It’s no great secret that “Pokemon” has always been a racist and problematic series, heavily referencing slavery in its gameplay and effectively justifying it by doing so. The series involves so many problematic themes that it is difficult to comprehend how it still exists and thrives: this is truly a horrifying example of how alt-right extremism is infiltrating mainstream media.

Nintendo seems to have no qualms about having its players violently assault and capture animals, which in the first place constitutes animal abuse and encourages such behaviors in real life. Even more problematic are the many Pokemon creatures that seem to mimic human beings and specifically People of Color: a clear and disgusting endorsement of slavery, which perpetuates racism and alt-right bigotry.

Perhaps even scarier is the franchises’ close relations to the oppressive “artform” of “anime” , more accurately known as Japanese Hate Cartoons. Not only do Hate Cartoons oppress and objectify womyn through their unrealistic depictions and masculine dominance, the fact that the majority of the audience of Hate Cartoons are white Westerners: this is a blatant case of severe cultural appropriation.

However Nintendo is not satisfied with the cultural appropriation present in its “cute” and “cartoonish” artstyle: the latest game is set in a thinly-veiled metaphor for the United Kingdom, a.k.a one of the most oppressive and imperialistic nations in human history. By not only encouraging its users to appropriate foreign culture, but also promoting Western Imperialists values, Nintendo are planting the seeds of racial discrimination in their young and impressionable audience, which is strongly enhanced by the slavery-promoting gameplay.

There are countless more problematic issues that are plain to see in this unfortunately popular franchise, from the gender stereotypes present in the character creation to the objectification and attack on people of size shown in “Sword and Shield’s” new “Gigamax” pokemon, but listing those could take literal years. Clearly this is one of the most oppressive and bigoted franchises in gaming (already a very toxic environment) and the first step YOU can take in fighting back the wave of intolerance that it represents is by refusing to support “Pokemon” or Nintendo. In an ideal world of course, gaming itself would be abolished, but we must strive forwards steadily and bash the fash one step at a time.