History AmericansHateTingle / Pokemon

* A general rule is that any mon, whose role is primarily staying in their base form and being cute, is more popular in Japan than in the West, per Japan's preference for cute mons over badass ones. The mons that manage to avoid this fate in the West tend to mostly be Ash's, as Western fans will generally appreciate a cute mon that is able to hold its own in battles. However, they retain a certain stigma (which is part of the reason Pikachu, while cute and undeniably badass, is generally less popular than Charizard, Greninja, and Infernape regarding topics of Ash's ace Pokemon).

* Showcases are much more divisive internationally than they are in Japan. They're heavily based on the IdolSinger industry, which is popular in Japan. However, outside of Japan, people have more mixed reactions to idols (think about the amount of bile that Music/MileyCyrus or Music/JustinBieber get, and you'll get the idea). Many fans find Showcases boring, too similar to Contests, or think Serena should have gotten a more tomboyish goal such as Rhyhorn racing or battling (especially since most people watch [[JustHereForGodzilla for the Pokemon battles]]).

* One aspect of ''BW'' that was met negatively by the Japanese fan base was the Team Rocket trio's retooling into serious villains, their comedic personas being undyingly popular in the East, including among their voice actors who were [[CreatorBacklash not at all fond of the change.]] In the West, while not hated outright, many fans had started to find the trio's comic relief tiresome by this point and found the newfound badassery and arc-heavy role a breath of fresh air. ''XY'' and ''XY&Z'' make at least some attempts at a compromise, sticking closer to the comedic depiction popular in the East but allowing more moments of competence and episodes of absence that was popular in the West, which continued to an even greater degree in ''Sun and Moon''.

* An offshoot of the above: while French-language ''TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}}'' TCG cards are legal throughout all of Canada in sanctioned events, they have even less pull in English Canada than they do in Quebec with their already-divisive reputation there. It's easier to find Japanese or even Chinese and Korean cards[[note]]all of which are not legal for tournament play[[/note]] in English-speaking provinces than French ones. While this normally wouldn't be too surprising, of note is that this doesn't apply to its competitor, the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOhCardGame'', where cards in French and other European languages are legal in tournaments and mixed-language decks are somewhat popular.[[note]]The most likely explanation is because of cultural cross-pollination, as English Canada shares a lot of its culture with the United States. While French ''Pokémon'' cards are legal in Canada, they are not in the US, as are any non-English cards in general; as tournament legality isn't a factor, Asian language cards are more popular in the US than non-English European language ones. However, ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' allows any Western-language TCG cards in any Western region as long as proper translations are provided, and thus decks with cards in other languages are more universally recognized.[[/note]]

* An offshoot of the above: while French-language ''TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}}'' TCG cards are legal throughout all of Canada in sanctioned events, they have even less pull in English Canada than they do in Quebec with their already-divisive reputation there. It's easier to find Japanese or even Chinese and Korean cards[[note]]all of which are not legal for tournament play[[/note]] in English-speaking provinces than French ones. While this normally wouldn't be too surprising, of note is that this doesn't apply to its competitor, the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOhCardGame'', where cards in French and other European languages are legal in tournaments and mixed-language decks are somewhat popular.[[note]]The most likely explanation is because of cultural cross-pollination, as English Canada shares a lot of its culture with the United States. While French ''Pokémon'' cards are legal in Canada, they are not in the US, as are any non-English cards in general. However, ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' allows any Western-language TCG cards in any Western region as long as proper translations are provided, and thus decks with cards in other languages are more universally recognized.[[/note]]

* Jynx was a big one. Americans disliked Jynx intensely because, while neither Game Freak nor the Pokémon Company has ever fully confirmed the true origins of its design (with it likely being styled after the {{youkai}} Yama-uba), [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign by many]], it looked like a BlackfaceStyleCaricature. Jynx's skin tone has since been retconned to purple in all new releases and even in [[UpdatedRerelease rereleases of Generation I games]]. Even after the redesign, Jynx never quite shook off the racist association, and beyond that, many people simply think its design is [[{{Gonk}} too strange to be appealing.]] The species has sometimes been compared to pop singers Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj in an insulting way.

* Lyra from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold and SoulSilver]]''. While fairly popular in her home country, many Western fans hate her for her {{Moe}} appearance (accusing it of being {{Lolicon|AndShotacon}} in the worst cases), while others hate her [[ReplacementScrappy simply for not being Kris]]. As the generations go by, the hate towards her is a lot less common than it originally was.

