Aug 23, 2023 (collider.com) - Banned episodes are no rare occurrence in the world of television, including a Pokémon episode did indeed cause numerous desperate parents to run to the hospital with their children, many of which had lost consciousness due to seizures.
It was an event that took place in the late 90s and that briefly caused a generalized panic concerning anime.
Originally released in Japan by TV Tokyo on December 16, 1997, “Dennō Senshi Porygon”, or, as it is most commonly known by Western fans, “Electric Soldier Porygon”, was Episode 38 of the very first season of Pokémon. It follows the basic premise of most of the show's episodes, with Ash (Rica Matsumoto), Brock (Yuji Ueda), Misty (Mayumi Izuka) — or Satoshi, Takeshi, and Kasumi, in the original version — and their Pokémons facing off against Team Rocket for some Pokémon-related crime. However, the episode takes a trippy turn that could only be possible in the late 90s: instead of fighting evil in the real world, our heroes are transported to the insides of a computer, where they must secure the traffic of Pokémons in between Pokémon Centers. They are helped by the world’s first digital Pokémon, Porygon, an invention of Professor Akibahara (Bin Shimada) with the power of copying its enemy’s physical traits. But problems arise when it is revealed that Team Rocket also has a Porygon of their own. ...continue reading
