Being Black In Pokémon...

[@marescontroller]

The darker non-black characters are darker Asians. Most asians aren't fair skinned and I think they were trying to represent that in the beginning and slowly incorporated other races.

[@Delightfulshallot]

Agreed and I think nessa falls under in that category, she seems more or a darker Indian Polynesian design

[@kribyy7784]

@@Delightfulshallot i disagree

[@Delightfulshallot]

@@kribyy7784 she is more of a dark skinned French Polynesian. The blackest characters in swsd, were the salon maidens. Do some research like I did to have a better understanding to.

[@briasandifer210]

@@Delightfulshallot If her creator didn’t say that then what she is is up to interpretation, deal with it.

[@kribyy7784]

@@Delightfulshallot Dude i have a native Hawaiian mother I think i can distinguish between a black person and a Polynesian 😭

[@itsturniptime3699]

Off topic but fun fact, Clay from Gen 5 isn’t actually a white dude. He’s the trope of a Japanese business man who moved to the USA but didn’t have any context on what the culture or people were like so dressed up as a cowboy. It just so happens that his ancestors are natives to Sinnoh, as his grandfather/great grandfather Lian was a warden in Legends Arceus and has the similar hat which seems to be a family symbol. This is also possibly why Driftveil city feels slightly eastern in music. I just think the fact that he’s lived in Unova for a long enough time to be well known, but still chooses to dress as a cowboy is fun.

[@PickledCucumber216]

When I first saw clay I thought he was supposed to be from a southern state like Texas since he was a cowboy but I heard a lot of people say he was Japanese so I just went with it.

[@Nita-lu6sn]

@@PickledCucumber216 i didnt know that! I assumed be was southern cowboy too. With legends arceus we get so much more lore to the games

[@astranix0198]

Haro, mai neimu izu Cowboy Tanaka

[@rowanheart8122]

I just find it funny that he dresses like a cowboy but is a business man.

[@xxAryAryxx]

He's probably mixed. Lian was definitely his grandfather/great grandfather, but I think it's likely that his grandmother/great grandma was Unovan.

[@thebreeoche]

I ACTUALLY KNOW THE DARK SKIN + PURPLE HAIR THING!! it's usually code for a character being indian or more generally south asian!

[@bananahat3350]

I wasn’t even aware of that trope, but now that I think about it, it does make sense! I always interpreted Iris as some kind of south Asian

[@SR059]

India is dominant indian subcontinent of cultural, history, lore, scientists, athletes and list goes on. Subcontinent means two different land are joined.

[@SR059]

​@@bananahat3350 iris is Native American.

[@SR059]

​@@bananahat3350 Asia mean East land.

[@kirbattaquesmash5055]

​@@SR059but iris doesn't really have purple hair it's more very dark blue

[@MusTam.]

this guy legit said his least favourite gen is gen 5

[@luisenriquerosas2493]

I have never heard anyone say Gen 7 > Gen 5, but like I respect it and his perspective makes me want to experience Gen 7. I have only played Platinum, Heart Gold, Black / Black 2, Sword, and Violet. I understand there are a lot of other mainline games I have should probably check out.

[@mr.pickle6487]

@@luisenriquerosas2493 Gen 7 is pretty good, I still prefer gen 5, first game. While gen 5 focuses mainly on the morality of pokemon, gen 7 to my knowledge focuses on eco conservation and protecting the planet.

[@Soul.Resonant]

@@mr.pickle6487 I played through sun and ultra sun and thats only really the aether foundation, otherwise its kinda just chilling for most of the game and dealing with extraterrestrial horrors

[@goldengear1000]

@@luisenriquerosas2493I like gen 7 more than 5! but only by a little bit and its mostly personal preference

[@Lonewulf321]

Pokémon fans when people have opinions

[@ohlookitsgabby_]

He really said “the girl with the hair” like there’s only one character in the Pokémon universe with notable hair 😭🤚🏼

[@captainmega6310]

Tbf, its sum pretty wild hair

[@danielhernandez2575]

@@captainmega6310 that doesn't narrow it down, I can name like 3 female pkmn characters with wack ass hair

[@callosamiusprometheus7350]

When someone says "the girl with the hair" in pokemon I assume they mean Fantina. How does she even do that?

[@munnymic]

@@callosamiusprometheus7350tres magnifique, isn’t it? 😉 although i think that ‘Dome Ace’ Tucker does it better 😊

[@juliansutton-o8k]

nahhhh bc gen 9 hair did not disappoint

[@lisagonzalez1371]

Hearing you hate black and white had me shook tbh

[@Rex13013]

Same. Gen 5 and 2 are my favorite gens hands down. Black and white 1 and 2 just ooze with style and have the substance as well. I love them to deth

[@chidaluokoro9104]

frfr

[@squirtondisgedo]

I love gen 5 but everybody literally hated black and white til like 2 years ago. And I think he just didn't change his opinion.

[@rei_cultist]

Not me who likes gen 7 and 8 more. I don't think people show them the love they deserve.

[@Vyloka]

@@squirtondisgedo cause everyone revisted it without the "oh no my old pokemon arent in the main campaign? Garbage" mentality

[@MysticDojo]

I agree, I think Iris is supposed to native american, she was taught spirituality by Alder in the adventures manga (which Alder's hair is based off a native american headdress, if that doesnt say something..) and she's more outdoors, lives off the land in tune with nature (she literally swings on a vine when she makes her anime appearance) and the manga also states she hails from the village of dragons (instead of a metropolitan style city) where she was given her starter by a village elder.

[@johnroberts524]

@@Metsu_Nero The dex was talking about the copperajah that were brought to galar not ones that still live in the Indian region, laventon is from galar, He has never been confirmed to be Leon’s/ Hop’s ancestor, and the Pokémon masters screenshot was fake

[@coffeeking9565]

Could be both? Honestly the pokemon world lacks our definitions of race. A unovan, Americans, look exactly like every Japanese based region. So race seems more like a vibe than anything else.

[@aye2zee485]

She's canonically not from unova according to her own words in the memory link event in game.

[@squirtondisgedo]

I honestly love to think iris is black, she could be mixed. But there's no denying she is native American.

[@squirtondisgedo]

Oh and her name is based off of a South african flower, so I think she is both actually.

[@JurassicLion2049]

Nessa is like the biggest new Pokémon character whose popularity extends to outside of Pokémons regular fanbase. Id give her her own game or show if Im completely honest. She’s such a cool character with a great design.

[@thatoneguy978]

I think iris is the most well done black character maybe a little more fleshing out but making the anime female protagonist a gym leader and champion and her design and everything with dragons is great

[@webbrentgaming5187]

Yall are simps

[@moosesues8887]

I forgot nessa existed ngl well pretty much all of gen 8

[@joysterww]

I also really love her design. Looks really beautiful too honestly

[@animuszen136]

@@thatoneguy978 yeah although to be fair she got two games to be fleshed out, you can do a lot in two games compared to just the one.

[@LittleLyssMarie]

I really think Kiawe was based on Polynesians and Melanesians, there are islanders who have that dark skin tone and don’t have much representation in media. I was so excited to see his design since I feel like it showed a less “hollywood” version of what mainstream media views to be an islander

[@stolenwig7518]

I wasn't sure tho cuz for the black lives Matter thing they put a gif of kiawe fist pumping ash with a black emoji but ofc everyone was mad cuz it was a serious time 😭

[@hadrianhexe9603]

He could always be mixed

[@gdottothegamer1001]

I'd say 100% Melanesian. Even though when making a region they'd use one real life location as the main inspiration, game freak also love to mix it with other real life culture/creatures. From Alola, a region based in Hawaii, there's Oranguru which is based on Orangutan, a great ape that can be found in Indonesia and Malaysia, and Komala is based on Koala, an animal from Australia. Both of them aren't from Hawaii, and yet they still added them to that region. From Hoenn, a region based on Kyushu, there's Phoebe. From her design, it seems like she's based on the Polynesian, more specifically Hawaiian. But, like BT said, it's possible that she's based on Indonesian or Filipino, or more specifically the Austronesian. Either way, both Polynesian and Austronesian aren't from Japan, and yet they added them to the region. So yeah, despite the region being based on Hawaii, there's a higher chance of Kiawe and his family are based on the Melanesian than Polynesian, since GF like to use other cultures for their inspiration, Melanesians are black, and Melanesian and Polynesian are neighbors.