* ''Pokémon'' games from Gen V onward appear to be universally loved in Japan but are met with a more mixed reception in the West. This is sometimes attributed to Japanese gamers' preference for more linear and story-driven games, as the linearity and overbearing plot of later games is a common criticism in the West. In particular, ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' sold better in Japan than in North America, with the former set of games getting a "perfect" review score of 40/40 from Famitsu. ''Black'' and ''White'' are generally considered to have been VindicatedByHistory in the West since its release, with criticisms being aimed more at Gens VI and onward. This continued into the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch era; ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' received excellent reviews in Japan and the former pair won Famitsu's 2019 Game of the Year award, but were extremely controversial among Western fans for their own sets of reasons.

* ''Pokémon'' games from Gen V onward appear to be universally loved in Japan but are met with a more mixed reception in the West. This is sometimes attributed to Japanese gamers' preference for more linear and story-driven games, as the linearity and overbearing plot of later games is a common criticism in the West. In particular, ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' sold better in Japan than in North America, with the former set of games getting a "perfect" review score of 40/40 from Famitsu. ''Black'' and ''White'' are generally considered to have been VindicatedByHistory in the West since its release, with criticisms being aimed more at Gens VI and onward.

** The French translation, while absolutely beloved in its native France and Belgium for its extensive {{Woolseyism}}s (to the point that original French translator Julien Bardakoff was a prominent figure in French 20th-anniversary celebrations for the franchise), became disliked by French-speaking Quebecers when European French games started to be imported in 2010. Older fans generally grew up with the English games and a Quebec-French dub of the anime that used the English names (rather than the French names that phased them out later on), which reflects a larger cultural preference among bilingual Canadian francophones. This also led younger fans to grow up with the imported European translations, causing a generational rift and a bizarre divergence between older and newer fans, who tend to connect more with the international English- (including English Canada) and French-speaking fandoms respectively, and many older fans continue to be [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks bitter towards TPCI completely replacing their childhood translation]].

** The backlash in Latin America towards the Castilian Spanish translations is ''even worse''! While all Pokémon keep their English names in all Spanish versions of the franchise, and there was some contention over the European translation using different character and location names from the English games and Latin American anime,[[note]]some Latin American users on the now-defunct Pokéteca (the Spanish Bulbapedia) causing an uproar over the use of said Spanish names on the wiki rather than the English ones. Poketeca's successor, the Spanish Pokémon Wikia (which would later leave Wikia and settle into its own [=WikiDex=] page), eventually reached a compromise, with anime characters' names being listed as "Latin American forward slash European", while the video game characters will be referred to by their Castilian names.[[/note]] the Spanish translation is most infamous for the very Spain-specific vocabulary in the games that leads to a very silly and incomprehensible script laced with phrases that are innocent in Spain, but [[AccidentalInnuendo very vulgar]] [[ObligatorySwearing and unfitting]] in Latin America. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFjRLAQ0h4 The reaction got so bad]] that the Latin American fansite ANMTV led a campaign and petition to properly localize the ''Pokémon'' games into Latin American Spanish, which caught the attention of the Latin American Spanish anime voice actors for Ash and Brock (who narrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx6pTEMSb5k an entire video on the debacle]]) as well as Nob Ogasawara, the ''English'' translator for Generations I through IV. ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet''[[note]]which, fittingly, take place in a Spain-based region[[/note]] go out of their way to make it clear that their Spanish language option is of the European variety, and change the language label for traded Spanish Pokémon from "SPA" to "SP-EU". Along with many 2022 job postings related to Latin American localization, this suggests that The Pokémon Company International is listening to feedback and hints at an eventual Latin American Spanish language option for the series.

* [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cute Pokémon]] in general. [[http://duckyworth.deviantart.com/journal/DT-Pokemon-Giratina-and-the-Sky-Warrior-2008-383582483 Duckyworth]], while reviewing ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'', had one of his complaints be about Giratina’s lack of appearance, appearing in [[AdvertisedExtra only five of the first 43 minutes]] of the film, giving more focus to the "annoying green flower rat" [[UngratefulBastard Shaymin]] instead for most of the film. In Japan, there is a bigger focus on the lighter, cuter aspects of a franchise, whereas, in most of the merchandising and the anime, mainly cute Pokémon take up the spotlight; while [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore there is more focus on the "manlier" aspects in Western culture]]. Hence, the cuter Legendary and Mythical Pokémon tend to get a bigger focus in these films. Eevee and its evolutions are a major exception here, as they tend to be immensely popular worldwide.

* Jynx was a big one. Americans disliked Jynx intensely because, while neither Game Freak nor the Pokémon Company has ever fully confirmed the true origins of her design (with it likely being styled after the {{youkai}} Yama-uba), [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign by many]], she looked like a BlackfaceStyleCaricature. Jynx's skin tone has since been retconned to purple in all new releases and even in [[UpdatedRerelease rereleases of Generation I games]]. Even after the redesign, Jynx never quite shook off the racist association, and beyond that, many people simply think her design is [[{{Gonk}} too strange to be appealing.]] The species has sometimes been compared to pop singers Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj in an insulting way.

