Pokémon and pornography

Pokémon, a media franchise developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, has received a notable amount of fan-made pornography (also known as poképorn). The Pokémon games feature Pokémon trainers and creatures known as Pokémon; both are subject to pornography. The content can be usually found in imageboards and Pornhub. In 1999, in what was named the Pokémon doujinshi incident, a Japanese artist was arrested for producing erotic doujinshi of the Pokémon characters, inciting media furor. In the late 2010s, Pokémon-themed live-action porn parodies received media attention and, after the release of Pokémon Go in 2016, searches for pornography of the franchise increased significantly. Pokemon species such as Lucario, Lopunny, Eevee, and Gardevoir are Pokémon particularly known for being sexualized.

Context

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Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon franchise began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy.[1] In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train Pokémon.[2]

Pokémon pornography, also shortened as "poképorn",[3] can involve either the Pokémon trainers or the Pokémon themselves,[3] and can present interspecies acts between both.[3][4] The Pokémon can either show human characteristics, known as "anthro", or show more animalistic features, known as "feral".[3] The content can be in the form of drawings, on imageboards like Gelbooru or e621, or animated, live-action and 3D videos, on websites like Pornhub.[3] Erotic Adobe Flash games related to Pokémon also exist.[5] Collections of Pokémon pornography can be found on websites like DeviantArt, Twitter, Pixiv and Newgrounds, and could be found on Tumblr before its nudity ban.[3] There are also Reddit communities dedicated to sharing Pokémon pornography, the main subreddit being r/PokePorn.[3] Lolicon and shotacon content related to Pokémon also exists, though it is banned on many websites.[3] Erotic Pokémon-related fan fictions also exist.[4] Artists may use Patreon to monetize their work and share exclusive content.[3]

History and popularity

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In 1999, in what was named the Pokémon doujinshi incident, an artist was arrested on suspicion of violating Japan's copyright laws[6][7] for creating a manga featuring erotic acts between Pikachu and Ash Ketchum, the main characters of the Pokémon anime.[8] According to copyright holder Nintendo, the manga was "destructive of the Pokémon image".[9] The incident incited media furor as well as an academic analysis in Japan on the copyright issues around doujinshi.[10] In the late 2010s, live-action porn parodies received media attention,[11][12] such as the 2015 parody Strokémon,[13][14] the 2016 Pokémon Go parody by Brazzers, Pornstar Go XXX Parody,[15] and the VR porn parody of Pokémon Go, Poke a Ho: Misty.[16][17] Chuck Tingle, an author of gay erotica, released a book called Pokebutt Go: Pounded By 'Em All.[18]

After the release of Pokémon Go on July 6, 2016, Pornhub reported on the 11th that searches for Pokémon porn had increased to 136 %, with men being 62% more likely to search for the term and it being 336 % more popular among 18–24 year olds.[19][20] The data showed that Latin America countries were far more likely to search for Pokémon porn.[21] Porn website xHamster reported the same day that the most searched terms since the release of Pokémon Go were "Pokemon", "Pikachu", "Hentai", and "Anime".[22][23] YouPorn said that "Pokemon" became a more popular search term than "porn" on their website.[24]

