10 Times Pokémon Was Almost A Horror Series
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Pokémon is intended to be a kid-friendly & lighthearted show, but sometimes it felt more like a horror series.
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Although the Pokémon series is generally aimed at a younger audience, it’s important to remember that many people who watch and play either the anime or RPG series respectfully have been following the series are much older than the target demographic. With this in mind, it appears that those behind the anime aren’t afraid to delve into more adult situations from time to time.
Season one of the anime was famously much different from anything that came after it, as the writers weren’t afraid to put Ash, Brock, and Misty into situations that very few children’s cartoons would dare to try and makes it stand out as a result. Season one wasn’t the only period where things were darker, however, as many episodes taking place later would also border on the horror genre.
10 Episode One Where Ash & Pikachu Were Almost Killed By Spearow
Even though Ash and Pikachu made it out alive, it’s easy to forget that, in the very first episode, the pair was nearly killed by a flock of angry Spearow. With Pikachu already nearly Pecked to death and Ash trying his best to outrun a thunderstorm, the climax shows Pikachu leap to his trainer’s defense, getting struck by lightning in the process, before power-leveling and defeating the entire flock singlehandedly. Had Pikachu not been an Electric-type, this episode would have turned out very differently and Ash may have actually lost his starter on day one.
9 The S.S. Anne Was Lost At Sea & Sank To The Bottom Of The Ocean
One of the longer story arcs in the original season involved the S.S. Anne being lost at sea while Ash, Brock, Misty, and Team Rocket were all still on board. This would have been bad enough on its own, but then the ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean and the group barely make it out alive, with each group escaping using their respective Water-type Pokémon.
Even once the group had escaped the wreckage, the problems didn’t stop, as James’ Magikarp evolved into Gyarados and began to rampage alongside several other wild Gyarados, threatening to drown the group with Dragon Rage and sending them all to the Island of Giant Pokémon.
8 That Time Ash Died And Haunted Brock & Misty
Following his humiliating defeat at the hands of Sabrina, Ash decides that he needs to add a Ghost-type Pokémon to his team and heads back to Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower to find one. While exploring, a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar all try to play with Ash and his companions, but in the process, both Ash and Pikachu are “knocked out” by a falling chandelier and proceed to haunt their friends alongside the Ghost-type Pokémon. While they do eventually return to their bodies and befriend the Haunter that would later be trained by Sabrina herself, it’s easy to forget that the only reason Ash and Pikachu weren’t dead for this episode is because of plot convenience.
7 Sabrina’s Creepy Pokemon Battles Using Kadabra
Ash and Pikachu having an out of body experience may have been something of a lighthearted horror episode, but the episodes surrounding Sabrina and her powers were much darker. Aside from turning Brock and Misty into dolls and shrinking down the entire group to “play with them” inside a dollhouse, Sabrina’s Kadabra employed some ruthless tactics while battling Pikachu in their first match, mercilessly slamming him around the battlefield and forcing Ash to intervene and stop the match. Sabrina’s Kadabra wasn’t the only Pokémon to do this, as another gym leader’s Pokémon would act in a similar way in Kalos.
6 Korrina’s Lucario Going Wild
Korrina and Lucario would eventually have a healthy enough relationship that they would be able to Mega Evolve without issue, but the first time they attempted the transformation, things went south very fast. Wanting to test Lucario’s strength, Korrina and Ash battle, but Lucario quickly loses control and begins to beat Pikachu so badly he would have died if the fight continued. Even after Ash intervened, Lucario wasn’t going to stop attacking and was only stopped by the timely intervention of Korrina’s grandfather.
5 Korrina’s Lucario Going Wild Again
Even after Korrina and Ash’s first battle, Korrina’s Lucario would keep losing control whenever it Mega Evolved over the course of several episodes. Luckily, the rest of Lucario’s opponents were also able to Mega Evolve and were able to keep its aggression in check, but it’s hard to forget the bloodlust in its eyes whenever it lost control in battle.
Considering Mega Lucario wasn’t the first Mega Evolved Pokémon to go wild, with Sycamore’s Garchomp going on a terrifying rampage through Lumiose City in the first few episodes of the Kalos season, it’s both impressive and scary to see an otherwise peaceful fighter nearly kill another trainer’s Pokémon in battle.
4 The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak
One of the many haunting episodes in the series, The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak stands out as it is not just a Ghost-type Pokémon that is responsible, but the actual ghost of a woman who died while waiting for her husband to return. This is the episode where Gastly famously creates amalgamation Pokémon using its psychic powers, as well as kidnapping James and Brock to act as the maiden’s stand-in husband.
3 The Safari Zone Warden Held Ash & His Friends At Gunpoint
This is one of a handful of episodes that were never dubbed for an English audience, as the subject matter was too controversial at the time for both 4Kids to handle appropriately and was definitely not going to pass a rating board. The episode in question, The Legend of Dratini, sees Ash and his companions explore the Safari Zone, where Ash catches his herd of Tauros that later appears without explanation for those who watched the English dub. The main aspect of this episode that was so controversial, however, was the gun-loving warden, Kaiser, who had no issue in holding Ash, Brock, and Misty at gunpoint to get his point across repeatedly. Needless to say, this could have ended up very badly for the trio had Kaiser followed through with his threat.
2 Deoxys Battle In Generations
There are a few episodes in Generations that border on horror, such as Archie’s apparent death at the hands of a rampaging Primal Kyogre, but the episode that is easily more terrifying is the climactic battle between the player character, their Rayquaza, and the Deoxys hiding inside a meteor. Unlike other Pokémon battles, this one in particular looks like it would be more at home in Neon Genesis Evangelion, as Deoxys’ body warps and distorts not unlike the Angels do when battling the EVAs and acts just as alien as it’s origins suggest it should.
1 Chairman Rose Ordering His Pokemon To Crush Riolu
One of the most recent episodes, which also saw both Ash’s Riolu and Go’s Raboot evolve in one of the most intense climaxes of the series, Ash battled Chairman Rose to prevent the Darkest Day from happening once again and keeping Eternatus from destroying the world. After falling to Copperaja and Ferrothorn, Riolu steps in to take the attack from both Pokémon, while Rose commands his partners to “crush it.” Aside from the creepy look on Rose’s face, this is one of the only times since the first season where a Pokémon has been threatened to be killed in battle, and had Riolu not taken the opportunity to evolve at that moment, Ash may have lost a Pokémon for good.
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