Pokemon Anime Has Basically Ignored Porygon for 28 Years

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Porygon, a Pokémon that’s appeared in games for almost thirty years, has a surprisingly unusual history in the anime series. Despite being a well-known character, its appearance in the anime was limited to just one episode in 1997. This episode, called “Electric Soldier Porygon,” caused a major controversy when a rapidly flashing visual effect triggered seizures in hundreds of viewers in Japan. As a result, the episode was immediately pulled from the air and has never been shown or released again. Since then, Porygon has largely disappeared from the Pokémon anime.

The strange thing about this event is that Pikachu, not Porygon, was actually responsible. However, the Pokémon franchise decided to remove Porygon from the anime and has largely kept it and its evolved forms out of significant storylines ever since. Even after 28 years, Porygon’s absence remains a remarkably unusual and lasting consequence within the Pokémon anime series.

The Episode That Banned Porygon From Pokemon

The Pokémon episode “Denno Senshi Porygon,” which originally aired in Japan in 1997, took Ash and his friends on an adventure inside a digital world guided by the Pokémon Porygon. Towards the end, a scene where Pikachu destroys a missile featured quickly flashing red and blue lights. This brief sequence caused seizures in hundreds of children – over 600 were hospitalized, and many others experienced milder symptoms. As a result, the episode was immediately removed from broadcast and hasn’t been shown anywhere since, causing a four-month break in the Pokémon series.

The flashing lights during Pikachu’s attack caused the problem, but Porygon received most of the blame because the episode focused on it, not Pikachu. After the incident, the Pokemon anime largely stopped featuring Porygon or its evolved forms, probably to prevent further upset or to avoid triggering painful memories for those who were affected. Even now, many dedicated fans still say “Porygon did nothing wrong,” believing Porygon was unfairly blamed for something it didn’t cause.

Porygon Has Still Made Subtle Appearances in the Pokemon Anime

I’ve noticed Porygon hasn’t been a big part of the Pokemon anime, but it pops up now and then. These moments aren’t significant, but they do show the creators haven’t completely forgotten about it.

This is a complete list of every appearance Porygon has made in the Pokemon animated series, including quick cameos and brief scenes.

  • “Denno Senshi Porygon” (EP 038)
  • “A Chansey Operation” (EP 047)
  • “Lights, Camera, Quack-tion” (EP 069)
  • “Who’s That Pokemon?” segment for “A Way Off Day Off” (EP 098)

Besides its infamous appearance in the banned episode “Denno Senshi Porygon,” Porygon only appeared briefly in two other episodes: “A Chansey Operation” (episode 47) and “Lights, Camera, Quack-tion” (episode 69). In both cases, it was just a quick cameo during a scene transition. Porygon also appeared as the silhouette in the “Who’s That Pokemon?” segment of episode 98, “A Way Off Day Off.” This was the only time Porygon was ever voiced in the English dub of the show.

Other Banned Episodes of the Pokemon Anime

The ‘Denno Senshi Porygon’ episode isn’t the only one the Pokemon anime has banned, though it’s definitely the most well-known. Over the years, several episodes have been removed from broadcast for various reasons, including suggestive content and the depiction of guns.

  • “Beauty and the Beach” (EP 018) was considered overly sexualized for a child audience, with James wearing inflatable breasts and a suggestive bikini contest that sparked controversy.
  • “The Legend of Dratini” (EP 035) was effectively banned in Western countries due to extensive depictions of real firearms.
  • Episodes involving Jynx (e.g. “The Ice Cave!” and “Holiday Hi-Jynx”) were banned due to perceived racial stereotyping and blackface depiction tied to Jynx’s original design.

It’s easy to understand why other episodes were banned, but the case of Porygon is particularly striking. Most bans resulted in temporary issues, but “Denno Senshi Porygon” led to the Pokemon essentially disappearing from the anime for almost thirty years. While Porygon has made a few brief appearances since then, it never returned as a regular character. It’s unusual that a single episode, and a problem Porygon didn’t even create, could have such a lasting impact on the Pokemon anime.

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2025-12-10 17:08