10 Controversies That Have ALREADY Hurt Pokemon Sword & Shield

9. Racist Depictions Of Nessa In Fan Art

Pokemon Sword Shield
Game Freak

In fairness, this is a controversy that’s been created more by fanbase reaction than it has been by anything Game Freak or The Pokémon Company have done, but it’s marred the build up to the release nonetheless. Basically, this one is a reminder of why we can’t have nice things.

Immediately after we first saw Nessa, various pieces of fan art appeared online. Some, as should be expected, were very explicit, but that’s a whole other issue. The main controversy stems from the tone of her skin in several pieces of art which misrepresented the black character.

Some artists gave her lighter skin, moving away from the dark shade of the trailer and giving her a more olive colouring. As a result, this caused an outcry, with some artists stirring the pot by deliberately drawing her as a white woman. Other depictions were even worse, explicitly racist in their presentation.

This one is on the so-called 'fans', but it's certainly cast a dark cloud over the game as a whole.

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