[@abduking.]

@@gdottothegamer1001 look at his dad and tell me hes melanesian. hes mom is 100% melanesian but you cant say kiawe is 100% melanesian hes mixed bro. But i agree culturally he is not black

[@D_a_yyy]

@@abduking.when we mean black we mean race not black American 😂. There’s Afro Melanesian’s yk who have different cultures from black American.

[@alicevioleta3184]

everything you said about culture vs race is facts. culture matters way more imo, and i love how pokemon handles it. there's no division based on skin tone, everyone from a particular area is equally in tune with that area. it's fantastic.

[@cammycakesss]

especially with black and white's themes as well, diving more directly into that theme than any other game in the series team plasma wants to drive a wedge inbetween that unity and power people and pokemon have by working together so ghetsis can take advantage of that weakness for his own ends

[@hrpang]

Honestly there isn't enough credit being given to GameFreak here. According to Pewresearch, the first instance of the BlackLivesMatter twitter hashtag started in 2013 and wouldn't pick up traction till certain events of racially motivated shootings. Pokemon Black & White released in 2010, and it was the first region to be based on an international location instead of a province of Japan(where Black people are the rarity). And in the New York City inspired region, they introduced black NPC trainers, a Black Gym Leader and a Native American champion. Lenora is not just any Black woman in the game. She's an educated museum curator who's married happily to a White guy and themes her gym around learning. Interracial marriage, representation and positive portrayal as a kind educator before it was cool, from creators in a country that barely knows Black people. And the best part? Lenora is considered Normal. And ever since then, they introduced more Black people, even adding darker skin tones when character creation was introduced and hair options like cornrows became available. Skintone is just to fill in the surface. These black people have dreams, aspirations and aren't segregated by their skin tone. Btw one of my favorite details is Grant's hands. They are lighter in color because he rock climbs, his hands are constantly caked in powder for his favorite activity.

[@onmas909]

Way too much thought into something as simple as "Lenora is a gym leader who likes books"

[@j.r6621]

@@onmas909 it's not too much thought. They explain clearly how black characters weren't prevalent what's so ever in previous games, and the first time they ARE, gramefreak rocks it

[@onmas909]

@J.R These characters aren't black. They are Unovan, Kalos-native, etc. The content creator literally defeated his own point. The whole purpose of Pokèmon is race isn't a concept. Japan doesn't care about it. It's only Americans who are obsessed and try to insert their identity politics bs.

[@Lackofstyle]

@@onmas909 You're not a minority are you? Because that's a very "I don't have to interact with it so it doesn't exist" statement. Every country on this planet has to deal with race politics because human society was built on the backs of discriminated people. Japan may not have to deal with Black people, but they have their own indigenous people who are discriminated against. Most counties in Europe have entire political groups against the EUs free travel laws, and the less said about China's issue with the Taiwanese the better. Just because you and all your friends that are the same color as you don't see racial tension in your day today life doesn't mean it doesn't exist

[@ghastlyweather1750]

​@@onmas909 not this boy calling black people "identity politics bs" 💀💀

[@moxbby4585]

Not having Ryme in this video is such a shame. She's amazing representation man

[@shiko3394]

I love Ryme, she’s my fav Paldea gym leader and I’m always confused bc some people love her and some people say she’s a racist stereotype

[@shikumeru1325]

She’s peak character design, I love her so freakin’ much

[@brian_Austin27]

Yeah i love her they didn't make her to much of a racial stereotype that stands out the ghost type personality works well for her they dont overdue it which we ask for lol

[@furby9284]

@@shiko3394How is she a stereotype? Just because she’s a rapper? Anyone can be a rapper. Just because rap is more common amongst the black community doesn’t mean that only black people can be rappers. Anyone complaining that she’s racist would complain that a white rapper character is racist for stealing culture.

[@shiko3394]

@@furby9284 Ikr

[@immagangstaX10]

Usually Dark skined people that aren't necessarily black like Brock and Iris in Japanese media like anime are often depictions of Okinawans. Like Chad from Bleach is from Okinawa, even tho he was half Mexican the rest of the cast didn't question it because most people from Okinawa naturally have dark skin tones.

[@FreelanceGenie]

Considering Iris is from Johto in the manga, she's most likely Okinawan or something similar, though her skin is a lot darker than typical.

[@womanofdemise1661]

Brock would classify as light skin bruh ☠️.

[@immagangstaX10]

@@womanofdemise1661 stay in school

[@FreelanceGenie]

@@immagangstaX10 That's a damn good reply. XD

[@itsnatemate7697]

Yea people need to stop saying every character that has darker skin tones are black

[@ryanjstannard]

Based on Hop and Leon’s family member’s designs, I think it’s safe to say they are mixed.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

On top of Unova being based off the US, it's also the NYC metro which is like the most diverse part of the country. To put things into perspective, a total of over 800 languages are spoken in this one metro area...that says a lot about just how diverse it is. It was the perfect opportunity to finally introduce a Black character. Another thing, Lenora's design without the apron is also from the first Black/White. She's not a Gym Leader in Black/White 2 (she stepped down to focus on museum work) as the Normal-type Gym in Black/White 2 is no longer in Nacrene, but is now the Aspertia Gym led by Cheren, the rival in the first Black/White (they grow up so fast). However, she DOES participate in the Pokémon World Tournament at Driftveil City in the sequel.

[@Blue_XIII]

This is the first time I'm hearing that over 800 langauges are spoken in NYC. That's fascinating

[@symbiote3220]

Lmao “NYC” “Diverse”…. Terrible northerners

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

@@symbiote3220 ? What's wrong with that? Diversity is beautiful! And yeah, NYC IS diverse. From Harlem, the Russians of Brighton Beach, to the Puerto Ricans of the Bronx. Pretty clear you've never been to NYC if you think this way. As mentioned, as many as 800 LANGUAGES are spoken in NYC, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. You can find just about every cuisine in NYC. And the 7 subway line is known as the International Express because of all the different immigrant groups that now live along the route. Its terminus in Flushing is famous for being NYC's second Chinatown. Not to mention, the UN is in NYC "terrible northerners" And the South will never rise again, bro. Cope :)

[@symbiote3220]

@@AverytheCubanAmerican was on to a coherent yet wrong bit of bs considering nearly 40% of what you say is “diverse” is foreign nutriet sucking trash such as u. Secondly, i looooove the uneducated minds of said foreign land trash that get their “u.s education” from crt rallies. Yea, we get to make fun of you,, a shitty people and area that ruined the country after a “w war for control (then fumbled)” ,and are the MOST unamerican and radical violent protesting pos. The “ye ol yank over patriot” argument dies hard when you consider the only thing the north gives in return for media exposure is shite attitude people and the worst politicians that got us in economic turmoil. Mf thought he one lined a w

[@symbiote3220]

@@AverytheCubanAmerican also dont forget that when northerners (like foreigners) make crap of their country to come here…they bring their bs in voting visuals and then wonder why their place sucked to begin with. Gtfoh lmao

[@thepokekid01]

I feel like Lenora was the worst coincidence. I don't know if the designers used an old Mammy design to try to evoke any sense of nostalgia, but she was supposed to be a sculptor/potter, and I believe the apron was supposed to protect her from her kilm and clay. I also feel like most of the Pokemon Community agrees Iris is supposed to be black. Not only is her hair depicted as round or not stringy, but she's named after an African Flower (I think it was also stated in an interview she was supposed to represent Africa in that way). You know, I wouldn't take "Purple hair" as a discriminating factor from the depiction of black people. Purple, blue, dark blue, most of those are stand-ins to make Black hair more interesting (because if you haven't figure out, a lot of Japanese people have black hair, lol). I don't think this necessarily makes Yoroichi Black, now... but I don't know what any of the Captains are supposed to be in Bleach, they are either thousands of years old ghosts or were never born in the first place. That said, for the Purple Hair club of Galar... I thought Raihan, Leon, and Hop were from the brown people's club. I mean, maybe Leon can be hispanic if you want, but it really feels to me like they are supposed be be Indian or Arabic like President Rose. I mean, this is the UK-based after all.