* Jynx was a big one. Americans disliked Jynx intensely because, while neither Game Freak nor the Pokémon Company has ever fully confirmed the true origins of her design (with it likely being styled after the {{youkai}} Yama-uba), [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign by many]], she looked like a BlackfaceStyleCaricature. Jynx's skin tone has since been retconned to purple in all future releases and even in [[UpdatedRerelease rereleases of Generation I games]]. Even after the redesign, Jynx never quite shook off the racist association, and beyond that, many people simply think her design is [[{{Gonk}} too strange to be appealing.]] Her design has often been compared to pop singers Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
* Inanimate object Pokémon are based on the Tsukumogami, {{Yokai}} that are objects possessed by kami, and are thus typical of Japanese monster designs. However, because Western mythology doesn't have comparable traditions, such Pokémon (mostly those from the fifth generation onward to [[VocalMinority a small but extremely loud fraction of]] those [[NostalgiaFilter born before 2003]]) tend to be scorned by Western fans as "lazy" or "uncreative", or at least jarring compared to the favored {{Kaiju}} or [[PopularWithFurries feline/canine]] mons. The only exceptions are Chandelure and Aegislash due to their Ghost-typing, and to a lesser extent, Klefki due to its role in the competition. Also, any object Pokémon before Generation V, such as Magnemite and Voltorb, due to NostalgiaFilter.

* Friendly rivals in later games as opposed to the more antagonistic ones like Blue or Silver. It's likely the shift in trends partially resulted from Japanese culture not looking favourably on arrogance (and indeed, many rival characters, in general, tend to have their [[DubPersonalityChange arrogance exaggerated in English localizations, including Blue Oak himself]]). However, many Western fans, especially older ones who started during the first two generations, prefer the patronizing or outright hostile nature of Blue and Silver. While some of the later rivals do have their fans, many see them overall as BadassDecay and would prefer to have once again a HateSink, which the player then puts in their place, which ''Sword and Shield'' provides with new JerkAss rival Bede. The execution and character design of said friendly rivals also play a big role in their reception.
* While Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are divisive concepts on both sides of the Pacific, the Japanese generally like them more than the Western fanbase due to their love for the idea of Pokémon {{Kaiju}} battles. The West is generally mixed due to Dynamaxing being one of the reasons for the Galar Pokédex exclusions and because the mechanic is overpowered in 6v6 singles. Fans prefer Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves because they sacrificed nothing in their respective games, and they aren't inherently broken gimmicks in singles. It is worth considering that Pokémon Showdown, the unofficial battle simulator used by Website/{{Smogon}} very popular among western competitive Pokémon battlers, does not have Japanese support, nor is there a Japanese counterpart to it. As a result, except for triple battles, Japanese online battling never went full 6v6.[[note]]Single battles have you pick 3 Pokémon of the 6 you bring while the other 3 are not used in that battle. Double battles and rotation battles have you pick 4 Pokémon with the other 2 sitting it out.[[/note]] Dynamax and Gigantamax are mechanics designed with partial-team battling in mind; the Japanese, who are used to partial-team battling, don't mind it quite as much as Western competitive battlers.

* A general rule is that any mon, whose role is primarily staying in their base form and being cute, is more popular in Japan than in the West, per Japan's preference for cute mons over badass mons. The mons that manage to avoid this fate in the West tend to mostly be Ash's, as Western fans will generally appreciate a cute mon that is able to hold its own in battles. However, they retain a certain stigma (which is part of the reason Pikachu, while cute and undeniably badass, is generally less popular than Charizard, Greninja, and Infernape regarding topics of Ash's ace Pokemon).

*** Ironically, when the successor series, ''Best Wishes'', introduced Piplup's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Oshawott, Western fans weren't nearly as spiteful. Besides the fact that he doesn't become as much of a CreatorsPet despite having a similar personality to Piplup, a lot of fans feel that Oshawott's generally less annoying has at least ''marginally'' better CharacterDevelopment, he doesn't need to show off in Contest battling, and his cuteness isn't quite as force-fed to the audience as Piplup's was.

* Latios and Latias from ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'' are pretty popular in Japan but while they have a few fans in the U.S., they are panned by critics in the region due to their high-pitched noises and hints of InterspeciesRomance between Ash and Latias (worth noting that [[AllThereInTheManual according to the games,]] they can communicate with humans, but that never comes up in the movie). The film's antagonists, Annie and Oakley, are hated by some American fans because the English dub turned them from freelancer criminals who want to take over the city of Alto Mare to members of Team Rocket who want world domination, which is seen as an unnecessary change by purists.

