For nearly three decades, Porygon was the subject of one of them Pokemon weirdest anime stories Pokémon has appeared repeatedly in the games and remains a recognizable part of the franchise, yet its role in the anime was discontinued after a single episode in 1997, which became one of the most controversial broadcasts in television history. That Pokemon 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 caused seizures in hundreds of viewers across Japan. It was never rebroadcast, never officially released, and Porygon was basically MIA in Pokemon 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 avoided giving him or his evolutions any major role in the next anime. Now, 28 years later, Porygon's disappearance remains one of the most unusual long-term results Pokemon 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 the digital world with Porygon as their guide. Towards the end of the episode, Pikachu destroys a rocket in virtual space, resulting in a rapid red and blue flashing effect. The scene didn't last long at all, but it was long enough to induce photosensitive epileptic seizures in hundreds of children (over 600 hospitalized, many more with milder symptoms). In response to Pokemon the episode was immediately pulled, forcing 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 brunt of the punishment simply because the episode focused on him and not Pikachu. From this point on, Pokemon the anime avoided giving Porygon or his evolutions any significant screen time, presumably to avoid re-opening the controversy or potentially triggering a trauma response for those who were in some way harmed or indirectly affected by the incident. To this day, “Porygon didn't do anything wrong” remains a common catchphrase among longtime fans who see the decision as an unfortunate case of misplaced guilt.
Porygon still makes subtle appearances in the Pokémon Anime
While Porygon was largely sidelined Pokemon anime, he still managed to make low-key appearances from time to time. These appearances aren't anything major in the slightest, but they do prove that Porygon hasn't been completely sidelined.
Here is every time Porygon has appeared in Pokemon animated series, even if only briefly or as cameos:
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“Denno Senshi Porygon” (EP 038)
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“Operation Chansey” (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 his starring role in the banned episode “Denno Senshi Porygon”, are in “Operation Chansey” and “Lights, Camera, Quack-tion”, episodes 47 and 69, respectively. However, both of these appearances were very short cameos where Porygon was only involved in the transition of the scene in speech Pokemon episodes. Besides these two, Porygon was a mystery Pokémon in the series “Who's That Pokémon?” a segment that appeared occasionally between commercials during the 98th episode “A Way Off Day Off”. This also marked the only time Porygon received an English dub.
More Banned Pokemon Anime Episodes
“Denno Senshi Porygon” wasn't the only one banned Pokemon episode either, despite being perhaps the most infamous. Rather, anime has seen numerous bans in 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 that caused controversy.
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“The Legend of Dratini” (EP 035) was effectively banned in Western countries due to extensive depictions of actual firearms.
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Episodes involving Jynx (e.g. “The Ice Cave!” and “Holiday Hi-Jynx”) were banned due to perceived racial stereotypes and the depiction of blackface tied to 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 caused short-term problems, but “Denno Senshi Porygon” caused a single Pokémon to disappear from anime for nearly three decades. His only real presence since then has been a few scattered cameos, none of which change the fact that Porygon never returned in any meaningful way. For an episode focused on something it didn't even cause, this result remains one of the most unusual storylines in history Pokemon 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 Na Egami, Makoto Keni, Heoki Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
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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)
