"Dennō Senshi Porygon" (Japanese: でんのうせんしポリゴン, Hepburn: Dennō Senshi Porigon, translated as "Computer Warrior Porygon", although more commonly "Electric Soldier Porygon") is the 38th episode of the Pokémon anime's first season. Its sole broadcast was in Japan on December 16, 1997. In the episode, Ash and his friends find at the local Pokémon Center that there is something wrong with the Poké Ball transmitting device. To find out what is wrong, they must go inside the machine.

Effect on the Pokémon anime

The episode "Dennō Senshi Porygon" was permanently pulled from circulation and the Pokémon anime went into a four-month hiatus. Its time slot was taken over by Class King Yamazaki [ja] (学級王ヤマザキ).[citation needed]

The episode "Rougela's Christmas" ("Holiday Hi-Jynx"), which would have aired the following week, December 23, 1997, was pulled following the incident, and would not air until October 5, 1998. Airing out of order caused confusion to viewers because Ash still had a Charmander instead of Charizard, and Misty did not have Togepi yet, but Starmie and Horsea. Also, a New Year special that would have aired on December 30, 1997, was pulled and never resurfaced.[citation needed]

All 37 episodes of Pokémon: Indigo League were rerun on Kids Station in Tokyo leading up to the show's return on April 16, 1998, with airing of "Forest of Pikachu" ("Pikachu's Goodbye") and "The Four Eevee Brothers" ("The Battling Eevee Brothers").[15][16] After the hiatus, the time slot changed from Tuesday to Thursday.[3] Several episodes (including the opening, credits, and "Dare da?" segments) were heavily edited to reduce flashing lights (with special emphasis on lightning that consumes the screen).[citation needed]

Before broadcasting resumed, the special program "Problem Inspection Report on the Pocket Monsters Anime" (アニメ ポケットモンスター問題検証報告, Anime Poketto Monsutā Mondai Kenshō Hōkoku) was shown. Broadcast in Japan on April 16, 1998, host Miyuki Yadama went over the circumstances of the program format and the on-screen advisories at the beginning of animated programs, as well as showing letters and fan drawings sent in by viewers, most of whom were concerned that the incident would lead to the anime being cancelled.[3]

In early January 1998, 4Kids Entertainment announced that they intended to air Pokémon in the U.S., albeit ensuring that the flashing effects were removed.[9] Electronic Gaming Monthly suggested that without the publicity around the seizures, Pokémon may have never been localized to the U.S.[9] Pokémon successfully premiered in the U.S. (without this episode) in September 1998, with more children's anime airing on broadcast and cable networks in the U.S. immediately afterwards.[citation needed]

The anime has not featured Porygon or its evolutions, Porygon-2 and Porygon-Z, in any subsequent episodes outside of brief cameos, despite Pikachu being the one to cause the seizure-inducing strobe effect.[17]
The "Pokémon Shock" incident has been parodied many times in popular culture, including a 1999 episode of The Simpsons, "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo". In the episode, Bart watches an anime entitled Battling Seizure Robots featuring robots with flashing eye lasers, and asks: "Isn't this that cartoon that causes seizures?" The flashing eyes cause him, Marge, Lisa, and Homer to have seizures. The same scene is seen again in the episode's end credits, this time covering the entire screen.[16]

The incident was included in the 2004 edition and the 2008 Gamer's Edition of the Guinness World Records book, holding the record for "Most Photosensitive Epileptic Seizures Caused by a Television Show".[21][22]

An episode of South Park, "Chinpokomon", revolves around a Pokémon-like phenomenon, called Chinpokomon. Chinpokomon toys and video games are sold to children in South Park by a Japanese company. The company's president, Mr. Hirohito, uses the toys to brainwash the American children, making them into his own army to topple the "evil" American "empire". These toys included a video game in which the player attempts to bomb Pearl Harbor. While playing this game, Kenny has an epileptic seizure and later dies.[16]

In So Yesterday, a novel by Scott Westerfeld, this episode is mentioned and shown to one of the characters. The flashing red light that caused the seizure is also used in the storytelling elements.[23]

On September 19, 2020, the official Pokémon Twitter account referenced the episode, saying "Porygon did nothing wrong,"[24] in reference to the resulting explosion from Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack being the in-universe cause of the flashing lights, not Porygon.[25] The tweet was deleted shortly thereafter, speculated to be because of the taboo subject matter.[26]

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