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Nintendo Was Originally Told To Make Pikachu More Muscular For The US Market

pikachu_muscle

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told attendees at this year’s B Dash Camp in Osaka that the company had reservations about bringing Pokemon and Brain Training to the west. Iwata said that people feared that the Pokemon franchise was too cute and therefore they should make characters such as Pikachu more muscular for the American market.

“Will America accept cute monsters?” he asked, “No, they said. Some people even recommended to make Pikachu more muscular. If we followed their advice Pokemon would never have been the success that it was. Brain Training software (Brain Age) became a hit in Japan, and I proposed that we sell it globally. And even as I said that as the president, no one listened.”

83 thoughts on “Nintendo Was Originally Told To Make Pikachu More Muscular For The US Market”

    1. Nothing a lot like a pointless comment about religion and nationalities to spice up a comment section! Only MyNintendoNews folks! :)

      1. SherlockWillFightBilbo

        I agree. A friend’s brother did this same thing. He studied a ton and learned Japanese all by himself, and then studied abroad in Japan.

      2. Don’t think your life would magically change while in Japan.

        While it is true that their culture’s different than American culture, in the end, they’re just another country.

        Not saying you shouldn’t move. I’m saying you should think carefully first before doing so.

    1. Better videogames, better girls… (waaaaay better girls), better and healthier food, the home of Nintendo and Sony, the home of anime and manga, better schools, and more traditions than here. I don’t know why the fuck I am living in America, tolerating stupid and ignorant people every single day. One day I will learn Japanese, and I will send to hell the west.

        1. And being an otaku isn’t anything to brag about in Japan (they see manga and anime the same way as we see western comics and animation: kids stuff).

      1. Better girls? U mean ones that’ll cook U kawaii desu ramen so U can be like Ur special hero Naruto-chan, do the housekeeping for Ur lazy ass, help U translate kawaii desu manga & video games & everything else associated with subordinate women?

      2. Or do U mean ones that smell like fish, have cockeyes, nasty sickly yellow skin, plain indian black hair & crooked buck teeth? No thanks. LOL, “healthiest” food is a common weeaboo misconception.

      3. Because raw fish loaded w/ high levels of sodium, mercury & radioactivity’s healthy…
        Not sitting on Ur lazy rump’s what really helps U live longer. Better traditions? Lay off the animu U washrag weeatard.

      4. My guess’s if U’re still living in the US instead of that tsunami prone glory hole of Urs, must be BC U’re still weeaning off of the Obama Care, walfare, handout system & current gen technology.

        1. Wow although agree it’s best not to argue about Japan being a better country because every place has it’s strengths and weakness and it’s not fair to generalize, you are such a massive xenophobic Neckbearded douchebag! Seriously you don’t have to insult other countries or people just to tell people not to be unrealistic about other places, let me guess Merica home of guns and boobz and hardcore? God go join the KKK you backwater piece of trash!

          1. STFU, you step mat.
            Ooh, look at me! I’m making people happy! I’m the Magical Man from Happy-Land in a gumdrop house on Lollipop-Lane!

    1. I know that’s easy to believe with all the bad press spread around the world about the US, but it’s not like every one in the US is Fat. It is a problem though.

    2. Stop talking like your country doesn’t have problems. Jesus. Why most douchebags always insult each other’s countries on this site? It’s ridiculous…

    3. The funny thing is America’s obesity rate has actually decreased while other country’s obesity rates have gone up. The U.S is NOT the “fattest” country anymore. It is Mexico. Just changed this year.

    4. Fok you. not all americans are fat.heck i bet japan or other places have there fatties.why are you so quick to be negetive and judge people?i would rather be blobby with a good personality than be skinny and have a rotten atitude and have a DESIRE to take what happiness others have and try to put people in misery via insults.tell me this.would you treat the elderly in sutch a way?how about the newborn?

  1. I don’t see what a muscular pikachu has to do with the obesity of Americans. I can see if you guys said it if the opposite scenario happened. But still, given the topic….What the hell are you talking about? Stay on topic and at least give NoA credit that they made a good decision.

  2. *Sees Picture*—–>*Requests a brain bleach*

    UGH! And I thought the picture of realistic Mario face was bad! Thank GOD they didn’t try to make Pikachu look hardcore. >__>

  3. I think Pokemon have a nice balance of being cute and fierce. One moment you could send out an adorable Raichu and then next send out a kickass Haxorus. I love them all.

  4. Oh no…is this the change that will come to Pikachu during the next Nintendo Direct? I love Pikachus the way they look now! So cute and yellow :D

  5. Im Canadian and I’ve gone to the US several times. For starters our curency has the same value but all their groceries cost about half of what ours cost, and if we try and take it back over the border we have to pay a charge on it which makes it just as expensive as the stuff we have here.

    Also if you go to a fast food restaurant in Canada then the US you will feel no pity for the US when you hear them called fat. ALL OF THEIR FAST FOOD IS THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF OURS!!! Fries, burgers, soda, you name it, its freaking disturbing how much they get…

  6. Pingback: Here’s The First Seventy Minutes Of Pokemon X & Y | My Nintendo News

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