Pokémon, amedia franchise developed byGame Freak and published byNintendo, has received a notable amount of fan-madepornography (also known aspoképorn andpoképhilia). ThePokémon games feature Pokémon trainers and creatures known as Pokémon; both are subject to pornography. The content can be usually found inimageboards such ase621,Rule 34, andPornhub. In 1999, in what was named thePokémondoujinshi incident, a Japanese artist was arrested for producing eroticdoujinshi of the Pokémon characters, inciting media furor. In the late 2010s,Pokémon-themed live-action porn parodies received media attention and, after the release ofPokémon Go in 2016, searches for pornography of the franchise increased significantly. Pokémon species such asLucario,Lopunny,Eevee's evolutions,meowscarada, andGardevoir are Pokémon particularly known for beingsexualized.
Developed byGame Freak and published byNintendo, thePokémon franchise began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video gamesPokémon Red andBlue for theGame 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, onimageboards like Gelbooru ore621, or animated, live-action and 3D videos, on websites likePornhub.[3] EroticAdobe Flash games related toPokémon also exist.[5] Collections ofPokémon pornography can be found on websites likeDeviantArt,Twitter,Pixiv, andNewgrounds, and could be found onTumblr before its nudity ban.[3] There are alsoReddit communities dedicated to sharingPokémon pornography, the main subreddit being r/PokePorn.[3]Lolicon andshotacon content related toPokémon also exists, though it is banned on many websites.[3] EroticPokémon-relatedfan fictions also exist.[4] Artists may usePatreon to monetize their work and share exclusive content.[3]
In 1999, in what was named thePokémondoujinshi incident, an artist was arrested on suspicion of violatingJapan's copyright laws[6][7] for creating amanga featuring erotic acts betweenPikachu andAsh Ketchum, the main characters of thePokémon anime.[8] According to copyright holderNintendo, the manga was "destructive of thePokémon image".[9] The incident incited media furor as well as an academic analysis in Japan on the copyright issues arounddoujinshi.[10] In the late 2010s, live-action porn parodies received media attention,[11][12] such as the 2015 parodyStrokémon,[13][14] the 2016Pokémon Go parody byBrazzers,Pornstar Go XXX Parody,[15] and the VR porn parody ofPokémon Go,Poke a Ho: Misty.[16][17]Chuck Tingle, an author of gay erotica, released a book calledPokebutt Go: Pounded By 'Em All.[18]
After the release ofPokémon Go on July 6, 2016, Pornhub reported on the 11th that searches forPokémon 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 thatLatin America countries were far more likely to search forPokémon porn.[21] Porn websitexHamster reported the same day that the most searched terms since the release ofPokémon 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 threePokémon-related searches wereGardevoir,Eevee, andLopunny, with top humans being trainersMisty andSerena, as well asTeam Rocket'sJessie.[3] According toVice, the dominance of Gardevoir and Lopunny is reflected on other websites, withLucario not far behind.[3] In June 2023, data compiled onRule 34 websites Rule34.xxx and Sankaku Channel showed thatPokémon 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]
^abPassmore, 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.
^"〔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.
^"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.
^"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.
