![\"English](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/censored-pokemon-cards-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nPerhaps you\u2019ve heard of the infamous \u201cPokemon Shock\u201d\u2014when Pikachu used an electric shock attack on a missile in episode 38 of the anime\u2026 and simultaneously gave 685 children epileptic seizures.<\/p>\n
From banned episodes (James\u2019 infamous bikini contest), to religious accusations of Satanism (the \u201cPokemon Rap\u201d backwards), Pokemon is no stranger to controversy.<\/p>\n
Among die-hard collectors, however, no aspect of Pokemon lore has been censored so much as its trading cards. Prepare your Counter Shield before reading any further, because what you find below may be as shocking as Pikachu\u2019s trademark Thunderbolts! Here are the top eight banned Pokemon cards:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before beginning your collect, it is always best to compare the differences between the two. Aside from obvious censoring differences, English cards have had many deviations from their Japanese counterparts\u2014deviations that have led many fans to claim that the original Japanese cards are superior.<\/p>\n One of the primary differences are the cards\u2019 borders. Japanese cards feature sleek, silver (sometimes holographic) frames; whereas English cards beam with banana-yellow borders. However, it\u2019s more than mere color and image variations that distinguish Japanese and English cards. With one touch, more differences become clear\u2014Japanese cards feel smooth and glossy to the fingertips, and light-weight when held in the palm of the hand; American cards, by contrast, feel more \u201cpapery\u201d to the touch and relatively \u201ccheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n Specific types of cards hold unique differences. For example, Full Art cards feature raised textures in their English variations, but their borders are flimsy and easily torn. However, Japanese Full Art cards feature distinct holographic aspects (sunrays, for examples), as well as a more \u201cmetallic,\u201d sturdy furnish.<\/p>\n Lastly, first edition Japanese cards feature a \u201cfirst edition\u201d mark on their bottom left-hand corners, which makes them more appealing to collectors. While English cards maintained this feature for a brief time, this is no longer the case.<\/p>\n In a franchise like Pokemon, where \u201cbanned\u201d episodes and censored memorabilia thrive, fans and collectors are given all the more reason to search out these rare, controversial pieces of Pokemon\u2019s electric history. Pokemon cards offer the best in would-be banned material that none-the-less deserves a place in any collector\u2019s deck of trading cards. From deformed cows to obscenely-gesturing gym masters, you\u2019ve \u201cgotta check \u2018em all!\u201d<\/p>\n The notorious \u201cNaked Misty\u201d card features the iconic heroine shedding bitter tears for her wounded Staryu. Upon its localization, however, fans shed tears of their own when the much-coveted card received a kiddie-friendly makeover, due to differing cultural interpretations of nudity. While Japanese consumers viewed the card as a symbol of innocence and purity, overseas distributors pondered the parental backfire of putting an uncensored \u201cMisty\u2019s Tears\u201d into the hands of prepubescent Pokemasters. The compromising result? A na\u00efve Squirtle pawing away a tear from Misty\u2019s eye\u2014a much more literal portrayal of the card\u2019s name, perhaps, but one that has continued to disappoint hardcore fans to no end.<\/p>\n In a delicious (no pun intended) turn of events, the original Moo-Moo Milk card was eventually censored both overseas and within Japan itself. Before secondary releases could do away with its trauma-inducing imagery, however, the original Moo-Moo Milk card made Pokemon fans around the world cringe.<\/p>\n Why has this cow been reduced to a headless, legless, tailless stump? Why has this trainer collected this deformed cow for the purpose of feeding his Pokemon? These disturbing questions, coupled with the imagery of the Sentret taking its nourishment directly from the source, transforms the Moo-Moo Milk card into an \u201cutter<\/i>-ly\u201d unsettling barrage of nightmare fuel.<\/p>\n Pokemon is no stranger to firearm censoring, as seen when the anime\u2019s 35th<\/sup> episode (\u201cThe Legend of Dratini\u201d) was banned from the English lineup altogether, due to multiple scenes where Ash and his friends had revolvers shoved in their faces. In the case of Magmortar, it\u2019s likely that his Dragons Exalted card received censoring due to the smoking barrel of his flamethrower, which American audiences found all too reminiscent of a gun.