Pokémon World Government

[The Dude]

One thing the show has been all too vague about is how the world is governed. How do you speculate it is run?

 

[Barb]

I think this subject was touched on in another thread. I would imagine that there are local city governments (we've met mayors of a couple of different towns in the anime) and perhaps each region (Kanto, Johto, et al) has its own government or legislature. I don't think there is a centralized government for the entire Pokémon world. Actually, I don't think there's even a capital city.

 

[MattW]

Aye, and my opinion is that there isn't even a regional government, unless you count an unknown number of unaffiliated and unempowered (social-contract-less) organizations that would possibly run the mints and do other duties which help people live their lives, and also I don't believe those local governments have any actual social contracts set up, they mainly just organize and correlate things; if "government" exists it is 95% invisible and isn't the kind of government we have around here. =)

 

[The Big Al]

Don't forget the anime is from the view point of a 10 year old. Ash could care less about politics and Jessie and James are so far removed from the mainstream or Team Rocket that wouldn't know what government was if it slapped cuffs on them.

 

[MattW]

It characterizes the adventures of a ten-year-old, but those adventures aren't from his point of view. They involve a lot of people and a lot of important events. And of course the anime has its biases, but most of those are because it's /targeted/ towards kids, not that it features kids. Clearly, neither the anime nor the games nor the manga should be an absolute objective source of information. This is just theorization.

 

[Swifty]

Who makes the highways? Who sets up the routes? Who authorizes large public projects like dams, police officers, Pokemon Centers, and international trade? I'm leaning towards confederate type of government here with the local city governments having most of the power. The confederate government exists to only coordinate cooperation between cities and also provide a framework that will allow limited region wide projects.

 

[MattW]

There are highways? Routes require significant effort to set up? (To an extent they're just beaten paths, and would have been forged out of necessity/convenience at some point, not necessarily by degree of a confederacy.) No one needs to authorize such projects, and what international trade are you referring to? Actually I think confederacy is the term for the kind of government I had thought would have to exist, if what could be called a government exists, so that's true.

 

[Roses Ablaze]

I'm for the theory that there is a central government in the modern-day sense, but some rural areas tend to get kinda neglected since they're, well, rural.

 

[birdboy2000]

I always viewed it as mainly a collection of city-states, though I have no idea why. Absence of evidence for anything bigger?

(And come to think of it, the Jennys obviously police at least SOME forests... Meh, multinational cooperation.)

 

[Artruis]

I think that there are mayors of towns, (wasn't there some episode where they met a mayor? I'm not too sure) and the like, and that they are self-governing city states, but that they all trade, and meet and agree on certain ideas.


I think that you wouldn't have to pay tax, and that instead it was assumed you made a suitable donation to the police/nursing/education system, or whatever. Kinda like you Americans and tips, its not a law that you have to tip, but you all do it, (we don't that here commonly in Australia) because the waiters get crappy pay, and well, its just what is done.

I could see that it would be very frowned upon not to donate, although there would be exceptions for people living in poverty, but maybe to get service from the education, police or nurses you had to show a card saying you had made a donation, (Ash doesn't need one as he is ten and doesn;t have a job).

Speaking of which, if there was such a thing as tax, would money you earned as a trainer for beating other trainers be taxable? Or would it be a big tax break, I could see Giovanni using that to avoid paying tax.

Hmm, I guess ive rambled enough

Liam

 

[Swifty]

To an extent they're just beaten paths, and would have been forged out of necessity/convenience at some point.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Something that comes to mind would be at the end of Mewtwo Strikes Back (I haven't seen the dubbed version yet). During the closing credits, one of the locales Ash, Misty, and Brock are seen walking in is along a large highway/road in the middle of nowhere, almost in a desert/chaperal like region, similar to majority of the locales found in the US Interstate Highway system (Barren, eyesore, and plenty of nothing)

 

[Barb]

I think that there has to be some sort of taxation. How else would the money be raised to build the stadiums that Pokémon battles are held in? What about the city in "Destiny Deoxys" that had an AI security system? Where would the money for that come from? Even Alto Mare had a security system. I don't think venture capitalists alone could raise the millions needed to engineer and design these systems.

Revenue has to come from somewhere. Perhaps a percentage of ticket sales for Pokémon League events (like the battle Ash was watching on television) go to cover the cost of building and maintaining the stadium.

 

[The Big Al]

I've always throught that the league is part a service of the provincial government for regulating Pokemon. All lisences are issued by this service. The sale of Poke Balls is regulated by them. The gyms are government buildings and the gym leaders are government officers.

The league itself is simply an event to put a face this service.

That's just me.

