| Jynx | |
|---|---|
| Pokémon character | |
_art.png) Jynx artwork byKen Sugimori | |
| First game | Pokémon Red andBlue (1996) |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori (finalized)[1] |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Pokémon |
| Gender | Female-only |
| Type | Ice and Psychic |
Jynx (/ˈdʒɪŋks/ ⓘ), known in Japan asRougela (Japanese:ルージュラ,Hepburn:Rūjura), is aPokémon species inNintendo andGame Freak'sPokémon franchise. Jynx first appeared in the video gamesPokémon Red andBlue and sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, or animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. While no English voice actors have been attributed for the character, in Japan they have been voiced byMayumi Tanaka,Chie Satō,Kujira andChiyako Shibahara.[not verified in body]
Jynx's design and humanoid appearance has been criticized by media outlets, including cultural criticCarole Boston Weatherford, who described Jynx as representingblackface after seeing the character's depiction in the anime. Due to complaints, Game Freak modified its appearance by changing the original color of its face from black to the current color, purple.
Jynx is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for thePokémon media franchise. Developed byGame Freak and published byNintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video gamesPokémon Red andGreen for theGame Boy, which were released in North America asPokémon Red andBlue in 1998.[2] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.[3] Each Pokémon has one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.[4] A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.[3]
Introduced inRed andBlue, the design started as pixel artsprites by the development team, with a single color identity chosen to work within theSuper Game Boy hardware limitations. While conceived as a group effort by multiple developers at Game Freak,[5] the finalized design and artwork was done byKen Sugimori. Originally tasked with drawing the characters to illustrate a planned strategy guide by Game Freak when the games released, Sugimori drew all the sprites for the game in his style to not only unify their designs visually but also modify any design elements he felt were amiss, while trying to retain the original sprite artists' unique style.[6]
Jynx is known as "Rougela" in Japanese. When translating the game for Western audiences, Nintendo gave the Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features to make them more relatable for American children.[7] As a result, Rougela were renamed "Jynx", a play on the word "jinx".[8] Also known as the "Human Shape" Pokémon, Jynx is a female-only species that resembles the Japanese mythical creatureYuki-onna.[9] Originally portrayed with a black face and dark blue hands, Jynx's design was changed to purple coloration after critiques that it perpetuated racism.[10]Smoochum, a Pokémon introduced inPokémon Gold andSilver, can evolve into Jynx when it receives enoughexperience from battles and reaches level thirty.[11]
Standing 4 ft 7 in (109 cm) tall and classified as an Ice- and Psychic-type Pokémon,[12] Jynx walk in a dance-like fashion, wiggling their hips in a manner described inRed,Blue, andLeafGreen as "seductive".[13] It uses dancing to communicate, with the exact rhythm relying on its emotion at the time. The dance affects people, causing them to themselves dance with no regard to their actions.[14] Jynx speak in a language that only other Jynx can understand, though the sound is described as similar to human speech.[15] This trait is carried on to games where Pokémon speak English such as thePokémon Mystery Dungeon series, with the text appearing as combinations of"X"s, "O"s,punctuation marks, and/or musical notes, instead of legible words.[16] Jynx arepsychic, and can attack by kissing an opponent, and can additionally protect themselves with a psychically-generated barrier.[17][18]
At one point in development of sequel titlesPokémon X andY, Jynx was originally intended to have a stronger temporary evolution. Called Mega Jynx, its appearance would have changed to give it a blue dress with white sparkles, extended hair that would have flowed more freely and dragged on the floor, and black eyes with multiple swirls within.[19] Though Jynx's trademark was renewed in preparation for the form,[20] the concept did not proceed past the concept art phase,[19] and was cut from the final games around a year prior to the release of the games.[20] An unused cry for the form remained in the data of the 2020 cloud storage gamePokémon Home, and was discovered through datamining several years prior to the leak.[20]
Jynx originally appeared inPokémon Red andBlue, then appeared in many subsequent installments in the series, includingPokémon Gold andSilver, which introduced its baby form, Smoochum,[21]Pokémon X andY,[22]Pokémon Ultra Sun andUltra Moon,[23] andPokémon Sword andShield,[24] andPokémon Brilliant Diamond andShining Pearl.[25] Outside of the main series, Jynx appears in a majority ofPokémon spin-off titles, including thePokémon Snap series,[26][27]Pokémon Stadium,[28] thePokémon Mystery Dungeon series,[16] andPokémon Go.[29]
Outside of video games, Jynx first appeared in thePokémon anime in "Holiday Hi-Jynx", where one ofSanta Claus's Jynx was separated from him;Ash and friends helped to return the Jynx to her owner. The episode was not re-aired in the USA because of the controversy over her appearance.[30] Jynx appeared again in the episode "The Ice Cave!",[31] which was not aired in English-speaking countries for the same reason.[32] Jynx later appears inPokémon Orange Islands series, in episodes still present in American rotations. Jynx made an appearance in a contest in "All Things Bright and Beautifly". However, because Jynx had been animated with black skin instead of purple, her thirteen-second appearance was cut from the English dub.[32] Jynx appears in episodes ofPokémon: Advanced Generation, with the purple skin color, but stopped appearing in the anime following this.[32]
