Are Pokemon weapons?

pkmin3033

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    Here's a fun little moral question - do you think that Pokemon are weapons? Does the intent behind the one commanding the Pokemon really matter, when Pokemon are used in battles all the time? Does the lack of intent to kill make Pokemon battles morally acceptable and mean that Pokemon are not technically weapons, or is the Pokemon World basically one giant battlefield where people are capturing animals and using them as weapons against other animals?

    Genuinely interested in people's thoughts about this as it's not something generally talked about!
     
    I don't think they're weapons if the person using them does not have that mindset. Pokémon will adapt the thought process of their trainer and if that trainer is evil or using them for bad deeds, I feel like they'd begin to feel the same way - intend to kill included. General battling is more like a sport for me; if both the trainer and Pokémon enjoy it, I don't think it's a bad thing and wouldn't say all battles count as dangerous battlefields without the intent for them to become so. It's the people who turn them into weapons who really set that difference to me.

    Even if the dangerous Pokémon can be tamed easily, I definitely wouldn't want to see Pokémon become real. I just don't trust the world not to become a warzone with the mindset certain people irl have.
     
    Outside the games it sure feels like they are meant to be not just weapons. The anime in particular has shown multiple instances of Pokemon being used for something else than battling. Some Pokemon just seem to be made for very specific tasks like working at a construction site, removing different types of waste, offering electricity, etc.

    The games are another matter. Ever since they took out HMs and replaced them with no actual exploration mechanic that makes it feel a lot more like they are just useful as weapons. Ironically, whenever I think about that topic there always comes that one quote from that one Ace Trainer in gen 2 right before Victory Road into my mind who says that Pokemon aren't meant to be weapons of war.
     
    Just about anything is, or can be used as, a weapon.
    Whether the weapon fights for good or for bad, it's still a weapon, so the intent behind them does not matter in determining whether or not they are.

    Personally I see them as friends, not weapons.
    But they definitely can be seen as weapons, then again so can any human.
     
    Treats intent as important. Views Pokemon like dogs. Lives as friendly pets. Serves as a set of eyes for the blind or to comfort humans. Herds animals. Also trains dogs for attacking, security, and some uses against violence (like bomb defusal).

    Shows both sides of Pokemon in the games and anime.
    - Weapons: The war in X/Y and for self-defense against Pokemon thieves
    - Tools/Helpers: Poke Jobs (creating/dyeing cloth, transportation, food preparation, inspecting ship hulls, ...) and Pokemon Evolutions: Episode 7 (with the Kimono Girls).

    Are they weapons? Certainly can be to some. Personally disagrees. Views that only as a part of them, not their primary use. Does not define their existence.
     
    I guess it depends on how you view things. To me, a Pokémon is ABSOLUTELY a weapon.

    Here's my reasoning:

    It's primary definition "a thing designed or used for inflicting bodily or physical harm" and it's secondary definition "a means of gaining an advantage or defending oneself in a conflict or contest" both describe the primary and secondary functions of pokemon; Battling and Training.

    We literally collect pokemon for the purpose of battling others.

    They are absolutely weapons in every sense of the word.

    Does that make them bad? It makes them powerful. It actually makes humans bad. Sure, befriend them. That doesn't change the fact that natural creatures are enslaved and used for battles of entertainment.

    That being said. Children's game.
     
    They're much like Boxers, Wrestlers, etc.

    A boxer is someone who's trained and sent to the ring to punch other boxers in the face until either of them "faints" and is unable to continue battling. They aren't considered weapons because they do so in a sporting context and following certain rules. A boxer could be considered a weapon, however, if he goes around punching people outside the ring and sending them to the hospital...

    So, I think it's the same with Pokémon. They're not considered weapons as long as they agree to be trained and battle following the rules. Now if you could use them to hurt other Pokémon, people, or the environment, causing irreversible harm outside the established battle formats, that would be a different story. Technically, they could be used as weapons, even mass destruction weapons if we talk about certain legendaries and other powerful creatures, but we as trainers can only play in such a way that no real harm is ever done, allways following the rules. All damage done to Pokémon is nothing that a quick trip to a Pokémon Center or a healing item can immediatly fix.
     
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    Nope. I think of them as living creatures with feelings, not weapons. It's been stated Pokemon enjoy battling. They're just magical elemental creatures dogfighting, nothing more, really.
     
    They aren't any more of a weapon than modern dogs. Sure, they can be trained to inflict harm, but that instinct is already there to begin with. People seem to forget that at the start of most of the games you aren't allowed to go anywhere without a Pokémon due to the danger they pose. There are also examples of people being attacked by wild Pokémon in the games (Professor Birch for example.) Pokémon learn and grow from interacting with their human companions so we can either feed into their natural aggression or show them to be more civil. As many of the pokémon you see living around human settlements seem to act.
     
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