[@japanesejackalope]

From what I’ve read they tried to make her look motherly so the stereotype wasn’t intentional.

[@leafymeat8829]

Lenora is an archaeologist. Her gym is a museum and she has a Memory Link cutscene where Burgh comes to her to learn about bones (since he's a bug-type specialist, he only really knows about exoskeletons. Classic US education), and Clay comes in after to show her a fossil that he found while digging. She also seems to be very knowledgeable on dirt and someone who works with dirt would wear an apron to avoid staining their clothes.

[@eddie-roo]

Afaik, Leon and Hop are Laventon’s relatives, and Laventon is Indian

[@whoknows9085]

@@japanesejackalope I would beg to differ because why does she need to look motherly? Who for?

[@whoknows9085]

I think the fact people don’t know why she wears an apron for sure is a sign it’s not a good design. Or it could be better Like if she is an archeologist, why not the kind of apron with tools sticking out

[@xXHollysoxXx]

When black/white came out, I thought Lenora wore an apron because she's an archeologist/historian 😭 Edit: this comment blew up lol. It’s amazing to see all your different perspectives! To summarize: through the American lens, it is offensive to have racial stereotypes regarding black people as servants, hence the apron’s design change in the sequel. The mammy stereotype was likely unintentional or well meaning, as they don’t have a ton of black people in Japan (it’s a common occurrence for black people to be stopped for pictures when they visit Japan). Designers should do more research so as not to portray offensive stereotypes. Just because it wasn’t intentional, that doesn’t mean it isn’t offensive. My original comment was regarding how sheltered I was as a child to not have even considered other possibilities. I am older now, and I definitely see it and I cringe at my own ignorance. To the people who took a bad take: I beg you to not fear diversity, because that has never and will never be the issue. I hope you find peace in your soul and that is all i have to say on that.

[@rafaelcosta8291]

Because it is an archeologist apron

[@whoknows9085]

@@rafaelcosta8291 Is it? It seems like a hassle to dig around for tools in those big pockets down below

[@xXHollysoxXx]

@@whoknows9085 so I googled it and apparently it is a thing to hold tools and stuff and keep the dust off of you. The more you know! I think from the American lens, we see the slavery tropes because it's part of our history. It does read as offensive in this context, so I can see why they changed it after learning about the connotations and the history. They probably should've done research on black history a little more when they decided to make an American-inspired region.

[@galenpanna827]

its not that much of a hassle really! apron are so useful! i use mine when im painting. i would live in my apron if i wasn't scared of people looking at me weird :p

[@whoknows9085]

@@xXHollysoxXx It is a thing, just not like that

[@SuperChu016]

Grant just has the lifestyle of a climber, his gym is like full of climbing routes and his character really depicts how climbers look; minimalist, lightweight and ready for action

[@Nita-lu6sn]

Grant is also a…. High ranking fancy battle chateu Duke! I forget the exact rank, but him and the photographer bug gym gal are a high ranking battle chateau members

[@wdwfanatic1394]

@@Nita-lu6sn That's in the anime. In the games, you can battle ALL the Gym Leaders at the Battle Chateau. They'll show up at the Chateau one by one once you've won their badge in the main story

[@Nita-lu6sn]

@@wdwfanatic1394 i guess it so happens ive only seen those two at the chateau. XD ive beaten the game. it was pure coincidence my experience of the chateau was like that.

[@zeroxking6463]

Honestly it makes sense why previous generations don't have have that "black representation" is bc all thise regions are based off japan, so their characters are goin to be japanese while still representing the people from their region such as Brock representing the more southern japan people who could tend to be tan or characters falling in line with gyaru fashion. Overall good vid man, you showed a good case of how representing people is more in line with the culture than just having tan skin.

[@NoRockinMansLand]

They might be intended to represent the japanese but you can't seriously look at brock and think he isn't medium or dark brown in complexion, objectively isn't tan even if he is supposed to be (since I'm taking your word for it)

[@NotlostMoon]

@@NoRockinMansLand Brock is fairly light in the games actually, when compared to the anime. Not actually pale, but just look up how he looked in the gen 1/3 games. Origins anime and Let's go also aren't very dark, though are a bit more dusty looking. Now I love Brock's "Ash/main anime" design, since the more saturated colors fit him well, and sets him apart from the pale Misty and average Ash, but it's sort of the exception to the general norm.

[@magmatard8737]

Honestly Nessa and Korra have taught me that Dark skin and blue eyes is the SSS-tier combo for me

[@firepuppies4086]

Actually, I think with Unova having the first Black character that's like, prominent, is fitting. It's based on New York compared to the previous regions having near none since Black people aren't as prominent in Japan.

[@SonicSatamAnimations]

Also because it’s called “black and white” 😂

[@tranatkikomi6873]

I have a Pokémon Centre plush of Raihan. He wears a bandana and has locs. Even the plush makes sure his locs are obvious.

[@bryceplayer1012]

Link please?

[@atinymoonizen]

Wait what?! I’ve never seen that

[@shuichisaihope398]

I think there's official reference art of him without the bandana

[@tranatkikomi6873]

@@shuichisaihope398 Ooh, I hope so!

[@bashartz]

@@tranatkikomi6873 There is! It looks like locks that are shaped like dragon scales, very creative approach

[@max-lee1203]

Damn, you hating gen 5, I can give you nothing but my respect. Gen 5 was honestly my favorite gen and hearing someone not like it nowadays is surprising. Edit: Then my man said Gen 7 was heat but didn't like USUM that much. This man is simply built different. USUM > SM imo Edit 2: Am I the only one who liked the Ultra games? That's rough.

[@jasonhulett]

Much like the Star Wars prequels, hating on Gen 5 was the popular opinion up until Gen 8. Nowadays, people act like they've always loved it.

[@max-lee1203]

@@jasonhulett That's true. I've always loved gen 5 since Black and Black 2 were the first Pokémon games I've ever beaten. So, it did feel weird when everyone decided to give it love and respect almost 8 years. Edit: Technically my first Pokémon game was Emerald.

[@vt4c]

@@jasonhulett I think the people who claim they always loved it did actcually always love it, but they were too young to shape the public opinion on the internet when the games came out. At least thats it in my case and many other cases I know

[@jasonhulett]

@@vt4c That's probably the reason, it's just odd seeing public opinion shift so much.

[@CosmicCowboy]

@@jasonhulett also the kids who grew up with it can actually speak much like the Star Wars prequels

[@LimaPro643]

Lenora's original title in Japanese was "Natural-born mama." I don't think they were necessarily intending to base her off of a stereotype but part of me feels they had that perception in their minds when they first designed her. They certainly didn't mean to offend anyone but I think they had a little bit of learning to do back then 😅

[@YOSSARIAN313]

Keep in mind that they get their impressions of black people 99% from American TV and Movies. It's mostly Hollywood fault😂😂

[@anubisgodess2353]

I love how homeboy here is going so hard on Grant's design but little does he know if he just touch up his hair to the side add some rocks he's already wearing a black shirt he could cosplay the guy!😂😭🤣

[@symbiote3220]

Bobby brown gumby hair

[@Zyra19]

Iris, Leon and such fall under the "ambiguously brown" category. The designers probably didn't really think about it or at most just wanted to add some sense of diversity.

[@owenbridgers]

Also there’s a theory they’re related to Laventon, who may be from an India based region

[@miguellopes7627]

I agree, it's a bit like one person can say a character looks white and another person can say the same character looks asian to them

[@naeshaunedwards7731]

Same. Lately Pokémon seems to have really been putting an emphasis when it comes to diversity, and it seems like they created Leon without anything specific in mind, though his parents give me native/black vibes, and his grandad gives me black vibes. Would be nice since he’d be mixed inspired.

