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This page applies to Pokémon in general. For Fridges under a specific game or medium, go to the following:

Main Games

Spinoff Games

Other Media

Pokémon (Individual species)

Others

Pokémon Species in General

Moves

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General

Pretty much everything about the premise of Pokémon is horrific. The whole story is about enslaving sentient creatures and forcing them to take part in gladiatorial contests for our entertainment. The fact that some of them do get eaten adds to the fridge horror, but honestly there is nothing really nice about that society... Not really, seeing as they are sentient creatures quite capable of (and not necessarily averse to) killing humans. They are not being enslaved and they obey their Trainers by choice. Only a few humans treat them as slaves, but those are usually the villains. Evident by the fact that they do disobey Trainers who haven't proved themselves worthy, collecting gym badges for example. But even then they're usually more apathetic and grouchy rather than turn on their Trainers. Pokémon have free will but choose to serve Trainers they respect. Think of it more like wrestling... with elemental powers. At least in the games the Pokémon actually get happier if you battle so... they enjoy it?? Note that Pokémon are G-Rated blood knights. The core fridge horror of all Pokémon games, white-washed for the sake of being kid-friendly, is that Pokémon can and do attack people who are not Trainers. With potentially terrible results. They are Pocket MONSTERS, after all. Remember back in Gen I, when Oak comes rushing in when you try to venture into the grass? Does that not come off like an adult trying to stop a kid from sticking a fork in a wall socket? Pokémon basically has a version of the Yu-Gi-Oh problem; the franchise generally lacks the worldbuilding to incorporate the idea that these monsters can and do cause effects in the world they live in. Pokémon have incredibly violent powers that are primarily designed to cause damage, so we could argue that (leading back into Brilliance above), the League and Trainers exist to prevent Pokémon from causing too much damage to themselves or the environment around them. Also, the only enslavement argument really valid is in the use of the Master Ball, which automatically forces a capture (note: we never really learn the nature of the conversation between Giovanni and the Silph Chief; was it a contract dispute that Giovanni was trying to settle with a show of force?), and you could possibly make an argument even for that (if you felt ballsy enough) as a weapon of last-resort. One issue is that Pokémon almost always require fighting in order to catch. These things will fight to stay free until they fall unconscious, yet after they are captured they suddenly out of the blue are more than willing to do what the Trainer says 9 times out of 10. True, some Pokémon refuse to obey their Trainers, but they don't attempt to escape again. The whole thing definitely sounds like brainwashing or Stockholm Syndrome or something along those lines.

Long ago, when Sinnoh had just been made, Pokémon and humans led separate lives.

Pokémon are creatures with dangerous powers, and their Trainers are usually children. What happens if a Pokémon doesn't like its Trainer and turns those powers on it? Incinerated, crushed, stabbed, drowned... If the anime is anything to go by, Pokémon attacks seem to be very painful, but not that harmful. Plenty of characters have been shown to be attacked and while they didn't enjoy it and came out hurt, they all survived it with no long-term injury. The games also never really mention cases about Pokémon or humans killed by Pokémon, injuries do happen though. It is also entirely possible that the humans on that particular world are made of much tougher stuff than their real world counterpart. House cats generally have same behavior as tigers, but they are not considered harmful simply because they can't seriously hurt humans.

Some Pokédex entries, especially in earlier games, are hilariously specific ("It happened one morning - a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra"). Likewise, almost every game contains legendary Pokémon that have very dramatic backstories that imply only one of their kind has ever existed. Yet through trading with real-world friends, you can build a whole team of them.

Arguably, the entire concept of the games (and the anime by extension) runs on this. Think about it a bit. It should be noted that, while some fridge horror aspects have until now been justified by rather sparse references or Word of God (the fifth-gen games explore more of these issues), it doesn't deter players from actively taking part in this phenomenon, maybe even without realizing it. These aspects are actually explored by the Shin Megami Tensei series. In fact, it deconstructed the concept of Mons 10 YEARS before Pokémon codified it.

Catch a common Pokémon (a Rattata, for example) and train it in that same area against others of its kind. Chances are, you're PITTING YOUR POKEMON AGAINST ITS FAMILY AS THEY TRY TO STOP YOU FROM CATCHING THEIR LOVED ONE!!!! Considering that animals have been known to attack one another in the wild for territorial reasons, and that it's not unusual for certain species to eat each one another via cannibalism, I don't think most Pokémon would be too concerned if another one of their own species or family member attacked one another. They'd be more inclined to attack to protect their territory than to save a loved one. Plus, it's implied in the games that being captured by a worthy Trainer is a sign of honor and respect among Pokémon. Another fridge horror idea. Wild Pokemon gotta breed and have families too. Capture a Pokemon and then take it off to help you win battles. You may have taken a baby away from their parents or a parent away from their mate and children. ''And they may never see each other again.'' Actually wild Pokémon apparently hate Pokémon with Trainers, as seen in the first episode of the anime. Anime =/= Games Actually, Dr. Footstep in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum will, at a certain friendship level, mention your Pokémon saying this note This is specifically by the "tough" Pokémon "Some wild Pokémon frown upon others for traveling with humans. They jeer that the caught Pokémon have "forgotten the wild." But that view is mistaken. They have just never met a Trainer who could be a great partner. A great partner like [Player Name Here], in other words..." which lends some credence to the "wild Pokémon dislike Pokémon with Trainers"-theory from the anime.

At 10 years old in the Pokemon universe, you are legally an adult, with everything that entails. Now imagine a world where naive 10-year-olds meet up with people much older and more...experienced than they are. You see where I'm going with this? This appears to be disturbingly confirmed in some of the games. Just read a few of the examples on the Radar page.

In a World... where even stepping into the tall grass is dangerous (and therefore highly discouraged without being accompanied by at least one Pokemon), EMS doesn't seem to exist. Even in a major city like Viridian. To put it in perspective: imagine that you get to the Pokemon gym of a major city, and as you walk in, you find seven people sprawled out on the floor. You don't know why they are there, or what caused it, or if whoever or whatever caused it is still there to potentially harm you. You can't tell just by looking if any of these people are breathing or have a pulse. (And you're not skilled or trained in first aid (beyond, say, applying a bandage), so you have no idea how to check for a pulse, for example, much less perform CPR.) Despite the fact that you have the ability to video-chat with your mom, turn living creatures into light energy to be stored in a tiny ball, and send said balls to the professor or a Pokemon Center remotely, you don't have a cell phone to call for help even if it does exist, and Arceus knows where the nearest Pay Phone is. And that's just in a major city; imagine how much worse this already terrible situation would be if you happen to be out in the wilderness, many kilometers away from the nearest town or city? How many people have died because they couldn't get emergency help for themselves or their Pokemon?

That is not to say they did not help each other. No, indeed they did.They supplied each other with goods, and supported each other.A Pokémon proposed to the others to always be ready to help humans.It asked that Pokémon be ready to appear before humans always.Thus, to this day, Pokémon appear to us if we venture into tall grass. This entry can be found in the Canalave Library, and explains the whole thing. They appear out of kindness.