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Is Brock black?

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ShinjisLover

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    • Seen May 11, 2016
    No, he's not black. XD He's Japanese. And very tan. How do I know?

    Masamitsu Hidaka said:
    There had been some debate between members of the fanbase in regards to why Brock was removed from the main cast during the Orange Islands arc, why Tracey Sketchit was created, and why Brock returned later. In a recent interview with former Pokémon anime director and storyboard artist Masamitsu Hidaka, he stated his own reason why Brock was removed from the cast and why he eventually returned. He (or, rather his translator) revealed that the true reason they replaced Brock is because, once they realized Pokémon was going global, there was a chance that Americans, if not anyone else outside of Japan, would view Brock as a racist stereotype because of his eyes (even though there wasn't an actual complaint yet). So they created a "tall, anglo-saxon looking person to be on the safe side". They later replaced Tracey with Brock again once they realized that no one really cared as to what Brock looks like, and actually enjoyed his character.
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    Cerese912

    I heart pokemon :)
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    • idk. Either he's a black AND japanese or he has a tan. It really doesn't matter to me though. He's still makes me laugh so hard. lol
     
    Taemin

    Taemin

    move.
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    I think his tan-ness was a stereotype. o_O

    Asian's normally have a slightly darker complexion.. so I think for Brock, they just sort of over-killed that. xD; Maybe to stress that he was asian, aside from how his eyes look.
     

    airindia787

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    If it were not for the eyes I would venture to guess he is from (North) India, but the eyes suggest he is from Southeast Asia.
     

    Fire Eagle

    The Pokemon Legend
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    • I would say that Brock is Chinese or Japanese instead of African American because of the eye shape, but I shall change that African American and/or Japanese because of his skin tone as well.
     

    processr

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    • .:Squirtle:. said:
    Maybe Brock is from Thailand..?

    does anybody have any proof that he's actually from Japan?
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    The statements that ShinjisLover quoted were from an interview conducted with a storyboard artist for the anime, who was a former director. The Japanese staff was worried that Americans would perceive Brock to be a racial stereotype, presumably of their own country.

    And along with the fact that he and his parents have Japanese names in the anime's native country, it's pretty safe to assume that he is Japanese.
     

    KostK2Boss

    Europe Confirmed!!!
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    • Brock doesn't promote any prejudice. He's just another non-Kanto-native pokemon trainer. Other such trainers include Leutenant Surge, who is American, Fantina and Giovanni, who are probably Italian, the Kimono girls, who are asian and several other random trainers with foreign names.
    To me Brock seems like a tanned asian guy,but nothing to prejudice on. Take into account that Brock is one of the most faved characters in anime history, unlike Tracey who's just annoying!
     

    abnegation

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    Haha i lol'ed at this post!!
    I think they made him just to look that bit more japanese! I mean they all speak japanese it would be silly if none of them looked looked asian xD
     

    machinegun777

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    I think he's probably Hispanic. (If you ever saw him on the anime with his sombrero on you would know what I mean)
     
    Azonic

    Azonic

    hello friends
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    • Yeah, he's black. What was your first clue, the black skin?

    I'd like to remind you all that Ash is an asian too, and he doesn't have "squinted" eyes. That basically states that the "squinted eyes" stereotype isn't being used.

    HydroSeaDragon said:
    Is it me or do I feel some racism in here?
    The Pokemon anime originated from Japan, so I guess he's a tanned Japanese.
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    Trying to figure out the origin of an anime character =/= racism. Really. >_>

    And just saying, even if Pokemon is a japanese anime series, that does NOT mean that everyone has to be japanese / asian. Look at Misty's red hair and blue eyes; she has characteristics that japanese do not have. Brock doesn't have to be japanese.
     

    Åzurε

    Shi-shi-shi-shaw!
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    Nope. For some reason I'll randomly think of him as a Mexican. XD I usually don't, mainly it's just "oh, ok, he's not paperwhite like some characters. Kewl."
     

    ShinjisLover

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    And just saying, even if Pokemon is a japanese anime series, that does NOT mean that everyone has to be japanese / asian. Look at Misty's red hair and blue eyes; she has characteristics that japanese do not have. Brock doesn't have to be japanese.
    Click to expand...

    You obviously don't watch a lot of anime. Just because they don't look Asian, doesn't mean they're not. A lot of anime characters look American but are really Asian. So that practically just nullified your argument.​
     
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