[@balladofthegoddess]

​@@owenbridgersLaventon says he's from Galar, so this theory actually holds some weight

[@mmimmeow]

i'm sure leon and hop are south asian since there's a large south asian population in the UK

[@deanoor9391]

Nessa is the epitome of amazing Black character. Her design is insane and she's a beautiful character

[@Delightfulshallot]

Nessa is more Polynesian Indian design character.

[@brandonponce5387]

Bruh she tan

[@da45r]

@@brandonponce5387 no she literally is black having waistbeads that are typically worn by people of the Caribbean which are black people, make sense due to the history of Britain what galar was based on having history with the Caribbean. Stop trying to act like black people don't exist, she's obviously black

[@MARIOPOWERUP]

@@da45r You should know by now if a black character is beautiful or well liked suddenly they’re “tan”, “Indian”, “southeast Asian” etc… anything other than black.

[@da45r]

@@MARIOPOWERUP yea they don't like that black people actually exist

[@MousechrisTFM]

I honestly thought Lenora was an archeologist. So not only did it not seem racist to me, it genuinely felt like a massive step up cause black people in America aren't known for taking up such high tier jobs, mainly due to their income brackets that they've been put in due to racism from prior generations.

[@chuke6897]

Yes the apron is supposed to be an archaeologist’s apron which is her occupation in the games. The apron just looked like a mammy stereotype to those who weren’t familiar to her job occupation.

[@Blue_XIII]

Not to mention Lenora also has her gym is in a library that doubles as a museum, which shows that she is scholarly/educated, she has a husband who loves her very much and vice versa, and is someone who is likely confident in her feminity that she is married to someone who is shorter than her. Lenora is nothing but positive

[@maxixe3143]

Lenora is that highly unfortunate situation where the designers did everything right, but two rights somehow made a wrong. Glad they tweaked her design later to remove some of the unfortunate implications.

[@savien6401]

@@maxixe3143 I’m just hearing about this so correct me if I’m wrong but essentially the people the got offended didn’t know much about archeology? If they did, I feel like not as many people would complain, like I can kind of see how it can be viewed as that racist stereotype but through really REALLY specific lends since Ik her occupation so it’s hard to view it from a racist perspective

[@maxixe3143]

@@savien6401 When she was first revealed as part of an advertisement for the game, there wasn't the context for her profession yet so it was easier for the racist stereotype to establish itself as people's primary perception. The red bandana didn't help as that is the one outfit piece that isn't as easily waved away by "archeologist" and also the outfit piece that is most associated with the stereotype. I think the takeaways here are "accidents can happen, but still need to be corrected" and "don't assume malicious intent when ignorance is possible".

[@emsglaceon]

"I don't like Black and White" *Dislikes video* "Sun and Moon are my favorite games" ... *Likes video*

[@justadummy8076]

I always thought Nessa was (South) Indian, she doesn’t really have any “black” features, she has a sharp nose, straight hair, blue eyes, etc… Plus there’s lots of Indian references in Gen 8, such as the curry mini game & the elephant Pokémon, the UK has a very established connection to India and a very high Indian population, so it makes sense that there would be an Indian gym leader

[@justadummy8076]

Plus a lot of Japanese fans interpret her an Indian too, there’s lots of fanart that comes from Japan depicting Nessa in a sari (traditional Indian garb)

[@nohimepeach]

She’s black

[@bruhvibes5941]

she could be guyanese or trini, her undertones look odd for an Indian.

[@BellaK423]

Gotta agree they did the black characters so good in Pokemon. I’m one that personally loved BW for it’s tones and themes and I always loved the Pokemon in that region. Their goofy nature was weird at first but goddamn there’s some amazing ones like Chandelure and Scrafty (not everyone’s personal favourite but one of mine). Anyways back on topic. Olivia has to be my favourite black character in Pokémon and I’m so glad they did her justice in the anime. Gotta also put a thumbs up for Raihan, while Piers is my favourite character in SWSH, I have to say Raihan was done so well, the double battle, his ace being Duraludon one of my favourite Gen 8 mons. There’s nothing bad about him.

[@lookatjayzjewelz]

"hey, that Pokémon is talking!"

[@mrcteddy20]

I just think Pokemon is doing representation in general very well as of late. There's a lot of people from different cultures and skin tones featured in the games in the last decade, without feeling like it's being forced or shoved in our faces, and helps that each character has their own unique roles, goals and personalities.

[@ashtonshephard3852]

Forreal they're even easing into LGBT representation too

[@froglifes6829]

@@ashtonshephard3852 no they havent

[@ashtonshephard3852]

@@froglifes6829 pretty hard to tell me otherwise when both of the ice girls from the last two games are actually dudes

[@froglifes6829]

@@ashtonshephard3852 They are not gay. So when you see the twin girls in fire red you think they are gay? There is no gay couple in Pokemon.

[@martelraykin]

@@froglifes6829 There is not much sexual orientation in pokemon because there is no or very few romance so there is no way of knowing anyone's attaction 🤷‍♀️

[@MaddoxNine]

Nessa is peak character design

[@rayneingdown]

Gen 5 was my first Gen, and Lenora made such a big impression on me as a kid. Her strong yet motherly vibes made me wish I could study at her gym. Notgonnalie tho I completely forgot about Marshall. Probably because my team had the easiest time beating him out of the four thanks to my Unfeazant. Also, I always thought Iris was mixed race. As a kid I jumped back and forth between Hispanic and Black, but I definitely didn’t see her as white. She was my favorite in the anime, though, despite how annoying her dragonite was.

[@WaterKirby1994]

I found Iris so annoying, while liking her Dragonite. I just regret that her Axew didn't evolve & she didn't grow up or mature at all throughout the worst part of the anime. Ash didn't even battle her & Dreyden to get his final badge as most anticipated & it was because she was depicted as too much of an immature "Little Kid" throughout the series to the point her being Champion in the sequel games didn't seem legitimate. Also giving her a rival who was much more annoying didn't help her as a character at all. Gen 5 Anime sucked at rivals (Iris should have been a competent rival for Ash, as was being possibly set up) & Iris deserved so much better than her anime depiction! Sorry Gen 5 brings up so many bad memories for me that I almost gave up on the series entirely. Iris should have been treated as a prodigy rather than a joke character. Dragonite was her powerhouse that she needed to earn the respect from & Ash's Charizard was the same exact way. The Gen 5 Anime was a dumpster fire from start to finish & I can't comprehend you at all. Lenora was an awesome gym leader though.

[@natalimoina]

What? That's not true at all. Iris and Axew grew and matured greatly, she wasn't a joke character at all, not even remotely. Might as well call every single character a joke character at that point. She was treated really well and written very well too. Gen 5 anime rules aside from TR being out of character. All the characters were delightful@@WaterKirby1994

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@natalimoina Half the Gen 5 Anime Characters were by no means delightful. Did we even watch the same series? Team Rocket Trio doing agent stuff in the background didn't bother me nearly as much as Ash being reset. The Gen 5 Writing was the worst & the problems started from its 1st Episode.

[@natalimoina]

@@WaterKirby1994 Gen 5 writing is incredible and Ash wasn't reset, that's plain misinformation, c'mon now. And yeah, other than TR, the characters were delightful. Flaws and diverse characters traits are great, not all characters should be perfect and amazing people.

[@WaterKirby1994]

@@natalimoinaBest Wishes writing wasn't that good. Ash wasn't the same character who made counter shields in terms of writing. His Pikachu's losses were kind of embarrassing after being nerfed by Zekrom from Snivy & then in episode 5 Panpour. My point is that they were clearly downgraded. XY had Clemont leave the group for a few episodes to prepare for his gym battle with Ash. Iris never got treated as a Gym Leader with B2W2 promotion 6 vs 3 Battle against Roxie happening instead. Her being Champion in those games made her treatment in Best Wishes sting much worse. Let's contrast Ash vs Cameron & Ash vs Alain. The former got lucky & won a 5 on 6 Battle thanks to his powerful Hydreigon & parter Riolu's Evolution. Alain was introduced as a tough trainer challenging various Mega Evos with his Mega Charizard X & fought a very close match with Ash. We're probably never going to agree.

