Watched a couple of episodes today and the first movie and starting wondering on this. I don't wanna include the manga because how deadly it looks and only played like blue and Y.

So the poke clinics are free and seem to act as maybe a shelter. Don't know on food because I guess some pokemon can make it thinking milktank or shuckle.

There are police that seem to do something. And of course team rocket means there is organized crime in that world.

I think there are mayors and money. No idea if any central government, maybe the elite four of each region but I've no idea.

Anyway thoughts and discussion please.

  • JohnBrownsBooty [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Economy is based on enslaving sentient beings through technology and making them fight. There is wealth and poverty. Team Rocket is constantly hungry but unable to access food, so we can infer essential goods aren't free.

    Afraid you're looking at a neo-fascism there.

    • Wmill [he/him,use name]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      Hard to argue on the first point need time but for the second point agree. Jessie and Brock's backstory show little support growing up. With Team Rocket have their reasons for being in team rocket. Jessie being like her mom, James escaping his abusive home life, Meowth not knowing anything else. I really don't know about food though. Like they have a bunch of money for devices but none for food. Maybe it could be argued they blown their food budget or whatever food available is rationed. Thinking Cuba where food given on rations that last for so long. All this speculation though. Maybe the poke center has free food but with them being criminals they can't exactly access it but just speculation.

  • MichoganGayFrog [they/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    I can't find it anymore but someone made a YouTube video about it. The conclusion was that it was a weirdly ancap/crypto fascist system run by the Pokemon League

    • Wmill [he/him,use name]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      I want this to be true. Earlier episodes do seem to have poverty. Remember Jessie's backstory or Brock with having to take care of his siblings by himself. Also James family loaded so rich people.

  • thelastaxolotl [he/him]M
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    ok so you are right about team rocket, the hoenn has a bunch of eco-terrorists like team aqua and team magma, team galactic is an end of the world cult, team plasma is a radical pokemon rights activists that splits in the 2° game and becomes a fascist cell, team flare is a eco-fascist terrorist group, and team skull is just a gang

    • Wmill [he/him,use name]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      Yeah the teams are there own thing with goals and everything but more like the underbelly. I don't know but I think they maybe stay to their own turf so as not to compete I guess with exception when they try world domination or other global encompassing things.

      • thelastaxolotl [he/him]M
        ·
        3 years ago

        i think the only ones that engage with each other is Rocket and Skull because they are both crime related, but the others have little in common

        • Wmill [he/him,use name]
          hexagon
          ·
          3 years ago

          True I admit I haven't watched all the anime or played all the games but I can imagine maybe for sake of writing only one organization per region. On a realistic side maybe they know of each other but don't want to fight.

          • thelastaxolotl [he/him]M
            ·
            3 years ago

            all the organizations are kinda far away from each other, except Rocket, magma, aqua and galactic, they all live in pokemons japan, so maybe rocket interacts with the other 3, but probably not much since they arent rival yakuzas

            • Wmill [he/him,use name]
              hexagon
              ·
              3 years ago

              Yeah you're right. Still raises the question of economics like how are magma, aqua and galactic are funded. They not crime based but still need money.

              • thelastaxolotl [he/him]M
                ·
                3 years ago

                team Aqua are shown as pirates and team magma are scientists, so maybe their funding comes from that, team galactic is a literal cult so they probably get their funding from their followers

  • Quimby [any, any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Pokémon anime world is basically FALGSC. I would live in that world in a heartbeat.

  • Waldoz53 [he/him, any]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    if you include animated movies, in the first movie (i think) when jesse and james disguise themselves as vikings to take ash and the group to mewtwo's island, ash says "I thought vikings came from minnesota". is he dumb? or is he just making a joke referencing the minnesota vikings american football team? even if he's making a joke, how does he know of minnesota?? does that mean the NFL, minnesota (and america??) exist in the anime world of pokemon? i think because even the first games call the gym leader Lt. Surge the Lightning American, does that mean america exists in the games too? does that mean Lt Surge is a former war criminal exiled to kanto?

    • Wmill [he/him,use name]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      The Vikings one was a 4kids joke but yeah, real world references tend to leave me confused to. Like I forget the pokedex info but one mentions elephants. If it included Pokemon at the end of elephant fine but real life makes me confused.