Hot Take: ‘Detective Pikachu’ is Actually About Beg Gay - INTO

Contents:

• HOT TAKE: ‘DETECTIVE PIKACHU’ IS ACTUALLY ABOUT BEG GAY
• IS PIKACHU GAY? NOT THAT WOULD BE A BAD THG.
• PIKACHU IS GAY
• THE VERY QUEER, 25-YEAR LEGACY OF ‘POKéMON’ ANTIHERO TEAM ROCKETBLASTING OFF, ONE LAST TIMETEAM ROCKET, THE LOVABLY BUMBLG BAD GUYS CHASG ASH AND PIKACHU FOR THE RTOON’S RECENTLY NCLUD N, WERE SECRETLY SOME OF THE FIRST LGBTQ CHARACTERS KIDS GREW UP WH.JAY CASTELLOFREELANCE WRERUPDATED APR. 08, 2023 3:54AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 07, 2023 8:36PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY LUIS G. RENDON/THE DAILY BEAST/THE NTENDO COMPANYAFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS, THE POKéMON ANIME IS MAKG SOME BIG CHANG. PERPETUAL 10-YEAR-OLD PROTAGONIST ASH KETCHUM IS HEAD OFF WH PIKACHU TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW STARS, SPARKG A WAVE OF NOSTALGIC SADNS AMONG MULTIPLE GENERATNS OF FANS. BUT JT AS HEARTBREAKG HAS BEEN THE FAREWELL TO THE LONG-TIME VILLAS OF THE SHOW—AND, FOR MANY PARTS OF THE TER, A SET OF BELOVED QUEER INS.IN THE POKéMON GAM, TEAM ROCKET IS AN EVIL ANIZATN DITED TO EXPLOG POKéMON. BUT THE ANIME, ’S UALLY ONLY A TR OF BUMBLG, LOVEABLE FIELD AGENTS, SCHEMG UP WAYS TO SEPARATE PIKACHU AND ASH. JSIE, JAM, AND MEOWTH APPEAR THE SEND-EVER EPISO, AND THEY’VE BEEN A FIXTURE OF EVERY SEASON SCE.DPE BEG NOMALLY THE SHOW’S MA ANTAGONISTS, THE GROUP HAS LONG BEEN POPULAR WH VIEWERS. FOR STARTERS, THEY’RE MORE IC RELIEF THAN VILLAS. THEIR PETENCE MEANS THEY NEVER REALLY POSE A THREAT TO PIKACHU; STEAD, THE WHOLE AFFAIR IS PLAYED FOR LGHS, THANKS TO THEIR NSTANT FAILUR. AND ALTHOUGH THEY WORK FOR AN EVIL ANIZATN, THE TR IS NOT REALLY SHOWN TO BE BAD PEOPLE. AS EARLY AS EPISO 14, JSIE, JAM, AND MEOWTH ARE SHOWN BRIEFLY TAKG ASH AND PIKACHU’S SI, AS PIKACHU TRI TO FEAT GYM LEAR LT. SURGE. AT FIRST, THE TR IS DISAPPOTED THAT PIKACHU IS STGGLG AND WONRG IF HE’S WORTH STEALG AT ALL. BUT THEY QUICKLY FD THEMSELV UGHT UP THE DRAMA OF WHETHER OR NOT PIKACHU WILL BE FORCED TO EVOLVE TO RAICHU AGAST HIS WILL ORR TO W. THE GROUP ENDS UP SUPPORTG ASH AND PIKACHU AT THE GYM, AND AT THE END OF THE EPISO, JAM REALIZ: “DRAT! WE WASTED THIS EPISO CHEERG THE GOOD GUYS!” SCE THEN, THEY PRETTY REGULARLY END UP SUPPORTIVE OF, OR AT LEAST NOT ACTIVELY HOSTILE TOWARD, ASH AND THE OTHER HERO. THEY ALSO EACH HAVE A SYMPATHETIC BACKSTORY, WH THE SHOW FLHG OUT THEIR BACKSTORI AND MOTIVATNS OVER THE YEARS. NONE OF THEM IS PARTICULARLY IOLOGILLY VTED TEAM ROCKET; STEAD, THEY