The Pokemon Seizure Panic of ‘97 | Photosensitive Epilepsy episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 30, 2025 · 50 MIN

The Pokemon Seizure Panic of ‘97 | Photosensitive Epilepsy

from Sickboy

Turns out, the most dangerous thing on TV in the ‘90s wasn’t violence—it was Pikachu. In December, 1997, nearly 700 kids in Japan were rushed to the hospital after watching a single episode of Pokémon. No, this isn’t an urban legend—it actually happened, and it was electrifying (lol). This week, Jer walks the fellas headfirst into the wild, true story of the Pokémon seizure panic, how Pikachu literally short-circuited a nation, and why poor ol’ Porygon got wrongfully canceled before being canceled was cool.We break down the science of photosensitive epilepsy, uncover how a cartoon nearly led to a nationwide media meltdown. Justice for Porygon. Blame Pikachu. You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube!Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 30, 2025

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The Pokemon Seizure Panic of ‘97 | Photosensitive Epilepsy

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