The Theology Of … Pokémon

The Theology Of … is a series in which we tell parents about the overt or subtle spiritual worlds of various popular media. Each article will explain the theological landscape of a relevant series, and when appropriate, we’ll provide ways for parents to use said content as a way to teach their child about Christian theology.

Introduction to the Franchise

Gotta catch ‘em all.

Well…maybe. Catching every Pokémon is quite the difficult task, and it’s made even more difficult because some of those Pokemon are designed as literal gods. That’s a tall order for a protagonist who isn’t even in his teens.

Of course, when the permanently 10-year-old Ash Ketchum first appeared on televisions around the world in 1997, catching all of “‘em” sounded much more manageable. When Ash first set off into the world of Pokémon with dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master, there were only 151 Pokémon around to catch. (Well, 152, if you count the early appearance of the Second Generation Ho-oh.) As of time of posting, there’s more than 1,000.

There’s no doubt that Pokémon has captured the hearts of many. Its 1,200-episode series (and counting), 24 movies and more than 100 video games can testify to that fact. And even if you’ve never played a game or watched an episode of Pokémon, you’re still probably familiar with a certain yellow electric mouse.

But just as some Pokémon like Pikachu accrue greater popularity than others, so it is that not all Pokémon are created equal in power or stature, either. As Pokémon’s roster has grown, the variety of these “pocket monsters” have grown as well—expanding well beyond the occasional ghost or rock monster. Nowadays, where one Pokémon stands as a literal personification of a god, another is a literal bag of trash (sorry, Trubbish).

And with its ever-growing roster comes a monumental amount of spiritual lore—so much, in fact, that we’ve chosen to cover Pokémon as our next entry into our growing Theology Of … series. Below, we’ll unpack Pokémon’s creation narrative, discuss some people or things of particular importance to the series and introduce you to some of the show’s most notable spiritual themes. Then, we’ll help you think about how those themes either connect or contrast with the Gospel. . And, remember, for reviews of specific Pokémon games, you can search Plugged In’s video game section. We might not have ‘em all, but we have a lot.

So, without further ado, let’s grab a Poké Ball and learn how to capture and teach some of these spiritual themes.

Overarching Spiritual Worldview

In Pokémon, the creation narrative starts with a void of nothingness. And from that void (according to the narrative) came an egg of light, one that hatched to reveal Arceus, a giant white deer-like being. Arceus created the universe, and it made three legendary Pokémon to help it do so. These Pokémon are Palkia, Dialga and Giratina, who were given control over Space, Time and Antimatter, respectively. However, Giratina (Pokémon’s unofficial version of Satan) was banished to another realm when Arceus saw its evil nature.

Other legendary Pokémon were soon created, and they in turn helped make things like the sun, moon and planets. Other legendary Pokémon—Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie—were created as the embodiments of willpower, emotion and knowledge, respectively. Because these three were made, the path was set for life to form—namely, humans and the more common Pokémon. Over time, humans learned how to capture and train Pokémon, logging the creatures’ abilities into reference material such as the Pokédex. And in modern times, it is common to see Pokémon engaged in contests and battles, trained by their human trainers.

Glossary of Important Characters/Topics

Ash Ketchum – Ash is the central protagonist for the vast majority of Pokémon products (especially in TV and movie releases, which we’ll pay special attention to here).The 10-year-old Ash desires to become a Pokémon Master, though the title is rather vague. Ash treats Pokémon with kindness, and he is quick to protect or help any Pokémon in need. Because of this, Ash makes many human and Pokémon friends throughout his journeys. These journeys often include engaging in Pokémon battles in tournaments or defeating villainous teams with nefarious motives. Though Ash catches and uses a lot of different Pokémon, his first Pokémon (and the one to whom he is closest) is Pikachu.

Pikachu – Pikachu is a Pokémon who resembles a yellow rat with a lightning-bolt tail and is capable of attacking with electricity. Pikachu is Ash’s first Pokémon, and the two form a deep bond throughout the course of their travels, often risking their lives for each other.