EACH FELL TO A LIFE OF CRIME AND END UP STICKG TOGETHER, BEE OF THEIR LACK OF ALTERNATIVE OPTNS AS WELL AS THEIR GROWG IENDSHIP. PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEAST/THE NTENDO COMPANY AS THE FIRST GENERATN OF POKéMON ANIME FANS GREW UP, TEAM ROCKET BEME MORE AND MORE OF A CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE. SUDNLY, THE STGGLG TWENTY-SOMETHGS WHO ULDN’T QUE FD THEIR PLACE THE WORLD OR SUCCEED AT THEIR AMBNS FELT MORE RELATABLE THAN THE PLUCKY, ETERNALLY OPTIMISTIC KID PROTAGONISTS. A SUB-FANDOM OF THE LARGER POKéMON FANBASE SPRANG UP, DITED TO THE TR. AND WHERE THERE’S FANDOM, THERE’S ALWAYS GOG TO BE QUEER TERPRETATNS OF THE TEXT—OF WHICH THERE ARE PLENTY AROUND TEAM ROCKET.BUT TEAM ROCKET’S SE, THE READGS HAD A PRETTY SOLID FOUNDATN NON. PERHAPS THE MOST OBV EXAMPLE WAS JAM’ REPEATED CROSSDRSG. THE TR OFTEN APPEARED DISGUISE, AND THE OFTEN VOLVED JAM WEARG CLOTH THAT ARE TRADNALLY NSIRED FEME. OFTEN HE AND JSIE BOTH APPEARED SKIRTS OR DRS, BUT OTHER TIM, THEY BOTH SUBVERTED TRADNALLY GENRED EXPECTATNS. IN ONE SCENE, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DISGUISED THEMSELV AS A UPLE ON THEIR WAY TO THEIR WEDDG CEREMONY. JSIE WORE A TUXEDO, WHILE JAM WAS THE BRI THE WHE DRS. IN ANOTHER NOTABLE EPISO, “BETY AND THE BEACH,” JSIE AND JAM (AS WELL AS ASH’S IEND MISTY) APPEAR BIKIS, WH JAM APPARENTLY G “FLATABLE BREASTS” TO GET THE EFFECT. (YOU MIGHT NOT REMEMBER THIS OM YOUR CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE OF THE SHOW—THE EPISO WAS ORIGALLY BANNED DURG THE SHOW’S U.S. N, BUT WAS LATER RELEASED WH THE SCENE OMTED.)THERE ARE SUBTLER IMPLITNS OF THEIR QUEERNS, TOO. ALL THREE OF THE VILLAS’ BACKSTORI SHOW THEM AS MISFS AND OUTSTS, SOMETHG THAT’S EASY FOR LGBTQ+ FANS TO LATCH ONTO. BUT THE STORY OF JAM’ CHILDHOOD PARTICULAR N ALSO EASILY BE READ AS AN ALLEGORY FOR GROWG UP GAY. AN EARLY EPISO PICTED HIM AS NNG AWAY OM HOME TO AVOID AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE WH A WOMAN. THIS WAS OSTENSIBLY BEE SHE WAS MEAN AND OVERBEARG, BUT THEN, THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM OM GETTG CLOSE TO THE DOMEERG JSIE. LATER, POKéMON THE MOVIE 2000, JSIE SAYS THAT “GETTG VOLVED WH THE OPPOSE SEX” IS “ONLY ASKG FOR TROUBLE.” JAM REPLI THAT THAT’S “THE KD OF TROUBLE I STAY OUT OF.”THE NONIL EVINCE FOR JSIE BEG A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY MAY BE THNER ON THE GROUND, BUT HER SUBTLER REJECTN OF GENR ROL AND PROXIMY TO JAM (QUEER PEOPLE STICK TOGETHER, AFTER ALL) HAVE OFTEN LED FANS