While Yu-Gi-Oh! And Pokémon very different, the previous series had the hilarious appearance of the latter’s mascot Pikachu. This fake parody is perfect given how often the two brands are compared against each other. Twisted version of Pikachu in Yu-Gi-Oh! shows clearly and unequivocally some of the key differences between the two series.
With both Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! As popular cartoons aimed at children have spawned many game franchises and other media, it’s easy to see the two shows as similar. Indeed, both anime feature young protagonists battling each other using monsters that have become iconic in their own right. The two even had a mock skirmish in the US, with Ash and Yugi dueling in a 4Kids commercial. However, the two programs are more different than the same. While most Pokémon are based on animals or plants, Yu-Gi-Oh! less uniform, from humans like Dark Mage to elusive gods like Slifer the Sky Dragon and everything in between. Also, while Pokémon are generally pretty cute, Yu-Gi-Oh! Monsters are often more grotesque, like the anime’s Pokémon parodies.
Yu-Gi-Oh’s version of Pikachu!
In Yu-Gi-Oh!’s strangest Capsule Monsters, Yugi and his friends are transported into a magical game world where they can befriend and capture Duel Monsters, just like in Pokémon . Tristan captures the grotesque Thunder Kid, a yellow-striped creature that can use electrical attacks. This is clearly a parody of Ash’s iconic Pikachu, often portrayed as lovable albeit literally a rat. The Thunder Kid isn’t really useful in the Capsule Monsters section, which is often seen as a relief in the comics, but this makes sense given the other powerful threats in that part.
While Thunder Kid is mostly just a fun prank on Pokémon’s most iconic creature, it does point out some interesting things about that anime. Creatures that are literally rats shouldn’t look as cute as Pikachu, and that complaint applies to many of the other cute Pokémon in the series. Also, while power manipulation is powerful, it alone can’t stand against many of the other extremely powerful Pokémon in the franchise, even considering the type advantage. Thunder Kid perfectly embodies both of these points while also being a great comic book in its own right.
Yu-Gi-Oh! It’s hardly immune to the kinds of silly complaints it makes about the Pokémon franchise, but that’s part of what makes this parody so funny. The Thunder Kid is not intended to bring down the Pokémon franchise, rather is only used to poke fun at it. finally both Pokémon And Yu-Gi-Oh! are anime favorites in their own right, which is what makes the later version of Pikachu such a fun character.