Anime Director Confirms Ash's Pikachu was originally meant to talk like Team Rocket's Meowth
Pikachu! That's Right!
As Ash and Pikachu’s time with the Pokémon anime comes to an end many interviews have been popping up about the iconic duo and the legacy of the series.
In an interview with Kunihiko Yuyama a long-time director of the anime it is revealed that originally they had considered having Pikachu talk like Team Rocket’s Meowth.
At first we actually toyed with the idea of having Pikachu talk just like the Rocket Gang Mewoth does…However, we talked about how it would be both more realistic and more interesting if they had to communicate non-verbally, so that’s the way it ended up.
If you’re up to date on obscure Pokémon trivia and facts this probably isn’t that surprising to you as in the days before Pokémon was a multi-billion dollar franchise the anime was offered a lot more creative freedom than it would be allowed nowadays.
It’s rare to have a Pokémon speak human language at all in the modern era unless they are a legendary Pokémon, and even then it’s usually explained as being through telepathy. Team Rocket’s Meowth has long since been a relic of an idea from the series’ inception that never went any further.
It’s fascinating to think how different the series would have gone if just this one change made it through.
About jmaldonado
A recently graduated creative writer hoping to work his way into the greater gaming sphere.
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