TO ASSUME THAT BOTH OF TEAM ROCKET’S HUMAN MEMBERS BELONGED TO THE MUNY. AND THOUGH THAT MEANS THAT MEOWTH IS SOMETIM ST AS THE TOKEN STRAIGHT IEND, ’S ALSO CCIAL TO NOTE THAT THE TALKG T POKéMON WAS VOICED FOR MUCH OF THE SHOW’S N BY A GROUNDBREAKG TERSEX AND TRANS VOICE ACTRS, MADDIE BLSTE. OF URSE, THE ELEMENTS OF TEAM ROCKET THAT VERGE ON NONIL QUEERNS PROBABLY WEREN’T TEND TO BE PARTICULARLY POSIVE. JAM’ FLUID GENR PRENTATN WAS SEEMGLY A MAJOR PART OF THE IC RELIEF OF THE SERI, RATHER THAN A MEANGFUL ATTEMPT AT REPRENTATN. IT ALSO LEANS CLOSE TO TROP AROUND EFFEMATE, GAY, OR TRANS FEME VILLAS, A TREND WHICH GREW OUT OF THE HAYS CO 1934, A US STANDARD FOR MEDIA THAT FORBA POSIVE PORTRAYALS OF HOMOSEXUALY UNTIL THE LATE 1960S. INSTEAD, BAD GUYS WOULD PORTRAY A SUBTEXTUALLY IMPLIED LGBTQ+ INTY THIS IS KNOWN AS QUEER DG, WHICH BEME A WAY TO MAKE THEM APPEAR MORE UNTSTWORTHY OR EVEN THREATENG. DUE TO S MON E FOR S, QUEER DG NTU TO BE AN OVESED TROPE.BUT POKéMON MOSTLY MANAGED TO SISTEP THIS TROPE-FILLED STORYTELLG ALL BUT THE BROAST TERMS. JAM’ MULTIFACETED, OFTEN SYMPATHETIC PORTRAYAL HELPED QUEER FANS LATCH ONTO HIM. IN THE MEDIA LANDSPE OF THE ’90S, JAM’ QUEER-D PRENTATN WAS PERHAPS BETTER THAN EXPECTED; AS TER FANDOM GREW AND SUCCSIVE GENERATNS OF KIDS BEME TEENS AND ADULTS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO PUT THEIR SP ON THEIR CHILDHOOD FAV A NSIRED, THENTIC WAY.TWTER ERS HAVE CLAIMED THEM. QUEER PUBLITNS HAVE CELEBRATED THEM. AND ALTHOUGH JSIE AND JAM ARE OFTEN SHIPPED TOGETHER (AND EVEN PICTED AS MARRIED AND WH A CHILD ON THE WAY ONE UNLOLIZED MANGA VOLUME), ’S MONLY ACCEPTED AMONG FANS THAT BOTH ARE BISEXUAL OR SIAR. THERE’S NO NSENS, HOWEVER—’S MORE OF A GENERAL ACCEPTANCE THAT TEAM ROCKET ULD BE ANYTHG OTHER THAN CISGENR AND HETEROSEXUAL. THEY’VE EVEN BEEN SPLAYED BY DRAG ARTISTS, ECHOG BACK TO THOSE EARLY BOUNDARY-PHG JAM MOMENTS. BUT THAT ONLY MAK SADR THAT THEY’VE POTENTIALLY BOWED OUT OF THE SERI, ALONGSI ASH, PIKACHU, AND IENDS. THEIR ADOPTN AS QUEER INS ISN’T SOMETHG THAT N BE EASILY REPLITED. AT THE VERY LEAST, WOULD NEED ANOTHER LONG LLABORATN, WH KIDS GROWG UP ON THE SERI BUILDG THEIR OWN FANWORKS ON S FOUNDATNS. BUT ’S SIMPLY UNLIKELY THAT A NEW POKéMON SHOW THE 2020S WOULD TRODUCE A FLAMBOYANT, CROSSDRSG BAD GUY TO SET THAT SPARK MOTN.TEAM ROCKET’S ADOPTN BY THE LGBTQ+ MUNY MAY HAVE BEEN A ONE-OFF THAT WE NEVER SEE AGA. BUT AS WE BID THEM FAREWELL, THERE IS AT LEAST ONCE SOLACE: WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE THE MEMORI—AND THE FANFICTN. JAY CASTELLO

