10 Biggest Pokémon Controversies

This is an example of a preemptive change which was definitely for the best. The episode in question, The Kangaskhan Kid, stars Tommy, a boy raised by Kangaskhan in the style of Tarzan. He’s obviously not as polite as a child with a normal upbringing would be, but still, there are limits.

In the Western dub, he stumbles out of the bushes and eyes Misty, Ash and Brock up and down before asking brusquely ‘you people or Pokémon?’, which Misty takes offence to. After a slapstick bonk on the head, Ash tells them they’re people and the episode moves on with a light chuckle.

In the original Japanese version though, Misty had a much better reason to be annoyed. Instead of eyeing them all up and down, he stares directly at her chest and asks ‘"Can I suck breast?"

It’s obviously some kind of breastfeeding joke, but is also way too sexual for the intended audience, and his prolonged stare suggests infatuation too.

The whole thing raises another issue regarding the female characters’ body types considering their canon age, but that gets its own entry coming up shortly.