Game Freak, the developer of Pokémon games, has suffered a huge data leak; among the trove of data were unused stories, worldbuilding and scrapped designs which paint the Pokémon world in a sinister light.
What Was Revealed In The Game Freak Leaks?
The leaks included employees’ personal details, source code for complete builds of games, and a massive trove of information on the Pokémon world and its inhabitants—in a statement, Game Freak said the leak was a result of “unauthorized access to our servers by a third party.”
What attracted the most attention, however, were the unexpectedly adult stories, concepts and themes within the unused Pokémon lore that Game Freak employees had created during the conceptual stages of design and writing.
Much of it reflected traditional folktales and mythology of the real world; there’s even a detailed creation myth, featuring a clash between gods.
Pokémon Fans Freak Out About Typhlosion, Octillery and Slakoth
Fans, however, found many of these Pokémon folktales disturbing, as some of the entries describe cruelty, sex and sadism—fans of this child-friendly franchise were not prepared to read stories of people and Pokémon viciously attacking each other, not to mention the mutilation and torture.
Stories of Pokémon kidnapping and forcefully impregnating women sparked shock within the community, and many, many memes.
Some commentators misinterpreted these pieces of worldbuilding and Pokémon folklore as “fetish content,” even describing Game Freak employees as “gooners” (perverts).
These stories might seem shocking in the context of the bright and sunny Pokémon world, but they are clearly meant to reflect the tropes of real-world mythology.
Not to mention, none of this stuff is canon—they are just ideas.
Any unedited book of folktales, from any culture, is brimming with sexually-charged, violent encounters between humans and the inhabitants of the “other world”—faeries, spirits, gods, demigods and demons.
Disney famously smoothed out all the rough edges from the folktales that they adapted into classic animations, and the Brothers Grimm did the same, editing local fairytales to conform to the moral standards of the time period.
The Greek gods are famous for their uncontrollable lust, and amusingly petty, vindictive punishments inflicted on those unfortunate enough to insult them. But lesser-known, regional folktales are even stranger, and often involve rape, forced marriage, murder, and unwanted offspring.
Encounters between the supernatural and the human world are supposed to be nightmarish and deeply unsettling, but Pokémon fans didn’t expect to encounter this kind of tone, and Game Freak didn’t intend them to.
The most interesting part of the leaks is how much darkness hides under the surface of this franchise—the artists that sculpt the Pokémon world are clearly engaging in thoughtful worldbuilding, before the edges get sanded down for public consumption.
This can even be seen in unused Pokémon designs, which show monstrous figures that seem more at home in Elden Ring than Pokémon.
However, there’s always been darkness hiding within the Pokémon world, from the very beginning.
The Pokémon World Has Always Been Weird
Some Pokémon games do allow a hint of darkness to leak through, with some containing eerie, tragic descriptions of certain Pokémon, particularly the “ghost” types.
For example, Cubone famously wears the skull of its dead mother, while Mimikyu is so horrifying that its Pokedex entry reads, “Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock.”
A cutesy, balloon-like Pokémon known as Drifloon drags children away to the afterlife, and “dislikes heavy children.” The psychic Pokémon Hypno is known to hypnotize people and “eat their dreams,” and occasionally abduct children.
Creepy ghost Pokémon aside, there’s also the uncanny, human-like creatures like Mr. Mime and Jynx; the Pokémon world is always unsettling, even when it’s cute.
It’s a bright, happy place where people watch their pets maul each other—imagine a dog-fighting ring in Animal Crossing, and that’s the entire Pokémon world.
Well, sort of. Pokemon are often mistaken for mere animals, but the creatures were originally inspired by the “kami,” the myriad deities of the Shinto religion; folklore has always been the backbone of this franchise.
It’s no wonder that Game Freak creatives allow their minds to go to dark places—Pokémon is a weird world, where human beings regularly interact with the divine.
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