* [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]]. It's undoubtedly the most popular Pokémon in Japan and a huge cultural icon. But while it does have fans in the Western regions, it has a history of being shafted by people there for being one of the "[[RidiculouslyCuteCritter cutemons]]" and a symbol of the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]] and its SpotlightStealingSquad tendencies. Pikachu earned a mediocre ranking in no less than ''two'' Pokémon popularity polls hosted by American gaming websites, with almost all of the top slots being dominated by species deemed more badass, especially Charizard. Although most fans unanimously warmed up to Pikachu over time, what with it being the icon of the entire franchise, the preference for "badass" Pokémon still remains.
* [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cute Pokémon]] in general. [[http://duckyworth.deviantart.com/journal/DT-Pokemon-Giratina-and-the-Sky-Warrior-2008-383582483 Duckyworth]], while reviewing ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'', had one of his complaints be about Giratina’s lack of appearance, appearing in [[AdvertisedExtra only five of the first 43 minutes]] of the film, giving more focus to the "annoying green flower rat" [[UngratefulBastard Shaymin]] instead for most of the film. In Japan, there is a bigger focus on the lighter, cuter aspects of a franchise, whereas, in most of the merchandising and the anime, mainly cute Pokémon take up the spotlight; while [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore there is more focus on the "manlier" aspects in Western culture]]. Hence, the cuter Legendary and Mythical Pokémon tend to get a bigger focus in these films. Eevee and its evolutions are a major exception here, as they tend to be immensely popular worldwide.
* Jynx was a big one. Americans disliked Jynx intensely because, while neither Game Freak nor the Pokémon Company has ever fully confirmed the true origins of her design (with it likely being styled after the {{youkai}} Yama-uba), [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign by many]], she looked like a BlackfaceStyleCaricature. Jynx's skin tone has since been retconned to purple in all future releases and even in [[UpdatedRerelease rereleases of Generation I games]]. Even after the redesign, Jynx never quite shook off the racist association, and beyond that, many people simply think her design is [[{{Gonk}} too strange to be appealing.]] Her design has often been compared to pop singers Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
* Inanimate object Pokémon are based on the Tsukumogami, {{Yokai}} that are objects possessed by kami, and are thus typical of Japanese monster designs. However, because Western mythology doesn't have comparable traditions, such Pokémon (mostly those from the fifth generation onward to [[VocalMinority a small but extremely loud fraction of]] those [[NostalgiaFilter born before 2003]]) tend to be scorned by Western fans as "lazy" or "uncreative", or at least jarring compared to the favored {{Kaiju}} or [[PopularWithFurries feline/canine]] mons. The only exceptions are Chandelure and Aegislash due to their Ghost-typing, and to a lesser extent, Klefki due to its role in the competition. Also, any object Pokémon before Generation V, such as Magnemite and Voltorb, due to NostalgiaFilter.
* ''Pokémon'' games from Gen V onward appear to be universally loved in Japan but are met with a more mixed reception in the West. This is sometimes attributed to Japanese gamers' preference for more linear and story-driven games, as the linearity and overbearing plot of later games is a common criticism in the West. In particular, ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' sold better in Japan than in North America, with the former set of games getting a "perfect" review score of 40/40 from Famitsu. ''Black'' and ''White'' are generally considered to have been VindicatedByHistory in the West since its release, with criticisms being aimed more at Gens VI and onward.
* As of TheNewTens, ''Pokémon'' has engaged in the bizarre practice of ''eliminating'' some local language translations of the general franchise rather than creating new translations for new dialects, as many other franchises do. This is usually done to import that language's version of the games from a different country and to ensure that other media is consistent with that translation, but often provokes cries of TheyChangedItNowItSucks:

