Pokémon is really messed up

I guess the whole premise of Pokemon as creatures is that they shouldn't be thought as animals but as creatures from a fictional world who have this innate need to develop through training and fighting. Yeah, Pokemon The First Movie showed the difference between a 'healthy' sparring and clear brutality. So, if we think of them in categories of animals, then yes, this is a sick world. But if we think of them in categories of fictional creatures whose nature is to fight and develop in that way, then they're completely normal. Perspective matters much in this case.

In general, Pokemon games deal with difficult topics, usually ecological ones:

I and II generation game series dealt with mistreatment of Pokemon ecosystem through Team Rocket's dealings (Marowak's mother, Slowpoke's tails, the whole 'Pokemon are tools' rule etc.).

Generation III games dealt with ecosystem extremists. Such fun.

Sinnoh games dealt with a sense of life and how their current universe sucks.

Black and White games tackled the problem of Pokemon as slaves of Pokeballs. You could read about what they did in the games to solve that moral dilemma.

X and Y series dealt with war and hatred, what they bring, and how Pokemon were used to reach immoral aims.

Alolan games were about child abuse.

Sword and Shield dealt with thinking that we should do something about the world even though we're 1000 years far from a catastrophy.

So, the overall premise of the games is positive. Would I show Pokemon to my young kids? Not until they reached around 10-12 years, because in the end, there IS 'violence' in those games and tv series. But it's a type of violence that should be understood.

It's actaully funny, because when we used to play Pokemon in my youth, we would never think about learning violence. We loved how Ash cared about his Pokemon (Charmander's flame episodes? Hiding in a cave during a blizzard episode? Anyone?). We loved that we could train our Pokemon in games. We really cared when we had to run to a PokeCenter before our Pokemon fainted from poison! I'm talking from my informational bubble, but I've learnt to be a better adult thanks to Pokemon (games and manga mainly).

 

Ash's pokémon always seem to be happy and he rescued Charmander from an evil trainer.

 

Lmao