Overview

• Nintendo of America staff deemed Pokémon too cute for U.S. audiences and pitched character redesigns during the late 1990s localization.
• In a 2000 interview, Tsunekazu Ishihara and Satoshi Tajiri recounted a ‘tabby cat with huge breasts’ version of Pikachu that was ultimately turned down.
• Fan translations of the original Japanese quotes have verified that the word “mune” in these anecdotes specifically refers to breasts.
• During a 2008 financial briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the company was also shown an extremely muscular Pikachu concept.
• Creators opted to keep Pikachu’s classic design intact, cementing its status as the face of a multi-billion-dollar franchise.