** The backlash in Latin America towards the Castilian Spanish translations is ''even worse''! While all Pokémon keep their English names in all Spanish versions of the franchise, and there was some contention over the European translation using different character and location names from the English games and Latin American anime,[[note]]some Latin American users on the now-defunct Pokéteca (the Spanish Bulbapedia) causing an uproar over the use of said Spanish names on the wiki rather than the English ones. Poketeca's successor, the Spanish Pokémon Wikia (which would later leave Wikia and settle into its own [=WikiDex=] page), eventually reached a compromise, with anime characters' names being listed as "Latin American forward slash European", while the video game characters will be referred to by their Castilian names.[[/note]] the Spanish translation is most infamous for the very Spain-specific vocabulary in the games that leads to a very silly and incomprehensible script laced with phrases that are innocent in Spain, but [[AccidentalInnuendo very vulgar]] [[ObligatorySwearing and unfitting]] in Latin America. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFjRLAQ0h4 The reaction got so bad]] that the Latin American fansite ANMTV led a campaign and petition to properly localize the ''Pokémon'' games into Latin American Spanish, which caught the attention of the Latin American Spanish anime voice actors for Ash and Brock (who narrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx6pTEMSb5k an entire video on the debacle]]) as well as Nob Ogasawara, the ''English'' translator for Generations I through IV. ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet''[[note]]which, fittingly, take place in a Spain-based region[[/note]] go out of their way to make it clear that their Spanish language option is of the European variety, and change the language label for traded Spanish Pokémon from "SPA" to "SP-EU". Along with many 2022 job postings related to Latin American localization, this suggests that The Pokémon Company International is listening to feedback and hints at an eventual Latin American Spanish language option for the series.
** The Chinese version had different names and translations for different Chinese-speaking regions (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China). When a unified Chinese translation was announced for ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' based on the Mainland translation, fans of the "de-canonized" Hong Kong and Taiwanese translations outside of Mainland China took issue. While the Quebec version of the issue went by largely unnoticed worldwide due to the small-ish French Canadian market, and the Latin American version at least kept its own anime dub and Pokémon names, the Chinese equivalent was a large enough issue to [[https://kotaku.com/hong-kong-pokemon-fans-protest-pikachus-name-change-1779471301 spark actual protests in Hong Kong]].

* Due to the popularity of sites like Smogon and Serebii.net, unofficial competitive Pokémon battling is done largely as single battling. While in Japan, there is roughly even popularity between single battling, double battling, triple battling, and rotation battling. However, this has lessened over Generation V due to Nintendo hosting numerous online competitions (with prizes) where only double battling is allowed. This has prompted many (but not most) of the formerly singles-only battlers to give double battling a chance, though good comprehensive coverage of double battling strategies is still difficult to find.

* While Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are divisive concepts on both sides of the Pacific, the Japanese generally like them more than the Western fanbase due to their love for the idea of Pokémon {{Kaiju}} battles. The West is generally mixed due to Dynamaxing being one of the reasons for the Galar Pokédex exclusions and because the mechanic is overpowered in 6v6 singles. Fans prefer Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves because they sacrificed nothing in their respective games, and they aren't inherently broken gimmicks in singles. It is worth considering that Pokémon Showdown, the unofficial battle simulator used by Website/{{Smogon}} very popular among western competitive Pokémon battlers, does not have Japanese support, nor is there a Japanese counterpart to it. As a result, except for triple battles, Japanese online battling never went full 6v6.[[note]]Single battles have you pick 3 Pokémon of the 6 you bring while the other 3 are not used in that battle. Double battles and rotation battles have you pick 4 Pokémon with the other 2 sitting it out.[[/note]] Dynamax and Gigantamax are mechanics designed with partial-team battling in mind; the Japanese, who are used to partial-team battling, don't mind it quite as much as Western competitive battlers.

