User:Kung Fu Man/Jynx

Jynx
Pokémon series character
National Pokédex Scyther - Jynx (#124) - Electabuzz
First game	Pokémon Red and Blue

Jynx (ルージュラ, Rūjura, Rougela in Japan) is the name of both a fictional species in Nintendo's and Game Freak's Pokémon series of video games, with the name also applying to singular Jynx. Introduced in the first-generation games as one of the series' Pokémon that can be captured and used in battles against other Pokémon in battles central to the series, players could get one Jynx per game by performing an in-game trade with one of the non-player characters. Since then, Jynx have appeared in later games in the series, as well as related merchandise, manga, and anime, voiced in the latter of which for all appearances by Mayumi Tanaka.

Designed and illustrated by Ken Sugimori, a friend of the creator of the Pocket Monsters game, Satoshi Tajiri, Jynx's design and humanoid appearance has been heavily criticized by the media, most notably by cultural critic Carole Boston Weatherford, who described Jynx as representing blackface after seeing the character's depiction in the anime. As a result of complaints in this regard, Nintendo modified her appearance to be less offensive. Regardless, criticisms from 1UP.com and similar source have persisted.

Cultural impact

Critical reception

Jynx's appearance and design have received criticisms in various publications. Children's book author and cultural critic Carole Boston Weatherford published an article in the Greensboro News Record alleging that Jynx's design bore a striking resemblance to blackface actors, an image considered racist against African Americans, and further described the Pokémon as "a dead ringer for an obese drag queen." She further attacked the Pokémon in the magazine Advertising Age, comparing it to Little Black Sambo and suggesting it's name as also a possible derogatory remark towards African Americans relating to voodoo. Since then, the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University has listed Jynx as an example of racism in modern material.

In response Nintendo changed Jynx's face from black to purple and its hands from blue to purple in 2000 in localized versions of the games, a change which would be reflected several years later in the Japanese versions of the games and the Advanced Generation anime series. However, criticisms still persist, such as 1UP.com which, in an article discussing the "lamest pokemon" of the series, referred to it bluntly as the "infamous blackface Pokémon". In their podcast Retronauts they emphasized it further, noting the design as "creepy" and that it maintained the issue of racism still. GameDaily ranked it first on their list of the "Top 10 Weirdest Looking Pokémon", noting its design suggested the presence of breasts, and echoing qualms regarding its resemblance to blackface performers. Games.net ranked it fourth on their "Top 10 Disturbingly Sexual Game Characters" list, questioning why the character was clothed in what resembled a "slinky dress and push-up bra".

On the other hand, the book Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific defended Jynx's design. Suggesting Sugimori developed it to draw upon the humor of heta-uma (a term meaning bad/nice), the book notes the design oscillates between the poles of good and bad, and as a result offers diversity within the game and invites scrutiny from players.