 

[MattW]

I suspec that the fact not everyone is on the same page (or at least I'm not on the same page as everyone else...) about how the economy must be or logically is set up, is causing some of the difference in opinion on how society/societies in the Pokemon world must function.

 

[Barb]

That's possible. We're just tossing theories around as to how the government and by extension the economy would work.

 

[Silktree]

I suspec that the fact not everyone is on the same page (or at least I'm not on the same page as everyone else...) about how the economy must be or logically is set up, is causing some of the difference in opinion on how society/societies in the Pokemon world must function.

I suspect that you are all horribly deviating from the little that indisputably constitutes the Pokémon world.
It almost seems as though you are oblivious to the fact that Pokémon is first and foremost the creation of the Game Freak staff; it is by all means a full-fledged world, but the designers deliberately focused on certain aspects more than others. The gap between our world and that which is depicted in the Pokémon games is not easily bridged, and perhaps it is for this reason that many liberties have been taken by other parties in translating the games to other media. Some have felt the need to reduce the Pokémon world to such a form that bears more resemblance to our world, whereas others have turned to make it solely geared at entertainment. Regrettably, very little has been done to expand on the games, rather than dismissing and inverting the world they reflect.

Needless to say, I object to the notion that the Pokémon world is meant to be discussed in relation to our world, whereby the same principles must hold true. I find this is the wrong way to approach the topic; we are first to discuss the world as it is, and only when sufficient conclusions have been drawn can similarities to the real world be concluded. Otherwise, the discussion could never go beyond the random theorization level--fanfiction already serves that purpose quite well. My original impression was that this forum was intended to be something more.

If to stay on the topic of the presence of a governing body, there is an interesting reference in Gold/Silver/Crystal that succinctly describes what needs to be said on the matter. A person at the Goldenrod City Station says the following:

I'm the PRESIDENT. My dream was to build a train that is faster than any POKéMON. It really brings JOHTO much closer to KANTO.

This alone proves that there is one governing body in power of both Kanto and Johto, if not the other regions. Moreover, the Magnet Train is an example of a project orchestrated by the government that concerns all citizens, as opposed to Pokémon trainers alone. This project is only mentioned in the games for its relevance to the storyline, being used to explain why the Magnet Train only operates at a later stage in the game. In general, the storyline revolves around the quest of a young trainer, and so the government's duties are largely irrelevant.
It is evident that the fairly organized system in the Pokémon world is not arbitrary, but the product of law and order. We witness this practically anywhere in the games, even in the many desolate locations--there is at least a sign indicating the name of the location. However, the games focus on the trainer's quest, and any references not directly falling under this category at least add some flavor to the storyline. It remains unknown whether a proper taxation system is intact, for the simple reason that it cannot possibly be meaningful.

 

[MattW]

I suspect that you are all horribly deviating from the little that undisputably constitutes the Pokémon world.

I'm not sure quite how you mean this. Do you mean "indisputably" in the literal sense, that no one disputes it, or "indisputably" in the common sense, it's definitely valid and anyone who argues otherwise is probably illogical/uninformed? If the former, yes, it's true that what we're discussing goes beyond the range of what is commonly accept by everyone. However, I don't believe we're "deviating", or doing so horribly; we're theorizing, and very intelligently/constructively at that.

It almost seems as though you are oblivious to the fact that Pokémon is first and foremost the creation of the Gamefreak staff; it is by all means a full-fledged world, but the designers deliberately focused on certain aspects more than others. The gap between our world and that which is depicted in the Pokémon games is not easily bridged, and perhaps it is for this reason that many liberties have been taken by other parties in translating the games to other media. Some have felt the need to reduce the Pokémon world to such a form that bears more resemblance to our world, whereas others have turned to make it solely geared at entertainment.

It seems to me as though you're condescending to assume that we aren't aware of the subjective natures of the various (artistic) media through which the Pokemon world has been or is being communicated. This is the main subject of the topic "Can the Pokemon world exist?" in this forum.

Regrettably, very little has been done to expand on the games, rather than dismissing and inverting the world they reflect.

For some reason this phrasing (in particular the use of the word "rather") is confusing me... x.x

Needless to say, I object to the notion that the Pokémon world is meant to be discussed in relation to our world, whereby the same principles must hold true. I find this is the wrong way to approach the topic; we are first to discuss the world as it is, and only when sufficient conclusions have been drawn can similarities to the real world be concluded. Otherwise, the discussion could never go beyond the random theorization level--fanfiction already serves that purpose quite well.

This definitely wasn't needless to say at all.