* A general rule is that any mon whose role is primarily staying in their baseform and being cute is more popular in Japan than the West, per Japan's preference for cute mons over badass mons. The mons that manage to avoid this fate in the West tend to mostly be Ash's as Western fans will generally appreciate a cute mon that is able to hold their own in battles, though they do retain a certain stigma (which is part of the reason Pikachu, while cute and undeniably badass, is generally less popular than Charizard, Greninja, and Infernape in regards to topics of Ash's ace Pokemon).
** Dawn's Piplup. For Japan, it was a cute, loveable penguin that was a major Pokémon mascot for a few years. Outside America, however, Piplup is viewed as a CreatorsPet ([[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Not all Piplup]], [[BrattyHalfPint just this one in particular.]]) and received substantial criticism due to its refusal to evolve into Prinplup, a plot point that was seen as shamelessly recycled from both Ash's Pikachu's refusal to evolve into Raichu and Ash's Bulbasaur's refusal to evolve into Ivysaur, both in the original Kanto anime. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcKJYyLilIE videos like these]] seem to say otherwise, saying that it's both annoying and lovable at the same time.
*** Ironically, when the successor series, ''Best Wishes'', introduced Piplup's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Oshawott, Western fans weren't nearly as spiteful. Besides the fact that he doesn't become as much of a CreatorsPet despite having a similar personality to Piplup, a lot of fans feel that Oshawott's generally less annoying, has at least ''marginally'' better CharacterDevelopment, he doesn't need to show off in Contest battling, and his cuteness isn't quite as force-fed to the audience as Piplup's was.
** Misty's Togepi is simply disliked by many American fans, due to it sitting in Misty's arms so often that it makes it come off as honestly useless and often seen as the reason why Misty's personality was toned down. However, it's still well-regarded to nostalgic Japanese fans to this day.
* ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''[='=] AmbiguousEnding of whether it was Bianca or Latias who kissed Ash is a rather [[BrokenBase infamous debacle]] among the Western fandom, mainly due to the latter carrying {{Squick}}y implications. In Japan, however, the ending is considered much more SugarWiki/{{heartwarming|moments}}, with various references to the ending still being shown in the main series anime long after the movie's release (including during the famous KissingDiscretionShot from the end of ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY XYZ]]''). In general, ''Heroes'' has a much better reception in Japan than it does in the West, with it having won [=2nd=] place in [[https://www.nintendo-insider.com/most-memorable-pokemon-movies-as-voted-in-japan/ a Japanese poll]] for the most popular ''Pokémon'' movie, only beaten out by ''[[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie Mewtwo Strikes Back]]''.
* Manaphy from ''Anime/PokemonRangerAndTheTempleOfTheSea'' gets disliked by many American fans, due to it having tantrums without May so often, that it constantly comes off as whiny. In Japan, it's something of a fan favorite for [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter its cute design.]]
* The aforementioned Shaymin from ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'' is a RidiculouslyCuteCritter that's popular among Japanese fans. However, the West's point-of-view of it is less than admiring, as throughout the movie, Shaymin comes off as an ungrateful BrattyHalfPint (ironic, given how it's the Gratitude Pokémon).
* One aspect of ''BW'' that was met negatively by the Japanese fan base was the Team Rocket trio's retool into serious villains, their comedic personas being undyingly popular in the East, including among their voice actors who were [[CreatorBacklash not at all fond of the change.]] In the West, while not hated outright, many fans had started to find the trio's comic relief tiresome by this point and found the newfound badassery and arc heavy role a breath of fresh air. ''XY'' and ''XY&Z'' makes at least some attempts at a compromise, sticking closer to the comedic depiction popular in the East, but allowing more moments of competence and episodes of absence that was popular in the West, which continued to an even greater degree in ''Sun and Moon''.
* Virgil has notable hate in America: partly for being the essence of MerchandiseDriven, partly for being bland and undeveloped, and partly for being TheUnfought. He had all of Eevee's evolutions (to date) and an Eevee itself, for the sake of making him "unique" as a trainer, spontaneously got to be in the tournament (by coincidentally getting all the badges), had almost no interaction with the main cast (at least Cameron shared tons of scenes with Ash), had zero build-up (his introductory episode was the episode right before the tournament started), and [[spoiler:wins the tournament when his Eevee knocked out a Druddigon with a rather overpowered move.]] Meanwhile, he is an EnsembleDarkhorse in Japan who gets copious amounts of fanart and is even very frequently shipped with Bianca.
* Iris and Cilan from the ''Black & White'' series are considered highly divisive characters in the West. For Cilan, it was a cross between him being a ReplacementScrappy for Brock and his "connoisseur" plot [[WhatExactlyIsHisJob not being developed at all.]] Iris' problem was the general ambivalence[[note]]or perhaps conflicting definitions[[/note]] of [[UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} cuteness]] combined with her childish HypocriticalHumor rubbing salt into the wound that was Ash's [[TookALevelInDumbass virtual lobotomy.]] In Japan, they were very popular with the core 5 million-some audience for the show, so much so that ratings went from 3.6 for BW's finale to 5.5 for Cilan's post-series special, and Iris' special scored a 5.6 (virtually the same viewers) despite airing ''five months later.'' Much of this is explained by the fact that unlike in the West, the Japanese versions of the characters are voiced by Creator/AoiYuuki and Creator/MamoruMiyano respectively, both of whom are ''extremely'' popular voice actors over there.
* Latios and Latias from ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'' are fairly popular in Japan but while they have a few fans in the U.S., they are panned by critics in the region due to their high-pitched noises and hints of InterspeciesRomance between Ash and Latias (worth noting that [[AllThereInTheManual according to the games,]] they can communicate with humans, but that never comes up in the movie). The film's antagonists Annie and Oakley are hated by some American fans because the English dub turned them from freelancer criminals who want to take over the city of Alto Mare to members of Team Rocket who want world domination, which is seen as an unnecessary change by purists.
* Showcases are much more divisive internationally than they are in Japan. They're heavily based on the IdolSinger industry which is popular in Japan. However, outside of Japan, people have more mixed reactions to idols (think about the amount of bile that Music/MileyCyrus or Music/JustinBieber get, and you'll get the idea). Many fans find Showcases boring, too similar to Contests, or think Serena should have gotten a more tomboyish goal such as Rhyhorn racing or battling (especially since most people watch [[JustHereForGodzilla for the Pokemon battles]]).
* Many English-speaking fans loathe the anime's portrayal of Erika. Amongst the [[AdaptationalJerkass already mean]] Kanto Gym Leaders, she's infamous for how her staff denied Ash a Gym battle simply because he dislikes perfume, which made it seem like Erika was banning him from facing her for petty reasons. It's not Erika herself, as her laid-back game portrayal is popular (as is her ''Pokémon Adventures'' incarnation), but specifically the ''anime'' version. In Japan, however, the anime's Erika is popular due to her character design and her sympathetic backstory. This may be why her portrayal in ''Anime/PokemonIChooseYou'' is a TruerToTheText version of the games' portrayal, which was integrated back into the main anime for her reappearance in ''Journeys''.

