For nearly three decades, Porygon has been subject to one of those Pokémon anime's weirdest stories. Pokémon has repeatedly appeared in the games and remains a recognizable part of the franchise, yet its role in the anime was canceled after a single episode in 1997 that became one of the most controversial broadcasts in television history. To Pokémon the episode, titled “Denno Senshi Porygon”—known in English as “Electric Soldier Porygon”—was pulled immediately after airing due to a flashing visual effect that triggered seizures in hundreds of viewers across Japan. It has never been re-aired, never officially released, and Porygon has basically been MIA in it Pokémon anime since then.
What's interesting about the incident is that it wasn't actually Porygon that caused the incident but Pikachu, but the franchise still removed Porygon from the picture and has avoided giving it or its evolution much of a role in the anime thereafter. Now, 28 years later, Porygon's disappearance remains one of the most unusual long-term findings Pokémon anime series ever seen.
The episode that banned Porygon from Pokemon
“Denno Senshi Porygon” aired in Japan in 1997 and followed Ash and his friends into a digital world with Porygon as their guide. Near the end of the episode, Pikachu destroys a missile inside the virtual space, resulting in a rapid red and blue flashing effect. The scene didn't last very long, but it was long enough to induce photosensitive epileptic seizures in hundreds of children (over 600 hospitalized, many more with milder symptoms). In response have Pokémon The episode was immediately pulled, forcing the series into a four-month hiatus, and the episode has never been rebroadcast in any country since.
While Pikachu's attack is responsible for the flashing effect, Porygon took the bulk of the punishment simply because the episode was centered on it and not Pikachu. From that point forward Pokémon the anime avoided giving Porygon or its evolution any significant screen time, likely to avoid reigniting the controversy or to potentially trigger a trauma response in those who were injured or indirectly affected by the incident in some way. Even today, “Porygon no fault” is a common phrase among longtime fans who see the decision as an unfortunate case of misplaced blame.
Porygon has still made subtle appearances in the Pokemon Anime
While Porygon has been largely sidelined in Pokémon anime, it still managed to make subtle appearances from time to time. These appearances aren't the slightest bit major, but they do prove that Porygon isn't completely pushed aside.
Here's every time Porygon has appeared in Pokémon animated series, even if only briefly or as cameos:
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“Denno Senshi Porygon” (EP 038)
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“A Chansey Operation” (EP 047)
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“Lights, Camera, Quack-tion” (EP 069)
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“Who is that Pokemon?” segment for “A Way Off Day Off” (EP 098)
Porygon's only two legitimate appearances, aside from its starring role in the banned episode “Denno Senshi Porygon”, are in “A Chansey Operation” and “Lights, Camera, Quack-tion”, episodes 47 and 69 respectively. However, both of these appearances were only very brief cameos, with Porygon only being involved in a scene transition in said Pokémon section. Aside from these two, Porygon was the mystery Pokemon in the series' “Who's That Pokemon?” segment that occasionally occurred between commercials during episode 98, “A Way Off Day Off”. This was also the only time Porygon had received an English dub.
Other Banned Episodes of Pokemon Anime
“Denno Senshi Porygon” wasn't the only one banned Pokémon episode either, despite being perhaps the most infamous. Rather, the anime has experienced many bans during its lifetime for one reason or another, from the sexualization of certain characters to the use of firearms.
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“Beauty and the Beach” (EP 018) was considered too sexualized for a child audience, with James wearing inflatable breasts and a suggestive bikini contest which caused controversy.
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“The Legend of Dratini” (EP 035) was effectively banned in Western countries due to extensive depictions of real firearms.
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Episodes involving Jynx (e.g. “Ice Cave!” and “Holiday Hi-Jynx”) were banned due to perceived racial stereotypes and blackface depictions associated with Jynx's original design.
While the reasoning behind these other banned episodes makes perfect sense, it's also clear why Porygon's situation still stands out. Most banned episodes created short-term problems, but “Denno Senshi Porygon” caused a single Pokémon to disappear from anime for nearly three decades. Its only real presence since then has been a few scattered cameos, none of which have changed the fact that Porygon never returned in any meaningful way. For an episode revolving around something it didn't even cause, that result remains one of the most unusual stories in the history of Pokémon anime.
- Release date
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1997 – 2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- Directors
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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 Sokuzaa,, Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Author
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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)
