By the time the 38th instalment of the animated children ’s seriesPokémon , orPocket Monsters , air in Japan , it was a bona fide sensation , drawingroughly 4 million viewers weekly . One survey estimated that 55 pct of schoolchildren in Tokyo ’s Kawasaki schoolhouse territorial dominion followed the series . The show — which began airing April 1 , 1997 , and focused on the dangerous undertaking of Ash and affable monster like Pikachu in their effort to collect one tool from each species to train for combat — was also a comic , a Nintendo picture biz , a trading card series , and more . The devoted fandom would soon disseminate to the United States .
But then something peculiar happened — so peculiar that it become the discipline of medical daybook research . ThePokémonepisode that aired at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday , December 16 , 1997 depicted a cataclysmic burst between thunderbolts hold by Pikachu and a “ vaccinum bomb calorimeter . ” Red and risque flash lights began to pulse onscreen . Though the sequence lasted only a few seconds , hundreds of baby were stricken by an immediate and visceral reception that ranged from headache and dizziness to full - boast seizure . Japanese hospitals found themselves treating viewers forepileptic symptoms .
This undulation of deleterious effects became international tidings . Never before had a TV program had such a unmediated and immediate health consequence on its audience . Some the great unwashed ab initio force out the whole thing as a hoax or possibly some form of mass hysterical neurosis , but the forcible reactions were genuine . What had made this installment ofPokémonso grievous — even among those viewers not name with epilepsy ? And could it fall out again ?
The potential difference for a video program to activate gaining control is rooted in how it displays light . Light display at absolute frequency between 10 and 30 hertz , or the number of wheel per secondly , isknownto induce symptom for a percentage of the population susceptible to them . The color red is also exhilarating . When light is shifting from color to black and back again , cheek cell in the brain canfireelectrical urge rapidly , leading to fit . This is often refer to asphotosensitive epilepsy , where sure visual stimulation cancausea gaining control .
As a result , there have been a smattering of program that have prompted medical concern for viewer . In 1993 , the UK had three report seizures as aresultof a commercial for pot noggin that used flicker spark , prompting the advertiser to pull it from the airwave . A 2012 animation for the Olympics also spark contrary impression for a reported 18 viewer . multitude do n’t necessarily need to have epilepsy so as to be affect ; they might have an undiagnosed condition , remaining symptom - free until viewing such footage . Others might react even in the absence seizure of epilepsy , suffering headaches or other symptoms as a result of being overlysensitiveto flickering light .
In Nipponese animation , the stroboscope effect was obviously not intended to cause distraint . Animators considered it a technique , which they dubbedpaka paka , and which was intended to pass on to the viewer a sequence of gamey intensity . In “ Denno Shenshi Porigon ” ( “ Electric Soldier Porygon ” ) , thePokémonepisode that became notorious , Pikachu ’s attempt to free a behemoth named Porygon from a digital prison results in his being attacked by figurer computer virus missiles . Throwing his bolt blast , he stop the missiles and creates apaka pakaexplosion augmented by another technique know asflash , which accent shiny and flashing lights . Theframesin the succession were alternate at 12 cycles/second — well within the windowpane to induce problems .
The conniption , which come rough 21 bit into the episode , is what actuate individuals with photosensitive epilepsy to oppose . Statistically , it made sense . It ’s believed that one in every 4000 the great unwashed are vulnerable to the condition . With 4 million people watching , 1000 of them could conceivably have been strike with symptoms . A report 618 people were hospitalized for handling . Some even hurt up in intensive care with breathing problem .
That such a sizable number were in indigence of attention did not go unnoticed , particularly since it was the result of a child ’s show . The story was cross by the late - eve newscasts in Japan , some of which inexplicably decided to air out footage of the installment , which provoke more light-sensitive reactions . By Wednesday daybreak , thePokémonincident was the talk of Japanese schoolyards , with kids being need if they had been discover down by the toon .
It take in science some fourth dimension to figure out why this chronological succession had been so particularly consequential , even among those who were n’t epileptic . As it turned out , the typical living environment in some area of Japan was partly to charge . In small living elbow room often dominated by big television blind , shaver were confronted with a predominate and waver image . Some even sat close to the screens , deepen the potentially electronegative effects of the sequence . shaver are also more susceptible to epileptic seizures , and kids werePokémon ’s target audience . Thelengthof the succession , which was roughly six seconds , and its clayey emphasis on the vividness redness may have also played a part .
Hospitals who were sent questionnaire by investigator reported that many of the children treated were not diagnosed with epilepsy , though the incident seemed to precede a diagnosis . One missive to the editorpublishedinThe New England Journal of Medicinein 2004 state that of 91 patientsevaluatedfor Pokémon - induced symptoms , 25 had another convulsion within five long time . Of 13 patients who were address and had no history of epilepsy , 10 wound up being diagnosed finally .
Animators were flummoxed . Thepaka pakaandflashsequences had been used before , though probably not in a program approach the viewership ofPokémon . police force launched an investigating to make certain Television Tokyo , the programme web , was not somehow negligent in transmit the program . They were n’t , though the consequence would be the same either way : No one would ever take the risk of air “ Denno Shenshi Porigon ” again .
The episode was pulled from the series and was never rebroadcast , economise for the news clips . The show itself was taken off the air in Japan entirely , not returning until April 1998 and carrying admonitory warning . ( WhenPokémonwas imported to America in 1999 , the sequence was predictably go out out . ) fresh program measure in Japan were implemented that mandated the color bolshy could not flash more than three metre per second , with no more than five flashes per secondment of any color , and no flash lamp more than two seconds in length .
That was n’t quite the last of seizure concerns in popular culture . In 2018 , some field put up mark cautioning viewers that flashing lights inThe Incredibles 2could be aproblemfor those with photosensitive epilepsy . Disney by and by reedited the pic in the UK so itcompliedwith the Harding Box trial , which determine standard on flash and waver rates for lightness and can reduce — though never rid of — the potential for problems . The company is also come out a word of advice for the coming December 20 release ofStar Wars Episode IX : The ascent of Skywalker , statingthe film has “ several chronological sequence ” utilize flashing lights .
owe to the proportional rareness of these event , it ’s likely productions will proceed to utilize flashing images , though producers ofPokémonwould credibly prefer to draw a blank the 1997 incident ever happened . The episode has never again been cited and the reference of Porygon vanish , spare for one momentaneous cite in Japan when Hulu keep apreviewfor the episode at the conclusion of the old installment . While it does n’t stop any of the incendiary succession , it might be the only make it footage of the day television set really was bad for youngster .