Jessie, James and Meowth – Jessie and James are two grunt members of Team Rocket, a villainous group of people who want to steal, sell and exploit Pokémon for profit. Just as Ash has Pikachu, the duo’s main Pokémon is Meowth, a talking cat-like Pokémon. In the TV series and elsewhere, they frequently attempt to steal Ash’s Pikachu, and they almost always have their plans foiled. Typically, they’re dealt with in some sort of way that causes them to go flying off into the sky before returning again later.

Villainous Teams – And speaking of villainous teams, there’s actually quite a lot of them. In most of the video games, the player will likely have to take down one of these teams as the central antagonistic group as they attempt to accomplish a nefarious goal. Other than the aforementioned Team Rocket, these teams are:

• Team Magma (appearing in games Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), who desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Groudon in order to expand the landmass of the region through its volcanic powers.
• Team Aqua (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire),who serve as the foil to Team Magma. They desire to wake up the legendary Pokémon Kyogre to use its water abilities to sink a lot of land and expand the oceans.
• Team Galactic (Diamond, Pearl and Platinum), who desire to use the space-time powers of Palkia and Dialga to recreate the universe.
• Team Plasma (Black, White, Black 2 and White 2), who believe that Pokémon should be liberated from trainers, even through theft. Later, a schism forms in the group, with the latter group desiring to freeze the region to take all the Pokémon for themselves and rule the land.
• Team Flare (X and Y), who desires to use something called the Ultimate Weapon to “obliterate all life except themselves and start anew.”
• Team Skull (Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who are more of a nuisance than a threat as thugs who just want to make money, sometimes through stealing Pokémon.
• Team Rainbow Rocket (Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), who desire to use a specific type of Pokémon called Ultra Beasts to take over the world. This team is made up of the leaders of the other villainous teams from alternate universes where they succeeded in their goals.
• Team Yell (Sword and Shield), who are simply overzealous fans of a rival Pokémon trainer.
• Team Star (Scarlet and Violet), who are university students who bully other students.

Legendary Pokémon – Legendary Pokémon are Pokémon that are “generally featured prominently in the legends and myths of the Pokémon world, with some even going so far as to view them as deities,” according to Bulbapedia, a community-driven Pokémon information site. While most of these Pokémon have immense power, not all of them have power directly related to spiritual concepts. However, some of the more notable legendary Pokémon who are related to spiritual concepts are listed below:

• Arceus and Giratina – Arceus is said to have created the universe, while Giratina stands as Pokémon’s unofficial personification of the devil.
• Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie – these three represent the “spirit of all consciousness,” that being willpower, emotion and knowledge.
• Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres – these three elemental birds are based on mythological birds—the thunderbird, simurgh and phoenix, respectively.
• Lugia and Ho-oh – these two creatures are based on the Shinto god Ryujin and the Chinese phoenix, respectively.
• Cesselia and Enamorus – Cessalia is said to be a sign of hope and good dreams, and a Pokédex entry in Pokémon Legends: Arceus states that it “resembles the heavenly maiden who created the Milky Way. Meanwhile, Enamorus is based on Ugajin, a harvest and fertility god in Japanese mythology.
• Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus – this trio is based on the Shinto spirits Füjin, Raijin and Inari, the gods of wind, lightning and fertility, respectively.
• Zekrom and Reshiram – these two Pokémon represent the concepts of Yin and Yang.
• Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde – while official Pokémon sources don’t say what inspired these Pokémon, many fans believe them to be based on Norse mythology. Regardless, Xerneas and Yveltal respectively represent life and destruction, while Zygarde “monitors the ecosystem,” balancing life and death.
• Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini – these four are based on Hawaiian gods.

