Those who know about my obsession with Pokemon know that it doesn’t just stop at the games and anime. In fact, my most loved piece of Pokemon media is the manga, known as Pokemon Adventures in America and Pokemon Special in Japan, hence the shortened title of Pokespe. I’ve read it as long as I’ve been into Pokemon, since I was five, and it’s very easy to tell that my copy of Volume Four, my favorite volume, is well-loved, to put it lightly.
The thing is, the manga isn’t very popular in the scope of the fandom, which I personally think is a crime. Sure, it has its incredibly stupid moments, but what part of Pokemon doesn’t?
1- Different storylines than the games and anime
There are already key differences between the plot in the games and anime, but the manga usually gives another version of the main storyline. Whether that’s by the incorporation of different characters and surprise villains or simply a different take on the usual events of the storyline—a prime example being the Black & White and Black 2 & White 2 arcs—there’s something different to be found in each arc.
2- Some great original characters
If you’ve ever heard me talk for hours about a character named Yellow, this is who I’m talking about! Volume Four kicks off her four-volume arc in the manga, and was one of the only three volumes of the manga I had for years. She’s always been my favorite, and she still is, even though she hasn’t been seen in the manga since around 2008 even though the other Kanto characters have and I’m totally not bitter or anything—
Kind of on the same line of thought, I know myself and several of my friends in the fandom wouldn’t have realized our gender identities and sexualities without these characters, which may sound weird but just happens with fandom. And trust me, this fandom is rife with LGBTQ+ headcanons for just about every single one of the characters. One of my friends actually jokes that I’d had a crush on Yellow in first grade, many years before I came out. That friend is right about most things, and has a better memory than me, so they’re probably right.
3- Gives the player characters from the games an actual personality
The majority of the characters in the manga are from the games, specifically the player and some rival characters. What I love about the manga is the personalities that are given to each protagonist, as well as their own distinct goals and team of pokemon. For example, I bet you didn’t think that Ruby, male protagonist from the Hoenn games and son of the gym leader Norman, would be a fashionista and a coordinator! Or that Diamond and Pearl, the male protagonist and rival from the Sinnoh games would be a comedy duo! I love them so much, seriously.
Except Sou. I still think he’s secretly evil.
4- Epic battles
All I have to say is read volumes seven and 14, the end of the Yellow arc and the Gold, Silver & Crystal arcs. Two of my favorite volumes in the entire manga!
As one of my friends in the fandom put it: “imagine you’re fighting youngster jimbo for the 20th time with his dumb f*cking caterpie and you just wanna rip him to shreds with your lvl 50 scyther, well in pokespe the characters do not have to need to kiss up to the 10 year old audience to hold back”
Honestly, something about battling hits different when it’s illustrated on a page rather than played out turn-by-turn in a game or with the slightly lower stakes in the anime. Not gonna lie, some of these scenes made me cry. Still do.
5- Dark in all the right ways
Most Pokemon fans have seen the infamous Arbok image from Volume One, but that’s really not the darkest thing to happen in this manga. Characters have been kidnapped, frozen solid (multiple times), frozen as stone (multiple times), thrown enemies into lava, died but came back due to time shenanigans, almost trapped in another dimension (multiple times) … you get the idea. It’s never super overshadowing, and since of course the manga is still aimed towards a middle-school audience, there isn’t anything overwhelmingly dark, at least in my opinion. The Sword and Shield arc isn’t over yet, so we’ll see if I can still say that later on, haha.
Another of my fandom friends wanted me to mention “that one scene with matt attempting to drown sapphire in a flooded moving tram car while attacking her with a shark in a 5 by 10 foot space” which, honestly, is one of the main things I remember about the Ruby & Sapphire arc.
Fun fact, Pokespe actually hit its 25th anniversary yesterday! Long story short, if you’re a fan of Pokemon in any capacity, I highly recommend reading Pokespe, or at least the first handful of arcs. Trust me, you won’t regret it!