[@avaluggglazer445]

I just realized Rymes hair is in the shape of bones lol

[@OctoInkk]

When you said 2010, I knew you were going to say Black and White LOL Seeing the first Unovan Gym Leader with her beautiful ‘fro was so awesome! I really thought Lenora had the apron because she was a curator or a paleontologist. Both she and her husband were involved in the library and museum. The Mammy thing was not the first image I had of her, to be truthfully honest.

[@alz397]

What other Pokémon game came out in 2010? Lol duh

[@OctoInkk]

@@alz397 Maybe a Mystery Dungeon or something came out, I don’t know! Lmao I just know that in 2010, I was one of those that got B&W when it FIRST came out, and was on the side of the debate of it being a pretty cool game as opposed to it being “too different” from the others. When he said “2010”, it was just an “oh, yeah, I remember!” kind of moment more than anything, nothing that deep.

[@davyunwashington3613]

@@alz397and Pokemon conquest

[@RedHotMessResell]

I think Japanese culture is so different that half the time they don’t even notice they have made something racist. Like with the Jinx having black face at first.

[@shelbysycamore637]

I got a stretch for you, remember how Iris loved to swing from vines in the anime 🤭

[@obits3]

That’s because they didn’t make something racist. The international audience, specifically in the U.S., is stupid and reads things based on their culture instead of trying to understand what the Japanese creator intended. Jinx has plausible explanations related to the Japanese gyru and also possible Japanese demon/spirit stories.

[@shelbysycamore637]

@@obits3 you do realize it's not just the U.S. that does this, right? We aren't saying Pokemon is intentionally doing this to piss people off, you're bound to have unintentionally offensive things when you're a brand that appeals to a global audience. Could you imagine the tickle I had when I found out my favorite pokemon, Umbreon's Japanese name was Blacky? That name wouldn't fly here in the states because it is a slur but I'm sure there are other Pokemon names that wouldn't mesh well depending on where in the world you are.

[@onebear6504]

@@shelbysycamore637 WOW I never knew that "blacky" is a slur, here in Southeast Asia, it's just a super common pet name (like calling a dog "doggy")...

[@shelbysycamore637]

@@onebear6504 yup, it's not a common one here but if you're referring to a black person, it would be seen the same as debasing us and calling us "darkie". It's the context that matters 🤣

[@frog2158]

I never realizrd that Phoebe could be Filipino or Pacific Islander as some who is both of those things when you pointed that out i was so happy! I never noticed that especially because Ruby was the 1st one I played

[@FishPeels]

Okay but when it comes to gen 5 marlon is a biggest troll, you can't really tell in his sprite that he's just tanned and the realization hit me like a truck when i finally noticed the tanline was NOT a belt

[@shawnbay2211]

That guy needed sunscreen rlly bad !!

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The music for Cyllage City is a bop. I think the anime definitely gave more love to Grant. In the games, he's just like "Oh you missed this race, take this! And I'll meet you at my Gym!" while in the anime, they had him fight Viola's Surskit with an Onyx at the Battle Chateau and he absolutely demolished Surskit (which you could say is karma as Ash had to rematch the Santalune Gym partly because Surskit was a problem). And I believe Hop and Leon are Indian. You have to remember that the UK is a diverse place too and has lots of Indians because of the whole "colonizing thing". And agreed about Grant's Gym design, making it all a rock-climbing theme was superb. The Kalos Gym designs in general were out of the park, especially the Anistar Gym

[@weirdlookingrobot3856]

as much as i would love, LOVE, for hop and leon to be indian, i'm gonna have to disagree, mainly because of hop's theme, which feels more like salsa (it even has a breakdown!). but hey! at least we have the worst champion!

[@FreelanceGenie]

I don't see why so many people are claiming that Iris could be Native American when GameFreak went out of their way to specify that she's not from the region based on America. Although I always thought she was Black, she's most likely Asian given that in the manga she comes from Johto. Either way, she's less likely to be of Native American descent than she is to hail from ANY other group of people. Edit: I don't really think Iris is most likely to be Asian anymore. It's actually really hard to guess what her background is, and I think it's intentional.

[@metallord6960]

I think I remember Lenora being an archeologist or something and always thinking that was what the apron was for.

[@marcoasturias8520]

I thought she was just the museum's curator but that makes sense

[@chuke6897]

Yes that’s the main reason why she had the apron. Her official occupation is an archeologist. An American with no knowledge of the game will most likely think of her as a mammy stereotype because that’s simply apart of black American history.

[@SJrad]

Yeah i think hop, leon, and professor laventon ancestory trace back to the Pokémon world’s equivalent of india. especially with Britain have done some colonization of india. iris idk if she would also have her heritage in india but it might be more likely that she’s Native American

[@FreelanceGenie]

Iris isn't from Unova. She's not Native American. She's more likely to be Okinawan or something similar.

[@aylenpons6682]

@@FreelanceGenie Crap. I'm honestly not a pokemon palier, just like watching videos about it anyways, but I was almost sure Iris was an equivalent of a black girl, whenever form Unova or not. Lol. I would totally understand if soemone fnarats her like that. Also as they where open to represent other cultures and races, maybe she is black AND yet raised as a japanesse (equivalent) girl.

[@iBloodxHunter]

Why? Hop has no style or something? Is his Wooloo not hard enough? Is that what qualifies someone?

[@Thats_funny_yo]

The new Lenora design (holding the apron over her back) almost looks like a cape. I personally love the idea of it being a cape. Also I absolutely love Raihan the most (But that's just because I have a dragon type bias.)

[@rebellsprout5754]

Iris could be Native America just like Alder. Seems like Gamefreak was going for a Pocahontas-type listen-with-your-heart ability to sense the feelings of Dragon Pokémon and western fairy tale inspiration with her relationship with Drayden being based on a European-tale of Saint George and the Dragon. This is could be reinforced by her BW design being more Native American priestess inspired and the B2W2 design being more circa 12th-century Medieval princess-inspired. Not to mention her aces' tusks resemble Native American (Axew and Fraxure) and Medieval (Haxous) battle axes. *Edit: while Iris is said to be from the Village of Dragons a remote location from Unova in the games, she can still be a Native American immigrant from Pokémon’s equivalent of Central America, Mexico, or South America.

[@FreelanceGenie]

Iris is not from Unova. Proof she's not from Unova via in-game quote:(Most important part is in all caps.) Drayden: Ah yes... I was thinking about the past. I traveled all over the world looking for a successor. I even went to remote places such as the Village of Dragons. That's where I met you, Iris. Iris: Yep! I was the strongest! Drayden: Yes. I was surprised. You were one with your Pokémon and battling with so much joy. Just watching you made me smile. Your opponents felt disappointed by their defeat, but at the same time they enjoyed the battle. It was completely natural for me to decide I wanted to make you my successor. Iris: I'M SO GLAD I CAME TO UNOVA! There are many different people and so many different Pokémon! And you know what... In the Village of Dragons, people take living alongside Pokémon for granted. I was surprised some people in Unova didn't think that way! In the anime the village of Dragons is located in Unova, which means there's a slightly larger chance that Iris is intended to be Native American than I originally made it seem. However, the anime is not considered canon, and the games and manga directly contradict the idea of Iris hailing from Unova. In the manga Iris is from Blackthorne City in Johto. In the games she's from an unknown region located outside of Unova. Every outfit we see Iris wear in game was gifted to her by Drayden. Any perceived similarities to Native American garb can more readily be attributed to Drayden than to Iris. Quote: Drayden: Don't forget that feeling. And now, if I may change the subject... When you came to Opelucid City, I gave you those clothes, right? You're the Champion, now. It's all right to dress up a little. Iris: Are these new clothes? OK. I'll change into them right now! The assertion that her name is based on a flower native to Africa and North America is unsubstantiated. Irises(and flowers referred to as Iris) are found all over the world, so there's not much hint to her origins in her name alone. Save yourself the trouble of reading the rest of the conversation. Original post: I'm going to spam everyone who claims Iris is Native American with this, and I don't care how I come across. Iris is not from Unova. GameFreak went out of their way to specify that she's not from the region based on America, so there is a near zero chance that she's meant to be Native American. She's more likely to be a space alien.(Not an exaggeration)

[@rebellsprout5754]

@@FreelanceGenie I said she COULD be Native American. She still could likely be black because a lot of what I said about her design etc fits some African indigenous cultures as well. Not to mention the iris flower is only native to Africa and North America. She is from the Village of Dragons which in the Anime is in Unova. And the games hint that the village is far away from Unova in another region and geographically Africa is still far away from the US.