* [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]]. It's undoubtedly the most popular Pokémon in Japan and a huge cultural icon. But while it does have fans in the Western regions, it has a history of being shafted by people there for being one of the "[[RidiculouslyCuteCritter cutemons]]" and a symbol of the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]] and its SpotlightStealingSquad tendencies. Pikachu earned a mediocre ranking in no less than ''two'' Pokémon popularity polls hosted by American gaming websites, with almost all of the top slots being dominated by species deemed more badass, especially Charizard. Although most fans unanimously warmed up to Pikachu over time, what with it being the icon of the entire franchise, the preference for "badass" Pokémon still remains.
* [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter Cute Pokémon]] in general. [[http://duckyworth.deviantart.com/journal/DT-Pokemon-Giratina-and-the-Sky-Warrior-2008-383582483 Duckyworth]], while reviewing ''Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior'', had one of his complaints be about Giratina’s lack of appearance, appearing in [[AdvertisedExtra only five of the first 43 minutes]] of the film, giving more focus to the "annoying green flower rat" [[UngratefulBastard Shaymin]] instead for most of the film. In Japan, there is a bigger focus on the lighter, cuter aspects of a franchise, whereas, in most of the merchandising and the anime, mainly cute Pokémon take up the spotlight; while [[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore there is more focus on the "manlier" aspects in Western culture]]. Hence, the cuter Legendary and Mythical Pokémon tend to get a bigger focus in these films. Eevee and its evolutions are a major exception here, as they tend to be immensely popular worldwide.
* Jynx was a big one. Americans disliked Jynx intensely because, while neither Game Freak nor the Pokémon Company has ever fully confirmed the true origins of her design (with it likely being styled after the {{youkai}} Yama-uba), [[UnfortunateCharacterDesign by many]], she looked like a BlackfaceStyleCaricature. Jynx's skin tone has since been retconned to purple in all future releases and even in [[UpdatedRerelease rereleases of Generation I games]]. Even after the redesign, Jynx never quite shook off the racist association, and beyond that, many people simply think her design is [[{{Gonk}} too strange to be appealing.]] Her design has often been compared to pop singers Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
* Inanimate object Pokémon are based on the Tsukumogami, {{Yokai}} that are objects possessed by kami, and are thus typical of Japanese monster designs. However, because Western mythology doesn't have comparable traditions, such Pokémon (mostly those from the fifth generation onward to [[VocalMinority a small but extremely loud fraction of]] those [[NostalgiaFilter born before 2003]]) tend to be scorned by Western fans as "lazy" or "uncreative", or at least jarring compared to the favored {{Kaiju}} or [[PopularWithFurries feline/canine]] mons. The only exceptions are Chandelure and Aegislash due to their Ghost-typing, and to a lesser extent, Klefki due to its role in the competition. Also, any object Pokémon before Generation V, such as Magnemite and Voltorb, due to NostalgiaFilter.
* ''Pokémon'' games from Gen V onward appear to be universally loved in Japan but are met with a more mixed reception in the West. This is sometimes attributed to Japanese gamers' preference for more linear and story-driven games, as the linearity and overbearing plot of later games is a common criticism in the West. In particular, ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' sold better in Japan than in North America, with the former set of games getting a "perfect" review score of 40/40 from Famitsu. ''Black'' and ''White'' are generally considered to have been VindicatedByHistory in the West since its release, with criticisms being aimed more at Gens VI and onward.
* As of TheNewTens, ''Pokémon'' has engaged in the bizarre practice of ''eliminating'' some local language translations of the general franchise rather than creating new translations for new dialects, as many other franchises do. This is usually done to import that language's version of the games from a different country and to ensure that other media is consistent with that translation, but often provokes cries of TheyChangedItNowItSucks:

