I first saw this episode when I was in middle school, and to this day I still think it’s one of the dumber examples of localization I’ve ever seen.

Honestly, when you actually show a character scooping rice to form a triangular nigiri, it’s kind of hard to play off said rice ball as donut, no matter how much enthusiasm is vested in declaring it so.

The weird part, at least to my half Asian brain, is the fact that rice balls don’t seem at all like something that would scare or confuse an American child.

Sure, not all Americans grow up with rice in the house, let alone rice balls, but when it comes right down to it, there’s plenty of weirder foods out there, particularly when it comes to Japanese dining.

Y’know, pickled shit and the like….

The sad part in all this though, is that I’ve heard that 4Kids Entertainment has since gone on to actually physically edit out the presence of rice balls in later Pokemon episodes, (the ones that came out long after I stopped caring) drawing over the animation cells with sandwiches and other “less threatening” foods.

Take a look at this:

White people be craaaaaaaaazy…