The Pokemon world isn't our world... it is described and analyzed as a world, though. When I, or others, describe it in relation to this world we live in, it's for sake of convenience. Everyone knows that the Pokemon world isn't our world, and most people also seem very aware that aspects of our world that are significant to its definitions and structures are not necessarily present in another world in any way. Is this what you're saying? (I may very likely be misunderstanding you.)

Right now I will hazard the guess that you're saying that I'm approaching this incorrectly by trying to fit the Pokemon world to our world, which has an economy which influences (to some degree, though, for instance, a Marxist would say that influence is primary) the culture/society, but you think that maybe the Pokemon world doesn't have an economy, and/or that an economy wouldn't necessarily directly influence with human nature?

Sorry if I'm completely misrepresenting you, I'm having difficulty understanding your exact argument. (Examples would help me understand, but you don't need to provide them if you feel you would communicate these ideas best by describing them in general terms; I'll just have to try harder.)

Anyway, if that's kind of what you mean, I'd respond that using the term economy doesn't mean that I am thinking in terms of Earth. An economy is a very, very general term, and it doesn't necessarily requires money to exist. It's kind of like... how people live, and prosper, and help others to live and prosper; ways of life. And I definitely think that examining the economy is a better approach than (and excuse me again if I'm incorrectly interpreting your ideas) some relatively non-exploratory approach that would focus on the fact that Game Freak invented all of this.

My original impression was that this forum was intended to be something more.

What do you mean?

If to stay on the topic of the presence of a governing body, there is an interesting reference in Gold/Silver/Crystal that succinctly describes what needs to be said on the matter. A person at the Goldenrod City Station says the following:

I'm the PRESIDENT. My dream was to build a train that is faster than any POKéMON. It really brings JOHTO much closer to KANTO.

This alone proves that there is one governing body in power of both Kanto and Johto, if not the other regions.

I think I'll object to the words "this alone proves"... Singular references found in only one of the various medias that contains a version of the Pokemon world cannot be held as universally viable. This reasoning of mine ties back to what I said in one of the first paragraphs of my topic "Objective Pokemon canon":

(While areas such as poles have been referenced on occasion, none of these has been be elaborated upon or referenced thoroughly enough for me to consider it legitimate Pokemon canon rather than an area that is "created" circumstantially to satisfy a plot.)

I'll also add to the end of that quote, "... or the flavor text writer's whim". I also remember someone in the video game telling me to pressing the A and B buttons to better fish... I'm not discounting the video game entirely, but I'm just saying it can't be anything like a primary source.

It is evident that the fairly organized system in the Pokémon world is not arbitrary, but the product of law and order. We witness this practically anywhere in the games, even in the many desolate locations--there is at least a sign indicating the name of the location.

Order, but law? Couldn't people take it upon themselves to cultivate their environment and work together to provide stability?

It remains unknown whether a proper taxation system is intact, for the simple reason that it cannot possibly be meaningful.

Aye. Though I wouldn't say it would be pointless to approach that subject; I would encourage theorization on that matter, even when it hasn't been directly addressed. (Just saying that to once again re-assert that I don't believe theorization is useless or contrary to this forum's purpose.)

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

This alone proves that there is one governing body in power of both Kanto and Johto, if not the other regions.

How? I always got the impression that he was the president of the transpo company, not a government-type president.

 

[The Big Al]

Besides, if Pokemon is based off of Japan (which it is), they would have a Prime Minister as the head of the government.

 

[eX.A.K.R.]

Let me just share with you what I think.

You must all remember that Pokémon is a Japanese creation, so it is very likely that many of the things protrayed in the show could be a reasonable fascimile of Japan. In fact, I do recall seeing a web page which draws paralells in the Pokémon world with real places in Japan.

The government system in the Pokémon world is likely to be very similar to or identical to the one in Japan. According to this Wikipedia article, Japan is a parliamentary government, with some also saying that it is a constitutional monarchy.

I say that the Pokémon world is governed by a form of constitutional monarchy; if not, we couldn't be seeing kings and queens in the show (Remember the A.G. episodes in which Misty came back, and her Togepi evolved? Also, how about the members of royalty we see in the third A.G. (8th) movie?). The king or queen takes the place of and acts as a governor to each region (or prefecture), and the mayors and assembly members act under his/her command. On top of the king/queen could be an emperor/empress, together with the central government on which the regional governments depend on. The rest of the system could be almost identical to Japan's government system, with a prime minister, multi-party politics, and such. Rural areas could be demarcated with nearby large cities or grouped with other villages/towns, and governed as a single unit. The king/queen of each region could be a traditional monarchy, or it could be an elected monarchy (a rare form of government in which the king and queen is elected) (I'm leaning towards the former).