<\/p>\n At a single glance, Koga\u2019s Ninja Trick appears to advocate Nazi propaganda\u2014no doubt a valid concern of English localizers who saw an inverse Swastika in the yellow smoke alongside Ditto. In reality, this Buddhist symbol, the omote manji<\/i>\u2014an oft-censored icon that has appeared in several Japanese franchises, from Naruto<\/i> to Bleach\u2014<\/i>is a symbol indicating the importance of balance and harmony. Given the cultural origin of Pokemon, this symbol suits its themes, but even Japan recognized the negative connotations of the symbol\u2019s mistaken identity, and eventually censored it for the card\u2019s re-release.<\/p>\n What’s Grimer doing in that manhole? More importantly, is he sneaking a peak up a girl’s skirt? Or does the girl just happen to be within Grimer’s ill-timed line of sight?<\/p>\n These are the questions that localization was unable to answer, and thus (to avoid controversy) redrew Grimer’s eyes to give him a more neutral, less suggestive, expression. The artist behind this would-be “peeping glob,” Kagemaru Himeno, vehemently denied that the wandering gaze was intentional. Whatever the real reason for the ill-placed glance, the Grimer card sent collectors racing to online auction sites to import the uncensored, original version of the card for their personal trading decks.<\/p>\n Perhaps the card\u2019s real title should have been “Sabrina’s Bird,” as English audiences must have inaccurately interpreted it. Despite clearly holding a Master Ball in her hand, Sabrina incited localization dread that her inward-facing hand and prominent middle finger could give rise to a very different meaning. In order to avoid inevitable controversy from parents, “Sabrina’s Gaze” was given a side-long makeover to feature the red-eyed gym leader hurling a Pokeball at the viewer.<\/p>\n Pokemon\u2019s recurring \u201cgambling\u201d features have long been the target of censoring, so much so that the infamous Game Corners have either been removed or significantly altered in the most recently released Pokemon titles. All Pokemon cards dealing with the series\u2019 notorious gambling are cropped to remove some of the more obvious, casino-esque giveaways (grounded seats, words like \u201cslot\u201d and \u201ccard,\u201d and the telling rows of gambling machines). These censored cards may resemble arcade games to younger players, but the cards\u2019 more mature implications aren\u2019t likely to fly so easily over the heads of older collectors.<\/p>\n No single Pokemon has been as oft-debated and censored as Jynx–a humanoid, ice\/psychic Pokemon, whom critics and concerned consumers alike have accused of racism; namely, of depicting “blackface.” Given her resemblance to certain 1900’s cartoons caricatures with that exact intent in mind, it’s easy to understand why Jynx would be at the heart of such controversy. Answering the cries of outrage, The Pokemon Company ensured that all anime episodes depicting Jynx were formally banned from American television, and all cards depicting Jynx were recolored to give her a stark, purple tint. Since the controversy fifteen years ago, Jynx has always appeared in her censored, purple-colored form in all forms of media, both inside and outside Japan.<\/p>\n In a franchise like Pokemon, where \u201cbanned\u201d episodes and censored memorabilia thrive, fans and collectors are given all the more reason to search out these rare, controversial pieces of Pokemon\u2019s electric history. Pokemon cards offer the best in would-be banned material that none-the-less deserves a place in any collector\u2019s deck of trading cards. From deformed cows to obscenely-gesturing gym masters, you\u2019ve \u201cgotta check \u2018em all!\u201d<\/p>\n Read our Article on The Rarest and Most Expensive Pokemon Cards<\/a>.What Should you Collect? English or Japanese Pokemon Cards?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Misty\u2019s Tears (Gym Challenge)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Mistys-Tears-censored-300x211.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMoo-Moo Milk (Neo Genesis)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/moo-moo-milk-card-300x209.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMagmortar (Dragons Exalted)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/magmorter-card-300x208.jpg\")
<\/p>\nKoga\u2019s Ninja Trick (Gym Challenge)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Kogas-ninja-trick-300x207.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGrimer (Team Rocket)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/grimer-pokemon-hd-wallpaper-9-300x211.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSabrina’s Gaze (Gym Heroes)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/sabrinas-gaze-card-300x213.jpg\")
<\/p>\nArcade Game & Card-Flip Game (Neo Genesis)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Arcade-Game-Pokemon-Censored-card-1-300x207.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJynx (Base Set)<\/h2>\n
![\"Pokemon](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Jynx-card-censored-300x208.jpg\")
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![\"POKEMON](\"https:\/\/blog.fromjapan.co.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/bn.jpg\")
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