[@FreelanceGenie]

@@rebellsprout5754 Yeah, and I said the chances of that are "ALMOST" zero. She could be a space alien or from a secret underwater civilization too. The Iris flower is not indigenous to only America and Africa. In fact, I don't think it's indigenous to Africa at all. That said, I didn't know that the village of Dragons was in Unova in the anime, and that's a good point to your credit. It just goes to show how ambiguous Iris's origins really are. With that info, even if it still seems unlikely to me, it doesn't seem quite as unlikely that Iris could be "Native American". Honestly, all of this just has me convinced that her origins are intentionally ambiguous.

[@rebellsprout5754]

​@@FreelanceGenie “Dietes iridioides, commonly named African iris, fortnight lily, and more iris, is a species of plant in the family Iridaceae that is native to Southern Africa.”-From Wikipedia I’m not saying they can’t grow in other places. They can. “A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction. Exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world or were cultivated by humans into forms that don’t exist in nature do not support wildlife and native plants.”-From National Wildlife Federation “Iris is named after the Iris Flower which is native to Africa and North America.” -Multiple Pokemon Wiki It doesn’t seem ambiguous. She is an indigenous wild child being domesticated/mentored into being the new champion. She, like many characters in BW and B2W2, represents the duality of American culture. Duality is the theme in Unova. I just lean toward her being Native American because her BW design looks Native American priestess-esque, Axew’s tusk resembles tomahawks, and her hair in her B2W2 design is styled like Alder to resemble a Native American headdress. That stuff doesn’t seem coincidental, especially considering her partner, Axew's evolutionary line design follows the same design motifs but with battle axes.

[@FreelanceGenie]

@@rebellsprout5754 Those "Multiple Pokémon wiki" are just wrong. Wiki are not sources. I haven't seen a single interview or character commentary(and I've looked) that says that Iris is named after the African Iris. Aside from that, the African Iris isn't a real Iris. Irises aren't part of the genus Iridaceae. Iris are part of the genus "Iris". Nothing about her B2W2 design seems Native American at all to me. The dress and tiara especially don't seem to be from any indigenous American culture. Her hair doesn't look like a headdress to me either, especially when compared to Alder's.

[@lutherholayeahme7449]

Pokemon is one of the few anime that draws good looking black characters

[@francisconavarrete3031]

Few ? Lol there more good black rep then bad

[@bri1085]

They still had Jynx

[@phenomsmithjr]

@@bri1085 I've never associated Jynx with being black homie. That's a pokemon. Why you gotta think like that

[@billcipher8645]

@@phenomsmithjr it's obviously very similar to the typical racist black caricatures (especially before the colour change). I don't think it was don in malicious intent as there are very few black people in Japan but it's clear they realised the issue and changed it to purple

[@phenomsmithjr]

@@billcipher8645 interesting

[@andreylapshin4093]

2:34 first black person apearing in "BLACK and white" is wild.

[@Shatteredtales]

I love making characters and drawing and I think the fact I grew up watching pokemon black and white and X and Y shaped the way I genuinely enjoy drawing people who look different from me, one of my favorite characters in Black and white was Lenora just due to her design! every shape, shade, and style is so beautiful and it makes the world feel alive to add variety!

[@TheDeathmail]

It should be noted that the 1st 4 regions were technically IN Japan... Gen 5 was the first time they went outside the nation....

[@AloneSmGG]

I had the same opinion about gen 5 until black and white 2. Best story in the series

[@what.are.you.doing.stepbro]

Gen 5 had the best story up until gen 9 came around if u put ur nostalgia googles for a second. Never really connected to any characters in a pokemon game as much I connected with almost all of the characters in SV. Everyone has so much personality. Still gen 5 still has a special place in my heart. Its my first pokemon game ever

[@GustavoJua15]

@@the_real_tabby Same. B2W2 wasn't as good.

[@AloneSmGG]

@@what.are.you.doing.stepbro yeah I love sv story as well but I just got done playing B2W2 for the first time and I think it’s a little better. Gen 5 also had some very amazing designs

[@what.are.you.doing.stepbro]

@@AloneSmGG yea but the story in SV actually made me cry but there wasn’t a single moment in BW/ B2W2 or literally any pokemon game that managed to make me cry or get me on my feels. I’m a gen 5 supremest but i still gotta say gen 9 has the best story

[@DEATH_687]

Ik I'm gonna get bashed but imo pla has the best lore and story

[@whoknows9085]

Lenora’s design could be better to show that she is an archeologist Because even with the apron it doesn’t tell us anything. That’s not the kind of apron an archeologist would wear The pockets are way too big and placed far below her for it to provide any sort of convenience. Either make them smaller or place them higher. Also have tools sticking out of them. Maybe have her carry a book While I think it’s still weird they made the first Black character in the series have a “motherly look”, I don’t want to say it was fully intentional. But probably an unconscious bias was thrown in somewhere She’s a cool character, and I always appreciate the normal type fans

[@marcoasturias8520]

Cynthia is supposedly an archeologist too and compared to Lenora's outfit she's wearing a ballroom dress

[@antares8943]

​@@marcoasturias8520Well it ain't like we really saw Cynthia getting down and dirty with the fossils plus she could just study papers and reports about fossils and such. Gym leaders have more free space as they literally just sit around their home town. Cynthia is a champion and probably has a lot of work with the public so it makes sense she wears a dress

[@CzarKing23]

@@marcoasturias8520 preach lol 👏 people really be tryna act naive about things

[@AzureKite191]

Isn’t Iris and Brock Black?

[@antares8943]

@@AzureKite191 Iris is like Native American Brock is black though I'm pretty sure

[@koichino5660]

I personally played Pokémon Moon as my first Pokémon game, I loved it and only knew gyms from the anime stuff.

[@plusle20]

3:48 You bring up such a good point here. You have all these diverse characters, but they don't make an effort to explicitly say that this character is from this place, and so that's why they have this skin colour. It frankly doesn't matter because they're just as much a part of the region as anyone else. It really does add to that feeling of inclusivity, which is great, it's such a seamless integration of representation.

[@rlynothazel]

as soon as you threw shade at black and white i knew i had to go 😂

[@ChalkMuncher]

Raihan enjoyer!! also glad to see more people who just enjoy Alola Also love the video, I just hope we get more black designs like Raihan, Ryme, Kiawe, and Nessa in the future

[@Unknown-wb4ex]

1. 7:36 A reason why Caitlin (the blond haired E4) is so memorable is because she also appeared in DPPt! She runs the battle castle in those games with her butler, Daratch. 2. 7:56 I think? Iris is supposed to be a sort of Native American rep? Possibly? She and Alder both give off those vibes. They both slay too. 3. 10:18 As someone who always saw Kiawe as purely native Polynesian, it’s interesting and makes sense when you pointed out that he’s also black rep! 😊 4. Crying over the fact that Ryme wasn’t a thing in the making of this video I LOVE HER SO MUCH SHES LIKE MY FAVORITE GYM LEADER EVER

[@tophealth429]

Ryme and Tyme in Pokémon scarlet and violet are cool. My favourite gym theme in the game and even though I don't like maths as a subject, I like Tyme as she is really caring teacher. 😁 Oops sorry I forgot about not talking of gen 9. I just couldn't help.😅

[@Watch-0w1]

Idk about ryme. Idk why she ghost type. Should have been normal type that forcus on sound move We can finally get a actual sound type represented

[@shizachan8421]

@@Watch-0w1 I feel like they try to lean into associating the darker, more edgy pokemon-types with different music-genres in the recent generations. We had poison associated with punkrock through Roxie and Dark-types leaning into classical heavy metal with some goth-touch through Piers, so I think they wanted to continue this trend, so they associated ghost-types with rap. I kinda feel like personalitywise it also kinda fits, ghost-types may not be aesthetically what one associates with rap, but many certainly have the attitude.