Other Spiritual Elements – Some major spiritual elements furthermore take place outside of the aforementioned legendary Pokémon. These include:

• Resurrection – Some characters, including Ash, have died and been brought back to life through various means (including through the tears of Pokémon). Likewise, the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh has resurrected Pokémon before.
• Possession – Ghost Pokémon exist in the game, and many of them can haunt or possess people. In one reviewed episode of the series, Ash is possessed by a ghost Pokémon. Likewise, it is canon to Pokémon that people have souls.
• Aura and Oneness – Aura, or spiritual energy, is present in Pokémon, and some Pokémon are able to channel their aura into power. Likewise, we’ve previously noted how some messages regarding “becoming one with Pokémon” are present in the anime.
• Bond Phenomenon – This occurs “when the trust between the Trainer and the Pokémon reaches maximum,” and the Pokémon gets a lot stronger as a result, according to Bulbapedia. The trainer will feel the pain the Pokémon feels while in battle, and he or she can share the Pokémon’s point of view.
• Ghost, Psychic and Dark types of pokemon – Various Pokémon fall into the category of Ghost, Psychic and Dark (the last of the three literally translates as ‘Evil’) Pokémon. This last classification does not, actually, mean that these Dark Pokémon are inherently evil: Canonically, such temperament is based on the trainer’s methods of bonding with the creatures. However, these types are more likely to do supernatural things (ghost and psychic) or do nefarious things (ghost and dark).

Religion – Some of the Pokémon are canonically worshiped or revered as deities. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, two groups of people argue over whether Palkia or Dialga is the supreme god (with neither group realizing that Arceus is the canonical god). In the games Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, a people called the Draconids worshipped the legendary Pokémon Rayquaza, and it responded to their prayers at one point. Other Pokémon, like Enamorus, Reshiram and Zekrom are said to have worshippers. Various shrines have been built to other Pokémon, too.

Connecting, And Contrasting, the Gospel

As Pokémon has expanded its roster, it’s also created some spiritual questions for families to ponder. Below, we’ve listed a few topics that you can use to link Pokémon to Christianity.

Intentional God – According to Pokémon lore, Arceus had a beginning, and he created other Pokémon in order to help him create the universe. This starkly contrasts with biblical Christianity. God has no beginning nor end (Isaiah 40:28, John 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:17). Likewise, God did not make other “gods” in order to assist Him in the creation of the world—He was intentionally involved in it, down to the last molecule (Job 38:4-7, John 1:1-5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Revelation 4:11). Our God is one who is intentional, so intentional that He, who created all things, even cares for us (Psalm 8:3-9). And His love for us is such that the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily died in our place to satisfy the wrath of God against our sins—that while we were still enemies of God, He loved and redeemed us (John 3:16, Romans 5:8-11, 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

No Greater Love – Throughout the anime, Ash and Pikachu have an extremely strong relationship. In fact, Ash has frequently risked his life to save Pikachu from dying or being seriously hurt. Jesus tells His disciples that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). And earlier, Jesus confirmed that He would voluntarily lay down His life for His people, thereby proving His love for sinners (John 10:7-18, Romans 5:8). All those who are in Christ are reconciled to God and are made righteous by His blood. Christians no longer need to fear death, as they, like Christ, will be raised with Him into eternal life (Isaiah 53:10-12, Ephesians 1:7-14, 1 Corinthians 15).

Good Versus Evil – Ash (and, in the video games, the player character) battles against various villainous organizations that hurt people and Pokémon to achieve their goals. Clear villains are often depicted in Pokémon, and their deeds are likewise seen as evil. And the spiritual reality in our world is that, according to God’s holy standard of what is good, we are evil, too (Genesis 6:5 and 8:21, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Mark 7:21-23, Ephesians 2:3). Because our God loves goodness and justice, He would be perfectly righteous to condemn us for the wicked deeds we have done. But our God is also merciful, which is why He has provided Jesus Christ as a substitutionary sacrifice in our place who takes the payment for our sins and, with His righteousness, sets us free from sin and death (Ephesians 1:3-6 and 2:12-13, Colossians 1:21-23, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 15-16).

Conclusion

We hope that this serves as a helpful primer for parents looking to understand the spirituality presented in Pokémon so that you can be equipped with the knowledge you need to lead into a gospel conversation or to decide whether the franchise is for you.