HOT TAKE: ‘DETECTIVE PIKACHU’ IS ACTUALLY ABOUT BEG GAY

Yterday, I went through a shockg and arduo transformatn, my greatt metamorphosis to date sce g out as gay. At some pot every LGBTQ person’s life, we’re subjected to feelgs of spair and isolatn, due to beg outsted by a homophobic culture, or fay, or iends group, that prevents om makg real nnectns. I didn’t have any peers who were queer, and I didn’t even know that beg gay was an optn for me — all I knew was that I felt different and alone ways I was never able to put my fger on when I was growg up.

RELATED | Why Pokémon Go Feels So Faiar for Gay Men. Charmanr, the baby gay.

IS PIKACHU GAY? NOT THAT WOULD BE A BAD THG.

And the origal anime, the first time we see a Farfetch'd, they're a thief livg on the outskirts of society which is — you gused — very gay!

All ghost Pokémon are a ltle gay, but Gastly is tly out here wh the most Yvie Oddly-soundg lgh and nstantly has a purple mist around them. Mewtwo is that annoyg, olr, cultured gay who saw that movie you jt saw months ago at Sundance and hated ! Mime's movet the origal gam to know that he's a gay man.

Mime looks like a retired gay who's ready to move to Palm Sprgs. It's not gay. Members of the speci n be gay, but not all of them n be.

PIKACHU IS GAY

So maybe there are some gay sharks.