Jynx has made a number of appearances in thePokémon Trading Card Game. It first appeared in Base Set having a black-skinned design, and later with the purple-skin after Nintendo regained control of theTrading Card Game.[33] Jynx later appeared in an illustration alongside theVocaloid Meiko forProject Voltage—an official collaboration betweenPokémon andHatsune Miku, a popular Vocaloid software.[34]
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Jynx's original appearance and design have received criticism in various publications. Children's book author and cultural criticCarole Boston Weatherford published an article in theGreensboro News & Record alleging that Jynx's design bore a striking resemblance toblackface actors, an image which isracist against African Americans,[35] and further described the Pokémon as "a dead ringer for an obesedrag queen." She further criticized the Pokémon in the magazineAdvertising Age, comparing it toLittle Black Sambo and suggesting its English name as also a possible derogatory remark towards Black people relating tovoodoo (with its original Japanese name, Rougela, being unrelated).[36][37] TheAdvertising Age report was reprinted in an issue ofBlack People Today. Since then, theJim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia atFerris State University has listed Jynx as an example of racism in modern material.[38] Later, the Jim Crow Museum published a letter by a reader of the aforementioned article, who disagreed with the museum's assertion that Jynx was deliberately racist by design.[39] In response, Game Freak modified Jynx's design in localized versions of the games, a change which would several years later be reflected in the Japanese versions of the games and theanime series.[10] In addition, episodes featuring the older Jynx design were censored or completely removed from televised syndication by The Pokémon Company International.[40] After the anime episode "Three Jynx and a Baby!", Jynx also ceased to physically appear in the anime, although its pre-evolved form, Smoochum, has continued to appear in the anime, even after the aforementioned episode.[32] Likely as a result of this controversy, Jynx has also been altered in various releases ofPokémon games featuring the black design, with the AmericanVirtual Console rerelease ofPokémon Yellow changing its face and hands to purple, and the Virtual Console re-release ofPokémon Snap on theWii andWii U doing the same.[41]
Criticisms still persisted, however.Washington Post writer Mary C. Morton described Jynx as having "explicitly, albeit grossly caricatured, womanly features", and challenged the assertion that the games crossed gender barriers with such.[42] In thepodcast,Retronauts, they emphasized it further, noting the design as "creepy" and that it still maintained the issue of racism.[43]IGN also criticized the design, characterizing Jynx as a "transvestite midget in racially offensive makeup".[44]GameDaily criticized it, citing its offensive stereotypes and the presence of breasts on the design.[45] David Lozada ofGameRevolution cited Jynx as being a particularly strange design due to its human-like appearance, criticizing its blackface-esque appearance.[46] The bookPikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon considered Jynx's appearance in the anime to be a caricature of slavery due to the racial stereotypes present in Jynx's design, stating that "The Rujura (Jynx) are a crude cariacture of dark-skinned, primitive natives... the loyal native helpers use their physical labor and their black magic for the benefit of the white-skinned Santa Claus." It further criticized how the design denigrated African Americans.[47] It has also been considered an example of themammy stereotype.[48]
In the bookGaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific, David Surman defended Jynx's design, suggesting that Sugimori developed it—along withMr. Mime—to draw upon the humor ofheta-uma art (a term meaning bad/nice). The book notes that the designs "oscillate between the poles of good and bad," and as a result offer diversity within the game and invite scrutiny from players.[49] The mystery the design presented also received positive commentary.[46] It has also been argued that the perception of Jynx as racist was ignorant of its origins in Japanese mythology, and that it was harmless overall.[9] In a survey where many were asked about how they felt about the censorship of Jynx, results varied, with some citing the change as unnecessary due to never having associated Jynx with racist imagery, while others wholeheartedly agreed with the censorship, citing the design's similarities to racist propaganda. Overall, it was decided that the censorship of Jynx was appropriate and did not negatively impact players of the series.[50]
Pokédex: It seductively wiggles its hips as it walks. It can cause people to dance in unison with it.
Pokédex: Jynx walks rhythmically, swaying and shaking its hips as if it were dancing. Its motions are so bouncingly alluring, people seeing it are compelled to shake their hips without giving any thought to what they are doing
Pokédex: Its cries sound like human speech. However, it is impossible to tell what it is trying to say.
∞XO@#*~♪♪♪
Jynx swings its hips as if it's dancing while walking. Beware of its kiss attack!
It attacks by launching strange orbs. It protects itself with a psychic barrier.