[@Watch-0w1]

@@shizachan8421 Im Ignorant on rap because I don't see how ghost fit it. I think dark type pier gym leader was more of glam/punk rock. Be awesome if we do have a heavy metal using metal Pokemon.

[@nookiepookiedookieWHAT]

ryme is genuinely so cool like shes a music themed ghost type gym which im a music fan and ghost type pokemon are my fav so im kinda obsessed with her

[@CasperFox]

This is a video I didn't expect in my feed, but I'm happy it popped up - This topic isn't really mentioned that much in the Pokémon community, so it was really interesting to hear about! Also caught me off guard that Lil Nas X has a KZbin channel called "Blank Thoughts". :D

[@keinchi]

I would accept the argument for Leon/Hop EXCEPT THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS WHEN YOU VISIT THEIR HOUSE ARE OBVIOUSLY BLACK, no cap.

[@gravemind76]

Really? I gotta go check i never noticed but pokemon company also confirmed they we're.

[@lutherholayeahme7449]

Not liking Black and White? Thats a paddlin

[@theamazingspooderman2697]

that's an opinion

[@hotcupoftao]

The only thing I have a problem with when it comes to representation (as a brown woman myself) is the fact that there aren’t more darker skin options when creating a character :( other than that I really like the black character designs in the Pokémon franchise 💞

[@TssXD]

Great vid man love the presentation, has anyone ever told to you that you give off a similar vibe to internet pitstop just real chill dude on a mic vibe

[@mizu7662]

Pokemon's world building really doesn't get enough credit, IMO. Its nice to see videos like this that go into it.

[@oshawottcat]

I tbh always thought Iris was black and still consider her as such unless something official says otherwise. Idk I just always thought she was. Hop and Leon I never really thought about

[@NerdHarbor]

From a white american pokemon fan, I always love to see more representation and different cultures (when done right) in the game. Good job for tackling this topic man!

[@patientnr.0409]

IT'S A WORK APRON! This is the equivalent of walking up to a black painter and going: "I know you don't wanna ruin every outfit ever but this thing is a harmful stereotype".

[@natalimoina]

Comparison doesn't hold up

[@patientnr.0409]

@@natalimoina Elaborate

[@natalimoina]

@@patientnr.0409 One is an intentionally crafted character design, the first black character in the franchise of huge games being marketed towards everyone. The other is a real life person choosing their own normal outfit. Obviously the design being like that was unintentional and they fixed it though, which is nice, but people not liking the initial design is very fair.

[@patientnr.0409]

@@natalimoina Giving a museum owner/curator an outfit befitting of their profession was very much intentional and it doesn't need to be "FiXEd" because some people lack basic knowledge yet still decided to make a ruckus.

[@natalimoina]

@@patientnr.0409 spoken like someone in a very privileged position

[@KawaiiJammy]

Nessa is one of my favorite characters in the Pokémon series

[@Iararuss]

the reason why there were no black characters till gen 5 may have been because unova was the first region to be based off of a place outside japan.

[@involith]

one character i wanna mention who i think was designed with black features in mind but was sadly before the team knew How to properly design a black character- dahlia. she was apart of the battle frontier in sinnoh and the reason i think she was designed in part to be black is because of her hair, to me ive always thought she had dreads but the team at the time just didnt know how to properly represent that in the art. of course i could be wrong, there might be another design idea behind her hair, but ive always read it as the teams attempt at dreads before finally figuring it out later and perfecting it in time for nessa

[@6arlequin9]

i always thought that Leon and his brother were arabs/North African bc their french names are Tarak and Nabil

[@A-ro-2803]

I’m curious on what your opinion of Gholdengo is. It is a slight spoiler, I guess, but it has a move called make it rain. I had my kindergartener ask me what make it rain meant and I had to stop for a minute.

[@shelbysycamore637]

"EAR I COME, I AM CIN-NEE-MON"

[@shelbysycamore637]

@@Xanderxindershin where you born in the 2010's?

[@vocakitt]

I'm pretty sure hop is half black because I remember his dad is black in the game also, I absolutely love the video!

[@gravemind76]

I wanted to say this also. Glad I'm not the only one who seen it. You can tell from the household

[@chumbum3041]

I feel like KZbin’s search bar is motivated in some way because I looked up Pokémon creepy black

[@cometmoon4485]

Honestly, I've always considered Nessa to be Indian, not black. The long, flowing black hair, the eye makeup, the large loopy earrings- it all invokes South Asian fashion to me, rather than black. Also, when you consider that Galar is based on Britain, which has a huge South Asian population, it makes even more sense.

[@-_-DatDude]

I always thought she was black because her skin is too dark to be Indian. Besides the loopy earrings and highlights in her hair or weave screams urban black girl/woman to me. I dont think I've ever really seen Indians or south east asians with hair highlights or walking around with their midriff showing in the UK. I only really see whites or blacks dress like that.

[@adityamanthri9167]

Yes. Nessa, Rose, Peony, Raihan (and possibly Leon and Hop) are all south Asian characters. Rose even has a copperajah as his ace lol.

[@aspebb]

I respectfully 100% disagree.

[@JH-no8sy]

Not all black people have the same kind of hair. Not all Africans look alike. It is literally a continent. Don’t put an entire group of people in a box because you lack exposure.

[@FreelanceGenie]

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say they don't think Iris is Black. I always thought she was Black, but I guess I can't say for sure. She definitely doesn't look any less Black than Nessa though. LOL.

[@Vyloka]

Thats whats crazy too. Iris came straight outta a village and as one of the first black characters Im pretty sure it was suppose to be "lets add more black characters" kinda thing going on while she was being made in mind

[@chuke6897]

@@Vyloka you can also make an argument for her to be Native American from a village with this exact thought process 😂

[@FreelanceGenie]

​@@chuke6897 She's almost definitely not Native American since she's not from Unova. Apparently in the manga she's from Blackthorne city(Village of Dragons), which is in Johto.(Japan) Make of that what you will. Note: I believe it's stated even in the games that she's not from Unova, but I don't believe it specifies where she's from. Either way, being Native American would require being Native to the Americas(Unova).

[@abcdefghijk6]

@@FreelanceGenie there are natives all around the world, maybe op didn't specifically intend to mean native *american*? her culture seems to be very inspired by native customs, so it would make sense still!

[@FreelanceGenie]

@@abcdefghijk6 They specifically said Native American.

[@sushilad2840]

To me, Iris seemed Native American, and Hop & Leon actually gave me Indian/south asian vibes mostly since chairman Rose is pretty convincingly south asian and they added quite a lot of inspiration from that region in general (copperajah), and south asians are a decently big minority in the UK. I guess it could be kind of a stretch to say Hop and Leon are Indian - they probably are just tan skinned purple hair guys, but I always found it interesting.

[@Daisythepage]

5:58 I like the redesign more because her pose just feels less static ig? At least to me. I love her design tho she’s so pretty! Her hair is so cool and it goes super well with the rest of her outfit. (Talking about both the style and the color, love unnatural hair colors in media. Also her redesign pose is nice!)

[@Daisythepage]

7:22 i love big baggy pants Idk they’re fun to wear :3

[@Daisythepage]

11:49 fr my lesbian awakening Love her sm

[@tomdaturtle5792]

In Xenoblade 1 and 2, we learn about the races and the war between them. 1 has Homs, High Entia, Mechon, and Machina. 2 has Humans, Urayans, Ardanians, Gormotti, Indoline, Blades, Flesh Eaters, Blade Eaters, and probably some I forgot. In Xenoblade 3, all the races from both games meet, and I think they mention race ONCE. They never cared about it! It was just meant to be a fun easter egg to us, while all the characters didn't care. The only thing that mattered were side of the war you were born on, and the entire game is about dismantling that system. Just figured I'd shout out my favorite games ever!