THE VERY QUEER, 25-YEAR LEGACY OF ‘POKéMON’ ANTIHERO TEAM ROCKETBLASTING OFF, ONE LAST TIMETEAM ROCKET, THE LOVABLY BUMBLG BAD GUYS CHASG ASH AND PIKACHU FOR THE RTOON’S RECENTLY NCLUD N, WERE SECRETLY SOME OF THE FIRST LGBTQ CHARACTERS KIDS GREW UP WH.JAY CASTELLOFREELANCE WRERUPDATED APR. 08, 2023 3:54AM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 07, 2023 8:36PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY LUIS G. RENDON/THE DAILY BEAST/THE NTENDO COMPANYAFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS, THE POKéMON ANIME IS MAKG SOME BIG CHANG. PERPETUAL 10-YEAR-OLD PROTAGONIST ASH KETCHUM IS HEAD OFF WH PIKACHU TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW STARS, SPARKG A WAVE OF NOSTALGIC SADNS AMONG MULTIPLE GENERATNS OF FANS. BUT JT AS HEARTBREAKG HAS BEEN THE FAREWELL TO THE LONG-TIME VILLAS OF THE SHOW—AND, FOR MANY PARTS OF THE TER, A SET OF BELOVED QUEER INS.IN THE POKéMON GAM, TEAM ROCKET IS AN EVIL ANIZATN DITED TO EXPLOG POKéMON. BUT THE ANIME, ’S UALLY ONLY A TR OF BUMBLG, LOVEABLE FIELD AGENTS, SCHEMG UP WAYS TO SEPARATE PIKACHU AND ASH. JSIE, JAM, AND MEOWTH APPEAR THE SEND-EVER EPISO, AND THEY’VE BEEN A FIXTURE OF EVERY SEASON SCE.DPE BEG NOMALLY THE SHOW’S MA ANTAGONISTS, THE GROUP HAS LONG BEEN POPULAR WH VIEWERS. FOR STARTERS, THEY’RE MORE IC RELIEF THAN VILLAS. THEIR PETENCE MEANS THEY NEVER REALLY POSE A THREAT TO PIKACHU; STEAD, THE WHOLE AFFAIR IS PLAYED FOR LGHS, THANKS TO THEIR NSTANT FAILUR. AND ALTHOUGH THEY WORK FOR AN EVIL ANIZATN, THE TR IS NOT REALLY SHOWN TO BE BAD PEOPLE. AS EARLY AS EPISO 14, JSIE, JAM, AND MEOWTH ARE SHOWN BRIEFLY TAKG ASH AND PIKACHU’S SI, AS PIKACHU TRI TO FEAT GYM LEAR LT. SURGE. AT FIRST, THE TR IS DISAPPOTED THAT PIKACHU IS STGGLG AND WONRG IF HE’S WORTH STEALG AT ALL. BUT THEY QUICKLY FD THEMSELV UGHT UP THE DRAMA OF WHETHER OR NOT PIKACHU WILL BE FORCED TO EVOLVE TO RAICHU AGAST HIS WILL ORR TO W. THE GROUP ENDS UP SUPPORTG ASH AND PIKACHU AT THE GYM, AND AT THE END OF THE EPISO, JAM REALIZ: “DRAT! WE WASTED THIS EPISO CHEERG THE GOOD GUYS!” SCE THEN, THEY PRETTY REGULARLY END UP SUPPORTIVE OF, OR AT LEAST NOT ACTIVELY HOSTILE TOWARD, ASH AND THE OTHER HERO. THEY ALSO EACH HAVE A SYMPATHETIC BACKSTORY, WH THE SHOW FLHG OUT THEIR BACKSTORI AND MOTIVATNS OVER THE YEARS. NONE OF THEM IS PARTICULARLY IOLOGILLY VTED TEAM ROCKET; STEAD, THEY EACH FELL TO A LIFE OF CRIME AND END UP STICKG TOGETHER, BEE OF THEIR LACK OF ALTERNATIVE OPTNS AS WELL AS THEIR GROWG IENDSHIP. PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEAST/THE NTENDO COMPANY AS THE FIRST GENERATN OF POKéMON ANIME FANS GREW UP, TEAM ROCKET BEME MORE AND MORE OF A CULTURAL TOUCHSTONE. SUDNLY, THE STGGLG TWENTY-SOMETHGS WHO ULDN’T QUE FD THEIR PLACE THE WORLD OR SUCCEED AT THEIR AMBNS FELT MORE RELATABLE THAN THE PLUCKY, ETERNALLY OPTIMISTIC KID PROTAGONISTS. A SUB-FANDOM OF THE LARGER POKéMON FANBASE SPRANG UP, DITED TO THE TR. AND WHERE THERE’S FANDOM, THERE’S ALWAYS GOG TO BE QUEER TERPRETATNS OF THE TEXT—OF WHICH THERE ARE PLENTY AROUND TEAM ROCKET.BUT TEAM ROCKET’S SE, THE READGS HAD A PRETTY SOLID FOUNDATN NON. PERHAPS THE MOST OBV EXAMPLE WAS JAM’ REPEATED CROSSDRSG. THE TR OFTEN APPEARED DISGUISE, AND THE OFTEN VOLVED JAM WEARG CLOTH THAT ARE TRADNALLY NSIRED FEME. OFTEN HE AND JSIE BOTH APPEARED SKIRTS OR DRS, BUT OTHER TIM, THEY BOTH SUBVERTED TRADNALLY GENRED EXPECTATNS. IN ONE SCENE, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DISGUISED THEMSELV AS A UPLE ON THEIR WAY TO THEIR WEDDG CEREMONY. JSIE WORE A TUXEDO, WHILE JAM WAS THE BRI THE WHE DRS. IN ANOTHER NOTABLE EPISO, “BETY AND THE BEACH,” JSIE AND JAM (AS WELL AS ASH’S IEND MISTY) APPEAR BIKIS, WH JAM APPARENTLY G “FLATABLE BREASTS” TO GET THE EFFECT. (YOU MIGHT NOT REMEMBER THIS OM YOUR CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE OF THE SHOW—THE EPISO WAS ORIGALLY BANNED DURG THE SHOW’S U.S. N, BUT WAS LATER RELEASED WH THE SCENE OMTED.)THERE ARE SUBTLER IMPLITNS OF THEIR QUEERNS, TOO. ALL THREE OF THE VILLAS’ BACKSTORI SHOW THEM AS MISFS AND OUTSTS, SOMETHG THAT’S EASY FOR LGBTQ+ FANS TO LATCH ONTO. BUT THE STORY OF JAM’ CHILDHOOD PARTICULAR N ALSO EASILY BE READ AS AN ALLEGORY FOR GROWG UP GAY. AN EARLY EPISO PICTED HIM AS NNG AWAY OM HOME TO AVOID AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE WH A WOMAN. THIS WAS OSTENSIBLY BEE SHE WAS MEAN AND OVERBEARG, BUT THEN, THAT DIDN’T STOP HIM OM GETTG CLOSE TO THE DOMEERG JSIE. LATER, POKéMON THE MOVIE 2000, JSIE SAYS THAT “GETTG VOLVED WH THE OPPOSE SEX” IS “ONLY ASKG FOR TROUBLE.” JAM REPLI THAT THAT’S “THE KD OF TROUBLE I STAY OUT OF.”THE NONIL EVINCE FOR JSIE BEG A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ MUNY MAY BE THNER ON THE GROUND, BUT HER SUBTLER REJECTN OF GENR ROL AND PROXIMY TO JAM (QUEER PEOPLE STICK TOGETHER, AFTER ALL) HAVE OFTEN LED FANS TO ASSUME THAT BOTH OF TEAM ROCKET’S HUMAN MEMBERS BELONGED TO THE MUNY. AND THOUGH THAT MEANS THAT MEOWTH IS SOMETIM ST AS THE TOKEN STRAIGHT IEND, ’S ALSO CCIAL TO NOTE THAT THE TALKG T POKéMON WAS VOICED FOR MUCH OF THE SHOW’S N BY A GROUNDBREAKG TERSEX AND TRANS VOICE ACTRS, MADDIE BLSTE. OF URSE, THE ELEMENTS OF TEAM ROCKET THAT VERGE ON NONIL QUEERNS PROBABLY WEREN’T TEND TO BE PARTICULARLY POSIVE. JAM’ FLUID GENR PRENTATN WAS SEEMGLY A MAJOR PART OF THE IC RELIEF OF THE SERI, RATHER THAN A MEANGFUL ATTEMPT AT REPRENTATN. IT ALSO LEANS CLOSE TO TROP AROUND EFFEMATE, GAY, OR TRANS FEME VILLAS, A TREND WHICH GREW OUT OF THE HAYS CO 1934, A US STANDARD FOR MEDIA THAT FORBA POSIVE PORTRAYALS OF HOMOSEXUALY UNTIL THE LATE 1960S. INSTEAD, BAD GUYS WOULD PORTRAY A SUBTEXTUALLY IMPLIED LGBTQ+ INTY THIS IS KNOWN AS QUEER DG, WHICH BEME A WAY TO MAKE THEM APPEAR MORE UNTSTWORTHY OR EVEN THREATENG. DUE TO S MON E FOR S, QUEER DG NTU TO BE AN OVESED TROPE.BUT POKéMON MOSTLY MANAGED TO SISTEP THIS TROPE-FILLED STORYTELLG ALL BUT THE BROAST TERMS. JAM’ MULTIFACETED, OFTEN SYMPATHETIC PORTRAYAL HELPED QUEER FANS LATCH ONTO HIM. IN THE MEDIA LANDSPE OF THE ’90S, JAM’ QUEER-D PRENTATN WAS PERHAPS BETTER THAN EXPECTED; AS TER FANDOM GREW AND SUCCSIVE GENERATNS OF KIDS BEME TEENS AND ADULTS, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO PUT THEIR SP ON THEIR CHILDHOOD FAV A NSIRED, THENTIC WAY.TWTER ERS HAVE CLAIMED THEM. QUEER PUBLITNS HAVE CELEBRATED THEM. AND ALTHOUGH JSIE AND JAM ARE OFTEN SHIPPED TOGETHER (AND EVEN PICTED AS MARRIED AND WH A CHILD ON THE WAY ONE UNLOLIZED MANGA VOLUME), ’S MONLY ACCEPTED AMONG FANS THAT BOTH ARE BISEXUAL OR SIAR. THERE’S NO NSENS, HOWEVER—’S MORE OF A GENERAL ACCEPTANCE THAT TEAM ROCKET ULD BE ANYTHG OTHER THAN CISGENR AND HETEROSEXUAL. THEY’VE EVEN BEEN SPLAYED BY DRAG ARTISTS, ECHOG BACK TO THOSE EARLY BOUNDARY-PHG JAM MOMENTS. BUT THAT ONLY MAK SADR THAT THEY’VE POTENTIALLY BOWED OUT OF THE SERI, ALONGSI ASH, PIKACHU, AND IENDS. THEIR ADOPTN AS QUEER INS ISN’T SOMETHG THAT N BE EASILY REPLITED. AT THE VERY LEAST, WOULD NEED ANOTHER LONG LLABORATN, WH KIDS GROWG UP ON THE SERI BUILDG THEIR OWN FANWORKS ON S FOUNDATNS. BUT ’S SIMPLY UNLIKELY THAT A NEW POKéMON SHOW THE 2020S WOULD TRODUCE A FLAMBOYANT, CROSSDRSG BAD GUY TO SET THAT SPARK MOTN.TEAM ROCKET’S ADOPTN BY THE LGBTQ+ MUNY MAY HAVE BEEN A ONE-OFF THAT WE NEVER SEE AGA. BUT AS WE BID THEM FAREWELL, THERE IS AT LEAST ONCE SOLACE: WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE THE MEMORI—AND THE FANFICTN. JAY CASTELLO

Jam Man - Gay.

Throughout the seri, several moments suggt Jam may be gay. Harley - Gay. But the story of Jam’ childhood particular n also easily be read as an allegory for growg up gay.