Editing Pokémon (section)

===="Dennō Senshi Porygon" incident====
{{See also|Pokémon episodes removed from rotation}}

<!-- Brief summary of the episode -->
In the evening of 16 December 1997, the ''Pokemon'' franchise was hit by a crisis related to the broadcast of the anime's 38th episode, "[[Dennō Senshi Porygon]]" (Computer Warrior Porygon). It was watched by approximately 4.6&nbsp;million households.<ref>{{Cite web | title=An Interim Report from the "Study Group on Broadcasting and Audio-Visual Sensory Perception | date=April 1998 | publisher=[[Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (Japan)|Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications]] | url=http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/policyreports/english/group/broadcasting/interim_rep.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023122526/http://www.soumu.go.jp/joho_tsusin/policyreports/english/group/broadcasting/interim_rep.html | archive-date=23 October 2008 | url-status=dead}}</ref> In the episode, the cast is transported into a virtual world, accompanied by a [[Porygon]], a digital, human-made Pokemon. While flying through cyberspace, they are attacked by an anti-virus program which mistakes them for viruses, shooting "vaccine missiles" at the group resulting in explosions of bright, rapidly swapping red and blue flashes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2022 |title=It's Been 25 Years Since Pokémon Accidentally Gave People Seizures |url=https://gizmodo.com/pokemon-porygon-seizures-pikachu-shock-25th-anniversary-1849900785 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=25 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925173836/https://gizmodo.com/pokemon-porygon-seizures-pikachu-shock-25th-anniversary-1849900785 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<!-- People are brought to hospitals, broadcasting of Pokemon is halted, Mewtwo Strikes Back is made -->
The intense stimuli brought about by the episode triggered a variety of adverse health effects in more than 10,000 viewers,<ref>{{Cite news | title=ポケモン・パニック | trans-title=Pokemon Panic | work=Tokyo [[Yomiuri Shimbun]], morning edition | date=18 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=38}}.</ref> primarily irritated eyes, headaches, dizziness, and nausea.<ref name="Kōsei-shō_report">{{Cite web | title=光感受性発作に関する臨床研究 | trans-title=Clinical research on photosensitive seizures | date=April 1998 | publisher=[[Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare|Ministry of Health and Welfare]] | url=https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/1004/h0414-2.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031170136/https://www.mhlw.go.jp/www1/houdou/1004/h0414-2.html | archive-date=31 October 2020 | url-status=live}}</ref> A small part suffered a [[Photosensitive epilepsy|photosensitive epileptic]] [[seizure]], manifested in loss of conscious and/or convulsions.<ref name="Kōsei-shō_report" /><ref>{{Cite news | title=ポケモン被害百三十人以上が入院救急搬送六百五十一人 | trans-title=More than 130 Pokemon victims hospitalized and 651 people transported to emergency rooms | work=[[Sankei Shimbun]], evening edition | date=17 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=16-17}}.</ref> Hundreds{{efn|A definitive number could not be established. The [[Fire and Disaster Management Agency]] announced that, as of 17:00, 17 December, a total of 685 people had been taken to hospitals in direct relationship to the ''Pokemon'' episode. Of these, 208 people were actually hospitalized.<ref>{{Cite news | title=被害状況 | trans-title=Damage situation | work=[[Mainichi Shimbun]], morning edition | date=18 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=38}}.</ref> However, different figures have been stated by different sources.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Pocket Monsters TV Cartoon Show Seizures News Coverage, Page 1 | url=https://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews1.htm | website=virtualpet.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990421131836/http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews1.htm | archive-date=21 April 1999 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | title=Pocket Monsters TV Cartoon Show Seizures News Coverage, Page 2 | url=https://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews2.htm | website=virtualpet.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990421171426/http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/pmonster/seizures/pmnews2.htm | archive-date=21 April 1999 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Pokemon Story'' (2000), a 500+ page book on ''Pokemon'', states that "approximately 750 children" were taken to hospitals, of which 135 were hospitalized.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=358-359}}.</ref> It has been reported that, due to the incident catching the country off-guard, different methods of surveying were used throughout Japan, and these methods were not always accurate.<ref>{{Cite news | title=正確な患者数つかめず | trans-title=Exact number of patients could not be determined | work=[[Shizuoka Shimbun]], morning edition | date=21 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=80}}.</ref>}} of children were brought to hospitals, although a part of them had recovered enough upon arrival and did not need to be hospitalized. No one died. Broadcasting of ''Pokemon'' was halted, and new guidelines were implemented to help prevent similar events from happening.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=380}}.</ref> With the show on [[Hiatus (television)|hiatus]], ShoPro and OLM worked on a feature ''Pokemon'' film. By the time the incident occurred, its script was already written, and the movie was in the storyboard stage. In mid-January, the staff resumed creating new episodes.<ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=389-390}}.</ref> The anime series returned on 16 April 1998.<ref>{{Cite web | title=WORLD DATELINES | date=1 April 1998 | website=[[Houston Chronicle]] | url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/WORLD-DATELINES-3097306.php | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520123740/https://www.chron.com/news/article/WORLD-DATELINES-3097306.php | archive-date=20 May 2023 | url-status=live | quote=Pokemon, as the series is called in Japan, back April 16 follows investigations by the network and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters.}}</ref> The film, titled ''Pocket Monsters the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back'' (''[[Pokémon: The First Movie]]''), premiered on 18 July 1998, and became the fourth highest grossing film of the year in Japan.<ref>{{Cite web | title=過去配給収入上位作品（配給収入10億円以上番組）— 1998年（1月～12月）| trans-title=Top films with past distribution revenues (films with distribution revenues of 1 billion yen or more) — 1998 (January to December) | website=eiren.org | publisher=Motion Pictures Producers Association of Japan | url=http://eiren.org/toukei/1998.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613064628/http://eiren.org/toukei/1998.html | archive-date=13 June 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | first=Michael | last=Wolf | title=Pokemon Movie Frenzy | website=[[Daily Radar]] | url=http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_31_1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000613055906/http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_31_1.html | archive-date=13 June 2000 | url-status=dead | quote=The movie (...) became the fourth highest grossing film of the year.}}</ref>

<!-- The crisis ultimately doesn't hurt Pokemon -->
Ultimately, the incident did not damage the ''Pokemon'' franchise – it in fact grew further during and after the anime's hiatus. While video rental tapes were removed from shelves,<ref>{{Cite news | title=ビデオ貸し控えも | trans-title=Video Rentals Suspended | date=19 December 1997 | work=[[Hokkaido Shimbun]], morning edition (South Hokkaido)}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=70}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite news | title=アニメ「ポケモン」問題でレンタルビデオの自粛相次ぐ | trans-title=Due to the "Pokemon" anime issue, multiple video rental companies have suspended rentals | work=Minami-Nihon Shimbun, morning edition | date=19 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=70}}.</ref> all other ''Pokemon'' products continued to be sold as usual, and customer demand for them remained high.<ref>{{Cite news | title=クリスマスのプレゼントは? | trans-title=What are your Christmas presents? | work=[[Asahi Shimbun]], morning edition | date=24 December 1997}} Included in {{Harvp|Ohtsuki|1998|p=83}}.</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Hatakeyama|Kubo|2000|p=380-381}}.</ref> Helping matters was a general understanding among businesses that the anime was not canceled, but rather suspended, and many executives (correctly) expected the show to be resumed after precautions had been taken. Supermarkets and other distribution outlets responded calmly to the crisis, and did not remove ''Pokemon'' products from their sales floors.<ref>{{Harvp|Pokemon Business Study Group|1998|p=207}}.</ref>