[@myheartismadeofstars]

Not black myself but I honestly had a HUGE crush on Lenora, lmao. I thought she was beautiful and smart and she has this "no nonsense" vibe that I loved. I also originally thought she was a bigger woman and possibly a MILF, which is something pokemon had never done before! Marshall isn't my fave, but I can respect him as a design at least. I do think that Iris is black, personally. But I think she's a Johto Born and raised character of African Equivalent Descent. She's got no personal cultural ties to that region (or regions) but some might. just like Fantina, who is Kalosian (in English anyway) but lives in Sinnoh, and retains a lot of Kalos culture. I like Grant, I think he's a good looking dude. I agree he's a bit weak, but I like him. (I personally always thought Olympia was black too, but I understand you not agreeing) I actually didn't know Kiawe's dad was black! Then again, I'm pretty much game-only. But awesome! Black Hawaiian rep! Olivia is amazing! Don't have much else to say about her. I love her. Nessa is spectactular like you said. Personally I see Raihan as of Indian heritage? But nothing that says he can't be black too! But I DO see Leon and Hop as being Paldean-Afro Galarian Heritage. (Paldean dad, Black Galarian Mom. Paldean because their themes have spanish sounding music in them)

[@sedmikrasky.]

For the purple hair thing Soma (the guy you showed) is cannonically from Bengal and culturally hindu, most other characters with that combination and an stated ethnicity are usually Indian or otherwise vaguelly described to be from som part of southern asia, with the case of characters like very obviously Anthy and Akio from Revolutionary Girl Utena who have no explicitly stated nationally or ethnicity being heavily coded with things like being drawn with bindis in this case or clothes vaguely resembling saris in others, so it is pretty safe to assume they use the combination of dark skin + purple hair as kind of shorthand for either Indian descent or the general region of southasia including India. I believe they use purple because they need to portray dark hair but if it is not an anime with somewhat realistic hair colors it may look "boring" besides all the people with flashy hair and clash badly and other shades like dark blue are already associated with a certain archetype of character that is usually japanese so they mostly stick to purple. (There is also a weird trend of orientalism and sexualization of those characters so in some cases the purple hair may play into the perceived "exociticism" of them in a way that natural colors or those associated with more subded and/or japanese people cant but others are just part of the archetype at this point)

[@Blue_XIII]

So what you're telling me is if Olivia is a baddie, then Nessa is a straight up villainess? If so, I absolutely agree. The artists and designers always do a fantastic job

[@kayagorzan]

Ngl I like Olivia more, but both are still great designs

[@Engardian]

I never really got the Nessa hype, TBH. It might be because of the Galarian Gym Leaders don’t get super unique outfits. Shelly, on the other hand…Shelly I would die for.

[@Blue_XIII]

@@Engardian that's fair. I'm not too keen on them all wearing the uniforms as their default look either

[@keithrice39]

The dark skin characters usually fall into two broad categories. If they're generally more asian (Brock) they're probably based off dark skin Filipinos. It turns out melanin just basically boils down to 'spend a few generations near the equator where it's sunny and your skin goes dark. If they're fluid and dance oriented like Iris, 95%+ they're based on Brazilians. Why Brazil in particular? Long story. Japan and Brazil have a strong cultural exchange connection - not quite as strong as Canada/France, but same idea of two countries with strong cultural exchange.

[@PuffPuffPomf]

This was my first time watching one of this guy’s videos and I gotta say I just am really loving the chill and overall fun energy :)

[@cmantheboi2745]

Good video. Also you forgot a Black character from the crown Tundra DLC in SW/SH

[@bg_qlf4161]

Y'all in the comment section trying to erase black people is crazy. It's like when some said Kumo ninjas in Naruto are Indian when Kishimoto clearly made them black

[@symbiote3220]

Why is it when white people deal with “youre wacist” accusations we get ^ in multitudes…

[@BowNow]

I've always interpreted Nessa as being of South Asian descent (Pakistani/Indian/Sri Lankan/etc) and Raihan as South Asian/Arabic since the UK has quite large South Asian and Middle Eastern communities. And I don't know why, but always saw Leon and Hop as being mixed race? No basis for this, just my head canon.

[@itsnatemate7697]

As hard as I try to see it Nessa is one of the only characters you can’t convince me she’s not black. But Raihan I agree. The name is Indian so I always assumed he was South Asian

[@iBloodxHunter]

Straight up Iranian.

[@visioday1814]

@@itsnatemate7697 or he could be…Somali? Somalis are also a big ethnic group in the UK

[@shizachan8421]

I kinda imagine Leon and Hop as indian or pakistani

[@shizachan8421]

@@hexstrr Tbh, while I think he may be arabic, I wouldn't go by name in this regard, as all the pokemon have localized names and originally have japanese names, no matter their ethnic identity. In his case its actually pretty well done, his original name is Kibana which is derived from the japanese name of the common laburnum but acoustically also contains the word Kiba, which means fang and is a nice play on him being a dragon type trainer, while his western localized names keep the flower reference in a way that they contain references to royalty, Raihan also being translated into basil which is considered a royal herb, while many other localizations name him Roy, which can be translated into King, possibly referencing his status as the Leons rival and the strongest gym leader, making him the "King" of Galars gym leaders.

[@000Dragon50000]

The Unova games are my absolute favourites. There was actual ambition in the story, while it never went beyond it's strictly linear predecessors, it still tried to put far more into that line than any game before or since ever has.

[@renatoazevedo8236]

Just a detail, but Iris is more coded as a Native Girl (dragon village in anime try to make this more) just like alder os also coded as Native, this is the reason os Iris having dark skin

[@Lumberjack_king]

I mean it’s a Japanese series so it’s impressive that it has any black characters

[@WizardFYB]

Man said gen 5 his least favorite. Opinion invalidated.

[@ozymandas4746]

Love the way you break this stuff down and talk about it. New sub and I've been showing you around, love the content, I'll be sticking around.

[@sebastianbourgeois6470]

Dawg your opinion on Pokémon games are actually some of the best I have ever heard

[@sapphis_lazuli]

i never liked pokemon as a kid, but my little brother introduced me to the sun/moon anime and i LOVED IT. (still some of my fav characters to this day!) immediately noticed how diverse the characters are and as a kid who never thought abt diversity so much, that says something. it's also funny to me that they have a range of diversity from kiawe to. lusamine. what did they smoke when they were designing gen 7 i gotta know

[@kylerwilson8850]

LOVE these videos. went a subscribed and check out the back catalogue. solid channel bro

[@zrulliya7874]

I’m pretty sure nessa, raihan, hop and Leon are of Indian descent because of the connections England and India had when India was under British rule

[@den4199]

wait till you discover british east africa

[@zrulliya7874]

@@den4199 I’m sure Indians are the ones with names like Nessa and Raihan.

[@GreakyGeek]

iris has more black hair texture than the other trainers claimed to be black in this video tho, like nessa and olivia. iris is and always will be the biggest piece of black inspiration to me. the circumstances of her original region and upbringing dont really matter because like he said, pokemon characters identify with the region not the skin color. it seems to me that he personally has some idea about darkskin characters specifically when they have purple hair that makes them not black, as if theyre only not black to him because their hair is purple, so i wouldn't rly credit those opinions he has lol. btw, yoruichi is afro-brazilian, so yes, she's black lol.

[@FreelanceGenie]

I agree with everything you said pretty much. Nessa has a braid in her STRAIGHT black hair, so she's "obviously" Black, but Iris with her poofy dark purple hair isn't? That said, where did you hear Yoruichi is Afro-Brazilian? That doesn't seem possible for Yoruichi. Was there an interview with Kubo or something?

[@itsnatemate7697]

That his definitely not Afrocentric hair. Especially since it doesn’t go in that shape. I think she’s just either South Asian or Indigenous

[@MelchVagquest]

This gives me the same feeling as when people confuse gyaru women as black in anime

[@altu8590]

When bro said that he didn't like gen 5, bro summoned an entire army and it is out to get em.

[@RobynAnarchist]

Man Lenora is so dope, she's like one of my all time favourite gym leaders. Legitimately tough, great gym aesthetic vibe, cool character design - also Nacrene City is a really nicely designed city. Big fan

[@x0habiib0x]

I never played XY…so this is the first time I’m seeing Grant and he’s an attractive sprite