Nintendo has caused some unintended furor in Hong Kong after deliberately utilizing Mandarin names for most of the first 150 Pokemon in the upcoming handheld game Pokemon Sun and Moon. Due to the change in names, a number of Pokemon fans from Hong Kong, where the language is primarily Mandarin, have taken to the streets to demand a dedicated Cantonese translation for the names of the beloved pocket monsters.

What started out as a rather simple issue with regards to the pronunciation of several Pokemon names has ended up snowballing into an issue of oppression with regards to the Cantonese language. It should be noted that Mandarin, the language that Pokemon Sun and Moon would be released with, is the primary tongue in mainland China. Other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, however, use Cantonese.

The trigger for the translation issue was none other than Pikachu himself, whose original name in prior Nintendo games followed Hong Kong's Cantonese translations. During those times, the electric-type Pokemon was called 比卡超 (Bei-kaa-chyu), which sounds just like the original Japanese and English name. With the Mandarin translation, however, Cantonese speakers would have to read Pikachu's name as 皮卡丘 (Pei-kaa-jau).

As tensions continue to rise among protesters in the country, the Hong Kong branch of Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have stepped in, clarifying the issue.

According to the Pokemon authority, the decision to utilize Mandarin as the sole translation for the region was not initiated as a deliberate attempt to offend Hong Kong fans. The firms further stated that despite the possible mispronunciations resulting from the Mandarin translations of the Pokemons' names in the upcoming Pokemon Sun and Moon title, the names of the pocket monsters should still be read traditionally.

Thus, even if Hong Kong fans would read Pikachu's translated name as 皮卡丘 (Pei-kaa-jau) due to their Cantonese heritage, they should simply pronounce the mouse-type Pokemon's name as 比卡超 (Bei-kaa-chyu). Simply put, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company seems to be stating that the Hong Kong fans should simply overlook the changes in the characters used in renaming the pocket monsters.

Whether Nintendo and The Pokemon Company's statement would curb the tensions among Hong Kong fans is still up to question. After all, in this particular issue, things as important as culture and language have gotten mixed up in the problem. 

Pokemon Sun and Moon is set for a Nov. 18 release for North America and Japan, followed by a Nov. 23 release for European territories. 

Tags: pokemon pokemon sun and moon nintendo pokemon renaming controversy pokemon renaming controversy hong kong