There’s a Forgotten, Darker Version of Pokémon That’s Absolutely Nothing Like the Games or TV Show

Pokémon quickly became one of the biggest franchises in pop culture history when it made its debut in 1997, encompassing a wide range of media. Some fans were introduced to Pokémon via its long-running anime series. Others have played the various games, from the classic consoles to Pokémon Go. But if Pokémon fans want a truly unique story set in this universe, they need to check out the Pokémon Adventures manga. What makes Pokémon Adventures stand out from other Pokémon media is the darker approach it takes to its story. Humans and Pokémon alike deal with death, lingering trauma, and other themes that feel way too dark for a Pokémon story. It’s also gained a steady fanbase, which includes Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri. “This is the comic that most resembles the world I was trying to convey,” he said when Pokémon Adventures was first being translated into English.

‘Pokemon Adventures’ Takes One of the Games’ Best Concepts and Puts a Unique Spin on It

The majority of Pokémon anime follow a tried and true formula: Ash Ketchum, a 10-year-old from Pallet Town, embarks on a journey to become a Pokémon Master. Along the way, he collects Pokémon from the different regions and enters multiple battles, usually against the criminal organization Team Rocket, who want to steal his Pikachu. Pokémon Adventures, on the other hand, takes a page from the video games and features different protagonists based on the region it’s exploring​​​​​. First, there’s Red, the Kanto region’s champion. Gold is the focus of the Johto arc, while the Hoenn arc puts the focus on trainers Ruby and Sapphire. Each of these chapters usually features a different team of Pokémon and a different villain from the various criminal organizations that populate the Pokémon world, but they also battle Pokémon with immense power. The legendary birds Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos wind up fusing into an unholy creature during the “Red, Green & Blue” story arc; that’s something that never would have happened in any other Pokémon media.

Pokémon Adventures would also feature team-ups between its characters, while also connecting separate story arcs in the process. The events of the “Red” story arc lead right into “Yellow”, as protagonist Yellow has to save Red after he’s kidnapped by a mysterious force. But the character who best embodies the crossover approach is Green, a trainer who appears in the majority of Pokémon Adventures‘ story arcs. She accompanies Red and Blue during the Red, Blue & Green story arc, then reappears in the Yellow arc. Later, she plays a supporting role in other story arcs, where her connection to fellow Pokémon trainer Silver is revealed alongside her mysterious past. Other anime series, including Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, have managed to tell crossover stories with their different installments, but Pokémon Adventures is the closest the Pokémon franchise has ever gotten to doing a crossover between the Pokémon games.

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Fan Favorite Pokémon Characters Take a Darker Tone in ‘Pokémon Adventures’

The unique angle that Pokémon Adventures brings to the table is how it portrays the gym leaders. Throughout the Pokémon games, players face a variety of trainers at gyms, with each gym possessing a skilled Pokémon trainer known as a leader. But while the games portray gym leaders as boss battles, Pokémon Adventures makes them straight-up villains. The best example is in the Red, Green & Blue story arc, which has gym leaders Koga, Lt. Surge, and Sabrina as members of Team Rocket. It makes them far more sinister than they are in the games.

Lt. Surge’s drill instructor performance takes on a horrifying ‘survival of the fittest’ angle, as he’s willing to outright kill Red and his Pokémon. Sabrina is even more terrifying, as she uses her psychic powers to torment Red during their battle. It’s a far cry from the emotionally tortured young woman who appeared in the Pokémon anime. But if the gym leaders being evil was surprising, that shock would be topped by the appearance of the Elite Four. In the games, the Elite Four serve as the final boss battle ― beating them means you’ve proven yourself as a Pokémon Master. Pokémon Adventures’ Yellow arc portrays them as a rogue group who wants to make a peaceful world for Pokémon… by killing all the humans who inhabit it. It’s a rather dark goal, but it also addresses a criticism that some fans have brought up over the years concerning Pokémon battles and how it’s essentially a heightened form of animal abuse.

‘Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu’ Is the Only Pokémon Manga To Adapt the Anime

While Pokémon Adventures would adapt most of the video games’ story, another manga would deliver its take on the anime series. Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu served as a loose adaptation of the anime series, with writer/artist Toshihiro Ono even utilizing scripts from the anime to plan his story. Toshiro would also make some major changes to the Pokémon story fans knew and loved; while Misty ends up accompanying Ash on his journey, Brock elects to stay at his gym after Ash beats him. Team Rocket even gets its subplot, with Jessie and James getting married! Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu was actually the first Pokémon manga to be translated into English. Even though it was overshadowed by Pokémon Adventures, it’s still proof that the world of Pokémon could handle darker themes, not to mention a shakeup in its storytelling style.

Pokémon

Release Date

1997 – 2023

Network

TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC

Directors

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 Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano

Writers

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

Franchise(s)

Pokemon

• 

  Rica Matsumoto

  Satoshi (voice)

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  Ikue Otani

  Pikachu (voice)