** The backlash in Latin America towards the Castilian Spanish translations is ''even worse''! While all Pokémon keep their English names in all Spanish versions of the franchise, and there was some contention over the European translation using different character and location names from the English games and Latin American anime,[[note]]some Latin American users on the now-defunct Pokéteca (the Spanish Bulbapedia) causing an uproar over the use of said Spanish names on the wiki rather than the English ones. Poketeca's successor, the Spanish Pokémon Wikia (which would later leave Wikia and settle into its own [=WikiDex=] page), eventually reached a compromise, with anime characters' names being listed as "Latin American forward slash European", while the video game characters will be referred to by their Castilian names.[[/note]] the Spanish translation is most infamous for the very Spain-specific vocabulary in the games that leads to a very silly and incomprehensible script laced with phrases that are innocent in Spain, but [[AccidentalInnuendo very vulgar]] [[ObligatorySwearing and unfitting]] in Latin America. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFjRLAQ0h4 The reaction got so bad]] that the Latin American fansite ANMTV led a campaign and petition to properly localize the ''Pokémon'' games into Latin American Spanish, which caught the attention of the Latin American Spanish anime voice actors for Ash and Brock (who narrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx6pTEMSb5k an entire video on the debacle]]) as well as Nob Ogasawara, the ''English'' translator for Generations I through IV. ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet''[[note]]which, fittingly, take place in a Spain-based region[[/note]] go out of their way to make it clear that their Spanish language option is of the European variety, and change the language label for traded Spanish Pokémon from "SPA" to "SP-EU". Along with many 2022 job postings related to Latin American localization, this suggests that The Pokémon Company International is listening to feedback and hints at an eventual Latin American Spanish language option for the series.
** The Chinese version had different names and translations for different Chinese-speaking regions (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China). When a unified Chinese translation was announced for ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' based on the Mainland translation, fans of the "de-canonized" Hong Kong and Taiwanese translations outside of Mainland China took issue. While the Quebec version of the issue went by largely unnoticed worldwide due to the small-ish French Canadian market, and the Latin American version at least kept its own anime dub and Pokémon names, the Chinese equivalent was a large enough issue to [[https://kotaku.com/hong-kong-pokemon-fans-protest-pikachus-name-change-1779471301 spark actual protests in Hong Kong]].

* Lyra from ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold and SoulSilver]]''. While fairly popular in her home country, there are many Western fans who hate her for her {{Moe}} appearance (accusing it of being {{Lolicon|AndShotacon}} in the worst cases), and others who hate her [[ReplacementScrappy simply for not being Kris]]. As the generations go by, the hate towards her is a lot less common than it originally was.
* Due to the popularity of sites like Smogon and Serebii.net, unofficial competitive Pokémon battling is done largely as single battling, whereas in Japan, there is roughly even popularity between single battling, double battling, triple battling, and rotation battling. This has lessened over Generation V, however, due to Nintendo hosting numerous online competitions (with prizes) where only double battling is allowed. This has prompted many (but not most) of the formerly singles-only battlers to give double battling a chance, though good comprehensive coverage of double battling strategies is still difficult to find.
* Tierno from ''X'' and ''Y'' is fairly popular over in Japan, managing to score third place on a popularity poll. When Western fans bother to pay attention to him, it's not good. The anime does [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap a better job of showcasing him as a character]], but he isn't at the same level of popularity as he is in Japan.
* Friendly rivals in later games as opposed to the more antagonistic ones like Blue or Silver. It's likely the shift in trends partially resulted from Japanese culture not looking favourably on arrogance (and indeed, many rival characters, in general, tend to have their [[DubPersonalityChange arrogance exaggerated in English localizations, including Blue Oak himself]]). However, many Western fans, especially older ones who started during the first two generations, prefer the patronizing or outright hostile nature of Blue and Silver. While some of the later rivals do have their fans, many see them overall as BadassDecay, and would prefer to once again have a HateSink who the player then puts in their place, which ''Sword and Shield'' provides with new JerkAss rival Bede. Execution and character design of said friendly rivals also play a big role in their reception.
* While Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are divisive concepts on both sides of the Pacific, the Japanese generally like it more than the Western fanbase due to their love for the idea of Pokémon {{Kaiju}} battles. The West is generally mixed due to Dynamaxing being one of the reasons for the Galar Pokédex exclusions, and because the mechanic is overpowered in 6v6 singles; fans prefer Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves because they sacrificed nothing in their respective games, and they aren't inherently broken gimmicks in singles. Worth considering is the fact that Pokémon Showdown, the unofficial battle simulator used by Website/{{Smogon}} very popular among western competitive Pokémon battlers, does not have Japanese support nor is there a Japanese counterpart to it. As a result, except for triple battles, Japanese online battling never went full 6v6.[[note]]Single battles have you pick 3 Pokémon of the 6 you bring while the other 3 are not used in that battle. Double battles and rotation battles have you pick 4 Pokémon with the other 2 sitting it out.[[/note]] Dynamax and Gigantamax are mechanics designed with partial-team battling in mind; the Japanese, used to partial-team battling, don't mind it quite as much as Western competitive battlers.