In December 2018, Pornhub Communications Director Chris Jackson said that the top three Pokémon-related searches were Gardevoir, Eevee, and Lopunny, with top humans being trainers Misty and Serena, as well as Team Rocket's Jessie.[3] According to Vice, the dominance of Gardevoir and Lopunny is reflected on other websites, with Lucario not far behind.[3] In June 2023, data compiled on Rule 34 websites Rule34.xxx and Sankaku Channel showed that Pokémon was the most pornified media franchise, with a large lead after the others.[25] It also showed that the Pokémon themselves were preferred over the trainers, with the top choice being Lucario, followed by Gardevoir.[25] Fan made erotica often depicts Gardevoir with human sexual aspects, such as breasts and/or fetish attire.[5][26][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A look back at the 20-year journey to catch 'em all". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Allison, Anne (May 2006). Millennial monsters: Japanese toys and the global imagination. University of California Press. pp. 192–197. ISBN 9780520938991.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Greenhill, Richard (December 19, 2018). "Pokémon porn exists if you gotta smash 'em all". Vice. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Sterling, James Stephanie (July 3, 2008). "Eight terrible things that Pokemon wrought". Destructoid. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Passmore, Cale; Harrer, Sabine; Spiel, Katta (2020). "Between pleasure and power: Game design patterns in clickbait ludoporn". DiGRA 2020: The 13th Digital Games Research Association Conference: Play Everywhere.
  6. ^ "〔特集〕著作権の文化経済学 著作権延長は日本の衰退招く インタビュー 赤松健・漫画家 "黙認"が日本の漫画を発展させた…". エコノミスト [ja] (in Japanese). 91 (54). 毎日新聞出版: 97. December 10, 2013.
  7. ^ "ピカチュウ、Ｈな変身ダメ 著作権違反容疑で逮捕". 朝日新聞 (in Japanese) (朝刊 ed.). January 14, 1999. p. 3.
  8. ^ "無断でポケモン使用 漫画販売で女を逮捕". 産経新聞 (in Japanese) (東京朝刊 ed.). January 14, 1999. p. 4.
  9. ^ He, Tianxiang (February 2, 2014). "What can we learn from Japanese anime industries? The differences between the domestic and oversea copyright protection strategies towards fan activities". American Journal of Comparative Law. 62 (4). Rochester, NY: 6. doi:10.5131/AJCL.2014.0029. S2CID 55314233. SSRN 1998071. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  10. ^ John Ingulsrud and Kate Allen. Reading Japan Cool: Patterns of Manga Literacy and Discourse., Lexington Books, p. 49.
  11. ^ Sollee, Kristen (August 22, 2016). "3 Pokémon porn parodies to catch". Bustle. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  12. ^ Hod, Itay (August 17, 2016). "Your guide to all the Pokémon Go porn out there (photos)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via Yahoo! Entertainment.
  13. ^ Bergado, Gabe (June 19, 2015). "'Strokémon' is the Pokémon porn parody made from your childhood nightmares". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Oliveira, Marcus (June 19, 2015). "Não assista a essa paródia pornô de Pokémon" [Do not watch this Pokémon porn parody]. IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  15. ^ Balsam, Joel (August 4, 2016). "Brazzers makes Pokémon Go porn parody". AskMen. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Johnson, Luke (August 18, 2016). "Ewwww! Pokémon Go VR porn is now a thing and it's here to taint your childhood memories". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Stark, Chelsea (August 12, 2016). "Pokémon Go is so big that it has its own VR porn parody now". Mashable. Archived from the original on September 10, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Plunkett, Luke (July 12, 2016). "And now, some Pokémon Go erotica [NSFW]". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Peyser, Eve (July 13, 2016). "Pokémon Go more popular than porn". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Koerber, Brian (July 12, 2016). "Pokémon Pornhub searches increased 136 percent since Pokémon Go launched". Mashable. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via Yahoo! News.
  21. ^ O'Hara, Mary Emily (July 13, 2016). "Why are Latin American countries so into Pokémon Go porn?". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  22. ^ Encalada, Debbie (July 11, 2016). "Pokémon porn searches are popping off because Pokémon Go". Complex. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  23. ^ Bergado, Gabe (July 12, 2016). "Pokémon Go has inspired people to get really into anime porn". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  24. ^ Mack, Eric (July 12, 2016). "Pokémon goes right to the top of searches on porn sites". CNET. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c V, Amber (July 7, 2023). "Japanese users rattled by results of 'The top 100 most "pornified" media franchises' ranking". Automaton West. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  26. ^ Shephard, Kenneth (July 5, 2023). "New official Pokémon forums are a disaster you can't look away from". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
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