I’ve been thinking about the Pokémon Sun and Moon games and anime, and it seems like there’s a lot of colonialism baked into how the Alola region is portrayed. The series leans heavily into presenting Alola like a tropical vacation spot, which mirrors some real-world issues with how Hawaii is seen today. The story focuses on a wealthy white family, while the native characters mostly play supporting roles. It feels like the narrative treats the island community as just chill and carefree, ignoring the struggles islanders face. While I don’t think Game Freak or the anime creators intended anything racist, the optics come off problematic. Could the story have been told using native Hawaiians instead of leaning on this vacation vibe that oversimplifies island life?
4 Answers
I get the concern, but keep in mind Ash—the main character—is from the Kanto region, which is based on Japan. He isn’t a ‘white rich family’ member; the story hasn’t retconned him to be native Hawaiian even though the setting changes. The series sticks to its long-established protagonist and framework, so it doesn’t really dive into the native Hawaiian perspective. I guess Nintendo and the anime creators chose fun and adventure over political or cultural exploration here.
Honestly, I think this might be reading too much into a kids’ show. Pokémon is mainly about catching and battling creatures, not making deep political or cultural statements. The creators probably didn’t intend to bring colonialism themes into it. Japan’s creators might not be fully tuned into Western conversations about native Hawaiian issues or white savior narratives. So while the Alola region does look like a vacation spot, I don’t think that’s a sign of racism or colonialism – it’s just meant as a fun, fantasy setting for the game.
People often say ‘it’s a kids show, just relax,’ but that doesn’t mean we can’t critique it or talk about representation. The Sun and Moon anime actually touches on some heavier themes like loss and grief, which is rare for Pokémon. So I do think it’s fair to look deeper at how the setting and characters are framed. Alola being portrayed as just a vacation paradise can definitely come off as ignoring real struggles of island communities.
Exactly! More mature themes alongside the lighthearted stuff open the door for better representation and conversations about it.
I think there’s some merit to your point. While most dismiss it with ‘it’s a kids’ show’ or ‘it’s not that deep,’ there’s definitely some colonialist undertones in how Alola is shown, likely because the creators weren’t considering those cultural angles deeply. The western gaze often treats Hawaii as just a sunny vacation spot, and unfortunately, that vibe strongly colors the Pokémon Alola region too. It’s worth thinking about how this impacts representation, even if unintentionally.
That makes sense, and I’m not blaming them directly. Still, it’s important to notice how media can unintentionally reinforce stereotypes even if it’s meant for kids.