated Boys Vs. Girls Humor Powers This Awkward Pokémon Kanto Episode

“Pokémon Scent-sation” is hardly the most offensive Pokémon episode in the Kanto season, but its treatment of gender is incredibly dated. The episode opens with Ash arriving in Celadon City, where he attempts to earn a Gym Badge from Erika. The problem arises when Ash learns that the Celadon Gym is a space associated with women, beauty, and perfume, meaning he is treated as an outsider because he is a boy. This eventually leads to Ash disguising himself as a girl to enter the Gym, before his identity is exposed.

Much of the humor depends on the idea that boys and girls naturally belong in opposing camps, with the Celadon Gym presented as something Ash should not understand simply because he is male. The episode leans heavily into stereotypes about femininity for laughs, though the jokes don’t land. Pokémon has always occasionally played with gender expectations, but “Pokémon Scent-sation” is simply cringeworthy. Its Boys vs. Girls framing feels like a relic of 1990s children’s TV, especially when contrasted with how broad and varied the Pokémon fanbase actually is.

The Legend Of Dratini (S1, E35)

This Pokémon Episode Had Too Many Guns For A Kid’s Show

One of the most infamous Pokémon episodes that many fans never actually saw during the show’s original international run is “The Legend Of Dratini”. Ash, Misty, and Brock visit the Safari Zone, where they encounter the mysterious Safari Zone Warden, whose enthusiastic use of guns is impossible to ignore. The Warden repeatedly carries a revolver, and one particularly uncomfortable scene involves him pointing a gun directly at Ash. Firearms aren’t simply background props in this Pokémon season 1 episode; they are repeatedly incorporated into the episode’s conflicts and jokes.

That became a major problem for the English-language release, and “The Legend Of Dratini” was not broadcast outside Asia. It’s one of several Kanto-era episodes that occupies an unusual place in Pokémon history: it is technically part of the original season, but international audiences were largely denied the chance to watch it when it first aired. It’s understandable why, too. For a show aimed at children, the prominence of guns is startling, particularly when compared with the much more fantastical dangers Ash and Pikachu normally face.

The Path To The Pokémon League (S1, E8)

20 Minutes Of Indefensible Animal Abuse

When Pokémon first arrived, many concerned parents believed that the premise encouraged animal abuse. While fans know this isn’t the case, the Indigo League episode “The Path To The Pokémon League” makes it plain to see why this was a concern. The installment introduces A.J., a determined young trainer who runs a training camp and boasts about his ability to push his Pokémon beyond their limits. His methods include using a whip and physically intimidating his Pokémon. In no uncertain terms, it’s animal abuse.

This Pokémon season 1 episode is especially uncomfortable because A.J.’s behavior is never given the condemnation it deserves. Rather than suffering consequences for treating his Pokémon this way, he is effectively validated for his determination and strength. Brock even praises A.J.’s training methods, making the tonal misfire considerably worse. “The Path To The Pokémon League” wants A.J. to represent a tough, disciplined trainer, but its portrayal of cruelty toward Pokémon has aged badly.

The Problem With Paras (S1, E44)

An Innocent Pokémon Is Tortured For Financial Gain

Pokémon being used for profit has always been part of the franchise’s world, but rarely does it feel as cruel and barbaric as season 1’s “The Problem With Paras.” This Kanto-era episode revolves around a trainer named Cassandra and her Paras, whom she desperately wants to evolve into Parasect. Cassandra believes the mushrooms growing on Parasect’s back have valuable medicinal properties, giving her a commercial reason for wanting Paras to evolve. Ash and his friends become involved when they attempt to help her accomplish her goal.

It’s how far they’re willing to go to force the evolution that makes “The Problem With Paras” a difficult watch. Ash and Cassandra effectively subject Paras to repeated stressful situations to trigger its evolution. Rather than presenting this as a bad thing, the episode treats the process as part of the adventure. What’s more, Paras is effectively being treated as a source of valuable pharmaceutical material rather than a living being. It’s one of the Pokémon Kanto season’s most blatant examples of suffering being played for entertainment, and to say it hasn’t aged well is an understatement.

The Kangaskhan Kid (S1, E34)

Pokémon’s Take On Tarzan Doesn’t Take Child Abuse Seriously

Cruelty towards Pokémon isn’t the only kind of abuse early episodes of the show treated far too casually. Children are also victims, though none stand out like Tommy in “The Kangaskhan Kid.” A clear Tarzan facsimile, Tommy is a boy who spent much of his childhood living alongside a group of wild Kangaskhan after his father dropped him out of a helicopter as a baby. This backstory is difficult to reconcile with the otherwise lighthearted tone of Pokémon, especially when more details about his life emerge.

The episode therefore contains an extraordinary amount of child endangerment and neglect without treating either as seriously as it should. For example, Officer Jenny admits that she knew Tommy had been living with wild Pokémon but did nothing to intervene. Tommy’s parents also face no meaningful repercussions, despite being responsible for abandoning their child in an extremely dangerous situation. Tommy eventually reunites with his family, but this resolution of this Indigo League Pokémon episode does nothing to address the obvious child neglect and endangerment.

A Chansey Operation (S1, E47)

This Pokémon Episode Combines Medical Malpractice With Lecherous Behavior

Pokémon season 1’s “A Chansey Operation” follows Ash, Misty, and Brock as they encounter Dr. Proctor and his Chansey while helping injured Pokémon. The episode attempts to show the importance of Pokémon medicine, which is a noble premise for a kids’ show. Sadly, the execution undermines anything positive about the intent. The episode becomes incredibly questionable once the medical emergency escalates. The trio of young heroes is effectively left to help treat dozens of seriously injured Pokémon despite having no medical experience.

That’s not the only problem with this Pokémon episode, either, as Doctor Proctor’s behavior goes beyond medical negligence. He flirts with Misty despite her being a 10-year-old girl in several very uncomfortable interactions. As a character, Misty is subjected to inappropriate attention from grown men more than once, but rarely is it as prolonged or blatant as with Dr. Proctor. This borderline-predatory behavior is the most immediately disturbing aspect, but the medical malpractice surrounding it makes “A Chansey Operation” one of the Kanto season episodes that’s aged incredibly, incredibly poorly.

Beauty And The Beach (S1, E18)

The Kanto Era At Its Most Inappropriate

“Beauty And The Beach” genuinely defies belief, as it’s hard to imagine how it made it from the writer’s room to screens without someone stepping in to intervene. The story sees Ash, Misty, and Brock visiting a swimsuit contest at a beach, with Team Rocket also becoming involved. It’s a Pokémon episode that’s become infamous for several bizarre moments, such as James wearing an enormous inflatable pair of breasts. A moment like that in a children’s cartoon would be cause for concern, but it is far from the episode’s only problem.

The humor repeatedly sexualizes the characters, including the 10-year-old Misty. This includes multiple moments of body-shaming, such as when James uses his fake breasts to taunt Misty’s figure. “Beauty And The Beach” was controversial enough that it was initially skipped in the English-language broadcast, as its problems go beyond a few jokes. The entire premise relies on sexualized humor and comments that are fundamentally at odds with the family-friendly image of Pokémon. Among the Pokémon Kanto episodes, none feel as misguided or out-of-place as “Beauty And The Beach.”

Release Date

1997 – 2023-00-00

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

Writers

Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku

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  Rica Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

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  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)